Ch 109 (Extra 9): After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

[Softening Up CP (5)]

11 a.m.

Third floor of the southeastern dining hall at Jing University.

Since it wasn’t the lunch rush yet, there weren’t too many students around, and plenty of tables and chairs were still free. Right now, nearly every table was buzzing about the same thing.

“Ah, it’s been a week—I can finally enjoy a peaceful lunch.”

“The freshmen this year are insane. We can’t compete, really can’t.”

“Slow down, they’re still in training till noon anyway.”

“Thinking about it, the upperclassmen probably felt the same way when we just started college.”

Hearing her roommates’ discussion, Ruan Cha nodded in agreement. But the next moment, a vague sense of melancholy swept over her for no clear reason.

After a pause, she shook her head and sighed inwardly: Time really flies.

In the blink of an eye, she was already a sophomore. She’d spent a full year at Jing University, going from “junior student” to “junior-senior combo.”

Xu Nan, Huang Jiajia, Ji Feiyang, Xie Chang’an, and Xie Sui had all gotten into their dream universities. Two were in Jing City, while the other three were in different provinces. The once inseparable group of seven from high school… now rarely saw each other.

Last week, Ruan Cha and Fu Chen had managed to call Xu Nan and Ji Feiyang out for a mini reunion. As for the remaining three, it was a virtual dinner through video chat.

There were eleven dining halls on the Jing University campus, and during peak hours, each one overflowed with students. Especially during freshman military training—come lunchtime, there was a winding line of “Green Bean Frogs” waiting to be fed.

All four of Ruan Cha’s roommates had their fourth-period class together, so they often came to the cafeteria as a group after class.

They weren’t afraid of long lines—but if they finally got through only to find the good dishes gone, it was downright depressing. Waiting for freshly cooked meals also meant giving up their precious midday naps. So the four of them had agreed to order takeout instead, timing it to arrive back at the dorm right after class.

But it was Saturday today. Freshmen still had training, but the upperclassmen didn’t. So the girls ditched takeout and came straight to the cafeteria to enjoy a proper meal.

Mid-conversation, one roommate suddenly noticed Ruan Cha’s tray and gasped. “Cha Cha, you only got one dish—your stomach okay?”

“My stomach’s fine. But Fu Chen and I are going out to see a movie later, and we’ll probably get snacks there,” Ruan Cha said casually. She didn’t have anything else to do in the dorm, so she came to the cafeteria with her roommates. When she spotted okra, she had the auntie scoop her a portion to fill her belly.

Hearing that, the roommate’s concern instantly turned to gossip. She leaned in and whispered, “Cha Cha, we’re coming with you to meet Fu Chen. Your man’s way too good-looking—he’s definitely the type freshmen girls will crush on.”

Jing University had a tradition during military training: besides the instructors, each class would be assigned a sophomore teaching assistant.

Those chosen were all top-tier students who had received “Outstanding Cadet” recognition during their own freshman training.

That Fu Chen had been selected didn’t surprise Ruan Cha at all. His personality was always all-or-nothing—once he committed to something, he did his absolute best.

The other two roommates chimed in, nodding vigorously. “Exactly! We’ve got to let the official girlfriend make an appearance to shut down any wandering thoughts.”

“I mean, it should be fine, right?” Ruan Cha said, lifting her left hand and wiggling the platinum ring on her finger. “Fu Chen’s wearing his engagement ring too.”

This past year, the Liang family had seen a double blessing.

During winter break, Liang Cunhuai married Yan Ruocan. Then over summer, with both families present, Ruan Cha and Fu Chen got engaged.

Fu Chen had worried Ruan Cha might find wearing a ring in college inconvenient or too flashy. After discussing it with her, they’d had a designer create a simple, elegant design.

Ruan Cha wore it like an accessory. Fu Chen, on the other hand, had no qualms—once he put it on, he never took it off.

Her roommate gave her a pat on the shoulder. “Oh please, people cheat even when they’re married. What’s an engagement? And some guys wear rings just for style. If someone hasn’t seen you two together on campus, they’d never guess you’re already engaged.”

Another roommate added, “Honestly, if it weren’t for Fu Chen’s sheer talent, I’d really suspect your man is just—”

Mid-sentence, all three of them spoke in unison:

“Totally whipped.”

