Chapter 379 - 293: Does a Marriage Certificate Count?

"Holy shit, that bastard really knows how to pick his women," Qian Huabiao muttered. "What are those two up to?"

He was starting to realize that all the pretty girls he’d seen lately were swarming around Xue Rui. ’Don’t tell me this one has something to do with him, too?’

"Um, Jiang Yuan invited Rui to eat," Lin Ruoxi explained quietly.

Qian Huabiao was so pissed he lost his appetite. ’I was just thinking about asking Jiang Yuan to eat, and school has barely started and she’s already treating Xue Rui?’

’What was going on? Are all the girls these days blind?’

"Who... who were you just badmouthing?" Lin Ruoxi demanded.

Qian Huabiao was instantly reminded of the terror of being interrogated by Lin Ruoxi before. Facing the questioning gazes of his buddies, he answered without a moment’s hesitation, "Jiang Yuan."

Lin Ruoxi tilted her head. She didn’t get it. ’Well, as long as he wasn’t badmouthing Xue Rui, it’s fine.’

Just then, Xue Rui was heading to the first floor of the cafeteria, a helpless look on his face. He’d been about to go down when he received the message from the young woman, but Jiang Yuan had stopped him, saying he had to help her carry something.

The two of them were now carrying a large insulated container between them. Jiang Yuan couldn’t lift it by herself; it was completely full of milk tea.

He had originally planned to just keep his promise to Lin Ruoxi’s roommates and buy them some milk tea, and while he was at it, bring a few cups back for his "loyal sons" in his own dorm. But Jiang Yuan, who must have misunderstood something, had actually bought over twenty cups. Combined with his, there was enough for the whole class.

Jiang Yuan gave a cold smile. ’So much for fair competition. Xue Rui immediately goes and buys a dozen-plus cups of milk tea. He must have bought one for every girl, right?’

’She’d seen through this little trick of his. What was this if not trying to curry favor with their classmates using a pittance? It wasn’t like she was short on cash, so she’d just buy drinks for the male students too.’

"Aren’t you worried people will get the wrong idea and think we’re a couple?" Xue Rui asked casually.

For a moment, Jiang Yuan was stunned by Xue Rui’s audacity. "What do you mean?"

’Is he trying to say he’s the one losing out here?’

But then, Xue Rui put down his end of the insulated container, his expression deadly serious. "Lin Ruoxi is my girlfriend. I’m worried she’ll get the wrong idea."

Jiang Yuan stood rooted to the spot, stunned. ’Lin Ruoxi is Xue Rui’s girlfriend?’

’Does that mean Lin Ruoxi is bound to team up with him?’

"You should worry about the problems in your own dorm first," Xue Rui said in annoyance.

Jiang Yuan followed Xue Rui’s gaze and saw Lin Ruoxi, actually sitting and eating with a group of guys...

To Xue Rui, it looked like the young woman was being isolated again. He instantly lost all interest in giving milk tea to the female students. He picked up the dozen or so cups he’d bought and headed toward where the guys were eating.

’Treat girls to milk tea? If it wasn’t for the fact that the kid lived in the girls’ dorm, I’d never play the fool like this. There are too many simps these days—who’s going to remember a single cup of milk tea?’

’But guys will!’

’Guys rarely get special treatment. They’d probably remember a free milk tea for years.’

Jiang Yuan stood at the top of the stairs, completely dumbfounded. ’Why isn’t Xue Rui playing by the usual rules?’

"Hey guys, want some milk tea?" Xue Rui said with a smile, placing the bag on the guys’ table.

It was only the second day of orientation, and everyone was still being rather polite, so they were quite surprised to be treated to drinks.

Just a moment ago, Zhao Chaojie had been showing off the drink in his hand, bragging that Lin Ruoxi had given it to him and making the others quite envious.

And now Lin Ruoxi’s boyfriend was here treating them to drinks too?

It was commonplace for male students to treat their female classmates. Although many of the girls didn’t approve of the practice, it was just the social norm—it almost seemed like an unwritten rule that guys should spend money on girls.

But guys think rationally. They’d subconsciously wonder why someone was treating them and what their motive was.

Seeing the doubtful looks on some of their faces, Xue Rui said, "Ah, it’s nothing. I found a hundred-yuan bill yesterday, and it even had a torn corner. Back where I’m from, there’s a superstition that if you find money, you have to spend it right away or you’ll have bad luck."

"So, I’ve finally spent it."

"Yeah, we have that saying where I’m from, too," someone chimed in.

Xue Rui nodded and smiled. ’That superstition is basically the same all over the country,’ he thought. ’It’s bound to resonate with at least a few of the students.’

PFFT— Qian Huabiao choked on a mouthful of water, turning his head away as he coughed.

"What’s wrong?" Xue Rui asked with concern.

Qian Huabiao glared at Xue Rui. ’You *found* it? Didn’t you swindle it right out of my hands?’

But how could he possibly tell everyone what really happened? He gritted his teeth and said, "I saw it too. You were just quicker on the draw."

"Hahaha." The group roared with laughter at his reply.

"Quick, anyone who hasn’t bought a drink, help me share the burden! A hundred yuan is too much bad luck; I can’t handle it all by myself!" Xue Rui joked.

The students who had felt awkward about it before no longer felt any burden, hearing that Xue Rui had really used found money. They readily took a milk tea from the bag in his hands.

Just then, Jiang Yuan had managed to bring her milk teas over, only to discover that of the guys who hadn’t taken one of Xue Rui’s, they either didn’t want one or had already bought their own drinks.

Moreover, the excuse Xue Rui had just used was infuriatingly clever. He was clearly giving things away, but he made it sound like they were the ones doing *him* a favor!

If she went to hand hers out now, never mind whether she could even give them away, her gesture would seem far too calculating by comparison. It was better not to offer them at all.

She shot Xue Rui a resentful glare. She had thought he was trying to win over the female students, but she never expected that he’d had no such intention from the start.

She sighed, distributed the milk tea to the female students who were eating, and gave the extras to the janitorial staff cleaning the cafeteria.

"What’s Jiang Yuan up to?" someone muttered under their breath.

"I don’t know. Looks like she’s doing a good deed."

Qian Huabiao leaned over to Xue Rui and whispered, "Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Can’t you leave a chance for the rest of us?"