Chapter 131: Suspected Public Announcement of a Romance

The autumn night wind rustled through the branches.

It was Sunday, and after tonight, Lu Qingyue would be facing the dreaded 8:00 AM class. Cheng Xingye had intended to keep her until the next morning before driving her to campus, but her first class on Monday was Microeconomics—a course taught by a notoriously difficult professor. Not only was the old man obsessed with taking attendance, but his tongue was also exceptionally sharp. If Lu Qingyue dared to be late, she would be setting herself up to be mocked as a negative example for the entire semester.

The car pulled into the parking lot next to the basketball court. Right up until she was about to get out, Lu Qingyue was still trying to sway him.

"Can I really not touch your leg?"

Cheng Xingye offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes, peering at her unmoved. "Do you want to go public?"

Lu Qingyue froze. So that was where he’d been waiting for her.

In that moment, she was actually hesitant. In the time since the semester began, she had tried several times to introduce her boyfriend to her classmates, but as soon as they heard the name Cheng Xingye, they would burst into laughter, dismissing her claim as a pipe dream.

Lu Qingyue licked her lower lip and asked in a small voice, "And how would we go about doing that?"

She knew no one would believe it if she announced it unilaterally. Surely he wasn’t expecting her to post an 800-word essay on the campus forum detailing their touching journey of falling in love, was he?

Cheng Xingye certainly wasn't going to make her do the announcing herself. He knew that by asking, she had essentially agreed. With a flourish, he stepped out of the car, circled to the passenger side, opened the door, and held out his hand with an air of absolute authority.

Lu Qingyue blinked. "...What are you doing?"

Cheng Xingye looked her straight in the eyes. "Taking you back to your dorm."

Lu Qingyue met his gaze, feeling a sudden sense of unease. "You’re the star senior of Jiang University! Aren't you worried about someone taking photos and posting them on the forum?"

Her concern was not without merit. Back when Cheng Xingye was single, the rumors about him on the campus forum never ceased. There were seven or eight different versions of the story about his supposed "first love" alone.

But Cheng Xingye just smirked, amused. "What do I have to be afraid of?"

With that, he grabbed Lu Qingyue’s hand and pulled her from the car. His palm was broad, firm, and warm, enclosing hers with an undeniable sense of possession. His expression was bold, his smugness impossible to suppress. He pulled her close to his side without giving her a choice, eyes crinkling as he said triumphantly, "Let's go. Time to let everyone meet the little ancestor of their senior."

***

The walk from the parking lot by the basketball court to the third female dormitory usually took about ten minutes. But today, Lu Qingyue felt the path was exceptionally long.

She was held by Cheng Xingye, who seemed entirely unbothered, while her own nerves were pulled taut. She felt as though everyone passing by was stealing glances and whispering about them.

As it turned out, her intuition was correct. Cheng Xingye was a walking topic-generator at Jiang University. In all his years here, no one had ever seen this legendary senior with a girlfriend. At first, some thought they were mistaken, but upon closer inspection, they realized that the man radiating smug satisfaction was indeed the renowned senior himself.

Shocked passersby froze in their tracks, only to scramble for their phones to snap photos of their backs as they walked away. That very day, a trending post appeared on the Jiang University forum:

*【Shocking! Senior seen walking with a mysterious girl late at night; relationship officially confirmed?】*

Curious netizens clicked in, only to be blinded by a high-definition, unedited photo of them holding hands.

*【Passerby A】: Is that Cheng Xingye? No way! He hasn't admitted to a relationship in all these years—isn't it because he's into guys?*

*【Passerby B】: I don't believe it, I refuse, I don't care! I am the only unofficial girlfriend of Senior Cheng!*

*【Passerby C】: Senior, blink if you're being kidnapped!*

*【Passerby D】: But honestly, that girl looks kind of pretty. Does anyone know which department she’s from?*

*【Passerby E】: I know the answer to this one! She’s a freshman in Economics and Management! She's a cute little thing; the senior definitely didn't lose out.*

***

Life was dull and tedious, and 8:00 AM classes were a punishment to humanity.

Lu Qingyue was yawning incessantly during her Microeconomics class, completely unaware of the chaos on the forum the night before. During the break after the first lecture, she couldn't fight the exhaustion and slumped over on her desk. Beside her, Lin Min'er and Fang Yang, showing no signs of fatigue, were huddled over a phone, whispering about the explosive gossip.

Lin Min'er had just opened the high-definition photo of their backs on the forum and let out an exaggerated gasp. "Oh, look at this little hussy who snatched up my never-met boyfriend!"

Fang Yang had already scrolled through all the replies below and chimed in, "Someone in the comments dug it up—she's a freshman in our Economics and Management department!"

Hearing that the girl was from their own department, Lin Min'er was even more shocked. "We have someone that impressive in Economics and Management? How did I not know?"

Although the helpful passerby had only managed to capture their backs, the girl’s lithe and graceful figure made it clear she was a beauty. Lin Min'er and Fang Yang huddled together, trying to guess which of the beauties they knew in the department it could be, but none of them matched the girl in the photo. The girl in the photo wasn't tall; there were a few pretty girls in the university art troupe, but none had that specific silhouette.

As they were busy eliminating candidates, Lu Qingyue woke up. She groggily checked the wall clock, saw she still had time, and tapped Lin Min'er’s arm. "I'm going to the restroom. Let me out, please."

"Oh, sure!" Lin Min'er quickly moved her legs to let her pass.

Suddenly, both she and Fang Yang realized something at the same time and jerked their heads up. Lu Qingyue was already at the front door. Her slender, graceful silhouette flickered past the doorway, the outline an exact match for the one in the forum photo.

Fang Yang & Lin Min'er: "...Holy crap!"