C17 It Really Was Fate!

Her face was a blend of beauty and vitality, with large, expressive eyes that seemed to speak volumes of her joy at the moment. Beads of sweat glistened on her straight nose, and her cheeks were flushed with the healthy glow of recent exertion. Her short hair only added to her spirited appearance. She wasn't the sultry, heart-stopping type of girl, but she possessed a unique allure all her own, distinct from Qin Ruoxi's, yet nearly matching her in appeal.

As Xiao Ge took in the sight of the policewoman, she caught his gaze and flashed him a radiant smile. "Thank you!" she said.

With a brisk efficiency, she produced handcuffs and crouched to secure the thief, her movements inadvertently seductive.

"She's a bit on the petite side," Xiao Ge mused silently, but aloud he offered, "No need for thanks. A meal would be nice."

"Ah?" The policewoman appeared momentarily taken aback, then she looked at Xiao Ge and quickly accepted, "Sure, I'll treat you to a meal."

She rose to her feet and added, "But not right now. I need to take this thief to the station first. How about dinner tonight?"

"Sounds good," Xiao Ge replied, unfazed. His suggestion had been offhand, and he was pleasantly surprised by her earnest response.

"Great, it's a date then. Where do you live? I'll find you after my shift," she said briskly. "And what's your name? I'm Xiao Jie."

"You're Xiao Jie? That's quite the coincidence. I'm Xiao Ge, the most handsome guy around," he answered with a grin. "I'm a freshman at Ningcheng University, majoring in Mandarin."

"You're a Xiao too?" Xiao Jie exclaimed, surprised. "Seems like fate. And I'm not 'Little Missy'—it's Xiao Jie. I wouldn't have guessed you're still a student. Alright, I'll come find you later. I've got to take this fellow in now."

With that, Xiao Jie hauled the thief to his feet and gave him a nudge. "Move it, no playing dead!"

The thief was surprisingly well-behaved at the moment, silent but his gaze clung to Xiao Ge as they walked, clearly intent on committing his face to memory.

"What are you staring at? Keep it up and I'll smack you one!" Xiao Jie snapped, then turned back to Xiao Ge with a reassuring look. "Xiao Ge, don't be scared of him. I've got your back!"

Xiao Ge kept quiet, though inwardly he scoffed. This rookie cop who couldn't even catch a thief was going to protect him? More like he'd be the one doing the protecting.

As Xiao Jie's graceful figure receded into the distance, Xiao Ge couldn't help but muse, "It must be destiny. A dashing guy meets a gorgeous girl—there's bound to be a tale there."

His moment of reflection over, Xiao Ge hastened toward the Fat Sheep Hotpot Restaurant. Meeting a beauty like Xiao Jie was nice and all, but you can't eat beauty for dinner. Satisfying his hunger was the immediate priority.

Ten minutes later, Xiao Ge was devouring his meal with a voracious intensity that left the Fat Sheep's waitstaff agape. The man could really put it away!

Meanwhile, over at Ningcheng University, the campus forum was buzzing with activity. The forum had always enjoyed a solid following, but recent events had sparked an even greater frenzy, all thanks to Xiao Ge. From his broken engagement with Qin Feiya to her public declaration, followed by Xiao Ge's scandalous encounter with Teacher Beauty—all within a single day—had the forum abuzz. Nearly every student at Ningcheng University was caught up in the excitement, with opinions ranging from admiration to criticism, and plenty just there for the spectacle.

Just ten minutes earlier, a new post had sent the forum into overdrive:

"Want to dine with Qin Feiya? Sign up now!"

"Beat Xiao Ge and win a dinner date with Qin Feiya. I'm Zhang Xiaopang, and I've been tasked by Xiao Ge to manage the sign-ups. The starting bid is 100 RMB, no cap. Whoever offers the highest registration fee gets the first crack at challenging Xiao Ge—and the earliest shot at dinner with Qin Feiya. What are you waiting for? Sign up now!"

"Interested in signing up? Add me on WeChat... my WeChat ID is... and you can find me under the nickname Zhang Xiaopang."

The moment the post went live, a flood of comments poured in, berating Xiao Ge. "Shameless, utterly shameless! He's exploiting the situation to make a quick buck, treating Qin Feiya like his personal cash cow!"

Amidst the backlash, some skeptics chimed in, "Isn't this just Zhang Xiaopang scamming us for money?"

Luckily, there were those ready to vouch for Zhang Xiaopang.

"I overheard Xiao Ge himself after school; if you want to challenge him, you've got to register with Zhang Xiaopang first."

"I caught that too. Xiao Ge was seeking out Qin Feiya when our class's soccer star, Zheng Yunhao, wanted to challenge him. Xiao Ge told him to sign up as well."

"Exactly, and I heard the signup fee gets split twenty-eighty between Zhang Xiaopang and Xiao Ge."

This testimony sparked outrage. "Damn, no wonder Zhang Xiaopang is so eager—he's in it for the cash!"

Then came a proposal: "If you ask me, we should all just boycott the signup!"

Sadly, the suggestion fell on deaf ears and was met with collective disdain.

"Don't you want the chance to dine with Qin Feiya?"

"Who wouldn't? Only if you're a girl, maybe."

"Cut the crap, you're the girl here—I'm a guy!"

"Seems to me you just want us to back out so you can sign up alone, right?"

"Absolutely, that's way too sneaky, almost as if you're from the Great Yin Empire itself!"

The poor soul was swiftly overwhelmed by the backlash. Then someone else tried to inject some sense: "Really, why the fuss? Qin Feiya only promised a meal to whoever beats Xiao Ge. She never said anything about dining together."

But even this voice of reason was met with hostility.

"Knock it off with the wordplay!"

"Are you trying to kill our enthusiasm on purpose?"

"Don't listen to him; he's probably just the other guy's sock puppet."

"Whether it's dinner with Qin Feiya or not, it's only a hundred yuan. If this chance leads to winning over Qin Feiya, it'll be a huge win!"

"Absolutely, it's just a hundred bucks for the registration fee. Honestly, I'm just itching to give Xiao Ge a good thrashing. That guy is beyond unbearable!"

...

The campus forum was buzzing with activity. Meanwhile, in the classroom of the freshman's fourth section, Zhang Xiaopang was brimming with excitement. He could practically see piles of cash hurtling his way.

At the Big Fat Sheep Hotpot Restaurant, Xiao Ge had already devoured half the mutton laid out on the large table. This time, he'd even ordered a good fifteen plates of vegetables. Sure, he lived for meat, but he wasn't against greens either.

Xiao Ge was thoroughly enjoying his meal when suddenly a voice sounded from behind him: "Xiao Ge, the boss wants a word with you."