Chapter 97: N. A Campus Date

The MsnF founder’s initial movement on social media completely astonished everyone and left behind high-magnitude, long-lasting ripples that kept the discussions alive for a very long time.

A segment of the company’s shareholders was clearly quite dissatisfied with Ning Yixiao’s sudden high-profile official announcement, believing such actions to be far too risky. However, Ning Yixiao, who had always meticulously managed risk, did not think so.

The unprecedented surge in popularity was something he hadn’t fully anticipated, but he would readily exploit any resource that proved beneficial to the company’s development.

Consequently, Ning Yixiao called a specific meeting with the sales and marketing teams to finalize a “Pride Week” mega-promotion that perfectly aligned with the tone of the founder’s announcement—same-sex couples could enjoy a “buy one, get the second at 50% off” discount across all brand lines, and sharing their receipts or tagging the brand online would earn them a discount voucher for their next purchase.

This strategy directly propelled the brand’s sales to a new historic peak, established an inclusive corporate image, and effectively silenced the skeptical shareholders.

Even Su Hui couldn’t help but be completely impressed; with a brilliant mind like Ning Yixiao’s, it would be unscientific not to make a fortune.

However, compared to corporate promotions, what the vast majority of netizens cared about would always be the gossip.

User A: This is so incredibly sweet. The first time I noticed them was at that New York fashion gala before; they had a very brief joint appearance on the red carpet, and even back then, I thought the visual was just too pleasing to the eye. Their eyes were practically melting into each other. To think I actually ended up shipping a real couple! They are truly so good at hiding it!

User B: My friend also accidentally ran into a pair of guys while traveling in Iceland. At the time, she just felt like they looked like a couple, and because the atmosphere felt so beautiful, she snapped a photo. To think it was actually the two of them!

The attached picture was a photo of them feeding swans by Lake Tjörnin in Iceland. Su Hui was standing by the edge of the pond, stretching his arm out with pieces of bread to feed the swans, while Ning Yixiao stood right beside him, holding his hand. Ning Yixiao’s other hand was clamping half a cigarette; he wasn’t looking at the swans at all, his head tilted as he stared fixedly at Su Hui.

User C: This picture is a match made in heaven! The aura of these two people is just too synchronized—a bit sultry and a bit melancholic. They feel like a couple perfectly suited to curl up at home on a cloudy day and go at it like crazy!

User D: “Go at it like crazy” is a hilarious description lol. By the way, could going to Iceland have been their honeymoon trip? Usually, people go to sunny tropical islands for a honeymoon, so going to Iceland is pretty cool.

User E: But in this Iceland photo, neither of them is wearing a ring. Could it be that they got married after coming back from Iceland? Which means there’s a chance the proposal happened in Iceland?

User F: Holy crap, that’s even cooler lol.

User G: By the way, didn’t Shaw get engaged once before? I recall there were reports about it—a private ceremony with Bella Jones at some estate.

User H: Hasn’t Bella Jones always been rumored to be a lesbian? It felt like the two of them never even looked each other dead in the eye when attending events—a thick, corporate arranged-marriage vibe.

User I: Besides, the Jones Group and MsnF have always been in a deep partnership, right? Old Man Jones even took a stake in MsnF. It’s estimated that whether his daughter actually marries or not is secondary to him; the key is the partnership. After all, they are businessmen, and benefits come first. Bella’s engagement to him was so short, it was 100% a commercial maneuver.

User J: Speaking of which, this web of relationships is quite complex. Eddy’s modeling debut was a fashion campaign for Bella’s brand, and Shaw even helped out as the hand model. Is there a possibility that Bella was actually a smokescreen for Shaddy all along? Or simply their matchmaker?

User K: Probably not. Didn’t Shaw’s post mention that he and Eddy have been dating for six years and that Eddy is his first love? Six years ago, he probably wasn’t even in the country yet. It feels like Bella and Eddy are closer in relationship compared to her and Shaw; during the gala, the two of them walked the red carpet arm-in-arm (by the way, I love the ship name Shaddy).

