novelones Chapter 158: Inevitable
Chapter 158: Inevitable
Staring at the ten-yuan bill and one-yuan coin pushed across the table, You Changjin paused and said, “We don’t need to split things so precisely.”“No way. This is my principle. If you don’t take it, I’ll never ask you to dinner again!” Jiang Xinyi said firmly.
Looking at her determined expression, You Changjin gave a wry smile and accepted the eleven yuan. It felt absurd that two adults would be so meticulous over such a small amount.
But Jiang Xinyi was that kind of girl, and if he wanted to be with her, he’d have to follow her rules. Besides, Jiang Xinyi was genuinely a good person.
In today’s world, how many girls still insist on going Dutch?
When he finally accepted the money, Jiang Xinyi beamed. “Now that’s the right way to do it!”
With a bitter smile, You Changjin asked, “Your job situation isn’t ideal, and yet you insist on splitting the bill. Why?”
“It’s two separate things,” Jiang Xinyi replied.
Jiang Xinyi had a good job; being a graduate student at Nanjing University meant she could find decent work without her family’s help. But to her, the job was unchallenging.
Jiang Xinyi wanted to find a position where she could truly learn something valuable.
Big corporations often assigned interns only the most basic tasks, and You Changjin reminded her that everyone had to start at the bottom. But Jiang Xinyi countered, “Just because everyone does it doesn’t mean it’s the right thing.”
That left You Changjin speechless.
Despite holding a position many would envy, Jiang Xinyi chose to resign during her internship.
Her goal was to join a startup, ideally one where she could experience a variety of tasks firsthand. Big companies were too compartmentalized, dividing responsibilities into precise roles.
As their conversation shifted, You Changjin discouraged her from joining startups. “What if they treat you unfairly? You’re a girl.”
Jiang Xinyi laughed, “I’m a black belt in Taekwondo. Who could bully me?”
With a sigh, You Changjin conceded, “Yeah, no one could.”
“If only I had a truly talented student who ran a company, I’d introduce you to work there,” he added, acknowledging his limitations as a new counselor. He imagined helping her more once he became a respected professor with many successful students.
Jiang Xinyi chuckled, not expecting him to support her, nor did she plan to rely on him.
He simply wanted her to work in a safe place where she wouldn’t face trouble.
Sensing the conversation becoming too serious, Jiang Xinyi steered it to stories from work and updates on You Changjin’s students.
Meanwhile, in the now mostly empty auditorium, the students on stage were still taking photos. The audience had largely dispersed.
Girls from the Arts Department, dressed in their JK-style skirts, pushed Zheng Yanyan to the center, holding up the trophy for photos. Familiar friends snapped group shots, including Shen Yu with Student Council members and Tao Tian with Chen Wan.
While most of Zhou Yuwen’s classmates had left, Chang Hao lingered, hoping for a photo with Zheng Yanyan, even if they could only be friends. But she was popular, posing with Arts Department girls and Lu Lin. Chang Hao couldn’t find an opportunity.
“Senior, should we take a group photo with the trophy?” Zheng Yanyan asked Tao Tian.
Tao Tian nodded, joining the others for a photo with Zheng Yanyan.
Noticing Zhou Yuwen below, Tao Tian called out, “Zhou Yuwen?”
He looked up, curious.
“Come up and join us for a photo!”
Surprised, Zhou Yuwen, who had been lounging with crossed legs and playing on his phone, said with a smile, “I didn’t participate in the event, isn’t that inappropriate?”
“Oh, come on! You’re part of the Arts Department, aren’t you?”
“Exactly, Zhou Yuwen, get up here!” other girls called out.
With so many voices urging him, Zhou Yuwen obliged.
With him included, they snapped a few more pictures. As the only guy in the JK-clad group, Zhou Yuwen stood in the center. Girls posed around him, with Zheng Yanyan on his left in a pink skirt and Lu Lin on his right in a blue one, their long legs framing him perfectly.
Afterward, Zhou Yuwen suggested a solo photo with Lu Lin.
Tao Tian pulled him aside. “Let’s get one too.”
As she moved closer, her prominent figure brushed against his arm. Zheng Yanyan noticed.
“Mind if I borrow your boyfriend for a photo?” Tao Tian asked Zheng Yanyan with a smile.
“Of course not,” Zheng Yanyan said, though her tone hinted otherwise.
So, Zhou Yuwen and Tao Tian took two pictures together, with her arm wrapped around his. Later, Zheng Yanyan playfully clung to Zhou Yuwen, demanding, “Was it soft?”
With a helpless grin, he replied, “You know the answer.”
“What did you just say!?”
These playful interactions were minor, but Zhou Yuwen also took a picture with Shen Yu and even with the male host, who jovially suggested, “Come on, bro, let’s get one too.”
