Chapter 5: I Think What You Said Makes Sense

“Here you go, thank you, young man. I appreciate your hard work.”

The woman handed Lin Bai two hundred yuan as payment, along with a bottle of mineral water. Lin Bai smiled gratefully and accepted them without hesitation, pocketing the money and drinking more than half the bottle in one go.

“Thank you.”

Brother Luo patted Lin Bai on the shoulder and introduced, “This is Sister Liu, the director of the welfare home. Sister Liu, I told you this kid is reliable when it comes to work, haha.”

Lin Bai felt a bit embarrassed at the praise and quickly put on the dry short-sleeved shirt.

“Not bad. I’ll contact you guys when I have more work in the future.”

“Got it, thank you, Sister Liu. We’ll be heading back now.”

“Alright, goodbye.”

After waving farewell, Lin Bai and Brother Luo drove away.

As soon as they left, Qin Ruowei stepped out of the room and approached the welfare home director from behind.

Strangely, the director showed a hint of respect upon seeing Qin Ruowei and bowed slightly.

“Miss Qin, this is the longest time you’ve stayed here.”

“How much did you pay him?”

The director was a bit confused. “Who?”

Qin Ruowei lifted her chin and pointed in the direction where Lin Bai and Brother Luo had left. “The student who just worked part-time.”

The director suddenly understood. “Two hundred yuan. That was the price agreed upon in advance. Miss Qin, do you... know him?”

Qin Ruowei smiled without explaining. “I’m leaving now, Sister Liu. I’ll come again next time.”

With that, she turned and walked toward the parking lot, then got into a purple Xiaomi SU7 and drove away.

Inside the car, Qin Ruowei gripped the steering wheel a little tighter and murmured,

“Two hundred yuan, you don’t want to owe me at all, do you?”

...

By the time Lin Bai returned to school, night had already fallen. His stomach growled loudly as he headed straight for the cafeteria. He ordered a large bowl of rice and a plate of vegetables, then began to eat voraciously.

Not to mention, as Lin Bai’s physical activity increased, his appetite had grown considerably—he was eating at least twice as much as before.

Halfway through his meal, a familiar scent approached as Qin Ruowei sat down opposite him, carrying a tray.

Lin Bai was momentarily stunned, forgetting to chew as he glanced around. It was mealtime with many students still in the cafeteria, and given Qin Ruowei’s status as the campus beauty, it was hard not to attract attention.

Her presence left Lin Bai somewhat unsettled.

“Eat,” Qin Ruowei said without looking up, tucking her long hair behind her ear as she began to nibble on her food.

Though her tray held little food, it was expensive and well-balanced. Compared to her meal, Lin Bai’s looked like pig slop.

He resumed chewing, then suddenly remembered something. He pulled out the two hundred yuan Qin Ruowei had given him that morning and placed it on the table, sliding it toward her.

“Here’s your money back. Thanks.”

Qin Ruowei’s chopsticks paused briefly as she stared at the two red bills in front of her.

“I’m not in a hurry. Keep it if you need it.”

Lin Bai smiled brightly. “I have money. Besides, I don’t like owing anyone. Just take it.”

Having said that, Qin Ruowei had no choice but to take the money back.

But as she grasped the bills, an involuntary image of Lin Bai laboriously carrying heavy loads to earn that money flashed through her mind, filling her with an inexplicable heaviness.

Lin Bai lowered his head and continued eating, unaware of what Qin Ruowei was thinking. If he had known, he surely would have laughed, because the two hundred yuan was the very same money she had given him that morning.

Suddenly, a chicken drumstick landed on his plate. Lin Bai looked up and saw Qin Ruowei calmly nibbling on her vegetables.

“I have a small appetite. I can’t finish it all.”

Lin Bai stared at her, fully aware of her intentions.

Today, Qin Ruowei was dressed in a plain white long dress, concealing her slender, fair legs. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her brows and eyes were like a painted picture.

Of course, more than her appearance, it was Qin Ruowei’s kindness that stirred Lin Bai’s heart.

His gaze lingered on the chicken drumstick, hesitating to pick it up.

“Do you know how much damage you’re doing to a guy by acting like this? What if I fall in love with you? Will you be responsible?”

Faced with Lin Bai’s sudden bluntness, Qin Ruowei’s chopsticks froze, then she promptly took the drumstick back.

“I think you have a point.”

Lin Bai: “...”

“Can I take it back now?”

“No.”

Neither spoke again. Amid the awkward silence, Lin Bai finally finished the food on his plate.

“I...”

“Ruowei! There you are! I’ve been looking for you everywhere.”

Before Lin Bai could say a word, he was interrupted. He looked up to see a young man approaching.

The young man was handsome and obviously well-groomed, wearing a white shirt paired with tailored trousers, exuding charm.

Compared to him, the sweat stains on Lin Bai’s face looked particularly stark.

Qin Ruowei didn’t look up but knew exactly who had arrived.

Lin Bai scanned both of them and stood up. “I’ve finished eating. You guys...”

“Sit down!”

Once again, Lin Bai was cut off. Seeing Qin Ruowei’s firm expression, he scratched his nose and, puzzled, sat back down.

The young man’s attention landed on Lin Bai for the first time, but he was indifferent. After a quick glance, he naturally sat beside Qin Ruowei.

“Ruowei, how can you eat such things? What if you upset your stomach?”

Qin Ruowei put down her chopsticks, wiped her mouth with a tissue, and turned to the young man.

“Yuan Fengcai, I don’t like you, and I never will. Stop wasting your time on me, understood?”

Yuan Fengcai—the handsome guy—was stunned by her words, frozen for a long moment before reacting.

Not only him, but even Lin Bai, who was watching the scene unfold, was shocked.

“Ruowei, what’s wrong with me? Tell me and I’ll change!”

“You’re great, but I don’t have feelings for you. With your background, you can definitely find someone better and prettier. That’s it.”

With that, Qin Ruowei picked up her tray and stood.

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go.”

Lin Bai’s attention was still on Yuan Fengcai. Hearing that, Yuan Fengcai pointed at himself.

“Me?”

Qin Ruowei rolled her eyes and ignored Lin Bai as she turned and left.

Lin Bai looked at Yuan Fengcai and silently made a cross on his chest before standing to leave as well.

“Wait, student!”

Just a few steps away, Yuan Fengcai called after him. Lin Bai stopped and turned back, puzzled.

Yuan Fengcai approached him and once again scrutinized Lin Bai from head to toe.

Lin Bai disliked being examined like a monkey.

“Something you need?”

“You and Ruowei...”

“Do you think that’s possible?”

This time it was Lin Bai’s turn to cut him off.

Yuan Fengcai wasn’t angry; he thought carefully for a moment, then nodded.

“Fair enough. Sorry.”

Lin Bai ignored him and walked away.

...

Back in the dorm, Lin Bai’s roommate Zhao Fangting was, as usual, engrossed in playing video games. Lin Bai didn’t disturb him, took a shower, hand-washed his day’s clothes, and then got into bed to start doing sit-ups.

His abdominal muscles ached terribly; today’s four sets were even tougher and more painful than yesterday’s, but he gritted his teeth and persevered.

[Beep! Congratulations, host, you have completed today’s check-in task. Progress: 2/7. Keep it up! Victory is within reach.]

Lin Bai exhaled deeply and turned his head to find Zhao Fangting’s large head resting at the edge of the bed, wearing an indescribably strange expression as he stared at him.