QTIMP -Chapter 159 Character Persona – Love Brained (Part 30)

“I heard from a relative at home that Si Qiu seems to be dating again, and it’s even that kid Zhou Chenyu’s roommate.”

Snap! The wine glass was crushed in a sudden, forceful grip.

Bai Ye flinched, his neck shrinking instinctively. In his mind, he was grateful he hadn’t revealed that it was his own cousin who had spread the news—otherwise, it would have been easy to get dragged into trouble.

Meanwhile, He Shuo blurted out directly, “Damn it, so after all this, our second brother’s the third party?”

Bai Ye’s hand, which had tried to cover his mouth, was two seconds too late—the words slipped out before he could stop them. This was like pouring fuel on a fire.

“Who?”

“Shi Xuan from the Shi family in Jiangnan,” Bai Ye’s voice lowered considerably.

But the moment the name was spoken, all three of them understood: this wasn’t some ordinary person. He wasn’t someone who could be pushed or coerced into leaving.

What made Zhou Chengyu the most uncomfortable was that he had met this kid before.

It had to be said, the Shi family pursued beauty to the extreme. Whether marrying a wife or a husband, every one of them was stunning, resulting in descendants with exceptionally high attractiveness.

And this kid was among the finest of their generation—not only breathtakingly handsome but also extraordinarily talented.

Thinking of this, Zhou Chengyu suddenly smiled.

He had to admit, that girl Si Qiu—whatever else could be said about her—at least had sharp, discerning taste.

He Shuo nudged Bai Ye with his shoulder. “How did you hear that they’re dating? Was it public?”

Bai Ye dodged slightly but still answered, “I heard that kid pursues people quite openly. He even got into a fight with Zhou Chenyu, and everyone in the dorm heard it. That’s how the news got out.”

He Shuo felt a bit sympathetic for his friend and tried to console him.

“Chengyu, don’t be too upset. That girl Si Qiu is indeed pretty. It’s normal for boys to chase her.”

There was another unspoken truth: who told him to act all calculating all the time? No matter how clever you are, you can’t compete with someone who acts fast and gets results.

Zhou Chengyu picked up another glass, poured a bit of wine, and downed it in one gulp.

“The little girl is young and easily distracted by all the pretty things outside, but in the end, those are just scenery.”

He poured a little more wine. “People get tired of playing around and always return home—and I am her home.”

He downed the last sip and slammed the glass onto the coffee table before standing up and walking out.

The remaining two exchanged glances, both stunned by his bold declaration.

Meanwhile, Si Qiu, having just finished class, saw at the bottom of the stairs Shi Xuan leaning casually against the wall. His highlighted hair caught the sunlight, giving him a rebellious charm.

His sharp, handsome features lit up as he noticed Si Qiu approaching, and he smiled warmly—his whole presence radiated even more warmth than the sunlight.

“Qiu Qiu, didn’t you say you wanted to see me paint? We’re going to eat now. After lunch, I’ll take you to the studio to watch me paint.”

His voice was gentle, like cotton candy softly brushing across your heart—a striking contrast to his confident appearance.

As he spoke, he handed her a freshly picked small flower.

Si Qiu smiled as she accepted it. “Where did you pick this flower?”

Shi Xuan grinned. “The professor called me to the office today. I saw the flowers blooming on the windowsill, so I sneakily picked one.”

Si Qiu couldn’t help but laugh, though the classmates beside her laughed even more brazenly.

“Shi Xuan, are you inviting only Si Qiu to dinner, or all of us too?”

A cute, playful female voice rang out. Si Qiu didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was—there were only six girls in their class, and four of them had already left, leaving two behind.

“Jiang Miao, why’s your face so big! Don’t even talk about Shi Xuan. What does Si Qiu have to do with you? You’re tagging along for dinner?”

Before Si Qiu could respond, Chang Li raised her voice and snapped back.

Jiang Miao’s eyes welled up, and she clutched her chest, shaking her head as she took a step back.

Li Siyu caught her arm, glanced around at the others, and finally looked at Si Qiu.

“Si Qiu, what’s your deal? Only you would, as a girl, constantly think about all this lovey-dovey stuff. Jiang Miao and I just see Shi Xuan as a buddy. In my eyes, there’s no difference between boys and girls. Why are you so sensitive?”

A few sharp claps sounded as Tian Shuang stepped forward, holding her book.

“Qiu Qiu, are these the two girls you mentioned—the green-tea bitch and the manly bitch? One could jump into the Yellow River and serve green tea to the entire nation, and the other has every man in the world as her ‘good bro.’ Tsk tsk tsk!”

Her words hit the group of college students like a splash of cold water. Silence fell for a moment, then they all burst into laughter.

Jiang Miao and Li Siyu’s faces darkened. They looked around, but no one came to their defense. After all, college students are one of the purest groups, yet also one of the sharpest.

Unless someone is deliberately picking a fight, in a top-tier university like this, even if your emotional intelligence is low, your IQ cannot be lacking.

Of course, if your character is bad and you purposely provoke, then that’s another matter.

Finally, the two girls fixed their gaze on Shi Xuan. Si Qiu tilted her head slightly and looked at him too.

Seeing this, Shi Xuan’s lips curved into a small smile. He raised his hand and spoke up loudly:

“First, I want to apologize for holding everyone up for dinner. Second, I need to clarify that I don’t know these two girls at all. The reason I’m here is that I’m pursuing Si Qiu, and we were just discussing where to eat. These two suddenly inserted themselves into our conversation, then started unfairly blaming Si Qiu. I condemn the behavior of these two students and hope that in the future, they think twice before acting, and refrain from tarnishing Q University’s reputation.”

As soon as he finished, scattered applause broke out. Shi Xuan then gave a subtle glance to Si Qiu, and they quickly slipped through the crowd and headed to the parking lot.

Once things settled down, the group stood there laughing heartily.

At this point, no matter what Shi Xuan said, he couldn’t ditch the other three girls to take Si Qiu out for dinner—and Si Qiu definitely wouldn’t agree. So, the group had lunch together.

Later, the three roommates smartly returned to the dorm first, leaving space for the two of them to be alone. The studio wasn’t far from the school, but driving still took more than ten minutes.

The studio wasn’t in a busy area but on a quiet street. When they entered, the lights were turned on, illuminating one by one.

The layout of the entire studio revealed itself. To Si Qiu, it seemed messy, but as soon as Shi Xuan stepped in, he looked completely at ease.

“Qiu Qiu, I’ll hold your hand—don’t trip over anything on the floor.” She blushed slightly and reached out; Si Qiu took her hand gently, holding it as he guided her forward.

“You study oil painting?”

“Mm, not exactly. My family trained me in traditional Chinese painting, and I’m better at painting beauties. Later, I got influenced a bit and started liking oil painting, but my family opposed me studying abroad. So, in a fit of rebellion, I applied here and didn’t follow my family’s plan, going to study what I wanted instead.”