Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 79: The Vileness of Scum

Although Qin Nianran spoke with firmness when facing that Zhou Chongyun, her heart was in complete chaos. It was true that she and Zhan Zifeng got along well—so well that they could even be considered perfect! Whether in terms of their conversation, appearance, talent, intelligence, or family background, they matched almost exactly what she imagined a partner should be like. Yet strangely, she felt nothing for them at all.
If asked for a reason, Qin Nianran couldn’t specify what was wrong with her. Was she destined to spend her life alone like her grandmother? Her grandmother at least had a scholar grandfather she could admire, but what did she have? Qin Nianran couldnu help but think of that silly boy…
Actually, from the first time she saw Chu Tianyu, Qin Nianran had strong feelings toward him—though these feelings were mostly disdain, pity, anger, and self-pity! As a child, he was dull and foolish, always trailing behind others with a runny nose and a submissive demeanor, which made her feel both disdainful and pitiful. Especially when she saw him being bullied, it felt as though someone was touching her own things—even if she didn’t like those things herself—she would never allow others to touch them!
As he grew up, his dull expression seemed like a continuation of his childhood foolishness. Yet he became entangled with her in matters of marriage. Especially the way he looked at her the first time they met—so despicable, like a pervert! Strangely enough, in this regard, she couldn’t see any trace of foolishness in him!
But later, on the way to the Bund, his clear gaze fixed on the distance, along with the aura of detachment that seemed to blend him with the city and nature, left her confused again…
Thinking of this, Qin Nianran suddenly realized something she absolutely didn’t want to admit! Could the annoyance in her heart these past few days be because of him? Was it really like reading an article—whether praised or criticized after reading it, it was still an affirmation of the article, as it made people think, pay attention, and be influenced…
Qin Nianran felt her annoyance increase further. Now, it was even difficult for her to find opportunities to use the Ice Heart Technique to calm herself!
Just then, she sensed a faint fragrance. A figure appeared before her, and a magnetic, gentle voice spoke, “Nianran? Hello. Ever since we parted at the teahouse, you remain as graceful and elegant as ever. Do you remember me? I’m Ouyang Ziyi…”
…

In the evening, the school entrance was bustling. Bai Lei and the others arrived early. Today, these guys looked really handsome, dressed up from head to toe. Their hair was neatly combed, their clothes fit well, and their leather shoes were shiny. Even Bao Cai, who usually gave off an impression of being short and shabby, seemed somewhat “honest and cute” today.

“Chen Qing, straighten your back. A real man shouldn’t act like a fool just because of a little setback. When those girls arrive later, I’ll go with you to the hospital to pick up your girlfriend too. This is also Tian Yu’s wish. Everything has passed; we’re still young. Don’t always look back. No matter what happens in the future, whether it’s family-related or personal, make sure to talk to your brothers so we can help each other…” Bai Lei instructed.

“Hah, when have we scoundrels ever said something so philosophically profound? Rare!” the tall guy mocked.

“Tch, I’m too lazy to talk about these pointless truths. It’s only because Chu Tian Yu begged me for ages that I reluctantly agreed to say a few words!” Bai Lei replied calmly, unaware that Chu Tian Yu hadn’t been back to the dormitory or classroom all afternoon.

But for Chen Qing, Bai Lei’s words, though not his forte, were incredibly precious. Maybe they were a bit awkward, but through these days together, he truly understood what warmth and friendship meant. Just as Bai Lei said, the hardships were behind them. After all, he and his girlfriend were still young, with a long life ahead of them…

“Damn, why isn’t that third guy here yet? Is he trying to play tricks on us? Bao Cai, is it April 1st today?” After talking to Chen Qing, Bai Lei’s attention shifted back to the gathering.

“No, don’t worry. Tian Yu would never lie. He’s not you!” Bao Cai replied, adding a teasing remark.

“Have you grown bold these past couple of days, Bao Cai? Forgot who took you in as a junior?” As Bai Lei spoke, he suddenly saw Chu Tian Yu coming out with a group of girls. From afar, several of them looked pretty, and it was said that a few of them were in the arts!

Bai Lei’s heart felt as if it had been hit hard. It took him a while to react, after which he sighed deeply in regret, “Ah, ah, I wonder why the third guy didn’t come first. Turns out he went to pick up the girls. I lost out! How could I not think of this? I just stood here waiting stupidly with Bao Cai and the rest…”

