Shocking! The Broke Campus Heartthrob Is My Child’s Father - Chapter 13

It was mid-August, the scorching sun continued to blaze.

It wasn’t just Jiang Ruoqiao who didn’t want to go out—even Lu Siyan, usually a child bursting with energy, refused to leave the air-conditioned room.

He sighed contentedly, “It’s much cooler here than at Dad’s place!”

Jiang Ruoqiao had never been to Lu Yicheng’s home, only lingered downstairs. It was an old building with quite some history.

“Doesn’t Lu Yicheng’s place have air conditioning?” she asked.

“It does,” Lu Siyan sighed like a little adult, “but it’s not as cool as here.”

Jiang Ruoqiao had nothing to say to that. After all, Lu Yicheng was already incredibly responsible. She had to admit—she was lucky it was Lu Yicheng she was dealing with. Who else at twenty could have been half as reliable? He had managed to handle such a chaotic situation and provided the child with a place to stay. The boy wasn’t cold, wasn’t starving. If it had been her, she definitely wouldn’t have done this well.

Lu Siyan had a habit of taking afternoon naps. Before 1 PM, he was already nodding off, his big eyes gradually losing focus, his little head bobbing up and down like a pecking chick. Jiang Ruoqiao found him unbearably adorable. She let him lie on the sofa, went upstairs to fetch a light blanket, and by the time she came back down, the little boy had already curled up and fallen asleep.

She covered him with the blanket and crouched beside him, studying him carefully.

At the moment, she couldn’t say she had deep feelings for him. But her attitude toward him was completely different from other children.

She liked him a little.. But she was more afraid.

Afraid that he would bring endless trouble into her life.

Yet, oddly enough, while the fear remained constant—neither growing nor diminishing—her fondness for him increased bit by bit.

Maybe one day, she would like him more than she feared him.

Lu Siyan was a strikingly handsome child.

She imagined he must have been adorable as a baby. Leaning in for a closer look, she noticed his long, curled eyelashes—good enough for a mascara commercial. His features were delicate, almost flawless. His hair had the same natural wave as hers, his double eyelids also resembled hers, and even the dimples at the corners of his mouth were the same.

What part of him resembled Lu Yicheng?

Probably just his nose and mouth.

After watching him for a few minutes, sleepiness crept up on Jiang Ruoqiao as well. She went upstairs to her room. The loft-style apartment wasn’t fully enclosed—standing by the bed, she could see the living room below.

If Lu Siyan woke up, he would come find her

Mother and son slept comfortably, one upstairs and one down, enjoying the air conditioning..

Before sleeping, Jiang Ruoqiao habitually set her phone to silent mode. She didn’t want anyone disturbing her rest—no exceptions.

At 2:45 PM, Lu Yicheng stepped out of his student’s home.

The student’s parents insisted on giving him a large watermelon. It was homegrown by the child’s grandparents, and they had picked the sweetest one for him. Unable to refuse their kindness, he carried the heavy watermelon into the subway station. It had to be at least ten kilos. Fortunately, Jiang Ruoqiao’s apartment was near a subway stop.

By 3 PM, the sun was scorching.

Few pedestrians were out. Lu Yicheng, carrying the watermelon, walked briskly into the apartment building. It wasn’t until he got into the elevator that he suddenly realized—was it really appropriate for him to show up unannounced to pick up the child?

What if they were still asleep?

Earlier that day when he dropped off Lu Siyan, she had texted him to come straight up.

But she hadn’t said he could come up to pick the child up.

Being cautious by nature, Lu Yicheng didn’t go straight to her apartment door after getting out of the elevator. Instead, he sent her a text: 「Are you awake? Should I come up to get Siyan, or will you bring him down?」

Ten minutes passed. No reply.

She must still be sleeping.

Should he wake them up? Or just wait?

After a moment’s thought, Lu Yicheng carried the heavy watermelon to the stairwell and sat down. It was a bit stuffy, but he calmed himself. Pulling out his phone, he began reviewing vocabulary words.

In his life, Lu Yicheng had never wasted a single minute.

He knew he wasn’t a genius.

He also knew his circumstances weren’t as privileged as others’.

So he worked harder than anyone else—at studying, at living.

Around 4 PM, Jiang Ruoqiao was the first to wake up.

She lay still for a moment to clear her head, then reached under her pillow for her phone. Squinting at the screen, she saw Lu Yicheng’s message.

She replied casually: 「You’re here? Where are you?」

His response was instant: 「Outside the apartment.」

He had originally wanted to say he was at the door—or in the stairwell.

But after thinking it over, he worried she might find that intrusive. Until now, he still didn’t know how to navigate his interactions with her. Before, when she was Jiang Yan’s girlfriend, it was fine for them to eat together in a group without exchanging a single word.

But now?

With a child involved, avoiding each other wasn’t an option.

But aside from that child, they had no relationship. Not really. Even the child wasn’t theirs in the usual sense. She was still Jiang Yan’s girlfriend. And he was Jiang Yan’s roommate, friend, classmate.

This situation was impossibly complicated.

