Chapter 6: The Boyfriend Revelation
Seeing Tan Feng's intimidating aura, Gao Tianyu and Zhu Bin, who had come to deliver the news, immediately panicked and began explaining themselves over and over.
"Young Master Feng, we both saw it with our own eyes! Tons of people were watching, it's absolutely true!"
"If you don't believe us, just ask around. The news is probably spreading like wildfire by now!"
Hearing their frantic explanation only made Tan Feng more furious. Fortunately, before he could explode, Zhou Liang stopped him with a calm smile.
"Tan Feng, if you keep up that violent temper of yours, you'll never win over Jiang Ruolin."
"We've known Jiang Ruolin for years, since we were all in high school together. How could a girl like her get a boyfriend just a few months after starting college?"
"And taking a step back, even if she did want to date someone, she'd at least choose from our circle, right?"
Sure enough, Zhou Liang's few words of persuasion managed to calm Tan Feng down, though a gloomy and worried expression still clouded his features.
Zhou Liang then turned, smiling, and patted Gao Tianyu and Zhu Bin on the shoulder, telling them to go have fun. "Drinks are on me today," he said, expressing his gratitude.
Just then, a strikingly beautiful girl with a unique air about her hurried in and sat down naturally beside them.
"I'm here! Sorry I'm late. Get me an iced Coke, I'm dying of thirst."
"Our lab instructor is a total sadist. He just drones on and on like a broken record."
"Huh? Tan Feng, what's with that look on your face?"
This girl's name was Song Jia. With her distinctive personality, she was also very popular within their circle.
Her father was a major player in Fengcheng's oil industry, possessing a wide network and considerable influence.
Seeing her ask this question, Zhou Liang smiled and waved his hands.
"I said, Jiajia, don't wind Tan Feng up."
"A minute ago, Gao Tianyu and his buddy ran over here to report that they saw Jiang Ruolin with some guy at the school gate."
"So yeah, it hit a raw nerve with Tan Feng, and now he's like this."
"I was just telling him that your judgment gets clouded when you care too much. Now that Jiang Ruolin is in the student union, she interacts with tons of people every day. It's perfectly normal for her to be seen with other guys."
Hearing his words, Song Jia was taken aback for a moment, then spread her hands.
"So that's what this is about. Actually, I rushed over specifically to tell you guys the shocking news."
"Zhou Liang, you can stop trying to talk him down. It's true. Jiang Ruolin has a boyfriend."
"I was just passing by the dorms and I saw Jiang Ruolin and her boyfriend hugging goodbye right out front."
"Lots of people saw it!"
Just as before, Song Jia's words made Tan Feng's head buzz. A fresh wave of anger surged through him, and he smashed the wine bottle next to him on the floor.
Ordinarily, he would have started cursing, but when he saw Song Jia's cold frown, he forced his anger back down.
Within their circle, Song Jia wasn't like Gao Tianyu and Zhu Bin; her status was nearly on par with his own.
Besides, they had all been friends since childhood, practically family. They knew each other inside and out, and their bond ran deep.
"Ah! Jiajia, I'm sorry. I'm just so furious."
"This kid with Jiang Ruolin... where the hell did he come from? Is he anyone we know?"
At this, Song Jia's expression softened. She sighed, leaned back in her chair, and looked at Tan Feng with sympathy.
"We're acquainted with him, I guess, but not well. His name is Liu Shang, and his family isn't from Fengcheng."
"He's in that freshman group chat you created for the University of Oil. I'm guessing he and Jiang Ruolin met in the group and then joined the student union together."
"You wouldn't listen to my advice back then. You just had to create that group to get on Jiang Ruolin's good side."
"In the end, instead of making it easier for you to get close to her, you just ended up leading the wolf into the house."
At this, Tan Feng gritted his teeth in hatred and slammed his fist on the table. "Damn it all!"
Lu Kai, who was beside him, also slammed the table and yelled, "Damn it! His name is Liu Shang, right? I'm going to find him right now!"
But before he could move, Zhou Liang pulled him back down. "Lu Kai, will you stop causing trouble?"
"If you go stirring up trouble now, Tan Feng will have absolutely no chance with Jiang Ruolin!"
Song Jia shot Lu Kai an angry glare. "I swear, Lu Kai, can you stop being so childish? Are you really going to try and fight your way through college like you did in middle and high school?"
"If you ask me, we need to use our heads and figure something out. There's still room to salvage this."
Zhou Liang, who had always been the calm and resourceful one in their small circle, nodded. "That's our only option right now. We have to race against time and do some damage control."
"Jiajia, you're a girl. What's your take on Jiang Ruolin's thinking?"
Song Jia took a sip of her Coke and smiled wryly. "What is there to think?"
"With Jiang Ruolin's looks and family background, she's always been treated like a princess. What kind of guy couldn't she get? Handsome, well-off, great personality—she has so many choices."
"She's only been in college for a few months, and she chooses a boyfriend like that. The only explanation is that she's tired of you guys and just wants an ordinary, genuine, pure relationship."
"It's just that Jiang Ruolin is being too naive and taking things for granted. Even if you guys don't interfere, their relationship probably won't last long. There's always a gap between ideals and reality."
"I've known Jiang Ruolin for years, and for the first time, I feel like I'm ahead of her in one thing: my choice in boyfriends and relationships."
Hearing this, a few of the guys laughed and booed. "What's this, Jiajia? Are you planning to follow in Jiang Ruolin's footsteps and finally get a boyfriend now that you're in college?"
"You have no idea how many guys are secretly waiting for you and Jiang Ruolin, the two campus beauties!"
"Come on, if you're looking, you should give the guys closest to you a shot first. Consider one of us!"
Song Jia playfully swatted at them with a smile, feigning disdain. "Get lost, all of you. Don't even think about it."
"While I'll definitely end up in an arranged marriage with someone from a well-matched family, that's a long way off."
"As for finding a first love in college, I'm with Jiang Ruolin on this one—I'm not interested in any of you playboys and scumbags!"
At this, Tan Feng, who had been silent and morose, finally sighed. "I'm not a playboy or a scumbag."
"Ever since I decided to go after Jiang Ruolin, I haven't had a girlfriend. I haven't even messed around."
"I swear, if I actually get together with her, I won't ever be a playboy."
"Hey, enough messing around. Just help me figure something out, or I'm seriously going to lose my mind!"