Chapter 8: I Can Support Him
Although Guan Hai was a Love Saint, he was truly devoted to Yang Haoran. Upon learning that something had happened at Yang Haoran's home, he decisively gave up on the large, white cabbage that was practically at his lips, immediately leaving the bar with Yang Haoran without a word.
Guan Hai prepared to drive, but Yang Haoran stopped him. Yang Haoran simply took his shoulder bag from Guan Hai's car, and the two hailed a taxi.
However, once inside the taxi, Guan Hai was dumbfounded. The address Yang Haoran gave the taxi driver was not his hometown, but rather his own residential complex.
As the taxi started moving, Guan Hai looked at Yang Haoran with a puzzled expression and asked, "Brother Yang, did you leave something at my place again?"
Yang Haoran shook his head. "No."
Guan Hai asked again, "Is there something at my place you've taken a fancy to, something you need to take back to your hometown?"
Yang Haoran shook his head once more. "No."
Yang Haoran's answers left Guan Hai bewildered. He said, confused, "If that's the case, why are we going to our complex? Aren't we supposed to be going back to your hometown?"
"Just wait and see. You'll know in a moment," Yang Haoran said, offering no explanation.
Back at Guan Hai's bar, after Yang Haoran and Guan Hai departed, Wang Qing and the other beautiful university students suddenly found themselves quite bored. They chatted idly, one after another, the lively atmosphere they had enjoyed when Guan Hai was present completely gone.
"Do you think Brother Guan will come back? " one beauty asked, seemingly still unwilling to give up hope.
"Didn't his friend say he had to go back to his hometown tonight and wouldn't be returning? Oh, what was his friend's name again? " another beauty asked.
"I think it was Li, or maybe Cao. I can't remember," another beauty said, recalling with uncertainty.
Wang Qing sipped her drink, playing with her phone, and scoffed, saying dismissively, "He's just an old man. Ordinary looks, ordinary build, can't even talk sweetly to girls, and most importantly, he has no money. What good is remembering the name of such a loser? Are you planning to date him or something?"
At Wang Qing's words, the other university students burst into laughter, playfully scolding her with phrases like, "You're so annoying! " and "You're so bad!"
The somewhat subdued atmosphere immediately lightened a little due to Wang Qing's remarks.
"Wang Qing, how do you know that old man has no money? Do you know him? " one beauty asked with a laugh.
Wang Qing rolled her eyes at the girl, pulled out a cigarette, lit it casually, took a drag, and scoffed, "I wish I knew him, but he needs to have the qualifications for that. His head-to-toe street vendor clothes completely expose his financial situation. If they weren't so clean, you couldn't pay me to sit with him."
She paused, flicked the ash, and said with a touch of emotion, "Street vendor goods are always just street vendor goods; they won't become designer brands just because they're clean. Conversely, a designer brand, no matter how dirty, will always be a designer brand, and people will still scramble for it."
Wang Qing's words were clearly pointed. Some of the other beauties understood, while others didn't quite grasp her meaning.
"Actually, that old man seemed pretty nice. Even if he has no money, at least he looks very honest. Plus, with his plain appearance, being with someone like him would feel very secure. You wouldn't have to worry about anyone bothering him," one beauty said. Though she spoke these words, her face bloomed with a radiant, almost exaggerated smile, clearly revealing her insincerity.
At this, another beauty's eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in, "Exactly, exactly! Dating that old man would definitely be safe. Brother Guan Hai is different; he's so handsome and has so many girls chasing him. Dating him would be incredibly exhausting. My family is poor, and I've been through hardships since I was little, so I can definitely endure a little exhaustion. How about I make a sacrifice and take on Brother Guan Hai, this tough nut to crack? Wang Qing, you can go after that old man!"
As soon as she said this, the other university students looked at her with unfriendly gazes. Seeing the turn of events, the girl let out a few dry laughs and quickly changed her tune. "How about Wang Qing goes after that old man, and the rest of us try to tackle Brother Guan Hai, this tough nut to crack? Whoever can manage it, well, that's up to their own skill, what do you say?"
Apart from Wang Qing, the others loved this suggestion and immediately started to egg her on, all wanting Wang Qing to go "harm" Yang Haoran, leaving Guan Hai for themselves.
In terms of looks and figure, all of them were quite a bit inferior to Wang Qing. They had all seen the way Wang Qing and Guan Hai were exchanging glances earlier, and they couldn't help but feel a bit jealous.
They were classmates and knew each other well. It was rare for any man Wang Qing set her sights on to escape her clutches, unless she herself decided to give up. So, at this moment, they egged her on, naturally hoping she would give up on Guan Hai, even knowing it was an impossible feat. Still, they wanted to try.
Wang Qing rolled her eyes at them, then flashed a sweet smile. With that smile and her face, she truly looked pure and innocent. However, the words that came from her mouth were as sharp as knives.
"Not every man is qualified for me to 'harm. ' Either he's rich, and he supports me. Or he's handsome, and I support him. Brother Guan is excellent. Although he doesn't quite meet my financial requirements, he's handsome, and that alone is enough. I can support him, so you all should give up early."
