Chapter 3 Cliché Soap Opera

Chapter 3: Melodramatic Soap Opera

Hong Kong is usually rainy, but the next day turned out beautiful—clear blue sky, no wind, no clouds.

At 9:30 in the morning, Wu Sihan leisurely cruised his beat-up Porsche up to the Mid-Levels to pick up Guan Junshan.

Guan Junshan had been basking in the sun, and when he saw Wu Sihan flip his wrist to show his watch, he said sternly, like a boss clocking in a subordinate: "Fifteen minutes late."

Wu Sihan ignored him, rolled down the window, and asked with a grin: "Is Aunt still mad from this morning?"

Guan Junshan didn't answer; he got into the car, cold-faced and condescending.

They arrived at HKU around 10:30. The lecture hall was already packed. When the bell rang, Song Yanxin, holding a microphone, stepped onto the podium. Today she wore a beige casual outfit, with her hair in a high ponytail and delicate light makeup, looking youthful and beautiful.

It's rare to have such a young female guest speaker. Song Yanxin is both beautiful and capable, already a goddess in their circle.

The applause was thunderous. Wu Sihan, as her number one fan, shouted excitedly from the front row: "BB, so gorgeous!"

Guan Junshan reached out and restrained him, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Wu Sihan thought he was just jealous and shot him a smug look.

Guan Junshan clapped expressionlessly, long accustomed to his love-sick mindset.

The atmosphere was lively. Near the end, someone with sharp eyes spotted Guan Junshan in the audience, and the crowd urged him to go up and speak.

After all, setting aside his identity with Guan's Group, Guan Junshan was already a prominent figure in HKU's Finance Department during his undergraduate years, and he and Song Yanxin could be considered sort of alumni.

Guan Junshan wasn't well-prepared. Taking the microphone, he first praised Song Yanxin. The young students immediately teased: "Mr. Guan, are you dating Senior Yanxin?"

Guan Junshan was equally direct: "I'm not as lucky as my cousin."

Someone didn't want to be outdone: "Mr. Guan, Mr. Guan, you're so handsome, what's your ideal type?"

Guan Junshan smiled and answered: "I'm not really into romance."

The audience erupted in murmurs.

Guan Junshan's voice, carried by the microphone, had a natural coolness and restraint: "Humans are emotional beings. Falling in love is basically giving up your survival instincts to chase a hormone rush."

The chit-chat ended. Guan Junshan got down to business, announcing that Guan's Group was planning to expand the scale of its Hong Kong branch. There would be a batch of direct-hire positions, prioritized for HKU graduates with relevant majors.

Everyone immediately cheered. Everyone knew Guan's had great benefits and treatment; getting a job there would be a dream come true.

In these times, a good employer was like a savior, so until Guan Junshan walked out of the lecture hall, students surrounded him, chorusing: "Thank you, Mr. Guan!"

Fortunately, it was noon, and for students, rushing to the cafeteria for lunch was the priority.

Song Yanxin still had to give interviews to several school newspaper media, with Wu Sihan accompanying her. Guan Junshan therefore parted from them first, agreeing to meet again in an hour.

He hadn't been back to stroll around in a long time. Walking aimlessly, he thought about how every inch of land in Hong Kong was precious, so the campus area was naturally small. After touring around, Guan Junshan felt a bit thirsty and found a nearby vending machine to buy a drink.

He selected a drink and inserted coins, but the vending machine got stuck while dispensing the can. The can hung in midair, seemingly about to fall but not quite.

Guan Junshan stood there with arms crossed, waiting for a while. He tried tapping the "dispense" button on the screen, but the system seemed completely frozen. After struggling for half a minute, the screen went completely white.

Guan Junshan had never encountered such a thing. He walked around the vending machine, then reached out and whacked the casing.

The stuck spring jiggled, but the can didn't budge.

Just as Guan Junshan was about to give up, a figure suddenly appeared from somewhere, approached him, and asked softly: "Stuck?"

Guan Junshan didn't reply. He took half a step back to maintain distance; he always paid attention to boundaries and wouldn't allow others to get too close.

Fortunately, the other person didn't mind. He directly slapped the casing twice with a force that was on a completely different level from Guan Junshan's earlier attempt, startling the birds in the tree, which fluttered off.

Guan Junshan frowned slightly and was about to stop him, about to say "No need."

With a loud clang, maybe brute force really works wonders, the stuck can actually fell down.

"There you go." The person bent down, took the drink from the dispensing slot, and handed it to him. "Yours."