User L: With a net worth nearing ten billion, I don’t believe Shaw would randomly go be a hand model for someone… It must have been entirely for Eddy’s sake.

User M: It was definitely a short-term business arrangement. Who doesn’t get engaged nowadays? There’s a whole bunch of people in Hollywood who have been engaged multiple times and even have kids without ever getting married. But Shaw doesn’t seem like the type who would get engaged to someone else while in a relationship; it’s highly likely these two broke up midway through and then reunited.

User N: Ahhh, a broken mirror mended is exactly what gets me going the most! This pair truly possesses that quality of being hopelessly entwined! I bet they must have maintained a friends-with-benefits relationship even after breaking up!

User O: Reading everyone’s discussions, I feel like I’ve filled in an entire drama series in my head.

User P: There’s also a super massive piece of candy! On the third floor of Eddy’s solo exhibition, there’s an installation art piece called Reset1224. 1224 happens to be Shaw’s birthday, and Eddy also mentioned in a magazine interview that the piece was a birthday gift for the person he loves most. Isn’t that practically calling him out by name! Btw, that piece is breathtakingly beautiful. I heard it’s going on a touring exhibition; you guys absolutely must see it in person!

User Q: Damn, an artist truly knows how to romance someone…

User R: If anyone made such a beautiful artwork for me, I would truly propose on the spot.

User S: I went to see the solo exhibition, and there’s another point that might count as candy. According to the photos shared from the first day of the exhibition, a piece called The Net explicitly stated it was a loan from a private collector named ‘Sean.’ However, by the time I went (the fourth day of the exhibition), it had already been changed to ‘Shaw.’ Many people suspect that Sean was Shaw’s pseudonym.

User T: ! Connecting this to the reunion theory mentioned above, I’ve imagined a massive drama: after breaking up, Shaw used the pseudonym Sean to approach his partner and win back his heart. Is there a possibility of this? (I really want these two to hold a five-hour livestream just to tell us their love story!!)

User U: That wish is a bit extravagant; you might have to wait for the founder to go bankrupt to get that chance.

User V: New candy has arrived! Turns out the tattoo on Eddy’s waist is a line written upside down: “More Than One Night.” The meaning of Shaw’s Chinese name happens to be “A Single Night,” and his surname also carries the meaning of “Would Rather.” “Would rather have just a single night.” This is a direct response to his lover’s name!

User W: The artist is a bit too romantic; he’s definitely an INFP, right?

User X: Shaw’s name sounds quite pessimistic—would rather have just a single night—but Eddy says it’s more than one night between us, that there are many, many nights. Waaaah, so sweet!

User Y: Um, actually, my younger sister was a student taught by Eddy. She said everyone in their department knows Eddy has bipolar disorder. If you think about MsnF’s Mood product line, a lot of the products inside are targeted at groups with psychological struggles, especially the Empathy series, which is practically a walking psychological counselor. If someone claims this has nothing to do with Eddy, I won’t believe it.

User Z: Holy crap, you guys are too good at finding sweets! I need to bookmark this thread; following you guys ensures we’ll never run out of candy to eat!

User AA: It’s mainly because the clues left by this pair are simply too abundant. During a previous roadshow, someone asked Shaw how he came up with the philosophy combining psychology and artificial intelligence. He said it was because of some regrets.

User BB: This man is so good with words. He didn’t even say it was because of a person; he straight up said it was because of regrets. The regrets are entirely filled with the artist, aren’t they?

User CC: Damn, a jewelry brand just authenticated it! They said Shaddy’s wedding rings were custom-made by their brand, a tweet fresh out of the oven!

User DD: Jewelry brand: Caught a massive wave of traffic.

User EE: Help, the official account even replied to a user below, stating that the inspiration for that ring was provided by Shaw himself, designed together with the designer. Founder, you really know what you’re doing. Why am I so obsessed with an elite man who knows how to date!

User FF: They replied with another tweet, saying Shaw ordered the ring four years ago. Some users below calculated the timeline and said Shaw ordered it while he was studying at Stanford, right around the time he had just sold the financial system he wrote at school.

