CFL 28

For a moment, Wen Ci’s heart really felt hollow.

Aware that her gaze was too obvious, Wen Ci quickly shifted her eyes to the rumbling washing machine, where Jiang Yufeng’s clothes were piled up.

She knew Jiang Yufeng had been staring at her, his gaze so intense that it felt like it could burn through her skin and pierce her heart.

So nervous that even the air seemed thin, Wen Ci took a deep breath, composed her expression, and looked at Jiang Yufeng with an especially sincere and innocent look.

Jiang Yufeng’s face showed no ripple, and he casually asked, “Not speaking again?”

At this point, Wen Ci finally matched the voice from the call with Jiang Yufeng’s voice. The slightly husky tone sent shivers down her spine—it was him, it had to be him.

“N-no… I just think…” Wen Ci’s heart was pounding so hard she felt like it would melt. She stammered, “You’re really unlucky…”

Jiang Yufeng: “…”

With one hand propped on the washing machine lid, Jiang Yufeng leaned in as the machine rumbled and vibrated, making his arm muscles look even more rigid. “Unlucky about what?”

Wen Ci slowly blinked, not understanding his counter-question at first, and asked in confusion, “Your boyfriend ran away, and you’re not unlucky?”

“You seem quite pleased.”

Wen Ci quickly covered her mouth and nose, leaving only her grape-like eyes visible: “No, no.”

Her voice muffled, she added, “I’m not happy.”

Lu Xuesong had been waiting inside for a while, and seeing no sign of them coming out, he leaned out and called, “What are you guys chatting about out here? Hurry up and come in for breakfast.”

Wen Ci bolted out from under Jiang Yufeng’s imposing presence, feeling the air much more abundant. She breathed smoothly, feeling alive again.

Lu Xuesong initiated a group payment in the dormitory chat, humming, “Be proactive.”

Wen Ci walked to her desk and picked up her phone, suddenly remembering something and glancing at Jiang Yufeng, who was making the payment.

Wait!!

Wait, wait, wait…

After paying, Wen Ci opened Alipay, and there on the page was the large, golden amount of 520 in her Yu’e Bao.

It was the birthday transfer Jiang Yufeng had sent her, tricking her into giving him her phone number.

Oh no, oh no.

Now she really seemed like a guy who scams both feelings and money.

Wen Ci felt uneasy. She was sensitive about relationships, and even more so about money.

Knowing how hard her family worked to earn money, Wen Ci had developed an almost obsessive reverence for wealth from a young age…

Xin Jingqi always taught her that although their family wasn’t wealthy, they had enough to get by. She advised Wen Ci not to borrow money from others casually and to ask her parents directly if she needed money at school, preferably her father.

Maybe she should just call Jiang Yufeng “dad” now.

Wen Ci: Bitter smile and kneeling.jpg

Wen Ci had to think of a way to return the money. If she suddenly transferred a large sum to Jiang Yufeng, would he accept it…?

No, Jiang Yufeng would only suspect her, so she gave up on that idea.

Lu Xuesong had already finished his breakfast and turned to look at the two of them: “Does it take that long to make a payment? Are you counting money or are you just distracted by your phones?”

Jiang Yufeng countered, “Don’t phones distract you?”

Lu Xuesong: “…”

Lu Xuesong was enlightened: “That makes sense.”

Previously, when Zhou Yan had invited the dormitory members to dinner to canvass for votes, he had created a new group. Now Zhou Yan spoke in the group, saying they were going to a KTV for a feast tonight.

Zhou Yan, who came from a well-off family and was a proper rich third generation, had no airs about him and was very generous. He would actually make a good class president, someone who could win everyone’s approval and seemed like he would fight for their benefits.

Zhou Yan privately messaged Lu Xuesong.

[Zhou Yan: Ask your dorm mates if they’re all coming]

[Zhou Yan: I heard Jiang Yufeng is back, right? Let’s all go together.]

[Lu Xuesong: OK.]

[Zhou Yan: I hope they’ll show up together.]

[Lu Xuesong: ? Why?]

[Zhou Yan: I’m their number one CP fan (thumbs up)]

[Lu Xuesong: …]

[Zhou Yan: Also, find out if Jiang Yufeng has any intention of running for class president with me (panda head secretly observing.jpg)]

Lu Xuesong directly confronted Jiang Yufeng with the question: “Do you want to be the class president?”

Lu Xuesong pressed the voice message button and held it next to Jiang Yufeng.

Jiang Yufeng, coldly: “No.”

The voice message was sent.

[Lu Xuesong: Did you hear that?]

[Zhou Yan: Damn!]

[Zhou Yan: Not only is he handsome, but his voice is so pleasant too.]

[Lu Xuesong: …]

How could you tell from just two words!

“Zhou Yan is treating us to dinner, are you guys going?” It was Friday night, and voting would start. Lu Xuesong asked, “We have no classes after this afternoon anyway. Let’s go. It’s free food, saves money.”

