NOVPUBZhao Fei's face was icy as he went straight for a barrage of cutting remarks, showing no intention of being polite.
He thought the guy in front of him was just bluffing. For one thing, students from decent universities were usually refined and eloquent—not someone with such a rebellious vibe.
Either he was a social delinquent, or he came from some second-rate, disreputable college.
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow. "You're asking so many questions—exactly which one do you want me to answer?"
Zhao Fei snorted coldly. "Won't even say your name or your school? Save the heroics for someone else. Get lost already."
"Pathetic cheap tricks."
Shen Yuan shook his head, visibly disappointed by Zhao Fei's antics. "But really, what does my name or my school have to do with any of this? All you need to know is that I'm Chen Xinyu's family."
With that, Shen Yuan casually put his arm around Chen Xinyu's shoulder, shooting her a confident "relax, I've got this" look.
Yes—*we are family.*
Chen Xinyu's cheeks flushed even deeper as she raised her head, her eyes glistening like dewdrops, gazing at Shen Yuan.
What the heck? Gao Hongyi's face twitched uncontrollably. What kind of relationship do you two even have? And body contact right off the bat?
"Whoa!"
"So he's really her boyfriend!"
"Nanzhong doesn't seem like it has this type, huh? What a shame."
"Perfect match. Truly a couple made in heaven, but let's be real—I don't feel like blessing them at all."
"Ahhh, why do hot guys always already have girlfriends?"
Watching their interaction, the bystanders turned into a peanut gallery. The guys collectively sighed, lamenting that Chen Xinyu truly was off-market, while the girls seethed—why couldn't this gorgeous, model-type guy be their boyfriend instead?
"What Gao Hongyi and Zhao Fei are doing is gross. She clearly has a boyfriend already, but they still won't let go? Zero class."
"Exactly. Gao Hongyi's okay, but Zhao Fei? I don't know what's wrong with him. Even after Gao Hongyi backed off, he's still standing there stubbornly. Does he seriously think he's the one pursuing the girl?"
"I'm single, but I can't stand this kind of behavior either."
"Shh! Keep it down. What if they overhear? Both Gao Hongyi and Zhao Fei come from well-connected families, and they've got pull at this school."
"......"
There was a small buzz of chatter among the onlookers. Zhao Fei couldn't quite make out what they were saying, but the stares and muttered words somehow felt aimed squarely at him.
To make matters worse, this guy's actions were like a slap straight across his face, leaving him burning with embarrassment.
For all this effort, have we seriously come across as pathetic clowns forcing our way into something?
He didn't think his behavior was over the line. And if Chen Xinyu really had a boyfriend, then his buddy's chances were dead and buried, so there was no need for politeness anymore.
Zhao Fei's expression darkened as he fixed his glare on Shen Yuan. "So what's your deal? Can't even report your school's name? It's that embarrassing, huh?"
"Another cheap shot. Tell me, you really want to know?"
Shen Yuan countered mockingly, mirroring Zhao Fei's phrasing.
"Alright, alright, let's go, Zhao Fei."
Watching their intimate body language, the truth was painfully clear to Gao Hongyi. His heart felt like it was being squeezed of all its blood, and all he wanted was to find somewhere quiet to nurse his wounds.
Zhao Fei, still boiling over with anger and desperate to salvage his ego, ignored Gao Hongyi completely and sneered. "At least tell me, so my buddy can go down knowing what hit him. I want to see just what kind of taste Chen Xinyu has."
Shen Yuan answered openly, "Me? Just a plain, average student from an international institution."
"International campus?"
Zhao Fei froze for a split second, but quickly his face regained composure. He smirked, his expression full of sarcasm. "Oh! The famous international institution, huh? If I'm not mistaken, that's a second-tier college, isn't it? Is the admission score like 300 or maybe 400-something?"
Zhao Fei couldn't believe this guy was actually a trash-tier second college student. Scores like that wouldn't even earn a spot in the same high school class as him.
The gap between a Double First-Class university and a second-tier college is even bigger than the gap between a second-tier college and a vocational school—not to mention that Nanzhong is the best university in Southern Province.
If Shen Yuan had been from a school like Nanjing University or National Defense University, Zhao Fei might've just let it go this time and swallowed his pride. But now? Turns out he really came from a joke of a school.
All at once, his gaze toward Chen Xinyu carried a subtle disdain. *So she's supposed to be the campus goddess? And this is the taste she's got? Good thing my buddy dodged a bullet by not dating her.*
University students judging people by their educational background isn't uncommon, and besides, Zhao Fei was still nursing a bruised ego.
But Gao Hongyi's thoughts went in a completely opposite direction.
*Damn it—seriously, even a second-tier university guy can land Chen Xinyu? What good is my Double First-Class degree, then?*
Gao Hongyi felt even more crushed.
All he wanted now was to flee the scene—to find somewhere safe to lick his wounds.
Gradually, the crowd of spectators grew larger. At a prestigious school like Nanzhong, it wasn't every day you got to witness such juicy drama—especially when the leading lady was the campus goddess nominee, Chen Xinyu.
"I'm already a senior—I barely even remember the score requirements from back then."
Shen Yuan easily caught onto Zhao Fei's air of superiority, so he pressed further. "Out of curiosity, does attending Nanjing University make you so great that you can look down on students from other schools?"
Zhao Fei puffed out his chest. "Are you kidding? Of course! Nanjing University is a Double First-Class university directly under the Ministry of Education. It ranks 26th in the whole country. Sure, it's not quite at the level of Tsinghua University, Peking University, Fudan, or Jiaotong—the top-tier 985s—but in Southern Province, it's undisputedly number one. You're from a second-tier school—you wouldn't understand the prestige behind that."
"......"
"Wait, did you hear that? That guy's from a second-tier college? Wow, who would've thought Chen Xinyu would end up dating someone from a second-tier school."
"Well, he's handsome and has a great aura, but... ugh, forget it. He's handsome, so second-tier is whatever."
"So is this supposed to be a love story between a top student and an underachiever?"
*"Oh, and he's already a senior, too."*
