Chapter 49: The Department Belle and the Campus Queen

Lin Bai looked up to see three or four female classmates standing behind Cao Ying, glaring at him with hostility.

Lin Bai's throat bobbed. "Is there something you need?"

Cao Ying's gaze fell upon Zhao Fangting and the other two, who were waiting for Lin Bai. "You guys go on ahead. I need to talk to Lin Bai about something private."

The undisguised murderous intent radiating from Cao Ying made the three exchange a panicked look and flee in a hurry.

Watching their retreating backs, Lin Bai cursed them in his heart from top to bottom.

As the rest of the classroom's students had nearly all left, Cao Ying took a step forward.

"Lin Bai, are you even a man?"

Lin Bai raised an eyebrow, glanced at Li Ruonan—who had her back turned to him—and guessed what this was about.

"Monitor, I don't quite understand."

"Don't play dumb with me, Lin Bai! Ruonan was an innocent maiden, and since you took her virginity, you have to take responsibility for her! Otherwise, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?" Lin Bai asked, somewhat amused.

Cao Ying ran out of words.

In truth, Cao Ying knew very well that matters of the heart cannot be forced. If Lin Bai truly refused to take responsibility, no amount of talking on their part would change anything.

"Monitor, what happened between Ruonan and me was purely an accident. You know I have a girlfriend. It's not that I don't want to take responsibility, but... I simply cannot."

"Sorry, Monitor, class is about to start."

With that, Lin Bai turned and walked away, giving Cao Ying and the others no chance to react.

Passing by Li Ruonan, Lin Bai stopped and looked at her.

"Ruonan, aside from responsibility, I will do everything in my power to give you anything else you want. I am truly sorry."

Having said his piece, Lin Bai left. Before he even reached the classroom door, Li Ruonan's hysterical, piercing cry echoed from behind.

"I hate you, Lin Bai!"

Lin Bai paused for a fraction of a second, ultimately choosing not to look back as he strode away decisively.

Arriving at the next classroom, Lin Bai's mood was far from pleasant. He walked up to monitor Wang Peichuan and, to the latter's stunned expression, grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

The other students in the room gasped in shock. Zhao Fangting, Chen Zhe, and Lu Xiaobin quickly hurried over.

"What's going on, Brother Bai?"

Lin Bai remained silent, his fierce eyes locked onto Wang Peichuan.

The wound on Wang Peichuan's head had not yet healed and was still wrapped in bandages.

With a guilty conscience, Wang Peichuan did not dare meet Lin Bai's gaze, his eyes darting about nervously.

"Lin Bai, this is a classroom, and the teacher will be here any second. Don't... don't be reckless."

The three roommates said nothing. Living together in the dorm, they knew Lin Bai well enough to realize he wouldn't act like this without a reason.

Pointing at Wang Peichuan, Chen Zhe shouted, "What the hell did you do!"

Wang Peichuan forced a strained smile. Just then, Cao Ying walked through the door accompanied by Li Ruonan and several other female students.

The newcomers immediately noticed the commotion. Frowning, Cao Ying stepped forward.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Li Ruonan's eyes were dull and lifeless. She cast a fleeting, indifferent glance at the group and took her seat as if none of this had anything to do with her.

Knowing he couldn't deal with Wang Peichuan properly right here, Lin Bai finally let go of him.

"Wang Peichuan, I am not letting this go. You remember that!"

Dropping the harsh warning, Lin Bai returned to his seat and forced himself to attend class with a heavy, complicated heart.

Because Wang Peichuan's back was turned, Lin Bai completely missed the venomous, malicious look flashing in Wang Peichuan's eyes at that moment.

The morning lectures dragged on in a daze.

East Campus Canteen.

"What's wrong, Lin Bai?"

Noticing Lin Bai's absent-mindedness, Qin Ruowei asked with concern.

Lin Bai shook his head. "Nothing. Didn't sleep well last night, just spacing out a bit."

Qin Ruowei didn't think much of it and thoughtfully picked out food for him.

