We agreed not to date, so why are you crying now that I've become the richest man?

Ye Chen pulled out the chair opposite him and sat down.

"Senior, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Li Xue turned her head, and her previously listless state immediately came to life.

"Sit still and don't move."

Li Xue stood up and picked up her meal card.

"I said I'd treat you to braised chicken, and I keep my word."

Ye Chen didn't stand on ceremony.

"Then I guess I got a free ride today."

"Good to know."

Li Xue gave a soft snort and turned to go to the window.

Less than two minutes later, she returned carrying two steaming bowls of braised chicken rice.

When placing the plate on the table, Li Xue deliberately didn't walk around it, but instead leaned forward slightly across the table.

As she leaned forward, the soft cotton fabric naturally clung to her slender waist.

A few stray hairs fell beside her fair neck, accompanying her as she approached.

A faint fragrance wafted into Ye Chen's nose, carrying a refreshing and unintentional intimacy.

Ye Chen remained calm, took the plate, and casually took his phone out of his pocket, placing it face down on the table.

Li Xue sat down, her gaze sweeping over Ye Chen's face before finally settling on the black phone beside him.

As a key member of the external relations department, she frequently deals with sponsors outside the school, giving her a broader perspective than the average student.

She recognized it at a glance; it was the iPhone 4, which Apple had just released this year.

It's not listed in China at all.

The phones available now are all grey market imports brought back from overseas by scalpers. With the added hype from scalpers, a single phone can easily cost over ten thousand yuan, and even then, they are hard to find.

Li Xue was secretly surprised, and her evaluation of Ye Chen rose several levels again.

She originally thought Ye Chen was just a handsome and interesting junior, but now it seems that this kid is hiding his true colors.

She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of chicken, put it in her mouth, chewed slowly, and then casually spoke:

"Junior, you really offended Zhang Kai at the barbecue stand last night."

"He's a very petty person, yet he holds some real power in the student council."

"As a freshman, you'd better be more careful at school, or he might secretly make things difficult for you."

This seemingly casual reminder is actually an expression of concern, a way of stimulating further discussion.

Ye Chen picked out the ginger shreds from the rice and replied in a friendly tone, following up on the conversation:

"Thanks for the reminder, senior. But I'll deal with whatever comes my way. If he really wants to cause trouble, I'll just go for it."

Seeing his nonchalant and indifferent demeanor, Li Xue couldn't help but giggle, her body trembling and her full breasts heaving violently.

"You have a good attitude." Li Xue wiped her mouth with a tissue.

"However, it's easier to dodge a spear than a hidden arrow; those student council members are banding together and xenophobic."

"If you're interested, I can get you into the external relations department. With me protecting you, Zhang Kai won't dare to openly harm you."

This is an olive branch being extended, while also bringing the two people closer.

Ye Chen took a bite of rice and said, "We'll talk about it later. I've been busy lately and I'm afraid I won't have time."

As we were talking, a muffled "bang" came from the next table.

Three boys, carrying their trays, sat down at the next table with an air of nonchalance.

The boy in the lead had a buzz cut and was Zhang Kai's henchman in the student council; his name was Liu Yang.

He glanced at Ye Chen sideways, then deliberately raised his voice so loud that it could be heard at several surrounding tables.

"Hey, what's wrong with these freshmen these days? They've just entered the school, they have no real skills, but they're masters at living off women."

A fat guy next to him chimed in, "That's right! It's one thing to not be able to afford food, but he specifically targets pretty female students to freeload. His skin is thicker than a city wall."

"Just a pretty boy, what else could he be? Does he really think being handsome can put food on the table?"

"Once they leave school, people like this wouldn't even be considered slow enough to work as internet cafe managers."

The three of them spoke in unison, their words sarcastic and mocking, clearly targeting Ye Chen.

The students eating around them stopped eating and scanned back and forth between the two tables, looking like they were watching a good show.

The smile on Li Xue's face disappeared.

With her eyebrows furrowed, she slammed her chopsticks heavily on the plate, about to stand up and lash out.

Zhang Kai himself didn't come; instead, he sent a few lackeys to harass people. This tactic is extremely despicable.

"Liu Yang, watch your mouth! Who are you referring to indirectly?" Li Xue scolded coldly.

Liu Yang feigned innocence, shrugging, "Li Xue, we were just chatting casually, we didn't name names. What, is someone taking this personally?"

Ye Chen didn't even raise his head.

He ate the rice on his plate slowly and deliberately, picked up his iPhone 4 from the table, unlocked it with one hand, and quickly swiped his fingers across the screen to reply to the work emails sent by Su Ya.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't even glance at the table next to him.

That kind of disregard wasn't feigned composure; it was utter contempt.

After replying to Suya's message, he put his phone face down on the table, picked up a piece of potato, and put it in his mouth.

Liu Yang's table was still making sarcastic remarks.

"Some people are really shameless."

"He's even trying to freeload off his senior, isn't he ashamed?"

"If I were him, I would have crawled into a hole in the ground long ago."

Li Xue was furious when she heard this. Just as she was about to stand up, Ye Chen gently pressed her wrist.

"Don't rush."

Ye Chen slowly picked the ginger shreds from the plate to one side, his tone quite serious.

"Someone is offering to put on a free monkey show for us, so why not watch it? Consider it our meal."

Several people at the nearby tables couldn't hold back their laughter and burst out laughing.

Liu Yang's face darkened, and he stood up with his tray in hand.

"What do you mean?"

Ye Chen looked up at him.

"I'm praising you."

Liu Yang was momentarily speechless.

The fat man next to him also stood up, speaking very loudly.

"What are you pretending for, you freshman? Do you even know who Liu Yang is? He's a student council member! One of Chairman Zhang's men!"

Ye Chen picked up a tissue and wiped his hands.

"Oh, Zhang Kai's men."

He nodded.

No wonder.

Liu Yang frowned: "No wonder what?"

Ye Chen leaned back in his chair, speaking casually, "No wonder the barbecue stall owner didn't recognize him last night."

This sentence immediately made Li Xue laugh.

Today she was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and straight-leg jeans. She was tall and slender, with half of her waistline hidden by the loose hem of the shirt. When she sat down, her two long legs were placed diagonally under the table, making her look clean and eye-catching.

As soon as she smiled, all the boys around her turned to look at her.

Liu Yang was a little embarrassed.

The incident at the barbecue stand last night has already spread within the External Relations Department.

Zhang Kai was so angry that he cursed people in the group chat in the middle of the night, saying that the freshman didn't know the rules and that he would make him realize sooner or later that Jiaotong University was not a high school.

Liu Yang is here today to cause trouble.

As a result, Ye Chen dragged Zhang Kai's face out and stomped on it again.

"Ye Chen, right?"

Liu Yang put the plate on the table with a thud.

"Don't think that just because Li Xue is protecting you, you can do whatever you want in the academy."

Ye Chen blinked.

"Why would I walk sideways? I'm not a crab."