“Huh, where’s Bok Choy?” Bai Lei then noticed that aside from Chen Qing, Bok Choy and the others were also drooling with excitement as they rushed over cheerfully. Bok Choy said in a flattering tone, “Hehe, hello, sister. Come on, let me carry these for you. Hehe, Chu Tianyu and I are the closest friends…”
The usually honest and straightforward big guy seemed to be trying to get close to the cute round-faced girl as well. Bai Lei couldn’t help but mutter angrily, “Two scumbags! Just seeing a few girls and already drooling like that? They’re worse than beasts!”
After saying that, Bai Lei wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth and said to the only remaining person, Chen Qing, “Let’s go…”
When an extended Cadillac and six luxury Mercedes-Benz cars stopped at the school gate, everyone was shocked, even Chu Tianyu himself was stunned. In the afternoon, he had simply asked Qianfeng to arrange a private room in a place like “Glory.” Not long after, he received a reply saying everything was taken care of, and the restaurant’s car would come to pick them up on time that night.
Chu Tianyu knew that in a restaurant like “Glory,” if you reserved a room of a certain level, the restaurant would provide a shuttle car for transportation. But he never expected it to be such a grand affair.
Bai Lei gave him a questioning look, as if to say, “Even if your identity as Third Young Master Chu is exposed, there’s no need for such an exaggerated display, right?”
Chu Tianyu could only return a helpless expression, showing that he didn’t want to do this either.
But this suited Bai Lei’s personality well. With a call, he led Bok Choy and the big guy to organize the girls to get into the cars, deliberately leaving the Cadillac for Chu Tianyu and Li Rou.
Pedestrians on the road and students coming in and out of the school were also shocked by this scene, staring at them with mixed feelings of envy and disdain. Bai Lei and his group seemed eager to make a fuss, while the girls were excited—after all, they were here for fun, and the more luxurious and extravagant, the better. It was truly a great opportunity! Still, they secretly envied Li Rou, not expecting her to suddenly rise to such prominence. Ah, after all, she was a beauty!
Li Rou herself felt a bit embarrassed under their gazes. She had never imagined such a scene would happen. If not for Ouyang Ziyi warning her in advance, she wouldn’t have been prepared, and she didn’t know how shocked she would be now. So she said nothing more and hurriedly got into the car.
“This is quite a grand display, Third Young Master Chu!?” Li Rou said sarcastically after the car started moving.

Chu Tianyu let out a bitter laugh and explained, “I also arranged a private room temporarily through someone else. They said the restaurant would provide a shuttle car, so I never expected things to turn out like this.”
“I guess the meal you paid for would be enough for our family to eat for a year!” Li Rou said, still struggling to adjust her thoughts.
Chu Tianyu understood her worries. It was not easy for her to open up and fall in love with someone, only for that person to hide his background and already have a fiancée or girlfriend. How could she balance all that? But this alone time gave him a chance to share his own thoughts and see if he could ease her concerns. “From the day I arrived at Beifu Academy, I treated myself as an ordinary student, not wanting my family background to affect my life or studies. You should know I’m not one of those wealthy kids who play with emotions. I never deliberately hid anything from you; I just saw you as a study buddy!”
At these words, Li Rou felt a chill in her heart, her face turning pale instantly. She bit her lip tightly, holding back from speaking.
Seeing this, Chu Tianyu felt deep compassion. He leaned in and gently took Li Rou’s small hand, saying, “But at the moment you fell ill, at your weakest moment, I realized that besides that sense of friendship, there was another emotion in my heart—one called ‘love’…”
Li Rou had originally tried to pull away from Chu Tianyu’s grasp, but upon hearing those words, her heartbeat seemed to stop!
Looking at Li Rou’s blushing, shy face, Chu Tianyu’s love grew stronger. The warmth in his hands holding hers increased, and a surge of heat rose in his lower body. His desire grew so intense it felt like it might burst forth at any moment!
Li Rou seemed to feel the strange heat radiating from Chu Tianyu, making her body soften instantly. She slowly lowered her head, revealing her fair, smooth neck and slightly trembling red lips.
Chu Tianyu’s breathing grew heavier. Such subtle sensory stimulation was the best way to arouse desire. He tightly pulled Li Rou into his arms. Now, he had only one thought: to tear apart all obstacles, possess her, and unleash all his desires.

“Screech~~” The driver ahead braked at a critical moment, causing both of them to jolt, instantly regaining their senses. Only then did Li Rou softly say, “No!” Chu Tianyu quickly channeled his vital energy to gradually suppress those desires. Realizing it was once again due to the black dragon within him, he looked up at Li Rou, whose face was still flushed, and apologized, “I, um, Li Rou, just now, I… well, it’s really hard to explain…”
Li Rou also calmed herself down and, after thinking for a while, said softly, “I don’t blame you. I was the same just now… Well, that feeling was really strange… Is this what Ouyang Ziyi meant by some hidden truth?”
“She’s truly intelligent and understanding. Unlike most girls who are either delicate and artificial or stubborn and unreasonable, she immediately thought of Ziyi’s words. This shows she doesn’t blame herself for her actions just now, and it also proves her full trust and ‘love’ for me…” Chu Tianyu thought, his affection for Li Rou growing deeper.
Over time, Li Rou finally managed to fully compose herself. Looking at Chu Tianyu, she shared her thoughts from those days: “I know you, and even Ouyang Ziyi, are good people. I don’t mean to blame you. Moreover, I have no right to blame anyone. To be honest, you’re the first man to enter my heart. But the gap between us is too great, and there are many things I haven’t even figured out yet. I can’t accept the idea proposed by your beautiful Ouyang Ziyi of sharing one husband—it seems utterly absurd! I need time. Let time resolve everything…”
Facing Li Rou’s honest words, Chu Tianyu felt a surge of agitation again. Staring straight at her, he said firmly, “The gap you mentioned can be ignored. As for time, there’s no problem. But just remember one thing: no matter how complicated my situation is, I will have you!”
At that moment, the car arrived at the restaurant. The driver, with great professionalism, opened the door…
When they entered the luxurious private room on the top floor, everyone’s nerves were once again challenged. In the center was a huge dining table, adorned with splendid decorations. White plush carpets stretched all the way, and various antiques and artworks were neatly placed in their respective spots, enhancing the atmosphere and highlighting the theme in an elegant and refined manner. There were also twelve stunningly beautiful waitresses standing on either side. Upon seeing the guests arrive, they bowed gracefully in unison and said, “Welcome, dear guests!”

