Chapter Four

Chapter Four

C City University, one of the best in the city, was always bustling with vibrant college students dressed fashionably and full of vigor. Everyone who passed couldn’t help but turn to look at one person.

He appeared to be in his early twenties, dressed simply in a white t-shirt and jeans, which only accentuated his clean aura and striking looks. His height, over 1.8 meters, made him stand out in the crowd.

However, the numerous plastic bags he carried slightly marred his overall demeanor, adding a touch of groundedness to his appearance.

Li Pingping hurried from the dormitory to the university gate, and without much effort, spotted the person she was looking for.

As a group of girls walked past her, Li Pingping overheard their conversation.

"Who is that guy? Is he from our school?"

"Impossible, such a handsome senior would definitely be on the confession wall, but I've never seen his name."

"Maybe he's here waiting for his girlfriend? As expected, all the good-looking guys are already taken..."

"He looks so melancholic. Could he be an artist?"

Li Pingping couldn't help but feel exasperated. She had always known that Shen Wang, despite his rough personality, had an impressive presence. However, she hadn't expected that in just a few days, his aura seemed to have become even more striking.

"Shen," Li Pingping suppressed her urge to tease, approaching and patting Shen Wang on the shoulder.

Just as Shen Wang was pulling something out of his pocket, Li Pingping's pat caused his hand to twitch, and the object he was holding fluttered down, blown by the wind into a box a few steps away.

Shen Wang and Li Pingping exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned their attention to the box.

The street violinist, grateful for their inadvertent contribution, smiled at them and played with renewed vigor.

Li Pingping: "..."

Shen Wang: "..."

Li Pingping looked at the money in the box, then at the young face of the street performer, "Shen, how much did you drop?"

Shen Wang: "...Ten yuan."

Li Pingping breathed a sigh of relief, "It's not much, maybe just let it be? He's an art student from our school, doing a performance art piece..."

Before Li Pingping could finish her sentence, she watched in disbelief as Shen Wang walked up, crouched down, and deftly picked out a ten-yuan note from the box with his thumb and forefinger.

The onlookers, who had just been admiring Shen Wang's good looks, were stunned into silence.

The street musician couldn't maintain his enthusiastic smile, and his violin playing turned mournful. He dryly remarked, "Brother, isn't it a bit unfair what you’re doing?"

"I didn't intend to give you money; it fell in by accident," Shen Wang explained calmly, "Judging by your full forehead and thick earlobes, you come from a well-off family. You don't need these ten yuan."

Having said that, Shen Wang, ignoring the strange looks from the crowd, walked straight to Li Pingping and handed him most of the items he was holding, "Let's go to your dormitory."

Li Pingping, who had been unremarkable since enrollment, suddenly found himself the center of attention, making his back heat up and his cheeks flush.

He quickly lowered his head and, taking big strides with Shen Wang, quickly left the scene.

Only after leaving all the gazes behind, did Li Pingping sigh in relief, "Shen, weren’t you supposed to go back to your wealthy family and be a young master? Why are you still so frugal? Snatching back ten yuan from someone, really?"

"This was my money to begin with. If you hadn't startled me, I wouldn’t have dropped it," Shen Wang glanced at him, "That ten yuan is all I have to my name now."

"Huh?" Li Pingping looked bewildered, "Didn't you find your biological parents? Aren’t they rich?"

Shen Wang snorted softly, nonchalantly saying, "I've severed ties with them."

Li Pingping was shocked, "They kicked you out of the house??!!"

"No," Shen Wang languidly curved his lips, "I was the one who severed ties with them."

Shen Wang spoke these words calmly, a calmness as if he never had any expectations.

Shen Wang and Li Pingping came from the same orphanage. Besides them, there was a younger sister, Liu Yue, who had just come of age. Among the three, Shen Wang was the eldest brother.

After escaping the orphanage, it was all thanks to Shen Wang’s efforts in earning money that he raised his younger siblings and sent them to university.

To his siblings, Shen Wang was both a brother and a father figure, their pillar of strength. In reality, Shen Wang was only a few years older than them. In a normal family, someone his age would probably still be enjoying his youth in college.

When Li Pingping and others learned that Shen Wang's biological parents had found him, their initial reaction was happiness for Shen Wang. Knowing about the Tang family's distinguished background, they were genuinely thrilled for him.

It wasn't because Shen Wang's biological parents were wealthy, but simply the happiness for Shen having two more family members, and the joy for his potential for a better life in the future.

Unexpectedly, just a few days later, Shen Wang returned.

Li Pingping felt conflicted. He hesitated, wanting to pat Shen Wang's shoulder to comfort him.

