Straight Corporate Slave Accidentally Stumbles into the School's F4 - Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Before transmigrating, Qiao Nai hadn’t even had the chance to see the “original bottom” appear in the novel, meaning he knew absolutely nothing about the character’s identity, personality, or background. He only just learned that his name was Lio.

But doesn’t that feel a bit casual?

Whatever. He’d just focus on winning him over first; who cares what his name is? With that height, it wouldn’t matter if his name was Jellybean.

“Lio?” Qiao Nai scanned the area, finding no sign of him. “I don’t know. I didn’t see him when I woke up.”

“That shouldn’t be right; he has a game later,” Yun Cheng said, puzzled. “Weren’t we supposed to go together?” He nudged Cabre’s arm. “What’s going on?”

“No idea.” Cabre shrugged, checking the time. “It’s not even noon yet. The game is at two. He probably went out for something. Let me ask.” As he spoke, Cabre reached for his phone to send a message.

“Why are you guys here so early?”

Suddenly, a crisp male voice came from the spiral staircase.

Qiao Nai turned to look and locked eyes with the person coming down. He was only about twenty, the age when one should be full of youthful vigor, yet his blue pupils were as cold as the deep sea. Combined with that predatory gaze, he looked like someone you didn’t want to mess with. After years of being tempered by society, Qiao Nai felt a chill run down his back just looking at him.

Still, Qiao Nai improvised, flashing his most standard smile.

Ferrio: “…”

Ferrio was dressed in casual clothes, likely having just woken up. His disheveled blonde hair couldn’t help but fall over his eyes. He raked a hand through his hair and walked down, hands in his pockets.

“Didn’t we say we’d meet at the stadium?”

“We were just worried about Qiao An,” Yun Cheng said, sounding dissatisfied. “You made yourself all tidy, but you dumped Qiao An on the sofa without even helping him out.”

Before Yun Cheng finished, Qiao Nai felt someone’s gaze land on him.

“I’m fine!” Qiao Nai stepped in quickly. “I’m tough; I sleep on sofas all the time. I’m used to it.”

“He said he’s fine himself,” Ferrio replied, pouring a glass of water.

“What about his clothes? You have so many; couldn’t you have found Qiao An something appropriate?”

The clothes he was wearing really didn’t fit—they were baggy, oversized, and now wrinkled from sleeping, making him look like he couldn’t leave the house. But Qiao Nai had to justify it: “These clothes are great! I’m not picky.”

Ferrio sat on the sofa, legs crossed, and raised an eyebrow at that.

“That won’t work. We have to go to the stadium this afternoon; if those guys see you like this, they’ll definitely bully you again.” Yun Cheng grabbed Qiao Nai’s wrist. “Let’s go, let’s go pick out some clothes.”

“I don’t need to,” Qiao Nai declined. “I can just go home and change.”

“Don’t bother going back; your place is too far.” Cabre spun his car keys on his finger. “It’s faster to just go to MAX.”

MAX? Qiao Nai really wanted to ask what MAX was, but to avoid suspicion, he held his tongue and reluctantly followed Yun Cheng.

He only realized after arriving that MAX was one of the shopping malls under the umbrella of the Yun family’s businesses, housing every high-end brand imaginable. Truly the world of the rich.

At the mall, Qiao Nai didn’t even have to pick anything out. He just sat there drinking coffee while specialists came over to select outfits based on his measurements. In no time, Qiao Nai had transformed from a “hobo” style into a wealthy young master, achieving a class leap in an instant.

“Is this a bit too formal?” In the car, Qiao Nai felt constricted and awkward in the clothes. He was wearing a fitted leather jacket over a trendy hoodie, yellow-blue faded jeans, and limited-edition sneakers. Even his freshly styled hair was topped with a vibrant red baseball cap.

“This is perfect. The professionals said people with narrow waists, long legs, and good height are best suited for this style.” Yun Cheng pulled a bottle of perfume from somewhere and sprayed it all over Qiao Nai, making him frown.

Having worn casual office attire for so many years, Qiao Nai felt uneasy in this style for the first time.

“Do I have to go to the stadium, too?” Qiao Nai took off the baseball cap and tugged at his newly permed hair.

“Yeah! Don’t tell me you’re backing out again? You can’t refuse me anymore!” Yun Cheng was on high alert. “You’ve been turning me down for a week straight.”

Qiao Nai’s fingertips paused. “Was I that busy the last few days?” he asked.

“No idea.” Yun Cheng picked out an emerald earring from a jewelry box and skillfully put it on using the mirror. “You always used to go when I invited you to the games. I don’t know what you were busy with last week; you wouldn’t go no matter how much I asked.” Yun Cheng suddenly thought of something and snapped his head toward Qiao Nai. “Qiao An, you didn’t…”

“…start dating, did you?”