Hearing Wang Qing say she would support Guan Hai, the smiles on the other beauties' faces became strange. One beauty asked with a chuckle, "You haven't graduated yet, just like us, and we know your family's financial situation. How are you going to support Brother Guan Hai?"
Wang Qing's expression instantly turned sour, and her tone grew colder. "How I support him, I have a clear idea in my mind, and so do you. Why pretend you don't know? Besides, aren't you doing the same thing? To be honest, you and I are practically colleagues. Why are you putting on an act in front of me?"
The atmosphere instantly turned awkward. Wang Qing was displeased, and the girl who was rebuffed was even more furious. The others, seeing this, quickly tried to smooth things over. Everyone had drunk quite a bit, and a scene here would be embarrassing, not to mention risking their friendship.
With someone urging caution, neither Wang Qing nor the other beauty said anything more, but their eyes were filled with hostility towards each other.
A girl, seeing this, quickly changed the subject. "Don't you guys feel like Brother Guan Hai's bar is really cold?"
Her topic shift made the others pause, then they all felt a chill. Wang Qing, in particular, couldn't help but shiver.
Before, the atmosphere had been lively, they had drunk a lot, and Guan Hai was there, so their attention was completely focused on him. They hadn't felt the cold at all. Now that Guan Hai was gone, and they had some internal conflict, a bone-chilling cold instantly assailed their hearts.
"It is really cold. I didn't even notice it earlier," one beauty said, shrinking her neck and putting on her coat.
"Could the air conditioning be broken? " Wang Qing frowned and said.
"Who knows? Forget it, let's just go home. Anyway, Brother Guan Hai isn't coming back tonight," one beauty suggested.
Her suggestion immediately received support from the others. They gathered their belongings, grabbed their bags, and hurriedly left the bar. None of them noticed that the inexplicable chill was emanating from Wang Qing herself.
The taxi stopped, and Yang Haoran and Guan Hai got out at the entrance of the residential complex. Yang Haoran paid the fare and then stepped out.
Though Guan Hai didn't understand what trick Yang Haoran was pulling, he followed suit and got out of the car.
"What's going on, exactly? What on earth are you up to, you rascal? Didn't you say something big happened at your home? Why are we stopping at my complex? " Guan Hai asked, puzzled, only speaking once the taxi had driven away.
Yang Haoran didn't answer immediately. Instead, he took out a cigarette, offered one to Guan Hai, and lit one for himself.
After taking a deep drag, Yang Haoran finally spoke to Guan Hai. "Nothing happened at my home. The reason I told you to leave was because I didn't want you to stay at the bar any longer."
"Huh? " Guan Hai, lighting his cigarette, let out a surprised sound and asked, confused, "Not stay at the bar? Why?"
"To be precise, I didn't want you getting further entangled with that university student, Wang Qing," Yang Haoran explained.
At Yang Haoran's words, Guan Hai became interested, a lewd grin spreading across his face as he asked, "Heh heh, you didn't happen to take a liking to her, did you? If you like her, you should have just told me. I would have given her to you without a second thought. I'm not short of a meal, after all. Why go to all this trouble, even acting and making up a story about something happening at home? My word, I'll be darned, you're a really good actor, you even tricked me!"
Taking another drag, Guan Hai continued with a laugh, "But, that university student named Wang Qing, I estimate she's not someone to be trifled with. I could tell that from her words and actions. If you've fallen for her, my brother, I'm worried you'll get hurt."
"That's not the reason," Yang Haoran shook his head and said.
Guan Hai looked at Yang Haoran with some surprise, seeing his serious expression. He couldn't help but wonder, "That's strange. Why aren't you arguing with me? That's not like you. Could it be that this girl truly has some connection to you, or perhaps she's someone important, and you don't want me to get involved with her?"
"She has no connection to me, and whether she's someone important, I don't know. But, when you were sitting there flirting with her, didn't you feel a chilling coldness emanating from her? " Yang Haoran asked earnestly.
Guan Hai chuckled. "Coldness? I didn't feel any coldness. What I felt was a burning passion inside that needed cold water to extinguish. It's a pity, though. This passionate desert of mine finally found an oasis, but you forcefully turned it into a mirage! What a shame, what a true shame!"
As his voice faded, Guan Hai seemed to remember something, his eyes lighting up with delight. "Oh, right! They might not have left yet. I'll call and ask. I should still make it back now. Good thing I was quick enough to get her contact info earlier!"
Yang Haoran, without a moment's thought, immediately stopped Guan Hai.
"What's wrong? Nothing's wrong at your place, and I haven't even blamed you for tricking me. Now you want to ruin my good time? " Guan Hai was a little displeased.
"There's something wrong with that university student named Wang Qing. You'd best not get close to her. You have to believe me," Yang Haoran said very seriously.
Guan Hai found himself in a difficult position. Since he had known Yang Haoran, he had never seen him this serious, except when he was pretending to be a ghost exorcist and deceiving people.
Just then, Guan Hai's phone suddenly rang.
"How many good sisters do you have, and why are all of them so haggard?"
Listening to that suggestive ringtone, Yang Haoran couldn't smile at all, because as Guan Hai pulled out his phone, he clearly saw the caller ID: Wang Qing.
This call was from Wang Qing!
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