User GG: What a devoted man. Logically speaking, he shouldn’t have been together with Eddy at that time. I saw some Stanford alumni mention that Shaw kept to himself a lot during his time at school and never dated anyone.

User HH: The ring is truly so beautiful, especially every time it’s snapped on the artist’s hand. Long, pale fingers wearing a blue diamond is just absolutely gorgeous.

User II: The two of them are truly so clingy. Every time they’re out on the street, they’re holding hands, hugging and kissing at the drop of a hat. The key point is that Shaw naturally has a cold face, yet he frequently hugs him from behind, resting his chin on his partner’s shoulder—the contrast is just insanely cute.

User JJ: Shaw will even help Eddy tie his hair, his movements so exceptionally practiced it’s unbelievable. Who understands what gets me? In front of people, he’s a meticulous, phenomenal Silicon Valley founder; behind closed doors, he’s a gentle, loyal dog who knows exactly how to take care of his little artist.

User KK: Their Doberman is also very cool; every street snap captured of them walking the dog looks like a fashion campaign.

User LL: Someone dug up info on that dog, saying he’s a therapy dog from a highly renowned therapy dog charity organization. Moreover, this Doberman had been abandoned as a puppy due to leg issues; this charity took him back, raised him, and even got him certified before he was eventually adopted by Shaw.

User MM: Adopting a therapy dog, found sweetness once again (but netizens are truly amazing, they won’t even let the puppy off the hook).

User NN: He loves him so much, marveling at this for the ten-thousandth time.

User OO: Is anyone paying attention to Stanford’s entrepreneur leadership forum today? The guest speaker happens to be Shaw.

User PP: Only students from our school can go listen to this, right? A bit envious. This seems to be his first semi-public appearance since MsnF’s IPO (suddenly I really wish the founder could have the exposure of a celebrity, forget it, I’m just thinking out loud, the guy doesn’t lack money).

User QQ: I’m at Stanford right now; there are too many people at the lecture, you can’t even squeeze in. Someone said Eddy is listening from the very back row, and guess what? After Shaw finished the lecture, he actually accompanied Eddy to stroll around campus directly! He even specifically took off his suit jacket, changed into a casual top, put on a baseball cap, and the two of them are currently studying together in the library.

User RR: [Shares video]

User SS: This contrast truly gets me. After finishing his speech, the entrepreneurial elite alumnus invited by the school turns back into a male university student to accompany his partner around their former alma mater. Save me.

User TT: They’re actually studying together! Help, this is just too cute. Studying right next to each other truly looks like a college couple, even sharing a pair of headphones. Too sweet.

User UU: They aren’t wearing their wedding rings again. Correlating this with the previous cinema video, it’s reasonable to suspect that this pair of married men genuinely has a hobby for roleplay. Not wearing their wedding rings might just mean they’re currently roleplaying a young campus couple! Shaw, you’re clearly a deadpan Capricorn man, how are you so good at this!

User VV: Is it too late to head to the Stanford library right now?

Su Hui, who was currently reading a book in the library, had absolutely no idea that the video of him and Ning Yixiao studying together had already quietly spread across the entire internet.

Fortunately, he was restrained enough today, lacking any overly transgressive movements. Entering the stable phase of his manic episode, Su Hui wasn’t as difficult to control, and could guarantee sitting obediently right beside Ning Yixiao.

Ning Yixiao was currently writing code, looking highly focused. Occasionally, Su Hui would rest his chin on his shoulder, then slide a note over.

[You aren’t truly acting out your school days, are you? So serious.]

Ning Yixiao switched to his document interface, typing out a line of text.

[I’m taking the opportunity to work.]

Su Hui smiled, lowering his head to write another line.

[You really are a workaholic!]

The moment he looked up, a new sentence had been tapped onto Ning Yixiao’s computer screen.

[Thank you for the compliment.]

Su Hui quietly took hold of Ning Yixiao’s hand, squeezing his fingers, and then whispered in a tiny voice, “I’m hungry, let’s go eat.”

