26: Scumbag's basic operation

In a corner of the school cafeteria, Liu Xinyao sat waiting. Shen Qian scanned the room upon entering and spotted her, but he didn't head over. Instead, he took a seat in the central area of the cafeteria.

"Come here."

Not long after the message was sent, Liu Xinyao came over and sat down.

"Speak. What did you want to talk about?"

"Shen Qian, I'm sorry. I admit that before, I indeed..."

"Don't apologize to me. You haven't done anything to wrong me. We're friends; there's no need for this."

"Are you still angry that I went out to eat with that senior, or because I didn't report for registration with you?"

"Did you ask to see me just to say this?"

Shen Qian looked at her with an expression of disbelief.

"If you only wanted to say this, then it's unnecessary. I'm not the type to fuss over trivial matters—and besides, these don't even count as trivial matters."

They didn't even count as trivial matters. These words felt like a heavy hammer smashing ruthlessly into the girl's heart.

"Shen Qian, I really didn't mean it. I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry."

"Enough, enough. Why do you keep emphasizing your apologies? You haven't done anything to wrong me, so you don't need to seek forgiveness from me."

Shen Qian's expression remained indifferent, but in the girl's eyes, this indifference looked like something else entirely.

What did he mean by not needing to seek forgiveness?

They had clearly shown mutual affection before, and he was so gentle after that night. Why had he become like this now?

Shen Qian stood up.

"Liu Xinyao, we are friends. If you need anything else in the future, look for me, and I'll help if it's within my power. But if you're going to keep saying these nonsensical things like you are now, then I don't think there's any need for us to meet again."

"Are you trying to draw a clear line between us?"

"I said, we are friends. But if you want to interpret that as drawing a line, I can't control what you think."

"Just friends? So in the end, we can only be friends?"

Shen Qian felt that was enough and turned to leave, not caring if she cried or made a scene afterward. Regardless, this outcome was within his plan. His original plan was to be more conspicuous so Liu Xinyao would seek him out; he hadn't expected that seeing her yesterday would move the timeline up. Truly, plans could never keep up with changes.

In the afternoon, Shen Qian's class had no lessons, so they discussed whether to go out and have some fun. After all, school had just started, and they were full of curiosity about their surroundings.

"It's best to buy some sunscreen and moisturizing products. military training is coming up next—fourteen consecutive days in the sun. It's terrifying just thinking about it."

"What's there to be afraid of? You're a grown man; what's wrong with getting a bit darker?"

While they were talking, Tan Xinxin sent a message to Shen Qian.

"Darling, my roommates and I are going out to buy things for military training. Think if there's anything you need, and I'll pick up a set for you."

"No need, my roommates and I are going to buy things together."

Shen Qian was very satisfied with Tan Xinxin. This girl was smart, knew her boundaries, and understood men very well. Her current display of kindness was actually a form of 'retreating to advance'; she was using her goodness to tell Shen Qian that she was already his, and not to forget her.

But Shen Qian was currently a scumbag. A scumbag would never abandon his own rhythm just because a woman was good enough, just as a woman would never fall in love with a man simply because he was good to her. It was the same principle.

Could he give her benefits?

Of course he could; it was actually very easy.

Setting everything else aside, he currently had over a dozen reimbursement cards with a 1-million-yuan limit each, plus several cashback cards. Even though this was Shanghai, buying a few bags wouldn't cost anywhere near a million.

But why didn't he?

The reason was simple: he had a brain.

Getting into bed and receiving benefits happened because those men knew their age and bodies didn't match those young women.

But what about Shen Qian? He had the looks, the body, and the capability. He could match any girl in the world. If he gave Tan Xinxin benefits now, it would be equivalent to devaluing himself—it would be telling her that he was insecure and needed to use money to compensate for the imbalance.

A man can be overbearing or aggressive, but he must never be weak. Especially in front of a woman, if he shows even a little weakness, she will feel she is stronger than him and try to control him with so-called love.

Shen Qian would give Tan Xinxin benefits, but that would be because he felt his female companion needed nice things. The core was to package his female companion, but absolutely not to compensate her because he had obtained her body.

Rejecting her kindness now followed the same logic.

It was just a matter of spending a little money; couldn't he buy it himself? Why did he need her to be so considerate?

On the other side, Tan Xinxin looked at her phone. As expected, Shen Qian had refused. But it didn't matter; she knew that showing her attitude was more important than actually buying the things.

The next moment, another message arrived on her phone.

"Ask for leave. We're staying out tonight."

The message was from Shen Qian. The corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she replied with a single word: "Okay."

In the supermarket, the group bought some sunscreen and insoles. When they got to the cosmetics section, Shen Qian acted as if cosmetics were free, buying whatever was most expensive. After a round of sweeping the shelves, the three roommates had spent three hundred yuan combined, while Shen Qian alone had spent nearly ten thousand.

"Holy crap, Third Brother, you're being way too extravagant."

"I'm going to be a scumbag. This face and this body both need to be cared for."

[You purchased maintenance products to attract girls. Your behavior conforms to scumbag standards. Reward being issued...]

The system gave a reward, and Shen Qian settled the bill for all three of them together.

"Don't! We bought our own stuff. How can we let you pay?"

"Yeah, Third Brother. We know you might be richer than us, but we can't take advantage of you like this."

"Stop the nonsense. Dinner last night cost over 2,000; didn't I take advantage of you guys then? Now you're whining over two or three hundred yuan? Are we brothers or not?"

Shen Qian laughed. Since he put it that way, the brothers naturally felt awkward refusing further. Gao Haitao was particularly embarrassed, as he had been the one taking advantage of the others the most so far.

At this moment, Shen Qian patted his shoulder.

"What are you in such a hurry for? We have four years ahead of us. There will be plenty of time for you to show your stuff."

Only then did the other man relax.

In the evening, Shen Qian got dressed and was about to head out.

"Third Brother, where are you going at this hour?"

Seeing Shen Qian dressed so sharply, Chang Heng's gossip-loving heart was instantly ignited.

"A date. I won't be back tonight."

"You're moving too fast! It hasn't even been a week since school started. How did you do it?"

Shen Qian gave a slight smile.

"I'm a scumbag. Isn't this just a basic maneuver?"

"Damn, I can't take this anymore! Brothers, get him!"

After some more fooling around, Shen Qian finally left. He hadn't driven his car for a few days; it was time to let his ride make an appearance.