The Slacker Academic Always Gets Caught (SLACKER)
Qin Heng was drunk—but not entirely.
He wanted to use the alcohol as an excuse to do things he normally wouldn’t dare, like tossing that stack of name cards in front of Chi Ning and casually confessing that he liked men.
But when Chi Ning told him to keep them, he found himself pocketing them just to see his reaction.
Under the dim lights, Chi Ning’s figure seemed hazy. His lips were pressed together, his eyes slightly lowered, and his white suit reflected the light, making him glow like a radiant presence.
Beautiful.
Once he stepped into the banquet hall, those little name cards would probably fly into his arms like snowflakes, wouldn’t they?
Qin Heng murmured softly, "You’re just too good-natured."
Not a hint of jealousy, even with that stack of name cards. If Zhang Qiuwen saw this, he’d definitely make some passive-aggressive remarks like, Tsk tsk, Qin-ge’s moving up in the world—got more than just me as a brother now, huh?
But Chi Ning?
Chi Ning replied earnestly, "Actually, my temper’s not that great."
If he had a good temper, he wouldn’t have punched Shen Minyi earlier, nor would he have snapped at Qin Heng for accepting a name card from the Shen family.
As they neared the main hall, Zhang Qiuwen hurried over. "Qin-ge, where’d you go? This banquet is terrifying. I didn’t want to be alone."
Chi Ning was taken aback. "When did you get here?"
Zhang Qiuwen was equally surprised. "Seriously, officer? I’ve been standing next to Qin-ge the whole time! I even winked at you before we came in, and you ignored me. You didn’t even see me?"
Chi Ning: "..."
Well… he really hadn’t noticed.
But it wasn’t entirely his fault.
Qin Heng’s casual suit was in the same style as Xu Jiahao’s—bold and eye-catching. Meanwhile, Zhang Qiuwen’s stiff black suit made him blend into the background like a bodyguard, easily overlooked.
Chi Ning fiddled with his hem, feeling a little guilty.
How strange. Zhang Qiuwen was such a tall guy—how did I not see him earlier?
"Zhang Qiuwen," Qin Heng called out while rummaging in his pocket before pulling out a thick stack of name cards.
He shoved the assortment of perfumed cards into Zhang Qiuwen's hands and casually patted his shoulder. "Your lucky day. Men and women, take your pick."
Zhang Qiuwen: "..."
Seriously, bro? You're helping Chi Ning out of this mess too?
You're done for. You're in deep.
Speechless, he clenched the name cards and asked, "How about I give this 'luck' to you instead?"
A faint smile tugged at Chi Ning's lips.
The three of them had been standing there for too long, and many guests had already noticed Qin Heng passing the name cards to Zhang Qiuwen.
Shen Xichun frowned and said to the person beside her, "See? I told you this wouldn’t work. Qin Heng clearly has no interest in women. We need to switch to guys."
"Where in our family can we find someone better-looking than Second Young Master Chi? Where do you expect me to look? Maybe you should cut your hair short and try?"
Shen Xichun scoffed. "Are you insane? With a brain like yours, you should forget about fighting for the family fortune. Come abroad with me and study art—cultivate some refinement. At the very least, pledge loyalty to Brother Shen and be his lackey. He cares about his reputation, so he won’t do anything too harsh to you."
As she spoke, she glanced back at Chi Ning.
Qin Heng, having offloaded the name cards, seemed to have shed some invisible burden. He stretched out an arm, slung it over Chi Ning’s shoulders, and grinned at Zhang Qiuwen. "No thanks, I don’t want your 'luck'."
Zhang Qiuwen felt his teeth ache from the sheer cheesiness, as if he were a random dog passing by the banquet, inexplicably kicked for no reason.
Chi Ning chuckled and briefly wrapped an arm around Qin Heng’s waist before quickly letting go. "Let’s go. Uncle Xu must be waiting."
His intention was simply to show everyone that he and Qin Heng were on good terms—friends, nothing more.
But Qin Heng stiffened abruptly.
Chi Ning watched as the smile on his face faded slightly, as if he were suddenly upset.
