Chapter 129 - 128: Still Say You Didn’t Fight With Your Girlfriend?

Chapter 129: Chapter 128: Still Say You Didn’t Fight With Your Girlfriend?

Jiang Xia rubbed his slightly swollen face and took a taxi straight to the bustling Ionia Internet Cafe. Compared to the furnace-like weather outside, the air conditioning inside was refreshingly cool.

His gaze swept around. Among the seventy-odd computers in the main hall, there were almost no empty seats. The vast majority of people online were students who had just started their break.

He walked up to the counter and was surprised to find his former deskmate still there, head buried in a book. Her dark bangs hung down, casting a large shadow over her face.

As if sensing someone approaching, Chen Yao looked up. A hint of surprise appeared in her eyes when she saw Jiang Xia.

"Didn’t you say you were coming at six this afternoon? It’s just past four now."

"Does that mean the private room isn’t free yet?" Jiang Xia asked.

"Mm... Let me see. Right, they should be logging off around five."

"It’s fine, I’ll just wait here for a bit."

"Why are you by yourself? Where’s that inseparable campus belle slash top-student girlfriend of yours?" Chen Yao gave him a deep look. He had been rubbing his face with a frozen mineral water bottle the whole time, and his normally handsome cheek was slightly red and swollen.

"What happened to your face? Don’t tell me you two got into a fight?" she asked.

"My old deskmate, I don’t remember you being one for gossip," Jiang Xia said helplessly. "There’s no way she and I would fight. Never. She’s coming in a bit. As for the injury on my face, just assume I fell."

Chen Yao couldn’t help but scoff. ’Fell on his face, did he? Does he really think the second-best student in the whole school is that easy to fool? Yeah, right.’

But since he didn’t want to talk about it, she couldn’t be bothered to ask. Everyone has their secrets.

"But you, on the other hand... How can you actually manage to read in such a noisy environment?" Jiang Xia asked curiously. "These customers are asking you to add credit one minute, then to settle their bill, then to buy instant noodles. How do you do it?"

Chen Yao retorted, "Someone spends all day drawing, yet his grades are still improving by leaps and bounds. How do *you* do it?"

"...Maybe I’m just exceptionally gifted."

"Then I’m just single-mindedly focused."

With that, Chen Yao lowered her head again. ’Instead of wasting time like this, I might as well read a few more lines.’

"What book are you reading?"

"Criminal Law," she said without looking up.

"Criminal Law, huh..." Jiang Xia mused. "I know a guy named Zhang San who’s exceptionally good at lecturing on it. Everyone calls him an outlaw. If you get a chance, you should check out his classes. I guarantee you’ll get a lot out of them. Though, I don’t think he’s a professor at Peking University."

"Who?"

Jiang Xia raised an eyebrow. "You’ve never heard of the famous Teacher Zhang San?"

"Never heard of him." Chen Yao shook her head gently.

He thought about it seriously. In this era, the internet was just taking off and wasn’t flooded with short-form videos like it would be later. Even if Teacher Zhang San was giving lectures, it would have been hard for him to become a household name.

"Forget it, then." Jiang Xia smiled, his swollen cheek looking a little stiff.

He sat down on a nearby sofa, closed his eyes, and feigned sleep. "I’m going to take a little nap. Once the four computers in the private room are free, just put ten yuan on each of them for me."

Chen Yao nodded slightly. After a few seconds, she said slowly, "I saw in the class group chat that someone’s organizing a year-end teacher appreciation banquet for the tenth of next month. All the teachers are invited. Are you going?"

Jiang Xia’s mind drifted for a moment. He’d almost completely forgotten his memories of the teacher appreciation banquet from his past life. He hadn’t been the star of the show that day; instead, it was Wang Ming, who had outdone himself and gotten into the Central Academy of Fine Arts, forcing Jiang Xia to help his buddy fend off countless toasts.

"I’ll go. It’ll be good to see the teachers again. After graduation, who knows how many more times in this life we’ll get to see them," he said.

"Okay, I’ll go too."

For the next forty-some minutes, the two didn’t speak again. One slept, while the other focused intently on her criminal law book. Whenever someone logged off or wanted to add credit, Chen Yao would multitask.

"Chen Yao," Jiang Xia said suddenly, his eyes still closed.

About thirty seconds passed before Chen Yao’s voice, mingled with the sound of a page turning, slowly replied, "Spit it out."

"That I’m making animations... can you not tell our classmates about it?"

Her tone was flat, without any discernible fluctuation. "Oh? So Boss Jiang has made it big and is afraid of running into his poor relatives now?"

"Yes, but not entirely."

As someone with the mental age of a man in his thirties, Jiang Xia didn’t hide his true thoughts.

"It’s mainly because I want to avoid trouble. Or rather, I want to get rich quietly. To be honest, dealing with a bunch of people I’m connected to but not actually close with is exhausting."

"Don’t worry, I’m not the type to gossip," Chen Yao said lightly.

"Thanks."

The air grew quiet again. A few minutes later, four young, non-mainstream middle schoolers walked out of the internet cafe together, chattering about things like "City in the Sky," "Dull Fluorescent Sword," and so on. It seemed they were all hooked on *Full-time Warrior*.

"You can go. The private room is free now. Ten yuan on each machine, right?" Chen Yao tapped on her keyboard, accurately inputting the commands before hitting enter.

"Yeah, that’s right. Where was the private room again?" He slowly opened his eyes, his stiff facial muscles still aching.

"Go straight from here, then take a left. It’s the second room, machines 61 to 64."

"Oh, thanks."

He shook his head and started walking toward the private rooms in the back, but Chen Yao stopped him. "Hey, old deskmate, the money? Forty yuan total. You’re a boss now, don’t think you can run a tab."

"Ah, I forgot."

Jiang Xia turned around, pulled a fifty-yuan note from his pocket, and handed it to her. "For the ten in change, see if you have any sunflower seeds or peanuts or something. Just grab a little bit of whatever for us when they get here."

"Ten yuan of snacks for four people?" Chen Yao laughed, a rare sight.

"What do you expect? I’m broke. Starting a company costs money for everything. I almost couldn’t make payroll. Every bit I can save counts. Can’t you see my face is swollen and I don’t even have the money to go to the hospital?"

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. ’Not a single true word comes out of this guy’s mouth.’

"Alright, alright, get going. When Wang Ming and the others get here, I’ll bring it to you."

"Thanks, old deskmate."

Jiang Xia stuck one hand in his pocket and waved to her with the other behind his back. Seeing this, Chen Yao pursed her lips in disdain. ’His face is that swollen and he still thinks he’s so handsome. Who’s even looking?’

He walked into the private room. Fortunately, it didn’t reek of an overpowering smell of smoke.

He lay down on the sofa. Seeing it was still early, he gently rubbed his swollen face, took out his phone to post the internet cafe’s room number in the group chat, and went back to napping.

At 5:47, Lin Yanwan burst into the internet cafe, panting as she leaned against the counter and asked, "Chen Yao, where’s Jiang Xia?"

Chen Yao was slightly taken aback. It was the first time she had ever seen the school’s Goddess Lin so flustered, her eyes filled with concern.

’Tch, what a hypocrite. Said they didn’t fight?! Would his girlfriend be this worried if they hadn’t?’

"Go straight from here, then take a left. It’s the second room. He’s inside."

"Thanks."

With a quick word of thanks, she turned and rushed inside.

...

(Spent all day setting up the newlywed’s room. Still have to entertain friends and family tomorrow. Exhausted.)