Chapter Seventeen: Scandal

After Zhuang Fukai left, Xu Hao was a bit taken aback. He tried to get up and pull Zhuang Fukai back, but quickly abandoned the thought.

“We’re doomed. This time, we might have gone too far and really made him angry!” He scratched the back of his head, clearly surprised by Zhuang Fukai’s reaction. “Why did he react so strongly? I’ve never seen him like this before!”

“Just a moment ago, you were saying there was absolutely no problem, that he has a great temper and never gets angry,” Yan Xue commented beside him.

“I really didn’t expect it! Normally, he shouldn’t be so worked up!” Xu Hao rubbed his neck. “It must be because the grad school interview is coming up. Didn’t I tell you? He’s not good under pressure—can’t handle it at all! If I’d known, I wouldn’t have teased him. I should have told him over the phone earlier. I’ll have to apologize to him later.”

“How did you two even become friends? From the way you talk, you seem to care quite a bit about Zhuang Fukai,” Kang Ge asked.

Xu Hao paused, caught off guard by the question. “That’s true. Until you mentioned it, I hadn’t realized. With our personalities, it’s a miracle we’re friends—maybe that’s the legendary complementarity? If I were paired with someone as outgoing as me, we’d probably fight over who gets to speak first! And Zhuang Fukai is good at studying. When finals roll around, he sorts out all the review materials, and I just grab a copy to take to the print shop—so convenient and time-saving! Aside from being a bit quiet, he’s a good friend.”

“Alright, then you’d better think about how to get Zhuang Fukai to forgive you for tricking him today. Let’s talk about Xu Wenrui,” Kang Ge nodded, understanding. “Honestly, based on what you know, does Xu Wenrui have complicated relationships with women?”

“Not complicated. Not at all!” Xu Hao answered directly, which surprised both Kang Ge and Yan Xue, as it was not the hesitant or negative reply they’d expected. “I told you my opinion earlier, didn’t I? I think all those flashy things Xu Wenrui does—singing, dancing, showing off—it’s just so that girls will look up to him like an idol.

From what I know, Xu Wenrui has only seriously dated twice in over three years… well, not even twice—more like once and a half.”

“Twice is twice, once is once. What do you mean by ‘once and a half’?” Kang Ge asked, puzzled.

Unable to hold back, Xu Hao proceeded to vividly recount what he knew, mixing in some school gossip and his own speculation for Kang Ge and Yan Xue.

According to his story, Xu Wenrui uses singing and dancing to attract girls, not to seek romance, but to satisfy his vanity and boost his confidence. As a result, his actions are relatively restrained—he doesn’t go overboard.

Of course, on the matter of Xu Wenrui not being casual about relationships, Xu Hao had his own theory: it wasn’t because Xu Wenrui was cautious or conservative in love, but simply because he was stingy. Dating, aside from emotional compatibility, also requires financial investment. Setting aside the debate over whether material concerns should matter, it’s undeniable that under traditional views, a guy’s generosity in a relationship affects not only his girlfriend’s opinion, but also how others perceive him—and might even lead to ridicule among peers if he’s too frugal.

Unfortunately, in Xu Hao’s eyes, Xu Wenrui was definitely the stingy type, with a dash of vanity. Such a vain miser would hardly let his girlfriend shoulder most of the expenses in a relationship, so his best choice was to simply enjoy being admired and liked, without taking any real steps—his pride satisfied, his wallet intact.

That peculiar “one and a half” romance had its reasons.

Among Xu Wenrui’s little admirers were his two ex-girlfriends.

The first, and the better-known, was the “Snail Girl”—the one who would sneak into the boys’ dorm to wash his clothes and clean his shoes. Xu Hao couldn’t remember her surname, only that Xu Wenrui always called her “Bei Bei.”

This girl, Bei Bei, was a freshman a year below Xu Wenrui. She met him at the welcome party and actively pursued him afterward. Perhaps she was just his type, so Xu Wenrui, uncharacteristically, accepted her attentions, and they quickly became a couple.

During their relationship, Bei Bei was endlessly attentive, to the point where, as Xu Hao put it, it was as if they’d swapped the usual roles of a couple—she cared for Xu Wenrui in every possible way, while he accepted it all without a second thought.

Many thought they would stay together, but suddenly, as abruptly as their romance began, it ended. Xu Wenrui was calm about it, claiming they broke up amicably due to personality differences, and soon after, started another relationship.

This next relationship was what Xu Hao called “half a time.”

It was “half” because it lasted such a short while. Less than a month after breaking up with Bei Bei, another girl proactively approached Xu Wenrui and won his favor. Again, she cared for him in every detail, but this time, the relationship lasted less than two months before ending abruptly.

This breakup was not peaceful. The girl persisted, begging for answers, but Xu Wenrui was cold and almost indifferent, quickly reconciling with Bei Bei.

That’s why Xu Hao mocked this relationship as half a romance—it seemed to outsiders that the second girlfriend was just a stand-in, someone to fill the void after his split with Bei Bei.

Interestingly, Xu Wenrui’s reunion with Bei Bei didn’t last either. After a long period of disputes and quarrels, they eventually broke up for good.

“I heard—can’t say if it’s true, since I didn’t see it myself, it’s just what people say,” Xu Hao added mysteriously, “Bei Bei finally couldn’t stand Xu Wenrui’s pestering and threatened to find someone to teach him a lesson, and that’s how the breakup finally stuck.”