Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 104: Just in Case

Bai Lei reluctantly stopped, still muttering, “I really want to strangle you, you ungrateful wretch…”
Chu Tianyu touched his neck and said with lingering fear, “I surrender! Is it not enough if I admit my mistake? Look at you—without me around, you had to handle everything internally and externally. How much pressure did you bear! And as soon as I returned, you took me out to eat right away. Truly, there’s nothing more to say! Just two words—‘brother’!”
Hearing this, Bai Lei, who hadn’t actually done much, had his eyes turn red. With an air of “injustice,” he took the opportunity to say, “Exactly! It’s not easy for me either.”
“Go on, which classmate of Li Rou do you like? I know it’s not easy for you, and I’m quite busy too. As brothers, just speak straight!”
Chu Tianyu still didn’t fully understand Bai Lei’s temperament. He first agreed with him before getting to the point, otherwise, it might take hours to even reach the main topic!
Sure enough, Bai Lei fell for it and blurted out without thinking, “I like that classmate of Li Rou… Ah, damn it…”
Halfway through, Bai Lei realized what he’d said and choked a few times, glaring at Chu Tianyu again. Chu Tianyu stayed silent, first putting on an innocent expression, then pretending to be eager to listen.
Clearly, Bai Lei wasn’t focused on scolding him anymore. Unusually, he didn’t explode but sat down, gulped down some tea, and then slowly said, “I’ve fallen in love online…”
“What!?” Chu Tianyu was first shocked, then eagerly asked, “When? How did it start? Have you met? Is she pretty? And…”
“Enough! Enough!” Bai Lei interrupted him, as if afraid of Chu Tianyu. Then, in an annoyed tone, he said, “Come on, Chu Tianyu. You’re a young master from a wealthy family, and those girls are all ‘ladies’ from a generation of ‘noble’ heroes. Show some decency and restraint, will you? Don’t act like other little boys! Don’t react like this every time this question comes up. Is this kind of reaction and these clichéd questions okay?”
Chu Tianyu felt extremely ashamed after being questioned repeatedly by Bai Lei and silently lowered his head. But deep down, he felt wronged and muttered, “Whatever their status—whether they’re swordmaster heroes or not, I’m still a person! It’s normal to be curious, right? Especially about your love life, Bai Lei—it’s something everyone cares about!”

Bai Lei stopped paying attention to Chu Tianyu’s sarcasm and instead said resentfully, “You know what, Third Brother? If I don’t find a girlfriend soon, those guys will laugh me to death! Needless to say about Da Ge—now Chu Tianyu is always around that round-faced Liu Shuang. It’s so boring! And that idiot Bao Cai even took advantage of your last treat to pick up a fair-skinned girl. Ugh, just reading the love letter he wrote makes me want to vomit. Something like, ‘You are a piece of white snow, and I’m a fat black grasshopper. I’ll hop onto your pure body and watch the clouds drift by and the moon shine over the snowy world.’ Oh…”
“Ugh~~~” At that point, Bai Lei couldn’t help but retch a few more times. Chu Tianyu was also drenched in sweat.
Seeing Bai Lei’s disdainful expression, Chu Tianyu finally understood his embarrassment. He asked softly, “Are you… jealous?”
“Damn it, who am I, Bai Lei? Do I need to be jealous of those two? Hmph, hmph…” But in the end, Bai Lei couldn’t even finish his humming.
Chu Tianyu stopped pressuring him and changed the subject, “By the way, let’s talk about that online friend of yours!”
Hearing this, Bai Lei’s face lit up again as he said excitedly, “Hehe. Actually, since Da Ge and Bao Cai got girlfriends, they’ve been discussing this and that in front of me all day long, acting like they’re super cool. But I’ve actually been in love with her for a long time. I just haven’t said anything because I’m too lazy to argue with them!”
“Then tell me quickly!” Chu Tianyu gritted his teeth, feeling like he wanted to hit someone.
Realizing he had enough suspense, Bai Lei said, “I actually met her online not long after school started. Her online name is ‘Yueyue Eats Watermelons.’ Hehe, cute, right?”
Chu Tianyu didn’t pick up on it. Bai Lei continued, “She’s cheerful, straightforward, and really loves sports. Hehe, you know me—I never used to exercise, so I really like these active girls! So, our relationship can be described in one word: ‘progressing by leaps and bounds!’ Our love is truly earth-shattering and soul-stirring! It’s incredibly intimate and sweet…”
“Sorry to interrupt, but please get to the point! For example, have you met in person? What’s her situation in real life? What are your plans for the future?” Chu Tianyu cut off Bai Lei’s rambling speech with a cold expression.

