Jiang Cheng's right hand silently reached out from under the desk, grasping Qiao Yinyin's small, soft hand, his thumb gently caressing the smooth back of her hand.
Flashing an incredibly doting smile at Qiao Yinyin, he whispered, "It's okay. I haven't listened to a lecture seriously in a long time either. It just so happens I can accompany you today."
Feeling the warmth from Jiang Cheng's palm, Qiao Yinyin felt at ease and smiled sweetly. "darling, thank you."
Huang Yao, who was sitting nearby, was already dazed by the sight.
When Qiao Yinyin had told her earlier how handsome Jiang Cheng was, she hadn't believed it.
She had even assumed in her mind that Jiang Cheng might just be an ordinary guy wearing designer brands.
Now that she was seeing him with her own eyes, she realized Qiao Yinyin had been telling the truth.
Huang Yao had already been extremely envious of Qiao Yinyin, and now, seeing the two of them holding hands tightly, her face twisted with jealousy.
Quick as a flash, Huang Yao pulled Qiao Yinyin forcefully toward her, then leaned into Qiao Yinyin's ear and asked in a whisper that was deliberately low yet couldn't hide her excitement.
"Yinyin, are you sure this is really your boyfriend? The one who bought the 911?? He's not a male celebrity??"
Qiao Yinyin's face beamed with a happy and proud smile. "Yeah, handsome, right?"
Huang Yao blinked her large eyes, her expression a mix of envy and resentment as she continued to press, "Hey, tell me, am I good to you? Our relationship is pretty good, right?"
Hearing this, Qiao Yinyin shook her head directly. "It's just average."
Upon hearing this, Huang Yao's excited expression instantly froze, and her mouth pouted high like a wronged child as she muttered, "I didn't expect you to be the type to choose a guy over your friend."
After glancing at Huang Yao, Jiang Cheng subconsciously opened the Character Scanning System.
It wasn't because of her name, of course, but because the Huang Yao before him seemed like a second Zhao Linger.
Though they were different types in terms of appearance, the 'vile' and staggering chest size hidden beneath that black sweater was strikingly similar.
"Human-Machine Scanning System activated. Retrieving target information."
[Name: Huang Yao]
[Age: 19]
[Height: 168 cm]
[Beauty: 85]
[Figure: 98]
[Privacy: 0]
[favorability value: 60]
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng's eyebrows shot up.
60 favorability points?
It seemed Huang Yao must have heard of him before; at the very least, her impression of him wasn't that of a complete stranger.
He saw Huang Yao staring at him with a half-smile.
That expression made it look as if she had already figured everything out.
Seeing this, Jiang Cheng couldn't help but feel a wave of awkwardness and let out an involuntary dry cough.
He then said to Qiao Yinyin, "Yinyin, aren't you going to introduce us?"
Even though Jiang Cheng already knew Huang Yao's name through the Character Scanning System.
If he were to say her name himself upon their first meeting, Qiao Yinyin and Huang Yao would probably think he had investigated them beforehand.
If it were a Girl with plain looks and no curves, that would be one thing.
While Huang Yao's looks weren't as outstanding as Qiao Yinyin's, her proud figure and heavy chest were enough to make up for the difference.
If Jiang Cheng were to call out her name directly now, he'd be exposing himself.
Hearing his request, Qiao Yinyin introduced her to Jiang Cheng, "This is my best friend, Huang Yao."
When he had first noticed the name through the favorability system earlier, Jiang Cheng felt a deep urge to roast it.
What kind of parents would be so careless as to give their child such a name that could be so easily misunderstood?
And for a Girl's name, too.
Wasn't this just as bizarre as someone with the surname Wang naming their child Wangzhe Rongyao?
Hearing Qiao Yinyin's introduction, Jiang Cheng tried his best to suppress his amusement and look natural as he said, "Huang Yao?? Hello."
However, the slightly forced smile on Jiang Cheng's face and the slight twitch of his lips didn't escape Huang Yao's sharp gaze.
Huang Yao rolled her eyes helplessly and replied irritably, "Hello, big shot. Don't misunderstand; my name is Huang Yao, but it's not the 'Yao' as in 'yellow rumors'—it's the 'Yao' from the legendary, noble, and ethereal Yaochi Fairy!"
