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Sang Li blinked her big eyes, staring intently at Lu Tinghe. The wet, small look in her eyes resembled a little deer being chased by a hunter in a mountain creek.
She bit her red lips and weakly repeated, “B-Boyfriend…”
Lu Tinghe glanced down at her, his thin lips curling into a subtle, almost imperceptible smile. “Say it again. I didn’t hear you.”
At the side, Bo Yan Zhi irritably ran a hand through his hair and, annoyingly, added, “She said boyfriend—boy—friend—”
Lu Tinghe shot him a glare. “Your hearing’s pretty good, did you put on a hearing aid?”
Bo Yan Zhi: “…”
Chu Yan, who had been silent, recognized Lu Tinghe and spoke up, “Senior Lu, hello. I’m also from the Medical Science Department, in my fourth year. I’m Chu Yan.”
As soon as the words were out, Sang Li suddenly turned her head.
What? Senior? Wasn’t Lu Tinghe supposed to be in the same year as her? Did he graduate from the University of C in UK?
Lu Tinghe didn’t respond to him, his face wearing a faint, indifferent smile. He pointed to Sang Li and asked, “Is she your girlfriend?”
Chu Yan, being adept at reading the room, subtly glanced at Sang Li, as if asking if she needed help. Sang Li quickly nodded in response.
Unfortunately, their exchange didn’t escape Lu Tinghe’s notice. He let out a soft laugh, “Little Sang, it’s been so long, when did you develop a habit of ‘eating tofu’?”
Sang Li could clearly feel her cheeks heating up, completely uncontrollable.
She hastily lowered her long lashes and kept her head down, trying to shrink into herself.
This was so embarrassing. She’d never felt this kind of embarrassment in her life.
Chu Yan picked up the basketball at his feet and handed it back to Lu Tinghe, seizing the rare opportunity to say, “Senior Lu, I’m very interested in your company’s latest patent for tumor immunotherapy. I wonder if I could have the chance to discuss it with you.”
After he finished speaking, Lu Tinghe lazily leaned back, his eyebrows slightly raised, a glimmer of teasing in his eyes.
Just as Chu Yan thought he was going to be rejected, Lu Tinghe smiled, his thin lips parting lightly, “Sure, right now. Let’s go have a meal. Consider it a gesture for the dying easel.”
“…”
Bo Yan Zhi looked at Lu Tinghe in disbelief.
What? A meal? Lu Tinghe suggested having a meal with strangers.
Sang Li quickly crouched down to pack up the easel, not daring to look at Lu Tinghe again, just wanting to minimize her presence.
In the next instant, without warning, she suddenly sensed a large shadow looming over her like a dark cloud, blocking the blazing sun without mercy.
A familiar pine scent wafted into her nose. When she looked up, she saw Lu Tinghe crouched down with his hands on his bent knees, leaning over her, their faces just a few centimeters apart.
“Little Sang, would you like to go eat with me?”
Sang Li: “…”
…
Soon, Lu Tinghe and Bo Yan Zhi walked ahead, while Sang Li and Chu Yan followed behind. The four of them headed toward the school gate.
Chu Yan curiously asked Sang Li, “Do you know Lu Tinghe?”
“Mm, he transferred to our school in his senior year,” Sang Li replied in a low voice, not wanting to attend this meal gathering, “Senior, Lu Tinghe and I are in the same year, he should be a junior, why is he your senior?”
“He graduated a year early from the University of C in UK and just came to Jingdu University for research. He’s in the same department as me, under Professor Ning.”
“Oh…” Sang Li answered distractedly.
So, Lu Tinghe graduated early from the University of C in UK, and now he’s been specially admitted to the Medical Science Department at Jingdu University for research. It seemed like his math and physics grades in high school were all just a joke?
Although Sang Li was also a science student, it wasn’t her strong suit. But every time she saw Lu Tinghe’s grades, she patiently explained problems to him. At the time, Lu Tinghe always told her not to bother, and she thought he was just shy.
