TITCFRIBN 11

 Chapter 11

In the dimly lit hospital corridor, two silhouettes sat in a corner.

To avoid making An Cheng wait, Bai Qing adjusted the drip speed to the maximum. The rapid flow of the liquid into his body wasn’t comfortable, but he was so exhausted that after eating something, he fell into a drowsy state, resting his head against the wall.

An Cheng, busy organizing the shocking news from 007 on his phone, suddenly felt something resting on his shoulder. Turning his head, he found it was Bai Qing.

He had fallen asleep, his back stubbornly leaning against the wall, but his head drooped weakly on An Cheng’s shoulder, his eyes dark and his brows furrowed in pain.

An Cheng’s gaze fell on Bai Qing’s hand; the rapid drip had caused some veins to swell.

An Cheng sighed inwardly and adjusted the drip speed back to its original setting.

This kid, like a well-behaved golden retriever, even had a fluffy head, making his neck and chin itch.

The nurse occasionally glanced over, unable to suppress her smile.

To say they weren’t a couple, Zhang Fei wouldn’t act like this with Liu Bei.

In the morning, Bai Qing still lacked strength and wasn’t in good spirits. An Cheng noticed that he seemed a bit unsteady while walking and suggested that he stay in the dorm to rest for the day.

Bai Qing didn’t try to be brave. He requested leave from Wu Meng and also asked An Cheng to inform the instructor.

Aside from his physical condition, Bai Qing wasn’t sure how to face Chen He. Though he was gentle by nature, when dealing with someone like Chen He, a confrontation might start with a punch.

Fighting in front of so many people on the playground wouldn’t be a good look.

An Cheng and Wang Qimeng walked towards the playground together. Many people, in a hurry, rode past them on shared bikes.

Wang Qimeng, worried about being bumped into, moved closer to An Cheng.

He knew An Cheng was not talkative, and compared to An Cheng’s reserved demeanor, his own introverted personality seemed even more so. To avoid an awkward atmosphere, Wang Qimeng tried to start a conversation.

“Brother Cheng, why did you ask me to get those drinking glasses from the Korean restaurant yesterday?”

Wang Qimeng had gone there when he received the call, spent fifty yuan, and brought the glasses back. They were still on his desk.

An Cheng thought for a moment and said, “They’re evidence of a crime.”

Wang Qimeng recalled that An Cheng and Bai Qing had returned late yesterday and that Bai Qing had taken leave today. He shivered slightly in the summer heat but decided not to ask further questions, glad that Bai Qing didn’t seem to be in serious trouble.

When they reached the playground, Chen He was nowhere to be seen.

Instructor Wang scanned the formation with a displeased expression, clapped his hands, and blew his whistle. “Form up!”

After counting heads and finding Bai Qing and Chen He absent, he didn’t ask further questions and started the training.

Instructor Wang was feeling quite irritated. Bai Qing was excusable—being bullied, sick, and taking leave all had valid reasons. But Chen He’s absence? Was he just going to ignore it and let the counselor handle it?

Always short of people, how could he practice the formation properly? Who would he cry to if they couldn’t perform well at the military parade?

The more Wang thought about it, the angrier he became. He made the formation stand in attention for half an hour before going off to speak with the team leader.

An Cheng: ...

Why don’t you just... disappear?

Half an hour later, Instructor Wang returned, looking more cheerful.

“Chen He has dropped out of military training,” he said, pointing to a male student. “Step forward and take Chen He’s place.”

This was actually good news for An Cheng.

During the break, Instructor Wang came over to talk to An Cheng, casually sitting beside him and reaching out to pat An Cheng’s shoulder to bridge the gap.

Seeing An Cheng’s cold stare, he withdrew his hand.

“Bai Qing, what illness does he have? It’s not serious, right?”

Aside from other things, Bai Qing was the model student in their formation, so asking about his health wasn’t too much to ask.

An Cheng coldly replied, “A fever.”

He then stood up, patted his backside, and headed toward the restroom.

An Cheng really didn’t like Instructor Wang.

He stood under the shade near the restroom, which was much cooler than the playground. Nearby was a small supermarket where he could buy water if he got thirsty.

Just after standing there for a while, he felt a gaze on his back, like a venomous snake watching him.

Turning around, he saw Chen He, who now looked much more disheveled than when they first met.

Chen He had bandages wrapped around his head and some small wounds on his face, caused by broken wine bottle fragments from yesterday. His once somewhat delicate face now looked lackluster.

Chen He’s expression was grim as he mouthed a few words at An Cheng.

An Cheng recognized the message: “You’re finished.”

In truth, he wanted to reply, “Chen He, you’re about to be finished too.”

But he didn’t say anything, merely raised an eyebrow, slipped his phone into his pocket, and took a leisurely step forward, exposing half of his body to the sunlight.

Chen He, looking startled, quickly took two steps back into the shade, his fear briefly flashing across his face.

An Cheng couldn’t help but laugh. “How are you going to make me finish?”

Chen He, realizing he had lost composure, tried to save face and said loudly, “An Cheng, just you wait. You’ll be begging me in the future.”

After making his threats, Chen He quickly left.

The break was almost over, and An Cheng headed back to the playground.

Cat 007 lazily rolled around in his mind. “Host, aren’t you afraid? His parents are professors at the financial university, and he has various connections.”

An Cheng replied, “Afraid of what? Aren’t you here?”

Cat 007 was moved to tears.

As noon approached, Bai Qing sent a message in the dorm group chat: “Brother Cheng, Qimeng, the air conditioning in the cafeteria is broken again. I brought lunch back to the dorm, and I’ve brought some for you too. Let’s have lunch in the dorm.”

