DLSRWAR Chapter 26 A real man doesn’t visit a bookstore with his love rival.

“You won’t have trouble getting in touch with me.”

But that was only if the other person didn’t leave Sangcheng.

Ye Hancheng didn’t catch the subtle hint in Qin Yumian’s words. He assumed she meant that as long as they didn’t separate, he wouldn’t have trouble reaching her.

“But having a phone would be more convenient. If you don’t like the color of mine, you can have Assistant Du get you a new one. How about white?” Ye Hancheng’s current phone was black, which didn’t seem very suitable for a girl. A white one for his wife would make a nice black-and-white match, rounding off to a couple’s edition.

Qin Yumian shook her head. “I don’t need a phone.”

Ye Hancheng was about to say something more when the study door was pushed open from the outside.

Lu Jiawen walked in and greeted Grandpa Lu first. “Grandpa, I’m back.”

“Just in time. Mianmian has a problem she can’t solve; take a look for her,” Grandpa Lu said, even giving his grandson a wink.

Lu Jiawen: “…”

Lu Jiawen smiled helplessly, took the exam paper from Grandpa Lu’s hands, and walked over to Qin Yumian’s side. He spoke gently, “Mianmian, long time no see.”

Qin Yumian looked up and smiled. “Big Brother Jiawen, you’re back.”

“Grandpa said you’re having trouble with a problem. Which one is it?” Lu Jiawen pulled over an empty chair from the study, placed it beside Qin Yumian, and sat down, spreading the exam paper out on the table.

“This one…” Qin Yumian began to point out the problem when Ye Hancheng suddenly reached out and grabbed her chair, pulling her towards himself.

Qin Yumian: “???”

Ye Hancheng, eyeing Lu Jiawen warily, placed his left hand on the back of Qin Yumian’s chair, encircling her in his territory with a semi-protective posture. “I already asked Grandpa Lu about this question. I know how to do it, so I’ll teach you.”

Qin Yumian looked up at the young man with suspicion, somewhat unconvinced that he already knew how to solve it.

“What are you looking at me for? Do you think your hus— Cough, I mean, do you think I’m awesome?”

Qin Yumian: “…”

It was indeed quite impressive for someone who had only gotten one out of twelve multiple-choice questions right.

“Alright then, explain this problem to me,” Qin Yumian said, casting an apologetic glance at Lu Jiawen.

Lu Jiawen, ever the gracious person, smiled warmly and shook his head, indicating that it was no trouble at all.

Ye Hancheng turned Qin Yumian’s face towards him and murmured quietly, “You see, he’s been talking for more than three seconds.”

Qin Yumian raised an eyebrow. “So? Is there a fee for exceeding three seconds?”

Ye Hancheng had not considered this. At her mention of it, his eyes brightened, and he nodded vigorously. “Of course. But you see, I won’t charge you, and there’s no time limit.”

Qin Yumian said, “…Just explain the problem.”

Ye Hancheng was not lying when he said he could solve the problem. His mind worked quickly, and he was genuinely smart. Though he often forgot basic knowledge, he retained information well after just one explanation.

Qin Yumian had originally thought he was making the claim to prevent her from interacting with Lu Jiawen, but it turned out he really could solve the problem.

Grandpa Lu, sitting in his rocking chair and sipping tea, commented, “The Ye family has no fools among them.”

Ye Hancheng twirled a pen, looking self-satisfied. “My dad graduated from Tsinghua-Peking University, my mom from Cambridge, and my brother from Harvard.”

With such a lineage of excellence, Ye Hancheng’s poor grades were not due to a lack of intelligence but rather a lack of interest. With the Ye family’s stellar academic genes, getting into Tsinghua-Peking University would be a breeze if he applied himself.

Grandpa Lu gave him a sidelong glance. “What are you so proud of? With your current grades, getting into Nanjing University would be quite an achievement.”

Nanjing University was among the top ten universities in the country. Although not as prestigious as Tsinghua-Peking, it was still a top-tier institution.

Ye Hancheng responded, “I’m not aiming for Nanjing University. I want to get into Tsinghua-Peking University.”

Since his wife would be attending Tsinghua-Peking Central Academy of Fine Arts, he didn’t want to be in a long-distance relationship if he ended up at Nanjing University.

“Confidence is a good thing,” Grandpa Lu remarked, “but if you keep up like this, you might end up at Tsinghua Tongfang.”

Ye Hancheng said, “If the sports rep goes to Tsinghua Tongfang, I can consider it too.”

Grandpa Lu took another sip of tea and said leisurely, “Mianmian won’t be going to university in the capital.

Ye Hancheng was skeptical. He clearly remembered that his wife graduated from Tsinghua-Peking Central Academy of Fine Arts, and their first meeting had been at a restaurant in the capital.

With Ye Hancheng’s intervention, Qin Yumian and Lu Jiawen ended up speaking only three sentences to each other.

As they were leaving the Lu family’s residence, Lu Jiawen offered to see them off. Ye Hancheng immediately stepped in front of them, speaking righteously, “Sports rep, I want to buy a few tutoring books. Could you accompany me?”

Qin Yumian glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost time for her to prepare dinner.

“I need to go back to make dinner. Let Big Brother Jiawen take you.”

Ye Hancheng: “…”

Qin Yumian said sincerely, “Big Brother Jiawen is quite familiar with the bookstores in the county. He can accompany you and help you choose which tutoring books to buy.”

How could a real man visit a bookstore with his love rival?

Ye Hancheng quickly said, “Actually, it can wait until next time.”

Lu Jiawen gave the young man a meaningful look, a friendly smile lingering at the corner of his mouth.

After parting ways at the Lu family’s door, Ye Hancheng called Assistant Du to pick him up.

Assistant Du arrived promptly, and a discreet black sedan appeared outside the Lu family’s residence. Lu Jiawen watched from the second-floor window as the tall young man bent down to get into the car.

“Grandpa, why haven’t I seen this classmate of Mianmian before?” Lu Jiawen asked casually, watching the car drive away.

“He’s the young master of the Ye family, recently transferred to Mianmian’s school.”

Lu Jiawen, hands in his pockets, turned slowly, his expression thoughtful. “The Ye family from the capital?”

“Yes, his father is Ye Jingyuan, his brother is Ye Zhizhou, the current head of the Ye Group. Who else could it be?”

Lu Jiawen adeptly poured a cup of tea for Grandpa Lu. “Ye Zhizhou is notorious in the capital’s high society for being a doting older brother. Why would he suddenly send his younger brother to a place as far as Sangcheng?”

“Are you playing dumb in front of your grandfather?” Grandpa Lu raised an eyebrow at his grandson. “Don’t tell me you didn’t notice his feelings for Mianmian?”

Lu Jiawen smiled wryly. “Even if I noticed, what of it? Mianmian doesn’t have those kinds of feelings for me.”

Despite growing up together as childhood sweethearts, Qin Yumian always maintained a distance from him.

…

Monday.

Qin Yumian got up early, prepared breakfast, and then left for school with her backpack.

At the bus station, she encountered Xue Qingxing, as expected.

“Mianmian, sit here,” Xue Qingxing called out, waving from the last row of the bus.

Qin Yumian paid her fare and walked directly to the back row to sit with Xue Qingxing.

They chatted idly throughout the journey. As they got off the bus, a loud rumbling of noise filled their ears.

A sleek black motorcycle, clearly the source of the earlier commotion, turned the corner not far away.

——