Just Had to Meet You - Chapter 1

The two consecutive screams drew the attention of people nearby. The hallway, once filled with laughter, chatter, phone calls, and noise, suddenly fell silent. A moment later, the crowd snapped back to reality—some gasped in surprise, some applauded. The curious onlookers were about to crowd in for a better view, but Tong Yao’s piercing glare stopped them in their tracks—the beauty’s aura was overpowering, her eyes filled with daggers.
After regaining her balance, the department beauty immediately rushed over to help up the “scumbag” and asked with concern, “Are you okay?”
The “scumbag” waved her off, and the two of them turned their heads together and shouted, “Are you crazy?”
“Sorry to disappoint you both, but I took my meds before coming out today,” Tong Yao narrowed her eyes and said.
The “scumbag” and the department beauty instinctively took two cautious steps back.
“You actually believed that? Wow… that IQ…” Tong Yao clicked her tongue and continued, “Since I ran into you, let me ask two questions on behalf of my dear Qing’er. First, you claim you didn’t know about her feelings, but over a month ago, wasn’t it you who agreed to be with her? Or was that your long-lost twin brother? Second, even if you truly didn’t understand, you could have just turned her down when Xu Qing confronted you due to the misunderstanding. So why are you now secretly slandering her?” Can you be any more shameless? Do you know how to write the word “scumbag”? ”
“Stop slandering people! I have never been in a relationship with her! The “scumbag” pointed at Tong Yao, trying to defend himself.
“Did your teacher never teach you that pointing fingers at people is rude?” Tong Yao smacked his hand away and said coldly, “If you don’t know how to write ‘shameless’ and ‘scumbag’, that’s fine. I’ll teach you today. And if I can’t, my fists will.”
Before the “scumbag” could respond, the department beauty sneered and said, “Just because Yijie is so charming, does that mean he has to take responsibility for every girl who throws herself at him?”
“Not only are you twisting my words and dodging my questions,” Tong Yao shook her head and looked the “scumbag” up and down. “Weak build, shaky stance, a typical frail chicken, and you’re talking about ‘charm’? He he”.
The department beauty’s face instantly turned red with anger. “Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to criticize Yijie?”
“Even a mere passerby should step in to help in a situation like this. Besides, I, Tong Yao, am Xu Qing’s roommate,” Tong Yao said.
“Tong Yao?” The “scumbag” instantly sobered up, his face turning slightly pale, while the department beauty also fell silent.
At P University, who didn’t know Tong Yao from the broadcasting department from the moment she enrolled, her stunning looks had made her a constant headline on the university’s gossip forums. Oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, cherry lips—she was a natural beauty. Someone had even used her face for a professional study, proving that her proportions perfectly fit the golden beauty ratio. Combined with her silky black hair and flawless figure, she had long been the dream girl of countless students.
However, the real reason for their silence wasn’t any of this—it was Tong Yao’s legendary feat years ago when she took down a robber with a single mantis kick. A beautiful woman wasn’t frightening; what was frightening was a beautiful woman who had trained in Sanda, Taekwondo, and fencing since childhood—and not just for entertainment.
A dreadful silence fell over the scene. “ハニー、早く来てよ (Honey, come quickly).” It was a young girl’s delicate and saccharine voice, sending a shiver of goose bumps over Tong Yao.
At that moment, someone emerged from the restroom holding a phone. The “scumbag” exclaimed in surprise, “Qin Zhan?”
Qin Zhan sighed and said, “Yes, sorry for interrupting.” Though he apologized, his expression showed nothing but indifference.
He had only gone to the restroom but ended up getting stuck inside, forced to listen to a couple getting intimate. Qin Zhan was extremely disgusted.
That was, until Tong Yao burst onto the scene with a flying kick. In an instant, Qin Zhan was utterly captivated. Her figure was flawless—slim waist, long legs—her movements were clean, sharp, and full of overwhelming momentum. Qin Zhan forgot the surrounding noise and his initial impatience, only feeling that at that moment, Tong Yao carried a halo and was extremely beautiful.
In the Qin family, if Qin’s father and Qin Zhan were full of scholarly air, then Qin’s mother and his sister, Qin Yue, were full of banditry—oh no, dominance—making them a typical model family of strong women and weak men in a complementary dynamic. Perhaps because he had grown up under his sister’s “violent” oppression, Qin Zhan had sworn that when he got married, he would find himself a strong wife—not just strong in personality, but in the literal sense as well. Someone who could fight.
Tong Yao’s kick landed on Zeng Yijie’s abdomen—and also struck deep in Qin Zhan’s heart. Violent enough, fierce enough—every word and action made his heartbeat race abnormally. This was practically a dream girlfriend tailor-made by the heavens for him.
He was so absorbed in watching that he didn’t snap out of it until his phone betrayed his presence with an in-game character’s prompt, exposing him to Tong Yao in such a situation.
Getting caught secretly watching the scene of justice being served on a “scumbag” from inside the restroom—Qin Zhan’s predicament was beyond awkwardYet, he remained calm, took a deep breath, quickly adjusted his expression, then held out his phone to Tong Yao and said, “I was inside the whole time, just playing a game, not intentionally…” He was sure he appeared honest and composed, with reasonable justification.
Little did he know that on his phone screen, a long-haired male character was princess-carrying a delicate-looking woman in a kimono. Her fair shoulders were slightly exposed, and her gaze was tender and affectionate. Beside them were Japanese text and several options, seemingly part of a narrative description. Tong Yao recognized little the text. She glanced at Qin Zhan’s polite smile, then at his phone—the disdain in her eyes became even more apparent.
