“Chu Yu, aren’t you hot wearing that scarf?”
Wu Hui and Pei Huaiye were walking behind the others. Seeing the scarf covering half of Wu Hui’s face, Jiang Liexing could not help but ask.
Since someone else was carrying the strawberry basket, Wu Hui kept his hands in his coat pockets. His crisp, cool voice was muffled by the fabric.
“I am naturally not afraid of the heat.”
Nian Zhi, who was carrying the basket, giggled. “We are barely halfway through. The Prince Consort will not be afraid even when it gets hotter.”
Not only was he not afraid, but he likely enjoyed it.
Jiang Liexing was bewildered. “Huh? What?”
Wu Hui licked the small wound on the corner of his lip, cutting off Jiang Liexing’s question. “How is your final exam preparation going?”
Jiang Liexing clutched his head in panic. “What finals? Are they here already? The exams are less than two weeks away, and I haven’t even unwrapped my textbooks yet!”
Wu Hui’s eyes were filled with pity.
Nian Zhi walked at the front, humming a tune. “Freshmen are always like this. You cannot finish seven or eight subjects in two weeks, but it gets better by your sophomore or junior year.”
Jiang Liexing seemed to see a glimmer of hope and chased after her. “Do professors stop failing students in the second and third years?”
“No. It is just that by your second or third year, you become capable of finishing seven or eight subjects in a single night.”
There were two freshmen present, but only Jiang Liexing was panicking; Wu Hui remained as calm as if he were a veteran of many battles.
“Chu Yu, are you not worried at all?”
What was there for Wu Hui to worry about? “It is not my first time.”
Jiang Liexing looked at him hesitantly, then glanced at Pei Huaiye, who was carrying the basket for him. He whispered, “I know it is not your first time, but I am talking about the exams.”
Realizing what he meant, Wu Hui laughed. “There is a bonus for it not being the first time. You should try it.”
Jiang Liexing was stunned. He had never heard of such a thing! Could his poor grades in the past be due to the burden of his own inexperience?
Pei Huaiye pulled away the nonsensical Wu Hui before he could lead anyone else further astray.
“Your tongue is quite sharp. What exactly is not your first time?”
“I was talking about the exam. What were you thinking, Senior?” As he walked, the scarf rubbed against his neck.
“I was talking about the exam, too.”
Wu Hui did not believe him. Taking advantage of the fact that the others were walking ahead, he stood on his tiptoes and whispered in Pei Huaiye’s ear, his breath warm and his tone teasing.
“Whether it is the first time or not, you will have to test it yourself to get the answer, Senior.”
With that, he walked into the middle of the crowd, preventing Pei Huaiye from catching him.
Behind him, Pei Huaiye’s gaze was deep and intense, lingering on him for a long time.
After they had finished at the strawberry farm, they took their strawberries and headed home to prepare for the upcoming final exams.
Upon returning home, the butler took the strawberries that Wu Hui had picked from Pei Huaiye’s hands. “Young Master, would you like to eat these directly, or shall I make them into something else?”
Wu Hui had picked the strawberries, but he had not eaten a single one. He took off his scarf, looked at the cut on the corner of his lip in the mirror, and glanced back.
“I do not eat strawberries with seeds.”
He had mentioned his dietary preferences before.
Pei Huaiye gave the order: “Pick out the seeds and wash them clean.”
“Understood,” the butler replied.
Pei Huaiye walked up behind him. “Are you allergic to strawberry seeds?”
“I am not allergic,” Wu Hui said, rubbing his lip. “If someone picks the seeds out for me, I will eat them. If no one does, I will not. It simply depends on whether Senior is willing to feed me.”
He was arrogant in a natural, straightforward way, possessing the confidence that comes from a life of luxury. He had never been denied anything, surely because he had always been pampered.
Pei Huaiye smiled. “How could I not let you eat? You can have as many as you want.”
The words carried a double meaning, and Wu Hui’s neck and lips felt warm. Pei Huaiye began to personally pick out the strawberry seeds, which stunned the servants in the villa.
Jian Qiu: “Host, do you really not eat strawberry seeds, or are you just looking for excuses to boss people around?”
Wu Hui lounged on the sofa, lazily waiting to be fed. “I want to eat them, and he is willing to pick them. It is a mutual arrangement. How does it become bossing people around in your digital brain?”
Jian Qiu went silent.
Strawberries with the seeds removed by Pei Huaiye tasted better than any others. Wu Hui waited patiently for him to pick a few, then, losing interest, he clapped his hands and went back to study.
Once finals week arrived, the university library was packed. Students began to engage in frantic last-minute cramming.
Jiang Liexing sent a message: “Want some seedless strawberries? I picked all the seeds out of the ones we gathered last time.”
Wu Hui replied: “You must have picked them while you were supposed to be studying.”
Jiang Liexing realized he was failing, so he took his books to the library. He then continued to harass Wu Hui with saved photos of Wen Tan-yi from the official website.
Jiang Liexing: “My goddess is so beautiful and cute. I love her.”
Wu Hui: “With all that distraction, you will be fine once you fail your exams.”
Jiang Liexing: “Stop scolding me. I am currently like the Mona Lisa—unable to study and wanting to self-destruct.”
Jiang Liexing wanted to focus, but the stress of finals mocked his lack of mental capacity. He decided that while he could fail his courses, he could not fail his resolve.
Wu Hui mostly studied in his dorm to avoid fighting for a seat in the library. A few days later, while Pei Huaiye was out, Wu Hui received a call from the manager of a nearby coffee shop. The manager said a distinguished guest had arrived and requested that he come over immediately.
“Mr. Pei, our little boss will be here soon,” the manager said, trembling as he stood by the window where Old Man Pei was sitting.
“How much longer?” Old Man Pei scoffed.
“Ten minutes.”
Old Man Pei waited, but after half an hour, he grew impatient. “You said ten minutes! It has been half an hour. Is he giving me the cold shoulder on purpose?”
The manager, afraid to offend the Pei family, frantically called Wu Hui again.
“Little Boss, where are you?”
“Almost there,” Wu Hui replied, navigating his way. “I am under a cloud that looks like a husky.”
The manager was confused. “What?”
Old Man Pei asked with a dark face, “Where is he?”
“He said he is under the husky,” the manager stammered.
Another twenty minutes passed, and Old Man Pei could no longer sit still. He was convinced that Wu Hui did not respect him and was intentionally trying to intimidate him, thinking that climbing into Pei Huaiye’s bed gave him status.
The cafe door was pushed open.
Wu Hui arrived, clutching two books. “What is the rush? I am in the middle of final prep.”
The manager signaled toward Old Man Pei, who had been waiting for a long time.
“It is you again,” Wu Hui said. He waved for the manager to leave, sat down opposite the old man, and opened his study notes. “Name your price for me to leave Pei Huaiye. Make an offer.”
Old Man Pei, having had his lines stolen, was rendered speechless.
Wu Hui did not look up, continuing to doodle on his draft paper. “I am very busy. Let us not waste each other’s time, okay?”
He had essentially said all of the old man’s lines for him. Old Man Pei choked for a long time before finally regaining his stern expression. “This is what you said.”
“Wait,” Wu Hui raised a hand to interrupt.