Your Teacher I, am Hella Rich

Chapter 28 - He Seemed To Have Fallen For His Disciple

YueJian ChunHe sat directly across from Ji Xiaoli.

There were two large tables in the private room with more than thirty people inside. When YueJian ChunHe had arrived, everyone ceased their chattering and silently peered at him. But minutes later, the atmosphere lightened up. Everyone went back to enjoying the food. YueJian ChunHe also began to chat with Meatbun, Jie Se, and a few others.

Apart from the fact that his looks were outside of everyone’s expectations, Boss Yue seemed no different compared to everyone else.

Only Ji Xiaoli knew: The difference is huge!

Ruan Fenghe!

His ex-classmates so-called crown prince—the one who would inherit his family’s business, Ruan. Feng. He!

He’s fucking Ruan Fenghe!

To think the Ruan Fenghe that was praised to high heavens in their college group chat would be YueJian ChunHe!

The first thought that occurred to Ji Xiaoli was, ‘Oh, so people who have good grades also like to play games’. And then he thought, ‘He wouldn’t have recognized me, would he?’

Ji Xiaoli kept his head down as he ate, shaking his head in denial. “No way, no way. I’ve only met him once, and we stood so far away from each other. How could someone like him remember someone as insignificant as me?”

Jie Se and Ruan Fenghe were conversing across from him. Ruan Fenghe listened but subtly gazed up at Ji Xiaoli, who was on the other side.

Ji Xiaoli wore a small, blue padded jacket. His skin was milky white. The deep blue jacket gave his skin a porcelain quality, making him seem younger.

His clothes aren’t worn backward this time?

He watched as Ji Xiaoli down two bowls of soup in a row. Ruan Fenghe frowned and called for a waiter.

“How many bowls of soup were ordered?”

The waiter whispered a number.

Ruan Fenghe realized there were five more on the way and immediately caught on to what was happening. He stared at Jie Se.

Jie Se held his hands up to his chest, his expression innocent. “I didn’t order the soup because it was expensive. Everyone wanted some. If you don’t believe me, you can ask everyone here.”

Ruan Fenghe relayed to the waiter, “Return these dishes and change them to…”

That was when Ji Xiaoli realized there was no more soup left for him to drink. However, it did not take long before a few large lobsters and Chinese mitten crabs were served. As a Suzhou native, Ji Xiaoli’s eyes couldn’t help but light up as he happily dug into his food.

The Emperor Pavilion gathering did not end after the grand meal.

Everyone sat in the private room to chat while YueJian ChunHe settled the bill.

“Salute, you look so young. Are you still in college?”

It wasn’t the first time Ji Xiaoli was told he looked younger than his age. “No, I just graduated this year.”

Braised Pigeon was surprised when she heard his words. “I really couldn’t tell. I thought you were a sophomore.”

Someone asked, “Did you attend a university in Suzhou?”

Ji Xiaoli: “No, I studied at Nanjing, C Uni.”

“What a coincidence. I’m right next door! But, I’m only a sophomore this year.”

As they chatted, the topic inevitably veered toward Boss Yue. 

A girl with her hair in her ponytail who sat ensconced on the couch exclaimed in surprise, “I still can’t believe Boss Yue looks like that. He’s way too handsome. He has the riches, the looks, and he’s also so elegant. It’s no wonder Bei Yuan was so adamant on Boss Yue. Eh, hold on. Doesn’t that mean Bei Yuan knows what Boss Yue looks like?”

Meat Bun chortled. “Not bad, Kyukyu. You actually got it? That’s right. We had a get together in Shanghai for the experts of the first region. Bei Yuan was there.”

Call Me Kyukyu: “I understand why Boss Bei Yuan wanted to pursue Boss Yue now. If I didn’t have a boyfriend, I’d also pursue him.”

“I’ll still court him even if I have a boyfriend. Anything goes as long as I’m still a woman!”

“Hahahahaha.”

""

After a while, YueJian ChunHe and Jie Se returned.