“Go!” Wen Ci answered almost without thinking. He felt Jiang Yufeng probably didn’t like these group activities and would rather be outside than stay in the dormitory with him.

Lu Xuesong didn’t expect such a quick response, “Jiang Yufeng probably won’t go, right?”

Jiang Yufeng said, “I’m going.”

Wen Ci: “…”

Ahhhh, this was not what he had anticipated.

Wen Ci weakly said, “Then I…”

Lu Xuesong sent the message and looked up at Wen Ci, “What’s the matter? I already told Zhou Yan. Are you going to back out?”

Wen Ci thought about it and decided against it, “No.”

Zhou Yan’s action, besides canvassing for votes, was also likely to build closer relationships among classmates. Xin Jingqi had told him not to be too introverted in college and to make more friends.

There was no need to refuse a group activity because of Jiang Yufeng. Wen Ci thought it wouldn’t be worth it. He had already declined once, and doing it again would be too impolite.

After confirming the number of people, Young Master Zhou began to book a private room.

Jiang Yufeng went out to take a phone call, and Cheng He walked over from the other end of the corridor: “I guessed it. The reason you moved back was because of Yu Bin, right?”

Jiang Yufeng: “?”

“Didn’t you collaborate with him?” Cheng He also did part-time jobs with Yun Anhe, but less frequently. Cheng He wasn’t short of money; he did it just for fun.

“Going out for dinner tonight?”

“No, I have something to do,” Jiang Yufeng said, “I’m going to the KTV tonight.”

“??” Cheng He frowned, “Dude, you’ve changed. Such a significant change must be because of something big, like falling in love or something.”

Jiang Yufeng, expressionless: “Rarely, you’re being smart for once.”

Cheng He: “? I’ve always been smart.”

Jiang Yufeng had a reason to find him, “The design institute needs to get the stamp and approval before the holiday. If there’s nothing during the winter vacation, you help run an errand, urge the progress, and it has to be fast.”

“Already working on a winter vacation project.”

Approval and such, the period before the Lunar New Year is the busiest. Many bosses want to get things done before the holiday so that they don’t have to wait too long after the New Year to start work.

“There’s a benefit in it for you,” Jiang Yufeng was always very planned in his actions and good at handling various emergencies, “And there’s one more thing.”

Money should be made together, Cheng He, the sycophant, asked eagerly: “What what.”

“Do you still have a crush on Wen Ci?”

Cheng He was stunned, not expecting Jiang Yufeng to be so straightforward: “What’s up, are you going to help me get closer to her?”

“It’s not possible. Don’t think Wen Ci seems easy to get along with; actually, she’s very hard to pursue. She only replies to ten messages, and you can’t even get a date out of her. She’s really difficult.”

Cheng He added: “I think she’s even harder to pursue than you.”

Before Jiang Yufeng could respond, Cheng He started to imagine on his own: “You didn’t move back to the dormitory because of me, did you?”

Jiang Yufeng was silent for a few seconds, then said, “It seems like sending you to the design institute to urge progress was the right choice.”

“…” Cheng He scratched his head, “Your compliment makes me feel embarrassed. Why?”

“Thick-skinned, you’re the right fit.”

“??”

After finishing their afternoon classes, a group of people, including those from the neighboring class, took a taxi to a high-end KTV near the school.

The dining format was buffet-style. Wen Ci held a plate, picked and chose carefully, and then sat in the corner next door, slowly eating with a fork.

The group gathered together, with 20% chatting about games, 10% discussing studies and credits, and the remaining 70% gossiping.

“What, you guys are together now?!”

“When did you meet? So fast. Architecture and Economics are in different buildings with a lake in between. Do you meet every day like the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl?”

“Met online.”

“Online romance, you guys really know how to have fun.”

“Introverts are like this. If I don’t do online romance, I’d have to wait for a love that breaks into my house~”

Wen Ci: “.”

Wen Ci subconsciously glanced at the person next to her with her peripheral vision. When had Jiang Yufeng come over and sat down?

A few days ago, Cheng He had been chatting with Zhao Shuran and suddenly looked at Jiang Yufeng: “I heard you’ve also started an online romance. Why haven’t I heard you mention it after meeting?”

Zhao Shuran couldn’t keep a secret. She had successfully met her online friend and was showing off everywhere, insisting on tagging her son’s failed meet-up experience.

Wen Ci’s heart was in her throat. How could Jiang Yufeng be talking about it everywhere? Had he confessed? He was just casually talking about being in a relationship. She wished him to stay single until graduation.

Wen Ci stuffed a few cherry tomatoes into her mouth.

“No, he ran away,” Jiang Yufeng’s reaction was surprisingly nonchalant, which was unexpected to Cheng He.

But Cheng He was even more shocked that someone like Jiang Yufeng would engage in online romance. Come on, with his face, he could easily charm a crowd, right?

“Why did he run? Don’t you ask him?”

“Blocked and deleted.”

