The baby slapped me, and I said, "Sit on my lap and slap me."

Su Qingyao hurriedly tidied her hair and collar, took a deep breath, and then pressed the answer button.

The screen lit up, and Wen Yu's excessively handsome face appeared on the screen.

He was still in the car, the dim light softening the sharpness of his features, his gray hair casually falling across his forehead, exuding a languid sexiness.

"Baby," his voice came through the receiver, deeper and more magnetic than usual, "what are you doing?"

Su Qingyao's heart was pounding a little, and she answered softly, "I just got back to the dorm and am chatting with Miaoke."

Wen Yu clearly saw Zhang Miaoke peeking out from behind her. He smiled at the camera as a greeting.

That smile almost made Zhang Miaoke on the other side of the screen scream again, desperately mouthing "So handsome!" and "What a perfect match!" to Su Qingyao.

What do you want to eat for breakfast tomorrow?

Wen Yu naturally steered the conversation back to her, his gaze focused, "Chinese breakfast? Or Western? I'll have someone prepare it."

"Either is fine, no need to go through too much trouble."

"No trouble at all." He chuckled softly, his gaze suddenly deepening, his words carrying a different meaning.

"Feeding my baby is my top priority."

Su Qingyao paused for a few seconds before vaguely understanding the other meaning behind those words.

...This person is talking nonsense again!

Her face was burning hot, and she was flustered. She hurriedly ended the video call after saying only a few words.

As soon as the call ended, Zhang Miaoke pounced on her, overjoyed.

"Ahhh! Yaoyao! He speaks to you so gently in private! He even calls you 'baby'! It's so sweet!!"

Su Qingyao held her phone, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

The more gentle and considerate he acted, the more he seemed like the perfect boyfriend, the more her unease grew.

Every affectionate nickname, every intimate touch, has a price tag behind it.

She'll be a sophomore soon and needs to spend time in the lab.

This is a crucial step in her studies, and it also means that she will lose a lot of part-time work time to make a living.

The thought of always being behind on paying caregiver Aunt Zhou's wages, even though Aunt Zhou never urged her to pay, still weighed heavily on her with a deep sense of guilt.

She hired someone to take care of her mother, but they couldn't even pay her the most basic wages on time.

The life support equipment my mother is using is costing her money every day.

Reality is like an invisible and intricate net, binding her tighter and tighter.

Money, money, money—her world was filled with this word, almost suffocating her.

In countless difficult nights, she held tightly to that pride, telling herself that no matter how hard it was, she had to live with her integrity.

But her pitiful pride crumbled in the face of reality and the future.

My mother's gentle eyes came to mind, those eyes that were always full of love and encouragement, and those eyes that curved into crescent moons when she received her physics competition award.

If only her mother knew that her most prized daughter had been exchanged for this...

A sudden clenching of the heart, followed by a spreading, subtle pain.

Su Qingyao hurriedly lowered her head, using the act of fiddling with her phone to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

She opened the transfer page and transferred the overdue wages to Aunt Zhou, and also set up a timed transfer of 10,000 yuan to the hospital account every month.

The remaining money lay quietly in the card; she didn't touch it.

-

The next morning, Su Qingyao dawdled until 7:30 before coming down from the dormitory building, and saw the figure standing downstairs in the distance.

Wen Yu looked great today, wearing a loose black shirt with the top two buttons casually undone, revealing her well-defined collarbones.

His light blue jeans accentuated his straight legs, and he wore a pair of limited-edition sneakers, making him look as refreshing as a mint leaf in a sea salt soda.

He was carrying a Japanese-style rattan food box in one hand and casually swiping his phone screen with the other.

The morning light filtered through the leaves and fell on his gray hair, creating dappled halos of light.

A number of students had already gathered around, whispering amongst themselves. Several girls were holding up their phones, pretending to take selfies, but the cameras were clearly pointed in his direction.

Wen Yu ignored him, his gaze fixed on the dormitory entrance.

When Su Qingyao appeared, he immediately straightened up, his previously indifferent gaze instantly softened, and his eyes and brows were filled with tenderness and joy.

"Good morning, baby."

His voice was hoarse from the early morning as he reached out to ruffle her hair.

Su Qingyao subconsciously took a half step back, his fingertips barely brushing against her hair before falling into the air.

Wen Yu's eyes darkened, but he didn't say anything. He tried to take the canvas bag from her shoulder, but she subtly avoided him.

"Let's go, there should still be seats available in the cafeteria."

A hint of melancholy flashed in Wen Yu's eyes. He tilted his head back, thinking, "Baby really is carrying out their secret relationship to the fullest extent."

It seems impossible to assert sovereignty in front of everyone in the short term.

The two walked into the cafeteria one after the other and sat in a rather secluded corner.

Looking at the exquisite breakfast that seemed out of place in the cafeteria, Su Qingyao felt helpless.

"Eating this for breakfast is too extravagant. I won't go through all that trouble in the future."

Wen Yu carefully wiped the bamboo chopsticks clean and handed them to her, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Feeding my baby is no trouble at all."

As he leaned closer, the collar of his shirt loosened slightly, vaguely revealing his well-defined chest.

...Yes, very obvious.

Su Qingyao hurriedly lowered her eyes, poking at the shrimp dumplings in her bowl with her chopsticks, but her ears were getting redder and redder uncontrollably.

Wen Yu watched this unfold, raising an eyebrow slightly. It seemed that the physique he had spent time building could finally come in handy.

Food color also.

His baby seems to like it quite a bit.

Just then, a tall boy in a basketball uniform walked over carrying a tray, laughing heartily.

"Qingyao, what a coincidence! And who is this...?"

Su Qingyao looked up and recognized Chen Hang, the captain of the physics department's basketball team, a sophomore who had taken good care of her when she occasionally visited the lab.

Just as she was about to begin her introduction, she felt the air pressure on the other end suddenly drop.

Wen Yu didn't even glance at Chen Hang. He slowly picked up a spoon and served Su Qingyao a bowl of fish porridge.

"Baby, have some porridge to warm your stomach."

His voice was so gentle it could melt water, as if the whole world consisted only of the two of them.

Chen Hang's smile froze on his face, and the atmosphere instantly became awkward.

Wen Yu seemed to only then notice the person standing next to him. He lazily lifted his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over Chen Hang's basketball jersey with a condescending scrutiny.

He didn't speak, but suddenly reached out and naturally tucked a stray lock of Su Qingyao's hair behind her ear, his fingertips brushing against her earlobe almost imperceptibly.

This gesture carries a more proclaimative meaning than any words.

Chen Hang's expression changed, and he managed to say, "Enjoy your meal," before hurriedly leaving.

As soon as Chen Hang left, Wen Yu's gentle expression faded slightly. He looked at Su Qingyao, his tone revealing no emotion.

"classmate?"

"Yes, he's a senior in the lab," Su Qingyao replied, a sense of unease rising within her.

"Didn't we agree to keep our relationship secret?"

Wen Yu stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly curled his lips into a smile, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. "It was my fault."

Su Qingyao paused and didn't speak again. She knew that this relationship, which started as a transaction, was destined to be unequal from the very beginning.

Wen Yu suppressed the possessiveness surging in his heart, gently pinched the tip of her nose, and softened his tone.

"I was being too sensitive, baby, don't be angry."

He leaned closer, his voice filled with compromise and coaxing, "From now on, I'll listen to you, okay?"