Chapter 78: Started Dating!

Because a leader was coming for an inspection in the afternoon, the dormitory was filled with the sound of cursing.

“I still have a training match, so good luck, guys,” Wang Zuhao said, quickly putting on his sneakers and jersey before bolting out.

“You’re always the fastest to run whenever it’s time to clean,” Chen Xinlong grumbled.

“I’ll buy you guys drinks when I get back!”

Lin Mingxin likely wouldn’t return until evening.

This left only two laborers and one half-crippled guy with a fracture in the dorm.

Fortunately, Qiu Ye wasn’t the type of person who could comfortably watch others work.

Even if one of his hands was incapacitated, he stayed nearby to help with whatever he could.

Chen Xinlong was responsible for sweeping and mopping, while Bai Yao took a bottle of Toilet Cleaner and went into the bathroom with a look of pure disgust.

He planned to scrub the tiles and the toilet.

Fortunately, the bathroom wasn’t too dirty.

Because of a small window, there wasn’t much of a smell, though the slight yellowing of the surfaces was still off-putting.

“Inspecting the dorm on a weekend…”

Bai Yao muttered in dissatisfaction while pouring the Toilet Cleaner into the bowl, trying to cover it evenly.

He poured the rest onto the tiles, focusing especially on the corners, which had already turned black.

“Mom? Yeah, right, the money’s all gone. I went out for the National Day holiday. I couldn’t just stay in the dorm playing games for all seven days, could I?”

Qiu Ye’s voice drifted in from the balcony.

Bai Yao looked out through the half-closed bathroom door out of curiosity and saw Qiu Ye leaning against the railing with his knees bent, talking on the phone with a careless expression.

This was the first time he had seen Qiu Ye talk to his parents.

‘As expected, Qiu Ye’s relationship with his family isn’t that great either, right?’

Looking at that arrogant, rebellious, and defiant expression, he looked like he was asking for a beating.

“Three hundred or five hundred, 1,000 or 2,000, it’s up to you. Yeah, I know. I didn’t spend it recklessly.”

His tone was laced with impatience.

It was obvious that Qiu Ye’s parents were starting to nag him about how hard it was to earn money and how he needed to be frugal.

‘Are everyone’s parents like this?’

No wonder Qiu Ye didn’t want to tell his family about his fracture and surgery, preferring to use his credit service instead.

Qiu Ye noticed Bai Yao’s gaze and turned his head.

He saw a pair of large, almond-shaped eyes peeking through the gap in the door, filled with curiosity and worry.

He had a sudden idea.

“It’s mainly because I’m in a relationship now. My expenses are naturally a bit higher than when I was single.”

‘Dating? How come I didn’t know about this?’

Bai Yao tried hard to recall if Qiu Ye was close with any girls… but there weren’t any, right?

The two of them had been practically glued together lately, and he hadn’t seen Qiu Ye talk to a single girl.

Was it a friend Gu Wanwan had introduced?

Or was it an online relationship! Was it that scandalous?

“Right, right, right. It’s the one from my WeChat moments. She’s okay, right? We went out during National Day, so I had to buy her some gifts.”

‘The one from his WeChat moments?’

Bai Yao was about to take out his phone to check his feed when his eyelid suddenly twitched.

He remembered that when he went mountain climbing with Qiu Ye during the National Day holiday, the guy had taken a photo of the two of them and uploaded it.

‘Damn you! Why did you have to drag me into your scheme to get money from your family!’

‘Who’s your girlfriend? I’m your father!’

“Yeah, I just happen to like short hair. She’s quite good at taking care of people. She didn’t even want the gifts I bought her; I had to insist. Don’t worry, what could she possibly scam me for with this little bit of money?”

“You kept such a tight watch on me in high school, so why are you so happy about me dating in college? Oh, she’s right next to me. If you don’t believe me, I’ll show you on a video call — “

“!!!”

Bai Yao jumped, rushing out of the bathroom and shaking his head frantically at Qiu Ye.

However, he was worried that the elders on the other end of the line would hear him, so he could only move his mouth anxiously and gesture wildly.