Ruan Cha: “……”

She felt it was absolutely necessary to defend her boyfriend’s reputation. “That’s not true at all. People who are whipped put love above everything and pour all their energy into the relationship. But my Fu Chen? He’s got the highest GPA in his department. He’s on the student council. His full-dive VR game already launched. Physically—”

“He’s also MVP in the basketball tournament,” one roommate interjected, helping her out. Then she added, “But you’re no slouch either. You’ve got the top GPA in our department. You didn’t join the student council, but you crushed the debate team. And your mobile game? We’re all still playing it.”

“But you’re the classic ‘I can study, so I must study’ type. Always focused. You don’t exactly act clingy.”

If anything, Fu Chen’s presence was more noticeable than their own boyfriends’. He was either waiting for Ruan Cha or accompanying her. No exceptions.

Ruan Cha coughed twice and averted her gaze. “You didn’t see me being clingy, that’s all. Last weekend, we—”

Roommates: “……Cough cough cough!!”

Wasting food is a crime. No dog food allowed! We’re already full—what about the food on our trays?!

Ruan Cha stopped and tried to pivot. “Okay, forget how clingy I am. Let’s talk about Fu Chen. He’s just really smart, so he works efficiently and has more free time. Him showing up to classes is just part of his drive to keep learning.”

Roommates: “……”

You, who can memorize an entire textbook at a glance, dare to call someone else smart?

Jing University was full of brilliant students—not just one or two—but not that many. Still, to her roommates, no one left a deeper impression than Ruan Cha.

She nailed every class, balanced work and studies, and got top marks in everything.

Under her influence, all four roommates had been hitting the books hard. At the end of last semester, all four of them ranked in the top six in their year, earning their dorm the unofficial title of “Academic Powerhouse Room.”

Truthfully, the whole “whipped boyfriend” thing was just playful teasing. They’d never say that to outsiders.

Because when they first met Fu Chen, they’d all thought he was cold and aloof. And even now, he wasn’t exactly warm toward them—more like polite and distant, which was very Fu Chen.

As for how Fu Chen treated Ruan Cha, outsiders might not have noticed much. But the three roommates, who saw them every day and had a basis for comparison, felt the difference quite clearly.

Their feelings were a mix of bittersweet and satisfied.

Bitter, because now they all had higher expectations for their own boyfriends. Satisfied, because Ruan Cha, sweet and innocent (1128: …Excuse me?), had someone as reliable as Fu Chen beside her—so they didn’t have to worry about her getting fooled by anyone.

Ten minutes later, the four of them left the dining hall and headed straight for the athletic field.

The midday sun was blazing. Two by two, they walked under umbrellas, each carrying a bag of freshly ordered fruit tea.

Military training at Jing University wasn’t excessively strict. Each freshman class had a class advisor who could provide drinks, watermelon, and other supplies for the students and instructors.

Ruan Cha didn’t want to be out in the sun too long, so she hadn’t volunteered as a teaching assistant. Instead, she became a class advisor. Just that Wednesday morning, she’d brought dozens of breakfast sets for her class.

On the field, some groups were practicing their marching, while others were resting on the ground. Since most of the students had already gone through military training in high school, they didn’t find it too grueling.

For the freshmen, training felt like a good chance to make new friends—and once those connections were made, many of their eyes started to drift toward the instructors… and the assistants.

Fu Chen was in charge of Class 3 from their department. He only had two responsibilities: first, to serve as a role model and show that anything the instructors could do, students could too; second, to assist the instructor in guiding the students.

Handsome and clean-cut, tall and lean, dressed in a crisp set of camouflage—he was the literal definition of too hot to handle.

Just standing there, Fu Chen fulfilled every visual fantasy for face and uniform lovers alike.

Not just in Class 3—girls from the two neighboring classes were also sneaking glances at him.

But over the course of the week, Fu Chen had barely spoken a word to any of the freshmen. Other than the occasional “at ease” or “attention,” you’d barely hear his voice.

Even during breaks, like now, Fu Chen was only talking to the instructor—unlike some other assistants, who used the downtime to joke around with students.

Class 3’s instructor was a third-year national defense student who participated in all sorts of competitions—math modeling, esports, innovation tech. Fu Chen had impressive knowledge in electronics, and the two hit it off immediately after just a few words.