Ning Yixiao nodded, logged out of the server, packed the things on the desk into his backpack, and led Su Hui out of the library toward the cafeteria.

“Did you use to come to this cafeteria to eat often?” Su Hui was immensely curious about everything regarding his solo pursuit of studies.

“Mm, the taste is decent.” Ning Yixiao led him to the self-serve food area, picking up a plate to hand to Su Hui. “But some of the Chinese dishes aren’t that great.”

Su Hui stayed pressed tightly against Ning Yixiao; whichever dish of braised beef Ning Yixiao took, Su Hui would take the exact same one. When Ning Yixiao picked up a mini turkey burger, Su Hui followed suit.

“Why are you copying me?” Holding the tongs in his hand, Ning Yixiao turned his head to stare at Su Hui.

Su Hui looked up, blinking. “I want to eat the combination you liked eating most at school.”

“You won’t necessarily like what I like.”

“It doesn’t matter, it’s about a sense of ritual.”

Left with no choice, Ning Yixiao nodded, turning around to continue taking food. However, to prevent Su Hui from eating too many dishes he didn’t like and affecting his mood, Ning Yixiao quietly added things Su Hui loved to eat into his own daily combination, such as a strawberry cheese salad, french fries, and a chocolate cake.

“This cake looks delicious just by looking at it.” Su Hui hadn’t noticed the minor alteration of the easter egg, feeling entirely delighted.

“Come with me.” Carrying his food tray, Ning Yixiao led Su Hui to a corner against the wall to sit down.

“This was my favorite seat when I was in school.”

“Is that so?” Su Hui took a look around. “It’s very secluded here.”

If it had been during his undergraduate days, Ning Yixiao would never have appeared in this kind of deserted corner; on the contrary, he was always at the dead center of a crowd, visible at a single glance.

“Mm, few people sit here. No one will care even if you write code while eating.”

Su Hui smiled. “It seems you truly gave up socializing entirely after entering grad school, focusing all your mind on mastering technology.”

“I would still participate in useful socializing.” Ning Yixiao transferred the french fries from his own plate onto Su Hui’s.

Su Hui used a fork to spear a strawberry. “Like Jingming.”

“Him?” Ning Yixiao took a sip of juice. “He can’t be defined by whether he’s useful or not; he’s just a bug on my path of socialization.”

Su Hui laughed so hard his torso tilted backward. “I’m going to tell him!”

“Go ahead.” Ning Yixiao’s tone was calm, immune to threats. He picked up the mini burger, stretching his arm out to place it beside Su Hui’s face to measure it. “Su Hui, your face is so small.”

With a turn of his head, Su Hui took a bite out of his burger, saying indistinctly, “If you keep measuring, I’ll eat all your food. My appetite has been great lately.”

“Then eat more.” Ning Yixiao instantly shifted the small dish containing the strawberry salad over to his food tray as well.

Su Hui had a naturally lean constitution, never plagued by the trouble of gaining weight. Furthermore, he frequently lost weight rapidly due to a lack of appetite during depressive episodes, so replenishing whatever he could during a manic phase was a plus.

“This burger is delicious.”

“Eat some beef.” Ning Yixiao used his chopsticks to offer a piece to his lips, and Su Hui swallowed it obediently.

“It’s decent, but not as delicious as what you make.”

“It’s a cafeteria after all. Next time I’ll take you to the restaurants around here.”

“Okay.”

The two concluded their university campus lunch with the small chocolate cake, feeling quite satisfied. Ning Yixiao led Su Hui to wander around the campus to digest their food, walking until they eventually arrived outside his former dormitory building. Although they couldn’t go up, the two still sat for a while downstairs.

“Which room did you live in?” Su Hui raised his hand to block the sun, looking up at the building block.

Ning Yixiao stretched his finger to point. “The room at the very western edge.”

“A single?” Su Hui asked.

“Mm, not big.”

Su Hui’s thoughts raced rapidly, his mind instantly visualizing a picture of Ning Yixiao returning to his dormitory every evening, facing a hollow, tiny room.