Qiu Ye looked at Bai Yao with a grin.

“I’m hanging up.”

“Why are you talking nonsense! What if they find out!”

“The video call is coming.”

“Don’t pick up!”

However, Qiu Ye had already connected the video and turned toward him.

Bai Yao heard the voice of Qiu Ye’s mother coming from the phone.

“Where is she?”

“She’s shy. She’s right here.”

Bai Yao’s face flushed red.

When Qiu Ye turned the phone screen toward him, he immediately displayed a strained, awkward, yet polite smile.

He didn’t dare say a word, fearing that his male voice would be recognized.

“Oh my~ the girl is much prettier than in the photo! She’s so beautiful~”

Bai Yao stared at the screen and nodded stiffly.

Looking at the auntie’s image on the screen…

‘Wow! She looks just like my strict middle school homeroom teacher.’

This made him even more nervous.

He clumsily hid his hands behind his back, his eyes darting around the floor.

“What’s the girl’s name? How did you meet my Qiu Ye? How old are you?”

‘She actually didn’t realize I’m a man at all!’

Qiu Ye turned the screen back to himself and answered for Bai Yao, “Her name is Bai Yao. We’re classmates. I took the initiative to approach her and ask her out. She’s two months younger than me.”

Bai Yao let out a long sigh of relief and shot Qiu Ye an annoyed glare.

“Stop looking. She’s shy. Just send me more money. I’ll bring her back during winter break, and then you can look at her as much as you want.”

‘Winter break my ass!’

“Yeah, yeah, send more money. I’ll stop talking now; we’re about to head out.”

Once the video call ended, Qiu Ye looked up to see Bai Yao staring at him with his hands on his hips, looking quite angry.

Because the posture of having his hands on his hips had intimidated Qiu Ye that morning, Bai Yao mistakenly thought this pose made him look imposing.

In reality, it only highlighted his slender waist.

“I’m going back with you for winter break?”

Bai Yao pointed at his own face and questioned, “What are you thinking?”

“I’ll just say we broke up by then,” Qiu Ye said, hooking his arm around Bai Yao’s shoulder and coaxing him.

“Don’t I want to pay you back sooner? If you cooperate a bit, you can get your money half a month early. You won’t have to worry about me not paying you back anymore.”

“…”

Bai Yao was indeed constantly worried that Qiu Ye would be an ungrateful wolf and wouldn’t pay him back.

He fell silent for a moment before weakly retorting, “Even so, you shouldn’t lie to get money…”

“Hey! The money arrived! Two thousand! I’ll transfer it to you now.”

Bai Yao instantly threw all his previous embarrassment and annoyance to the back of his mind.

He quickly grabbed his phone to check the message.

Soon, a transfer notification arrived from the bank.

“Isn’t this too much?”

“Just rounding it up. Consider it interest.”

Bai Yao was so happy he almost jumped for joy.

However, due to his reserved personality, he suppressed his excitement and stuffed the phone into his pocket.

“Then remember to pay off your credit service too.”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry.”

“I’m going back to cleaning.”

Bai Yao returned to the bathroom with a neutral expression.

Before he could even close the door, he took out his phone again to look at the transfer message.

He stood on his tiptoes in delight and let out a strange sound.

Oh-ho!

“I’ve got money now.”

The System hadn’t been very active lately, and the tasks it gave were too few!

The rewards were only one hundred!

This had kept him in a constant state of anxiety about running out of money.

Now, there was no need to worry at all! He could even go to the hospital for a full physical checkup.

“What was that weird sound?”

Qiu Ye pushed the door open, only to see Bai Yao standing inside with a blank face, playing with his phone.

“It was nothing. You probably misheard.”

Bai Yao turned his back to Qiu Ye.

He truly couldn’t control the smile on his face, his shoulders trembling slightly from the effort.

“I paid you back early, didn’t I? Aren’t you going to say something?”

‘Isn’t it only natural to pay back what you owe? It’s just a bit early, that’s all.’

“Ugh… I didn’t misjudge you! You’re a true brother!”