Chapter 303: Good Friends Equal Husband?

In the height of August, daytime temperatures remained high. Even the evening breeze carried a hint of agitation. Along Academy Road, the campus was filled with banners welcoming new students.

Some banners were put up by the school, directing to registration, payment, and various academic buildings and dormitories.

Others were from campus merchants like Jiang Zhihua’s campus supermarket. The banners in front of her store were all about promotions like getting free laundry detergent for spending 50 yuan or a free desk lamp for 100 yuan. It was a sea of red, as if celebrating a festival.

In fact, that’s not far from the truth. For a campus with summer and winter breaks, the arrival of new students each year was indeed like a holiday.

To avoid the peak crowds tomorrow, most returning students chose to arrive early, making Linchuan University lively before classes even started.

Jiang Qin originally thought everyone would be busy settling into dorms and the maple forest would be fairly empty. But upon entering, he realized he had oversimplified.

The dark forest wasn’t exactly packed, but there were at least couples every ten or five steps.

These lovebirds really couldn’t wait at all, huh?

Jiang Qin observed his surroundings while pulling Feng Nanshu onto his lap, letting her straddle him. He gently wrapped his arms around his best friend’s fragrant, soft body, feeling her plump little bottom pressing against his phone. He felt their friendship grow a bit stronger.

“You’re a sophomore now, a role model for the new students. How can you still be so clingy?”

Feng Nanshu snuggled against him, swinging her feet. “Jiang Qin, I’ll still cling to you in junior year.”

Jiang Qin looked at her. “What about senior year?”

“I’ll cling to you in senior year too.”

“So you won’t cling to me after graduating?”

The little rich girl raised her face to look at him. After a moment of silence, she said, “If you don’t want me anymore, I won’t cling to you.”

Jiang Qin reached out to hold her slender waist. “You’re not secretly treating me as your boyfriend under the guise of being best friends, are you? I’m very smart, no one can fool me.”

“No, I don’t want a boyfriend at all.”

“Really?”

“Really. I would never lie to you.” Feng Nanshu solemnly promised.

Their faces were very close. Even in the dim light, Jiang Qin could see her stunningly beautiful face looking silly and easily fooled.

Her features were truly beautiful, pure yet infinitely alluring. She was like a little seductress that made one lose control, especially with that silly expression contrasting her aloof aura.

A lively girl who liked to cling to him like this – you couldn’t even dream of one.

Feeling shy, Feng Nanshu curled back into his embrace. “Jiang Qin, I only want to be lifelong best friends with you. I don’t have any other thoughts. Friends should trust each other more.”

“I keep hearing you say ‘lifelong best friends’. What does that concept actually look like in your mind?” Jiang Qin was a bit curious.

“Living together, seeing each other every day, sleeping together, eating together, cuddling while watching TV, holding hands on walks.” Feng Nanshu’s eyes shone brightly.

The more Jiang Qin listened, the more he felt something was off. Isn’t this describing a boyfriend?

No, not even. This was beyond what boyfriends could do.

You’d need your own place to live together, eat, sleep, watch TV and take walks. Dating couples rarely had the opportunity for that kind of cohabitation. Only those about to get married would consider buying a home together.

So what Feng Nanshu wanted in a “lifelong best friend” was clearly…a husband?

Best friends = husbands?

Jiang Qin was startled by the thought that flashed through his mind.

Luckily Feng Nanshu was silly and hadn’t realized her true feelings. She was fooled into thinking this was pure friendship without any impure thoughts.

Jiang Qin held Feng Nanshu and rubbed against her a little. His heart started pounding wildly and his expression turned solemn.

He was now certain that the cement guarding his heart had long crumbled to dust. Only his unyielding pride stood tall against the wind, firmly keeping their relationship within the bounds of friendship without crossing the line!

This was something ordinary men could not do. Only a truly proud and upright gentleman could manage it.

“Jiang Qin, what is that girl over there doing?”

Jiang Qin followed her gaze. “Looks like she’s licking her phone. How unsanitary. Let’s not watch.”

Feng Nanshu: “?”

They sat in the maple forest for an hour. As night fell, the mosquitoes grew more numerous, constantly buzzing by their ears.

The little rich girl didn’t complain, but couldn’t help swatting at her slender legs or fair arms from time to time. Her movement made Jiang Qin restless too, bouncing her around until she looked completely dazed, not knowing what happened.

This was something the reborn man had to admit. Even if his soul was forty, his body was truly too young. It wasn’t a good thing at all.

Jiang Qin set his best friend down and wrapped the jacket he had “purposely” brought around her. Saying “let’s go”, he took Feng Nanshu’s hand and left the maple forest that could barely hold up under moral degradation.

On the eve of the new semester, the front square was packed, a sea of people like a holiday market. By then, Xitian Milk Tea Shop had already opened, its promotional posters and banners for welcoming new students put up early.