Too complicated for even him to figure out.

So he treaded carefully.

If she didn’t invite him up, he wouldn’t go up.

Even if he did go up, there was no way he would step inside.

Sitting here in the stairwell—if she found out, would she think he was a creep?

While Lu Yicheng was lost in his analysis, Jiang Ruoqiao had only one thought: 「Perfect. There’s a convenience store downstairs. Can you bring me a pack of mosquito repellent mats? Thanks.」

Lu Yicheng: “…”

He replied: 「Okay.」

A new dilemma arose.

This watermelon was really heavy. Would someone take it if he left it here?

With no better option, he carried the watermelon back downstairs. The heat was still oppressive. Walking briskly, he bought the mosquito repellent and then hurried back to the apartment.

At the entrance, he messaged: 「Should I come up, or will you come down?」

Jiang Ruoqiao was speechless.

Absolutely speechless.

Why was this guy so hesitant?

He had already come up at noon—had he forgotten the apartment number?

「Come up.」

She had things to ask him.

Lu Yicheng had no choice but to take the elevator up. When he knocked, Jiang Ruoqiao opened the door.

Inside, Lu Siyan had just woken up and was sitting on the couch, dazed and eating snacks—still in a bit of a post-nap grump.

Jiang Ruoqiao’s attention was drawn to the massive watermelon. “This?”

“A gift from a student’s parents,” Lu Yicheng explained. “It’s very sweet. Do you like watermelon? I can give you half.”

She waved it off. “Thanks, but I don’t eat watermelon.”

He didn’t insist. He also didn’t peek inside the apartment—it was basic courtesy.

Leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, Jiang Ruoqiao asked, “You’re not in a hurry, right?”

“No, not in a hurry.”

“Then come in. I have something to ask you.”

Lu Yicheng hesitated. “…I’ll just stand here.”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “…”

Fine.

It wasn’t like anyone was coming and going at this hour.

She glanced at him. He had a sheen of sweat on his forehead. Sighing, she opened the door fully, letting the cool air rush out.

He let out a nearly imperceptible sigh of relief.

Air conditioning was essential for summer survival.

“What do you need?” he asked.

Jiang Ruoqiao was unexpectedly thoughtful. “Hold on.”

She went inside, told Lu Siyan something, then grabbed a cold bottle of water from the fridge and handed it to him. “Here. Only have water.”

Lu Yicheng hesitated, then accepted. “Thanks.”

Though he looked slim, he was actually quite well-built and strong, effortlessly twisting off the cap.

She got straight to the point. “Siyan told me you played video games yesterday.”

Lu Yicheng choked on his water. Coughing violently, his face turned red.

Seeing his reaction, Jiang Ruoqiao knew there was definitely something going on. “Looks like there really is something fishy.”

Lu Yicheng finally caught his breath, quickly capping the bottle, no longer interested in drinking.

“Did you play games with Jiang Yan and the others yesterday?” Jiang Ruoqiao asked. “So, did Jiang Yan really bring a girl?”

If he had known she would ask this question, Lu Yicheng wouldn’t have come up.

Now he was in an awkward position.

Lu Yicheng was silent for a few seconds, then answered honestly, “Yes.”

Jiang Ruoqiao maintained a calm expression. “He said she was his sister?”

“Yes.”

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled. “I’ve never heard of him having any sister. Lu Yicheng, just tell me the truth. If I didn’t know about it, that would be one thing, but now that I do, there’s no point in covering for him.”

Lu Yicheng said, “It’s not my place to tell you.”

“You mean he should tell me himself? Will he?” Jiang Ruoqiao had to use her trump card. “I know you guys stick together, covering for each other when someone does something wrong. But what’s our relationship? Are you really happy to see me,” she held back for a moment, “Lu Siyan’s mother being kept in the dark? Should I be the last person to know if he’s cheating?”

Lu Yicheng: “…”

Jiang Ruoqiao regretted her words immediately after speaking them.

Why bring up that relationship? She’d rather Lu Yicheng forget about her being any kind of future wife, forget about it forever.

“It’s not cheating,” Lu Yicheng explained. “Jiang Yan isn’t that kind of person. He said she’s his sister.”

“His cousin from his father’s side?”

Lu Yicheng remained silent.

“His cousin from his mother’s side?”

Lu Yicheng still said nothing.

Jiang Ruoqiao was speechless. “If she’s not his real sister, not his paternal cousin, not his maternal cousin, don’t tell me he’s like those other guys who just call random girls ‘sister’?”

If Lu Yicheng were just Jiang Yan’s good friend, Jiang Ruoqiao would never say these things.

But now Lu Yicheng… wasn’t just Jiang Yan’s roommate and friend.

From a certain perspective, they were in the same boat, so there was no need to hide her true feelings.

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled sarcastically, “You guys really like calling girls ‘sister,’ huh?”

Lu Yicheng looked at her, “…”

No need to target everyone.

But he still didn’t say anything, or rather, didn’t try to defend himself.

She was angry now because of Jiang Yan.

His words wouldn’t matter anyway.