Meat Bun: “We have another meal in the evening. Let’s find a place for us to hang out for the afternoon.”

Ruan Fenghe scanned everyone in the room. Ji Xiaoli felt as though his eyes had stopped on him for an extra second. However, he quickly turned toward Meat Bun. “My friend has a club nearby. I’ve talked to him well in advance. There won’t be anyone there in the afternoon.”

Braised Pigeon raised her hand. “Let’s go and eat big!”

Ji Xiaoli scratched his head. He must’ve thought too much.

The club that YueJian ChunHe spoke of is located in the heart of the Jing’an District. It was hard to imagine that there would be such a large area covered by greenery in the center of Shanghai. When everyone entered the club, they were all in high spirits. Only Ji Xiaoli was listless. He took out his phone and looked at the message he had sent to his disciple on WeChat.

How odd. Disciple had not replied even after so long.

Where is my disciple?

Ji Xiaoli instantly lost most of his interest in the meetup.

His boredom was even more pronounced when they arrived at the club.

Apart from gambling, there was indoor golf, bowling, and billiards in this high-end club. However, Ji Xiaoli did not know how to play any of them.

Meat Bun: “We’re a harmonious gathering. We won’t gamble.”

Ji Xiaoli had originally wanted to say ‘I’m pretty good at dou dizhu*’. So, he could only stand by and stare with nothing to do.

*斗地主 Dou dizhu, otherwise known as ‘fighting the landlord’ is a popular card game played in China.

Ji Xiaoli sat in a corner. Everyone had something to do, so no one noticed him.

That was when Ruan Fenghe approached. “Not going to bowl?”

Ji Xiaoli shook his head. “I don’t know how.”

Ruan Fenghe did not seem to expect his answer. He asked in a quiet tone, “Then, what do you know?”

Ji Xiaoli thought about it and answered sincerely, “I’m pretty good at fishing.“

“……”

Moments later, Ruan Fenghe approached the club manager. “Find some fish. This gentleman wants to fish.”

The club manager stared at Ji Xiaoli in astonishment. Ji Xiaoli was baffled by the look thrown his way and wondered what Ruan Fenghe had said to him. The manager bowed. “Yes, we will meet this gentleman’s request as soon as possible.”

Ji Xiaoli: “?”

What the hell???

Ten minutes later, Ji Xiaoli and Ruan Fenghe were taken to the swimming pool on the second floor of the club. Ji Xiaoli was about to say ‘I can’t swim’ when he noticed something red flitting through the turquoise blue water of the swimming pool.

Ji Xiaoli exclaimed in horror, “Holy shit, carp?!”

There were seven to eight koi fishes swimming in the pool!

Manager: “If you want to fish but have no intention of eating them, the koi should suffice. These are the fishes we could find at your nearest convenience. Here’s your fishing rod, sir.”

Ji Xiaoli took the rod, mouth agape. He was mortified as the manager left. “No way. You can do this? This is a pool! A swimming pool! It’s all chlorinated water and copper! Is it really okay for the fishes to swim in here?”

Ruan Fenghe took a fishing rod and skillfully threw the hook into the pool.

“It won’t be a long swim. They’ll just be there a short while.”

Ji Xiaoli was unable to react for a moment, trying to comprehend what Boss Yue had meant. “No, even if the fish are fine, are we really fishing next to a swimming pool???”

Have you ever seen anyone fishing next to a swimming pool?!

Ji Xiaoli did not catch a single koi after half a day of fishing. He truly thought that something must’ve been wrong with the pool! Otherwise, why would Ruan Fenghe also not be able to catch even one?

Half an hour later, Ji Xiaoli and Ruan Fenghe ended their puzzling game of fishing. They returned to the first floor. As soon as Braised Pigeon caught sight of them, she exclaimed, “I’m telling you, Boss Yue’s account is on a whole other level. I played his account before. It’s an entirely different kind of gaming experience. Everyone is here today, Boss Yue. Do you want to contribute your account so everyone can try it out?”

