Chapter Twenty-Nine: The School Year Begins

Because of his work, Ye Wentian was indeed a busy man. After finishing his meal, he returned to the company. The news that he would soon be traveling abroad again inexplicably delighted Long Fei.

“You guessed right. But a man as outstanding as myself, even without ever attending school, is more cultured, more refined, and better looking than you—haha.”

“Shameless!” Ye Qian stomped upstairs. With the new semester about to begin, she needed to contact a few friends, and she found herself rather looking forward to university life.

As the start of school approached, Long Fei had to seriously consider which department to choose. He bought a laptop at his own expense and spent an entire day browsing the internet, referencing countless opinions from netizens. Eventually, Long Fei settled on the Department of Arts.

It wasn’t that Long Fei aspired to become a celebrity; rather, his research showed that the three departments with the most beautiful women at Jiaoda were Arts, Foreign Languages, and Management. The Department of Arts was almost a paradise for women—not that there were no men, but most of the men shared Long Fei’s passion: pursuing beautiful women. Considering that many female students in Arts might become stars in the future, each of them attentive to their appearance and style, the probability of encountering beauties naturally increased.

Though the Foreign Languages department also boasted its fair share of beauties, it couldn’t compare to Arts. As for Management, Long Fei had considered it, since Arts didn’t offer much substance, while Management could provide real knowledge in the field. Forced by his grandfather, Long Fei had already read many specialized books on economics and management—after all, the more knowledge one acquires, the better.

Yet what deterred Long Fei was Ye Qian’s presence in the Management department. With her there, he would never go; otherwise, his blissful life would be constantly disturbed—he was quite certain of that.

Ye Qian vehemently opposed Long Fei’s choice, but her objections proved futile. Long Fei insisted, and even though Ye Wentian found it odd, he complied. One phone call resolved all issues. On the third day, Long Fei received his acceptance letter from Jiaoda, specifically from the Department of Arts.

As one of the highest institutions in Huaxia, Jiaoda truly had reason for pride—not to mention its five campuses, comprehensive departments, and distinguished faculty. Its founding, dating back to the mid-19th century, gave it over a hundred years of history, with more than forty presidents in its legacy. Such a century of refinement made Jiaoda the most renowned university in Huaxia.

Although Jiaoda had several campuses, most students had now moved to the Minhang and Xuhui campuses. Despite their bustling locations, Jiaoda’s students weren’t all pleasure-seekers; many genuinely wanted to study. Thus, the park-like Minhang campus became the preferred choice.

Today was Ye Qian’s registration day. Having spent a summer cooped up at home, she was extremely excited, like a bird about to fly from a gilded cage. Early in the morning, she chirped incessantly, even dragging Long Fei from bed. Thankfully, she didn’t get carried away; when Long Fei, naked, prepared to tease the young beauty, Ye Qian had already retreated, warning him to report to the kitchen within two minutes or face the consequences.

Long Fei dared not challenge Ye Qian’s authority. Though she couldn’t do much to him, her constant vigilance left him uneasy and not at all comfortable.

Ever since Long Fei had helped Qi Yufei and her daughter with breakfast, Ye Qian seized every opportunity to demand he cook, employing all manner of threats, bribes, and tricks. Yet Long Fei’s resolve was strong, and he never agreed. Today, though, since he would be registering at the university, and to repay the Ye family for granting him the chance to pursue campus beauties, he had already consented to Ye Qian’s request the night before.

At that moment, Ye Qian was so delighted she nearly jumped for joy—a reason she woke up so energetically that morning. Just thinking of Long Fei’s breakfast made her mouth water; she stood at the door the entire time he cooked, eyes never leaving him. Yet even after Long Fei finished a fragrant pot of century egg and lean pork congee, Ye Qian couldn’t figure out why his method, seemingly identical to Qi Yufei’s, resulted in congee so much tastier.

Unable to wait, Ye Qian served herself a bowl and devoured it ravenously. But the congee was freshly made, and as the saying goes, “haste makes waste.” Watching Ye Qian eat, Qi Yufei frowned, reminding her that even the simplest meal required proper etiquette for the Ye family’s young lady.

Since Long Fei’s breakfast was both delicious and scarce, Ye Qian ended up eating every last bit, while Long Fei and Qi Yufei merely sampled it. As they left, Ye Qian demanded Long Fei drive her Ferrari, but he steadfastly refused.

School was finally starting. As Ye Qian drove, had Long Fei not been beside her, she would have made the car fly—her excitement was impossible to contain.

