Shen Qianyan stood frozen, watching their departing backs. The good mood he had felt when Song Xingqiu acknowledged knowing him vanished almost entirely. Knowing someone is one thing; being friends is another. There is a vast distance between the two.
Shen Qianyan realized he was being naive again. Indeed, while Song Xingqiu did not get along with most of the noble students, how could someone like him lack friends who would wait on him hand and foot?
Shen Qianyan patted his own cheeks. “Forget it, noble young masters live in a different world than commoners like me!” he comforted himself. Despite the self-consolation, Shen Qianyan felt a long-lost sense of disappointment.
On the other side, Song Xingqiu and Wu Hongzhou walked together.
“How did you two end up together?” Wu Hongzhou finally could not help but ask. Fortunately, Song Xingqiu had not gone so far as to invite Shen Qianyan to lunch, but simply knowing and being on good terms with him was rebellious enough.
Wu Hongzhou claimed to be a humble subordinate, but he did not realize that his level of care for Song Xingqiu had unconsciously surpassed what he once felt for Song Wenyue. He was no longer as cautious or fearful as he was at the start. Since Song Wenyue never did anything unexpected, it was hard for Wu Hongzhou to feel any mental ripples around him.
“We just happened to be in the same library,” Song Xingqiu replied. He found it somewhat amusing that Wu Hongzhou was so bothered by Shen Qianyan. He had assumed Wu Hongzhou had little intersection with him. Is this the power of the original protagonist?
He asked back, “Is the library not a public place?”
Wu Hongzhou reacted quickly. “Then I will go there tomorrow as well.”
“No,” Song Xingqiu blurted out.
Shen Qianyan was allowed because he did not belong to any interest group; in front of him, Song Xingqiu maintained an absolute position of superiority. Exposing small flaws was harmless as Shen Qianyan posed no threat. However, facing someone like Wu Hongzhou who possessed a certain underlying aggressiveness, Song Xingqiu remained careful to hide his weaknesses. This was his long-standing habit of caution.
Wu Hongzhou looked at him silently. Song Xingqiu pretended not to notice.
Wu Hongzhou sighed. Seeing that Song Xingqiu clearly did not intend to elaborate, he sensibly changed the subject to report, “Song Wenyue and his group have been very quiet lately. As far as I know, they have not bothered Shen Qianyan. I was wondering why, but now I know the reason.”
Wu Hongzhou’s tone was stiff, and if one listened closely, a hint of jealousy could be heard. He thought about how he, the designated little brother, was forbidden from entering the library, while that scholarship student who constantly clashed with the nobles was allowed to stay there with Song Xingqiu.
At the thought of that scene, Wu Hongzhou felt an inexplicable irritability. Previously, he had watched Jiang Xing and Xue Chengyi get red-faced and jealous over Song Wenyue, arguing over who was the best dog. He had watched from the sidelines, thinking they were both unreasonable fools. How could anyone compete to be a good dog?
Now, he was committing the same folly. Perhaps Song Xingqiu’s mention of business partners a few days ago had shaken his resolve. Wu Hongzhou gave a self-deprecating smile in his heart. Despite telling himself to keep his position in perspective, he was still too young; a few sentences had easily breached his mental defenses.
Realizing his lapse, Wu Hongzhou adjusted his state and regained his usual calm. “Since Shen Qianyan has made a connection with you, I suspect that with Song Wenyue’s temper, his quietness over the past two days means he is waiting for a sudden outburst.”
“I think so too,” Song Xingqiu agreed. Both Wu Hongzhou and Shen Qianyan were intelligent, making conversation easy, which satisfied him. “Actually, I have something I need your help with.”
Song Xingqiu did not beat around the bush. He took out his phone and held it in front of Wu Hongzhou.
Wu Hongzhou froze when he saw the screen. “This is…”
“A camera I installed in the dormitory,” Song Xingqiu explained. His tone was playful. “I checked the surveillance and found this interesting footage.”
What he showed Wu Hongzhou was a live feed. On the screen were Song Wenyue, Jiang Xing, and Xue Chengyi, sneaking around his dormitory, obviously waiting for him to return. Jiang Xing was even holding a burlap sack.
When the nephew is quiet, he must be up to no good. Song Xingqiu had expected Song Wenyue to use some sophisticated method, but he had not expected something so primitive. Yet, the simpler the method, the more effective it could be. An ambush with a burlap sack? How interesting.
Wu Hongzhou was speechless. He could hardly believe his eyes. He never imagined that after he left, Song Wenyue would resort to such a blunt and shameless tactic. Then again, in the first twenty years of Song Wenyue’s life, no one had ever dared to openly defy him, let alone use their fists to knock him to the ground. That taste of humiliation was a first for him.
