The biological research papers he published during his university years caused quite a sensation at the time, earning him the title of a genius and securing high regard from the university. Currently, he is pursuing his graduate studies at A University.
On this particular morning, as soon as Yan Qianyu arrived at the laboratory, he began his routine preparations by cleaning and sterilizing all the equipment. Because he tended to lose track of time and forget everything else once he became absorbed in his experiments, Cheng You, a junior fellow student who was on good terms with him, would often go out of her way to run over and remind him.
“Senior Brother, remember to attend the meeting this afternoon.”
“Mm, I know.”
Yan Qianyu put on his gloves, donned his lab coat, and took a full inventory of all the materials he would need. Just as he was about to resume his work, another voice calling his name interrupted him. “Is Yan Qianyu here? Someone is looking for you!”
Who on earth could be looking for me?
So early in the morning, people were looking for him this frequently. Could his advisor have assigned a new task? Or perhaps someone had questions related to his research topic?
It must be something urgent.
Yan Qianyu had no choice but to take off his gloves and walk toward the door. Before pushing it open, he had no specific expectations about who might be waiting outside. Once he clearly saw the visitor, his calm expression instantly transformed into shock, his eyes nearly widening in disbelief.
“Hi!”
As soon as he stepped out of the room, the frivolous man he had encountered at the bar came into view.
He stood in the corridor looking exceptionally tall. Because the bar had been quite chaotic that day, Yan Qianyu had not been in the right frame of mind to notice his details. Now, with the two of them standing face to face on the same level, Yan Qianyu finally realized the oppressive sense of pressure brought on by the man’s height. Even when standing up straight, Yan Qianyu only reached somewhere near his eyes, meaning the man was likely close to 1.9 meters tall.
He wore a gray blue long trench coat with a sharply tailored fit. His entire outfit consisted of finely crafted, custom tailored pieces. Simply changing his clothes had subtly altered his temperament, making him look a bit more serious and restrained. Gone was the roguish demeanor he had shown at the bar, replaced by a sense of refinement and composure.
For a fleeting moment, Yan Qianyu wondered if he had mistaken him for someone else.
He never would have expected to cross paths with Shi Yi at school. Could it be that he was also a student at A University?
That seemed impossible. Although he did not want to admit it, given the man’s striking appearance, it was unlikely he could remain completely unknown at A University, and he would have surely heard rumors about someone like him.
However, none of those things mattered. How had this person managed to obtain his exact information after only a single chance meeting? Considering that Yan Qianyu had not even revealed his name, the fact that Shi Yi managed to track him all the way here felt downright terrifying to Yan Qianyu!
“This is A University! How did an unauthorized person sneak in?” Yan Qianyu’s expression turned grim, written all over with wariness toward the intruder.
Noticing Yan Qianyu adopting a posture as if he wanted to bolt from the spot immediately, Shi Yi answered the question promptly.
“Hey, wait, I am a student here too, just transferred over.” With that, Shi Yi pulled an A University student ID card from his pocket and handed it to him.
“Look.”
[A University Student ID Card: Shi Yi, Male, Undergraduate, Department of Finance, Student ID: 2030XXXXXXX]
He really was a student here. Transferring schools in such a short amount of time?
It turned out there really were people who did things so recklessly, accomplishing feats ordinary people could never imagine. Furthermore, his attitude was as casual as eating a meal or drinking water, which thoroughly shattered Yan Qianyu’s worldview.
Tsh, having money really allowed someone to do whatever they pleased.
“Do you still need anything? If not, I will not keep you company.”
“I wanted to come over and say hi.” However, before Shi Yi could finish his sentence, Yan Qianyu turned around and walked away. A loud bang of the door shutting echoed behind him, leaving Shi Yi standing stranded in place.
Shi Yi’s expression flickered uncertainly. There was vexation at being disrespected, a hint of a provocative challenge that stirred his competitive urge for conquest, and finally, it settled into an amused, intrigued expression.
It seemed this undertaking would still pose quite a challenge.
Even though Yan Qianyu had managed to shake him off for the moment, he would still inevitably be affected by Shi Yi’s presence. The office was no longer as peaceful as it used to be, as the female students were already excitedly discussing the suddenly appearing handsome man.
“That person at the door just now was so handsome! I got so nervous when he spoke to me that I did not even know what to say!”
“And he is so gentlemanly! He has that genuine young master aura!”
“Does our school have someone like that?”
Yan Qianyu managed to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to this background noise, immersing himself entirely in his experiments and research. Yet, a mild sense of unease lingered in his heart. With someone of such unclear motives appearing around him, he had no idea what kind of impact it might have on his life. If Shi Yi simply gave up on pestering him, that would naturally be the best outcome.
The following day at noon.
Only when he was halfway through writing his paper did Yan Qianyu look up to glance at the clock hanging on the wall, realizing that he had missed lunchtime yet again. As someone who considered even walking to the cafeteria a waste of time, he usually relied on food delivery to get by. However, ordering now would mean waiting half an hour for delivery, not even factoring in the peak hour queues and processing times.
