Chapter 18: This is what the top donor should be watching

The next day.

Because she had classes in the morning, Shen Ci woke up very early. Seeing Gu Lianxing sleeping soundly, she washed up quietly and left the dormitory alone.

At the school canteen, because it was still early, the main hall was empty, with only a few early-rising students scattered about eating breakfast.

After buying a bowl of soy milk, an egg, and two steamed buns, Shen Ci found a random corner to sit down.

Taking out her phone, she happened to see a message from her younger sister.

"Sis, our military training starts tomorrow. We won't be allowed to bring phones, so I might be out of touch with you for a while!"

Looking at the message, Shen Ci subconsciously flashed a motherly smile.

"Got it. Remember to apply sunscreen during training and stay safe."

"Sis, you're up early too? Do you have class today?"

"Yeah, I'm having breakfast at the canteen right now. Make sure you eat breakfast too. Don't be stingy with the money I transferred to you; if you spend it all, I'll send you more."

"I know, I know. But looking at the weather, it might rain. Did you bring an umbrella, Sis?"

Seeing the message, Shen Ci instinctively glanced outside, only to have large raindrops begin to "patter" against the window at that exact moment.

She indeed hadn't brought an umbrella.

In the next second, a burst of footsteps accompanied by laughter and chatter suddenly came from the main entrance of the quiet canteen hall.

A group of boys wearing jerseys crowded in. The rain was coming down so hard that several boys who had been playing basketball were soaked to the bone.

Shen Ci recognized Qu Yang at a glance. His jersey, drenched by the rain, clung tightly to his body, clearly revealing the outlines of his full pectorals and well-defined abdominal muscles.

He casually wiped his hair with a few napkins; every inadvertent movement exuded an aura of raw hormones.

Youthful and intense.

Shen Ci looked for a moment longer before withdrawing her gaze. As the top donor, everything she had just seen was something she deserved.

"I told you to bring an umbrella and you didn't. I knew it would rain."

"Even if you brought one, wouldn't it have been too late to open it?"

"Exactly, this rain came out of nowhere."

"I want to drink vermicelli congee. Does anyone want some? My treat."

"Qu Yang, what are you eating? I'll go buy it for you."

"I'll have xiaolongbao and savory tofu pudding."

As the five or six boys made a ruckus, Shao Yu was the first to spot Shen Ci. He hurriedly pulled Qu Yang aside and said excitedly, "Shen Ci is over there!"

Qu Yang followed his gaze and saw Shen Ci sitting quietly alone in a corner by the window, her head down as she focused on peeling an egg.

"Do you think I should go over and thank her?" Shao Yu asked.

After all, Shen Ci had sent him twenty "Carnivals." He had made a net profit of three yuan, directly breaking his daily revenue record since he started streaming.

However, just as he was about to make a move, Qu Yang grabbed him: "Forget it, don't disturb her."

"True." Shao Yu calmed down and nodded. "It's a bit awkward to bring up, anyway. Shen Ci might think she's being mysterious. If I tell her I recognized her, she might stop watching my streams."

Just as he finished speaking, Qu Yang gave him a hard smack on the back of the head.

"Why did you hit me?" Shao Yu cried out in pain.

Qu Yang said with a darkened expression, "Stop thinking about nonsense and hurry up and buy food."

With the rain falling, even fewer people came to the canteen for breakfast. Shen Ci didn't leave after finishing her meal; since she had no umbrella, she wanted to wait for the rain to stop.

After waiting a while, she received a message from her counselor.

"Shen Ci, come to my office in a moment. I have something to ask you."

"Okay, I'll be there right away."

After replying, Shen Ci looked at the gloomy sky, then stood up and went to the bun stall to ask the lady inside, "Auntie, do you have an umbrella? Could I borrow it for a bit? I'll bring it back to you at noon."

"Sorry, little girl, we didn't bring umbrellas either."

Shen Ci pursed her lips slightly and nodded, momentarily at a loss for what to do.

She walked to the canteen entrance and looked out, feeling that the rain wouldn't stop anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Qu Yang, who seemed to be focusing intently on his food, was actually watching Shen Ci out of the corner of his eye. Seeing this, he suddenly stood up, grabbed the umbrella Shao Yu had left on the table, and walked briskly toward Shen Ci at the entrance under his friends' astonished gazes.

Shen Ci was just about to explain the situation to Director Li—that she would come after the rain stopped—when an umbrella was suddenly held out in front of her.

"If you're in a hurry, use this one first."

Qu Yang spoke in a low voice. This was the first time he had proactively spoken to Shen Ci. He tried his best to make his gaze appear steady and controlled his voice to remain stable.

"Holy crap, that's my umbrella!" Seeing this, Shao Yu's eyes nearly popped out of his head.

He had just told him not to disturb her, yet here he was, finding an opportunity to make an impression!

Shen Ci tilted her head to look up. She was a bit surprised to find it was Qu Yang; although they both knew of each other, they had never actually interacted.

However, with just one look, Shen Ci saw through Qu Yang's attempt at composure.

His seemingly calm gaze was actually flickering erratically, and his subconsciously twitching Adam's apple betrayed the panic he was working so hard to hide.

Shen Ci deliberately ignored it and asked calmly, "What about you?"

"I don't have classes this morning. I can wait for the rain to stop before I leave," Qu Yang said.

Shen Ci reached out to take it and thanked him politely, "Alright, thank you. I'll bring this back to the canteen at noon."

Qu Yang nodded, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Shen Ci smiled, pushed open the door, opened the umbrella, and quickly disappeared into the curtain of rain.

As soon as Qu Yang sat down, the boys began to jeer.

"You're quite something, kid, using Shao Yu's umbrella to play the gentleman."

"I didn't see that coming, Qu Yang. None of us noticed Shen Ci needed an umbrella, but you're quite observant."

"I thought Qu Yang was the most serious one among us, but turns out he's the one hiding his true colors."

Shao Yu felt the most aggrieved. Looking at Qu Yang, he said through gritted teeth, "Hypocrite!"

Qu Yang looked at them with impatience. "Just eat already. Even eating can't shut your mouths."

As he spoke, he lowered his head to drink his tofu pudding, but an almost imperceptible smile crept onto the corners of his mouth.

In the faculty office of the administration building, the door was open. Shen Ci knocked symbolically, but her eyes had already spotted Li Jianguo.

Li Jianguo looked up from his desk. Seeing it was Shen Ci, he didn't ask her to come in, but instead stood up and walked out himself.

Leading Shen Ci to a deserted spot in the corridor, Li Jianguo first let out a sigh, looking at her with a complex expression without saying a word.

Sensing that Director Li's aura was off, Shen Ci's expression turned serious. She couldn't help but speak first, "Director Li, what is it? Your expression doesn't look like it's anything good!"

Li Jianguo let out another long sigh and nodded. "It certainly isn't good. Someone reported you to the Academic Affairs Office for wearing and using high-priced luxury goods while simultaneously receiving school financial aid."