"I didn't say anything; you said it yourself. Just wait, I'm going to spread some 'Huang Yao' about you."
Unexpectedly, Huang Yao didn't fall for his teasing at all. Her lips curled into a sly smile.
At the same time, she actually thrust her chest out further and said with a face full of pride, "Go ahead and spread them. I'm not afraid."
This movement caused Jiang Cheng's eyes to involuntarily fixate.
Damn, this Huang Yao clearly wasn't some low-level Girl.
If he hadn't seen her privacy value, Jiang Cheng would have suspected she was a Girl with 'extensive experience.'
Jiang Cheng immediately averted his gaze unobtrusively, looked at Qiao Yinyin, and said, "I didn't expect your best friend to be such a character."
Qiao Yinyin, who was usually quick to catch onto double entendres, actually failed to keep up with Jiang Cheng's pace this time.
With a serious and solemn expression, she responded earnestly, "Yeah, Yao is very interesting. She's also my roommate, and we get along very well."
Jiang Cheng frowned upon hearing this. "She's your roommate??"
Qiao Yinyin nodded, instantly understanding what Jiang Cheng meant.
She explained, "Yes, there are four of us in the dorm. I have the best relationship with Yao. She's the only one who hasn't spread smutty rumors about me."
Seeing Qiao Yinyin bring this up again, Huang Yao said huffily, "I've already made an appointment. I'm going to change my name when I go back to my hometown for the New Year. I've really had enough of this name. But Yinyin is right; I never say bad things about her."
After she said this, not only Jiang Cheng but even Qiao Yinyin couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Jiang Cheng turned his gaze to Huang Yao and asked curiously, "Are the other two always talking bad about my baby??"
Huang Yao shrugged playfully and said with a look of displeasure, "Exactly. I barely talk to them now because we don't get along. Those two are just bitter and can't stand to see others doing well."
Jiang Cheng glanced at the books and notes on Qiao Yinyin's desk.
The notebooks were filled with dense, neat class notes, written in a graceful and clear hand.
She truly was a top student.
To be able to take such detailed notes even in a public lecture—this level of focus and effort wasn't something ordinary people possessed.
No wonder she was able to get into the University of Science and Technology based on her own solid strength.
Since they were both in the School of Science and Engineering, Jiang Cheng glanced at Huang Yao sitting next to her.
Her thick textbook was propped up halfway on the desk at an angle.
A phone was placed horizontally on top of it, the screen flickering as it clearly played something.
Jiang Cheng caught a casual glimpse, and what he saw was startling—the screen was playing one of those outdated, old-school idol dramas.
He couldn't help but lean over to take a look.
Seeing Zhang Hang's face, Jiang Cheng frowned slightly and muttered with a hint of mockery, "Isn't this just that old-school forced love story with a Second-generation rich guy!"
At these words, Huang Yao's cheeks instantly flushed red. Like a child caught red-handed, she hurriedly reached out both hands to cover the phone.
At the same time, she explained bashfully in a low voice, "I'm just watching it casually."
This drama held special meaning for Huang Yao.
When she first watched it, she was just a Little Girl in elementary school.
At that innocent age, Huang Yao's understanding of Second-generation rich guys came almost entirely from dramas like 'Meteor Shower'.
Now, seeing a genuine Second-generation rich guy like Jiang Cheng sitting right in front of her.
An indescribable, strange feeling suddenly welled up deep within Huang Yao.
It was as if reality and memory had undergone a wondrous intertwining and collision at this moment.
Jiang Cheng scanned the classroom. While a good portion of the students were like Qiao Yinyin, focused on the class and listening intently to the teacher.
More than half were like Huang Yao, slacking off.
They were either looking at their phones or sleeping.
But since it was a public lecture, it was understandable for even top students to relax a bit.
After talking for a while, the three of them quieted down and began to listen to the lecture seriously.
Staring at the dense, complex mathematical formulas on the blackboard, Jiang Cheng felt his head spin.
After trying to understand for a bit, he simply gave up.
