Age is appropriate, and no one dares to stir up CP without getting permission from Bai Jinyan’s team.
Wang Zhan sneered, “Listen to his nonsense. Bai Jinyan has no on-screen CPs, so how could there be any rumors?”
“From debut till now, there hasn’t been a close friend of the opposite sex or the same sex around, CP fans can’t even fantasize, but…” Wang Zhan paused, a teasing smile on his face, “After this live broadcast, a new CP seems to have emerged. Study God, guess who?”
Qiao Huaiyao took a sip of tea, “Is there even a need to guess?”
Just from Wang Zhan’s tone, he could tell who it was.
But… when he saw that comment in the barrage, he thought it was a joke. He didn’t expect there to really be such a comment.
Wang Zhan laughed heartily and fell back onto his bed.
Qiao Huaiyao didn’t think much of it. He opened his study notes and reviewed what he had written earlier. After pondering for a moment, he began to write:
“Studying calms the mind.”
His pen didn’t stop, and he found his gaze growing dim as he wrote unconsciously. Qiao Huaiyao put down the pen and reached for his water cup, only to find it empty. He got up to refill it and glanced at the time, freezing in his tracks.
It was already past 5 o’clock?
Qiao Huaiyao looked out the window. The military training bell for the day didn’t seem to have rung. He opened the class group chat and found a new message from their instructor around noon.
[The instructor has something to attend to, and today’s afternoon military training is canceled.]
[Everyone can manage their own time, but remember to stay safe and stay within the campus vicinity, try not to go too far.]
Qiao Huaiyao replied a bit late with a [received.]
His roommates were all sleeping. Qiao Huaiyao didn’t turn on the light and simply lay on his upper bunk.
As soon as he pulled the blanket over himself, he received a message from Bai Jinyan.
Bai Jinyan: [Home now.]
The message was followed by a picture, showing two transparent boxes of different sizes.
Bai Jinyan: [Left or right?]
Qiao Huaiyao zoomed in on the picture. The box on the right seemed slightly smaller.
Putting such a large box in the dorm room would take up a lot of space.
Qiao Huaiyao typed: [Right. You can disassemble these boxes and reassemble them later. If they’re too inconvenient to carry, you can split them into several pieces.]
Bai Jinyan: [Okay.]
At this time, which was originally the time for military training, Bai Jinyan responded quickly, “You didn’t go for the training?”
Qiao Huaiyao sighed, [It’s canceled. If I had known, I would have gone back with you. (Cat sighing.jpg)]
Since there was no military training today, there was no point in staying here.
Bai Jinyan responded with a teasing touch through the screen: [So, you’re not going to see me tomorrow morning’s military training? (Patting head.jpg)]
Qiao Huaiyao clicked on the picture, which showed Bai Jinyan’s round-trip ticket from his flight back. The times were close, and Bai Jinyan had bought a return ticket directly. The ticket indicated that he would arrive around 8 PM tomorrow.
Thinking carefully, it meant that his brother would only be away for about ten hours. Bai Jinyan probably wanted to convey that he would be back soon.
But Qiao Huaiyao thought for a moment and replied, [Okay, got it! I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.]
Bai Jinyan: [?]
Qiao Huaiyao grinned, deciding not to give Bai Jinyan a chance to refuse: [See you tomorrow without fail!]
He didn’t give Bai Jinyan a chance to decline. Even through the screen, he could feel his brother’s helplessness.
As the final days of military training drew to a close, the post-training activities were almost done. Unlike the previous year’s freshman military training, there was no final parade for their batch. Instead, it had evolved into a final performance to foster camaraderie.
They repeated the training exercises from the morning twice. When they were standing at attention, Qiu Shufeng whispered, “After training, how about we go out to eat? Consider it a dorm room gathering.”
After all, after military training, they wouldn’t be in the same dormitory anymore.
Qiao Huaiyao whispered back, “Sure.”
Just as they were talking, the instructor walked over and clapped his hands, “There’s one more day of training left. Among the first-year students, there will be a final performance on the last day. Those with talents and abilities, please sign up enthusiastically and try to leave a memorable memory of the training. Do you all understand?”
The entire class responded in unison, “Understood!”
The instructor nodded, “Good, dismissed!”
Since Yu Fan and Wang Zhan were far away, Qiao Huaiyao waited for them to approach. He asked, “Have you guys decided where to eat?”
“Anywhere is fine.” Yu Luofan replied casually, “We still have training in the afternoon, so let’s find something nearby. We’ll go with your suggestion.”
Wang Zhan said, “I know of a good Sichuan restaurant nearby, want to give it a try?”
Since they all seemed agreeable, Qiao Huaiyao said, “Alright, let’s go. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back.”
After a brief delay, most people on the playground had dispersed. Wang Zhan was walking while playing with his phone. Suddenly, he looked up and said, “Study God, don’t you plan to accept those books? That classmate who wanted me to give you the books is looking for me again.”
Qiao Huaiyao was chatting with Bai Jinyan and didn’t even lift his head. He replied, “I won’t accept.”
Wang Zhan scratched his head, not continuing the conversation. He couldn’t understand, “I finished watching your variety show yesterday. You said back in high school that your brother took care of you and you couldn’t accept comic books. Why is your brother still overseeing this in college?”
Qiao Huaiyao quickly defended Bai Jinyan, “It’s not him. I just don’t want to accept them. It’s my own choice…”
He trailed off, was that the right explanation? It didn’t quite seem right… It’s not that I have a connection with my brother, but rather, my brother doesn’t know about it.
Wang Zhan didn’t think too much into it, “Then why don’t you accept the books? Do you have a crush on someone?”
Qiu Shufeng playfully hooked his arm around Wang Zhan’s neck, “Oh my, so many questions. Study God is just focused on studying during college, is that hard to understand?”
“True.” Qiao Huaiyao, tired from dealing with the book issue, said, “I do have someone I like, and if I get more books in the future, just help me turn them down.”
Qiu Shufeng’s eyes widened in surprise, “What? Is that true or are you kidding?”
Wang Zhan chimed in right away, inadvertently hitting the mark, “Who is it? Has anyone seen Study God’s crush?”
Qiu Shufeng and Wang Zhan both shook their heads.
“Not officially.” Qiao Huaiyao brushed his fingers over the chat log and sent Bai Jinyan a small expression.
“Isn’t it, just a liking without a confession?” Qiu Shufeng, who had grown up with his fair share of drama, understood relationships somewhat.
Wang Zhan suddenly realized, “Isn’t this kind of unproductive? It’ll never go anywhere.”
Qiao Huaiyao shook his head, “Whether it goes anywhere or not doesn’t really matter…” He squinted at the distant sun, his voice casual, “I just enjoy having him around.”
He didn’t need any response. As long as he’s by my side, I’m already happy enough.