Chang Hao, still wanting a photo with Zheng Yanyan, stood by quietly. Zhou Yuwen, noticing, asked, “Want to take one with me?”
“Sure,” Chang Hao replied, grateful Zhou Yuwen remembered him. He thought he’d suggest a group shot with the three of them, but Zhou Yuwen didn’t intend that and asked, “Why haven’t you left yet? The others are gone.”
“I...”
“Were you waiting to take a picture with Yanyan?” Zhou Yuwen asked bluntly.
Zheng Yanyan, next to him in her JK outfit, clinging to his arm, asked with a teasing smile, “Want a picture with me?”
“No, no!” Chang Hao quickly denied, embarrassed to admit he still liked her.
“Come on, Zhou, don’t joke like that. She’s your girlfriend. I know my boundaries,” Chang Hao said, forcing a smile and avoiding looking at Zheng Yanyan.
She giggled, leaning into Zhou Yuwen and saying, “Look how sensible Chang Hao is. Why can’t your Su Qing be like that?”
Zhou Yuwen said, “I’m very sensible, wasn’t I just on your side?”
“Yes, you were.”
“Any reward?”
“A kiss!” Zheng Yanyan wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked him.
Chang Hao watched their public affection, feeling an unnamed emotion, before finally accepting, “I’m heading back to the dorm.”
After repeating himself to get their attention, he left alone.
Zheng Yanyan, watching him go, hugged Zhou Yuwen’s arm and asked, “Happy now?”
“Happy about what?”
With a playful snort, she said, “Don’t think I don’t know. You men and your silly tricks. Were you jealous?”
“So what if I was?”
Zhou Yuwen tilted her chin up. “I’m not allowed to be jealous when you’re my girl?”
His teasing made her blush. She loved that he called her *his girl*—it was so possessive, so thrilling!
“Alright, I’m your little kitty. If you’re unhappy, I won’t talk to any other guys. Just you,” she said, pouting.
After some playful flirting, Tao Tian called them back for more photos.
The night’s performance wrapped up successfully, though Su Qing didn’t join in the photo session. Noticing this, Zhou Yuwen asked Shen Yu to check on her.
Shen Yu took the chance to ask, “Did you really write a song for Su Qing?”
Zhou Yuwen intended to deny it until she showed him the lyrics.
With a rueful smile, he admitted, “Well, if she’s even showing you lyrics, let’s just say I did.”
“Could you sing a bit for me?” Shen Yu asked earnestly.
Zhou Yuwen felt awkward. “That’s not a good idea,” he said, glancing at Zheng Yanyan chatting with Lu Lin. “Yanyan’s my girlfriend now, and knowing about this song wouldn’t be good. Let’s end it here.”
In his way, Zhou Yuwen was faithful.
But Shen Yu loved the song’s lyrics so much that she couldn’t help but wonder how it would sound sung.
By 9:00 p.m., the auditorium was nearly empty. Zhou Yuwen and Zheng Yanyan left together.
Zheng Yanyan wanted Zhou Yuwen to treat her and Lu Lin to a late-night snack, and Zhou Yuwen didn’t mind. It was just barbecue, so he invited Tao Tian too.
“Hmm?” Tao Tian was curious.
“Want to join us for some barbecue?”
Surprised and pleased by the invitation, she said, “Of course!”
So, Zhou Yuwen ended up inviting not just Zheng Yanyan and Lu Lin but also Tao Tian and a group of JK-clad girls from the Arts Department.
Realizing it was a larger group, Tao Tian’s smile faded slightly, though she hid it well.
“Wow, Yanyan, your boyfriend is so generous!”
“Yeah, thanks for the meal, Yanyan!”
The other girls started calling Zheng Yanyan “sister,” making her feel overjoyed.
Mid-October evenings were a bit chilly. Zhou Yuwen walked with the girls under the dim campus lights, hand in hand with Zheng Yanyan and surrounded by chatter praising her beauty, dance skills, and handsome boyfriend. Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novel✦fire.net
They said their victory was thanks to her amazing
performance. Humble, she replied, “No, you all did great too.”
Tao Tian, being a sophomore, maintained a bit of distance, walking with Zhou Yuwen instead of mingling with the younger girls.
“Your girlfriend has it good. If she stays with you, she’s bound to be the next Arts Department president,” Tao Tian said.
“You say that as if she won’t be if she isn’t with me,” Zhou Yuwen replied with a smile.
Tao Tian laughed softly. “When you said barbecue, I thought it was just the two of us.”
“It can be, next time.”
“Promise?”
“Of course.”
They talked work until Zheng Yanyan noticed and called for him to join them.
