Chapter 121: Do you two take me for dead?

The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday flew by.

Cheng Xingye seemed to be dealing with some family matters and couldn't find the time to spend with her. Consequently, Lu Qingyue blinked her eyes, slept for two days, and the holiday was already over.

Upon returning to campus, she heard some unexpected news.

Last weekend, a male student from the School of Chemistry had gotten into a fight and received a disciplinary warning. Just after returning from the holiday this week, he was cornered and beaten up again.

Later, because he had injured the other person's face while fighting back, he received another disciplinary warning. With the two penalties combined, the college finally decided to place him on academic probation.

Lu Qingyue didn't know why this person was so unlucky—not only did he get beaten up twice in a row, but he also ended up on academic probation. She couldn't help but click her tongue in amazement.

That evening, when she went to the male dormitory to find Cheng Xingye and pushed open the door, she exclaimed in surprise, "Brother, did you get into a fight?"

There was a comical adhesive bandage on Lu Yi's nose bridge.

Chen Shujie turned around when he heard her voice. Seeing it was her, he wasn't surprised at all, merely raising an eyebrow. "Dian-dian, that’s not very kind of you to say! Brother Lu fought that fight for you."

Lu Qingyue looked confused. "Huh? What does that have to do with me?"

Chen Shujie was even more surprised than she was, not expecting Cheng Xingye to have actually kept it from her.

Intending to stir the flames of their romance and feeling there was nothing to hide, he immediately recounted the story with great enthusiasm. "You didn't know? Last week when we were playing ball, that idiot from the Chemistry department made some disrespectful remarks about you. Brother Ye beat him up for it, and he wouldn't let us tell you..."

As he was speaking, Cheng Xingye returned from the neighboring room. The moment he stepped inside, Chen Shujie, who had been loudly spilling the details, immediately silenced himself.

Lu Qingyue looked back at Cheng Xingye, seeing his gaze drift away, and she understood most of it.

"You fought with someone last week because of me?"

Cheng Xingye rubbed his brow, knowing he couldn't hide it anymore, and let out a soft sigh before nodding.

Chen Shujie and Lou Zhao were already hugging their shoulders, grinning as they prepared to watch their tough friend get lectured.

But instead of scolding him for fighting, Lu Qingyue asked with great concern, "Does the injury on your waist still hurt?"

This question made the remaining three in the room turn their gazes toward Cheng Xingye.

Did it still hurt?

Actually, that minor bruise didn't count as an injury at all. If Lu Qingyue hadn't asked, he would have forgotten about it entirely.

But facing Lu Qingyue’s fresh, innocent face and the three lightbulbs behind her staring straight at him—

Cheng Xingye leaned back lazily, bracing his hands against the edge of the table, and said with a meaningful, drawn-out tone, "It still hurts quite a bit."

Lu Yi, Lou Zhao, and Chen Shujie: "..."

The three of them instantly felt a sense of nausea, as if they had a piece of excrement stuck in their throats, unable to swallow or spit it out.

The sour stench of romance, begone! Begone! Begone!

However, Lu Qingyue immediately leaned in, completely ignoring the three lightbulbs, and reached out to touch his waist. "Should I rub it for you?"

Lu Yi, Lou Zhao, and Chen Shujie: "..."

This time, Lu Yi finally couldn't take it anymore. Before her hand could touch Cheng Xingye's waist, he spoke up coldly, "Do you two think I'm dead?"

Cheng Xingye clicked his tongue, pulled the girl to his side with calm composure, and turned his body to block Lu Yi's view.

When he looked up, he found Chen Shujie and Lou Zhao still craning their necks, staring blankly.

Seeing his gaze sweep over them, Chen Shujie and Lou Zhao immediately looked up at the ceiling.

Chen Shujie and Lou Zhao: "It's fine, just pretend we're dead."

Cheng Xingye: "..."

Lu Qingyue: "..."

Since they were in the boys' dormitory, the two didn't do anything excessive.

While Lu Yi went to the washroom, Cheng Xingye leaned against the table, his long legs slightly parted. He pulled her between his legs, circled her waist with one arm, and whispered, "Be careful on campus during this time. I'm worried that since the school disciplined that guy, he might be desperate and look for a chance to retaliate against you."

