Chapter 42: Caught in the Act
The bell rang.
The classroom speakers turned on, and a female voice came through the intercom.
“Attention students, we have an important announcement. Our school’s board member, the head of Suzhou Group, Su Hua, will be visiting our campus this afternoon for the opening ceremony.”
“At that time, please maintain proper discipline and present a good image to leave a positive impression on the board member as students of Shangqing University.”
Lin Xuan froze.
Why would Su Hua come here? Isn’t she the one who hates attending these kinds of ceremonies? And yet, she’s even giving a speech.
Could it be… for him?
Not out of arrogance, but Su Hua might actually be here for him; otherwise, her behavior would be quite unusual.
The class erupted in chatter again.
“My gosh, the head of Suzhou Group! Rumor has it she’s only twenty-four years old, decisive, and extremely beautiful.”
“Wow, Suzhou Group is the largest company domestically, with great employee benefits. If I could work there, it’d be like winning the lottery! I need to dress up well after lunch.”
“I’m dressing up too! Maybe she’ll notice me and make me her boyfriend, or even her mistress—I’d be fine with that!” A male student joked.
Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes.
Su Hua’s man? That position belongs to him—no one else should dare intrude!
“Yin Feng, stop dreaming. She already has a boyfriend, two in fact, and they’re very much in love. Besides, with your looks, she wouldn’t give you a second glance.” Lin Xuan said coolly.
“Shit! Lin Xuan, do you think she’d pick…” You? Yin Feng wanted to retort but stopped mid-sentence when he stared at Lin Xuan’s handsome face.
Now that Lin Xuan looked so good, there was a chance the famous board member might take interest in him.
Changing his tone, Yin Feng continued: “Impossible, how could she have a boyfriend? I heard she avoids men altogether. The media reported once that when a guy tried to seduce her, she had her security guards throw him out of the company! Someone like her wouldn’t fall for a man—she probably just sees them as playthings.”
Lin Xuan remained silent, remembering how in another life, he always thought Su Hua treated him as a toy until he saw her kiss his corpse and die for him…
Qin Ruoyao didn’t know Su Hua personally, but hearing her name made her feel uneasy inside.
She glanced at Lin Xuan.
She needed to find some time to talk seriously with him, making sure he didn’t spend all the money from his novels.
After the first class ended, the next one was gym class. Gym classes at Shangqing University were different from other schools where students choose based on speed and interests. Here, all one hundred students are thrown into the same pot, free to play whatever sports they want.
Lin Xuan was playing basketball with classmates.
With his handsome appearance and athletic prowess—dribbling, stealing, jumping, shooting—he drew screams of admiration from several girls.
One boy felt frustrated. In the past, those girls used to watch him play, screaming excitedly whenever he scored. Now, all their attention was on Lin Xuan, no matter how stylishly he played, the girls paid him no mind.
As Lin Xuan dribbled past him, the boy muttered under his breath.
“…Fine, Lin Xuan really is handsome.”
Qin Ruoyao sat on a nearby bench watching Lin Xuan play basketball, her heart racing at his agile figure.
She had never realized how attractive Lin Xuan truly was!
Lin Xuan was loved by so many people, yet he remained loyal only to her—it gave her such satisfaction.
—
A red Maserati drove onto the campus of Shangqing University.
The principal, accompanied by several professors and administrators, rushed over to greet her.
“Ms. Su, why didn’t you inform us earlier? We wouldn’t want to neglect you,” the principal bowed deeply.
“Just passing by casually,” Su Hua replied indifferently. “Prepare a fixed residence for me; I’ll rest here during lunch.”
“Yes, Ms. Su, I’ll arrange it immediately,” the principal respectfully agreed.
He glanced at his assistant, who quickly went to prepare everything, including buying furniture.
Su Hua approached a classroom, frowning slightly at its emptiness.
“Ms. Su, today the computer science students were temporarily assigned to PE class at the playground. Allow me to guide you there,” the principal thought it more likely now that Su Hua came specifically for Lin Xuan.
“Hmm.” Su Hua walked toward the playground.
Remembering Lin Xuan liked basketball, she stopped near the court, scanning every player’s face—but couldn’t spot him. Her brows furrowed tightly, radiating dissatisfaction.
“Quickly find out where Lin Xuan is,” the principal whispered.
The basketball players sensed someone staring intensely at them, their presence overpowering—they couldn’t handle the ball properly anymore.
“Pfft!”
Suddenly, a basketball flew toward Su Hua. She noticed it calmly while Jiang Qing kicked it away before it reached her.
At that moment, the entire scene seemed frozen.
Everyone stared at the stunning woman standing by the field, sheltered by an umbrella held by a formally dressed female secretary.
This woman was breathtakingly cold and elegant, arrogant yet mesmerizingly beautiful, leaving everyone yearning but also intimidated by her aloofness. She exuded an aura of untouchable sanctity.
“Holy crap, she’s insanely gorgeous! Who is she?”
“Even the principal bows to her—her identity must be extraordinary. Her presence alone is unmatched; I almost knelt down without thinking.”
“Her beauty surpasses even Qin Ruoyao. If I became her boyfriend, I’d wake up smiling every day!”
“Forget it, she wouldn’t look twice at you. But hey, should I take off my pants to try and charm her?”
—
Lin Xuan splashed water on his face several times, cooling off before heading back to the playground in his sportswear. As he walked, Qin Ruoyao suddenly appeared not far ahead.
“Lin Xuan.” Qin Ruoyao lifted her chin arrogantly.
Lin Xuan frowned. What bad luck—why did he run into her again?
He tried to walk past her, but she blocked his way.
“What do you want?” Lin Xuan asked impatiently.
By then, Su Hua and the principal had arrived under a tree. Though not too close nor too far from Lin Xuan and Qin Ruoyao, Su Hua could hear their conversation clearly.
The principal wiped sweat from his forehead, wondering what misfortune led Su Hua to witness Lin Xuan with another woman. Damn it, according to what he knew, Lin Xuan liked Qin Ruoyao and acted like her devoted dog.