But his hands were full, so he could only offer verbal consolation, "Shen, blood relations aren’t as important as the time spent together. If I suddenly had a biological brother, I wouldn’t recognize him either. You're the only brother I acknowledge..."

Shen Wang looked up, expressionless, "The couple probably thought the same."

Li Pingping: "..."

Clearing his throat, Li Pingping changed the subject, "Shen, what did you buy? All these bags? Let me see, ginseng, scutellaria, deer antler, cistanche, cordyceps..."

Li Pingping gasped, "Shen, what have you been up to these past half a month?!! You haven’t become... impotent, have you?"

Shen Wang almost laughed in exasperation, his previously somber mood instantly vanishing, "Keep talking nonsense, and believe it or not, I'll sew your mouth shut."

"Then why did you buy these herbs? They’re not cheap, are they?"

"I spent all my savings on these," Shen Wang smiled, "Now, all I have is ten yuan. Ping, you'll have to support me from now on."

Li Pingping: "!!!"

Li Pingping had a lot of questions, but after holding back for a long time and turning red, he only managed to say, "I only have a little over two thousand on me, should I transfer it to you?"

"How do you have so much money?" Now Shen Wang was genuinely surprised.

He gave them a little over a thousand for living expenses each month... In his mind, his siblings' allowance was just enough for food, even a bit tight.

Shen Wang never expected Li Pingping could save some private money. He mulled it over and thought maybe he gave too much for living expenses, considering reducing it.

Seeing Shen Wang's thoughts, Li Pingping said with a pained expression, "This is what I earned from part-time jobs during my free time."

Li Pingping was embarrassed to say he actually wanted to buy a gift for Shen Wang, but transferring the money directly would serve the same purpose.

As the two brothers chatted, they arrived at Li Pingping's dormitory.

It was a four-person room, but only three were living there, leaving one bed empty. With no money for a hotel and unwilling to sleep on the streets, Shen Wang eyed the vacant bed.

Li Pingping’s roommates had seen Shen Wang a few times and were impressed by his outstanding looks. Hearing that he would stay for a few days, they not only had no objections but warmly welcomed him, "Shen, feel free to stay. The bed's empty anyway, and no one's using it..."

As they spoke, the last roommate entered, announcing excitedly, "Guys! I'm no longer single! The girl I've been chatting with online finally agreed to date me!"

The dormitory erupted into cheers and howls after a few minutes of silence.

"Way to go, Old Wang! You're the first in our dorm to get a girlfriend!"

"You owe us a treat!"

"Do you have a photo of her? Let us see what our sister-in-law looks like!"

Amidst the cheerful atmosphere, Shen Wang frowned slightly, "Old Wang, I don’t think your girlfriend is reliable."

Wang Kai, who was beaming a moment ago, stiffened, "Shen, although it's an online relationship, we've spoken on the phone and video called. It’s the modern era; an online relationship is just a way to meet someone. Shen, you're not that old; why are you skeptical about online dating like the older generation?"

The other two roommates quickly tried to smooth things over, "Sorry, Old Wang. My brother didn't mean any harm. He's just a worrywart."

"Shen, maybe you shouldn’t say things like that. It's not very nice."

"It's not about that," Shen Wang paused for a few seconds, "Your forehead is dark, and your face looks dim, not the appearance of someone excited about love, but more like you’re about to suffer financial loss. That girlfriend of yours is probably a scammer."

"Isn't that a reasonable thing to say?"

Wang Kai, a young university student with his pride hurt, clenched his fists and stepped forward, wanting to grab Shen Wang by the collar, "What the hell do you mean by that!"

Li Pingping couldn’t let Shen Wang be bullied, stepping forward with his thin chest puffed out, "Wang Kai! Calm down! My brother didn't mean it, he's just blunt, no bad intentions!"

"How can you say he has no bad intentions when he talks about my girlfriend like that?"

Amidst the chaos, Shen Wang clicked his tongue lightly, "Li Pingping, stop interfering, or you'll bring disaster upon yourself..."

Just as he finished speaking, Wang Kai accidentally knocked something over. A crisp crackling sound froze everyone, their emotions running high.

Li Pingping clutched his foot, wailing in pain as blood quickly seeped from his foot, crying out, "Damn it, hurry up and take me to the infirmary!"

Shen Wang shook his head helplessly, "Making such a fuss over nothing. It's just a minor injury, no need to panic."

Li Pingping's forehead was slightly gray with a barely noticeable drop of red. According to Shen Wang's knowledge of physiognomy, even if it was a 'blood disaster', it was still just a minor injury.

But the others didn't hear Shen Wang's words, panicking as they prepared to take Li Pingping to the infirmary.

Shen Wang: ...Fine, but it's not necessary.