Chapter 101: Not Wanting to Be a Jerk

"Comrade Zhibo, you're being too polite. Since you came empty-handed, at least perform that trick where you spray water from your nostrils to liven things up a bit," Chen Hansheng mocked mercilessly.

Wang Zibo was someone who was average in appearance and somewhat superficial in his tastes. This was apparent in how he behaved: 

When he was around average-looking girls, he felt confident, talking incessantly and offering his opinions freely. But when facing confident or strikingly beautiful girls, he would become so nervous that he couldn't speak. 

It had been like this back in school. Wang Zibo would blush whenever he talked to Xiao Rongyu, but with shy, introverted girls, he always tried to show off. 

Just now, when Shen Youchu had her head lowered, Wang Zibo thought she was just a random girl. But after getting a better look at her, he suddenly felt uncomfortable.

Chen Hansheng introduced her at the right moment: "This is Shen Youchu. She's the person I wanted you to meet."

"Ah, ah, ah..." Wang Zibo stammered for a while before awkwardly saying, "Well, um, I'm a classmate of Xiao Chen's. We've known each other since we were... before we were born."

Chen Hansheng shot him a glance. "Are you Nezha or something? How could you know someone before being born?"

"N-no," Wang Zibo's neck flushed red. "I mean, we've known each other since shortly after we were born, and we grew up playing together."

Shen Youchu found it a bit strange but was too shy to laugh. She simply whispered an "mm" and went back to calculating expenses.

Wang Zibo took the opportunity to pull Chen Hansheng aside, signaling that they should talk outside.

"Dammit, you always like seeing me embarrass myself!" Wang Zibo complained.

Chen Hansheng chuckled. "She's not an outsider; don't worry about it."

"Not an outsider?" Wang Zibo repeated, then placed his thumbs together and asked, "Are you two like this now?"

Chen Hansheng shook his head. "Not to that extent yet."

Chen Hansheng didn't plan on lying to Wang Zibo. Apart from needing him as a witness when taking Shen Youchu home, there would likely be more times he'd need his help covering things up.

"And what about Xiao Yuer?" Wang Zibo asked.

Chen Hansheng shrugged without answering.

Wang Zibo suddenly felt that his friend was going too far. How could he be playing both sides?

"Xiao Chen, we need to have a serious talk," Wang Zibo said with sincere concern for his friend. Shen Youchu was indeed beautiful, but Xiao Yuer was also a top-tier beauty—they were both on par.

Chen Hansheng anticipated what Wang Zibo was going to say, so he cut in first, "This trip to Sichuan and Chongqing, we'll also visit Shen Youchu's hometown."

"And then?" Wang Zibo asked, confused.

"She has a cousin who looks similar to her. If you don't complain, I'll introduce you when the time comes. But if you start nagging me about morals, you can stay overnight and head back to Harbor City tomorrow."

Chen Hansheng was bluffing again. He just didn't want to hear Wang Zibo stammering out moral lectures. As for the "nonexistent cousin" excuse, he could easily make one up later, like saying she wasn't home for the holidays.

Wang Zibo stood there dumbfounded for a while, then turned to glance at Shen Youchu and back at Chen Hansheng. Scratching his head, he said, "Honestly, I don't care about the cousin. I just want to see the culture and scenery of Sichuan and Chongqing."

Chen Hansheng chuckled and handed him a cigarette. While they were smoking, Shen Youchu softly said goodbye and left.

"Is she not staying for dinner?" Wang Zibo asked, puzzled.

"She's having dinner with Xiao Yuer," Chen Hansheng drew a horizontal line in the air to illustrate. "Do you know why a scale stays balanced? It's because both sides are evenly weighted. I'll be spending a lot of time with Shen Youchu over the next few days, so now I need to spend time with Xiao Yuer to keep things balanced and avoid any trouble."

Watching Chen Hansheng's adept handling of the situation, Wang Zibo realized, "This kind of balance is tiring, though. A triangle is the most stable shape."

Chen Hansheng looked at him with surprise until Wang Zibo felt uneasy. Then Chen Hansheng patted his shoulder and said, "I didn't expect you to be one of us."

...

Dinner was in the cafeteria at Dongda University. While eating, Xiao Rongyu reminded Chen Hansheng to pack his bags for the next day because her father would be coming to pick her up. 

Chen Hansheng pretended to be engrossed in his food, ignoring her. Wang Zibo felt guilty, as if he were complicit in betraying Xiao Yuer, and kept his head down, silent.

"But more people are coming tomorrow. Gao Jialiang called and said he's joining us, and so are Wanqiu and Xiaomeng," Xiao Rongyu said, frowning. 

Wanqiu and Xiaomeng were their high school friends. Chen Hansheng looked indifferent. "No problem. It's warmer in winter when people squeeze together."

Xiao Rongyu smiled sweetly. "Then you can sit in the back with me, and we'll leave the front seats for others."

Wang Zibo wanted to see how Chen Hansheng would respond, but Chen Hansheng neither agreed nor denied it. "Whatever you say."

Wang Zibo shook his head helplessly. Chen Hansheng was so skilled at charming women that even in a school like Jianye Polytechnic, known for its lack of female students, he wouldn't be single.

Xiao Rongyu left to study for her last exam in the morning. She thought they'd have plenty of time together afterward.

Chen Hansheng and Wang Zibo returned to their dorm at the Finance Academy. The other 602 roommates had already left, so there were plenty of empty beds.

"Xiao Chen, with the two schools so close, aren't you worried about getting caught?" Wang Zibo couldn't help but ask, eager for gossip.

"Of course, I worry. There's always something," Chen Hansheng said, recounting stories to satisfy Wang Zibo's curiosity.

"One afternoon, Xiao Yuer mentioned seeing a girl in the same blue down jacket at the school gate. My drowsiness instantly vanished."

...

"There was a diary entry on Xiao Yuer's computer about me. I didn't realize it and lent the computer to Shen Youchu for Excel practice. I later tested and confirmed multiple times to ensure she hadn't seen it. Otherwise, it would've been chaos."

...

"Last month at Christmas, I had hot pot twice. Now, I feel sick just thinking about hot pot."

...

Their conversation shifted to entrepreneurship, and Chen Hansheng detailed how he met Zhong Jiancheng, set up the startup base, and expanded their presence among the four nearby schools.

The more Chen Hansheng spoke, the quieter his voice became until he drifted off to sleep.

But Wang Zibo couldn't sleep. It wasn't because he wasn't used to the bed but because he remembered arguments with his mother. She would point out how other kids were successful and had once mentioned Chen Hansheng.

Wang Zibo had protested, "Xiao Chen's grades weren't even as good as mine."

His mother had given a derisive snort, "Harbor City isn't that big. Do you think we parents don't know what goes on in school? Following Chen Hansheng around, didn't you notice his strengths?"

"I'm telling you, even if Chen Hansheng went to a second- or third-tier school, or even a technical college, he'd still make something of himself!"

And sure enough, his mom's insight was spot on. In college, Wang Zibo was just one of the many students, while Chen Hansheng had already become a prominent figure in their year.

"How could I learn from him? Should I become a jerk too?" Wang Zibo thought, turning over and pondering silently.

...