Song Wenyue would definitely retaliate, and he would want to do it in a way that was overwhelming. If he could not win head-on, he would use underhanded tricks. The easiest method, drugging, was impossible. Song Xingqiu ate every meal in the cafeteria. Ironically, while bullying was a tradition at Axellonia and students were often injured, the kitchen supervision was extremely strict. This was for the protection of the troublemaking noble children. If a scholarship student ever grew desperate enough to poison the kitchen, all these overbearing rich kids would be finished. Since scholarship students could not drug the food, neither could the noble students, not even Song Wenyue.
Having ruled out that shortcut, and considering the IQ and style of that trio, waiting in ambush at his dormitory was indeed their optimal solution. Since they lost the fistfight, they naturally wanted to settle the score with their fists. Otherwise, where would Song Wenyue’s face go?
A chill ran down Wu Hongzhou’s spine. Fortunately, Song Xingqiu was cautious enough to install a camera. Without it, the consequences of walking into the dormitory unsuspecting would be unimaginable. Because Axellonia dormitories protected student privacy, there was no internal school surveillance. If something happened to Song Xingqiu there, no one would hear him.
“Where did they get a key?” Wu Hongzhou asked, puzzled. Axellonia’s dormitory management was very strict. The residential areas for scholarship and noble students were separated and nicknamed “Safe Zones” by the students, meaning that once a scholarship student returned to their room, they were safe from riots. Even Song Wenyue should not be able to get a key to Song Xingqiu’s room.
“My roommate is Jiang Baixie,” Song Xingqiu said, seemingly out of nowhere.
Wu Hongzhou did not immediately realize what role Jiang Baixie played here. Was Jiang Baixie not roommates with Song Wenyue? Then he suddenly remembered hearing a rumor not long ago that Jiang Baixie had moved out and was no longer living with Song Wenyue. Since it was not a big deal, Wu Hongzhou had forgotten it. He had no idea Jiang Baixie had become Song Xingqiu’s roommate!
Wu Hongzhou frowned. “Jiang Baixie is still visiting schools in the Federation. Wait, the timing is about right; he should be back next Monday. That is the day after tomorrow. Did he come back two days early?”
He shook his head, negating his own guess. “Even if he came back early, he would not just give the key to Song Wenyue.”
Wu Hongzhou began to describe Jiang Baixie to Song Xingqiu. “Jiang Baixie is a member of the F4, but he is very special. Since his second year, he has been the President of the Student Union. His grades are excellent, and he is the undisputed number one in our grade. The Student Union at our school is very prestigious. It is an absolute honor for noble students and even more so for scholarship students; having it on a resume is a huge advantage. Many commoner students try to join, but it is very difficult. Most members are noble students. In fact, before Jiang Baixie became President, the Student Union did not recruit scholarship students at all. The first one was admitted only after Jiang Baixie fought for it.”
Song Xingqiu was surprised. He did not know this, as it was not mentioned in the book. At the start of the book, the F4 were already in their third year, and Jiang Baixie was already President. As a supporting character, he had less focus than Shen Qianyan or Song Wenyue, so small details were omitted. Song Xingqiu only remembered that the book described him being kind to Shen Qianyan in the Student Union.
Wu Hongzhou paused and added, “Shen Qianyan was also admitted to the Student Union through Jiang Baixie’s special approval. Jiang Baixie usually does not participate in bullying scholarship students and will sometimes stop it if he sees it. He has a good reputation among them and is a very gentle person.”
This matched Song Xingqiu’s understanding and the character setting in the book.
“He is a person of strong principles,” Wu Hongzhou said with certainty. “It is absolutely impossible for him to give the key to Song Wenyue on a whim, especially knowing you and Song Wenyue are at odds.”
“Is that so?” Song Xingqiu replied noncommittally.
The Jiang Baixie in the original book matched Wu Hongzhou’s description: gentle, intelligent, powerful, and kind. He was the only one of the F4 who showed Shen Qianyan genuine concern. Unfortunately, such a gentle archetype is rarely the winner. Despite being the supporting male who treated Shen Qianyan best, the ultimate victor was his stupid nephew. After meeting everyone in reality, Song Xingqiu found it even harder to understand how a normal person like Shen Qianyan could fall for a fool like his nephew.
However, he did not believe Jiang Baixie was the typical devoted second male lead. Reading the whole book, he never felt Jiang Baixie’s feelings for Shen Qianyan were particularly deep. When Shen Qianyan eventually chose Song Wenyue, Jiang Baixie got over it in a second. If you normally like even a dog and someone steals it, you would be upset for a week. How could you let go of a person so quickly and offer blessings?
To Song Xingqiu, the Jiang Baixie described in the book was contradictory. In reality, he was even harder to read.