Chapter 013: The Campus Belle Invites Me to Dinner

"Your WeChat friend tipped you ten million? Who is it?" Wu Xiaofei asked, brimming with even more curiosity.

"Chen Yuan, that guy who asked me for my WeChat this morning!"

"Him? He's 'A Lonely Cigarette'? Holy cow!"

Wu Xiaofei was left stunned. She'd never in a million years have guessed that the seemingly green and reserved guy could be the big - shot who splashes cash around online. The contrast was mind - boggling.

In fact, just moments ago, several sons of wealthy families who'd once courted Zhao Yuqi had flitted through Wu Xiaofei's mind. But Chen Yuan was the last person she'd consider. After all, Chen Yuan was a well - known pushover in school!

Maybe Zhao Yuqi didn't keep tabs on such campus gossip. But Wu Xiaofei was different. She was like a walking encyclopedia of all things campus - gossipy!

How on earth could a pushover like Chen Yuan, some nobody, be a big - spender who casually drops ten million on gifts?

"Qiqi, are you sure it's Chen Yuan? Not someone else?"

"What, from your reaction, did you know him before?" Zhao Yuqi inquired.

"Well, not really know him. I heard about him. Chen Yuan's a junior in the same department and grade as us. He used to chase after this girl, Lin Shutong. Word is, he chased her for three whole years and still struck out. He'd often bring her breakfast downstairs at her dorm. He'd confess to her about once a month, do all that cheesy stuff like lighting candles, making heart shapes, singing love songs, and giving her all sorts of little gifts. But Lin Shutong just never gave him the time of day."

What Wu Xiaofei didn't know was that Chen Yuan had managed to win Lin Shutong over a month ago. But Lin Shutong had asked him to keep it on the down - low. No posting about it on Moments. No public displays of affection. So, not many people were in the know about their relationship.

"No way! Chen Yuan's loaded, and he's not bad - looking either. A guy like that, how come he couldn't win her over in three years?"

Zhao Yuqi was even more puzzled. She'd seen Lin Shutong before. Sure, she was good - looking, but she wasn't exactly a one - of - a - kind stunner. There were plenty of girls in school who were prettier and more accomplished.

On the flip side, Chen Yuan, with the kind of dough he had to casually toss ten million at a streamer, was no ordinary rich kid. It's not uncommon for the sons of wealthy families to drive flashy cars worth a few million. But coughing up tens of millions for a tip? That was a whole different ballgame. And as far as Zhao Yuqi knew, none of the rich kids she was acquainted with could pull that off.

"I got it! Chen Yuan couldn't win her over 'cause he's been playing the poor card. To keep his identity under wraps, he even works part - time delivering packages. Nobody at school has a clue he's rolling in it. I've heard that some of these rich heirs have these weird quirks. They're after true love, don't want some girl to be with them just for the money. So, they go all 'prince in disguise' or 'big - shot pretending to be a nobody'. That's gotta be what Chen Yuan's been up to!"

Wu Xiaofei was an avid online - novel reader with a wild imagination. So, she started spinning this theory in her head.

"Is that really it? I guess he just got fed up and decided to stop faking it," Zhao Yuqi said, nodding in agreement.

All of a sudden, she thought this guy was actually pretty amazing and thoughtful. He'd gone to such lengths for the girl he liked. A rich heir, slumming it to do these unglamorous jobs, all for three years, just to try and win her heart. That was seriously romantic!

People are funny like that. When a rich heir takes a part - time job delivering packages, you think he's making some huge sacrifice. But when an ordinary student does it, it's no big deal.

Zhao Yuqi was the unattainable campus goddess in the eyes of ordinary students. But at the end of the day, she was just a student herself. And like most girls, she was drawn to guys who seemed more "outstanding" than her. In her eyes, Chen Yuan fit the bill.

"Xiaofei, what do you think I should do to thank him? He dropped ten million on me, and my stream's followers have shot up by tens of thousands. But this gift's just too huge. It's kind of weighing on me."

Zhao Yuqi was feeling a bit jittery.

"Seems to me, that guy's dead - set on wooing you. Otherwise, he wouldn't be throwing money around like that. But Qiqi, you gotta be strong. Don't let him sweep you off your feet too easily," Wu Xiaofei advised.

"Got it," Zhao Yuqi replied with a nod.

She then grabbed her phone and shot Chen Yuan a message.

"Student Chen Yuan, thanks a bunch for the gifts. I'm really embarrassed. How about I treat you to dinner tomorrow at 6:30 p.m.? Consider it my way of saying thanks for your crazy support!"

"What? The campus belle is asking me out to dinner?"

When Chen Yuan saw the message from Zhao Yuqi, he was left dumbfounded. He'd never in his wildest dreams thought Zhao Yuqi would invite him to dinner one day.

She was a campus celebrity, the vice - president of the student union, the most beautiful girl in the School of Liberal Arts, and the second - most - famous campus belle at Hunan University. Regular guys didn't even have the guts to pursue a girl like her. Most just secretly crushed on her from afar. And now, she was inviting him to dinner?

"Sure thing! It'd be an honor to have dinner with Chairperson Zhao!"

Chen Yuan quickly typed back.

"Great, it's a date then. 6:30 p.m., at the east gate of the school. See you there!"

"I'll eat you out of house and home!"

"Haha, bring it on. My family owns a restaurant, so eat to your heart's content."

Zhao Yuqi was quick to reply, not minding Chen Yuan's little joke at all. On the surface, she came across as a refined and demure young lady. But in private, she seemed like a super - lively chatterbox. As they chatted, Chen Yuan could barely keep up. For every message he sent, she'd fire back two or three.

Thinking about how he used to message Lin Shutong, he'd usually send a dozen messages before she'd maybe reply one, and that'd be hours later. Chen Yuan felt a pang of sadness. He'd always told himself that if he just kept at it, Lin Shutong would eventually see his worth. But reality kept smacking him in the face. If a guy doesn't level up his game, no matter what he does, in her eyes, he's just a doormat.

"Fourth, stop glued to your phone. Wanna play some games? We're short a support. I'll carry you to Gold rank," Zhou Haiquan called out.

"Come on. I know your skills. You've been playing League of Legends for seven years and you're still in Silver. You say you'll carry me to Gold? Yeah, right!" Chen Yuan rolled his eyes.

"Us players in Ionia are different. I'm a Silver in Ionia, but I can take down Challengers from other servers. If it wasn't for my crappy teammates, would I still be in Silver after seven years?"

"Nah, buzz off. I'm chatting with the campus belle!"

"You're full of it!"

...

Before he knew it, it was 6:30 p.m. the next day.

At the east gate of Hunan University, a girl in a mid - length white T - shirt, white sneakers, and a ponytail had been waiting for over ten minutes. There were students coming and going in droves, but this girl was turning heads left and right. Nearly 90% of people couldn't help but do a double - take. Even other girls were stealing glances. Her long, shapely legs were seriously eye - catching. Despite her simple outfit, it showed off her killer figure and made her look even more youthful and energetic. And when the guys saw her face, they were practically rooted to the spot.

"Who's that girl? She's freaking gorgeous!"

"You don't know Zhao Yuqi? She's the vice - president of our student union, the head of the dance club, and one of the top three campus belles in the school!"

"So that's Zhao Yuqi. Looks like she's waiting for someone."