Chapter 8: 8. Chapter 8: Qu Yang

Chapter 8: Qu Yang

Who would have thought that a perfectly normal sentence, when heard by the other party, would cause her to fly into a rage on the spot.

Her willow-leaf eyebrows shot up, and she glared at Shen Ci, questioning her loudly: "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I’m spouting nonsense? Have you lived this long without ever seeing a pair of shoes that cost two yuan?"

As she spoke, she cast a malicious look over Shen Ci and Shen Li. Their youthful and beautiful appearance ignited a fire of jealousy in her heart, and she let out a disdainful snort: "I take it you two are still college students? Call your parents and pay up, or I’m calling the police."

Shen Ci couldn't help but let out a cold laugh upon hearing this. The woman’s expression darkened: "What are you laughing at?"

"Are you deaf?" Shen Ci’s patience had run out. Originally, she had felt that her sister was at fault and that they should just politely negotiate compensation, but she hadn't expected this woman’s train of thought to be so bizarre—she was completely incapable of understanding human speech.

So, Shen Ci’s tone turned cold as well: "Don't talk about two-yuan shoes; even if they were twenty or two hundred, I could afford to pay. But I need to see the order price or the official website quote. My request is perfectly reasonable. What exactly are you barking about?"

"Who are you calling a dog?"

The woman’s eyes widened abruptly, as if she had suffered a grave insult. She made a move to strike Shen Ci, but the man behind her was quick-witted and grabbed her in a bear hug.

"Oh, come on, it’s not a big deal. They already said they’d pay."

"Are you useless? She’s insulting me to my face, and instead of helping me, you’re holding me back!" The woman struggled and pounded on the man’s chest, her shrill voice making everyone’s eardrums ache.

Guests at surrounding tables cast displeased looks their way, and the waiter and manager finally arrived, albeit late.

It was at this moment that two boys in a corner of the restaurant recognized Shen Ci.

"Qu Yang, isn't that Shen Ci?"

The boy named Qu Yang had noticed her long ago, but he hadn't spoken, keeping his head down and focusing on cutting the steak in front of him.

"Hey, you weren't at school yesterday, so you don't know. Shen Ci returned everything Li Xiao gave her. They probably broke up."

Qu Yang’s hand paused as he cut his steak, and he looked up at Shao Yu across from him: "Broke up?"

"Yeah, that’s what everyone is saying." Shao Yu kept his eyes on the situation with Shen Ci, but continued speaking to Qu Yang: "It’s strange, though. The day before yesterday, Li Xiao was still showing off their relationship in the dorm, and the next day they broke up. Who knows what happened."

Qu Yang finally lifted his head, his gaze landing on the girl’s face under the dim lights.

Her skin was porcelain-white and translucent, and the warm lighting cast a halo around her silhouette, making her appear even softer.

His mind flashed back to that sweltering summer when they first entered their freshman year. He had been sweating on the basketball court, and when he looked up, he saw the girl sitting on the stone steps, lost in a quiet daze. The afternoon sun shone on her face, making it shimmer.

He had played that afternoon’s game in a daze.

The second time he saw her was on the school forum. Someone had taken a photo of her, causing quite a stir.

Later on, she became the girlfriend of his roommate, Li Xiao.

"She seems to have run into someone difficult. Should we go help her?" Shao Yu asked suddenly.

Qu Yang put down his knife and fork and was about to stand up when he saw Shen Ci suddenly smile.

Shen Ci held up the results she had found on her phone and said to the unreasonable woman: "So it’s a model from two years ago. No wonder I couldn't find any information on the official website."

The woman looked ashamed and angry: "So what? Is the price 1.9888? Didn't you say you could afford it? Pay up!"

"I won't pursue the truth of your claim that this is the first time you've worn a two-year-old model, and I can't be bothered to haggle over depreciation. Just bring out your payment code."

Every word of Shen Ci’s seemed to lack lethality, yet each one struck at the woman’s self-esteem. Especially her indifferent, calm demeanor, which made the other woman look like an unreasonable shrew.

The woman wanted to keep shouting, but the man felt uncomfortable under the stares of the other restaurant guests and, feeling embarrassed, quickly pulled out his payment code: "Just transfer it to me."

Shen Ci had no objections and transferred 1.9888 yuan directly.

Seeing the transfer go through, the man dragged the woman away without another word, not even finishing their meal.

Shen Ci’s expression returned to normal. She thought to herself that she must not have checked the almanac before going out today, to have run into such oddities one after another.

The restaurant manager didn't forget to soothe Shen Ci’s mood and even sent them a salmon salad.

"It's fine, let's keep eating." Shen Ci looked at her sister and smiled faintly, telling her not to let it affect her.

It was just a small interlude.

Shen Li had never experienced such a thing and was still a bit shaken, but her sister’s composure gave her peace of mind. She nodded and silently continued eating.

Seeming to sense someone watching, Shen Ci instinctively turned her head toward the inner area, meeting the gaze Qu Yang hadn't yet managed to pull away.

Shen Ci was slightly stunned. Qu Yang?

She didn't know him personally, but she knew who he was.

Not only was Qu Yang Li Xiao’s roommate, but he was also the vice president of the school basketball club and a popular figure on campus.

With thick eyebrows, large eyes, wheat-colored skin, and a height of about 1.85 meters, he was the type many girls liked.

Even Wang Hou, a hardcore homebody who only liked watching BL dramas in the dorm, often ran to the court to watch him play.

He probably recognized her, which was why he was looking over. Shen Ci didn't think much of it; she just naturally withdrew her gaze and continued talking to her sister with a smile.

"Did you hear that clearly just now? Shen Ci actually paid that woman two yuan!" Shao Yu whispered: "Isn't her family background pretty average?"

As he spoke, Shao Yu couldn't help but widen his eyes, looking at Qu Yang as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret: "She broke up with Li Xiao—could it be because she hooked up with someone even richer?"

Qu Yang’s expression darkened, and he looked up impatiently: "Stop spouting nonsense without any proof. Are you going to eat or not? If not, let’s go."

"Eating, eating." Shao Yu quickly shrank his neck and chuckled: "It’s rare to eat at such a nice restaurant; it’s all thanks to you. When I livestream tonight, keep hanging around behind me; I’m sure I’ll get more Carnivals."

After dinner, Shen Ci sent Shen Li back to school and watched her carry a pile of things into the dormitory building before turning to leave.

Back at the hotel, she took a bath and then curled up on the sofa, boredly scrolling through DouDou videos.

To her surprise, after scrolling for a bit, she ended up on the livestream of Li Xiao’s roommate.

Shao Yu was sitting in front of the camera, while Qu Yang sat in the seat behind him. The public chat was full of people there to see the handsome guys, and small gifts were flying everywhere. Shao Yu’s mouth was stretched wide with joy.

Qu Yang sat there blankly, like an emotionless model.

Shen Ci found it a bit funny. She casually topped up ten yuan and sent 20 "Carnivals" in the livestream room in a row.

Please vote.

(End of chapter)