Chapter 31: Hidden Intent
Ma Yuan, standing on the sidelines, was secretly happy as he saw the gloomy faces of everyone in the technical department, who were angrily whispering complaints to each other.
Fortunately, he worked under Professor Xu in geology and chemistry. He believed that with Professor Xu's style, he would never do something as outrageous as Mr. Zhong had.
At the same time, Ma Yuan was also sneering inwardly: *A while ago, you bastards were laughing and watching my downfall. Didn't expect the tables would be turned on you so soon, did you? Serves you right!*
After lunch, Mr. Zhong called Liu Shang to his office for tea and a chat.
"I say, Kid Liu, you took such a large bonus and are now getting the cold shoulder and being criticized by so many people. Yet you seem completely unfazed, as if nothing is wrong."
Liu Shang smiled. "After a while, they'll get used to it."
His response made Mr. Zhong laugh out loud. "You kid, you're really audacious!"
"Even more audacious than I was when I was young!"
"However, as long as you've got the skills, I believe that with me and Professor Xu here, you'll never run out of challenging work."
"You're different from the other kids. You're stable and mature enough, so I won't say any more than that."
Liu Shang nodded gratefully to Mr. Zhong. After chatting for a while longer, he used the excuse of having to get back to school and left ahead of schedule.
On the bus back to campus, Liu Shang got off halfway and went directly to a Giant specialty store.
Without blinking an eye, he chose a Giant mountain bike with a rear rack, priced at 2,980 yuan.
The Fengcheng Petroleum University campus was still very large, and walking from the dormitories to the various academic buildings was a long trek.
So most students would get a bicycle, which was much more convenient than taking the school shuttle.
However, given the spending money students had at that time, Giant bicycles were still very rare, especially the latest aluminum alloy frame model that Liu Shang bought.
According to popular taste, most would have prioritized the flashier and more stylish road bikes with drop handlebars, but Liu Shang was different. He directly chose this more stable and understated mountain bike.
More importantly, this bicycle with a rear rack was naturally for his girlfriend, Jiang Ruolin.
He imagined Jiang Ruolin sitting on the back rack, with her arms wrapped around his waist, as he rode along the sunny campus paths. It was quite a pleasant thought.
During the first long class session that afternoon, Jiang Ruolin and the others had class. As agreed, when class let out, Liu Shang was waiting for her by a side door of the academic building where there was less foot traffic.
When Jiang Ruolin arrived with a smile, she was obviously taken aback when she saw Liu Shang and the beautiful white Giant bicycle parked beside him.
"Where did you get the bike?"
"It's pretty handsome, and it matches you well."
Liu Shang took Jiang Ruolin's small bag with a smile and hung it on the handlebar. "Let's go. I'm inviting the beautiful lady to get on, and we'll enjoy the campus scenery along the way."
Jiang Ruolin blushed immediately. Cautiously and a little nervously, she sat on the back seat of the bicycle.
This was the first time she had ever ridden on a boy's bicycle.
But to her surprise, Liu Shang rode very steadily and at a very slow speed. The two of them rode leisurely along the small roads on the edge of campus, where there were not many pedestrians.
At this, Jiang Ruolin also slowly relaxed, her grip changing from gripping his clothes tightly with both hands to gently pinching the fabric with two slender fingers.
As for the scene Liu Shang had envisioned, of Jiang Ruolin wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head on his back, it didn't come to pass.
After all, it was daytime on campus, and the very popular Jiang Ruolin didn't dare to be so bold.
During their chat, Jiang Ruolin learned that this brand new white Giant bicycle was actually bought by Liu Shang himself, and it had cost nearly three thousand yuan.
Jiang Ruolin couldn't help but worry. She politely asked Liu Shang if he would go hungry in the coming days and if she should treat him to meals.
To this, Liu Shang just shook his head with a wry smile and told her that he could afford to go to Annie's Western Restaurant every day for the next few days if he wanted.
After arriving at the dormitory area, Liu Shang went to park his bicycle while Jiang Ruolin went back to her dorm to drop off her things and change clothes, after which they would go to the evening party together.
When Liu Shang pushed the bike to his building, he happened to run into his roommates.
Almost instantly, they spotted his new Giant bicycle and began praising its beauty.
Even Cheng Meng, who came from a very good family and had bought one a while ago, admitted that his was a notch lower than Liu Shang's in both style and price.
"3,000 yuan for a bicycle?! That's seriously awesome!"
This was their final, shared evaluation and sentiment.
At the same time, Liu Shang also received some feedback from them: the professors were very dissatisfied with him for having been absent from class for four consecutive days this week.
As a result, Liu Shang was facing the very serious crisis of failing his courses at the end of the semester.
To this, Liu Shang just nodded calmly. He had no other reaction and didn't seem to take it seriously at all.
On the other side of town, at the Hyatt Hotel outside the campus, Zhou Liang and the other group managers had already started to meticulously arrange and decorate for the banquet.
Overall, the atmosphere of the party was very good, if you didn't count Tan Feng's barely concealed hostility.
After helping to set up the venue, Song Jia waved goodbye and left, which drew confused looks and attempts to make her stay from Tan Feng, Zhou Liang, and the others.
But at this moment, having learned that Liu Shang had received a bonus of 30,000 yuan, Song Jia insisted on leaving, using the pretext that something had come up at home.
An hour later, when Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin arrived at the hotel, most of the people were already there. Zhou Liang and Tan Feng were gathered at the door, waiting for their guests of honor to appear.
Seeing Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin holding hands, a surge of anger rushed to Tan Feng's head, but Zhou Liang patted his shoulder firmly, signaling him to calm down.
"Hehe, our beautiful Jiang Ruolin, you're here. Everyone's been waiting for you."
When Liu Shang and Jiang Ruolin approached, Zhou Liang greeted them first.
Then, he took the initiative to shake hands with Liu Shang. "You must be Liu Shang? I'm Zhou Liang. We've spoken."
"Come on, please come inside."
Liu Shang also shook his hand with a smile and walked into the hotel with him, showing no emotional fluctuation.
Just as Liu Shang was about to enter, Jiang Ruolin, who had been smiling and calm, turned her head, her expression turning cold as she gave Tan Feng a serious look.
"Tan Feng, if you intentionally make things difficult for Liu Shang tonight, you'll have to answer to me!"
Tan Feng, whose heart was already in turmoil, just spread his hands. "Ruolin, we were classmates in both junior high and high school. Do you really think I, Tan Feng, am such a despicable person?"
"Besides, the real gap between men reveals itself naturally, without any need for external pressure."
"Regardless of family background or any other aspect, this person is not worthy of you anyway."
Hearing his words, Jiang Ruolin became even more worried. At the same time, she emphasized very seriously, "I don't need you to manage my affairs!"
---
$5 Tier – Early Access!
Read 30 chapters ahead of public platforms like RoyalRoad and Scribble Hub — with plans to increase to 40 chapters ahead once I reach 10 members!
Chapters are posted as soon as they're completed, so you'll always stay ahead of the curve.
Support the story and unlock early access:
Patreon is linked in My Profile or About.
Please select your membership carefully, as I have multiple novels ongoing. If you're on Apple, consider subscribing through your browser instead — it will be cheaper for you, and I won't have to wait 2 months for payments. Thank you!