Unconventional [Rebirth] - Chapter 103

Rong Jingtang sat there, simply letting Jiang Rui kiss him. Both had their eyes open; at such close proximity, they could each see their own reflection in the other’s pupils.

After Jiang Rui pulled away with a smile, Rong Jingtang—looking a bit dissatisfied—began clearing the items off the bed. He didn’t seem to notice Jiang Rui quietly taking deep breaths to steady his own racing pulse.

It was already afternoon. Jiang Rui planned to head back to school early the next morning, so he didn’t linger long with Rong Jingtang.

He had skipped grades to enter university early. Although his body was now eighteen, in his mind, he felt that rushing into “that sort of thing” wasn’t good for one’s health. He planned to wait another two years until graduation to find the right moment to truly be with Rong Jingtang.

He hadn’t shared this thought with Rong Jingtang, but since the older man seemed content with their current routine of hugging and cuddling, Jiang Rui felt satisfied with the status quo and chose not to bring it up.

There was another reason he wanted to wait until he was twenty.

In his past life, the scene of coming out to his family remained vivid in his mind. His parents’ stubborn nature was not something that could be changed overnight.

Back when Jiang Rui was still in high school, he had seen interviews with same-sex couples on television. Every time, his mother would hurriedly change the channel as if afraid he might be “corrupted,” her face filled with disapproval.

Whenever that happened, Jiang Rui felt an immense amount of pressure.

Many gay men chose to enter “marriages of convenience” (sham marriages) with women, but he had never considered it. First, he refused to ruin a woman’s life just because of his own orientation—especially since he truly had no interest in women. Second… now that he had Rong Jingtang, everything else had to take a backseat.

Even if he hadn’t felt that way, he tried to put himself in the other person’s shoes: if Rong Jingtang were to succumb to societal pressure and seek a sham marriage while still claiming to love him… Jiang Rui simply couldn’t imagine such a scene.

He shook his head with a small smile, casting the absurd thought aside. His priority now was to graduate; as for his parents, there would eventually be a way.

Every couple hopes for the blessings of others, and Jiang Rui was no exception. His desires were simple. On Rong Jingtang’s side, the only close relative was a young uncle—and even Rong Jingtang’s long-deceased parents seemed to have tacitly approved of their relationship from beyond.

By comparison, things on Jiang Rui’s side felt somewhat unfair to Rong Jingtang.

Lost in thought, Jiang Rui took a crunching bite of an apple. He pulled another from his bag and tossed it to An Le, who was sitting nearby. Seeing An Le’s beaming face, Jiang Rui asked, “You still have an appetite?”

An Le, who was just about to take a massive bite, immediately wilted. He looked at the fruit in his hand and grimaced. “I say, Jiang Rui, can we not mention it? Just thinking about it makes me feel sick.”

There weren’t many medical students in the dining hall. Jiang Rui sighed, set his things at a table, and the three of them went to pick out their food.

To be honest, while the anatomy lab was exactly as Jiang Rui had imagined, the other students’ reactions had exceeded his expectations. His sense of smell was keen; the entire classroom had been thick with the scent of blood. The spirits of the animals lingered, refusing to pass on, and it had taken considerable effort for him to deal with them.

By the time he had quietly performed the requiems for those souls, many students were already vomiting. While they would eventually get used to it, even the professor’s face had looked pale. It seemed that every back-to-school season, both students and teachers lost their appetites.

Feeling entirely unbothered, Jiang Rui took a large bite of his fried chicken leg with a satisfied smack of his lips. Noticing An Le’s still-wan expression, he smiled and said, “Eat this.”

An Le caught a whiff of a fresh fragrance and swallowed whatever Jiang Rui handed him without asking. Instantly, his nasal passages felt as though they were filled with fresh air; the relief was incredible.

“What is this?” An Le asked. The food that had looked unappealing a moment ago suddenly seemed like a delicacy.

“Just an ‘Appetite Pill’ from home. I used to eat them all the time as a kid,” Jiang Rui said casually, continuing his meal.

An Le felt a bit disappointed, knowing that anything from Jiang Rui’s “home” was likely something rare that couldn’t be bought elsewhere. However, remembering their close friendship, he cheered up and began eating happily, figuring that the next time he felt sick, his “bleeding heart” friend would probably give him another.

“Oh, right. The class is electing student officers. Do you guys want to run?” After eating, the group decided to stroll through campus to digest. Jiang Rui had been feeling quite lazy lately; even in a Spirit Realm filled with abundant qi, he didn’t feel like cultivating. He felt he could spend an entire day just lying around.

Jiang Rui smiled and shook his head; he had no interest. Although An Le was tempted to try, Zhao Jinyan had said a few words to him, so he decided against it as well.

With a personality like An Le’s, he made a great friend but a poor leader. Even if he were interested now, he’d be complaining about the workload within two days.

Although Peking University was known for its academic rigor, it was quite liberal with students’ extracurricular time; the campus even had legitimate bars and KTVs. However, once you became a class officer, you had to socialize with the Student Union and other organizations. It was essentially like entering the “real world” early.