“Walk ahead. I’ll catch up,” Zhou Yuwen said.
Zheng Yanyan held Lu Lin’s arm, sharing her thoughts from the event and venting a bit about Su Qing.
Lu Lin mostly listened.
Meanwhile, Tao Tian walked alongside Zhou Yuwen, who occasionally glanced at his phone.
At 9:00 p.m., Liu Shuo messaged, saying the second shift of part-time workers was done. They had been security guards for 110 yuan a day, with a meal included.
Liu Shuo apologized for a late end, transferring him 1,000 yuan as compensation.
“Can I take it?” Liu Shuo asked.
“If he sent it, take it. Treat everyone to some barbecue,” Zhou Yuwen replied.
“Got it, Brother Zhou.”
By then, Zhou Yuwen and the girls had reached the barbecue restaurant. It was quieter than usual, likely due to the cooling weather. The restaurant had a few diners inside but was mostly empty.
The girls found a spot by the window and sat down.
“What should we order, hubby?” Zheng Yanyan asked.
“You decide. Tonight, you’re hosting.”
This dinner was a way for Zhou Yuwen to show his support, making Zheng Yanyan happy. It cemented her place as the next Arts Department president, just as Tao Tian predicted.
Thrilled, she peeked at Zhou Yuwen’s phone and teased, “Who are you chatting with all the time?”
“Liu Shuo. He just finished his part-time job,” Zhou Yuwen replied.
“Feels like you talk to him more than me,” she pouted.
Zhou Yuwen wrapped an arm around her waist. “Don’t say that. You know I’m closer to you.”
“Hmm~”
She wanted sweet words. Sitting on his lap, she whispered, “Even Tao Tian has met your good buddy, but I haven’t.”
“What’s there to meet?”
“Come on, I’m your girlfriend. Don’t you want me to meet your friends?”
“Why involve others in our relationship?” Zhou Yuwen sighed.
She pouted, teasing him as a heartless guy.
Zhou Yuwen sighed. “Think what you want.”
“Hmm!”
It was all playful, though. She eventually joined the girls to order food.
Zhou Yuwen messaged Liu Shuo. “Did you find out about what I asked?”
“Yes, Brother Zhou. But are you sure we need 200 people for November’s sorting? That’s a lot.”
“Yes, 200 is the minimum. The more, the better.”
“Okay, I asked around and found 50–60 so far. I’ll look for more in the coming days.”
“Good.”
“Have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet. We’re on our way back but couldn’t find an open barbecue spot.”
“There’s one by the school. Come join us.”
“Wait, you have a girlfriend?!”
“Don’t shout ‘sister-in-law’ when you meet her.”
“Hehe, can’t help but hope you’re popular.”
“Coming or not?”
“Of course!”
Zhou Yuwen wasn’t in the habit of introducing friends to his girlfriend but felt this time it was fine.
He sent a picture of the restaurant’s exterior. “I’m with some girls, so don’t startle them. Eat outside.”
“Understood, won’t disrupt your date!”
“What do you want to eat? I’ll order for you.”
“I have money.”
“Don’t argue.”
“Hehe.”
Zheng Yanyan finished ordering with the girls. It wasn’t the entire Arts Department, just seven or eight girls and Tao Tian. Their outfits drew attention.
Back at the table, Zheng Yanyan asked if he wanted more food.
“No, you all ordered plenty.”
“I’ll check just in case.”
Zhou Yuwen asked the owner about lamb skewers.
“As many as you need,” the owner said.
“Grill what’s left, and bring five cases of beer outside.”
“I’ve got friends coming.”
“Sure.”
The owner, eyeing the large order, didn’t rush until several vans arrived and young men in military-style T-shirts poured out.
“Hey, did my friend already order?” asked the burly, crew-cut leader.
“Yes, drinks are ready.”
The young men filled the outdoor seats.
Zhou Yuwen glanced at Liu Shuo through the window. Liu Shuo grinned but didn’t approach.
Zhou Yuwen nodded back.
It was just a coincidence he invited Liu Shuo; they’d catch up after dinner.
The girls didn’t recognize Liu Shuo’s group and continued chatting. By 10:00 p.m., they were full and ready to leave.
Then, a group of rough-looking men entered, spotting the girls in JK skirts. They looked stunned—what luck to find so many beauties!
Seeing Zhou Yuwen as the only guy, they wondered, *Why does he get all these girls?*
Despite the owner assigning them a different table, they insisted on sitting next to Zhou Yuwen.
“This table’s too big. There are only five of you,” the owner said.
“Why not?” one of them snapped.
The five men, about 25 or 26, had the appearance of local thugs. Seeing a table of JK-clad university girls was bound to stir them up.