Chapter 63: Caught in the Act

“Are those kids at Jiang University High so obsessed with studying that it’s made them foolish? Posting about boys and girls eating together—how trivial can you get?”

Today, only Chen Shujie and Cheng Xingye were in the dorm; Lu Yi and Lou Zhao had gone off to accompany their girlfriends.

Bored with nothing to do, since he had no homework, Chen Shujie was scrolling through the Jiang University High School forum on his phone.

He randomly clicked into a post with a sensational headline, unable to hold back his amazement at the high schoolers’ peculiar logic.

“The headline’s quite something—‘The campus belle did this in the cafeteria! We were all shocked!’”

Clearly, the masters of clickbait know how to title a post.

He paused, his curiosity piqued.

“What did she do? Let me see... Ate a chicken drumstick and didn’t wipe her mouth...?”

Chen Shujie: “???”

Chen Shujie: “.....”

What on earth is this supposed to be!

Utterly speechless, he turned around and tapped the back of Cheng Xingye’s chair, interrupting someone who was working on a presentation.

“Don’t you think those high school kids are a little too idle these days?!”

Cheng Xingye’s train of thought was derailed by the tap.

He stopped what he was doing and glanced over, his gaze landing on the phone screen. Suddenly, he froze.

Beneath the eye-catching headline was a blurry photo of a boy and girl dining together, looking rather intimate.

Though the image was indistinct, and the girl’s face was only half-visible, Cheng Xingye recognized her instantly.

He closed his laptop, grabbed his phone from the desk, and stood up.

“I’m heading out.”

Chen Shujie looked up in astonishment. “Where are you going?”

It was nearly five o’clock! Weren’t they supposed to play ball and have dinner together later?

Cheng Xingye’s expression was dark, his tone indifferent.

“Have dinner by yourself. I’ve got something to do. I won’t be back.”

Before Chen Shujie could react, Cheng Xingye was out the door, phone in hand, shutting it with a bang.

Chen Shujie stood there, baffled for several seconds, then looked down at his phone.

Nothing seemed off.

Was Cheng Xingye some kind of master of Sichuan opera? How did his mood change so abruptly?

It wasn’t until his gaze fell on the photo beneath the headline…

Damn! He’s gone to catch someone in the act!

……

The golden sunset spilled across the land.

At the sound of the school bell, students poured out of the gates like unleashed hounds, a lively throng surging forward.

Lu Qingyue walked out with Zhou Tingting and a few friends, laughing and chatting together.

Today, Xi Yu and Lu Jiachen were not home, and Lu Yi was still at school. So she planned to drop by Lu Ming’s house for dinner.

She had just reached the shade of the avenue when Zhou Tingting bumped her shoulder.

“Yue, isn’t that your instructor brother over there?”

Lu Qingyue paused, following Zhou Tingting’s gaze, and sure enough, she saw Cheng Xingye’s black sports coupe parked not far ahead.

She quickly said goodbye to her friends and turned, running toward Cheng Xingye’s car.

To bump into him right after school—it made her mood buoyant, and her steps grew lighter.

She ran up to the car, bent down and tapped on the window, her brows arched and eyes smiling, waiting for him to unlock the door.

But when the window slid down, it revealed a stranger—a man looking at her bewilderedly.

“Can I help you?”

Lu Qingyue was taken aback; she hadn’t expected to pick the wrong car.

Her smile froze for a moment, and her toes curled in embarrassment.

Lu Qingyue forced a casual laugh.

“No, nothing really, I just thought your car looked nice!”

The man stared at her impassively. “…Thank you. Would you like me to get out so you can get in?”

Lu Qingyue: “Uh, thank you, but that’s not necessary!”

Standing awkwardly at the roadside, she scratched her head.

She should have known!

Cheng Xingye had been swamped this semester—why would he come to find her after school?

Shaking off her fanciful notion, Lu Qingyue turned to head toward the bus stop.

But she hadn’t gone far when she saw a car across the street flash its hazard lights twice.

The street lamps were gradually lighting up, their warm yellow glow slicing through the evening and dulling her vision.

Lu Qingyue followed the headlights, dazed for a few seconds, until the car door opened and someone stepped out.

Across the street, Cheng Xingye leaned lazily against his car door, expressionless, looking her way.

The scene before her resembled an old movie, slowed frame by frame, and every gesture the man made radiated a casual, understated elegance.

Grace and poise seemed innate to him; effortlessly, he became the focal point of any crowd.

Lu Qingyue was surprised he had actually come, and hurried over.

“Xingye, were you waiting for me?”

Her eyes shone, unable to hide her delighted surprise.

Cheng Xingye looked down at her, his tone mild and detached.

“I don’t see you for two days, and you forget what my car looks like?”

Lu Qingyue: “…That was just an accident! Zhou Tingting misled me!”

If Zhou Tingting hadn’t pointed at that car and said Xingye was here, she would have checked the license plate before running over!

For a moment, Lu Qingyue felt sheepish, but quickly regained her confidence.

Cheng Xingye straightened up, glanced down at her from above, seemingly unwilling to argue the point. He stepped aside and opened the car door.

“Get in.”

Lu Qingyue nodded eagerly. “Alright!”

She didn’t know where he planned to take her, but Cheng Xingye always acted with propriety, and she trusted him without hesitation.

He started the car, turning the wheel to merge into traffic.

It was almost rush hour, and cars crowded the streets.

Neon lights flickered along the sidewalks, mingling with hurried pedestrians to form the city’s liveliest night scene.

Cheng Xingye turned the car into the underground parking lot of a large shopping mall.

This mall was currently the biggest in Jiangcheng, with a diverse range of shops, and had led the city in foot traffic since its opening.

Lu Qingyue and Xi Yu would occasionally come here to shop, but since starting high school, she rarely had the time.

Seeing Cheng Xingye bring her here at this hour, she guessed he must be taking her out to eat.

She watched as he parked the car securely, reaching for the door handle, when she heard his voice beside her, calm and even:

“What happened in the cafeteria at lunch?”