TITCFRIBN 7

  Chapter 07

In the afternoon, aside from An Cheng and Bai Qing, who didn’t attend military training, there was another person absent as well.

Chen He was at an inconspicuous hotel near the east gate of the school, standing in front of him were Liu Xin and his five companions.

Liu Xin eagerly defended himself, “We followed Young Master Chen’s instructions. We were planning to leave right after beating him up, but who could’ve expected someone to suddenly show up?”

Chen He raised his hand and slapped Liu Xin across the face with a loud "smack." “You have the nerve to talk! I told you to beat up An Cheng, but you went and hit Bai Qing instead! I can't even bring myself to touch him!”

Liu Xin was left speechless.

In the morning, Young Master Chen had pointed out two tall figures walking side by side and told them to target one of them, the taller one with the sharp features.

But from such a distance, Liu Xin wasn’t exactly eagle-eyed.

They had waited in the restroom for over half an hour. When one of the targets finally showed up, they figured it was better to make a mistake than miss the chance, so they acted.

Who could’ve guessed they’d target the wrong person? And now, Young Master Chen was so upset.

“This was our mistake. We’ll be sure to open our eyes wide next time,” Liu Xin said.

“Hah, next time?” Chen He paced back and forth in frustration. “You guys can’t even get one thing done right, and on top of that, you got seen. It would’ve been bad enough to be seen, but then you went and revealed you were outsiders. You signed my name when you entered the school!”

Chen He shouted angrily, “What if they trace it back to me?”

Liu Xin looked frightened on the surface, but inwardly, he wasn’t too worried.

He wasn’t oblivious—Chen He’s parents were both senior professors at the university, with quite a bit of influence. Even Chen He’s advisor had been specially assigned by someone close to the family. With connections like that, what couldn’t be swept under the rug?

“Young Master Chen, don’t worry too much. As long as they agree to mediation, everything will be resolved,” a guy with side-swept bangs chimed in.

Chen He shot him a glare. “What if they refuse?”

The advisor had just called, mentioning that An Cheng was difficult to deal with and had brought up the issue of outsiders entering the campus, indicating that he might pursue the matter further.

Chen He scratched his head and snapped, "Stay low for now, just stay at home!"

Not far from the hotel, at the intersection.

An Cheng calmly asked, "Have you made up your mind?"

While they were eating earlier, he had been pondering why Bai Qing, who had just been beaten, seemed drowsy.

Having traversed through so many quick-transmigration worlds, his golden finger had never failed him. This left only one possible explanation.

If he hadn't shown up, that group of people likely wouldn’t have stopped at just beating Bai Qing. They might have gone on to do something far worse. After all, this was a dark, twisted world.

If Bai Qing knew the full extent of what had happened, would he still choose mediation?

Hard to say. Bai Qing’s family seemed to be in desperate need of money, and the five thousand yuan compensation was barely a drop in the bucket compared to their debts.

Bai Qing kept his head down, unable to read An Cheng’s expression or discern his emotions from his calm tone. Feeling a bit guilty, he quietly said, "Yes, I’ve made up my mind."

The light turned green, and An Cheng placed his arm around Bai Qing’s shoulder as they crossed the street.

Watching the traffic on his right, An Cheng’s tone remained flat, "Then let’s go for mediation."

Bai Qing abruptly looked up, shock written all over his face. He hadn’t expected An Cheng to agree so easily, given his straightforward nature. After all, An Cheng didn’t seem to be lacking money, and he was always dressed in expensive brands from head to toe.

Back on campus, the shade of the trees provided some relief from the heat.

"I’m sorry, Brother Cheng," Bai Qing sincerely apologized, "for dragging you into this mess with me."

An Cheng paused for a moment, then replied, "Don't overthink it."

His face remained serious, but inside, An Cheng couldn’t help but sigh. If it were up to him, he’d love to teach that group and Chen He a lesson. But Bai Qing’s situation tugged at his heartstrings.

His phone rang in his pocket. He took it out and saw an unfamiliar number.

"Hello?" He decided to answer.

Wu Meng's voice came through the line, "An Cheng, right? Is Bai Qing with you? I couldn’t reach him."

Bai Qing's phone had probably been damaged when it fell in the restroom, but he hadn't mentioned it. He had even paid for their meal in cash.

"Yes," An Cheng responded coolly, then handed the phone to Bai Qing.

Bai Qing started talking to Wu Meng, glancing at An Cheng several times during the conversation.

"Yes, I’m willing to mediate."

"Okay, I’ll clear things up on the forum."

"What about Brother Cheng..." Bai Qing looked to An Cheng for help.

An Cheng understood what he meant and signaled Bai Qing to put the call on speakerphone.

"I’ll make a statement on the forum too, but transfer the full amount first."

Ever since he found out from Li Yu that Chen He and Wu Meng had met beforehand, An Cheng had suspected the nature of their relationship. As a result, his tone lacked the respect he might’ve otherwise shown.

There was a brief silence on Wu Meng’s end before he replied, "Fine, send me your account details."

Afterward, they discussed what needed to be said on the forum, and the agreement was finalized.

"Teacher Wu, don’t hang up just yet." An Cheng took the phone back and held it to his ear.

Wu Meng asked, "Is there something else you want to say?"

"I have one more condition."

Bai Qing’s phone hadn’t been repaired yet, and he didn’t remember his account information, so he sent An Cheng’s account instead.

As An Cheng typed out the message, Bai Qing watched and said, "Brother Cheng, when the money comes in, let’s split it fifty-fifty."

An Cheng simply replied, "I didn’t get beaten."

Implying he didn’t want a share.

