Straight Corporate Slave Accidentally Stumbles into the School's F4 - Chapter 2

“It is quite uncomfortable.”

“Qiao An, what’s wrong?” Yun Cheng waved a hand in front of Qiao Nai’s face. “You look a bit pale; are you feeling unwell?”

“It is quite uncomfortable.” Qiao Nai thought back to the way the man had looked at him, and a chill ran down his spine. Why is the “original bottom” so difficult to deal with?!

“Health is the most important thing. Don’t go to the party yet; I’ll cover for you, you should head to the hospital first…”

Yun Cheng prepared to call someone over, but before he could finish, Qiao Nai interrupted him.

“Hey, Yun Cheng!” Qiao Nai quickly patched things up. “I just have a cold… I had a fever this morning, but I’m already fine now. It’s nothing, the party is more important.”

He hadn’t made a good impression on the “original bottom” yet; he couldn’t leave now. If he left, he’d waste a golden opportunity.

“Oh, right, what is the party actually for?” Qiao Nai strode toward the apartment, gesturing at his head. “My memory as soon as I get sick, I forget everything.”

“It’s to celebrate Ferrio winning the championship again, obviously.” Yun Cheng was forced to take long strides to keep up.

“Oh, the championship. I remember now.” Qiao Nai put on a look of sudden realization and clapped his hands, then pivoted. “Fer… won again, huh?”

He had originally wanted to ask who Ferrio was, but asking that would expose his identity, so he had to quickly swerve.

Yun Cheng suddenly stopped. Qiao Nai stopped, too.

Yun Cheng looked suspicious. He leaned in, stood on his tiptoes, and, without warning, reached out to touch Qiao Nai’s forehead. “Qiao An, did the fever make you delirious? Ferrio hasn’t participated in a competition for several years.”

“I don’t have a fever,” Qiao Nai explained. “I meant… before, didn’t he win championships all the time?”

Yun Cheng nodded. “Oh, you mean when he was in middle school?”

“Right, exactly. Back in middle school,” Qiao Nai improvised. “Time really flies.”

The elevator had reached the first floor, but the two of them hadn’t followed. Ferrio looked back and happened to catch this scene.

Under the pitch-black night sky, Qiao Nai, with red marks on his wrists, was being touched affectionately on the forehead by someone, and Qiao Nai even specifically bent over to accommodate him. The two were only a few centimeters apart, as if they were about to kiss in the next second.

He remembered the marks he had seen on Qiao An’s wrists earlier. The look of disgust on his face deepened a level.

The party seemed to be quite a big deal; there were balloons everywhere, even downstairs and inside the elevator, along with posters taped to the elevator walls.

The English text on the posters was written in flashy, colorful fonts, mostly echoing what Yun Cheng had said about celebrating Ferrio’s championship win. At the very top of the poster, there was an illustration. Qiao Nai’s gaze flickered over the illustration and settled on the words “American Football Championship” and “Ferrio.”

Suddenly, Qiao Nai bit his tongue. Faint memories were pulled back to the surface. He recalled the arrogant, domineering “F1” from the original novel. That genius teenage athlete who won championships every year! The “sexually cold” one who didn’t say more than ten sentences a day!

Thinking of this, Qiao Nai gasped. Not out of fear, but because… the plot progress is so fast!

He hadn’t even had a chance to say a few words to the original bottom before running into two of his rivals. Furthermore, Qiao Nai remembered that Ferrio was the hardest person to mess with; he was always giving Qiao An a hard time. Every time Qiao An tried to pursue the original bottom, Ferrio was the biggest obstacle he encountered.

No way. If things went on like this, he wouldn’t have the advantage.

He hadn’t read much of this novel yet, so he didn’t know how it ended. He only knew he was at the start of the story—right when Qiao An was just beginning to fall for the original bottom.