Turns out, he genuinely didn’t need help.
No wonder she was always curious about how someone could manage to score just enough to pass without any deviation—he must have been controlling his grades.
In an instant, memories of their senior year resurfaced in her mind, of when she shamelessly approached Lu Tinghe with her homework in her hands.
“Don’t sleep. Why aren’t you doing the homework? Practice makes perfect, these kinds of problems will get easier the more you do them.”
Lu Tinghe’s face remained cold. “There’s no need.”
Sang Li, still persistent, said, “How can there be no need? If you don’t understand something, feel free to ask me, I can teach you.”
Lu Tinghe: “…”
The memory was brought back. Sang Li grabbed the corner of his clothes, buried his head lower and lower, and his cheeks couldn’t help but turn red.
Who gave her the courage to approach Lu Tinghe like that? She really wanted to step into a time machine and slap her past self-back in her senior year.
Suddenly, a headache struck, and to her surprise, her stomach began to ache as well.
If she had known, she should have checked the almanac before leaving home today.
Before long, the four of them were seated at a Western-style casual dining restaurant near the school.
Sang Li and Chu Yan sat on one side, and Lu Tinghe sat directly across from her. Just by raising her eyes, she could see the man’s enchanting peach blossom eyes, with the thin eyelids creased into a deep fold.
After ordering, Chu Yan took the initiative to start a conversation with Lu Tinghe, all about biomedical knowledge.
Sang Li learned that Lu Tinghe had founded a biotechnology company called Heshuo Technologies while studying in the UK, and he held several national patents.
In addition to being the only son of the richest family in Jingbei, the Lu family, Lu Tinghe was now well-known at Jingdu University, and even across the entire Jingbei and the country.
Chu Yan politely poured Lu Tinghe a glass of juice. “Senior Lu, I was wondering if your company has any internship spots available for the winter break? I’d like to give it a try.”
Lu Tinghe raised his eyes and asked Bo Yan Zhi, “Are there any spots?”
Bo Yan Zhi handed Chu Yan a business card. “Yes, contact me when the time comes.”
Chu Yan took it and glanced at the card. “Ah, so you’re Senior Bo, sorry, I didn’t recognize you.”
“It’s fine.”
Bo Yan Zhi casually waved his hand, then began to eye Lu Tinghe with suspicion.
This man’s behavior today was a bit strange; something didn’t feel right.
Could it be…
He likes men. Is he interested in Chu Yan?
Lu Tinghe gave Bo Yan Zhi a cold glance. “What are you looking at, have you fallen for me?”
Bo Yan Zhi raised an eyebrow, his smile very ambiguous as he whispered, “Has the iron tree finally bloomed? Is your gun ready to fire?”
Lu Tinghe: “Mind your own business. Your gun’s jammed.”
Bo Yan Zhi: “…”
While the others were talking, Sang Li kept her head down and ate her food.
If possible, she just wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
At that moment, a message popped up on her phone.
Tan Weiwei: [Lili, where are you? Why did the Art Club close early?]
Sang Li quickly typed back: [Ran into an acquaintance. I’m having a meal with Senior Chu Yan and him. Do you want to come over?]
Tan Weiwei: [Not coming, I just finished here. I’m a bit tired and don’t want to go back to the dorm. Can I come sleep at your place for a while?]
The school dormitory had a curfew at 10 PM. Sang Li, for convenience when working late, rented a small one-bedroom apartment in an old neighborhood near the school.
Sang Li: [Sure, you can. You have the key.]
Tan Weiwei: [OK, love you.]
Looking at her best friend’s message with the words “love you,” Sang Li momentarily forgot her embarrassing situation and suddenly smiled, her dimples appearing, sweet and gentle, unknowingly captivating.
Across the table, a faint male voice reached her ears.
“What’s so funny, another boyfriend?”