Chapter Forty-Five: Stop Calling Me Boss

Ye Qian, as a sophomore at Jiaoda University, had no trouble finding out which class Long Fei belonged to. Before Long Fei could even lead Liu Ruoyi out of the classroom, Ye Qian was already standing in the doorway, blocking their way.

“Cousin, let’s go, it’s lunchtime. Hmm, and who is she?” Only now did Ye Qian seem to notice the ambiguous situation between Long Fei and Liu Ruoyi, and she immediately frowned.

“Let’s go, let’s go, we’ll talk as we walk!” Long Fei hurriedly led the two girls downstairs. The boys behind him, seeing how quickly Long Fei had managed to win over two beautiful girls, were instantly seized by a murderous impulse.

That’s just how the world is these days—the well-fed die from excess, the starving from want.

Liu Ruoyi kept a gentle smile on her lips as they walked. Passing by the sports field, Long Fei, unbothered by the attention of passing students, led both girls to sit atop the railing.

“Ye Qian, let me introduce you—this is Liu Ruoyi, my classmate and deskmate. Of course, she’s also a very, very good friend!” Long Fei’s grin grew a little sly, and the ambiguous atmosphere immediately made Ye Qian more alert.

She glanced at Liu Ruoyi, whose face was tinged with pink, and the flawless image Ye Qian had maintained these days finally began to crack. With a stern face, she said, “A very, very good friend? What kind of friend is that supposed to be?”

Long Fei chuckled, “Whatever kind you imagine is what it is.”

“How long have you known each other?” Ye Qian was growing increasingly displeased. She thought that for such a gentle beauty as Liu Ruoyi to fall into Long Fei’s hands, he must have used some underhanded means. It was, in her mind, utterly ruthless.

“Just a few days,” Long Fei replied, “since registration day. By the way, I’ve already told her everything about you, so from now on, when you’re with her, we don’t need to put on any act. You can just call me by my name, no need for ‘cousin’ anymore!”

“What?!” Ye Qian nearly exploded. “You told her about our relationship too? Long Fei, have you forgotten your position? You’re my bodyguard—you can’t just tell her about us!”

Long Fei, exasperated, responded, “Ye Qian, yes, I’m your bodyguard, but I’m not your servant. My only responsibility is your safety. If you want to treat me like a servant, then I’d rather not be your bodyguard at all. You’re my employer, not my master, so you can’t meddle in my private life. Understand?”

“You—” Ye Qian was so infuriated by Long Fei’s coldness toward her—especially over Liu Ruoyi—that smoke nearly poured from her ears. But she wasn’t about to admit defeat. She snorted coldly, her face smoothing over as she regained composure.

Hmph, if you want me angry, I’ll just refuse to be. If you want to seduce beauties, I’ll make sure you don’t succeed.

Ye Qian made up her mind. From now on, she would stick to Long Fei like glue, giving him not a sliver of private space or opportunity.

Long Fei noticed Ye Qian’s sudden silence and frowned, “Why don’t you go have lunch?”

“And you?” Ye Qian paused, then smiled—a smile that made Long Fei even more uneasy.

“I… I’d like to chat with Ruoyi for a while,” Long Fei replied, forcing himself to keep calm. Unconsciously, he’d already started addressing Liu Ruoyi more intimately.

“No!” Ye Qian immediately objected. “No matter what, you’re my bodyguard. If I’m eating, you have to come with me. That’s the only way to ensure my safety!”

Long Fei saw through her little scheme and laughed inwardly. “But I’m not hungry at all.”

“I don’t care. Actually, I’m not very hungry either. I’ll just stay here and chat with you two!” Ye Qian’s smile was sly.

“What, you’re going to stay here too? But we—” Long Fei didn’t like playing gooseberry, but he couldn’t say that aloud.

“Fine, if you want to stay, stay,” he muttered, glancing at Liu Ruoyi, who only smiled more gently and tenderly.

Unfortunately, with Ye Qian there, Long Fei couldn’t say a single word of affection. Every time he looked at Ye Qian’s narrowed eyes and wide grin, he felt more out of sorts.

No matter how annoyed he was with Ye Qian, food still needed to be eaten; he couldn’t starve himself. Besides, even if not for himself, he had to think of Liu Ruoyi. Just then, he caught the faint rumble of Liu Ruoyi’s stomach. With resignation, he had to compromise with Ye Qian.

Let’s go eat.

Just as they reached the entrance of the second cafeteria, they ran into Sister Feng and Li Yan’s group, who were just coming out. Seeing Long Fei happily escorting two beautiful women, Li Yan immediately came forward.

“Ye Qian, why are you only now coming to eat? We waited for you for so long,” Li Yan said, sounding almost excited to see Ye Qian, though her gaze kept darting toward Long Fei.

The group of girls was, as always, dressed mostly in red, well deserving of their reputation as the “Crimson Brigade.”

Ye Qian frowned. “You all go ahead and eat. I’ll eat with my group. No need to wait for me. Don’t wait for me in the future, either.”

Li Yan was stunned, as were the girls behind her, who stared wide-eyed as though they no longer recognized Ye Qian. She had always loved eating with everyone, and had once thrown a fit when someone hadn’t waited for her. What had happened to her today?

Sister Feng came over, took Ye Qian’s hand, and laughed, “Boss, what’s going on with you today? You’re acting nothing like yourself!”

Ye Qian yanked her hand away, casting a furtive glance at Long Fei, who was watching her with a half-smile. A flush crept over her cheeks as she muttered irritably, “Don’t call me ‘Boss’ anymore. Just go. Don’t bother me if you need anything; I’m busy!”

With that, Ye Qian marched upstairs, leaving her bewildered friends behind.

“Long Fei, what’s with our Boss? Did she swallow gunpowder?” Sister Feng blocked his path, puzzled.

Long Fei had a pretty good idea, but he couldn’t resist adding fuel to the fire. He smiled, “How would I know? But from my experience, I’d guess your Boss is probably on her period. I hear women can turn into mad dogs during that time, wanting to bite everyone they see!”

“How can you insult our Boss like that? Just because you can fight and drink doesn’t make you special. You’ll regret crossing the Crimson Brigade!” Sister Feng puffed her chest out and challenged him.

Long Fei sneered, “Oh really? I’m so scared! Step aside, or I might really embarrass you. Believe it or not?”

Sister Feng could tell he was genuinely angry and quickly moved out of the way, though she muttered a few complaints under her breath that no one caught.

“Long Fei, you really are something—first day of school and you already have such a beautiful girlfriend!” Li Yan said, watching Liu Ruoyi edge closer to Long Fei. The rivalry between women sometimes defies all reason, and perhaps it was simply that Liu Ruoyi was too beautiful. Li Yan’s tone was probing, tinged with jealousy.

Seeing Liu Ruoyi about to explain, Long Fei squeezed her hand gently and stepped forward with a smile. “You flatter me. But Miss Li, your little stunt last time was impressive—if I hadn’t been quick-witted, I might have fallen for it. I can forgive it once, but there won’t be a second time. Don’t forget that.”

Li Yan’s expression changed. She wanted to say something, but held back.