It wasn’t only Mr. Gu who felt exasperated.

There was also Liu, a classmate from the Computer Science department, who had previously regretted speaking out.

Liu really had suffered an undeserved misfortune. At most, he had mentioned something that everyone already knew. Who could have expected that these two crazy boys would make such a scene?

When he learned about the situation, he felt uneasy but still came to see what was happening. What surprised him was that besides hearing the two repeating the same arguments like a broken record, he also saw Gu Yan’s father almost committing an act of filial justice—because the “prince” had almost caused their family’s construction project to have a “jumper discount.”

In the end, it took the school leaders to intervene to calm him down.

Liu couldn’t even count how many times he heard the leaders say: “The kids are still young!” “They don’t know better!” “Wait until the kids come down!” “Calm down! Calm down!”

Just watching the school leaders fiercely persuading the parents made Liu feel that the day was worth the ticket.

However, what made him feel he truly gained something came afterward.

Liu saw the three men in front of him, all tense, and without a word, he quickly typed on his phone, starting to livestream to the group chat.

“…Oh no, Boss Ye seems to be in trouble. That champion, his teammate, just exposed Boss Ye secret and revealed the co-first authorship thing. Now nobody is speaking on site, and the atmosphere feels weird. I’m starting to get scared, everyone.”

Once Liu said this, it was like scattering bait in a densely packed fish pond. Instantly, a group of Computer Science classmates who were close friends swarmed in—shouting “Boss! Boss!” Some male classmates even started calling him “Dad.”

After all, in moments like this, whoever has gossip becomes “Dad.”

Especially when it was such big gossip.

The “Gu Family Prince went to the rooftop for love,” the “Gu Family Prince’s rooftop was on their own property,” and “Mr. Gu nearly got furious”—these were enough for Liu to gain a sort of honorary fatherhood status in the group, not to mention the gossip about Boss Ye he would next report.

Ye Wangxing, who had independently completed a system as a freshman, written a paper, and even submitted it to a journal, now also had the co-first authorship incident. Within the department, he transformed from “Gu Yan’s unlucky roommate” to “Boss Ye.”

At first, some classmates hesitated to accept this title. But after Liu shared his complex romantic experiences and how he handled two men simultaneously with such skill, everyone immediately admired him.

Never mind whether such persuasion skills could attract a Boss—their looks would hardly suffice—but if these skills could be used to persuade professors for graduate recommendations, success would be imminent!

Thus, the group chat became unusually lively, and everyone commented: “No worries, Boss, just go forward boldly. Trust me, all of us in the CS department will cheer for you!”

“Exactly, Dad! Just ask what happened. Don’t worry, they won’t hurt you.”

“Yes, Boss. At most, you’ll get a minor punishment, but you have all our respect in the CS department!”

The dozen or so classmates in the chat excitedly joined in.

After enjoying the attention, Liu obediently typed: “You’re right, but… I don’t dare.”

“…Coward.”

The classmates, who had gathered for gossip, immediately stopped calling him “Dad” and turned to mock Liu’s courage.

“I swear, I don’t believe you’d dare if you were there. Both of them are over 1.9 meters tall. Even Boss Ye is over 1.8 meters, with muscles that could take out two of me with one punch. I guarantee that you guys, who play games in the dorm every day, would all be toast if you went together.”

Liu’s words silenced the group, as the photos he had secretly taken confirmed it—Ye Wangxing’s athletic build compared to their skinny frames made him look like a model, and they looked like kids in comparison.

Still, some in the chat weren’t satisfied. Liu’s gossip had been incredible, and they wanted to know how Ye Wangxing would handle this deadly situation.

With a fiancé and a childhood friend both present, the sudden appearance of a third party in any story—whether in visual novels or galgames—usually signals a plotline disaster.

Finally, when the classmates in the chat were anxiously waiting, Liu spoke again.

“Oh my, Boss Ye truly lives up to his title. He admitted it so confidently, and even said that the co-first author was considered his teacher, so it was normal to list him as co-first author.”

The group chat immediately exploded.

“He just admitted it? Didn’t the other two react?”

Liu continued.

“Of course they reacted. Their expressions turned instantly ugly, faces black as ink. But Boss Ye’s brilliance is that he still dared to talk to them at this moment—I’m going to eavesdrop.”

The group was filled with anticipation.

