Shi Jing was actually sitting quite far from the stage, but the giant display screens on either side were large enough that he could clearly see the tiny black mole on Jiang Yu’s nose.
Jiang Yu was obviously accustomed to facing large crowds. His expression remained calm and composed. He wore the same suit Shi Jing had seen that morning, with a perfectly fitted white dress shirt underneath.
The only difference was that he had put on a pair of glasses.
Silver-rimmed glasses.
They somehow made him look even more handsome.
The young man walked steadily to the microphone.
The university official who had spoken before him was rather short, so the microphone height was not particularly friendly to Jiang Yu.
Tilting his head slightly, he adjusted the microphone.
His gaze happened to meet that of the cameraman.
On the massive screens, Jiang Yu’s lips had originally been pressed together lightly. He stood straight yet relaxed, with a tall, elegant figure and striking features.
The instant he looked into the camera, he suddenly smiled.
Nobody knew what he was smiling about, but the lifeless audience immediately became lively.
“Damn, he’s so handsome.”
“Help!”
“Ahhhhh! My girlish heart just exploded!”
Faced with the commotion below, Jiang Yu lightly tapped the microphone with the back of his index finger.
A deep thump echoed through the speakers.
Everyone obediently quieted down.
Effortless crowd control.
“Hello, everyone. I am Jiang Yu, a freshman in the Class of ’27 from the Directing Department.”
There was nothing particularly groundbreaking about Jiang Yu’s speech.
Most of it consisted of inspirational platitudes.
But unfortunately for everyone else, he was handsome and had a pleasant voice.
This was probably the most cooperative audience any speaker had ever received.
Every few minutes, enthusiastic applause would erupt.
Leaning against his chair, Shi Jing watched the serious, earnest expression on Jiang Yu’s face and let out a faint scoff.
What a pretender.
“A little righteous spirit, and a thousand miles of joyous wind.”
As the speech neared its conclusion, Jiang Yu suddenly raised his eyes toward the camera.
No one knew whom he was looking at.
His brows softened slightly, and the corners of his lips curved upward.
“I wish all of you that, in the brightest years of your youth, everything you gain will be everything you wished for.”
As thunderous applause erupted, Shi Jing suddenly heard someone calling him.
Turning his head, he looked toward the source of the voice.
Zhuang Congnan smiled.
“This may be a bit presumptuous, but do you know Jiang Yu?”
At the mention of that name, Shi Jing raised an eyebrow.
He carefully examined Zhuang Congnan, as though the person had only now gained a sense of existence in his eyes.
“No,” Shi Jing replied. “Why would you ask that?”
“The way you look at him doesn’t seem like the way you’d look at a stranger.”
Zhuang Congnan smiled gently.
He had delicate features, narrow eyes, a rounded nose tip, and soft, understated facial contours.
“You’re overthinking it.”
Shi Jing decisively ended the topic.
By the time the opening ceremony ended, it was already one in the afternoon.
Shi Jing packed a meal from the cafeteria.
After returning to the dormitory and finishing lunch, he climbed into bed for a nap.
When he opened his eyes again, it was already four in the afternoon.
Summer days were long, and sunlight filled the dorm room.
Picking up his phone, he glanced at the screen.
Ten missed calls.
More than thirty unread WeChat messages.
Shi Jing: “?”
Unlocking his phone, he discovered that every single one of them had been sent by Chen Xiaorong.
【Seriously, I’m speechless. You don’t answer calls or reply to messages. Have you abandoned your son?】
Shi Jing instantly became wide awake.
When he had flown from Canghe to Lanjing, bringing Little Turtle with him had been inconvenient.
Coincidentally, Chen Xiaorong was returning to Lanjing a few days later.
His job was in Lanjing, and he was driving back himself.
So Shi Jing had entrusted his beloved son to Chen Xiaorong and asked him to bring him over.
Shi Jing hurriedly replied:
【I’ll be there right away.】
Changing into his shoes, he grabbed his phone and headed out of the dorm.
Gao Lang shouted after him.
“Where are you going? Can you bring me back some food?”
“I’m not going to the cafeteria,” Shi Jing replied. “I’m going to pick up my son.”
“What?”
Gao Lang looked completely baffled.
Shi Jing couldn’t be bothered to explain.
Once he brought his son back, Gao Lang would naturally understand what was going on.
A white BMW was parked across from Landa University.
Sweating heavily, Shi Jing hurried over and opened the passenger-side door.
Cool air immediately washed over him.
Every pore on his body felt relieved.
Chen Xiaorong looked especially good today.
He wore a pink T-shirt paired with white shorts.
His features were naturally attractive, and his fashion choices blurred the line between masculine and feminine.
Chen Xiaorong tossed him a box of tissues.
“Hurry up and wipe off all that nasty sweat.”
Shi Jing casually pulled out a few tissues and wiped his face before eagerly searching for his son.