Before Chi Ning could explain, Qin Heng’s hand, which had been resting on his shoulder, slid to the back of his neck.
His palm was scorching, almost burning through Chi Ning’s thoughts. Qin Heng gave the nape of his neck a light squeeze, tilted his head, and pressed his lips close to Chi Ning’s ear. "Don’t scratch my waist. It tickles."
The crowd’s expressions shifted.
Conversations in the banquet hall came to an abrupt halt.
Chi Ning and Qin Heng’s relationship was even closer than they had imagined.
Half the guests turned to Xu Jiahao, waiting for his reaction.
Xu Jiahao stood lazily with a glass of champagne in hand, and cheerfully said to Chi Yang, "My son, what do you think?"
Chi Yang glared at Qin Heng’s arm draped around Chi Ning’s neck and ground out through clenched teeth, "A fine young man."
Xu Jiahao grinned. "Quite sharp, but your brother is still better."
Not far away, Chi Baichuan turned his head. "Oh? How so?"
"Straightforward, honest, kind-hearted, sweet-talker." Xu Jiahao counted off on his fingers before patting Chi Baichuan’s shoulder. "Brother Chi, you’ve raised them well."
Chi Baichuan swelled with pride—but only for a few seconds before Xu Jiahao added, "I originally wanted to adopt Chi Ning as my godson. Too bad he already has a father."
Chi Baichuan: "?"
Wait a minute—now he had reason to suspect Xu Jiahao’s motives for collaborating with the Chi family!
He considered Xu Jiahao a friend and business partner, but the man was trying to steal his son?!
And to make matters worse, Chi Ning had a bit of a crush on Qin Heng!
A secret one, at that!
Like father, like son—utterly shameless!
Chi Baichuan took a deep breath, feigning regret. "Ah, what a pity. It seems you two weren't meant to be father and son."
Xu Jiahao thought to himself that it wasn't necessarily over yet—he still had a backup plan, and everything depended on his handsome godson.
He beckoned to Qin Heng, "Come, meet your Uncle Chi."
Qin Heng withdrew his arm from around Chi Ning's neck and walked properly up to Chi Baichuan before extending his hand. "Hello, Uncle."
Not only did he shake hands, but he also gave a slight bow while doing so.
Chi Baichuan couldn't find even the slightest fault to pick.
His feelings were complicated.
On one hand, he feared Qin Heng might like Chi Ning and whisk him away.
On the other hand, he worried Qin Heng might not like Chi Ning and break his heart.
For the moment, Chi Baichuan couldn't face the young man with his usual composure, so he called over his eldest son instead. "Chi Yang, come meet him."
Qin Heng went through the same routine with Chi Yang.
Chi Yang gripped Qin Heng's hand tightly, twisting it like he was wringing out a towel, but Qin Heng didn't even blink. Instead, he smiled at Chi Yang.
Chi Ning had seen Qin Heng's arrogance at school, his ruthlessness, and his perfect manners in front of him—but he'd never seen him this polite before.
This was a different kind of politeness, the kind a junior shows to their elders.
In short, it was all an act.
After a moment's thought, Chi Ning said to his brother, "You guys talk. I'll go over there for a bit."
Chi Yang nodded. "Be careful. Don't drink anything someone gives you."
"Got it." Chi Ning picked up his orange juice and headed toward Sun Boxing.
Xu Jiahao and Qin Heng wouldn't harm his brother, but Sun Boxing was another story.
He must stay true to the original aspiration and keep the mission firmly in mind.
When Sun Boxing caught sight of Chi Ning, his fingers tightened around his wine glass. He quickly averted his gaze, turning instead to Shen Minyi not far away.
But Shen Minyi wasn’t looking at him at all—her eyes were fixed unwaveringly on Chi Ning.
Sun Boxing thought viciously: Why doesn’t Chi Ning just trip and fall?
Better yet, let him fall in the most humiliating way possible, staining that custom-tailored designer suit with orange juice.
Unfortunately, not only did Chi Ning not trip, he walked steadily into the midst of the younger generation.
