Chapter 385

Chapter 385

◎Throwing One's Weight Around◎

After searching various platforms and even asking lawyer friends, Xiao Ye finally accepted the reality that the legal age for marriage was twenty-two.

He stared at the result with a puzzled expression: "I could’ve sworn they adjusted the marriage age—men only needed to be twenty, right? Did I misremember?"

Ji Nanxing glanced at the man unwilling to face reality and leisurely flipped a page of his book: "It’s always been twenty-two. You’ve got years to go, so stop thinking about it."

Xiao Ye threw himself onto the sofa, wrapping his arms around Ji Nanxing. Despite his tall frame, he clung to him like a clingy koala, nestling into Ji Nanxing’s chest: "Then promise me—when you think about getting married, I’m the only one you’ll consider."

Ji Nanxing chuckled: "We’ll see how you do."

Xiao Ye whined for a while before suddenly remembering something: "Our club is entering a competition—a niche robotics event, purely for fun. We couldn’t secure funding, so I want to invest some money and form a team to participate. Just for experience. Twenty thousand max."

Truthfully, it wouldn’t even take that much. But if Xiao Ye was going to participate, he wanted the robot’s components to be top-tier. According to their group’s original plan, they’d prioritize functionality over aesthetics, assembling a robot from spare parts for ten to twenty thousand, tops thirty.

But Xiao Ye wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to get into smart tech and start building his crew early. He saw potential in the members, but since the semester had just started, there wasn’t much camaraderie yet. So, he decided to win them over with funding first—other things could come later.

Ji Nanxing nodded: "Go for it. I’ll transfer you a million—spend it as you see fit."

Xiao Ye grinned and kissed his cheek: "I have money—I just wanted to report my extra spending to you. I’ll take you to the competition later."

Ji Nanxing almost said such a small amount didn’t need reporting, but he held back. Sharing was what kept them close, and reporting was a form of sharing. If Xiao Ye enjoyed sharing with him, he’d accept it.

Ji Nanxing’s life already had enough drama, and he disliked loud socializing, so he hadn’t joined any clubs. When Xiao Ye had club activities and Ji Nanxing had no classes, he’d go to the library to read, waiting for Xiao Ye to finish before meeting up.

Without unnecessary socializing, university life was chill and quiet. Since he didn’t stay in the dorm often, there were no roommate conflicts. With Xiao Ye always by his side, he never lacked company—having companionship while still enjoying personal space made everything perfect.

Except for those who kept trying to cozy up to him. That was annoying.

Most university classmates were normal, more concerned about morning classes, cafeteria food, and roommate dynamics than gossip. But there were always a few opportunistic types.

Ji Nanxing’s looks were outstanding, and his family background only added to his appeal. Even with a boyfriend clearly by his side, many still shot their shot.

Some even outright hinted they didn’t need commitment—just a one-night stand.

Ji Nanxing never let Xiao Ye know about these incidents. If he found out, he’d blow a gasket, quit all club activities, and glue himself to Ji Nanxing’s side 24/7.

Another guy waited for him in the library, deliberately sitting across from him before sliding him a note. Ji Nanxing didn’t even glance at it before tossing it aside, packing his books to return to the dorm.

But the guy blocked his path: "Xiao Ye’s good-looking, but there are plenty more attractive people out there. Why not look around, Mr. Ji?"

Ji Nanxing eyed the person blocking him: "Who? You?"

He gave him a once-over but didn’t say anything—the implication was clear: Don’t even try.

The guy stopping Ji Nanxing was Gao Xiang, decently handsome and well-off. He drove a 400-500k car in university, owned multiple properties, and had monthly spending money of ten to twenty grand. His background far surpassed most, so he’d always been confident.

But confidence tipped into sleaze.

He knew his family wasn’t nearly wealthy enough to match the Ji family, but compared to Xiao Ye, he figured he had the upper hand. Even with same-sex marriage legalized, it was still a minority—meaning fewer options.

Ji Nanxing’s looks and background weren’t just ideal—they were beyond that. If Xiao Ye could have him, Gao Xiang believed he stood an even better chance.

Gao Xiang: "Sometimes, inner qualities matter more than looks in a partner."

Ji Nanxing couldn’t be bothered to reply and moved to walk past.

Gao Xiang followed behind him: "A man with no real skills is just eye candy. Don’t you think so?"

Ji Nanxing: "I think you talk too much."

With that, he ignored him and pushed past to leave.

Gao Xiang didn’t chase after him, just watched him walk away with a confident smile.