“…” Cheng He’s eyes widened in shock: “You didn’t encounter an online scammer, did you? Did you send any red packets or something?”

Jiang Yufeng said: “Over seven hundred.”

Cheng He frowned: “That’s quite a lot.”

Wen Ci: “!!!”

Scoundrel, it was five hundred and twenty, where did the over seven hundred come from.

Ahhhh! Jiang Yufeng was scamming.

Wen Ci didn’t know why she was so furious. She stabbed at her bread fiercely with her fork. Jiang Yufeng noticed her movements and looked over, with a half-smile: “What’s wrong?”

What’s wrong!!!!

He’s asking what’s wrong.

He still had to rack his brains to return the money.

Wen Ci couldn’t be angry and could only hold it in: “Nothing, I ate some wasabi.”

Jiang Yufeng took a sip of water: “You look like you’re about to cry.”

Wen Ci turned her head away, very angry, puffed up like a dolphin: “… I’m not crying.”

Without looking at him, Jiang Yufeng put his cup inside to prevent it from accidentally falling and breaking.

“Mm, you’re not crying.”

Wen Ci turned her head back and looked at him again: “Thank you.”

Jiang Yufeng liked it when Wen Ci focused on him.

Cheng He was still immersed in the fact that Jiang Yufeng had been scammed out of money: “Are you just going to let it go? With your methods, shouldn’t you dig to the bottom of the earth to find the person, and even if they’re dead, you’d dig them up and whip the corpse?”

Wen Ci: “…”

Jiang Yufeng glanced at Cheng He.

Cheng He: “… Why are you glaring at me? Did I say something wrong? Your middle school days… mmm.”

Jiang Yufeng stuffed his water cup into his mouth.

After the buffet, everyone went to the KTV to sing. Everything was fine except that Zhou Yan kept singing sweet songs like “I Like You,” “I’m in Love Again,” “Get a Little Closer,” and other romantic playlists for the Qixi Festival, all directed at Wen Ci and Jiang Yufeng.

Wen Ci: “.”

But with Zhou Yan’s rough voice, the singing was like “heavenly music.”

Jiang Yufeng leisurely commented: “It sounds good.”

Wen Ci: “…”

Zhou Yan held the microphone and asked Wen Ci: “Does it sound good?”

Wen Ci choked: “… It sounds good.”

This torture ended before the dormitory curfew. While taking a shower, Wen Ci thought for a long time and finally decided to use a more traditional method.

The ATMs on campus were mostly concentrated in the lobby of Building One. Wen Ci got up early to withdraw cash, then went to the supermarket to exchange for small change, making up 520.

Over seven hundred, where did the over seven hundred come from? Was it because Jiang Yufeng had provided all the meals on her birthday?

That would be at most a bit over six hundred. Where did the seven hundred come from? The meals were all from the cafeteria; they couldn’t be that expensive.

Wen Ci also bought an envelope and then went to the library to write. Just in case, Wen Ci wrote with his left hand to avoid being recognized by his handwriting.

When he was young, Wen Ci was used to using his left hand, but under Xin Jingqi’s guidance, he practiced writing with his right hand. As a result, both his left and right hands were very agile.

On Friday morning, there was only one class. Lu Xuesong and Tao Peng went out on a date, leaving only the two of them in the dormitory.

The temperature dropped sharply, and the weather grew colder as autumn deepened, with a chilly wind blowing.

Wen Ci had to start wearing sweaters in the dormitory. His clothes were mostly light-colored, and his porcelain-white skin made him look like he was glowing.

Wen Ci stood up, thought for a moment, and decided to leave. He packed his small bag, planning to spend the afternoon in the library.

Jiang Yufeng walked over, and the light spot on Wen Ci’s table suddenly disappeared.

Wen Ci turned around, not expecting Jiang Yufeng to be so close. She nervously took a step back and bumped into the chair: “What’s up?”

“Wen Ci.” Jiang Yufeng called her name, so pleasant to the ear. He held up the envelope and asked, “Did you see who put this on the table?”

Wen Ci shook her head, feeling bewildered and putting on a good act.

Jiang Yufeng opened the envelope in front of him and took a look. Inside was a stack of cash, along with a small note. The handwriting was elegant, neat, and rounded, somewhat resembling the cheese font.

It read—Senior, I’m extremely sorry. I’m returning the money to you. Let’s consider this settled and owe nothing to each other from now on.

Jiang Yufeng handed the note over, “What does he write? I can’t understand.”

Wen Ci took it foolishly, “Why can’t you understand?”

“The handwriting is too ugly, I can’t make it out. Help me read it.”

Wen Ci: “…”

Jiang Yufeng was the first person to say his handwriting was ugly.

Without waiting for Wen Ci’s voice, Jiang Yufeng counted the cash instead, a total of seven hundred and seventy yuan.

770 – 520 = ?

“What do you think…” Jiang Yufeng smiled, “the extra two hundred and fifty is for?”

Wen Ci shook his head innocently, “I don’t know either…”