Thinking of the original bottom, Qiao Nai envisioned that cold face and the rugged veins on the back of his hand. He rubbed his arms and turned to Yun Cheng. “Yun Cheng, just now… where did he go?” Qiao Nai still didn’t know the original bottom’s name and stumbled halfway through his sentence.

The three of them had been in the elevator together, but as soon as Qiao Nai got on, the man had stepped out, leaving him utterly confused.

Yun Cheng waved his phone. “He just messaged me, said he went to get cupcakes and pizza. It’s fine, don’t worry about him; he’ll probably be back in a few minutes.”

Qiao Nai nodded.

The party was being held on the top floor of the apartment. As soon as Qiao Nai and Yun Cheng stepped out of the elevator, a group of people was already waiting in front of the door.

“Yun Cheng, why are you so late? Didn’t you say you’d leave at seven.” A black guy with thick-rimmed glasses and curly hair stood at the front. Halfway through his sentence, he saw Qiao Nai behind Yun Cheng, and his already dark face grew even darker.

“Is Ferrio here?” Several elaborately dressed girls gathered around, peering into the elevator entrance. Not seeing Ferrio, they sighed, “He’s not going to show up, is he?”

“How could that be?” someone replied. “He’s the star of today’s party; he has to come. Even if he’s usually cold, he’ll come. Right, Yun Cheng?”

“Right, Ferrio is here. He has some business, but he’ll be here in a moment.” Yun Cheng turned to Qiao Nai. “Let’s go in first.”

In the room full of people, other than Yun Cheng, Qiao Nai didn’t recognize a single soul, nor did he have any impression of them. But he had seen the expression on the guy with the thick glasses earlier—could it be that this guy had a grudge against Qiao An?

The next second, as Qiao Nai brushed past the guy, he was stepped on.

Sss.

He really did have a grudge.

Qiao Nai stared at him with the look one might reserve for a moron, while the latter rolled his eyes and walked straight into the house.

“Don’t mind him; he’s always like that.” Yun Cheng patted his shoulder. “Don’t give petty people the satisfaction.”

Qiao Nai didn’t understand the context, but he didn’t care. His mission wasn’t here; his priority was to find the original bottom and prevent the others from getting a head start.

There were a lot of people at the party. The massive top floor was packed; it was shoulder-to-shoulder and so noisy that his head started to throb.

“Yun Cheng.” Qiao Nai grabbed a soda and handed it to him.

It was too loud. Yun Cheng couldn’t hear him clearly and leaned in. “What did you say, Qiao An?”

“I said I’m going out for some air; I feel a bit dizzy from the cold.” Qiao Nai rubbed his head with a convincing, bleary-eyed expression. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

Yun Cheng nodded, looking worried. “Do you really not need to see a doctor, Qiao An? Maybe I should go with you?”

“No, really, no need.” Qiao Nai hurriedly refused. “I’ll be fine after breathing some fresh air.”

“Alright. If you feel unwell, you have to tell me.”

Qiao Nai smiled and patted his shoulder. “Good brother, for sure.”

The moment he stepped out of the top floor, it became quiet instantly; the two little devils jumping around in Qiao Nai’s brain finally stopped. Qiao Nai pressed the elevator button and waited to go downstairs.

The elevator stayed on the first floor for a long time; it seemed someone was getting on. Qiao Nai waited for quite a while before it finally arrived.

Ding. The elevator reached the top floor, and the door opened slowly.

The moment the door fully opened, Qiao Nai was about to step inside when he suddenly found the tall man standing right there in the elevator. It was none other than… the “original bottom”!

Chance!

Qiao Nai took a step back to let the man out first.

The indoor heating was high, and Qiao Nai felt hot, so he unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, exposing a large patch of his neck.

Ferrio lowered his eyes, his gaze lingering on Qiao Nai’s fair neck for a few seconds.

“I’ll help you carry them.” Qiao Nai reached out to take the takeout from the man’s hands with a standard smile. “Looking at how much there is, it must be heavy. Let me have them.”

Ferrio didn’t let go.