After leaving the library, Ji Nanxing felt the guy’s words were a dig, so he changed direction to look for Xiao Ye at his student club. On the way, he ran into Xiao Ye, who had come to find him.

Xiao Ye always ran to him when they met, closing the distance in a few quick strides, his eyes bright with delight: "Were you coming to the club to find me? Next time, just call me first—why waste the trip?"

As he spoke, he pulled Ji Nanxing into the shade of a tree: "Isn’t it too hot out here? Why didn’t you wait for me at the library?"

Ji Nanxing: "You finished early today?"

Xiao Ye: "Nothing much was happening. Just some jerk throwing his weight around. I couldn’t be bothered arguing, so I left early."

Ji Nanxing: "Throwing his weight around?"

Knowing Ji Nanxing had no afternoon classes and that he himself was free now, Xiao Ye suggested heading home. On the way, he briefly explained what happened with the club.

What had started as a low-key competition—more of an exchange event within their circle—had turned into a serious contest after sponsorship from a tech company. The top three teams would receive varying cash prizes, but more importantly, the winners could earn credit points.

Beyond that, the champion team would also get internship opportunities at the company.

Xiao Ye: "The sponsor is P.T., a big name in AI tech, mainly focused on robotics. They don’t just sponsor any competition, so winning this would look killer on a resume. It’d make getting an offer from them much easier later."

Ji Nanxing understood: "So what was just a chill hobby thing changed because of the company’s involvement. You said someone in your club was throwing their weight around—was it over this competition? What did they want? To take your team’s robot because they didn’t prepare in time?"

Originally, this had been a minor event, but since it was Xiao Ye’s first time fully participating, he’d taken it seriously. Many of the parts had been sourced through his connections, upgrading their robot far beyond its initial specs—hence the budget of around 100,000 to 200,000.

Now that the stakes were higher—not just credit points but a shot at a top company—it had naturally become everyone’s dream opportunity.

Xiao Ye: "There’s this guy named Li who wanted to buy our team’s work and enter under his name. He said since I’m just a freshman and new to the club, I shouldn’t even be leading a team. He offered to pay me back for my investment and said I could walk away."

Xiao Ye laughed at the memory: "Nobody cared about this competition before, so no one signed up. But after the deadline passed, news of the sponsorship got out, and suddenly everyone was scrambling."

Ji Nanxing: "How was he throwing his weight around?"

Xiao Ye: "Tried to use the school against me. Had the club president drag me into it, threatening to pull funding for the whole club."

At first, Li Rong had approached him directly, acting all superior, asking how much he’d invested and offering to pay him back in exchange for the team spot. But when he heard it was nearly 200,000, Li didn’t believe him, thinking he was scamming him.

Xiao Ye wasn’t about to hand over their work. After he refused, Li Rong compromised—instead of kicking him out, he wanted Xiao Ye to give up being team captain and stay as a member.

When Xiao Ye refused again, Li seemed to lose patience and stopped dealing with him directly. The next day, the club president got dragged into it.

*"You’re just a freshman—you’ll have plenty more chances. Li Rong’s a senior; this internship is a rare opportunity for him. We talked it over, and he’s willing to compensate you fairly for all the effort you’ve put into the team. How about this—I promise you can lead a team in next month’s Youth Tech Competition. No freshman’s ever done that before."*

*"Besides compensation, he’s also agreed to donate equipment to the club. You know how it is—our club spends more than it earns. Getting funding every year is tough. Most members aren’t well-off; they’re here because they love it. Just do this for the club."*

Between the lines, the president made it clear Li had pull. Since he’d graduate soon anyway, there was no point in making an enemy of him.

Xiao Ye shot that down right away: *"I don’t respond well to threats. If he’s got what it takes, let him try to take the team. Don’t sweat it—just stay out of it. Even if I quit the club, I’m finishing this competition first."*

Getting this off his chest, Xiao Ye leaned against Ji Nanxing: "You were coming to find me at the club—did you hear something?"

Ji Nanxing smiled at him: "Yeah. Someone was talking trash about you in front of me, saying a man shouldn’t just be good-looking—he needs actual skills."

Xiao Ye immediately went on high alert: "Who! Who’s spreading rumors about me? Why are they talking trash about me? Are they after something from you?"

Ji Nanxing pushed his head aside. "You should worry about how to fix your own mess first."

Xiao Ye snorted. "I'd like to see how he dares to bully people. Let's see what connections he has at school. Daring to steal from me? As soon as his allies show themselves, I'll wipe them all out!"

Author's Note:

Still a supernatural story, no sudden tonal shifts—don’t worry, feel free to keep reading.