Guan Junshan purposefully avoided his fingers, lowered his eyes, and the "Thank you" that was about to leave his lips was cut off halfway—

The other person looked up, revealing a delicate fair face, moist red lips, and eyes behind glasses that were dark and shiny.

Guan Junshan, rarely caught off guard, froze for a moment.

—Lin—Lin something?

Lin... Hao Da? Was that the name?

Guan Junshan stood frozen, thinking, "How is he here?"

Lin Haoda, however, blinked with a guileless look, as if he didn't remember him at all, and urged: "Take it."

Guan Junshan stared at him, quite ungentlemanly, licked his lips: "You—"

But Lin Haoda couldn't wait; he shoved the cold can into Guan Junshan's hand and ran off.

The midday sun was blazing, sunlight glinting through the gaps in the leaves.

Guan Junshan narrowed his eyes, his gaze following Lin Haoda's back through the large swaths of hot sunlight. Then he looked down, his thumb rubbing the fine condensation on the can. The cool, moist feel was just like the brief touch of Lin Haoda's fingers.

Surprisingly, Guan Junshan did not feel offended or impatient as he usually would.

He noticed Lin Haoda wasn't heading toward the dorms or cafeteria. He wasn't even a student here—why would he head to a deserted spot at this time?

Guan Junshan opened the can and took a sip of the drink. The cold, fizzy bubbles filled his mouth instantly.

Even though he didn't want to admit it, he found himself unexpectedly interested in the elusive Lin Haoda.

Anyway, it was still early.

Guan Junshan didn't take long to decide; he took a long stride and followed.

Guan Junshan followed Lin Haoda to the Lovers' Slope behind the teaching building.

At first, he wondered how Lin Haoda had found this place through all those winding paths.

Hearing Lin Haoda immediately demand fifty thousand, Guan Junshan was surprised. He couldn't imagine what expression that harmless-looking face was making.

Just then, another voice sounded, and Guan Junshan got a hint of the situation. It turned out Lin Haoda had come all the way to Hong Kong to collect a debt.

All that heart-wrenching drama—any normal person would have been drawn in, but Guan Junshan felt nothing after listening. He had never cared for melodramatic soap operas.

Besides, no one can guarantee they won't change their heart tomorrow. Romance was a high-risk business investment.

Eavesdropping on a conversation was always somewhat unethical. Guan Junshan finished his drink in one gulp and was about to leave when Lin Haoda’s voice came from the other side of the bushes:

"A lot of times you think you can fool me, but that's only because I let you."

Guan Junshan paused mid-step, suddenly reminded of Wu Manzhen for some reason.

If love didn’t have to be narrowly defined as romance or family affection, then in a way, Guan Junshan and Lin Haoda were equals.

—Because they were in the same boat.

In that moment, Guan Junshan felt a rare sense of consolation from finding a fellow companion.

Perhaps it was that consolation that made him instinctively turn his head, glancing through the gaps in the branches as he walked away.

—Lin Haoda was also turning to leave, completely unaware that the scumbag ex behind him was reaching out with a dark expression, trying to grab his arm.

As if driven by some unseen force, Guan Junshan stopped and coughed twice.

Lin Haoda seemed to sense something, turned around, and his gaze drifted in that direction.

Luckily, the arborvitae on this side was over a man's height—though Guan Junshan didn’t think there was much need to hide.

He hadn’t planned to stay and watch the drama; he just thought: This place is remote and quiet. If Lin Haoda dawdles any longer, tomorrow morning’s social news will probably dedicate a whole page to him.

Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. Guan Junshan glanced at the screen—it was Wu Sihan.

He answered, and Wu Sihan asked where he was, saying that Song Yanxin was almost finished and asked where they should meet.

“The restaurant,” Guan Junshan said after a moment of thought. “I’m nearby anyway. We can grab lunch before heading back to the Mid-Levels.”

Wu Sihan let out an “Ah,” clearly unimpressed. “Seriously? What’s so great about a college cafeteria?”

He added, “Since you’re back for once, why not go for that roast goose in Mong Kok?”

Guan Junshan glanced at his watch, hesitated, then relented. “What about Yanxin? Ask her what she thinks.”

Wu Sihan, still on the phone, ran over and pounded on the dressing room door, dragging out his words: “Yanxin BB—”

For the next full minute, Guan Junshan held the phone in exasperation, listening to him make a racket on the other end.

That only made the silence around Guan Junshan seem even more pronounced. He moved the phone away slightly, noting the area was empty and quiet, so he assumed Lin Haoda had left.