“Then would you feel scared when sleeping at night?”

Ning Yixiao let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. However, he soon lowered his head, leaning close to Su Hui’s ear. “But I would frequently think of you.”

“Think of me how?” Su Hui turned his head to look into his eyes.

Beneath the brim of his hat, Ning Yixiao’s narrow, deep brow and eyes carried a touch of coolness, yet the teardrop mole at the corner of his eye added a hint of vividness instead.

“Sometimes simply thinking, sometimes thinking of some restricted content.”

There it was again, flirting with a cold face. Su Hui was caught hook, line, and sinker by this exact routine every single time.

Yet he didn’t stop Ning Yixiao’s straying topic, asking instead, “Your bed must have been very small, right? If the two of us slept on it together, it probably wouldn’t fit well.”

“It’s fine if we sleep embracing each other, but we’d have to press very tightly together.” Ning Yixiao paused. “Or you could sleep on top of me.”

“You really know how to imagine things.” Su Hui smiled.

“But my bed was very, very high. The space beneath the bedboards was for luggage, fitted with drawers.”

“I can endure that the least.” Just thinking about it gave Su Hui goosebumps.

Ning Yixiao looped an arm around him. “If you were here, I would definitely move out to live, just like during undergrad.”

“How expensive.”

“I can earn it back, I’m very good at making money.”

“Senior is truly amazing.”

“Junior is right.”

The two chatted idly about this and that as they walked toward the vicinity of the cactus garden. From afar, Su Hui caught sight of it, pointing excitedly as he asked, “Is that the park you wrote about in your letter?”

“Mm, it’s said there are many very tall cacti inside. I’ve never been.”

The moment they entered, they caught sight of giant cacti taller than a person, light green in color, their long sharp needles presenting a fuzzy golden glow beneath the sunlight.

Su Hui had to look up even when walking over. He couldn’t resist stretching out his hand, wanting to touch them. “They look fake.”

“Don’t touch, be careful of the prickles getting onto your hand.”

Su Hui nodded, withdrawing his hand very obediently. “Okay, I’ll just look.”

Ning Yixiao pulled out his phone, taking a photo of him while he stood close by to admire the scene beneath a cactus.

“There are so many succulents here too, so cute.” Su Hui took Ning Yixiao’s hand, pointing at a cluster of succulents on the ground. “Look at this, doesn’t it look like a rose?”

“Mm.”

“These ball-shaped cacti look like a bunch of pumpkins.”

Ning Yixiao stayed by his side, but most of the time he couldn’t bring himself to seriously admire the cacti and succulents; his gaze would always drift unconsciously to Su Hui’s face, watching his minor expressions when gasping in surprise and the upward curve of his lips.

Su Hui’s degree of affection for plants was astonishingly high, enjoying himself immensely in the tiny cactus garden. However, growing overexcited, he failed to watch out for a small cactus beneath his feet, accidentally bumping into it while stepping back, causing a few tiny prickles to lodge into his ankle.

Hearing his small gasp, Ning Yixiao snapped out of it, immediately leading him to sit on a fallen tree trunk on the ground. He placed Su Hui’s leg over his own knee, carefully picking out the prickles for him.

“I told you it’s dangerous here.”

“It’s fine, it’s just these few.”

“Does it hurt?”

“A little bit.”

Seeing how focused Ning Yixiao was while picking them out, Su Hui wanted to kiss him several times, but fearing he would be displeased, he didn’t dare to disturb him. It wasn’t until Ning Yixiao picked out the very last one, using a tissue to wipe away a tiny bead of oozing blood for him, that Su Hui leaned closer.

The distance between the two became exceptionally close; the moment Ning Yixiao looked up, his nose nearly brushed against the corner of Su Hui’s mouth.

“What are you doing?”

“Ning Yixiao, I read a piece of information before.” Su Hui pursed his lips, his smile impossible to conceal. “The pain-relieving effect of a single kiss is ten times that of morphine.”

Ning Yixiao stared into his eyes, quieting down for a moment. “So noisy.”