Qín Zhàn’s heart sank. Realizing he had been misunderstood, he quickly straightened his posture and explained seriously, “I’m currently working on a BP (Booster Pack: expansion pack; content pack) related to mobile games, so I’m just playing similar games for reference.”
“You city folks really know how to have fun.” Tong Yao smirked. “I know about these kinds of games—essential for nerds. I just didn’t realize they were this… explicit.”
The words “nerd” hit the mark precisely, but Qin Zhan remained expressionless. Instead, he curled his lips into a slight smile and deliberately stretched out his words, “This—kind—of—game… You even know about its content restrictions? Seems like you’re quite familiar with it~”
Tong Yao hadn’t expected to be counterattacked. She narrowed her eyes, glancing at his lower body, silently contemplating where to land a kick. Years of experience being “abused” made Qin Zhan instinctively sense the danger. He quickly straightened his expression and explained, “This game is a classic, popular for years. Understanding its design concept and business model can…”
Tong Yao was already lost, her head throbbing. She cut him off bluntly, “And then?”
“And then…?” Qin Zhan hesitated.
“In the end, all games are just copy-pasting each other, right?”
“Misconception. The essence is innovation—innovation.”
“Hiding in the restroom to watch gossip—so this is your ‘innovation’ too?”
Qin Zhan glanced at the two people who had been acting as background props, then turned back to Tong Yao with a grin. “Just a coincidence. I happened to catch Teacher Tong giving such a wonderful lesson.”
“Birds of a feather, huh?” Tong Yao sneered. “You’re welcome. No difference between teaching one or two students—you’re all cut from the same cloth.”
Qin Zhan’s lips twitched awkwardly. Quickly changing the subject, he turned to the “scumbag” and asked, “You’re Zeng Yijie from Class 1? We’ve had public courses together, but never talked. “I should thank you for personally demonstrating a modern version of Chen Shimei today. Not only did I get to witness Teacher Tong’s live performance of The Execution of Chen Shimei, but I also got to see the real you, Zeng Yijie.”
Zeng Yijie’s face grew paler. Given Qin Zhan’s personality and popularity, if he let this slide today, his reputation in the finance department would be utterly ruined. The department beauty obviously realized this too and murmured hesitantly, “It’s not entirely Yijie’s fault. We were doing fine until she interfered…”
Before Tong Yao could respond, Qin Zhan cut in, “If anyone actually interfered, it was you, miss. But first, let’s focus on the main issue.” He tilted his chin toward Zeng Yijie. “Lack of intelligence is fine—you can always pay a ‘smart tax’ later. But emotional intelligence? That’s not just a tax issue; it’s a matter of character. Making mistakes isn’t scary—what’s scary is having the wrong attitude. So, if you need to apologize, apologize. If you need to make amends, make amends.”
Tong Yao found his words very much to her liking. She also realized she had misunderstood Qin Zhan earlier. Tong Yao no longer bothered to figure out whether his last remark was a subtle jab at her. Instead, she burst into laughter at Qin Zhan and said, “Sorry, I mistook you all for being in cahoots—snakes and rats of a kind. But turns out, classmate, you’re actually a sensible one.”
“Snakes and rats, huh?” Qin Zhan narrowed his eyes. “My mistake then—should’ve read the fortune calendar before heading out today and slapped on a sign: ‘Not affiliated with these kinds of people.’”
Tong Yao had no way to argue with that, so she clasped her hands in mock apology. After being so neatly derailed by Qin Zhan, she figured it wasn’t worth pressing the issue with Zeng Yijie anymore. She simply shot him a cold glare and left a warning: “I was a bit rough earlier, that was my fault. But let me make this clear today: if you don’t apologize to Qing’er and continue slandering her, this won’t be over between us.” Let me know if you’d like me to keep going! Qin Zhan opened his mouth, but said nothing. In the end, he just watched as Tong Yao walked away.
“Qin Zhan…” Zeng Yijie struggled to speak, “Can we consider today’s incident as…?”
Interrupted, Qin Zhan was clearly displeased, stretching out his tone as he said, “Oh? Consider it as what?”
Zeng Yijie swallowed hard and finally said, “Can we pretend you didn’t see it?” Want the next part too? ”
“How could that work? I got stuck here watching you two make out, then was forced to witness a full-blown drama, and even got suspected of having some shady hobby. And now you’re asking me to pretend I didn’t see anything?” Qin Zhan asked coldly.
Zeng Yijie pressed his lips together. “It’s my fault.”
“An apology’s not the point. What matters is—heaven sees all.” Qin Zhan said as he slowly walked away, leaving behind a parting shot: “I never gossip.”
—Can you really trust someone who so easily says they never do something?
Zeng Yijie and the department belle seemed to believe him though. They stopped pressing the issue and walked out of the KTV hand in hand.
When Tong Yao returned to the private room, she bumped right into Xu Jiaojiao, who was just about to head out.
“You were gone for so long—I figured some poor soul must’ve messed with you!” Xu Jiaojiao shouted first.
Tong Yao pinched her nose with a grin. “Sounds like I should start calling you Xu Half-Immortal from now on.”
Xu Jiaojiao widened her eyes and covered her mouth. “You really ran into the scumbag? What happened? What happened?!”
“Caught him bad-mouthing Qing’er and gave him a flying kick.” Tong Yao said, with a hint of regret. “Too many people, and then a meddler jumped in—so I ended up going easy on him.” ”
“Heaven’s justice never fails! Karma is real!” Xu Jiaojiao laughed loudly, hands on her hips. Then she asked, “The one who interrupted—was he that guy’s classmate?”