“Boss/Dad, we’re counting on you!”

Before long, Liu returned to the chat with a shocked emoji.

The classmates’ excitement peaked.

Liu didn’t disappoint them.

“—Wow, it turns out the co-first author was Ye Wangxing’s fiancé’s own nephew!”

The group chat exploded again, and Liu continued sharing more gossip.

“—Apparently, he grew up with Ye Wangxing from childhood! He even looks similar to his uncle, but more delicate! And he doesn’t like to talk much.”

It wasn’t only Liu who was commenting.

The classmates in the group chat immediately visualized a refined and handsome young man based on his words.

But then they turned to the official group page of Boss Ye’s fiancé and saw the co-first author.

“…The face is nice, but the physique…”

One classmate in the chat commented awkwardly.

“It feels like a Northeast Golden Shaded Shorthair without the black stripes.”

Most of the classmates nodded, but then someone sighed: “Still, as expected of Boss Ye, this one is also exceptional. I wonder if he can handle it?”

Although they said this, most in the chat were joking. After all, while many people tried to manage two “ships,” very few could harmonize two at the same time, and even make them reconcile when both were unhappy.

Adding a third “ship” in this situation was practically hell-level difficulty.

Even Liu admitted,

“That’s true, and actually whether those two are even ‘ships’ is debatable, since neither of them considers themselves Boss Ye’s boyfriend.”

This aroused curiosity in the group, but Liu quickly changed the topic.

“By the way, don’t you feel like we’ve forgotten something? I feel like there’s something we missed…”

He typed this on his phone, and several classmates responded that they felt the same way.

Then Liu heard a voice nearby.

“—Right, by now, Gu Yan and Mu Bai’s rescue plan should be ready. Let’s go see if we can help.”

Liu looked up and saw Ye Wangxing speaking anxiously to two people, while Mu Bai’s teammate, who was one of his family members, slapped his forehead and rushed toward the firefighters.

Liu, realizing the truth, quickly typed in the group chat in shock: “Woc! We forgot those two crazy boys on the rooftop!”

He immediately ignored the chat discussion and rushed over.

Other classmates also went over, but except for the family members and Liu, everyone else was held outside.

The firefighters felt helpless. They had never seen anyone argue so relentlessly. The two had been arguing for a full two hours. The firefighters even went around checking gossip, and they were still at it.

The school leaders were also exasperated. Initially, they thought it was a school teaching accident, but now it seemed likely they could end up in ridiculous news—as the backdrop.

Mr. Gu, aside from being slightly worried, had grown numb. The air cushion had been inflated for an hour, the ladder truck had been adjusted, and the medics in the ambulance were secretly yawning. It seemed his son’s safety was guaranteed. If his son delayed any longer, he might even have to wait for his mother.

—Ms. Pei still had three hours before arriving in A City.

Li Qing and Lao Er felt better, since they had long given up on Gu Yan and Mu Bai. They weren’t as anxious as others, they were just there out of a faint sense of camaraderie.

Their attention focused more on Ye Wangxing.

Although he looked calm and smiling, the crescent marks on his hands showed that he was extremely nervous.

Li Qing understood exactly why Ye Wangxing was tense.

If two ambiguous partners gathered, they would be nervous to the extreme.

But unlike Ye Wangxing, they had no on-the-spot adaptability. He had calmed those two with just a few words.

—Although they both felt this calm was a little unusual, at least they were quiet.

Li Qing watched the two, expressionless and seemingly deep in thought.

If Li Qing told Mr. Gu about his worries, Mr. Gu would surely explain that his nephew wasn’t actually calm.

He was waiting for the best moment to strike—a “big move.”

The other boy was probably similar to his nephew.

But Li Qing’s experience was limited, and Mr. Gu’s attention was fully on his son.

—The firefighters had decided to have Ye Wangxing speak to the two on the rooftop.

Based on the conversation skills they had just heard from Ye Wangxing, the two might actually listen.

Of course, the firefighters interest in gossip was trivial.

When Ye Wangxing heard the request from the firefighters, he was a little surprised.

But after understanding the situation, he immediately nodded in agreement. For safety, the call was set up by the firefighters above: they held the phone speaker near their device while Ye Wangxing persuaded the two.

Everyone on site had already given up hope, but to their surprise, Ye Wangxing actually managed to persuade the two to calm down.