Two hundred meters from Jiaoda’s gate, Long Fei had Ye Qian pull over at a corner.

“What are you doing?” Ye Qian, immersed in wild disco music, was annoyed when Long Fei switched off the stereo and braked. She glared at him.

“Nothing. I’m getting out here. Drive in by yourself!” Before Ye Qian could respond, Long Fei dashed out.

After a few steps, Ye Qian caught up, “Hey, Long Fei, get back here!”

“My dear Miss Ye, do you realize what kind of car this is? If I ride in with you, I’ll be famous in no time—and your reputation will suffer. You wouldn’t want people thinking I’m your boyfriend, would you?” Long Fei grinned, sly and insincere.

Ye Qian’s face cooled, “If anyone thinks you’re my boyfriend, their eyes are wasted. Even a blind man can tell we’re not that kind of couple. Fine, get in. You’re my personal bodyguard—you can’t shirk your duty!”

“For your reputation, and to keep our relationship secret, I’ll just walk. Your father agreed to this, so don’t force me. It’s for your own good!” Long Fei hurried ahead. What a joke—he wanted to go to the Arts department and chase girls, not have rumors scare them off because he arrived with Ye Qian.

Ye Qian could only curse Long Fei’s retreating figure, unwilling to chase after him and force him into the car.

The school gate was a sea of people—men and women, tall and short, old and young, all crowded together. Seeing elderly parents personally escorting their children to register, Long Fei felt some disdain. At this age, they should be independent; going to university wouldn’t help such people much. But seeing boys driving luxury cars with beautiful girls and honking as they passed, Long Fei wished he could smash their cars. Did money make them superior? He could buy planes and rockets if he wanted—what was their swagger worth?

His attitude was merely sour grapes, though. When he saw beautiful girls driving luxury cars, he not only didn’t resent them, but even flashed his most charming smile. If those girls would give him the time of day, he’d have rushed over to strike up a conversation.

Long Fei stood at the school gate, scanning the crowd. His eyes lingered on every young, pretty female student, mentally estimating their figures as he made his own assessments.

Jiaoda truly abounded with beautiful women! Wiping the drool from his lips, Long Fei silently thanked Ye Wentian—without him, he’d never have had such a feast for the eyes.

A few beeps echoed behind him. Ye Qian, who’d parked at the gate for ages, finally drove over, honking deliberately behind Long Fei. Annoyed at the interruption, Long Fei turned to see Ye Qian, and immediately shut his gaping mouth. The wise yield to circumstance; better to contend with villains than women, lest the outcome be disastrous.

Long Fei stepped aside to avoid conflict, but Ye Qian purposely parked, hurling insults at him, “I say, you lecher, looking at beauties is fine, but don’t block my path! Haven’t you heard, good dogs don’t block the way?”

She didn’t call herself “auntie” or “grandma,” believing herself quite civilized. Yet Long Fei felt humiliated—so many people around, and she was undermining his dignity.

Still, Long Fei had no intention of arguing. He knew that rising to the bait would only play into Ye Qian’s hands. So what if she insulted him? He couldn’t smash her car, berate her, or beat her up. That would only expose his lack of magnanimity.

Even as Long Fei remained silent, Ye Qian’s shouting drew a crowd. People pointed and whispered about the spectacle.

Huaxia’s people loved a scene, and most criticism was directed at Long Fei. Few dared rebuke Ye Qian—after all, Long Fei looked ordinary, his clothes neat but hardly remarkable, while Ye Qian, driving a red Ferrari and stunningly attractive, stood in a league of her own.

Thus, public opinion sided with Ye Qian. Some even muttered that Long Fei didn’t know how to walk, only how to block the road. A few girls eyed him warily, as if afraid he might do something inappropriate.

Long Fei felt quite depressed, but he said nothing, moving aside and preparing to enter the school. He spotted the new student reception area—a row of twenty tables, each representing a department’s registration point, with queues stretching behind them.

Ye Qian, feeling triumphant after besting Long Fei, grew even happier and more smug. She chased after him in her car, loudly hurling a final round of insults.

Long Fei still said nothing, standing aside as Ye Qian’s car drove off. Only then did he curse under his breath, “Stupid girl, just wait and see!”

“Who are you calling stupid? Do you know who that was? That’s the belle of our Management department—you dare insult her, you must be asking for a beating!” A flat-top boy in a baggy basketball jersey happened to pass by, having witnessed the scene. Hearing Long Fei mutter, he seized the chance to confront him.