Bai Yang’s enthusiasm didn’t fade due to Shao Cheng’s indifference. He continued to shuttle between school, the restaurant, and the hospital, and the rented apartment he had was merely a place to sleep.
Although Bai Yang was in the Chinese Department while Shao Cheng was in the Law Department, they shared the same teaching building for classes and would occasionally run into each other. Shao Cheng didn’t appear to be the type who took studying seriously based on his appearance, but he excelled academically. He came from a well-off family; his grandfather was the chairman of a major pharmaceutical company, and his father was the dean of a municipal hospital. With extensive connections, there were countless people in the school who wanted to befriend him, and he naturally had no shortage of admirers.
However, since his breakup with Zheng Hanqin, he hadn’t started dating anyone new, giving other girls the hope that they still had a chance. Bai Yang also felt that he could approach Shao Cheng a bit more shamelessly for a few days. After all, the worst outcome had already happened when he was rejected, so things couldn’t get much worse.
After school, Bai Yang went to the parking lot as usual to retrieve his bicycle and happened to see Shao Cheng’s Porsche parked not far away.
The parking lot at S University was divided into different areas for bicycles, electric scooters, and cars. Most students used bicycles, with only a few driving to school. Shao Cheng and his circle of friends were among the few who drove.
Bai Yang’s heart stirred slightly. He stood there for a moment, thinking that if Shao Cheng didn’t show up within half an hour, he would just leave. After all, he needed to rush to the restaurant for work. Fortunately, ten minutes later, he saw Shao Cheng walking towards the parking lot alone.
“Hey, what a coincidence,” he awkwardly greeted.
Shao Cheng walked straight past him without even glancing at him.
Bai Yang let his hand drop and smiled to himself. He wasn’t annoyed even though he was ignored. He watched Shao Cheng walk to his car, open the door, and start the engine. Just as he was about to turn around and leave on his bicycle, he heard a loud “bang” from behind, startling him.
One of the front tires of the Porsche quickly deflated—it had a flat tire.
Shao Cheng got out of the car, his face dark. While he could call someone to fix it, the delay irritated him.
“Looks like a nail,” Bai Yang commented.
Shao Cheng turned his head, and Bai Yang, who didn’t know when he had approached, was inspecting the tire on the ground. Bai Yang pointed to a spot and said, “Look, a big nail. Someone deliberately did this.”
Shao Cheng looked at him with cold eyes. “Did you do it?”
Bai Yang widened his eyes and looked up. His gaze was clear, and his expression innocent. “If I did it, would I tell you?”
“Thief cries thief,” Shao Cheng sneered lightly. “You deliberately waited here for me, even saying ‘what a coincidence.’ Lies through and through.”
Bai Yang’s careful thoughts were ruthlessly exposed. He could only admit, “Well, okay, I was waiting for you, but I didn’t put the nail there.”
“Waiting for me for what?”
Bai Yang scratched his hair embarrassedly. “I told you before, I like you, so is it strange that I want to see you?”
He finished speaking, his ears turning slightly red. He wasn’t used to saying such things. He stared at Shao Cheng nervously for a few seconds before lowering his head shyly. He covered his nose as if trying to hide the slight blush on his face. A faint, shy smile curved on his clean, handsome face, revealing two shallow dimples.
Shao Cheng squinted his eyes and observed the person in front of him for a few seconds.
“Have you seen enough now? If you have, then get lost.”
Bai Yang’s expression stiffened, and his heart sank rapidly.
He pressed his lips together and his eyes showed a hint of disappointment. “I didn’t mean any harm… If my presence makes you uncomfortable, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”
“Then why are you still standing here?” Shao Cheng was straightforward and contemptuous. “I’ve never liked people who pretend to be innocent and pitiable. I suggest you spare me.”
Under Shao Cheng’s cold gaze, Bai Yang didn’t dare to lift his head. He stood there, not knowing what to do, holding onto the faded T-shirt corner. After a while, he tentatively said, “I… I’ll change the tire for you. I’ll leave after I’m done. Do you have a spare?”
Shao Cheng coldly crossed his arms and gestured towards the trunk of the car.
Seeing that Shao Cheng agreed, Bai Yang felt relieved. He grabbed a spare tire and a toolbox from the trunk and knelt down, starting to remove the punctured tire. He had worked in an auto repair shop for a while before, so he knew how to change a tire. But this was a physically demanding task, and in the past, it would be done by two people. Now he was alone, and he loosened the screws but struggled to remove the tire.
Shao Cheng looked down at Bai Yang’s head from above, noticing that his movements seemed laborious and difficult. His arm muscles were tense, showing prominent veins. He attempted several times but still couldn’t succeed.
Bai Yang looked up, and Shao Cheng thought he was about to ask for help. However, Bai Yang’s voice was apologetic as he said, “I’m sorry, maybe I haven’t had dinner yet, so I don’t have much strength. Just give me a moment.” He turned back to forcefully remove the tire.
He exerted all his strength, his face turning red, and sweat quickly forming on his forehead. The back of his T-shirt was soaked in dark patches where it adhered to his skin. He tried several times, and finally, he kneeled on the ground, hugging the tire tightly with both arms, pulling it with all his might.
“Ah!”
The tire was finally removed. Bai Yang hadn’t even had a chance to feel happy, but due to the massive inertia, his body flew backward and his spine hit the side of a nearby car heavily.
“Ouch…” The impact made his back ache, and the hot sweat immediately turned into cold sweat. He struggled to suppress the expression of pain, smiled at Shao Cheng, and said, “Look… I got it off.”
Shao Cheng looked at him expressionlessly, not saying a word.
Bai Yang took a moment to recover, waiting until the pain in his back subsided slightly. He dusted off his clothes, realizing that he might have dirtied Shao Cheng’s eyes, and took a step back, smiling as he said, “It’s fixed now. All good to go.”
Shao Cheng’s expression remained blank. “Thanks. How much do I owe you?”
“Huh?” Bai Yang didn’t understand for a moment, then realized, and quickly waved his hands. “I don’t want any money. It’s just a small effort.”
“I don’t like owing others favors. Just tell me the amount.”
“I really don’t want money.” Bai Yang said, suddenly having an idea. He changed his approach and said, “If you feel like you owe me, can you fulfill one request for me?”
Shao Cheng’s gaze turned cold, and there was a trace of disdain in his expression. “What request?”
Bai Yang’s lips curved, his eyes gleaming. “Have dinner with me on Friday night.”
Shao Cheng was slightly taken aback. His expression became more complicated, and after a few seconds of silence, he nodded slightly, agreeing.
Bai Yang didn’t expect it to be so easy to get a chance for a date. For a while, he was so happy that he didn’t know where to put his hands and feet. He laughed for a while before realizing that he needed to save Shao Cheng’s phone number.
Shao Cheng provided his number, glanced at Bai Yang’s phone model, and although it was an older model from two years ago, it was indeed, as Chen Hongyi had said, worth five to six thousand yuan. It wasn’t quite appropriate for a financially aided student receiving assistance to have such a phone.
Being poor wasn’t a problem, but being poor and materialistic like this made it easy for people to look down on him.