Jiang Rui had no desire to deal with those social obligations, having grown tired of being a student leader in the past. An Le was purely curious but was held back by the rational Zhao Jinyan. Ultimately, none of the three were interested.

“Speaking of class officers,” An Le frowned, glancing at Jiang Rui before checking to make sure no one else was around. He lowered his voice. “Rui, do you remember that guy, Ye Wenbin?”

Jiang Rui nodded. He wondered how a person like Ye Wenbin, after everything that happened, could still be functioning and out in public.

“He posted on the school forums saying you’re being ‘kept’ by a sugar daddy. He even posted photos.” An Le curled his lip, disgusted that a man would stoop to such low-handed tactics, likely hiring “water armies” (internet trolls) to keep the thread trending.

Jiang Rui’s lip twitched. The photos showed him frequently entering and leaving a high-end hotel and an ancient courtyard house—both of which were Rong Jingtang’s most frequent residences.

“Let him talk,” Jiang Rui said, intending to ignore the petty scheme. Such a post might go viral, but as the frequency of Rong Jingtang picking him up became public, the rumors would eventually die down. If he were an ordinary person, he might be panicking and rushing to the forums to clarify things—but doing so often just gave people more ammunition.

An Le looked at Jiang Rui’s unbothered expression, then glanced at Zhao Jinyan for courage. He whispered, “But Jinyan said that the IP address linked to the original poster left a comment saying he was going to inform your parents and the school…”

Jiang Rui: “…”

Being kept by a man. Informing my parents.

He had been worrying about how to tell his parents, and here was Ye Wenbin, brainlessly delivering the opportunity to his doorstep. Truly a cause for celebration.

Jiang Rui smiled and patted An Le on the shoulder, saying warmly, “It’s fine.”

Jiang Rui figured it wouldn’t be long before the school called him in for a “chat.” Sure enough, a moment later, his phone rang.

He hung up with a smile and looked at the stunned An Le. “I have to head over.”

“That fast?!” An Le exclaimed. Seeing Jiang Rui’s helpless look, he patted his friend’s shoulder with a mournful expression. “Brother, when you die, remember to call me to collect your body.”

Zhao Jinyan immediately covered An Le’s mouth and pulled him aside, nodding to Jiang Rui. After a few words, he dragged An Le away.

On his way, Jiang Rui noticed students from his department pointing and whispering. Curious, he pulled up the forum on his phone, only to find that the thread Ye Wenbin had created to smear him had been completely derailed…

And those IDs…

Jiang Rui’s lip twitched. Had he been away from the internet so long that he was out of touch with the world?

The comments below were: “How to sponsor Jiang Rui,” “I am the man/woman who wants to keep Jiang Rui,” “Handsome god, I want to keep you, please give me your ID,” and so on.

Since when had his charm become this powerful?

He tucked his phone back into his pocket and knocked on the office door. Inside, a bespectacled man with a protruding belly was tending to some plants. Seeing Jiang Rui, he smiled. “Jiang Rui, take a seat.”

Jiang Rui sat down without a word. The man was the Dean of Students. He opened his laptop, typed for a bit, then turned the screen toward Jiang Rui.

Jiang Rui gave it a cursory glance and looked away, saying helplessly, “Teacher, these are rumors.”

The Dean nodded and sighed, muttering something under his breath. Jiang Rui’s sharp hearing caught it: “Kids these days are so devious.” Well, he certainly wasn’t talking about Jiang Rui.

“The school faculty believes you aren’t that kind of person.” The Dean studied Jiang Rui again. His bearing and attire suggested a refined upbringing; though his clothes were expensive, they didn’t look gaudy. Combined with his aura—which felt like warm jade—no sensible person would believe the forum rumors at first glance.

Even if the “evidence” looked convincing.

The thread had been posted a few days ago. Calculating the timing, Jiang Rui figured his parents should have arrived at the school by now. Even if the Dean didn’t believe the rumors, a matter like this required a meeting with the parents.

Sure enough, the Dean asked Jiang Rui to wait a moment. After taking a phone call, the Dean stepped out. Jiang Rui shrugged, guessing the next person to arrive would be the “Sugar Daddy” himself—Rong Jingtang.

The door opened again. Jiang Rui, who had been resting his chin on his hand in a bored daze, saw Rong Jingtang enter with a stern face. He even had the heart to give the man a little wave.

Rong Jingtang raised an eyebrow as he entered, followed by the bowing and scraping Dean and the School Secretary. Indeed, high rank carries heavy weight; at a time like this, privilege was a useful tool.

Then, Jiang Rui heard his parents’ footsteps approaching. He stood up, ignoring the school officials who were currently wiping cold sweat from their brows, and opened the door to welcome his parents in.

He didn’t expect what came next: a sharp slap across the face from his father, and his mother’s angry, tearful accusations. Only, his mother’s accusations weren’t directed at him.

Jiang Rui’s head snapped to the side from the blow, his brow furrowing slightly.