September in Jin City was quite hot, with temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Celsius most of the time.
Stepping out of the dormitory building, Chen Yufeng headed straight for the counselor’s office.
Ever since his previous encounter with Xie Qing, he had subconsciously switched to wearing long pants.
It was fine indoors, but the moment he stepped outside, the heat hit him like a wave.
Chen Yufeng muttered to himself once again that Xie Qing might just be a cold-blooded animal.
In weather this hot, the man still wore a base layer underneath his short-sleeved jacket, and to top it all off, he zipped that jacket all the way up to his chin.
Lost in his thoughts, Chen Yufeng walked along until he reached the third floor of the Information Science Center.
Before he even had a chance to knock, he bumped right into the counselor, who happened to be stepping out.
Chen Yufeng quickly raised a hand to block the doorway. “Teacher Fu, this is my dorm withdrawal application. Sorry to bother you.”
Fu Yuan led him back into the office, where two other teachers were present, presumably counselors from other grades or departments.
The office air conditioning was cranked down very low, and the moment he stepped inside, a chill pierced straight through his pores.
Chen Yufeng truly experienced the contrast of ice and fire all at once.
“I’m familiar with your situation,” Fu Yuan said, flipping through the materials Chen Yufeng had prepared. “However, the earliest you can process this is after military training.”
“Alright, thank you for your trouble.” Chen Yufeng just wanted to make a quick escape.
Upon entering, he had noticed the standing air conditioner displaying a temperature of 16 degrees.
If he stayed any longer, goosebumps were going to break out all over his skin.
Fu Yuan nodded. “Add me on WeChat. I’ll let you know when the process starts.”
Chen Yufeng unlocked his phone and instinctively pulled up his QR code.
With a soft beep.
Fu Yuan’s expression turned rather complicated.
Just as Chen Yufeng was about to turn and retreat, he couldn’t help but speak up.
“Why don’t you scan me instead?”
With a head full of question marks, Chen Yufeng swiped across his screen.
What?
Had his WeChat really reached the point where he couldn’t add any more friends?
It wasn’t until Chen Yufeng reached the school gate that he realized he had absentmindedly pulled up his payment collection code instead.
No wonder the counselor had looked so awkward.
Tsk, did this count as an occupational hazard?
Suddenly, a horn blared behind him, and Chen Yufeng instinctively stepped aside.
A black Audi slowly cruised past him.
Paying it no mind, Chen Yufeng pulled out his earphones and plugged the right one in.
Just as he was debating whether to listen to the Script of Purity or a piano melody.
The Audi came to a halt in front of him, and the next second, it reversed back.
Looking up, Chen Yufeng met a pair of eager eyes.
“Brother Feng, want to grab some food, coming or not?” Xie Wang called out, leaning his head out of the window.
Chen Yufeng removed his earphone and casually cast a glance over the Audi R8.
Ah, a two-seater.
“Sure.” With his hands shoved into his pockets, Chen Yufeng stood there lazily, offering Xie Wang a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Are you getting out so I can get in, or should I ride on the roof?”
“Or perhaps, should I hail a cab right now and tell the driver to follow that very expensive-looking car ahead?”
Xie Wang glanced back, then turned to look at his older brother.
He had spotted Chen Yufeng from quite a distance away and had begged his brother for ages before Xie Qing finally agreed to stop the car.
He had been far too excited, completely overlooking the awkward reality that someone might end up chasing the car on foot.
“Get out.” Xie Qing didn’t even turn his head. “There’s a car trying to come out from behind.”
“Fine then, Brother Feng and I will take a taxi.” Xie Wang unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.
Chen Yufeng stood right under the blazing sun, watching the two young masters go back and forth.
The exact moment Xie Wang stepped out.
“Get in.” Xie Qing’s voice sounded once again.
He still made no physical movement, save for his fingers rhythmically tapping against the steering wheel.
Having just planted his feet on the ground, Xie Wang was left utterly bewildered by his brother’s inexplicable command.
He turned around, about to ask a question.
A flash of white darted past and slipped right into the vehicle.
By the time Xie Wang registered what was happening, only Chen Yufeng’s parting advice remained in the scorching wind.
“I’ll hail a cab for you, keep an eye on your brother’s messages.”
He and Xie Wang hadn’t even gotten around to adding each other on WeChat yet.
Having usurped the young master’s seat, Chen Yufeng honestly felt too bad to let the kid figure out how to hail a taxi on his own.
