Chapter 12: First Encounter with Lin Youya

“What I say stands—she is my wife.” Ling Tian couldn’t be bothered to explain to Dai Jin. To run into Lin Youya the moment he arrived—fate really did work in mysterious ways. This was destiny.

“Ling Tian, have you lost your mind?” Yuan Bao walked over and touched Ling Tian’s forehead, convinced the guy must have a fever, and a pretty serious one at that.

“You’ll understand soon enough.” Ling Tian didn’t feel the need to chase after her right now; there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, and Lin Youya wouldn’t be able to escape him anyway.

“Hey, Dai Jin, since you can’t get Lin Youya, why not try your luck with the girl beside her? If you can’t win her over, you’d better stop bragging in front of us about how money can get you any woman.” Yuan Bao started needling Dai Jin again, eager to see him crash and burn in pursuit. The truth was, plenty of girls liked Dai Jin—or, more accurately, liked his money—but none of them were his type, and the ones he liked were out of reach.

“Fine, just watch me.” Dai Jin strode toward the two young women.

“Hello, beautiful! You’re stunning. Can we be friends? My name is Dai Jin—‘Dai’ as in ‘wear’, ‘Jin’ as in ‘gold’.” As he spoke, Dai Jin shook his wrist, making sure his gold watch and ring caught the light.

“Dai Jin, stay away from my cousin. For the sake of being classmates, I’ll give you this chance—leave on your own.” Before the pretty girl could reply, Lin Youya spoke up first. She had just learned his name, but she already knew they were classmates.

“Cousin, this is your classmate? He’s so tacky! Dressed head to toe in gold—what a hick!” The girl wrinkled her nose at Dai Jin, unimpressed by his average looks and skinny frame.

“Miss Lin, she’s your cousin? What a pleasure. Since we’re all friends here, why don’t we have lunch together? Our dorm just got two new students—I’d love to introduce you.” Dai Jin’s thick skin was truly something.

A man without charm is merely poor—pursuing women takes effort, a thick skin, sweet words, and a willingness to throw money around. Dai Jin understood this well. As long as the girl responded, he had a shot.

“Not interested!” Lin Youya had no desire to dine with just any man, classmates included.

“You’re so tacky, so vulgar, and not even handsome. I don’t want to eat with you,” the pretty girl said even more bluntly. Yuan Bao and the others, listening from nearby, burst out laughing. Another defeat for Dai Jin. In this group, if anyone could be called a heartthrob, it would be Ling Tian or Shi Xiaocai. Dai Jin was too skinny, Yuan Bao too chubby.

“Beautiful, I’m rich—the latest trend: the nouveau riche! Marry me, and you’ll never want for anything. Look at my gold necklace, my gold ring, my gold watch.” Dai Jin shook his hand again, hoping his wealth would tempt her.

“My money is endless too, which is why I’m looking for a handsome guy I like and let him spend it for me. Look at my diamond necklace, my diamond ring, my diamond watch.” The girl lifted her hand, revealing three diamond rings, a diamond-studded watch, and a diamond bracelet.

The entire dining hall was drawn to their contest—a gold-plated tycoon versus a diamond-studded heiress. Clearly, the girl was winning; after all, diamonds trump gold.

“Amitabha, wealth is but an external thing, yet people always value money too much, exhausting body and mind for its sake. If you two really have more than you can spend, why not make a generous donation to the temple?” At this, Shi Xiaocai, resplendent in shimmering gold, approached Dai Jin and the girl, holding out a golden alms bowl in classic monkly fashion.

“Seriously, Shi Xiaocai, I finally get your name—it’s all about collecting donations. But to beg from your own friends? You’ve got nerve.” Dai Jin was miffed; he hadn’t even gotten the girl and now Shi Xiaocai was interrupting.

“A golden monk! He’s gorgeous!” The girl’s eyes sparkled the moment she saw Shi Xiaocai; she’d found her ideal man and looked ready to throw herself at him.

“Amitabha! Since neither benefactor is inclined to donate, this humble monk will take his leave.” Shi Xiaocai couldn’t handle the girl’s fiery gaze. He might be after money, but women were more trouble than they were worth.

“Him, a humble monk? More like a tycoon monk! That robe and those prayer beads must be worth a fortune—not to mention the golden alms bowl. How dare he beg for alms!” A nearby diner couldn’t help but comment. He was wealthy himself, but Shi Xiaocai’s ensemble stunned everyone present; he’d outdone both previous contenders.

“Hey, monk, wait! I’ve taken a fancy to you. Name your price—I’ll pay you to be my boyfriend.” The girl pulled a wad of cash from her purse—tens of thousands at least—and dropped it into Shi Xiaocai’s bowl.

“Amitabha, thank you for your generosity, but this monk accepts only donations, not romantic advances.” Shi Xiaocai returned to Ling Tian’s table, tucking the cash into his gold-colored backpack, much to everyone’s envy.

“Cousin, let’s go eat with them. I have to win over that monk!” The girl dragged Lin Youya toward Ling Tian’s table.

“Xiaomei, behave yourself!” Lin Youya was helpless; her cousin had been spoiled by her aunt and uncle and now wanted to chase a monk!

“If you won’t come, I’ll go myself.” With that, the girl let go of Lin Youya’s hand and sat down beside Shi Xiaocai. Lin Youya, having no choice, followed and happened to sit next to Ling Tian.

“Allow me to introduce our new students—this is Ling Tian, and this young monk is Shi Xiaocai. Here’s my old roommate, Yuan Bao, and this stunning beauty is Lin Youya, our university’s campus belle. And this is her cousin.” Dai Jin was elated to see the two girls actually join them. Even if it wasn’t for him, just being able to say he’d eaten with Lin Youya was a point of pride.

“My name is Song Xiaomei, and I’m Shi Xiaocai’s girlfriend. Since you’re his roommates, please take care of me. I’ll be transferring to your class tomorrow.” The girl quickly introduced herself, even wrapping her arm around Shi Xiaocai’s. He tried to shake her off but didn’t dare use force, so she kept holding on.

“So you’re both cousin and sister-in-law! Xiaomei, we look forward to your company. I’m Shi Xiaocai’s brother, and Lin Youya’s husband—we’ll surely be seeing a lot of each other.” Ling Tian, seeing that Lin Youya’s cousin liked his friend, seized the opportunity to cozy up to her. What a stroke of luck—to win her cousin’s approval first.