Bai Lei cast a disdainful glance at Chu Tianyu before saying, “No sense of romance! How can you jump straight to the point without some description? Never mind, I won’t bother arguing with someone as crude as you. There’s only one answer to your question—namely, I haven’t met her yet! Hehe…”
Chu Tianyu nearly slipped under the table in shock. So the so-called passionate love relationship Bai Lei talked about didn’t even involve meeting the girl in person? What a pity!
With an expression of mock outrage, Bai Lei quietly said, “Although we haven’t met, our pure feelings for each other are beyond doubt—they’re sacred and inviolable!”
“Okay, okay, I won’t interfere. Then just keep being in love with her. Why tell me all this?” Chu Tianyu asked weakly, as if defeated.
“Nonsense! Do you think I invited you to this classy restaurant just for free? Of course I need your help!” Bai Lei said frankly.
“What kind of help?” Chu Tianyu asked warily.
“Hehe, well, since we haven’t met yet, she sent me a message just now during our meeting. She said she wants to come to Beijing during the May Day holiday to check out Tsinghua University. She’s a fresh graduate this year, so she’s coming ahead to pick a school! Hehe, I’ll just act as her guide!” Bai Lei said sheepishly.
“Oh, I see. No wonder you stopped talking after receiving that message—such a womanizer! But that girl is pretty impressive—she’s already scouting Tsinghua before even taking the exams!” Although Chu Tianyu spoke critically, he was deeply grateful for the timely message that ruined Bai Lei’s plan.
“Of course! You have to remember who her girlfriend is—she’s highly intelligent!” Bai Lei said proudly.
“But girls who are smart and studious usually have… average looks…” Chu Tianyu hinted.
“Impossible! My girlfriend Bai Lei’s must be beautiful and intelligent alike! You, take back what you just said!” Bai Lei immediately denied it angrily.
“Okay, okay, I take it back! Then I have nothing more to do here. I’ll be leaving!” Chu Tianyu tried to feign indifference.
“Alright, alright. Although I have full confidence and certainty in her, just in case… what if…” Bai Lei didn’t finish his sentence before Chu Tianyu interjected, “What if she’s actually a dinosaur? Will your unwavering online love be good for nothing then?”
Bai Lei bit his lip tightly, as if struggling internally, before finally deciding, “Damn it, even if she’s a dinosaur, I, Bai Lei, will accept it!”

Chu Tianyu was greatly surprised upon hearing this and looked at Bai Lei with new respect, saying, “Not bad, Bai Lei. I didn’t realize you had some real manly courage! After listening to you for so long, I thought you were planning to have me go and meet her for you. If it were a dinosaur, you’d find an excuse to say you can’t make it; if it were a pretty girl, you’d say you’re going to buy flowers as a gift and will be five minutes late!”
“Damn, Third Brother, am I that despicable? I just wanted you to meet her first. With your skills, you’d definitely disappoint her. Then Bai Lei would make a grand entrance—against such a stark contrast, she’d be stunned, and her lost feelings would instantly reignite with love! Wahaha! You know, such extreme mood swings must have the strongest and most unforgettable impact on both her eyes and heart! Any girl would fall into my hands easily, hehe. This is what love psychology is all about! Learn from it, Third Brother! Wahaha, I’m truly a genius!” Bai Lei said proudly before diving back into endless daydreams and fantasies…
“You’re really despicable!” Chu Tianyu said with a reluctant smile after hearing that.
“Huh, Third Brother, why do I feel like you’ve gotten prettier after going away? And you’ve even grown taller. Did you secretly get plastic surgery?” Bai Lei, now back to his senses, began to size up this “supporting role” meant to highlight him.
“Tsk tsk, Third Brother, you’ve indeed become much handsomer, but compared to me, Bai Lei, there’s still a big gap! I originally thought of using that guy, but he only suits her, Bai Xue. If my Yueyue saw him, the contrast wouldn’t work, and she might even get a heart attack from the shock. So this tough task falls on you. Work hard, brother—this is the organization’s trust in you. It’s an honor!” Bai Lei said emotionally.
“…” Chu Tianyu was speechless!
…
That night, finally free from his troubles, Chu Tianyu invited Li Rou out. Although there was some awkwardness at first, Li Rou’s concern and guilt over these days, along with Chu Tianyu’s explanations and that amazing experience, quickly dissolved their barriers, and they walked hand in hand along the campus paths!
This made many of Li Rou’s admirers show Chu Tianyu the middle finger and curse inwardly, saying, “Sigh, the world is getting worse. Look at these two scumbags!”
At the same time, they thought resentfully, “Why can’t it be me instead of that scumbag?”