Except for Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei, everyone else suddenly became nervous, as if their limbs didn’t belong to them. One by one, they awkwardly walked over to the tiger-patterned marble table in the main hall and sat down. The atmosphere in the hall instantly became oppressive; everyone dared not even breathe loudly, fearing they might disrupt the mood or do something wrong. Seeing this, Chu Tianyu realized it wasn’t right—they were here to eat, not to be restrained. From the way they were received, he had a hunch that the standard of this arrangement wouldn’t be low, but he didn’t expect them to be directly assigned to the most luxurious top-floor private room in “Glory.” It was his fault for not adding that something simple would suffice and that there was no need for such extravagance. “Manager, please come here. Right, aside from serving the food, we don’t need any service at all!” Chu Tianyu called out to the duty manager in charge of this private room and gave instructions. Once the waitresses left, everyone seemed relieved and took a deep breath. Bao Cai even exclaimed, “Wow, this is too luxurious, way too fancy—too much for me to handle!” “Pfft, you Bao Cai, always bragging. You’ve seen so many pretty girls before—if you met one, they’d all chase after you! What about just now? Over a dozen fairy-like girls said, ‘Sir, please have a seat.’ Look at your face—red as a rotten tomato!” Bai Lei teased. “I, I…” Bao Cai really had nothing to say. With no outsiders around and all of them being young, everyone gradually adjusted. Especially with the delicious dishes on the table, they became more and more excited, eating nonstop and joking around, quickly getting along with each other. In particular, the tall guy and the round-faced girl who called Chu Tianyu seemed to hit it off well; she was a straightforward person and had a great time chatting with him. Just as everyone was enjoying their meal, suddenly there was noise outside, as if a fight had broken out. The door was suddenly forced open, and a group of people rushed in. Leading them was Li Shichu, the arrogant guy they had met at lunch today. “Damn it, I wondered who was taking over this hall—turns out it’s you guys! Fuck!” Li Shichu shouted, holding tightly to what seemed to be a newly debuted female celebrity. “Where’s your manager? Tell your manager to come here right now and have them pack up and leave. I’m already annoyed today, and I certainly don’t want to see annoying people around!”

“Yes, call your manager over. Just say there are some crazy dogs barking here, seriously ruining our appetite!” Chu Tianyu calmly added charcoal to the fire to cook the snowfish, speaking in a leisurely tone.
“Exactly! It not only ruins our appetite but also our desire to see anything else. Just looking at them takes away our will to look at anything else—ugh!” Bai Lei even made a vomiting gesture.
“Damn~~ Those little bastards are pretty bold. I’m going to ruin you today!” With that, the men behind Li Shichu, who looked like gangsters, prepared to charge forward.
“Brother Bao, wait! Better not cause trouble here at Glory. I can’t cover for this. By the way, the guys I mentioned I wanted to teach a lesson to are those two who just spoke. It’s a good chance now—make sure you recognize them!” Li Shichu pulled Brother Bao back and whispered.
Chu Tianyu sneered inwardly, thinking, “They really can’t handle themselves. They even brought in gangsters. It seems Li Shichu is far inferior to those two—Zhan Zifeng and Jing Yu! Since you want to play, I’ll play a big game with you!”
“What? Still want to fight? Damn, we people from Beifu aren’t afraid of fights. But then again, I really am afraid of fighting you guys because I don’t want to get my hands dirty. Are you guys really that despicable? Coming to someone else’s restaurant and making a racket, even daring to kick in the door—looking for trouble! Let me add one more word for you: ‘Despicable!!!’” Bai Lei stood up along with Da Ge, Bao Cai, and Chen Qing, cursing.
Just as a conflict was about to break out, Glory’s general manager finally arrived. Seeing the Qianfeng symbol on the manager’s clothes, Chu Tianyu laughed. No wonder they arranged such a grand setup—turns out Glory belongs to Qianfeng. Then doesn’t that mean he is the biggest boss here?