Chapter 43 Water on the Hood

In his panic, he caught sight of a bottle of ice-cold Mizone sitting on the hood of a BMW X5 nearby.

The blue bottle looked exceptionally tempting in the setting sun.

Without thinking, Lin Chen reached out and grabbed the bottle of Mizone.

With a "pop," he unscrewed the cap.

He tilted his head back and took a huge gulp.

The ice-cold liquid slid down his throat, instantly soothing his parched gullet.

That sweet taste was simply a lifesaver.

"Oh... uh..."

Lin Chen let out a long sigh of relief.

He patted his chest for a while to recover, then muttered with a look of contentment,

"Refreshing!"

"Finally, I'm alive again!"

Just as he was feeling comfortable, an unpleasant voice came from beside him,

carrying a hint of wry helplessness:

"You're comfortable, but I'm certainly not!"

"Let me tell you, I don't like men!"

Lin Chen was stunned and looked toward the sound.

He saw the door of the BMW X5 open.

A middle-aged man wearing Armani casual wear with a slightly protruding belly stepped out.

He was looking at Lin Chen with a complicated expression.

Lin Chen was completely bewildered, his hand holding the Mizone frozen in mid-air.

His mind was full of question marks:

"What do you mean, big brother?"

"You put a bottle of water on your hood, isn't it for someone to drink?"

"And what's this about not liking men?"

The middle-aged man looked at his innocent and clueless expression,

his expression shifting from helplessness to speechlessness,

finally turning into a long sigh:

"Young man, do you really not know, or are you just playing dumb with me?"

"I really don't know!"

Lin Chen said sincerely, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Big brother, I just choked,"

"I saw you had water here, so I just took it,"

"If I offended you, I'll pay you for it, no big deal!"

The middle-aged man stared at him for a full half-minute,

as if confirming that he really didn't know anything.

Finally, he waved his hand helplessly,

his tone carrying a touch of wry amusement:

"Fine, fine."

"Looking at you, you're just a green Freshman who just entered university!"

He pointed at the Mizone in Lin Chen's hand,

and then pointed at his own car:

"This water is placed here for people to drink,"

"but not for big men like you, it's for young girls to drink!"

"Get it?"

Lin Chen was even more confused.

He blinked his eyes,

his mind a complete mess:

"For young girls to drink?"

"Why put it on the hood?"

"If you're giving it away for free, can't you just hand it to them?"

The middle-aged man seemed to have lost his temper from his questions,

waving his hand,

too lazy to explain so much to him:

"Forget it, forget it."

"Even if I told you, you wouldn't understand."

"This bottle of water is on me, hurry up and go,"

"Don't delay me from doing my thing here."

As he spoke, he turned around and took out another bottle of Mizone from the car,

bent down, and placed it on the hood.

He muttered to himself:

"Luckily I'm smart and bought an extra one as a backup,"

"Otherwise, today's business would have been ruined."

Lin Chen stood there, clutching the bottle of Mizone in his hand,

feeling as if he had just listened to gibberish,

completely baffled.

"How bizarre..."

He scratched his head and muttered to himself,

"It's just a bottle of water, is it that serious?"

"I can just transfer you ten yuan."

"No, no, no!"

Hearing that he wanted to pay, the middle-aged man quickly waved his hand, as if shooing away a fly,

"Really, no need!"

"Hurry up and go, if you don't leave, I'll really have to chase you away!"

Lin Chen still wanted to ask a few more questions,

but seeing the man's impatient expression, it was clear he didn't want to say another word.

He looked at his phone; the evening party time was almost up,

so he didn't dare to dawdle any longer,

and had to walk quickly toward the school gate, clutching the Mizone with a skeptical mind.

But as he walked, his mind was still pondering the middle-aged man's words.

Water on the hood, only for young girls to drink?

Could there be some rule at the gate of Xingcheng University that he didn't know about?

The school gate was currently bustling with noise and excitement, lively like a small marketplace.

The crowd surged, with figures moving back and forth in groups of two or three.

There were couples holding hands, the boys considerately carrying bags for the girls,

the two of them whispering and laughing with their heads close together, the sweet atmosphere almost overflowing;

there were also roommates with their arms around each other's shoulders, wearing matching sneakers,

noisily discussing how they would "show off their skills" at the dance party later;

and there were also straight-A students holding books, walking in a hurry,

clearly having just come out of the library, with a look of indifference on their faces, as if "ignoring the world outside."

Lin Chen mingled in the crowd, his steps still a bit unsteady,

and just as he reached the school gate, he heard two Freshmen wearing military training uniforms chatting enthusiastically nearby,

judging by their excited expressions, they must be newbies who had only just enrolled a few days ago.

"Let's go, let's go!"

"Hurry up, hurry up!"

"If we dawdle any longer, the welcome dance party will start!"

A round-faced boy tugged at his companion's arm, walking quickly,

his tone full of impatience,

"I heard there are many senior girls performing programs tonight,"

"and there's a ballroom dancing segment; who knows, we might encounter a romantic connection!"

The tall, thin boy beside him was tugged so hard he stumbled,

and complained with a wry smile:

"What's the rush? The dance starts at 7:30, it's only 7:10 now!"

"Besides, the welcome party is held every year; it's just singing and dancing, what's there to be excited about?"

Upon hearing this, the round-faced boy immediately stopped walking,

with a "you don't understand" expression, lowering his voice,

and leaned in mysteriously toward the tall, thin boy:

"You're sounding like an outsider!"

"Let me tell you, this welcome dance party is different from previous years!"

The tall, thin boy raised an eyebrow, looking puzzled:

"Different? How could it be different?"

"Isn't it all organized by the department student union?"

"I heard from my cousin that when he attended last year, it was led by the Entertainment Department and the Youth League General Branch."

"Hey!"

"Your information is way too outdated!"

The round-faced boy sneered and patted his chest,

his tone full of smugness,

"I specifically went to ask about it!"

"A senior from my high school, now a junior, is very close to me!"

"He secretly told me the inside scoop!"

As soon as these words were out, the tall, thin boy's curiosity was instantly piqued,

and he hurriedly asked:

"What inside scoop?"

"Tell me, tell me!"

"Don't keep me in suspense!"

Several students passing by, hearing the word "inside scoop,"

also subconsciously slowed their pace and pricked up their ears.

Lin Chen had originally intended to walk straight in, but hearing this, he also stopped his steps,

and glanced at the two Freshmen with great interest.

He actually wanted to hear what kind of inside scoop there could be.

Seeing this, the round-faced boy became even more smug,

looked around, and then leaned in even closer,

lowering his voice even more, as if afraid of being overheard:

"This dance party, on the surface, is jointly managed by the Student Union's Entertainment Department and the Youth League General Branch,"

"and the head of the Entertainment Department is named Chen Qian."

The tall, thin boy looked confused,

"This name sounds a bit familiar..."