Wu Sihan was still rambling on the phone when Guan Junshan was about to cross the lawn. Suddenly, a short, startled cry came from behind him.

Guan Junshan turned around, his expression changing, and spoke rapidly into the phone: “Something’s come up, I’ll call you back.”

Wu Sihan didn’t even have time to respond before the call was cut off.

Guan Junshan hung up and strode onto the lawn. Lin Haoda had just twisted his ankle, lost his balance, and was teetering forward like a comical duck about to fall.

At that moment, Guan Junshan didn’t have time to think about social distance or personal space. For a split second, he regretted rushing in too fast, but by the time he realized it, he had already lost the chance to change the outcome.

—He had reached out without hesitation and caught Lin Haoda firmly.

Lin Haoda stumbled into his arms, his shoulders thin and trembling.

He seemed badly shaken and didn’t move for a long time. Guan Junshan gave him time to recover, but it went on too long and exceeded his patience.

He couldn’t understand how Lin Haoda always ended up in all kinds of trouble—this time even bordering on attempted assault.

But Lin Haoda just looked up at him, not moving or speaking, except for a couple of weak struggles at first.

Guan Junshan noticed his lips had turned pale and lost their color, and one leg of his glasses was broken, dangling precariously on the bridge of his nose.

“…Are you okay?” After a moment’s hesitation, Guan Junshan expressed his concern.

Lin Haoda was still dazed, slowly nodded, then used Guan Junshan’s arm to adjust his stance and stood up a little straighter.

“How’s your foot?” Guan Junshan lowered his eyes, signaling him to check his ankle.

“…It’s okay.” Lin Haoda moved his leg slightly and answered in a small voice.

Guan Junshan pushed him back a little and was about to say something else when something flew toward them from the corner of his eye.

They were too close, and Lin Haoda instinctively grabbed his sleeve. “Watch out!”

But Guan Junshan reacted faster. He turned sideways abruptly, shielding Lin Haoda with half his body, and then—bang—the coffee thrown at them splattered all over him.

His expensive suit was drenched, brown liquid dripping from the hem.

Lin Haoda gasped, stunned for a moment, then reached out to wipe it off.

But Guan Junshan lightly grabbed his wrist, his expression darkening. He raised an eyebrow at the culprit standing a few steps away and said, “Sir, I can sue you for intentional harm.”

“Lin Haoda! Aren’t you the one threatening me?” Liang Yuan ignored him completely, already frantic, lunging forward to grab Lin Haoda, who was hiding behind Guan Junshan. “Get out here!”

Guan Junshan didn’t budge, nor did he show any intention of handing Lin Haoda over. His tone matched his stance: firm. “This is a school. I’m warning you—security will be here soon.”

Liang Yuan pulled back his hand, looked away, and then refocused on the man in front of him.

Guan Junshan was broad-shouldered and imposing, half a head taller than Liang Yuan, standing like a towering mountain, immovable.

Logically speaking, he shouldn’t have meddled in this messy emotional entanglement. He could have just watched coldly, like he had been eavesdropping earlier, and whether to step in or not was entirely up to his conscience.

But—that was Guan Junshan.

He showed little reaction to a regrettable love story, yet when faced with an accidental, dangerous, and somewhat unfair situation, he exuded an incredibly composed and reliable aura.

From behind and to the side, Lin Haoda also got a clear look at Guan Junshan’s face.

The stranger’s features were too striking—brows thick and deep, nose very straight, eyelids slightly drooping with a narrow, shallow crease. His lower lip was thin and pale, a color close to cappuccino rose, not full but distinct.

“You…” Liang Yuan faltered, fell silent for a while, then thought for a moment: “Who are you?”

He added, “And what business is it of yours!”

He wasn’t a finance major and rarely followed the news, so it wasn’t surprising he didn’t recognize Guan Junshan.

Guan Junshan just smiled. He was a master of negotiation, sensing that Liang Yuan’s confidence was already crumbling. “If you back off now, it’s still not too late to salvage things.”

“You’re a student at HKU. You know how many surveillance cameras are here. If something really bad happens—”

Guan Junshan deliberately paused for two or three seconds, watching his expression. “Do you think you’d still have the chance to stand here and talk?”

“Liang Yuan.” Lin Haoda interjected at the right moment, his voice hoarse. “I don’t want to destroy everything you have.”

Liang Yuan lifted his eyes to look at him.

Lin Haoda stepped out from behind Guan Junshan, standing on the sunlit lawn, pale-faced, trying to stay calm. “I just want my money back.”