Wang Qimeng replied gratefully, “Thanks, Brother Bai!”

Without air conditioning in the cafeteria during the summer at the financial university, it was like eating in a sauna with greasy food; no matter how good your appetite, you couldn’t eat much.

Back in the dorm, An Cheng washed his face on the balcony. After drying his face, his forehead hair was still damp and obstructing his vision, so he pushed it all back, styling it into a slick back look that exposed his handsome and sharp features.

Bai Qing, who was tidying up things on the table, noticed and blurted out, “Brother Cheng, you look really handsome.”

Immediately, he regretted it, wondering if Brother Cheng might misunderstand his comment given his orientation.

If An Cheng were the casual type, he might raise an eyebrow and say, “I’m just this handsome,” but the cool An Cheng only coldly sat back down and firmly denied, “It’s okay.”

Fortunately, Wang Qimeng quickly alleviated the awkwardness. “Brother Cheng is just being modest.”

While they were eating, An Cheng suddenly said, “Chen He has dropped out of military training.”

Bai Qing was taken aback for a moment but quickly realized that An Cheng mentioned it specifically for him.

Perhaps Brother Cheng noticed his discomfort and brought it up. Brother Cheng was always like that—cold on the outside but warm on the inside.

With Chen He out of military training, there would be fewer chances for them to meet.

Bai Qing’s tone lightened, “Got it, thanks, Brother Cheng.”

After lunch, the three of them didn’t get a chance to rest. A sudden notification in the class group chat announced that course selection would start today, with the system opening at 1 p.m.

Course selection is crucial every semester; having the right teachers can bring a different kind of joy, while choosing the wrong ones can turn into a different kind of hell.

With half an hour to go until one o'clock, An Cheng logged into the academic affairs system to check.

This semester's course load was heavy, requiring 37 credits in total. There were two mathematics courses: Mathematical Analysis and Advanced Algebra.

Mathematics was not a painful subject for An Cheng, given his extensive university experience, but he still stared at the list of Mathematical Analysis courses for a while.

There was only one teacher for Mathematical Analysis, a Mr. Chen, named Chen Hao.

An Cheng’s mind flashed with Chen He’s face, and he suddenly had a guess.

“007, check if Chen He’s father is named Chen Hao?”

The little cat quickly responded, “Yes. Host, you’re very perceptive. According to the original plot, Chen Hao wasn’t supposed to teach first-year mathematics, so this sudden change must be Chen He’s doing.”

So, Chen He’s so-called threat was to get him into his father’s class, where his grades would be entirely controlled by Chen Hao.

Mathematical Analysis had an absurdly high credit value. Failing it repeatedly could risk expulsion from the school.

An Cheng tapped his index finger lightly on the table. In the small room, a soft laugh escaped him.

This is outrageous.

The dormitory fell into silence for a moment. Bai Qing and Wang Qimeng glanced over at An Cheng but didn’t dare to ask anything.

After a while, Bai Qing moved his chair closer to An Cheng, sitting beside him with a pale face.

In a low voice, he asked, “Brother Cheng, Chen Hao can’t be Chen He’s father, right?”

The more Bai Qing thought about it, the more unsettled he became. “He mentioned that his parents are both involved in education.”

An Cheng calmly replied, “Yes.”

At this age, facing difficulties imposed by a teacher or the risk of being advised to leave the school due to poor performance was already a huge stress. Bai Qing’s breathing unconsciously slowed, and a chill spread through him.

Not only was he putting himself in a difficult position, but he was also making things tough for An Cheng.

He lowered his head, his fingers growing numb, his voice barely audible, “If he makes things difficult for us, I’ll expose him. With the internet so developed, it’ll be okay.”

An Cheng had been strategizing with 007 in his mind. When Bai Qing approached, he could only respond with a brief “Mm.”

Looking back, he saw that Bai Qing seemed almost overwhelmed with guilt, shrinking into himself.

An Cheng raised his hand, lightly flicking Bai Qing’s forehead with his fingers, his expression showing some helplessness. “What are you thinking about?”

Bai Qing looked up, his youthful features now filled with determination, as if he had made a significant resolution.

“I…”

An Cheng patted Bai Qing’s shoulder, interrupting him, and conceded, “Don’t overthink it. It will be okay.”

Though it might be a bit troublesome, protecting Bai Qing was his task. It was the price for his rebirth and the one billion he was given!

He lifted his wrist in front of Bai Qing, showing him the watch’s hands. “One minute left.”

It was almost time.

An Cheng’s relaxed attitude helped Bai Qing to relax a bit. Thinking about his earlier panic and irrational thoughts made him feel a bit embarrassed.

Bai Qing nodded hurriedly, trying to hide his flushed face. “Okay, let’s select the courses.”

An Cheng watched Bai Qing return to his seat and then turned his gaze back to the computer screen, though his mind wasn’t on course selection.

There wasn’t much to choose from. Whenever it came time for course selection, no matter which school’s academic affairs system it was, it would collapse under the load, earning it the nickname “Potato Network.”

As everyone knows, potatoes can conduct electricity.

Yes, the Financial University’s system was pretty much like a potato.

Sure enough, a minute later, the entire dormitory building echoed with cries of frustration.

An Cheng was unconcerned. In his mind, he issued instructions to 007.

“Just like that, send it.”

At 12:01 AM, major media platforms seemed to be infected with the same virus, with one message topping the headlines, and the title was eye-catching enough to be irresistible.

“Professor Chen Hao and Sun Hua from Financial University Embezzle Graduate Research Achievements for Son’s Publication, Son Successfully Admitted to Financial University.”

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