Everyone let out a cheer and started to heckle him.

YueJian ChunHe took out his cell phone and handed it to Braised Pigeon.

Braised Pigeon started up the game as everyone excitedly gathered around her. Braised Pigeon is a Tianshan and didn’t know much about Huashan skills. She fiddled with it for a while and found that she couldn’t play very well. So, she looked up. “Salute, you’re our second-best Huashan here. Do you want to give Boss Yue’s account a try?”

Everyone turned to stare at Ji Xiaoli.

Ji Xiaoli got tired after the fishing session and was sitting in a corner sneakily eating a cake. He nearly choked on it when he was suddenly called out.

“Huh, me?”

Braised Pigeon: “Yeah. ChunHe doesn’t count. Song of the Azure Lotus Sword isn’t here. Aren’t you our guild’s strongest Huashan then? I recall your PK ranking was pretty high. Come on, give Boss Yue’s account a try.”

Ji Xiaoli was waiting for a chance to cause trouble.

After battling in the arena for such a long time, he fell in love with PK. To think he would be able to PK with YueJian ChunHe’s account…

Ji Xiaoli raised his head and gazed at YueJian ChunHe.

YueJian ChunHe regarded him stoically. There were no emotions that could be discerned in his inky black eyes. He smiled faintly and encouraged, “Go on?”

Ji Xiaoli rolled up his sleeves. “I will then!”

Ji Xiaoli took YueJian ChunHe’s phone and tapped into the competitive arena matchmaking.

YueJian ChunHe was number 1 on the PK rankings and is the player with the highest cultivation in the region. It took three minutes for an opponent to be matched.

The other party was surprisingly a boss from another region. The number one Wudang there with a cultivation of 2W3.

When they noticed they were matched up against YueJian ChunHe, they sent him six periods.

Ji Xiaoli aggressively began to PK. The Wudang kept dodging as Ji Xiaoli pursued him. Seizing the opportunity, Ji Xiaoli played a set of combos to control the Wudang’s movements, almost taking out most of the opponent’s health in the blink of an eye. But before Ji Xiaoli could even heave a sigh of relief, the Taoist suddenly ascended into the sky.

Ji Xiaoli internally cursed.

A Wudang present also exclaimed, “Not good. He’s unleashing his ultimate!”

As soon as the Wudang unleashed his ultimate, Ji Xiaoli was completely overwhelmed by him and could no longer move.

The opponent’s cultivation was only 1000 lower than YueJian ChunHe. They were on par with one another. With a blink of an eye, Ji Xiaoli’s health bar depleted. Fortunately, this triggered YueJian ChunHe’s golden skill ‘First Glimpse of Light’. Ji Xiaoli’s health bar may have been emptied, but he received five seconds of invincibility.

The Wudang Taoist fell from the air, his spirit dying like embers as he was beaten to death by Ji Xiaoli.

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as Braised Pigeon retrieved the phone. “I told you. Isn’t Boss Yue’s account great? The strongest in the region! If you hadn’t encountered the number one Wudang, you could’ve casually taken them down within seconds.”

Ji Xiaoli didn’t speak. His mood wasn’t too good.

He pulled out his phone and started up the game.

Others may not have noticed. But he knew that he just made a major blunder.

That Wudang had sent six periods as soon as he saw that his opponent was YueJian ChunHe, because he knew that he could not be his opponent. Every time Boss Yue PK-ed with him, he would always be beaten into a stick. He always wanted to withdraw from the game to ensure his safety. However, when Ji Xiaoli replaced him, he was nearly killed.

If it weren’t for the fact that Boss Yue’s account was top-tier, Ji Xiaoli would have died long ago.

If it had been YueJian ChunHe who played that match, it would’ve been an easy fight.

If it were his disciple who played, it should also be simple… 

Ji Xiaoli’s mind gradually began to drift.

“You just had a little slip-up.”

Ji Xiaoli abruptly came back to his senses as he turned around to look behind him.

