Chapter 3: A Hundred Ways to Willingly Accept a Bet

Chen Ruxiu’s first impression of Fang Yiran was that this person was not simple. Therefore, during the three years of university, although Chen Ruxiu and Fang Yiran had many opportunities to get to know each other, they still had no interaction.

It wasn’t until Fang Yiran forcibly made a bet with Chen Ruxiu and then pushed him to fulfill the terms of the bet.

“Go ahead, what do you want me to agree to?” After school, Chen Ruxiu finally faced Fang Yiran, ready to negotiate.

He instinctively felt that Fang Yiran wouldn’t make a reasonable request, and sure enough, after a moment of feigned contemplation, Fang Yiran spoke up: “It’s not really an unreasonable request—I want you to be my follower.”

“You probably don’t lack followers,” Chen Ruxiu pointed out directly. “All you need to do is wave your hand, and a bunch of people would happily do this. There’s no need to pick on me.”

“I’ve had many followers, but I’ve never had one who ranked second in the grade,” Fang Yiran replied generously. “Accompany me for a while first. Who knows, maybe I’ll get tired of it quickly, and then you’ll be free.”

One cannot win against a stronger opponent, so Chen Ruxiu did not struggle much and instead smartly set a condition: “Let’s make it clear first, you can’t interfere with my studies and work.”

“Of course, I won’t,” Fang Yiran denied. “In your eyes, do you really think I, Fang Yiran, am such an immoral person?”

Chen Ruxiu wanted to say “yes,” but barely managed to hold it back.

Unexpectedly, Fang Yiran pushed his luck further: “I know what you think of me, but once you become my follower, you’re not allowed to think of me that way anymore.”

His tone was so irritating that Chen Ruxiu almost coughed up blood.

“Fine, then. As your lackey, what do you need me to do?” Chen Ruxiu asked in a businesslike manner.

“Hmm, it’s very simple.” Fang Yiran casually pulled a card out of his pocket. “First, use my card to get breakfast for both of us every day.”

Chen Ruxiu coldly retorted, “Who still uses a card for payments these days?”

“You’re right.” Fang Yiran seemed to have a sudden realization and took out his phone. “How about linking it to a Close Payment? I’ll set a monthly limit of 100,000 for you to use, just buy whatever you usually have for breakfast.”

Chen Ruxiu took out his second-hand phone, a model from several years ago, with a cracked screen that he was reluctant to replace. He expected the pampered young master, Fang Yiran, to show some disdain, but to his surprise, Fang Yiran seemed completely unfazed. He calmly added Chen Ruxiu as a friend on WeChat and Alipay.

Moreover, the young master even had the time to ponder, “…I’m not really sure about the going rate, will 100,000 a month be enough? If it’s not, just ask me for more.”

“See this person here?” Chen Ruxiu lowered his long lashes and pointed to his own excessively beautiful face. “A breakfast budget of 100,000 a month could probably feed three hundred of me until I burst.”

“Oh, is that so? You do look like you have a small appetite, so not being able to eat much is normal.” Fang Yiran responded with a casual “oh.” “Then pack some tea for me as well. I like to drink rock tea^[1]Rock tea (岩茶, yánchá) refers to a type of oolong tea that is grown in the rocky mountainous regions of Fujian province in China, particularly in the Wuyi Mountains. It is known for its distinct … Continue reading and I’m not fond of milk tea or coffee. It should be this year’s rock tea; I love that freshly roasted flavor.”

The more recent the tea, the cheaper it is, so Chen Ruxiu readily agreed. “Sure, no problem.”

—

When Fang Yiran took Chen Ruxiu to meet his other close friends, he introduced them seemingly casually: “These are my fair-weather friends, and this is Chen Ruxiu, my newly acknowledged little brother.^[2]小弟 (xiǎodì) = little brother, which in this context refers to a younger friend or someone seen as a junior within a social group or gang.”

But there’s a big difference between saying ‘this person’ and ‘this guy.'^[3]“这位” (“this person”) and “这个” (“this guy”). Fang Yiran refer to Chen Ruxiu as “这位” signals a higher level of respect, causing … Continue reading At the very least, Fang Yiran’s friends didn’t dare to joke around with Chen Ruxiu. They just nodded and greeted him politely: “Hello, hello, Classmate Chen! We’ve heard so much about you. Your grades are excellent, we all really admire you.”

