Chapter 48: I'll Buy Him a Coffin

Chapter 48: I'll Buy Him a Coffin

"Isn't it all because of that Shen Ci?" Lin Biqi retorted, refusing to back down as she stood up. "She's a laughingstock at school right now, shamelessly claiming she's going to donate four top-of-the-line astronomical telescopes to the astronomy department. Brother Li Xiao, please wake up! What is there about someone like her that's worth obsessing over?"

"Do you want to be ridiculed along with her? Isn't everything Auntie does for your sake? And yet you're still so obsessed—don't you feel any guilt toward your uncle and aunt!"

Neither of them controlled their volume, and the scene of their argument was witnessed by many passing students.

Li Xiao already felt that his current situation was a mess. He had done one absurd thing after another in front of Shen Ci, and he truly did not want any more unnecessary complications to arise.

And Lin Biqi was a massive, inescapable complication.

"I don't need you to worry about who I've wronged. I'll say it one more time: leave me alone."

Li Xiao spoke in a low voice, but it carried immense pressure.

Right now, he only wanted to repair his relationship with Shen Ci; his heart held only her.

***

When Shen Ci received Gu Lianxing's message, she had just woken up in her sixty-square-meter bedroom, but she had no intention of skipping school.

She couldn't hide forever, and more importantly, she had no reason to avoid Li Xiao since she hadn't done anything wrong.

Most importantly, she wasn't afraid of facing him at all.

It was around noon when she returned to school. Shen Ci headed straight for the school canteen to find Gu Lianxing for lunch, but as soon as she got off the bus at the school gate, she ran into Qu Yang and Shao Yu.

"Shen Ci?"

Shao Yu waved excitedly when he saw her.

Shen Ci nodded with a smile, her gaze falling on Qu Yang. Unlike the previous times she had seen him, when he was always in basketball jerseys, today Qu Yang was wearing a clean white T-shirt and grey sweatpants. He looked a bit less wild and a bit more well-behaved.

"Are you guys coming back from off-campus?" Shen Ci asked naturally.

Qu Yang nodded, while Shao Yu interjected, "Don't even get me started. This guy dragged me up at five this morning to line up at Xinguang Department Store. By the time we got there, the line already stretched two streets away. A total waste of effort."

Hearing this, Shen Ci asked curiously, "What were they lining up for? So many people!"

"Sneakers! This guy loves shoes. This time it's the Nike and LeBron collaboration, a global limited release. All that money you helped us farm in the Carnival games—this guy saved it all just to buy these shoes today!"

"Shao Yu!" Qu Yang glared at him, signaling him to shut up immediately.

Only then did Shao Yu realize he had let it slip and hurriedly covered his mouth.

Qu Yang was also incredibly embarrassed; if it weren't for his skin tone, his face would surely be bright red right now.

In contrast, Shen Ci showed no unusual reaction. She asked with a surprised smile, "You knew that person was me?"

Thinking back to how he had flashed his abs to the top donor at the time, Qu Yang wished the earth would just swallow him whole.

Shao Yu pointed at Qu Yang cautiously. "He recognized you!"

Shen Ci became even more curious and looked at Qu Yang, pressing for answers. "How did you recognize me?"

Qu Yang felt his ears burning—an itch that wouldn't go away. He said unnaturally, "I just happened to come across one of your posts once. You deleted it quickly, but I remembered it."

"Your ID is 'Yang Bao,' and his name is Qu Yang, so he remembered it very clearly," Shao Yu added.

Qu Yang shot him a murderous look, scaring Shao Yu into silence.

"I wasn't being presumptuous, I just subconsciously remembered," Qu Yang explained hurriedly.

Seeing his flustered and helpless state, Shen Ci laughed even harder. "I know. My ID is because Faye Wong has a song called 'Yang Bao.' I like it very much."

"Oh," Qu Yang nodded.

Shen Ci thought he was quite cute, but she didn't continue teasing him. Instead, she brought the topic back. "So, you didn't get the shoes?"

Shao Yu didn't dare speak again, so Qu Yang said himself, "There's no way we're getting them at retail price. We'll have to try earlier next time."

A clear sense of disappointment could be heard in his tone.

The group chatted as they walked into the canteen before parting ways.

When she found Gu Lianxing, she had already prepared food for Shen Ci in advance. As soon as they met, Gu Lianxing asked impatiently, "Did you go back to the dorm? Is Li Xiao still there?"

Shen Ci shook her head. "No, I came straight here after getting back to school."

Gu Lianxing's pretty face scrunched up like a bun. "He seems possessed. He actually waited for you under the dorm building all night. What did you do to him?"

"I didn't do anything!" Shen Ci shook her head quickly to clear her name.

Not wanting to discuss anything related to Li Xiao, Shen Ci turned to ask Gu Lianxing seriously, "Lianxing, you have a lot of connections. Do you know any sneaker resellers?"

"Sneaker resellers? What shoes are you buying?" Gu Lianxing blinked in surprise.

"The new Nike and LeBron collaboration. I heard a lot of people were lining up last night."

"Sneakers?" Gu Lianxing looked slightly shocked and instinctively lowered her voice. "Buying them for Li Xiao?"

"I'll buy him a coffin!" Shen Ci rolled her eyes immediately.

"Then... then why are you buying sneakers?" Gu Lianxing was confused for three seconds before her eyes suddenly widened. "Do you have a boy you like?"

"Sister, can't I just buy a pair of sneakers for no reason, out of the blue?"

"Normally, no."

Shen Ci: "..."

Sighing, she figured there was nothing she couldn't tell Gu Lianxing, so she just said it straight: "Qu Yang helped me several times. I thought I'd buy a pair of shoes to thank him. It's purely an expression of gratitude, no ulterior motives whatsoever. Of course, if he's willing to let me touch his abs, that's fine too."

Gu Lianxing gasped in amazement. "Shen Ci, you are truly cold-hearted! Li Xiao waited for you all night under the dorm like a homeless child, and here you are telling me you want to touch Qu Yang's abs? If you have any conscience at all, you should have included me! I want to touch them too!"

"That's why we're besties," Shen Ci laughed. "So, can you actually help me with this?"

Gu Lianxing picked up her phone with an arrogant expression and raised an eyebrow triumphantly. "I might not have many things, but my connections are wide. Wait for me to ask around for you."

Shen Ci nodded with satisfaction. Just then, her phone rang, and she swiped right to answer.

"Is this Miss Shen? This is Shunfeng Bida. The four astronomical telescopes you ordered have arrived. We are at the entrance of the University of Science and Technology. Where should we deliver them to you?"

Shen Ci was startled. So fast?

"Please wait a moment, I'll come out to meet you immediately."

Shen Ci hung up and was about to get up when she looked up and saw Li Xiao walking quickly toward her from not far away, with a resentful Lin Biqi following behind him.

Seeing Shen Ci's movement, Li Xiao thought she was trying to avoid him again. He stepped forward, grabbed her wrist firmly, and said with bloodshot eyes, "Just how long are you going to keep avoiding me?"

Seeing Li Xiao gripping Shen Ci's hand tightly, Lin Biqi's eyes reddened. Seeing the curious gazes of the surrounding students, she made a show of shouting loudly, "Brother Li Xiao, she isn't avoiding you—it's because she's too ashamed to face anyone after making such big claims!"