We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

The car in front finally moved forward, and Ye Chen released the brakes, following the convoy through the elevated highway exit.

Several floors of the office buildings along the road were still lit. He glanced at them and then focused his attention back on the signs at the intersection.

The game company's revenue has stabilized, and the software company's on-the-ground installation alliance and download site distribution channels have been established. The installation problem that was previously stuck has a working solution, and the remaining device compatibility issues will be handled by Chen Wei.

On Zhao Peng's side, the renovation is finished, and once the equipment is installed and tested, the internet cafe will be able to open for business.

In his past life, he would even calculate the cost of taxis for working overtime at the end of the month, and once the mortgage payment notification arrived, he would decide what to eat for the next few days.

Now the company's payments are coming in on time, and the money he needs to spend has been set aside in advance. Tomorrow, hundreds of new pieces of equipment will be delivered to the site.

Thinking of Zhao Peng sitting barefoot in the lobby, he couldn't help but laugh. He turned the steering wheel half a turn and drove the car towards Jiaotong University.

Room 417, girls' dormitory building at Jiaotong University.

It's rare for all four of us in the dorm to get together like this.

Gu Yuxuan sat by the window wearing headphones, a thick book lying open on the table, the corners of the turned pages obscured by a cup.

The plastic bag next to her rustled as Li Meng sat cross-legged, picking out a bag of potato chips from the snacks Sun Haoyu had just brought and tearing open the seal.

"Jiaojiao, do you want some snacks? Sun Haoyu just brought them over, it's such a big bag, I don't even have room to put it all."

She picked up the bag and shook it; the packaging was squeezed together and rattled incessantly.

Xu Jiao had just put down her bag and hadn't even had a chance to answer when Wang Yao behind her locked the dormitory door.

Click.

Wang Yao leaned against her desk, the edge of her face mask curling up, but she didn't bother to press it.

"Don't interrupt me with food, I've been holding back all day! You arrive at the classroom right on time this morning, then there are classes during the day, and lunchtime is always packed with people, it's hard to even get a word in with you."

Only after saying this did she press the face mask back onto her face and stand blocking Xu Jiao's table without moving.

"Now that the door is closed, tell me the truth. What have you been doing these past two days?"

Li Meng put the snack bag on her lap and turned the chair around.

The page by the window was half-turned. Gu Yuxuan laid the page flat, still wearing her headphones, her gaze already off the book.

Xu Jiao pulled the chair out too quickly, and the chair leg scraped against the floor tiles. While she was bending down to straighten the chair, she hid the smile that she hadn't been able to suppress when she came in.

"I already told you on QQ, something came up at home and I had to take leave and go back to my hometown."

She remembered the speech she had prepared before coming. She sat down, rubbed her shoulders, and continued speaking.

"I took the early bus back. The bus was bumpy all the way, and I sat all day. My back is about to break... Please let me rest for a while."

Wang Yao didn't leave; instead, she bent down and moved closer.

"Going back to your hometown for an urgent matter, could it really make you look so radiant and lovestruck?"

Upon closer inspection, Xu Jiao hadn't even drawn her eyebrows, and her face didn't show much fatigue from staying up all night to catch the train.

After being stared at for a while, Xu Jiao straightened her bag on the table and tucked the strap under the table, avoiding her gaze.

Li Meng leaned over, biting into a potato chip, her mouth still full.

"You look great today, did you secretly use some expensive skincare products?"

"I eat well at home and sleep soundly."

Xu Jiao took over the conversation, bent down and took out a washbasin from under the table. She draped a towel over the rim of the basin, dragged it down halfway, and then retrieved it.

"I smell like the car and the classroom. I'm going to wash my face first, then we'll talk."

She stuffed the towel into the basin, stepped aside from Wang Yao, unlocked the door, and left without waiting for Li Meng to reply.

As the door closed, people inside were still talking about whether she had run away out of guilt.

There was no one in the washroom at the end of the corridor. Xu Jiao placed the basin next to the sink, and the bottom of the plastic basin hit the tiles with a sound.

In the mirror, a few strands of hair were disheveled at the collar.

She reached out and smoothed it down, pulling at her turtleneck sweater. The red mark below her collarbone hadn't completely faded, and it was revealed when she pulled the collar down.