Bai Qing was taken aback and quickly protested, "But how is that fair?"

Later, after everything was settled, Chen He spent the entire afternoon lounging in his hotel room. As it neared six o’clock, he grabbed dinner and then casually strolled back to the dormitory, bringing some fried snacks to share with the others.

Bai Qing, unaware of Chen He’s earlier actions, smiled and accepted two skewers of corn and pork belly, not asking for more.

Wang Qimeng only took a few skewers as well.

Chen He offered the remaining skewers to An Cheng. "An Cheng, have some. I brought them from outside the campus."

An Cheng frowned slightly, a bit annoyed that Chen He was interrupting his gaming.

This world wasn’t so bad—the food was good, the entertainment was decent, and with the plot not progressing too quickly, he had plenty of time to do what he wanted.

For example, that afternoon, he had indulged in a long-forgotten online game, and his inner gamer spirit had flared up.

An Cheng declined Chen He’s offer, "No thanks."

Chen He, feeling quite pleased with himself, knew that An Cheng had ultimately accepted the money and even posted a clarification on the forum.

He thought to himself, This guy acts all high and mighty, but in the end, he’s just as money-hungry as anyone else.

He deliberately tried to provoke An Cheng, "Come on, we’re roommates. It’s just a few skewers. Bai Qing and Wang Qimeng both ate some."

An Cheng’s character died on-screen, giving him a moment to turn and look at Chen He. His light brown eyes were calm, and his tone was just as indifferent.

"Sorry, didn’t you know? We’re not roommates anymore."

Chen He was stunned, "What?"

An Cheng, in a good mood after dealing with some annoying matters, said, "The advisor should’ve sent you a message. You’ll be moving out tonight."

Unable to resist, An Cheng raised an eyebrow, "You’re quite an eyesore."

Chen He, already shocked, was further enraged by An Cheng’s sharp words. He had always been arrogant and couldn’t stand being insulted, so he clenched his fist, ready to throw a punch.

But An Cheng casually reached out and grabbed a book from the shelf.

He didn’t mind getting into a fight—not at all.

Bai Qing and Wang Qimeng had been watching them closely, and now they quickly intervened, one holding An Cheng back and the other restraining Chen He.

"Calm down, calm down!" Bai Qing patted An Cheng on the back.

An Cheng, feeling like an elementary schooler being held by his mom, thought, ...What?

Wang Qimeng chimed in quickly, "We may not be roommates anymore, but let’s not make a scene and get the advisor involved again."

Chen He, now laughing in anger, snapped, "Wang Qimeng, let go of me!"

Despite his smaller stature, Wang Qimeng was surprisingly strong, and Chen He couldn’t break free.

Meanwhile, Bai Qing, still holding onto An Cheng, realized that An Cheng was sitting there like an ancient emperor on his throne, barely moving. His efforts to restrain him felt utterly unnecessary.

He awkwardly stood up.

Although An Cheng didn’t mind fighting, it didn’t mean he enjoyed physical altercations. With Chen He already being restrained, what was the point of him throwing another punch?

His game character had respawned, so he turned back to continue playing.

Chen He was fuming. He took a deep breath and said, "Wang Qimeng, let go of me! I can't check the advisor's messages like this."

Wang Qimeng also didn’t enjoy hugging another guy, so he released him.

Chen He opened his phone and noticed a few messages he had missed during his long afternoon nap.

Aunt Wu: The other party has another condition. You need to move to the dorms in Zhuyuan. There's no way around it; you have to agree. If you cause more trouble, it won’t look good for your parents either.

Aunt Wu: I’ve already arranged a dorm for you. You have to move out today. If you need help, I can get some student council members to assist with the move.

Chen He’s vision darkened for a moment as he read the messages. Suspicion crept into his mind—had An Cheng found out something? Was that why he made this request?

But there was no way to confirm this with An Cheng.

He could only turn to Bai Qing, masking his anger and uncertainty with a smile, "Bai Qing, even if I move out, we’re still friends, right? We can still hang out together, yeah?"

Bai Qing nodded with a sincere smile, "Of course!"

Bai Qing’s genuine smile reassured Chen He. It seemed that Bai Qing didn’t know anything, which meant that An Cheng just didn’t like him.

Chen He gritted his teeth and walked over to An Cheng, leaning in to whisper in a voice only the two of them could hear, "An Cheng, I’ll remember this. Just wait."

An Cheng tilted his head slightly but didn’t respond.

With the help of a few student council members, Chen He spent the next half hour moving all his belongings out.

An Cheng finished a round of his game and looked at the now-empty bed across from him. He felt a sense of relief—this would significantly reduce Chen He’s chances of targeting Bai Qing.

That night, An Cheng slept soundly.

Early the next morning, the March of the People's Liberation Army once again blared through the speakers.

This time, An Cheng made sure to keep his expression neutral, determined not to slip out of character again.

The person in the neighboring bed sat up and glanced over, slightly disappointed not to see the spectacle from the previous day.

An Cheng got out of bed after Bai Qing, and they both stood by the sink, brushing their teeth.

Wang Qimeng had already washed his face and, as he put on his shoes, asked, "Bai Qing, you were injured yesterday. Are you still going to military training today?"

An Cheng’s groggy mind instantly snapped to attention.

He’s right!

Bai Qing was injured—he shouldn’t be going. And as a roommate, it was An Cheng’s responsibility to take care of him, so naturally, he shouldn’t be going either.

Bai Qing spoke up, "I have to go. If I miss any more days, I’ll be marked as non-participatory, and the best I can get for this course is a passing grade."

The slight smile that had started to form on An Cheng’s face quickly faded.

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