...

As the day's classes finally concluded, Lin Bai returned to the dorm to drop off his things before heading to the Business Incubator Park with Qin Ruowei.

The match against the Azure Dragon Team was only a few days away, and Lin Bai needed to keep an eye on the Spear-Wielding Team's training progress.

This was their first tournament. Last year's third place in the Collegiate City Championship? Perfect to use as a stepping stone.

As Lin Bai and Qin Ruowei approached Office 108 in the Incubator Park, they could already hear enthusiastic cheering echoing from inside.

Pushing the door open made the noise even clearer.

"Nice! Nice! Push, push! One wave!"

Xu Qiao roared at the top of his lungs, his face flushed red with surging blood.

Qin Ruowei was slightly taken aback, her eyes immediately landing on Xu Youmeng.

One was the departmental belle; the other was the campus belle.

Being women, Qin Ruowei instinctively felt a strong surge of rivalry, causing her to unconsciously tighten her grip on Lin Bai's arm.

"Better to arrive on time than early; looks like I picked the right moment," Lin Bai joked.

The five finished their match, and Li Yu unscrewed a can of Red Bull, gulping it down thirstily.

Xu Qiao, Luo Jian, and Fang Dawei all turned their gazes to Qin Ruowei simultaneously, their eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

"Brother Bai, who is this?"

"Let me introduce everyone. This is my girlfriend, Qin Ruowei, the belle of the Foreign Languages Department, haha."

Qin Ruowei's face turned rosy, and she playfully and gently slapped Lin Bai in mock annoyance.

Xu Youmeng was also sizing up Qin Ruowei. Just like her, as a strikingly attractive woman, Xu Youmeng could sense the hostility directed at her by Qin Ruowei.

It was akin to how two tigers cannot share the same mountain.

Lin Bai had no ulterior motives; firstly, he wanted to check on their training and make sure they weren't slacking off, and secondly, he wanted to show Qin Ruowei what he was up to so she could feel at ease.

Therefore, he said, "I'm just dropping by to take a look. You guys keep playing, and if you need anything, just let Xiao Meng know."

"It's so much more comfortable here now than before, hahaha."

After exchanging a few words, Lin Bai turned and left with Qin Ruowei.

"Damn, Brother Bai's girlfriend is top-tier! Tsk tsk, it really is great to have money."

"Ain't that the truth? Look at that figure, that face..."

"Do you guys assume I'm invisible?" Xu Youmeng's chilling voice cut in.

Xu Qiao and Luo Jian shrank their necks back and quickly shut their mouths.

"Sister Meng, Ruowei is pretty alright, but she still falls a bit short compared to you. After all, you're the campus belle. It's just... you'd look even better if you smiled more often."

Li Yu laughed offhandedly.

Xu Youmeng turned her head and shot Li Yu a cold, stern glare.

Li Yu immediately clamped his mouth shut, raising his hands in surrender. "Okay, I'll shut up! Not another word. Match found, match found, hurry up and accept."

...

Central Campus Playground.

Lin Bai and Qin Ruowei walked hand in hand aimlessly, feeling deeply relaxed as the warm evening breeze swept past.

The Central Campus Playground was particularly crowded at night, filled with students dating, running, playing ball, and singing—brimming with youthful vitality.

"Honey, did you know that Xu Youmeng is our school's campus belle?"

After a quiet walk, Qin Ruowei suddenly broke the silence.

Lin Bai naturally knew what she was worried about and tightened his grip on her hand.

"I know. But in my eyes, you are the most beautiful, and no one can ever replace you."

When sweet talk was needed, one had to deliver it—a lesson taught by the system.

Sure enough, hearing this brought a happy smile to Qin Ruowei's face, instantly sweeping away the lingering haze between her brows.

"Hmpf, at least you know what's good."

Lin Bai smiled speechlessly. Just as he raised a hand to playfully flick the bridge of her delicate nose, his phone vibrated. Pulling it out, he saw it was a call from Lu Xiaobin and answered it.

"What's up?"