“It’s fine, I can carry them.” Qiao Nai looked up at the man, refusing to let go.

He had been distracted by the face earlier, but now, being this close, Qiao Nai realized the “original bottom’s” physique was ridiculously good. He had to be at least 1.9 meters tall. Not to mention his broad shoulders and narrow waist, his solid, powerful upper body filled out his clothes perfectly—he was a walking clothes hanger.

With a body like this, he seems a bit hard to pursue.

For the sake of money, hard or not, I have to pursue him!

So, Qiao Nai took the takeout from the man’s hands.

The man frowned at Qiao Nai, his mouth opening, but he closed it just as quickly, as if he wanted to say something.

“You’re welcome.” Qiao Nai forced another smile.

“…”

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He turned his head away and said nothing more.

“Hey, he’s here! Look.”

“Darling, you finally made it!”

“God! It’s been so long!”

Qiao Nai followed behind the man. As soon as the door opened, a variety of voices and crowds surged forward. Qiao Nai, carrying a few bags of cupcakes, was forced to the very back.

Is the “original bottom” really this popular?

Qiao Nai smiled bitterly, feeling it would be even harder to win him over.

This party had many people, many activities, and plenty of food. There was everything from pizza and cake to alcohol. While others ate pizza, Qiao Nai stared at Ferrio. While others watched movies, Qiao Nai stared at Ferrio. While others drank and listened to records, Qiao Nai was still staring at Ferrio.

After two consecutive hours, all of Qiao Nai’s focus was on the “original bottom.”

According to Qiao Nai’s observations, although the “original bottom” was very popular, no one dared to sit around him except for Yun Cheng; everyone else voluntarily formed a circle. Furthermore, while quite a few people approached him to talk, he would at most just nod; the number of times he actually opened his mouth to speak could be counted on one hand.

Is he a mute, by any chance?

Qiao Nai licked his canine tooth; he was suddenly thirsty and picked up a soda can to take a sip of cola.

The moment the drink hit his mouth, it turned fiery hot. Qiao Nai almost spat it out. He hurriedly checked the can, only to find that the cola he had just opened had been swapped it wasn’t carbonated soda at all, but alcohol!

He turned around to figure out what was going on, but before he could even get off the barstool, he was doused in a bucket of… he didn’t know what.

“?”

“Sorry!”

A girl just happened to be passing by; she was walking fast and hadn’t seen the mop bucket filled with water behind her, accidentally knocking it over.

“It’s fine.”

The girl looked innocent, so Qiao Nai had no choice but to accept his bad luck.

A crowd of people was in the front living room watching movies and listening to music; only Qiao Nai was sitting at the back bar. The movie volume was loud enough that no one noticed Qiao Nai getting drenched.

He didn’t know what was in the mop bucket; it smelled sour and rotten. Qiao Nai pulled out a few tissues and started wiping his shirt. He glanced at the mop bucket, feeling puzzled.

Why was the mop bucket at the bar? Shouldn’t it be in the bathroom? And when he had arrived earlier, Qiao Nai hadn’t seen the bucket at all.

Thinking of this, Qiao Nai turned to look at the living room. Perfectly positioned in the corner, he locked eyes with a pair of shifty eyes. It was the same guy with the thick-rimmed glasses who had given him trouble earlier.

The shirt Qiao Nai was wearing was quite thin to begin with, and now that it was drenched, the fabric clung to his skin. Wet and smelly.

Qiao Nai gritted his teeth. There was really no other way, so he had to take a box of tissues and head to the bathroom to wash up a little.

Just as Qiao Nai got off the barstool, Ferrio looked over, witnessing Qiao Nai entering the bathroom.

“Hey, aren’t you going to watch anymore, Lio?” Yun Cheng looked up. “It’s reaching the climax.”

“You guys go ahead; I’m going to the bathroom.”

Watching Qiao Nai’s figure disappear at the end of the hall, Ferrio stood up, grabbed his hair, and walked toward the bathroom with one hand in his pocket.