Gu Zhe, sitting in the corner, brightened up and squeezed his way over in a few quick strides, beaming with enthusiasm. “Congratulations on getting 5% of the shares! Now you can just lie back and count your dividends.”
Sun Boxing curled his lip. Was Gu Zhe really this clueless, or was he pretending?
Was this something to celebrate? This meant the Chi family had effectively sidelined their youngest son from the company’s management.
Chi Ning must be seething with hatred, right?
Chi Ning clinked his orange juice glass against Gu Zhe’s and smiled. “Yeah, I can just lie back and count dividends now.”
Starting next year, he’d have more money than he could ever spend.
The teenagers around them exchanged bewildered glances. Chi Ning’s smile was so sweet… sweet enough to give someone diabetes.
Chi Ning’s gaze swept imperceptibly over Sun Boxing before he let out an exaggerated sigh.
Gu Zhe blinked in confusion. “What’s there to sigh about when you’re rolling in money? If I had that much, I’d definitely hold a concert at Yangcheng Grand Theater and give out free tickets!”
Chi Ning’s lips twitched.
Gu Zhe slung an arm around Chi Ning’s shoulders like an old buddy. “Don’t be upset that I came over to talk to you. I went to see a therapist, and he said my tendency to fall for people easily is a psychological condition. The solution is to cycle through more boyfriends, so I’ve decided to switch every two weeks.”
Chi Ning: “...Huh?”
Are you sure that wasn’t a quack?
After a moment’s thought, he said softly, “I wasn’t sighing because of you.”
“Then why?” Gu Zhe, like a pretty little fool, took the bait immediately. “If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word!”
Chi Ning weighed his words carefully before speaking. “Well… it’s not a big deal, really. It’s just that… maybe… I’m not saying for sure… but…”
Sun Boxing held his breath for what felt like an eternity and nearly suffocated before Chi Ning finally said, “I think I’ve fallen for someone I shouldn’t have.”
Gu Zhe froze.
Gu Zhe didn’t understand.
He said, “Huh?”
Chi Ning twisted his fingers together and lowered his voice as he leaned in close to Gu Zhe’s ear—close enough that only Gu Zhe and Sun Boxing could hear. “What would you do if you fell for the son of a business rival?”
Sun Boxing’s heart lurched violently and his throat tightening.
Though Chi Ning hadn’t named names, he knew exactly who he meant. It had to be Shen Minyi. It had to be!
Gu Zhe said, “If I were pursuing someone… I’d give them whatever they wanted to win them over.”
His eyes darted around, but he couldn’t figure out who Chi Ning meant. The only people around him were Qin Heng and Zhang Qiuwen.
Who was it?
A business rival? Shen Minyi?
That couldn’t be right, could it?
Chi Ning’s taste couldn’t possibly be that bad.
Gu Zhe had a feeling this might be a lie, but he had no proof.
Chi Ning murmured, “But what he wants… I can’t give it to him.”
Sun Boxing thought to himself, I can give it. Originally, he had planned to slowly gather information about the Chi family's Laboratory data, taking his time until he could eventually get his hands on it.
But now, that wasn’t an option. He knew all too well just how much Shen Minyi liked Chi Ning.
If Chi Ning were to take the initiative, there would be no place left for him in the future.
Sweat beaded on Sun Boxing’s back as he stood up and walked toward Shen Minyi. No one could be allowed to know Chi Ning’s thoughts.
He had to—
He had to—
The moment Sun Boxing laid eyes on Shen Minyi, his heart nearly leapt out of his throat. He reached out, grabbed Shen Minyi’s wrist, and pulled him into a corner. “Minyi-ge… I just heard Chi Ning say he likes someone.”
“It’s…” you.
He paused, then said, “It’s Qin Heng.”
Out of the corner of his eye, Chi Ning caught sight of Sun Boxing and Shen Minyi huddled together and curled his lips into a faint smile.
Sun Boxing, the kind of person who would abandon all self-restraint for the one he loved, would definitely not sit still after hearing his words.
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