“…Why did you two, who obviously love each other so much, hurt yourselves and make the other regret it?”

“…If either of you got hurt, the other would be in unbearable pain. Even someone like me, an outsider, can see that. Do you really want to hurt each other?”

“…Gu Yan, did you forget the vows you made with Mu Bai? Mu Bai, did you forget all the little moments you shared with Gu Yan?”

The three melodramatic lines had an immediate effect, even the fire captain murmured in shock.

“No wonder our words didn’t work. Turns out we weren’t addressing the real issue…”

For love-obsessed people, talking about family or friends never worked—it had to be about their romance. The nearby firefighters also looked at Ye Wangxing with admiration.

While everyone else was pleased, the only one not happy, Mr. Gu, covered his face, feeling like he had lost all dignity in his life.

Not only was his child a love-brain, but he was also easily comforted by a few words.

Fortunately, it seemed Gu Yan could be saved soon. Their emotions had calmed, and the way they looked at each other had a hint of affection. The two firefighters slowly approached them.

However, when the firefighters were only two or three meters away, Mu Bai whispered something, and Gu Yan muttered in dissatisfaction. Their emotions flared up again instantly.

Those below were both anxious and confused.

“What’s wrong with them? Why did Mu Bai suddenly get so agitated?”

Mr. Gu said nervously, his eyes fixed on the two who had suddenly started pulling and tugging each other.

The originally tense firefighters, seeing their teammates slap their thighs, had a bad premonition. After hearing the report from above, they didn’t know what to say.

Finally, one firefighter, after hesitating several times, spoke to Mr. Gu with a serious expression.

“Mr. Gu, it seems the two up there got so emotional because…” The firefighter swallowed before continuing.

“Your son told his boyfriend that he had other options besides him—and he showed the chat records with that ‘other choice.’”

“……”

Mr. Gu froze on the spot. It wasn’t just him, everyone around him was also stunned.

After a long moment, the firefighter heard Mr. Gu murmur: “—Is he crazy?”

Everyone nearby, whether students, teachers, or school leaders, nodded instinctively.

Fortunately, the firefighter restrained himself, turned to Ye Wangxing seriously, and was about to ask if he could intervene again. But the next second…

“Ah!”

Accompanied by the students’ screams, the firefighter instinctively looked up—and saw two figures falling straight from the rooftop.

The next second,

they landed heavily on the air cushion.

Half an hour later…

“…Preliminary diagnosis: both have fractured legs.”

The medical staff, wearing masks, spoke. As they did, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief, looking as if pardoned, which confused the medical staff.

After all, families usually don’t react so calmly when a child jumps off a building.

Once the new medical staff understood the situation and saw the two on the hospital beds, relief mirrored the families’ expressions.

—Compared to them recklessly risking their lives intact, broken legs were much safer.

This was also Mr. Gu’s thought.

He even wished Gu Yan could take longer to recover, ignoring his wife’s anger. But he believed that, seeing his wayward son, his wife would not blame him for being harsh.

After all, only a fool would show someone else’s chat records to the boyfriend they were about to reconcile with—but his son did it.

And the reason?

—Because Mu Bai said, since no one else wanted Gu Yan, he reluctantly took him.

Mr. Gu felt genuinely suffocated hearing how it started.

If they didn’t love each other, Ye Wangxing’s words—“hurting yourself will hurt the other”—made them stop from jumping.

If they did love each other, Gu Yan didn’t understand Mu Bai’s tsundere words, and Mu Bai didn’t realize Gu Yan didn’t understand, causing them to almost fall in the tug-of-war.

After all that, they didn’t break up, instead, they grew even closer.

The way they looked at each other was full of love.

Mr. Gu even thought them being together was fine—they at least wouldn’t harm other children.

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. He had to handle the aftermath for his foolish son.

He sighed, asking his assistant to discuss the situation with the school leaders while he got into the ambulance. Gu Yun, Mu Bai’s older brother, also got into the ambulance, frantically calling home.

He really wanted to shout: What is happening?!

His cousin dating in college was one thing, but jumping off a building with his boyfriend?

If their second uncle knew, he would probably break Mu Bai’s legs.

Thinking this, Gu Yun glanced at Mu Bai’s already stabilized legs.

Good, already broken—no need for the second uncle to intervene.