The love of a father for his child simply couldn’t be stopped.
“Where’s my son?”
“In the back seat,” Chen Xiaorong said. “Look how well I’ve raised him—green and plump.”
What kind of bizarre description was that?
Shi Jing said, “Thanks a lot.”
Leaning over, he retrieved his son’s turtle tank from the back seat and carefully lifted Little Turtle out of the water.
He meticulously inspected him to make sure nothing was wrong.
Little Turtle seemed to feel deeply offended by the treatment and desperately tried to retract his head and limbs into his shell.
Chen Xiaorong was rendered speechless.
Still, despite his exasperation, he had watched Shi Jing grow up.
Officially, Shi Jing was his nephew.
In reality, Chen Xiaorong treated him like a younger brother.
“A few days ago, I bought you some clothes while I was shopping. Remember to take them with you. Honestly, I can’t praise your fashion sense.”
“The freshmen still have military training. I heard Landa University’s training lasts a full month. I bought you two bottles of sunscreen. With a face this handsome, you absolutely can’t get tanned.”
He continued talking nonstop.
Meanwhile, Shi Jing kept teasing his precious son, irritating Little Turtle so much that he retreated completely into his shell.
After Chen Xiaorong finally finished lecturing him, Shi Jing asked,
“Didn’t you quit your last job? Have you found a new one?”
Chen Xiaorong lowered his eyes.
“Yeah.”
Shi Jing studied him for a moment before lowering his gaze to stroke Little Turtle’s shell.
“Once I finish school, you won’t have to work anymore.”
Chen Xiaorong smiled.
“Alright.”
After chatting for a while longer, Shi Jing picked up the turtle tank while Chen Xiaorong opened the trunk and handed over the things he had bought.
Everything was lightweight, and Shi Jing carried them casually with one hand.
“Then I’m heading back.”
Chen Xiaorong waved.
“Go ahead.”
Shi Jing stepped out of the car carrying the turtle tank.
After crossing the street, he unexpectedly ran into Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu wore a black baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.
Only his well-defined jawline and crimson lips were visible.
Keeping a blank expression, Shi Jing intended to pretend he hadn’t seen him.
Then a voice stopped him.
“Shi Jing.”
The voice was low and slightly hoarse.
Shi Jing paused and turned around.
Jiang Yu looked to be in a terrible mood.
The pressure around him felt oppressively low, as though his wife had just cheated on him.
“If you’ve got something to say, say it.”
Shi Jing licked the corner of his lips.
Jiang Yu lifted his head slightly.
Beneath the brim of the cap, his dark eyes were deep and unreadable.
His gaze was as sharp as a blade, tracing every inch of Shi Jing’s skin.
“I heard from your roommate that you already have a son.”
“Yeah.”
Shi Jing nodded.
Jiang Yu took several seconds to process that before asking,
“Where is he? Who did you have him with?”
Shi Jing silently lifted the turtle tank.
“Right here.”
“…”
The sky was blue and cloudless.
Jiang Yu locked eyes with the little green turtle inside the tank.
For the first time in his life, he was completely speechless.
Yet Shi Jing grinned brightly and said,
“Son, look. This is your older brother.”
Jiang Yu: “…”
A vibration came from Shi Jing’s pocket.
Handing the turtle tank to Jiang Yu, he said,
“Hold this for me.”
Jiang Yu’s emotions had already gone through several dramatic highs and lows.
Before he could react, he instinctively accepted the tank.
The call was from Chen Xiaorong.
“Why didn’t you take the sunscreen?”
Shi Jing slapped his forehead.
“I forgot. Bring it back for me.”
“Get it yourself.”
Chen Xiaorong sounded unwilling.
“The sun’s blazing outside. I’m not getting out of the car.”
That was what he said.
Yet when Shi Jing reached the other side of the road, Chen Xiaorong still got out.
Carrying the bag, he handed it over.
“If you don’t use sunscreen, after military training you’ll look like you just came back from Africa.”
Shi Jing chuckled.
After taking the sunscreen, he headed back to retrieve his son.
Only to find Jiang Yu squinting across the street, staring at Chen Xiaorong.
No one knew what he was thinking.
“What’s wrong?” Shi Jing asked.
Jiang Yu lifted his chin toward the opposite side of the road.
“Who is that person to you?”
Shi Jing turned around.
Chen Xiaorong was currently walking around the front of the car, preparing to get back into the driver’s seat.
“My uncle. Why?”
Jiang Yu frowned.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
“He looks familiar.”
“Maybe you saw him at my mom’s wedding,” Shi Jing guessed.
“No.”
Jiang Yu’s tone was certain.
“I only stayed at the wedding for about ten minutes before leaving. I never saw him.”
Shi Jing reached out and picked up his son.
Holding the turtle tank in his arms, he replied calmly and without the slightest ripple in his voice,
“Then I have no idea.”
“I’m leaving first. I’ve got things to do.”