Inside the private dining room.
Zhu Pengfei and the others poked their heads out.
Watching Chu Yang pick up Lin Qingxue and walk away, the group was instantly frozen in place, utterly dumbfounded.
It was... quite sudden!
Just moments ago, they had been debating whether or not to go over and offer Lin Qingxue a toast, but with Chu Yang, forget all that—he just walked right up and carried her off.
What on earth was going on here?
Lin Qingxue's two roommates were also completely baffled.
In the year since entering university, the boys pursuing Lin Qingxue had ranged from wealthy second-generation heirs to off-campus startup founders, yet without exception, Lin Qingxue had rejected every single one of them. On campus, she didn't even spare a polite glance for any of the male students.
How was it that this freshman had just strolled over and thrown himself right into her arms?
Li Qian was also somewhat surprised.
Given the current situation, there was no telling what kind of gossip might lie between these two.
However, as far as she knew, Lin Qingxue had only ever had a story with one guy—her ex-boyfriend who had died three years ago!
Could Chu Yang be......?
At that thought, Li Qian couldn't help shivering.
Was he equipped with a revival token?
Still, this wasn't the time for her to dwell on too many questions. She quickly hurried over to the barbecue restaurant's cash register, paid the bill, and then, along with the other two roommates, followed after Chu Yang.
***
Outside the barbecue restaurant.
Countless Peking University students were coming and going along the street.
The moment Chu Yang carried Lin Qingxue out of the restaurant, he instantly drew the gaze of numerous students.
"Sisters, sisters, look, look! A bridal style carry! Are we filming an idol drama here?"
"That guy is so handsome! Especially his legs—aren't they way too long?"
"I wish I was the girl in his arms!"
Countless girls covered their mouths in squeals of surprise.
Yet there were also plenty of sharp-eyed guys who recognized Lin Qingxue in Chu Yang's arms, instantly crying out in shock:
"Holy crap! Isn't the girl in that guy's arms sophomore Lin Qingxue?"
"Tsk tsk tsk, what a beast! Let go of my goddess and let me do it!"
"Damn! Has my goddess started dating? The youth of my dreams is over!"
Lin Qingxue dazedly opened her eyes, staring closely at Chu Yang right before her. Her hands instantly looped around Chu Yang's neck, and she clung to his body like a squirrel clinging to a tree. Breath sweet as orchids, she murmured softly, "Chu Yang, is it really you, Chu Yang? You're finally back. Promise me you won't leave again, okay? I promise, I really promise I'll never argue with you again!"
The girl's faint fragrance was mixed with a hint of alcohol, alongside a dazed and restless Lin Qingxue moving about in his arms.
He was, after all, a hot-blooded young man who had only recently turned of age. Lin Qingxue's actions instantly sent Chu Yang's blood boiling.
He couldn't help swallowing hard, looking down helplessly at Lin Qingxue in his arms as a flash of profound doting instantly surfaced in his eyes. "I promise, I won't ever leave you again, okay?"
"Heehee!" Hearing these words from Chu Yang, Lin Qingxue immediately snuggled into his arms and laughed with satisfaction, crying out like a child acting spoiled: "You promised, then! You're never allowed to leave again. If anyone ever disappears without a word again, they're a little puppy—woof, woof, woof, a little puppy!"
Chu Yang nodded repeatedly. "I promise, whoever disappears again is a little puppy—the kind that goes woof, woof, woof."
At that, Lin Qingxue finally calmed down. Nestling obediently in Chu Yang's arms, she slowly drifted off to sleep.
Chu Yang turned his head to look at Li Qian trailing beside them. "Does she usually get like this after drinking?"
Li Qian shook her head repeatedly. "No, no. Even though our dorm occasionally goes out for gatherings to drink beer and stuff, Qingxue has always known her limits and has never gotten drunk."
With that, she couldn't help laughing. "Come to think of it, this is actually our first time seeing Qingxue drunk. Who would've thought that someone usually so cold and aloof would turn out just like a little kid after drinking?"
The two girls following behind nodded in agreement as well.
"I see." Chu Yang nodded slightly, then glanced at the phones the three girls had been holding up the entire time, asking with a puzzled look, "Are you guys... recording this?"
Li Qian's expression hitched. She smiled awkwardly at Chu Yang. "Recording the good times! We're just purely recording what she looks like drunk. Once they wake up from their hangover tomorrow, we'll send it to them so it's easier to help her remember what happened tonight."
Chu Yang's mouth twitched. After stopping himself from speaking several times, he simply dropped a flat remark: "Record if you must, just make sure you make me look good."
"You got it!" Li Qian and the others burst into laughter.
Yet after barely taking two steps, Li Qian looked at Chu Yang with renewed curiosity. "Say, little freshman, you wouldn't happen to be the ex-boyfriend she always talks about who died three years ago, would you?"
Chu Yang pondered for a few seconds. "If nothing unexpected happened, I suppose I should be."
"Then why did she say you..." Li Qian and the others were instantly baffled.
"You guys want to say I've been dead for three years, right?" Chu Yang looked down at Lin Qingxue, who was already fast asleep in his arms, the corners of his mouth involuntarily curling upward. "Actually, I'd really love to know why she claims I've been dead for three years."
Pausing for a few seconds, Chu Yang's smile gradually grew playful. "My... ex-girlfriend!"
***
Led by Li Qian, Chu Yang carried Lin Qingxue all the way to the entrance of their dormitory building before carefully letting her down from his arms. He looked at Li Qian and the others and said, "Senior sisters, please take good care of her inside the dorm tonight!"
"No problem!" Li Qian and the others nodded repeatedly.
Then the girls gathered around Lin Qingxue, supporting her as they walked step by step into the women's dormitory.
Only after the group vanished from sight did Chu Yang turn and leave the entrance of the women's dorm.
When Chu Yang hurried back to the barbecue restaurant, Zhu Pengfei and the others were still sitting composedly inside the private room.
Seeing Chu Yang push open the door and walk in, all three of them stood up simultaneously.
One was responsible for moving a chair over for Chu Yang.
Another was responsible for clearing a clean patch of table space.
The third was responsible for serving Chu Yang hot skewers and a bottle of beer.
After pressing Chu Yang down into his seat, the three of them returned to their own spots in an orderly row. With the air of a three-way tribunal, they stared at Chu Yang with gossipy expressions and demanded, "Number Three, spill! What's the deal? It's only your first day at university, and you've quietly gone and won over the prettiest campus belle at Peking University?"