Some students had initially thought, It’s just esports, right? We all play games in high school. They’d even tried to use that as an excuse to join in.

But the moment they got closer and heard the technical jargon flying between Fu Chen and the instructor, they froze—totally lost. There was no way to chime in.

While the instructor was about to bring up the newly recommended game Planet Manager’s Handbook, he spotted two girls walking over from the team—one of whom had clearly been eyeing Fu Chen since training started.

She’d assumed she was one of the prettiest girls in the class and that Fu Chen would definitely talk to her. But not only had he never approached her, he vanished at the end of every session faster than the students who rushed off to the dining hall!

“Senior, will you have time during the lunch break? We’d love to treat you to a meal and ask some questions about the major.”

“Yeah, and Senior—we’re from Nan City too. We’re from the same hometown!”

The words “Nan City” finally got Fu Chen’s attention. He looked up but didn’t recognize either of them. If he passed them on the street, he wouldn’t even recall they were in his class.

Seeing that he’d looked up, the girls thought they had a shot. But before they could continue, a clear voice cut in.

“Hey hey, senior sister’s here to bring tea for our juniors!” Ruan Cha’s roommate had spotted the girls approaching Fu Chen from meters away and had dragged her along, shouting cheerfully. She elbowed Ruan Cha and muttered urgently, “Go on, claim your man—before someone else tries to!”

But before Ruan Cha could even step up, Fu Chen had already jogged over to her.

Clearly, she didn’t need to mark her territory—Fu Chen had beat her to it.

He took the bags of tea from their hands, called over a few boys from Class 3 to help distribute them, and spoke softly to Ruan Cha, “Only thirty minutes left. The sun’s harsh—why don’t you sit somewhere shady for a bit?”

“You think I’d stand around getting scorched? Of course I brought an umbrella.” Ruan Cha waved at Class 3’s students as she spoke.

Before she could finish the wave, Fu Chen had already placed a hand on her shoulder and was gently guiding her toward the shade.

“Umbrella’s not enough. It’s still hot underneath.”

The moment he reached out, everyone watching suddenly understood everything—and a wave of friendly teasing rippled through the group.

To be fair, there was nothing especially clingy or showy in how Fu Chen and Ruan Cha interacted. They weren’t the PDA type.

But Fu Chen was known for being distant and reserved with everyone. Now, he was the one who ran over, grabbed bags, and touched her shoulder?

Yeah. That said everything.

The three roommates looked at Fu Chen and Ruan Cha, then at the two girls who had tried to approach him and now looked lost for words.

Sometimes, a real one doesn’t need his girlfriend to fight his battles—he takes care of it himself.

Fu Chen didn’t linger long with Ruan Cha, since break time was ending. But when he returned, the two girls still hadn’t gone back to their place.

One of them, after realizing Fu Chen and Ruan Cha were definitely together, gave up immediately.

The other one, though—she really liked him. So she decided to try one more time. They might be a couple, but as long as they’re not married, I can pretend I don’t know.

“Senior, that girl from earlier—are you two close?”

Though Ruan Cha had gained a little fame from Dear Life, the show had aired two years ago. If someone hadn’t kept up with it, they probably wouldn’t recognize her. Plus, she didn’t dress like a typical student anymore. No one in Class 3 had connected her to the once wildly popular meme star from that series.

Fu Chen’s gaze lingered on Ruan Cha, who was laughing with her roommates. The smile in her eyes made his own expression unconsciously soften.

Then, he turned back to the girl and responded with a question instead of an answer. “You said you’re from Nan City?”

She nodded. “Yeah.”

Fu Chen glanced toward the group of freshmen still sipping their fruit tea and pointed. “Do you think that senior sister is pretty?”

Everyone had already guessed the relationship between them, so they all shouted, “She’s gorgeous!”

“She’s my fiancée,” Fu Chen said with a smile that practically dripped with pride—and if you listened closely, you could even hear a bit of smugness.

That one word—fiancée—instantly silenced the group. Because let’s be real, a fiancée and a girlfriend are very different.

Before anyone could respond, Fu Chen added with a light laugh, “She went to high school in Nan City too. We’ve been together since then. We’re planning to get married right after graduation.”

We started dating after high school but before college—technically still counts as high school, right?

Everyone: “……”

Suddenly, the fruit tea in their hands… tasted distinctly of lemons.