She paused for a moment, then pulled her collar back up.

Ye Chen's instructions echoed in my ears: continue to interact as usual at school, and don't tell anyone about the house.

She readily agreed, thinking she could get away with it in a few words before coming back, but after Wang Yao asked her a couple of questions, she ran out with the basin in her hand.

Her name was clearly written on the contract, and when Ye Chen handed her the keys, he didn't mention any further conditions.

We can't possibly fail to do even this small thing we promised him.

The rim of the basin was bent inwards from her grip, but it bounced back when she let go.

She turned on the tap, and cold water washed over the back of her hands. She scooped up some water to wash her face, and when she looked up, water droplets dripped from her chin into the sink.

She left the towel on her face for a while, then took it off and straightened her collar in front of the mirror.

On the other side, in the male dormitory of Jiaotong University.

Ye Chen pushed open the door and had just stepped into the room when Sun Haoyu grabbed his arm.

"Old Ye, you're finally back!"

Sun Haoyu, with his messy hair, held his phone in his hand and grinned so hard he couldn't even pull his teeth back.

Chen Zhiqiang was sitting at the table organizing the orders from his part-time food delivery jobs, while Lu Wenbo was lying on the bed flipping through a novel.

"What's wrong with you?"

Ye Chen smiled and pulled his arm back, draped his coat over the back of the chair, and the car keys in his pocket made a clinking sound through the fabric.

Sun Haoyu moved over, not even giving him a chance to sit down.

"I brought Li Meng some snacks this afternoon, a whole bag full, all the kinds she usually likes! She took them and thanked me, even praising me for being a nice person."

Finally, he covered his chest with the hand holding his phone, stood by Ye Chen's table, and waited for the three of them to respond.

Lu Wenbo turned a page of the novel.

Chen Zhiqiang looked down at the bill, his pen tracing lines on the paper, and checked the numbers he had just written down again.

"Guys, she definitely likes me, otherwise why would she accept my things?"

This time, Sun Haoyu even pulled over a chair, straddled it, draped his arm over the back of the chair, and placed his phone on the table.

Ye Chen unscrewed the bottle of mineral water and took a sip. Seeing his expectant look, Ye Chen wanted to laugh even before he swallowed the water.

"Old Sun, all you got in return for this big bag of snacks was a thank you. You didn't even get to treat me to a meal, but you've already started a relationship."

Sun Haoyu couldn't stop smiling, but he took his hand off the back of the chair.

He took the phone back, unlocked it, opened the chat history, and handed it to Ye Chen.

Ye Chen didn't take it, but twisted the bottle cap back on and tapped the bottom of the bottle towards his phone.

"You sent her hot porridge a few days ago, and snacks today. Come back and share the good news when it's her turn to treat you. You've already saved up two 'good guy' cards."

The novel on the upper bunk had fallen down a bit, revealing half of Lu Wenbo's face; he had already forgotten about reading the novel.

Sun Haoyu turned his phone back to himself, looked at the messages on the screen twice, and stopped wobbling in his chair.

"If you keep delivering like this, I'll have to guess whether she needs chips or a drink when she tries to chat with you... Free delivery and payment included, Lao Sun, you've really taken good care of yourself."

With a smile, Ye Chen reached out and pushed the chair blocking the table aside a little, making room for himself to stand.

Chen Zhiqiang kept his head down, staring at the same line on the bill for a long time, but didn't move his pen any further.

Sun Haoyu glared at him, and he immediately turned the page of the bill, but his lips remained pursed.

Ye Chen followed Sun Haoyu's gaze and gestured with a mineral water bottle toward the stack of takeout orders.

"Zhiqiang can earn delivery fees even when he runs errands, but you, you have to pay for the things yourself, and after delivering them, you still have to chat with them. If someone praises you, you'll be happy for half the night when you get back."

Lu Wenbo finally laughed out loud, clutching the book to his chest, causing the bed to creak twice.

Chen Zhiqiang put down his pen, covered his mouth, and his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Sun Haoyu's face turned bright red. He held up his phone, wanting to retort, but after opening his mouth, he looked down and swiped the screen twice.

The chat history was still stuck on that "thank you," his thumb hovering over it for a long time without scrolling down.