Gao Wenhui was making milk tea inside. Seeing Jiang Qin and Feng Nanshu, she immediately perked up. “Nanshu, long time no see! Did you miss me?”

Feng Nanshu nodded obediently. “I did.”

Hearing this, Jiang Qin immediately laughed. “Then she definitely didn’t miss you. When she misses someone, she usually looks like she’s about to cry.”

“How do you know that? Does she often miss you?”

Jiang Qin fell silent for a moment before giving a thumbs up. “Well done Wenhui. The day before school starts, you’ve already used up your junior year part-time wages. I’m worried for you.”

Gao Wenhui grew furious. “If you dare dock me into the negatives, I’ll be drowning in debt after graduation. I’ll have to go to your house and be a nanny to pay it off, exhausting myself cleaning your home and being forced to look after your kids!”

Feng Nanshu lowered her face. “Jiang Qin, Wenhui is provoking you. She doesn’t think you dare.”

“Enough. I can hear your schemes from Jizhou. You two want to live at my place, eat my food and use my stuff, right? You think I’m stupid? I’m way smarter than both of you.”

…”

Gao Wenhui and Feng Nanshu exchanged glances. Seeing their ploy fail, they felt deflated. “Nanshu, don’t you seem to have gained a little weight?”

“Jiang Qin’s mom cooks really well.”

“You really eat at Jiang Qin’s every day?”

Feng Nanshu felt pleased whenever she heard this question. “Jiang Qin’s mom kind of likes me. I really like her too.”

Hearing this, Gao Wenhui felt cured of her hypoglycemia. She immediately shared this good news in the shipping group chat.

I mean, what kind of bizarre custom lets you bring your best friend home to stay? It’s only freshman year, but you two have already done everything engaged couples do. Then what will you do in sophomore year? Tsk tsk, people without boyfriends don’t even dare imagine.

People like Fan Shuling and Wang Haini all thought this pair was progressing oddly slowly. But the sugar-addicted Huihui felt these two’s relationship was rocketing ahead.

Jiang Qin suddenly tapped the table, interrupting Gao Wenhui’s wild speculations. “How’s that book of yours going?”

“I’m stockpiling chapters. I’ve written up to chapter 18. But your people called me and said not to release them all at once. I should update chapter by chapter at first to gain traffic. After school starts, I can gradually increase the release frequency to match your ground promotion activities.”

“It’s been half a month and you only wrote 18 chapters? Did you write with your feet?”

“What’s wrong with 18 chapters? I’m not a professional author. Writing 200-300 words a day is already very hard. You want to rush me? No way!”

Jiang Qin pondered for a moment before speaking. “Your book has the potential to be a hit and will greatly help our ground promotion plans. Updating serially will also help increase user stickiness. How about this – spend less time at the milk tea shop and allocate more time to writing.”

Gao Wenhui couldn’t help revealing a suggestive smile. “What, can’t wait to keep peeping into our Nanshu’s maiden heart?”

Feng Nanshu patted her belly. “Wenhui, I’m not pregnant yet.”

“Not pregnant. I mean a maiden’s yearning heart.”

Jiang Qin glanced at her. “Don’t spout nonsense. I have a work mentality. Everything I think about is for work.”

Gao Wenhui didn’t believe him at all. As a top-tier shipper, she had her own way of thinking. “Be stubborn all you want. But I have been a bit stuck in my writing lately. Also, the forum readers aren’t optimistic about stories of rich girls and poor boys. They’re afraid of bad endings and don’t dare follow along.”

“It is indeed a dream for a poor boy to marry a rich girl. It’s only human for people to have such worries. Even I feel the ending definitely won’t be beautiful.”

“So I plan to write some extras first, describing the leads’ life with kids, to reassure everyone. Can you two pick names for the kids?”

Feng Nanshu eagerly raised her hand. “Call him Jiang Fugui [Rich and Noble].”

Jiang Qin glanced at the little rich girl. “That name is too tacky. He’ll get laughed at in school.”

“But you said Fugui was a good name for a dog.”

“Exactly, for a dog. How can you give a child that name? Even Jiang Aotian [Proud Sky] would be better.”

Feng Nanshu raised her face. “Then what should we call him?”

Jiang Qin pursed his lips. “I did think of a few before. For a boy, Jiang Cai [Wealth]. For a girl, Jiang Cai [Splendor]. How about that?”

“I’ll listen to you.”

Gao Wenhui held her breath, staring at them discussing so seriously. Some best friends they were! They were earnestly discussing baby names. Who are you trying to fool!

Especially that Jiang Qin. I just said I wanted to write about life with kids, and you even thought about the kids going to school. You guys are openly discussing having children under the guise of helping me write a novel!