Another person naturally chimed in, “Yeah, but he’s a bit aloof, hard to strike up a conversation with.”

Fang Yiran casually interjected, “Well, now you’ve managed to.”

“Yes, yes, yes, we’re all brothers now.” Realizing his slip of the tongue, the person quickly corrected himself, “If you ever need anything in the future, just come to me, and I’ll make sure it’s done for you.”

Chen Ruxiu let out a light chuckle. He rarely smiled, so when he did, it was especially captivating, drawing a few extra glances from this group of men.

He replied lightly, “With Young Master Fang around, I don’t suppose I’ll encounter any troubles.”

This sarcastic remark was something only Fang Yiran could understand. In simple terms, it meant: if it weren’t for Fang Yiran stubbornly dragging him along, with his ghost-like, silent, drifting nature, he probably wouldn’t encounter much of anything in this lifetime.

His tone was unfriendly, causing Fang Yiran’s friends to look at him with surprise. But Fang Yiran seemed oblivious, grinning like a simple-minded college student, genuinely pleased as if he’d been complimented: “Since you put it that way, I’ll definitely protect you well.”

Finally, one of Fang Yiran’s friends couldn’t hold back and muttered quietly, “That sounds really ambiguous. Those who know would think he’s just taken in a little brother, but those who don’t might think he brought back a boyfriend.”

Another person nearby quickly warned him, “Keep talking, and watch out, if Young Master Fang gets mad, he might send you off to be someone’s boyfriend.”

At that moment, Fang Yiran was intently watching Chen Ruxiu, and Chen Ruxiu was returning the gaze with a less-than-friendly look, so neither of them heard the remark.

Or rather, they didn’t entirely miss it. After everyone left, Fang Yiran flashed a grin, showing eight teeth, and asked cheerfully, “Second in the grade, they all say you seem like my boyfriend. What do you think?”

For the first time, Chen Ruxiu struggled to keep his expression in check, replying with a serious face, “What do I think? I think they’re blind.”

Be Fang Yiran’s boyfriend? That would be no different from accepting a thief as his father.

Besides, Fang Yiran was two centimeters taller than him… Just the thought of it was unbearable.

“Is that so?” Fang Yiran didn’t quite agree, his tone full of meaning. “I actually think their perspective is pretty spot-on.”

Such a suggestive tone was practically flirtatious. Standing at 1.8 meters tall, Chen Ruxiu had never encountered anyone who dared to speak to him like this. Fang Yiran was the first shameless person he’d met.

“Is that so?” Chen Ruxiu let out a cold laugh, his patience reaching its limit. “Then you must be blind too.”

—

Chen Ruxiu never forgot his personal motto: It’s not that retribution doesn’t come, but that the time hasn’t come yet.

The next day, Chen Ruxiu officially started bringing breakfast for Fang Yiran. When he walked into the classroom carrying a breakfast that was obviously meant for two, many eyes turned toward him.

As a result, half the class watched in disbelief as the renowned second-ranked student, known for his aloof demeanor, approached the first-ranked student, who was the sunny heartthrob of the grade, and handed him a breakfast.

The sunny heartthrob took the breakfast with a bright smile, while the aloof heartthrob turned and walked away, embodying his cold demeanor.

But… when did they even get to know each other?!

In reality, what happened at the scene was that Chen Ruxiu almost sprinted to Fang Yiran’s side and then tossed the breakfast onto his desk. “Here’s your breakfast.”

After speaking, he turned to leave, but Fang Yiran called after him, “I won’t be able to eat breakfast if you don’t sit next to me.”

Chen Ruxiu shot back, “If you can’t eat, then choke on it—see if it doesn’t kill you.” But Fang Yiran didn’t back down either: “If I can’t eat, I might just start talking nonsense.”

“You’ve already made me agree to the bet, and now you’re using that skipped class to threaten me?” Chen Ruxiu muttered angrily as he sat down beside Fang Yiran.

