The lecture in Classroom Building 3 had already begun. The professor stood at the podium, introducing cutting-edge developments in bioscience and systematically explaining and analyzing them alongside the latest research findings. However, given the specialized nature of the topic, there were not many attendees outside of biology students, and the seats in the back rows were not completely filled.
At that moment, someone arrived fashionably late. Unhurriedly scanning the seating situation despite being tardy, he walked right up to the row where Yan Qianyu was sitting and asked, “May I sit here?”
There were clearly plenty of empty seats in the back row, yet he insisted on sitting in this exact row.
Yan Qianyu glanced up at him, a faint, barely perceptible curve playing at the corner of his lips as he remarked sarcastically, “Are you, the star figure of the finance department, also interested in lectures on epigenetics?”
“Haha, so you really do care about my affairs.” The person was naturally Shi Yi. Yan Qianyu’s attentiveness put him in a very good mood. Resting his chin in his hand, Shi Yi leaned his body toward Yan Qianyu’s side and looked at him with a provocative gaze.
“The recent rumors about me are really a bit outrageous. I am completely innocent, you know.”
The matter traced back a few days prior.
“Wow, the finance department has been so lively lately! Shi Yi? Is that the person you know, Senior?”
Cheng You excitedly turned her phone screen to show Yan Qianyu the campus forum page. Posts related to Shi Yi were continuously multiplying, and nearly half of the layout on a single page was discussing him.
“What is it?”
Yan Qianyu knew this junior very well. When even someone like Cheng You, who was too lazy to reach out or care about campus news, started gossiping, it meant that outside of him, the whole school probably already knew about it.
“Shi Yi has become completely famous now and is surrounded and intercepted by people every day. The outside of the teaching building is constantly packed with people who all came just to see him, which is such a spectacle! He must be extremely busy, which is probably why you haven’t seen him come looking for you these past few days.”
Cheng You shared her deduction with Yan Qianyu, as she did not know the real situation between them. But an inadvertent remark by the speaker leaves an impression on the listener, and the relationship between Shi Yi and Yan Qianyu had already left a relatively close impression in the minds of others.
Yan Qianyu cast his gaze elsewhere, his expression complex.
“Is Senior Cheng You talking about Shi Yi?” Hearing the keywords, Ji Ran joined the discussion. “The forum is totally blown up right now. I dug through the threads for ages yesterday just to figure it out. It seems there was an officially recognized couple who were originally on great terms. The guy prepared a grand confession ritual to officially start dating, but the girl suddenly said she fell in love with Shi Yi.”
Cheng You spread her hands helplessly and said, “Yes, our entire dormitory is chatting about him. We are forced to learn about his daily movements every day, so it is impossible not to know.”
“Later on, that guy got so angry he went looking for Shi Yi for a showdown. The outcome is not completely clear, but he set up a thread in the forum specifically to curse out Shi Yi.” Ji Ran laughed as he spoke, showing the popular thread on his phone. As of right now, people were still continuously replying underneath it.
[Featured]: We had such a long-standing relationship, what kind of tricks did Shi Yi pull…
Floor 245: Haven’t these people ever seen a handsome guy in their past lives? They’ve blocked our building so tightly we can’t even get through!
Floor 246: Damn, I saw my goddess run over to talk to him earlier. Does that mean I have no chance now?
Floor 247: Breaking up a couple, how shameless!
Floor 248: The person I like seems to like him too… Sob sob sob sob
(…)
“A whole bunch of victims also popped up in the replies following the trend. Anyway, whether they chased him successfully or not, everything is Shi Yi’s fault now. (Laughs)”
Yan Qianyu expressed complete incomprehension toward this kind of behavior: “It sounds like something only someone with frontal lobe damage could do.”
“Haha, you are way too vicious, Senior!”
The flashback ended. This campus star had only been at University A for a few days, yet he had kicked up such a massive fuss. Having become the recent trending topic and focus of public opinion, he was a household name at University A. Coupled with his high-profile conduct, he drew attention wherever he went.
Still, judging by his handsome yet faintly wicked face, one had to admit he indeed had the capital for it.
The campus star sitting beside him did not look self-aware at all, maintaining an indifferent attitude as if the person at the center of the storm was not him.
Shi Yi explained to Yan Qianyu why he came to attend the lecture, dropping a blockbuster piece of information: “Of course I came to the lecture because of you. This professor is quite famous, you know, so I crammed a lot of relevant knowledge just for this.”
Yan Qianyu’s face darkened completely.
In his ears, this sentence was like a thunderclap on flat ground, a bolt from the blue.
So my schedule is completely under this guy’s control then?
From the very beginning up until now, this fellow kept challenging his bottom line and pressing on his nerves. This was truly beyond forbearance!
“I hope you don’t waste your time because you can’t understand it.” Yan Qianyu continued replying to him while his brain raced, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.
I have to think of a way…
“Sigh, perhaps only someone like you cherishes time so much. It’s really admirable. However, keeping the brain under high load all the time actually hurts efficiency. Relaxing appropriately is quite necessary.”
Shi Yi did not notice the shift in his emotions. No matter how turbulent Yan Qianyu’s inner thoughts were, what he projected outwardly was still a completely expressionless face.
“Relax? What specifically should one do?” Yan Qianyu turned his head back, a hint of confusion in his expression.
“Hmm, go for a drive? Or go look at the ocean by the beach?” Shi Yi was actually quite surprised that he suddenly took an interest in this question. “Things that can help yourself relax vary quite a bit from person to person anyway; it’s just about doing something detached from daily routine. I just wonder what you like. Even doing research every day will bring fatigue eventually, so how about developing some other hobbies?”
Yan Qianyu continued staring at him. Perhaps because he was curious about what Shi Yi said, he was no longer putting on a cold face as before; his expression softened with a faint smile. This stunning beauty, even though they were in a dim indoor space, seemed to draw all the light toward him, hazy like an illusion.
With the most mundane tone imaginable, he uttered words that made Shi Yi doubt whether he was still trapped inside a dream:
“Then, the plaza in front of the station this Sunday, will you go?”
His expression lacked any unnaturalness, appearing simply as an impulse invitation. His demeanor seemed much gentler too, and seeing his own reflection in those gorgeous purple pupils, Shi Yi felt as though he had been cast under a binding spell.
Go? Of course he was going!
How could he possibly let slip an opportunity like this?
And so, the day arrived on Sunday.
Shi Yi waited early at the plaza. He was dressed in a high-end custom suit, its crisp and well-fitted cut outlining his perfect physique. Accoutred with an exquisitely crafted luxury watch as decoration, he cut an exquisite figure from head to toe.
He had also unbuttoned a couple of buttons, leaving his shirt collar slightly open to look a bit more casual rather than overly formal.
All of this painstaking effort could only mean one thing: he placed immense importance on this meeting.
Perhaps subconsciously hoping to look a bit more mature, Shi Yi readjusted his hairstyle, checked his watch, and ignored the stunned gazes cast his way by passersby.
So, should this count as a first date now?
What should I do to leave a deep impression on him?
A yacht? Opera? Or go to a fashion show? A candlelight dinner?
He probably wouldn’t like those very much either. How about the planetarium? Was that a bit too conventional?
While he was lost in thought, the person he was waiting for finally appeared in his field of view. Yan Qianyu walked over from the direction of the station, wearing the same casual outerwear as before with zero originality. Aside from this coat and the lab coat he wore for experiments, Shi Yi rarely saw him in anything else.
His hair was slightly ruffled by the wind, the white strands reflecting dazzling brilliance under the sunlight.
“Let’s go. We’re going to the movies.”