Su Hui felt mystified. “What’s noisy?”

“The sound of your calculations.” Ning Yixiao spoke with absolute gravity.

Su Hui smiled, knowing that reasoning with him was useless, and it was better to just take action. Thus, disregarding everything, he looped his arms around Ning Yixiao’s neck, kissing him inside the small garden filled with cacti and succulents. It began as a shallow kiss, but naturally and effortlessly deepened very quickly, their lips parting slightly as the tips of their tongues tangled together, enveloping each other’s breath.

The tongue piercing he wore today was a small metal bead, because he had accidentally discovered that Ning Yixiao exceptionally favored this specific style, whether during a kiss or some other more stimulating activity. Su Hui liked the feeling of pleasing Ning Yixiao.

When it ended, he rested against Ning Yixiao’s shoulder to pant, and then heard Ning Yixiao mimicking his breaths again.

“Don’t copy me.”

Ning Yixiao doubled down. “Don’t copy me.”

“You’re so childish.” Su Hui covered his mouth.

On their way out, the two accidentally ran into two female students, one of whom happened to be Chinese. They stepped forward bashfully, claiming to like the two of them a lot and wishing to ask for their autographs.

Su Hui agreed very readily, signing his name in their notebook and even taking a joint photo. Ning Yixiao signed his name right next to Su Hui’s.

During the photo, Ning Yixiao was too tall to fit properly into the frame.

“Crouch down a bit, otherwise it’ll only capture your chin.” Su Hui’s tone naturally carried a hint of acting spoiled.

Hearing this, though the expression on Ning Yixiao’s face was a bit helpless, he still did as told, parting his legs to lower his height slightly to manage to enter the frame. Su Hui immediately pressed close to the side of his face, smiling as he flashed a V-sign.

The two girls wore expressions that clearly indicated they were thoroughly enjoying the candy.

“Thank you! Wishing you a happy marriage!”

Su Hui also smiled as he said thank you, turning his head to recall something. “Yixiao, did you take a photo of me in the cactus garden just now too? Send the photo to me, I want to send it to Grandma to see.”

“Mm.” Ning Yixiao sent the photo to him, but Su Hui couldn’t find his phone anymore.

“Eh, where’s my phone?”

Ning Yixiao felt a vibration, only then recalling that Su Hui had handed his phone to him while he was handling the prickles just now. Feeling his pocket, he indeed located Su Hui’s phone.

The screen, which woke up the moment it was lifted, happened to display the messages he had just sent over.

puppy: [Shares picture]

puppy: [Shares picture]

“Puppy?” Ning Yixiao found this remark unbelievable, looking toward Su Hui with a face that clearly demanded, Explain this to me.

“Ah, this…” Su Hui squeezed out a smile. “Didn’t you use a little cat remark for me too? Puppy is so cute—little dog—doesn’t it match my contact name perfectly? Besides, ours is a puppy love.”

Following his explanation, Ning Yixiao grudgingly accepted this excessively juvenile remark. After all, the description of puppy love had indeed managed to touch him.

“Here.”

“You don’t mind, right? Then I’m definitely not changing it; I’ll just use this.”

“Mm, just don’t let anyone else see it.”

“What’s wrong with that?” Su Hui didn’t understand, muttering in a tiny whisper, “Cats and dogs are just the best match.”

“What did you say?” Ning Yixiao asked.

“Nothing, I said others definitely won’t see it.” Su Hui smiled, looping his arm around Ning Yixiao’s, kissing the back of his hand.

What Su Hui hadn’t anticipated was that the two girls from just now hadn’t walked far at all, and had even provided a real-time broadcast. Consequently…

User A: This joint photo is a match made in heaven; the height difference is too cute!

User B: Ahhhh, what kind of lovely and cute contact name is puppy! The cold canine type is completely undefeated.

User C: I have nothing to chat about with anyone who doesn’t ship this married couple.

User D: The hickeys on the little artist’s body are a bit too numerous; you guys should cover up a bit.

User E: Puppy is just very good at biting people; bite more, I love to watch it.