Braised Pigeon and the others were frantically studying Boss Yue’s account a distance away. And after getting the latter’s permission, they opened YueJian ChunHe’s warehouse. Everyone exclaimed as they stared at the top-quality equipment piled mountain-high inside. However, YueJian ChunHe himself strode behind Ji Xiaoli. He looked down and found him matched against an opponent.

It just so happened that he was matched against an opponent who was also a very strong Wudang.

Ji Xiaoli did not have time to speak to YueJian ChunHe as he hurriedly lowered his head to PK. His account wasn’t as good as YueJian ChunHe’s. Thus, it was a struggle to land hits. His damage value also wasn’t as high. Just when the Wudang was about to activate his ultimate to keep Ji Xiaoli under control, a hand suddenly held onto his mobile phone.

Ji Xiaoli shuddered.

“Here, your skill usage isn’t coherent enough.”

Four hands held onto the small cell phone—skin against skin. The man reached out from behind him. They were practically in a hugging position to help him get through this PK round. Ji Xiaoli clearly felt Ruan Fenghe’s breath against the back of his neck, ticklish and warm. He used a pleasant tone as he softly said, “Don’t use ‘Meteor’ here. Use ‘Sudden Snow Storm’ instead…”

His voice was crystal clear and distinct, as if a mountain breeze blew through a bamboo forest.

The crisp enunciation between each syllable made Ji Xiaoli’s scalp tingle and raised a fine layer of goosebumps all over his body. But he continued to speak with that pleasant and familiar voice, patiently teaching him, word-for-word.

Twenty seconds later, the opponent Wudang fell to the ground and died.

Ji Xiaoli, however, felt as though an hour had passed.

Suddenly, he turned his head and stared at Ruan Fenghe who stood behind him.

Their gazes met.

Ruan Fenghe loosened his hand. “Your controls are good, but you’re short of the experience when it comes to the specifics.”

Ji Xiaoli’s jaw gaped open. He had no words.

He earnestly stared at the man in front of him with his bright, clear eyes flashing. He did not shift his gaze away but suddenly used his right hand to exit the game while opening up WeChat.

He found the name ‘My Sand Sculpture Disciple’. Even Ji Xiaoli did not realize that his fingers trembled faintly. He clicked into the chatbox and casually typed in an emoji.

Within the next second, the phone in Braised Pigeon’s hand rang. It was the WeChat message alert tone.

Braised Pigeon froze. “ChunHe, someone is looking for you.”

Since someone was seeking out Boss Yue, Braised Pigeon naturally would not continue to hog his phone and decided to play a game of pool instead. They returned the phone to Ruan Fenghe. Ji Xiaoli stared at him without blinking, only to see Ruan Fenghe was, likewise, gazing fixedly at him as he blindly tapped his phone. He opened the WeChat interface and pressed the voice speak button, staring Ji Xiaoli in the eyes as he uttered a sentence.

“Buzz——”

The phone in Ji Xiaoli’s hand vibrated. He looked at the voice message sent by his disciple. He finally decided to click on it after enduring it for a while.

A distinct and mellow voice immediately came through.

In the spacious and well-lit premium club, the raucous ambiance of the Emperor Pavilion players made Ruan Fenghe’s voice sound even finer. His gaze was fixed on Ji Xiaoli. The pair of beautiful eyes never left him. His luscious lips were addressing him. And, there was a fresh and delightful scent that lingered in Ji Xiaoli’s nose—a scent that belonged to Ruan Fenghe.

He said:

『I’m sorry, shifu… I’m YueJian ChunHe.』

Ji Xiaoli’s first emotion was surprisingly not outrage after being deceived. There was instead the rapid beating of his heart.

Ruan Fenghe: “Xiaoli, I’m sorry… I’m Milk Tea Small Crisp and also YueJian ChunHe.”

It was as if his heart had been grabbed and thrown onto a mattress full of cotton candy.

Ji Xiaoli did not even have time to be livid as he came to a sudden realization——

He seemed to have fallen for his disciple.