Chapter 19: What Exactly Is Your Relationship with Her?

Still unable to emerge from the illusion.

The problem that had troubled him for two days, the one he could not find a breakthrough for, had been solved so easily by a single phone call from Professor Peng?

Lin Bai patted his own face to make sure he was not dreaming.

“Hey, how are you planning to thank me?” Fu Rao’s voice came from beside him, filled with smugness.

Lin Bai turned to look at her, his eyes brimming with reverence for fate.

What did this mean?

Just when he had been worrying about how to obtain a campus access pass, Fu Rao had shown up and solved the problem for him.

Was this the script of the Child of Destiny?

It was indeed extraordinary.

“Hey, hey, why are you spacing out? I’m warning you, don’t even think about getting out of this! At the very least, treating me to a meal isn’t too much to ask, is it?”

Seeing Lin Bai lost in thought, Fu Rao had no choice but to remind him.

Lin Bai came back to himself and smiled. “Of course not. But there’s still some time, so I’ll go get the access pass first. Want to come with me?”

“Sure. I have nothing else to do anyway.”

With that, the two of them got into the car and headed for the Security Office.

…

When they arrived at the Security Office again, the Mercedes had barely stopped before Lin Bai and Fu Rao heard a clear argument.

They opened the doors and got out. The voices became even clearer, coming from inside the office.

“Do you not have a brain of your own? It’s just an access pass! Because of this, I almost lost my job! I swear, I’ll—”

“******…”

The language was extremely foul, so it has been replaced with asterisks here.

Lin Bai had a rough idea who was doing the cursing. He went to the office door and knocked.

The cursing inside abruptly stopped. A moment later, the door was pushed open from within, revealing the face of a man around fifty years old.

“Student Lin Bai! Student Lin Bai, you’ve finally arrived! Please, come in, come in!”

The man’s expression changed as quickly as a stage magician’s trick. He politely invited Lin Bai and Fu Rao inside.

As Lin Bai entered, he immediately spotted the old bastard who had refused to process his access pass the day before, standing ramrod straight against the wall.

Suppressing a laugh, Lin Bai looked toward Yuan Hai.

“Director Yuan, sorry to trouble you.”

Yuan Hai—the man in his fifties—waved his hands repeatedly.

“Not at all, not at all. What’s your license plate number? I’ll process it right away.”

With Professor Peng applying pressure, the access pass was processed extremely smoothly. It took only a few minutes.

“All done, Student Lin. I’ve entered your license plate number into the system. From now on, the security guards won’t stop you when you enter or leave campus.”

Yuan Hai bowed and scraped, his face full of ingratiation.

Lin Bai did not want to waste any more time dealing with someone like him. He nodded and left with Fu Rao.

[Beep! Congratulations, Host, on completing Side Quest Four. Your reward is Supreme VIP access to Clear Peace Melody. The reward has been issued. Your VIP number is the mobile phone number registered to the Host.]

Hearing the notification that the mission had been completed, Lin Bai finally let go of the worry that had been hanging over him.

Compared with the VIP membership, what had truly driven him to complete the mission was the penalty for failure.

“Let’s go. It’s lunchtime anyway. Shall we get something to eat? You don’t mind if I invite my girlfriend too, do you?”

Fu Rao smiled coyly. “Of course not. I’d love to see what your girlfriend looks like. Is she prettier than your senior sister? Hee-hee.”

Lin Bai shook his head. “You’ll know when you see her.”

…

Third floor, East District Cafeteria.

“Wow, aren’t you the belle of the Foreign Languages College? She—she’s your girlfriend?”

The moment Fu Rao saw Qin Ruowei, she recognized her. Surprise filled her voice.

Qin Ruowei smiled with pressed lips. “It’s just something the students made up for fun. Don’t take it seriously.”

Fu Rao shook her head like a rattle drum.

“No, no, I really thought it was a joke before. I never expected her to look even prettier in person than in the photos. You absolutely deserve the title of college belle!”

