Zhong Ran and Guan Yi had no classes in the afternoon, so they stayed in the lab working until dinner.
Lu Yibai had to go home for something, and Shi Qian had class in the afternoon. Guan Yi posted the address for dinner in the group chat, asking everyone to meet there.
Lu Yibai returned to school before 6 o'clock. Zhong Ran and Guan Yi didn't have anything to do either, so the three of them decided to go and get a table first, so that Shi Qian could come over and eat as soon as she finished class.
Guan Yi asked Shi Qian about it around noon, and Shi Qian said he wanted to eat barbecue, so he chose this place near the south gate of the school. Don't be fooled by the ordinary decor, the food is delicious and the price is reasonable. It's a popular spot for college students in the area.
The only downside was that there was a wait during mealtimes; when Guan Yi and his group arrived, there were already quite a few people ahead of them.
Guan Yi took a number, and the group went straight to the waiting area outside and found a seat.
“We sat outside and waited for a while. Shi Qian said he wouldn’t finish class until 6 o’clock and he still had to go back to his dorm to put his things away. I guess he would be there by the time it was our turn.”
Zhong Ran asked Lu Yibai to move over a bit, as he wanted to squeeze between the two of them to keep warm.
It started to get a bit chilly in Beijing in October. Zhong Ran had rushed out and wasn't dressed warmly enough, so he was huddled up in a ball.
"Lu Yibai, can't I borrow your clothes? I'm freezing."
Lu Yibai zipped up his jacket, making a gesture of refusal.
"I was only wearing two layers, and I was even wearing a short-sleeved shirt underneath. If I took it off, I would be the one who gets cold. It's your own fault for forgetting to bring a jacket."
"Is that something I wanted to do? If you hadn't kept urging me to hurry up, I would have taken it already!"
"You're always so slow and dawdling. If I don't urge you, you won't be ready by the time your junior brother arrives."
"No, I was just going to the restroom!"
"Then go back and get it now, since Junior Brother hasn't arrived yet."
"I don't want to, it's too far, I'm too lazy to go."
"Then you'll freeze to death."
"ungrateful."
Guan Yi was used to the occasional bickering between the two. He was only wearing one layer of clothing and could do nothing to help Zhong Ran, so he could only offer words of comfort:
"It will be warmer once we go inside. I see several tables have finished eating and are cleaning up."
They weren't the only ones waiting outside. The three of them were bored and started playing with their phones when they suddenly heard Shi Qian's name.
"Really? Shi Qian is actually this kind of person? I never would have guessed! He's actually quite good-looking..."
"It's all an act. I heard he has a terrible character, often bullies classmates, tears up their test papers, throws their backpacks, and even beats someone so badly they end up in the hospital!"
"No way..."
"It's absolutely true. My roommate used to be in the same school and class as him. Shi Qian was a celebrity on the school forum back then, and he was constantly being criticized!"
"It wasn't just assault; he also allegedly stole things! Apparently, he was jealous that someone could play the violin and perform on stage, so he went to steal their sheet music late at night. When he was caught, he refused to admit it, and even the principal and the police were called in!"
"He wouldn't accept being taught a lesson, so he secretly broke someone's hand, preventing that person from appearing on the show and even from participating in the music association's selection that year!"
"That's so mean..."
"That's right, and that's not all. It's said that his family is poor, so his wealthy relatives brought him up from the countryside to accompany their children to school. But he just tramples on their children and bullies them all the time!"
"That child is so pitiful, don't rich people care?"
"Why should we care? As soon as we try to control Shi Qian, he pretends to be sick and goes to the street to shout that they look down on poor relatives and are trying to kill people. Rich people also have their pride, so we can only turn a blind eye!"
"Why don't we just go back? What's the big deal..."
“You don’t understand. People in small towns care a lot about their reputation. Everyone in the neighborhood knows each other, so you can’t go too far and damage your own reputation.”
"It's so miserable."
"Exactly! And what's even worse is that Shi Qian doesn't even acknowledge his own parents. His parents came all the way from the countryside, crying their eyes out at school. They finally managed to get the security guards to bring them out, but Shi Qian just came out and started hitting them, refusing to acknowledge them at all!"
"That's so heartless..."
"That's not all. Let me tell you, my friend secretly told me that no matter how much he brags about his looks now, he's had plastic surgery! His whole face is fake!"
"I heard he was vain and complained that rich men didn't pay him enough, so he went to find a sugar daddy outside. He was even caught cheating on his wife in a hotel, and she miscarried!"
"Huh? He likes men?"
"Otherwise what? With that slutty, cheap look, isn't she just someone men can sleep with?"
...
The man's words became increasingly lewd and louder, causing Guan Yi and the others to frown. However, they were unsure whether he was referring to their junior brother or simply someone with the same name.
This person is so rude. They made a lot of noise in public and said things that I don't know if they were true or not. The whole time they said things that I heard, that my friend said, or that my roommate said, but they said it as if they were really there.
Guan Yi noticed the violin case next to the man, which read "Beijing Conservatory of Music," suggesting it belonged to the neighboring school.
Seeing that more and more people were gathering around, the man spoke even more enthusiastically, and even stood up to make sure his voice wasn't loud enough.
"I also heard that Shi Qian's grades were terrible. He didn't go back to school at all in his first and second years of high school, and he was pretending to be sick and taking leave. He only came back in his third year when he had no other choice."
"And he even cheated! His parents were called in by the teacher. I don't know if he cheated to get into Peking University and even went to the mathematics department. My roommate said he only scored 20 or 30 points in math in junior high school. I don't believe his college entrance exam score at all."
"But he was also audacious. It's said that he was very concerned about his image, and in order to sneak into the math lab at Peking University to show off, he actually resorted to his old trick of cheating. He was caught by the vice dean and was immediately dismissed!"
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