He thought expressionlessly.

When he looked at Xie Yihan, he added a hint of embarrassment.

“Thanks, Junior Xie. I’ll handle the hospital myself, my relatives are already there.”

Xie Yihan nodded casually, showing no concern.

But Gu Yun felt something was off about Xie Yihan’s emotions.

Then he remembered Xie Yihan’s complicated romantic history and thought it made sense—finally seeing his childhood friend’s crush in person, only to find someone else there. Not just anyone, but the crush’s fiancé!

Even though it was supposed to be temporary, the fiancé didn’t seem to see it that way.

Next came good news and bad news.

Good news: Ye Wangxing didn’t side with the fiancé and let Xie Yihan hold him.

Bad news: Ye Wangxing didn’t side with Xie Yihan either.

Who would have thought the young man who had once delivered snacks like a little spouse at the training center would be so impartial?

Gu Yun felt frustrated.

Then a third person appeared—only a mentor apparently—but before meeting him, he assumed the relationship between Xie Yihan and his childhood friend was ordinary.

—And it was a co-authored paper!

As he left, Gu Yun looked at Xie Yihan with sympathy, then at Mu Bai lying in the ambulance thinking of his boyfriend, transferring that sympathy onto himself.

After the ambulance drove off with the two injured, the scene started to clear. Students dispersed, and school leaders discussed follow-up punishment and other arrangements with the assistant.

This top assistant faced a tough situation for the first time.

The construction site, family property, the building, and the young master wanted to jump—with Mu Bai included.

If the site weren’t donated to the school and Pei had not been there, the young master might have had to drop out immediately.

Fortunately, the school didn’t make him drop out, allowing him to take a leave of absence this semester, and return for second-year classes after the finals.

Essentially, a summer break to calm down.

The assistant was satisfied and thanked his boss’s younger brother-in-law.

However…

When he turned to Pei, he instinctively slowed down.

—Because the three men had gathered again after the brief truce caused by the rooftop incident.

Even the leaving students slowed down, watching the three closely.

Now, the assistant’s opinion of Ye Wangxing changed completely. Previously, he thought Ye Wangxing was not devoted enough and judged him, now, he thought having more than one person to like wasn’t a problem.

His young master was devoted, but look at what he had done…

By comparison, the assistant found Ye Wangxing quite impressive.

—Still, seeing the three standing together, he didn’t dare approach, only eavesdropping from behind.

After all, who wouldn’t be curious about what they were saying!

He saw several university students casually standing nearby, listening. Before he could meet their eyes, he heard a voice.

“Wangxing, have you thought about what kind of boyfriend you want? Someone athletic and healthy?”

The assistant heard his childhood friend ask.

‘Looks like he’s going straight for it.’ Thinking this, the assistant heard Pei also asking, seemingly provoked.

“…Wangxing, have you thought about someone older, caring, and healthy?”

Pei smiled gently.

The assistant broke into a cold sweat. This was a death question! One wrong answer and you could lose all friends!

But Ye Wangxing was Ye Wangxing. Facing such direct questions from two men, the handsome young man naturally said: “—Can’t I have two boyfriends?”

The two men in front of him: “…”

Others: “…”

What audacious words!

“…Since that day, it seems neither of them came to school. They must have been scared off by Ye Wangxing.”

Seeing the message in the group chat, Liu also liked it. Though the two had not appeared at school, Ye Wangxing’s forced smile showed he probably hadn’t contacted them either.

“No one can accept sharing a lover. Ye Wangxing’s words were too bold,” someone said in the group.

“I think he’s rejecting them. If choosing anyone would hurt their feelings, he simply chooses none.”

Liu ignored the debate. He accompanied his betrothed cousin to try on rings. While she tried rings, Liu wandered the store, bored.

—He happened to see someone leave the VIP room.

Liu gasped.

Ten seconds later, classmates in the chat saw two photos Liu sent.

—One: Pei holding the classic men’s ring with a gentle expression.

—Two: The champion scanning a design ring to purchase a pair.

Liu commented quietly: “Clearly, such small issues don’t bother the big shots.”

“—Because they’ve already started picking rings.”

“If these two haven’t moved their affections elsewhere in the past three days, everyone knows who will get the rings.”

Everyone in the chat: “……”

“Ah???!!!”

 

 

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