Grr. Once his focused attention relaxed, he realized his stomach was already growling loudly. If he did not eat soon, he might suffer from hypoglycemia. Waiting for delivery was clearly out of the question.
Yan Qianyu had no choice but to get up and look for something to tide him over.
Just as he was about to step outside, he collided head on with someone approaching the doorway.
Shi Yi and Yan Qianyu crossed paths right there, the former carrying a packaged lunchbox. The portion he was holding was clearly meant for two people, showing he had come fully prepared. Upon seeing Yan Qianyu, Shi Yi revealed a calm and confident smile, his gaze fixed warmly upon him.
“Would you like to eat together? I specially ordered lunch from a restaurant.”
His smile was so natural, completely devoid of any awkwardness or displeasure from having been rejected the day before, acting as if he and Yan Qianyu had enjoyed a pleasant conversation yesterday. He casually invited Yan Qianyu to share the meal with the familiarity of an old friend.
A prolonged silence settled over the room, the air seeming to freeze for a moment.
It lasted long enough that Shi Yi’s smile began to falter, nearly twisting out of shape. He figured this attempt must have failed, but that was fine, as it was something he had anticipated anyway. He had plenty of ways to make Yan Qianyu owe him this favor, or he could simply return another day.
Yan Qianyu reached out and took the lunchbox.
He agreed? Just like that?
While Shi Yi was still stunned in a daze, Yan Qianyu was already tearing open the outer packaging. Shi Yi had originally prepared himself to haggle back and forth for a few rounds, or face rejection yet leave the food behind anyway, or perhaps need to enlist someone else to persuade him. In short, none of the anticipated scenarios played out. The two of them simply ended up sitting at the same table, enjoying the freshly bought lunch together.
“I actually thought you would refuse.” Shi Yi could not help himself and asked about the reason for his earlier silence.
“Going downstairs to eat wastes too much time. Having someone deliver it right to my door suits me just fine.”
You could say this answer was entirely unexpected yet completely within reason. Shi Yi surmised that he must be a radical pragmatist.
Yan Qianyu was eating very seriously without raising his head once. His eyelashes fluttered slightly with every chewing motion, and his skin was as smooth and fair as a piece of fine jade. Watching him bring the food to his mouth, those small, delicate lips parting and closing, Shi Yi suddenly lost his appetite for eating.
His profile looked equally attractive, and just sitting there eating made him a pleasing sight to behold, making his special trip here entirely worthwhile.
“I see. How does the food suit your taste? This restaurant is famous for its delicious dishes.” He decided to use this opportunity to figure out his preferences; if he could win over his stomach, success would not be far behind.
“It is just for nutritional intake. It does not matter what I eat.”
Shi Yi thought to himself that this guy’s defenses were completely impenetrable.
His brain began spinning at top speed, trying to figure out how to respond to that statement. He had not expected Yan Qianyu to be so difficult to get along with, nor did he show any outward emotion when speaking, making it hard to guess his true thoughts.
Still, a challenge of this magnitude was not going to scare him off. They had only known each other for a short while, and they did not know each other well enough yet. They simply had not found the right rhythm for interacting. What he needed right now was an excuse for prolonged, sustained contact.
Shi Yi harbored a vague premonition that things were not quite turning out the way he had imagined.
Even so, today’s starting point was already much better than he had originally envisioned, as they were actually sitting together, eating and chatting. As for the next step.
“אם your only goal is to save time,” Shi Yi flashed his signature, charming smile, which, paired with his deep, chiseled features, carried a dazzling brilliance, “how about I provide your lunch every day?”
Meanwhile, at the entrance of the office, Ji Ran happened to be passing by when he noticed someone inside. Peeking in out of curiosity, he wondered why Senior Yan had not left yet at this hour and if he had forgotten to eat again.
He intended to step inside and check on the situation, but after taking a couple of steps, he realized someone else was sitting beside him. Huh? Wasn’t that the person from the bar the other day? So they really were acquaintances after all. Why did the senior pretend not to know him, and was he too shy to introduce him?
Ji Ran secretly glanced a few more times, noticing that the atmosphere between the two conversing was quite harmonious, full of laughter and talk, so he decided not to go in and disturb them. That handsome black haired guy looked at Senior Yan in a rather unusual way, perhaps because they had known each other for a long time.
In his impression, the number of people who could get this close to Senior Yan could probably be counted on one hand. It was rare to see the senior have such a close friend.
“What good does doing this do for you?”
On the other side of the office, the two people seated at the table continued their conversation while eating. Yan Qianyu felt utterly baffled by Shi Yi’s nearly extravagant generosity.
“Hmm, if you are asking about benefits, I am simply very interested in you, want to get to know you better, and make a friend. Does that count?”
Shi Yi propped his chin in his hand, closely studying Yan Qianyu’s expression. In his mind, he was already mapping out their future interactions: what kind of questions to ask, how to spark his interest, and when to invite him out.
There was no rush; they still had plenty of time to take things slow.
“As you like.”