I Really Just See You as a Buddy

Chen Yusheng led the way, with Jiang Qiuran following behind.

The two arrived at a main road halfway between the dormitory area and the sports field.

"Su Bai is coming to pick us up by car. He’ll be here soon," Chen Yusheng said before lowering her head again to fiddle with her phone.

The atmosphere grew awkward.

Truth be told, though Jiang Qiuran was her roommate, Chen Yusheng only knew her in passing—they weren’t close.

Chen Yusheng’s usual hobbies revolved around her phone and computer, obsessing over anime and video games.

Jiang Qiuran, on the other hand, was the type who loved going out and exploring, living a very fulfilling life. Her social media was always filled with posts about visiting trendy spots or attending events.

She seemed to have joined the university’s anime club, dabbling in amateur voice acting with older students.

The kind of cheerful, popular girl everyone adored—someone with an enviable social circle.

But in any case, Chen Yusheng had little in common with her.

The only thing she cared about was the look on Su Bai’s face when he saw Jiang Qiuran.

A few minutes later, a sleek black Mercedes GLE pulled up smoothly in front of them, the window rolling down to reveal Su Bai’s handsome profile.

His meticulously styled hair paired with expensive, trendy seasonal wear.

He was the boy she knew best in the world—yet the Su Bai before Jiang Qiuran now seemed like a completely different person.

The girl couldn’t help but gasp, her cherry lips forming a cute little "O" that made one want to stuff a mochi ball into it.

"Hop in," Su Bai said, his gaze lingering briefly on Jiang Qiuran before shifting to Chen Yusheng.

Good.

At least judging by his expression, Su Bai remained utterly unfazed by Jiang Qiuran’s charms. In fact, his eyes stayed longer on Chen Yusheng’s black-stockinged legs!

This fact sent a sweet, fluttery warmth through Chen Yusheng’s chest, filling her with a sense of being cherished.

A pleased smile curled her lips as she slid into the passenger seat.

Hehe, the front seat of Big White Goose’s car belongs to me alone!

Jiang Qiuran suppressed her shock, pressed her lips together, and stepped onto the footboard to climb inside.

The imposing, high-end SUV matched Su Bai’s tall and broad stature, while the Mercedes’ signature luxurious interior exuded prestige.

"Hello, I’m Jiang Qiuran, Chen Yusheng’s roommate."

"Hello, I’m Su Bai, her boyfriend."

A stiff, perfunctory exchange.

At least Su Bai had the composure not to laugh.

Jiang Qiuran, however, squirmed uncomfortably, her mind bombarded by one question after another.

What in the world?!

Since when did Su Bai drive such a nice car?

And his whole image had changed so much.

The photos she’d seen of him on campus, shared in group chats, hadn’t done him justice.

That overwhelming air of wealth and confidence simply couldn’t be captured in pictures.

"A small fortune… no, he must’ve struck it big!"

Jiang Qiuran knew Su Bai’s spending habits—he was the type to hoard like a squirrel.

If he could casually take his girlfriend to stay at Marriott hotels and drive a Mercedes, it meant his current assets had to be in the millions.

This wasn’t some reckless splurge after a windfall, like blowing fifty grand as if it were a hundred.

Others who’d suddenly come into money might behave that way, but Su Bai? Never.

Jiang Qiuran knew him too well.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Breakfast options are probably limited…"

"Then let’s go for Cantonese dim sum. An hour or so should be enough—it’s just to tide us over anyway."

"I could skip it, honestly."

"Skipping breakfast is bad for your stomach, especially since you’re prone to coldness…"

Jiang Qiuran’s thoughts were interrupted by the sickeningly sweet chatter between the couple in the front.

Ugh, could they be any more nauseating?

At a red light, Su Bai even leaned over and planted a kiss on Chen Yusheng’s cheek.

After pulling away, he glanced back at Jiang Qiuran. "We’re planning to grab some Cantonese dim sum. That okay with you?"

"I’m fine with anything. I’ll just tag along." She paused. "Is it… expensive?"

"Don’t worry about the cost. We’d be going either way—one more person won’t make much difference," Su Bai replied offhandedly, gripping the steering wheel while watching Jiang Qiuran’s conflicted expression in the rearview mirror.

He smirked inwardly.

Truthfully, he could guess exactly what was going through her mind.

She was dying to know how he’d suddenly gotten rich, but after their falling out, she couldn’t bring herself to ask—too proud to bridge the gap.

So now she was stuck in this awkward limbo.

Good. Let her stew.

Their summer spat hadn’t been his fault, in his opinion.

Such a trivial matter shouldn’t erase years of friendship.

Knowing Jiang Qiuran, her vanity was probably to blame—she likely saw him, a childhood friend with ambiguous ties, as a hindrance to her popularity at Jiangcheng University. So she’d cut him off without hesitation.

From what Su Bai had heard in group chats lately, people were practically hailing Jiang Qiuran as the "nation’s sweetheart."

They said she wasn't a green tea girl who played the field—she actively split bills when going out with others, yet she had a way of charming wealthy guys without getting too close to any of them.

Perfect. That aligned exactly with Su Bai's understanding of Jiang Qiuran.

But there was one thing Jiang Qiuran had completely misunderstood.

She thought she would become Su Bai's white moonlight.

Pure delusion!

Su Bai only saw her as one of the guys.

Besides, Jiang Qiuran's sudden cold shoulder was downright shameless.

And if she was cutting ties, why was she now shamelessly crawling back?

First acting aloof, then suddenly fawning—it was laughable.

Su Bai decided to play along. If she wanted to pretend they didn’t know each other, he’d match her act to the end.

Let’s see who would crack first.

With that thought, Su Bai, who was just about to drive out of the dormitory area, had a sudden idea.

He made a turn.

Heading toward the building near the West Gate.

"How about picking up the other two girls from the travel group? We can grab a meal together."

As he spoke, Su Bai made a WeChat call to Wan Xinyan.

She answered almost instantly.

"Su Bai~ What’s up?"

Her sweet, doll-like voice blasted through the high-end speakers of the Mercedes GLE via Bluetooth, hitting like thunder.

"Are you ready to head out? I’m about to grab breakfast and I’m passing by your building. Want to join? Chen Yusheng and Jiang Qiuran are coming too."

"Sure, sure! We’ll be quick—just give us five minutes~"

After a rustling flurry of hurried packing sounds, the call ended.

Chen Yusheng stared at Su Bai expressionlessly, not saying a word. Instead, she typed on her phone.

[Rain Pause: Are you that close with them?]

[Rain Pause: [Cat on high alert]]

[Crispy White Goose: [Goose scratching head]]

[Crispy White Goose: Just close friends.]

If anyone asked, they were just close friends.

Chen Yusheng looked at Su Bai’s carefree grin, torn between irritation and amusement, then playfully lowered her head and gave him a light headbutt to the chest.

Seizing the moment, Su Bai ruffled her hair and chuckled.

Jiang Qiuran, sitting in the back seat, couldn’t muster even a hint of a smile.

Wait… what was going on?

Not only was Su Bai dating Chen Yusheng, but he also seemed awfully cozy with the Wan sisters?