He genuinely doubted whether the young master even knew how to book a ride by himself.
“Where is the destination?” Chen Yufeng fished out his phone. “I’m worried he won’t know how to book one.”
“Wanda Plaza on Jinwan Road,” Xie Qing said casually as he turned the steering wheel.
“Huh?” Chen Yufeng was slightly surprised.
He had assumed it would be some high-end private club; turns out even rich young masters visited ordinary places.
The school gate was arguably the easiest spot to catch a ride, and orders were picked up very quickly.
“Tell him the license plate ends in 4257 so he can watch out for it,” Chen Yufeng said. “Though I have no idea why you made me get into the car, I have to admit the air conditioning temperature is just right.”
Instead of answering immediately, Xie Qing kept one hand on the steering wheel while unlocking his phone with his fingerprint.
Then, he performed an action that left Chen Yufeng utterly baffled.
Why on earth was Xie Qing handing his phone to him?
“WeChat is the first app on the social tab. You can search for Xie Wang directly and message him back.”
For once, Chen Yufeng was momentarily stunned, forcing Xie Qing to patiently explain.
“There are a lot of traffic cameras on this stretch of road. Every time a violation is caught, it’s three penalty points.” Xie Qing placed his phone on the center console armrest. “As for giving up his seat, Xie Wang volunteered. You can ask him yourself.”
With that, the phone screen dimmed slightly, and Chen Yufeng immediately picked it up.
Good thing it wasn’t locked yet, otherwise he would have had to ask Xie Qing to unlock it again.
“No driver’s license?” Stopping at a red light ahead, Xie Qing glanced sideways and asked.
Swiping through the phone, Chen Yufeng gave a light cough.
“Yeah, I still need a few months before I’m eligible to take the test.”
What could he do? It wasn’t his fault for starting school early.
Xie Qing glanced sideways, appraising him all over once more.
“So young? No wonder you’re so flirtatious.”
Chen Yufeng asked, are you lacking basic manners?
After sending Xie Wang the message and throwing in a few words of reassurance, he returned to the WeChat chat and tapped the screen twice.
Feigning innocence, Chen Yufeng remarked, “If we’re talking about being flirtatious, shouldn’t I ask whether I or the Omega you’re about to meet ranks higher?”
His tone lifted slightly, his gaze flickering.
He uttered such flirty words while wearing an entirely upright expression.
Xie Qing generally adopted one of two attitudes toward other people’s questions.
Either he ignored them, or he answered them with absolute seriousness.
Hearing that, he actually turned to look at Chen Yufeng once again.
His appearance balanced strength and softness, falling somewhere between an Alpha and an Omega.
He occupied that most ambiguous borderline between the two genders.
Feeling somewhat uneasy under that steady gaze, Chen Yufeng tugged at his seatbelt, stared straight ahead, and stiffly stated, “Keep your eyes on the road. I don’t want to weep over anyone’s casket, even if I don’t really have any family to speak of.”
He muttered the last sentence so softly that it vanished instantly.
Xie Qing didn’t catch it clearly, but he didn’t dwell on it either, letting out a soft chuckle as he shifted his gaze back to the front.
“It depends on the aspect. When it comes to thick skin, of course you take the crown.”
Chen Yufeng sighed helplessly. “Senior sure knows how to take the long way around just to insult my thick skin.”
As the car glided into the dim underground parking garage, the lighting immediately grew subdued.
Once the car came to a complete stop, Chen Yufeng consciously hopped out, waved goodbye, and headed toward the elevator without looking back.
“Xie Wang has arrived. Go straight to the fifth floor.”
Sensing that Chen Yufeng might leave him locked outside the elevator if he stayed quiet any longer, Xie Qing finally spoke up.
“Huh?” Turning around in confusion, Chen Yufeng asked, “Aren’t you supposed to be meeting someone?”
Chen Yufeng pulled out his phone to check the time.
There was no way his calculation was off; this was precisely the scheduled time.
“I canceled it.” Lowering his gaze to look at him, Xie Qing’s eyes gleamed with provocation. “Looks like Junior’s calculations aren’t entirely accurate after all.”
Mulling over those words, Chen Yufeng let out a helpless, amused sigh. “Man, you really are…”
“Was it worth it?”
“It was.” Stepping into the elevator first, Xie Qing held the door open with his hand. “This is what they call human effort overcoming anything.”