“Senior Sister, you’re very beautiful too, and you have such an elegant air.”

Lin Bai watched helplessly as the two women showered each other with exaggerated compliments and hurriedly changed the subject.

“I owe Senior Sister a lot today. She really helped me out.”

Under Qin Ruowei’s questioning gaze, Lin Bai told her what he and Fu Rao had done that afternoon.

Qin Ruowei had originally harbored a trace of hostility toward Fu Rao, but after hearing Lin Bai’s explanation, it vanished without a trace.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.”

After thanking Fu Rao, Qin Ruowei pinched Lin Bai’s arm and twisted it around.

“Something this important happened, and you’re only telling me now? You treat me like an outsider, don’t you? Hmm?”

Lin Bai knew Qin Ruowei would be upset, so he did not dare say a word. He simply kept shoveling rice into his mouth.

Fortunately, Qin Ruowei was not an unreasonable girl. After giving him a light punishment, she let him off.

“Lin Bai? Ruowei? What are you two doing together?”

As the three of them chatted happily, a familiar voice came from nearby.

They all turned at once and saw Chen Shuya and Li Yu standing before them with trays of food.

The expressions on their faces were nearly identical, their eyes moving repeatedly between Lin Bai and Qin Ruowei.

Chen Shuya in particular had noticed the intimate interaction between the two of them. A woman’s sixth sense told her she had guessed the truth, and her expression became terribly ugly.

After a brief flash of astonishment, Lin Bai pointed to the seats in front of them.

“What a coincidence. Join us.”

Chen Shuya clearly intended to get a full explanation. She dropped herself into the seat on Lin Bai’s right, set her tray down heavily, and stared at Lin Bai and Qin Ruowei.

As for Li Yu, the chance to eat with the belle of the college was something he could hardly have wished for more. There was no room left beside Lin Bai, so he could only sit with Fu Rao.

Fortunately, Fu Rao was also quite attractive, and Li Yu accepted the arrangement readily.

“What exactly is going on, Lin Bai?”

Chen Shuya’s opening question was accusatory, which immediately irritated both Lin Bai and Qin Ruowei.

“Just eat, Shuya.”

There were many students in the cafeteria, and Lin Bai did not want to argue with Chen Shuya.

But Chen Shuya was already consumed by anger and refused to let it go. She tugged hard at Lin Bai’s arm.

“Explain yourself! What exactly is your relationship with her?”

Her voice was loud enough to draw the attention of many students nearby. Even Fu Rao, sitting across from them, wore an expression of delighted anticipation.

Lin Bai paused, slowly put down his chopsticks, and turned to Chen Shuya. His voice was calm.

“By what identity, and with what right, are you asking me that question?”

Chen Shuya froze, her mouth slightly open. For a moment, she did not know how to respond.

Lin Bai continued, “You were the one who said I was broke and broke up with me. And now you’re questioning me about my private relationships. Don’t you think that’s ridiculous?”

Chen Shuya was rendered speechless. Her grip on her chopsticks tightened.

“Lin Bai, Li Yu and I really are just ordinary friends…”

The moment those words left her mouth, Li Yu’s face turned the color of pig’s liver.

Fu Rao’s gaze darted repeatedly among Chen Shuya, Li Yu, and Lin Bai. She looked as though she desperately wanted to pull out her phone and record everything.

Qin Ruowei could no longer sit still either. She set down her chopsticks, took Lin Bai’s arm, and looked at Chen Shuya.

“That’s right, Shuya. Lin Bai is my boyfriend. We’ve made our relationship official. It happened during those few days when you and Li Yu went out together.”

“Shuya, Lin Bai is a good man. If you don’t cherish him, someone else naturally will.”

Qin Ruowei’s declaration left both Chen Shuya and Li Yu stunned. They stared at the couple with their mouths wide open, unable to believe their eyes.