Fated Love With the Billionaire
Chapter 54 Rejoicing in Others’ Misfortune

Chapter 54: Chapter 54 Rejoicing in Others’ Misfortune

Cheng Qiaobei unbuttoned two buttons on his collar to make sure he could breathe easily, ensuring he wouldn’t delay his performance later.

"First of all, during the student council election, if I remember correctly, didn’t you take everyone from our dormitory to have barbecue by the roadside the night before, saying it was to boost morale for the two of us running?"

Lin Hanrui frowned, seemingly trying to recall, and after a few seconds paused, "Oh... I remember... that did happen."

Cheng Qiaobei sneered, "The night we had barbecue, Cong Zhengyu ended up with diarrhea, Ergang was both vomiting and having diarrhea all night, and later I had to carry him to a small clinic to get a drip."

"So what?" Lin Hanrui couldn’t understand at all, "What’s that got to do with the election?"

Cheng Qiaobei knew he hadn’t really remembered, and exasperatedly said, "I had the barbecue too, but after seeing them getting sick, I took some digestive medicine in advance, so I didn’t have many symptoms that night. But the next day at the election, I was feeling unwell, made it to the venue just as you started, and began feeling dizzy and nauseous. I ended up vomiting downstairs and the school doctor had to take me to the hospital."

"That happened?" Lin Hanrui had a complete expression of ignorance, "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Cheng Qiaobei pinched the bridge of his nose, "After getting the IV treatment at the hospital, I came back, went to the big classroom to find you guys, but there wasn’t a soul there. When I asked the cleaning lady, she said you had been elected and gone out for dinner with everyone."

Lin Hanrui: "..."

"Geez," Lin Hanrui slapped his head, "I thought you... I was wondering why you didn’t join us for dinner. When I went back to the dorm, I saw you lying on the bed with your back to the door, and I thought you were crying."

Cheng Qiaobei had no words left to describe his current state of mind. If he had committed any crime, he’d rather the law punish him than let this fool annoy him to death.

"Do I look like someone who would cry over something like this? What were you thinking?" He was about to argue with Lin Hanrui when he remembered there were two more things to discuss, "Don’t change the subject, continue... During the second-year trip, did you notice I didn’t go to the basketball court for almost half a semester? Did you ever think about why?"

Lin Hanrui: "Why?"

Cheng Qiaobei looked at him, realizing he was truly someone who only understood women well but had no empathy for his male friends.

"The basketball team captain, Cao Kexu’s girlfriend, is a cheerleader."

"Sun Qing?"

"That’s her," Cheng Qiaobei’s face showed slight displeasure at the mention of Sun Qing, "She wanted to meet me behind Cao Kexu’s back. I declined a few times, so she spread rumors that I liked her, that I invited her to the movies. Eventually, it got back to Cao Kexu. He came looking for me, wouldn’t listen to my explanation, and believed I was after his girlfriend. He intentionally played dirty while playing basketball, almost breaking my leg. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I showed him a video of his girlfriend coming on to me. So, it’s hard to advise someone who refuses to listen. I had no choice but to shatter his illusions about Sun Qing. I didn’t want to get involved in their relationship, which is why I stopped going to the basketball court."

Lin Hanrui had a completely astonished expression, "That happened too? Why didn’t I know?"

Cheng Qiaobei shot him a sidelong glance, "How could you know? You were busy dating girls at that time."

"Who was I dating back then? Help me remember."

"..."

Lin Hanrui was still hoping Cheng Qiaobei would help him recall, nearly angering Cheng Qiaobei to death.

"Stop," Cheng Qiaobei suddenly smirked, his smile sinister and a bit gloating, "Let’s start with the third thing."

"What’s with that expression, it’s creepy." Lin Hanrui was a little uneasy, suspecting the third thing might embarrass him.

Cheng Qiaobei looked at him calmly, "Seems like you already have an idea."

Lin Hanrui sniffed, trying to tough it out, "No, how would I know what’s going on?"

Cheng Qiaobei didn’t care, "Alright, if you don’t know, I’ll tell you word by word, very meticulously."

"Hold on." Lin Hanrui began to absorb his overactive mind, "Was Liao Yifan hitting on you behind my back?"

Cheng Qiaobei was silent for a moment, "Your description might not be accurate."

"What do you mean?" Lin Hanrui replied.

Cheng Qiaobei said, "You and Liao Yifan never dated, right?"

Lin Hanrui: "That’s true, but—"

"But that’s pretty much what happened." Cheng Qiaobei bluntly brought him back to reality, "During that time with Liao Yifan, the girl never explicitly agreed to anything with you. You imagined you were her boyfriend, practically swooning every day. Your relationship was at best the role of a tool. From beginning to end, the person Liao Yifan wanted wasn’t you."

"Jeez," Lin Hanrui was indignant, "It wasn’t me, but was it you?"

Cheng Qiaobei: "It was me."

Lin Hanrui: "..."

Cheng Qiaobei continued, "Liao Yifan approached you mainly to get to know me. We weren’t in the same department, didn’t have many chances to meet usually. She came to you to check assignments, deliver blueprints. Did you really think it was just about delivering blueprints, checking assignments? She’d often show up at the dorm knowing you weren’t there just to see me."

Lin Hanrui slightly parted his lips, blinking, "So then? You hit on her when I wasn’t around?"

"How could I? I had a girlfriend at the time," Cheng Qiaobei rubbed his throbbing temples, "Lin Hanrui, how did you get into the architecture department?"

"She knew you had a girlfriend, yet she still...," Lin Hanrui couldn’t continue.

Cheng Qiaobei said, "That’s right, like you said, who can resist a handsome, tall, well-built, considerate, gentlemanly, and smart man? Women who admire strong characters all like me."

"You’re so vicious, even adding a well-built physique to your list," Lin Hanrui scoffed.

Cheng Qiaobei said, "So do you get it? She hung around you not for you, but to see me. What else do you have to say?"

"..."

Lin Hanrui rubbed his face, seeing Cheng Qiaobei’s confident look, and fell completely silent.

However, knowing the truth from back then made him feel uneasy inside.

From initial excitement upon meeting again to now feeling utterly dispirited.

Seeing he was truly hurt, Cheng Qiaobei turned his face, smiled at him with a glance ahead, and said,

"For the sake of you being heartbroken, I’ll upgrade you to a presidential suite."

"Oh my god," Lin Hanrui suddenly got excited, "Really?"

Cheng Qiaobei gave him a look, "On my turf, would I lie to you?"

Lin Hanrui immediately perked up, "That sounds great."

However, Cheng Qiaobei hadn’t informed the Rum Hotel’s lobby manager in advance; the inspection was a surprise check intended to uncover any problems at the hotel.

So, after getting off the plane, he didn’t notify the hotel to send a car to pick them up either.

When the car arrived at Rum Hotel, Lin Hanrui handed over Cheng Qiaobei’s black card and proceeded. With this card, there were no limitations within the hotel.

He proceeded to check into the presidential suite at the reception, while Cheng Qiaobei wandered around inspecting the hotel.

At that moment, Liang Lei and Chen Ningxi arrived at the front desk, reported their company and names, only to be told by the front desk that the presidential suite they reserved had already been checked into by other guests.