Chapter 16: I’m Doing This for Your Good, So Stop Being Polite
“Chen Ge, are you okay?” Gao Quan asked, concern etched into his face as he gazed at Ye Liang Chen’s twin black eyes.
Yesterday, Chen Ge had exhibited signs that something was off.
He thought today might be better.
But to his shock, it had somehow gotten worse.
Those dark circles under Chen Ge’s eyes were practically on par with a panda’s from TV.
Ye Liang Chen put away his phone and shook his head helplessly.
Last night, he had been anxiously waiting for a message from Li Qing Xue, pondering over the fact that he had shredded his love letter and tossed it in the trash can during the day.
Then he completely ignored her all day long.
According to the development from his dreams, Li Qing Xue should have asked him what was wrong and why he suddenly stopped talking to her.
He had been staring at his phone all night, waiting for her message.
But to his dismay, he waited until about three or four in the morning without receiving anything.
Hence, his current state of mind was less than ideal.
But that was fine; Li Qing Xue wouldn’t hold out much longer. Soon she’d realize he was no longer around and remember how great he was.
Then, she’d regret it and come to her senses.
Taking a deep breath, he said, “I’m fine. I just stayed up late yesterday.”
“It’s because of the recent study pressure, isn’t it?” Gao Quan chimed in.
Suddenly, an idea popped into Gao Quan’s head: “Chen Ge, did you refrain from confessing to Li Qing Xue because there’s a huge gap in your academic scores?”
Li Qing Xue, being the class president, was always in the top five in the entire school.
Meanwhile, Ye Liang Chen’s grades could be described as… well, mediocre at best, with noticeable gaps between him and Li Qing Xue.
Did Chen Ge feel that, given his academic standing, he wouldn’t be able to attend the same university as Li Qing Xue and thus decided to give up confessing?
Maybe he didn’t want to hold Li Qing Xue back.
But also didn’t want to truly give up.
So he stayed up late, secretly studying, hoping to improve his grades?
Ye Liang Chen shot a glance at Gao Quan—this kid really had a knack for jumping to conclusions.
But honestly, his crush on Li Qing Xue was so obvious to outsiders that it seemed carved into his bone.
Suddenly giving up on Li Qing Xue appeared to them as either him acknowledging he wasn’t worthy of her or thinking he was taking a different approach to catch her eye.
In fact, Li Qing Xue might even think that way herself.
So, it wasn’t surprising that Gao Quan had come up with that theory.
They were only seeing the surface, while he was already in the stratosphere.
Some things can’t be explained through words alone.
Let time prove everything!
But Gao Quan’s words did remind him of one important thing.
The college entrance exam.
In his dreams, it was thanks to Hu Yu Ying tutoring him and his extraordinary performance that he managed to get into the university Hu Yu Ying and Li Qing Xue admired.
Based on his current grades, entering that same university felt like a distant dream.
The key was that after his rebirth, he had almost forgotten all his high school knowledge.
It was time to find a way to raise his grades.
With that thought in mind, Ye Liang Chen took a deep breath and looked at Gao Quan. “The study pressure has indeed been a bit overwhelming lately.”
“But we’ll find a way to solve it. Come on, today’s breakfast is on me!”
He patted Gao Quan on the shoulder, standing tall and confident, and strutted toward the canteen.
After all, he was a reborn person; studying was a piece of cake for him!
As he stepped into the canteen, he spotted Hu Yu Ying waiting in line to buy breakfast for Dragon Brother!
In an instant, the calm he’d just regained ignited into flames again.
He scanned the room for Dragon Brother’s figure.
After spotting Dragon Brother’s back, he shot him a deadly glare.
Didn’t Hu Yu Ying’s family struggle financially? Why was she spending her money to buy breakfast for Dragon Brother? Seriously, what a scumbag!
If looks could k*ll, Ye Liang Chen’s glare would have dispatched Dragon Brother hundreds of times!
Unfortunately, since glares can’t k*ll, he clenched his fists and slowly approached the queue where Hu Yu Ying was.
Today, he would relent; he would pay for Hu Yu Ying’s breakfast.
But he’d keep a mental note of this debt, planning to make Dragon Brother pay him back double once he grew stronger!
He loved eating food bought by women, huh? Just wait till he got a thousand oil sticks and watched Dragon Brother eat them all!
No! Make it ten thousand!
If he spat them out, he’d give him a beating!
While lost in thought, he had already reached Hu Yu Ying.
“Yu Ying, let me cover the breakfast,” he said.
Upon hearing that, Hu Yu Ying turned to look at Ye Liang Chen with confusion, “No need.”
“I insist. You’re not well off, and the money for breakfast can keep you going for several days!”
“I’m doing this for your own good, so stop being polite!”
Her eyes flared with irritation, and she instinctively lowered her head as many people started to glance in her direction.
“My little follower doesn’t need your concern.” Dragon Brother pulled out his meal card and paid for his breakfast.
With this, he scanned the room, and those who were initially prepared to watch the drama suddenly turned their heads, avoiding eye contact.
Dragon Brother’s action made it clear for everyone else that Hu Yu Ying was under his protection.
At that moment, Dragon Brother suddenly felt thankful to the author for making him a feared delinquent and a villain. It sure was useful.
He then turned to Ye Liang Chen. “Don’t you think you’re overstepping your bounds?”
“Are you just going to stand there and eat?” he said, directing the comment at Hu Yu Ying.
Upon hearing Dragon Brother, Hu Yu Ying bit her lip and nodded.
She then returned to her seat with her tray.
Watching Dragon Brother’s retreating figure, Ye Liang Chen mustered his courage. “What’s so wrong with me?! You don’t care about Hu Yu Ying; you just want to bully her. Why can’t I care about her?”
Unfortunately, he was speaking too softly; not only did Dragon Brother not hear him, even the cafeteria lady dishing out food nearby just asked with raised eyebrows, “Young man, what are you talking about? Speak up, what do you want to eat?”
Ye Liang Chen closed his eyes and let out a breath. “Two eggs, two cups of soy milk, six buns—how much is it total?”