“I didn’t! That’s not what I meant.” Fang Yiran blinked innocently, making a surrender gesture. “That matter is already behind us. What I mean is, if you don’t sit next to me, I might just tell whoever sits next to me later, ‘Do you know Chen Ruxiu? See this breakfast? Chen Ruxiu bought it for me. Why did he buy me breakfast? Because he has a crush on me, so he’s trying to win me over.’”

Chen Ruxiu was so furious that he couldn’t help but laugh, and his expression finally showed some change: “…You dare!”

Fang Yiran shifted to a soothing tone. “How could I? You’re already sitting beside me, so I definitely won’t stir up any trouble.”

After speaking, he picked up the buns that Chen Ruxiu had bought and began to take big bites. As he ate, he commented, “This is my first time trying the buns from the cafeteria. Didn’t expect them to taste pretty good.”

Chen Ruxiu suddenly asked, “How do you know they’re from the cafeteria if you’ve never had them before?”

“I know quite a lot. I also know that you have breakfast in the cafeteria every morning, and these buns are from the third stall,” Fang Yiran said smugly. “What, are you saying these buns aren’t from the cafeteria and that you went out of your way to buy them off-campus just for me?”

“You’re overthinking it,” Chen Ruxiu replied, flipping open his textbook. “These buns aren’t from the cafeteria. I went out of my way to fish them out of the trash can just for you.”

Fang Yiran laughed even more joyfully: “Did you specifically rummage through the trash for me? This must be your first time doing that, right? That’s quite a special kind of love; I really have to thank you.”

Chen Ruxiu bared his teeth, smiling insincerely. “You’re welcome. It wasn’t me who dug it out; a stray dog happened to grab it, and I chased it away, snatched the food from its mouth, and finally placed it on your desk.”

“They say a cornered rabbit bites, and I never believed it until now,” Fang Yiran remained unfazed. “But even if a rabbit bites, it doesn’t hurt, it just tickles a bit.”

“Do I look like a rabbit to you?” Chen Ruxiu shot him a glance. “I’m a five-step snake. If one bite didn’t kill you, consider yourself lucky.”

“You’re all talk, yet you still bought me soy milk. I bet this soy milk isn’t as sweet as you are… Pfft.” Fang Yiran took a sip of the soy milk, then nearly spat it out onto the desk. “What is this taste? It’s so sweet that it’s almost bitter.”

“High-concentration syrup. Do you like it?” Chen Ruxiu flashed a genuinely sincere smile. “Do you like it? Is it sweet enough for you? How does it compare to me, hmm?”

Fang Yiran quickly grabbed his tea and took a gulp, only to spit it back into the cup. “This tea is also…”

“Da Hong Pao tea with a bit of soy sauce for color. It’s cold outside, and I’m worried you might catch a cold, so I steeped it in boiling water at 100 degrees Celsius. It should have cooled down quite a bit after sitting for a while, losing some of its warmth, which is a shame.” Chen Ruxiu noted with a lighthearted tone, “Thoughtful and detail-oriented; isn’t this exactly what you wanted?”

Fang Yiran finally began to grasp Chen Ruxiu’s temperament. He had originally thought Chen Ruxiu was the quiet, docile type who accepted everything without complaint, but it turned out he was more like a hibernating snake—vengeful and unforgiving. A single teasing remark yesterday led to this “enhanced” breakfast as payback. If truly pushed, Chen Ruxiu might even slip some deadly poison into his tea.

But Fang Yiran wasn’t easily intimidated. Taking advantage of the moment while Chen Ruxiu was marking a point in his textbook, he suddenly leaned in, closing the distance between them. Even Chen Ruxiu, who was usually composed and indifferent, was startled, causing his pen to draw an unintended line across the page.

Chen Ruxiu, already prone to a bit of perfectionism, stared at the abrupt line on his page and, realizing what had happened, reprimanded him, “Why did you suddenly get so close?”

Fang Yiran smirked. “Chen Ruxiu, do you think I’m easy to push around?”

Chen Ruxiu lowered his gaze. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Fang Yiran’s next words were utterly shocking: “If you keep messing with me, believe it or not, I’ll kiss you right here in front of everyone.”

Chen Ruxiu’s eyelid twitched. “Are you gay?”