Although the possibility was slim, he wasn't at ease and felt he had to warn her.

Lu Qingyue said "Oh," and looked up at him. "Aren't you here?"

Cheng Xingye pursed his lips, looking somewhat helpless. "Something came up at home, I can't stay at school every day."

Recently, when the Dingli Group changed partners, it was discovered that high-level executives had been secretly accepting bribes to purchase medical materials from the Ye family at inflated prices.

Cheng Li had been furious about being deceived by the Ye family for so many years. Now that the truth was out, he was taking the opportunity to clean house.

Cheng Li had reached his position through swift, ruthless, and precise methods, but he was getting on in years and wanted to cultivate a successor. So, under the guise of restructuring, he pushed Cheng Xingye into the upper echelons of the company to facilitate a transfer of power.

A reshuffling within Dingli was naturally not a light affair.

Cheng Xingye had been so busy lately that he barely had time to rest; it was a rarity that he could even find time to return to campus.

Lu Qingyue understood that with his family's circumstances, being busy meant being truly occupied. She nodded and replied obediently, "Don't worry, my brother is here."

Besides, she was either in class or in her dorm every day. Even if that person truly intended to cause trouble, he likely wouldn't do anything too extreme on campus.

Cheng Xingye nodded, probably feeling he had overthought it, and felt a bit more at ease.

...

A few days later, during a class meeting, the homeroom teacher briefly mentioned the upcoming orientation gala.

Jiang University’s annual orientation gala was held in October. Each department would select programs, and finally, ten performances would be chosen for the grand auditorium.

Lu Qingyue originally thought it had nothing to do with her, but because of her looks, the whole class unanimously voted for her to sing.

This program wasn't a solo; it was a collaboration between four people chosen from the ten classes of the grade. Consequently, every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evening, Lu Qingyue had to go to the Arts Building for rehearsals.

The two other men and one woman participating with her were from different majors. Additionally, one of the men and the woman were members of the Student Union and often had meetings at night, making their rehearsal times inconsistent.

On the day of the final rehearsal, they were supposed to meet at the Arts Building at 8:00 PM. But the two from the Student Union had a meeting and didn't show up even as it neared 9:00 PM.

"They probably aren't coming," Lu Qingyue said, glancing at her phone. In the WeChat group, neither of the other two had replied to messages in time.

"Forget it. Let's go." The other boy was from Economics Class 2 and already looked impatient and annoyed.

So, the two informed the rehearsal coordinator and headed back to the dorms together.

Jiang University’s dormitories were divided into two zones. The male dorms for the School of Economics and Management were in the North Zone, separated from the female dorms in the South Zone by a small slope.

The slope was about 50 meters long, with low bushes on both sides. Since it was a shortcut between the male and female dorms, there were usually many people passing through.

Because he had been stood up, the boy was in a foul mood and didn't have the consideration to walk her back to the girls' dorm.

Since he didn't offer, Lu Qingyue naturally felt awkward asking. So, they said goodbye at the entrance of the dormitory area and walked toward their respective dorms.

The night air in late September already carried a faint chill. Combined with a light drizzle in the evening, the dampness in the air carried a cold that seemed to seep into one's bones.

Lu Qingyue had only worn a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans when she left, and only now in the late night did she feel the cold.

She quickened her pace toward the dorm. As she entered the small slope, she realized the streetlights were broken.

Usually, it didn't seem scary during the day, but under the cover of night, the bushes looked thick and gloomy. Walking among them, she felt enveloped by the cold, as if her body heat were being consumed bit by bit.

Lu Qingyue didn't believe in ghosts, but being alone in such a setting still felt rather terrifying.

Suddenly, she heard very light footsteps behind her.

Lu Qingyue calmly held her breath and listened for a while, realizing the frequency of the footsteps was almost identical to her own—when she walked, it walked; when she stopped, it stopped.

It was as if someone were deliberately following her.

Cheng Xingye's warning from a few days ago still echoed in her ears. Lu Qingyue walked two more steps, trembling, and then suddenly took off running.