Qiao Nai had been working for hours without a drink. He’d just unscrewed a bottle of water and taken a sip when he nearly spat it all out. “Cough, cough.”

“What dating?”

“Slow down.” Yun Cheng handed him a tissue. “There aren’t any exams or volunteer events lately; that’s the only possibility.”

Should… shouldn’t be, right? Qiao Nai wiped his mouth. Definitely not! He had no memory of it! There was no trace on his phone either! If Qiao An were really dating, there would at least be a contact. When he had a moment at the mall, Qiao Nai checked Qiao An’s phone multiple times; the contact list was so clean he could count the entries on his fingers. Dating was completely impossible.

Besides, didn’t Qiao An like the “original bottom”? It was impossible for him to date someone else casually.

Seeing Qiao Nai’s lack of reaction, Yun Cheng’s eyes filled with suspicion. “It wouldn’t be true, would it, Qiao An?”

“How could that be?” To prove his innocence, Qiao Nai even pulled out his phone and showed his chat list right in front of Yun Cheng. “Look at me—do I look like someone who is dating?”

Yun Cheng’s gaze lingered on the screen for a few seconds before noticing something. “Qiao An, who is this pinned contact?”

“What pinned contact?”

“The one at the very top, the note says ‘Black Cookie’.” Yun Cheng pointed at it and looked at Qiao Nai. “And it’s the only pinned one.”

“Sss.”

If Yun Cheng hadn’t pointed it out, Qiao Nai wouldn’t have noticed the pin. He stared at it for several seconds, unable to figure out who it was. Qiao An’s chat app had about eight or nine friends; other than the pin, everyone else had their names saved, some even including their major and department. Only this one was an exception.

This contact had no name, just a black cookie emoji, leaving Qiao Nai completely baffled.

“Oh, that’s just my cousin,” Qiao Nai lied, making up an excuse on the spot. “A cousin I grew up with. He likes eating cookies.”

“Do you take me for an idiot, Qiao An?” Yun Cheng remained skeptical. “You said before you grew up with your uncle, now he’s a cousin? You’re definitely hiding something from me.”

Seeing he couldn’t get away with it, Qiao Nai patched the lie: “I really do have a cousin. We grew up together, then he went to Asia, and I hadn’t had a chance to tell you guys yet.”

“Really?”

“Really.” As he spoke, Qiao Nai opened the chat box, typed a line, and hit send: “If you don’t believe me, look.”

Yun Cheng looked over, saw the message sent on the screen, and finally believed him.

Meanwhile, at the suburban football field.

“Lio, your phone is ringing.”

When the message came through, Ferrio was in the middle of wrapping his bandages. He paused for a moment when he saw who it was.

“Is it something urgent, Lio?” His teammate, who was looking for his gloves, noticed Ferrio’s daze. He checked his watch; the game was starting in less than thirty minutes.

“It’s nothing, just a rabbit at home pressing buttons,” Ferrio said, closing the phone. He tore the bandage with one hand and tossed it to his teammate. “I’m going out for a second.”

The teammate wanted to ask how a rabbit could send messages, but before he could, Ferrio had already vanished from the locker room. When he returned, Ferrio grabbed his gloves and helmet. The locker room was too noisy, which would distract him from reading the message.

He walked into a nearby mail lounge, which was empty. Ferrio leaned against the sofa, lowered his gaze, pulled out his phone, and opened the new message. It was from Qiao An.

JA: “Cousin, Christmas is coming soon, I want to…”

Before Ferrio could finish reading, the message was suddenly recalled, replaced by a new one.

JA: “Sorry bro, wrong person.”

Ferrio frowned, staring at the message for several minutes, waiting in vain for a follow-up. He let out an angry laugh, tossed the phone aside, put on his helmet and gloves, and turned to head toward the field.

The football field was in the suburbs, quite far from school, requiring a thirty-minute drive. Getting turned into a “young master” took too long, and in order to make it to the game, Qiao Nai and Yun Cheng had skipped lunch to rush over.

“Stop pulling your hair, Qiao An, you’ll ruin the style.” Yun Cheng pulled down Qiao Nai’s hand and dragged him forward. “Hurry, the game has started.”

They arrived at the box just as the game kicked off. Cabre had arrived earlier and was already in the stands. Seeing them rushing over, he waved. “Over here.”

“How come you got here so early?”

“Maybe you came too late…”

Qiao Nai sat down next to Yun Cheng. As Yun Cheng and Cabre chatted, Qiao Nai didn’t chime in; he had more important things to do.

He opened his search engine and typed:

“Question: How to make a man have a good impression of you.”

The search engine quickly returned results:

Maintain a sense of mystery. Do not reveal all your information at once, this can make a man feel curious about you.

Create opportunities for interaction. As the saying goes, opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared. To make a man like you, you must proactively create chances.

Showcase your unique charm. Most men like interesting people. If you want to have an advantage over others, be bold and showcase your unique charm!

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