Chapter 428: Showing Off on Campus

Chen Erbao and Lin Rui chatted for a bit while other skits were rehearsed on stage. Soon, it was Lin Rui’s turn.

“Brother Er Bao, wait for me here, okay? I’ll be right back.”

Grinning, Lin Rui let go of Chen Erbao’s arm and went to greet the student council officers.

Zhou Chongming also walked over, glancing at Chen Erbao sitting in the distance with a very cold expression.

A student was helping Lin Rui with a mic check, and soon it was her turn to perform.

Lin Rui took the microphone and waved at Chen Erbao down in the audience. She then trotted onto the stage, cleared her throat, her pure, fair face like a blooming white lotus.

“Every time, I wander, all alone…”

Her melodious voice soon filled the hall. Chen Erbao listened intently, realizing that Lin Rui’s eyes were fixed on him. The profound love in her gaze was practically overflowing, so much so that even the student council members on the judging panel could feel it.

“Minister Zhou, it looks like she already has a boyfriend…” one of them said to Zhou Chongming.

Zhou Chongming’s expression turned foul.

“Like I fucking need you to remind me.”

The student who got yelled at wasn’t angry. Instead, he thought with contempt:

‘You fucking simp. Go eat shit…’

Zhou Chongming was seething. Seeing Lin Rui beaming at Chen Erbao made him want to go up there and strangle the man.

Jealousy made him ugly.

Of course, Chen Erbao couldn’t care less what others thought. He noticed the hostility in Zhou Chongming’s gaze but paid it no mind.

‘A girl as beautiful as Lin Rui is bound to have admirers. It’s only natural. If she didn’t, I’d have to question the taste of the men at Binhai University.’

The song soon came to an end, and the audience erupted in thunderous applause.

Even though it was only a rehearsal, they were all captivated by Lin Rui’s sweet voice.

A few of the student officers exchanged glances and nodded. Just as they were about to give her the go-ahead, Zhou Chongming suddenly stood up and interrupted.

“Lin Tongxue, your singing is quite good, but it lacks a certain emotion. You should stay here and practice this afternoon. The gala is starting soon, and there’s no room for error.”

…

Hearing this, everyone was stunned for a moment, and they all looked at each other in confusion.

‘Lacking emotion?’

‘More like it’s lacking any feeling *for you*…’

Although no one agreed with him, no one dared to speak up and refute him. After all, not only was Zhou Chongming an influential officer in the student council, but he was also one of the school’s most well-known rich kids. Getting on his bad side wasn’t worth the trouble he could cause down the line.

Lin Rui’s brows furrowed in displeasure.

‘I was planning to finish rehearsal quickly so I could go have fun with Brother Er Bao,’ she thought, ‘and now I’m being forced to stay here and practice.’

“Minister Zhou, I believe my performance was adequate. It won’t negatively impact the gala…”

Lin Rui persisted.

“Lin Tongxue, this gala is not child’s play. If you don’t perform well, the entire student council will be humiliated. Besides, this is also tied to your course credit. You wouldn’t want to lose points, would you?”

Zhou Chongming said this with an air of self-righteousness, shooting a seemingly casual glance toward Chen Erbao.

Lin Rui glared at Zhou Chongming, her eyes wide with anger.

‘This man is despicable!’ she thought. ‘He’s actually using my grades to threaten me!’

Her expression turned ice-cold.

“You don’t need to worry about that, Senior Zhou. That’s my business. I have somewhere to be, so goodbye!”

She dropped the microphone and turned to walk toward Chen Erbao.

The other student council officers watched this unfold in silence, their gazes turning toward Zhou Chongming with a hint of amusement.

Zhou Chongming ground his teeth. Seeing Lin Rui walk over to Chen Erbao, he felt a surge of fury.

“Hey, you! Who are you? Who let you in here?”

He had turned his attack on Chen Erbao.

Chen Erbao, who had been watching the entire exchange, cracked a grin. ‘Didn’t expect to get dragged into this.’

“What, you own this auditorium? Am I not allowed in?”

Chen Erbao wasn’t about to put up with this punk. ‘He’s just a little brat,’ he thought. ‘If he were pursuing Lin Rui through normal means, I could understand. After all, she’s a beautiful girl.’

‘But using these kinds of underhanded tactics? That’s just pathetic.’

So he didn’t pull any punches with his retort.

Zhou Chongming fumed, “Don’t you know the student council has reserved this place for the day? What department are you from? You’re not from outside the university, are you?”

He had been pursuing Lin Rui for over half a year and had never heard anything about her having a boyfriend. ‘He’s clearly not a Binhai University student.’

‘And Binhai University is my home turf. I refuse to believe I can’t win against him on my own territory.’

Chen Erbao stood up, walked over to Lin Rui, and took her delicate, pale hand in his. He sneered at Zhou Chongming.

“Why do you care where I’m from? Mind your own business. I’m Lin Rui’s boyfriend, and I’m here to watch her rehearse. Is that a problem?”

Hearing this, Lin Rui’s eyes curved into crescents as she beamed. She rested her cheek on Chen Erbao’s shoulder and shot a look at Zhou Chongming, as if staking her claim.

Zhou Chongming looked like he was about to explode.

“I am the Minister of the Student Council’s Public Relations Department! How dare you talk to me like that? Do you have any respect for the student council at all?”

Chen Erbao stared at him, completely dumbfounded.

“Are you a fucking moron? You really think being some worthless ‘Minister’ makes you a big shot? Nobody will know who you are once you graduate. You can only throw your weight around in the student council. I’m not even a student at your school. What power do you have over me?”

“You…”

Zhou Chongming’s eyes were bloodshot. He watched Lin Rui leave the auditorium with the other man, his fists clenching so tightly they cracked.

The remaining student officers looked at one another, not knowing what to do.

Once Zhou Chongming had stormed out of the auditorium, the room erupted in conversation.

“Lin Rui’s boyfriend is so handsome…”

“Zhou Chongming really got put in his place today. He’s definitely not going to let this go.”

“So what? Lin Rui isn’t even in the student council, so he has no power over her. I couldn’t stand him anyway. It’s about time someone put him in his place…”

…

Chen Erbao held Lin Rui’s soft hand as they strolled through the campus. Looking at the greenery lining the path, the last traces of his annoyance quickly dissipated.

“Brother Er Bao, I’m so sorry. This was all my fault…”

Lin Rui looked embarrassed, hugging Chen Erbao’s arm and apologizing in a low voice.

Chen Erbao chuckled and gently pinched Lin Rui’s soft, smooth cheek.

“It’s nothing, it’s not your fault. That guy was just asking for it… He won’t give you trouble in the future, will he? Do you want me to have a word with the school’s leadership?”

When he had first brought Lin Rui to school, he had gotten Xiao Guang to help her arrange for some time off, so he still had a school official’s number in his phone.

Lin Rui shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I’ll just make sure to stay far away from him from now on… Brother Er Bao, let’s go to the snack street by the back gate! There’s so much good food there…”

Putting the incident behind them, the two happily made their way to the snack street by the back gate.

…

After leaving the auditorium, Zhou Chongming grew angrier the more he thought about it. He pulled out his phone and made a call to someone on the school’s athletics team.

“Wang, I need you to teach someone a lesson for me. He’s not a student here, but he came to our campus to act all high and mighty with me…”