Volume One, Chapter 15: My Daughter Is the Second Female Lead in a CEO Romance Novel, 15

“I love you too,” Jiang Ruoxue’s voice came through the phone.

“Baby, where are you? Why is there so much noise in the background?” Shen Tingyu asked.

Hearing Shen Tingyu mention the background noise, Jiang Ruoxue nervously covered the receiver. Could he have noticed something?

“I’m at the airport, handling some business. But the Christmas holiday lasts over ten days—I’ll definitely come to see you.”

“Alright, Ruoxue, it’s okay if you can’t come. The winter break is almost here anyway; I’ll come find you then. Make sure to rest well and don’t tire yourself out.”

“Okay. Tingyu, I have an important call coming in. I have to hang up now.” Fearful that continuing the call might expose her, Jiang Ruoxue quickly found an excuse to end the conversation.

Shen Tingyu’s unfinished words were cut off. Though he said it didn’t matter, having waited so long for this meeting, the sudden interruption left him feeling a little disappointed.

Yet, the thought of seeing Jiang Ruoxue over winter break made him smile involuntarily. He began counting down the days until their reunion.

“Tingyu, why are you smiling like that? Is your girlfriend finally coming?” one of Shen Tingyu’s roommates asked, puzzled by his expression.

All of Shen Tingyu’s roommates knew about his childhood sweetheart, a stunning beauty studying in the UK. They also knew she had planned to visit during Christmas but something had suddenly come up.

“My girlfriend probably still can’t come in the next few days, but she said she’ll come once she’s free.”

“No wonder you’re so happy.”

“Let’s go; it’s about time. My girlfriend just messaged me,” Shen Tingyu said. One of his roommates was currently dating a student from a nearby school.

The two dormitories had arranged to have lunch together today.

“Let’s go.” The other two roommates tidied their clothes.

Shen Tingyu grabbed the scarf he had left on his chair, put it on, and followed them out.

By the time they arrived, the girlfriend of Shen Tingyu’s roommate and her dorm mates were already there.

“Chen Kang! Over here!” his girlfriend waved.

“No wonder it’s Capital Media University—every one of them is more beautiful than the last,” teased one of Chen Kang’s girlfriend’s roommates.

Chen Rui froze for a moment when she saw Shen Tingyu. How was it him?

She glanced at her roommates and saw Chen Kang’s girlfriend and two others wink at her.

They had long known Shen Tingyu was among Chen Kang’s roommates and that Chen Rui liked Shen Tingyu. This lunch was arranged especially to matchmake them.

When Capital Media University started, Shen Tingyu, as the freshman representative, had gone viral online. His photos circulated widely among nearby universities.

Chen Rui even used a photo of Shen Tingyu’s speech as her lock screen wallpaper—they knew him very well. They hadn’t had the chance before, but now that they did, they naturally wanted to push such a perfect match together.

Shen Tingyu’s roommates, however, were completely unaware. They all knew Shen Tingyu had a girlfriend and would never try to set him up with someone else knowingly.

That would be asking for trouble.

Shen Tingyu glanced at Chen Rui, his gaze lingering for two seconds longer than usual.

Though he had only met her once, his impression of Chen Rui was far from ordinary. After hearing from Shi Yan about what Chen Rui’s grandmother had done to Jiang Ruoxue, he felt nothing but aversion toward her.

If not for his roommates’ sake, Shen Tingyu would have left on the spot.

Unaware of the background, Chen Rui’s roommates noticed how Shen Tingyu’s gaze lingered on her and excitedly exchanged looks.

There might be hope!

Chen Rui herself shyly lowered her head.

“Hello, I’m Chen Kang’s girlfriend, Zhao Ting. These are my roommates, Li Ning, Ding Jiameng, and Chen Rui.”

“Hello, I’m Chen Kang’s roommate, Wang Junhao.”

“I’m Gao Tao.”

“Shen Tingyu.” Shen Tingyu didn’t want to say another word. He only wanted to get as far away from Chen Rui as possible.

If this weren’t the first meeting between the two dormitories, he would have left immediately.

“Have a seat first, Shen. You can sit here,” Zhao Ting wanted to seat Shen Tingyu next to Chen Rui.

The atmosphere instantly grew awkward. More precisely, the faces of Shen Tingyu’s dorm mates turned grim.

They realized that Chen Kang’s girlfriend and her roommates were trying to set up Shen Tingyu with Chen Rui.

“You never told your girlfriend that Tingyu already has a girlfriend?” Wang Junhao whispered.

“Sorry, bro. I didn’t know this was their plan,” Chen Kang gave Shen Tingyu an apologetic look and whispered in his ear.

The situation was awkward even for Chen Kang. He didn’t expect his girlfriend to have such intentions when suggesting a joint meal between the two dorms. Had he known, he would have refused outright.

Besides, everyone at their school knew Shen Tingyu already had a girlfriend. Didn’t they?

“No worries.” Chen Kang clearly didn’t know about this, so Shen Tingyu couldn’t blame him.

“Tingting, come here. I need to tell you something,” Chen Kang called Zhao Ting over to quietly explain that Shen Tingyu already had a girlfriend.

Zhao Ting looked puzzled but got up and followed Chen Kang aside.

“Oh! This spot’s perfect for passing dishes. I’ll sit here if you don’t mind,” Gao Tao’s timely remark broke the ice. He looked toward Chen Rui and the others.

With Gao Tao’s words, Chen Rui and her friends naturally couldn’t refuse. Gao Tao sat down, and Chen Rui shifted slightly toward her roommates.

Gao Tao took the seat next to Chen Rui, and Wang Junhao sat nearby.

“Old Shen, sit here,” Chen Kang, still negotiating with his girlfriend, gestured to the spot between him and Gao Tao, signaling Shen Tingyu to sit.

Shen Tingyu walked over in two strides and sat down.

“Why did you call me over? Does my roommate Chen Rui really match well with Shen Tingyu? Plus, they’re from the same hometown. Isn’t that a coincidence?” Zhao Ting nudged Chen Kang.

Chen Kang held his forehead, utterly helpless.