He admitted that his mathematical knowledge had been entirely returned to his math teacher the moment the Gaokao ended.
He stopped struggling and, like most of the students around him, lowered his head, took out his phone, and started scrolling.
Meanwhile, Qiao Yinyin held Jiang Cheng's hand tightly with her left hand while her right hand held a pen, quickly jotting down the key points the teacher was explaining.
Beside them, Huang Yao watched the two of them show off their affection.
She couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy and resentment.
Decisively, she picked up her phone again and continued watching that melodramatic idol drama.
Although Jiang Cheng had been very low-key when he entered and sat in the last row.
Qiao Yinyin and Huang Yao were beauties themselves, and in this male-heavy University of Science and Technology, their every move was naturally very eye-catching.
When they had secretly swapped seats earlier, some students in the class had already been quietly watching them.
Now, with Jiang Cheng's appearance, their attention was completely drawn over, and they couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Especially Qiao Yinyin's other two roommates; watching the scene before them, their faces were twisted with jealousy.
"Who is that guy? I haven't seen him in class before."
"Could he be Qiao Yinyin's boyfriend??"
"Impossible, her boyfriend?? Didn't they say online that her boyfriend is her top supporter?? His name is Poseidon or something; I heard he's a middle-aged man."
"Yeah, you're right. When the two of us were talking about it in the dorm before, she didn't argue. I'd say it's eighty percent true; otherwise, why didn't she deny it?"
"Exactly. When we checked before, many netizens said it. She's being kept by a wealthy middle-aged man who gave her a luxury car and tipped her millions."
As the bell rang for the end of class, Jiang Cheng, Qiao Yinyin, and Huang Yao packed up and walked straight out of the classroom.
Along the way, Jiang Cheng, Qiao Yinyin, and Huang Yao turned many heads.
Many passing students couldn't help but look back repeatedly, wanting to get a few more glimpses of this handsome man and beautiful women combo.
However, these students only stole a glance or two and didn't do anything too out of line.
In contrast, Qiao Yinyin's other two roommates were being a bit excessive.
At this moment, the two were sneakily following behind the three of them, their heads peeking forward from time to time.
Seeing Qiao Yinyin, Jiang Cheng, and Huang Yao walking side by side into the school cafeteria.
The two following behind became even more convinced of their thoughts.
In the minds of these shut-in Girls who spent all day immersed in the virtual world...
Those so-called Second-generation rich guys were often like the ones depicted in the idol dramas Huang Yao was obsessed with.
They either frequented luxurious and elegant top-tier restaurants or had their own private cafeterias.
How could they come to eat at the cafeteria like them?
The prices in their cafeteria were quite affordable.
A scoop of a meat dish was only 4 yuan, and a purely vegetarian dish was only 2 yuan.
Although there were also freshly cooked signature dishes, a dish like Braised Lion's Head was only 18 yuan.
The fragrant Kung Pao Chicken was also only 18 yuan per serving.
Even the spicy and appetizing Steamed Fish Head with Chopped Chili was only 22 yuan.
For a whole meal, three dishes and a soup wouldn't even cost a hundred yuan.
These prices had nothing to do with being a Second-generation rich guy.
"Could this be a new ordinary boyfriend Qiao Yinyin found??"
"Could it be that the old man she was with before dumped her?" The other person's voice was full of schadenfreude.
"For a woman like her who relies on her looks to please others, being dumped is perfectly normal. Take my cousin I mentioned last time; she was a mistress for a middle-aged man in his forties. That man bought her an apartment here, but then my cousin accidentally got pregnant. And just like that, she was abandoned and even the house was taken back." The speaker shook her head and sighed, her expression full of disdain.
"Ah, that's so tragic??"
"Tragic? I think she deserved it. Usually putting on an air of being pure and a top student, but she still sucks up to men online all the same."
"Exactly. Last time during the project, she actually got first place. Hmph, I seriously doubt now whether she bought that grade through improper means! She wouldn't even seduce our Counselor, would she?"
"Probably. We all came up from high schools with heavy workloads; I don't think she's like us at all. What kind of top student wears makeup every day and does live streams? It's simply disgraceful."