If this man had been extremely handsome, wealthy enough to rival a nation, and graceful, they would have accepted him. Because such men are beyond their reach, knowing the difference, they would have given up.
However, Ye Qing was not very handsome; his face could only be described as resolute. Of course, his solemn expression did seem somewhat ruthless, but the wrinkled suit he wore considerably lessened this ruthlessness. The image of Ye Qing instantly made the male students in the class quite unhappy, as they felt they were no worse than Ye Qing. Yet, Lin Huayu had never even glanced at them.
"Who knows, dressed like that, he must be a pauper!"
"Look at him, dressed like a migrant worker, how can he just walk into our classroom? This is a university classroom, is it a place where a migrant worker can just walk into?"
"And he's so close to Miss Lin, he should look in the mirror at his own appearance!"
The crowd whispered among themselves, not too loudly, but loudly enough for Ye Qing to hear. Ye Qing didn't react, instead he walked to the back of the classroom and sat down under everyone's watchful eyes.
Lin Huayu also sensed that the gazes of the people around her were hostile, she suddenly glanced around sharply, and those students immediately turned their heads back in fright.
"Ye, don't mind them!" Lin Huayu grabbed a bottle of beverage, opened it, and handed it to Ye Qing, saying, "Ye, after class, could you accompany me to Dahua Shopping Mall? I want to buy some clothes."
This request further drew the dissatisfaction of many, Lin Huayu was too good to Ye. Asking him to accompany her shopping was something only couples do.
"You have class in the afternoon, don't you?" Ye Qing had looked at Lin Huayu's schedule, and her schedule did not allow for time to go shopping.
Lin Huayu said, "The afternoon classes aren't important, don't mind them too much."
Ye Qing shook his head and said, "Let's finish the classes first; each course is knowledge, there's no distinction between what is and isn't important!"
"Wow, you talk as if you really understand," at that moment, a student wearing glasses with neatly combed hair stood up, glanced sideways at Ye Qing, and said, "This is the first time I've heard someone say that the courses in university have no distinction in importance. If there's no distinction, may I ask why university courses don't carry the same credits?"
This spectacled student was a typically top-tier student in this batch and had also always been infatuated with Lin Huayu. Unlike others, he had no advantage other than his academic achievements and wished to win Lin Huayu's favor by leveraging his academic skills. Hearing Ye Qing talk like that, he seized the opportunity to showcase his strengths in front of Lin Huayu.
"Yes, our higher mathematics class is four credits every year, but sports and such is only two credits. Do you think sports are as important as higher mathematics?"
"Pfft, there are plenty of people who pretend to know things they don't, but don't show off your axe at Lu Ban's door."
"That's typical talk from someone uneducated; ignorance really is scary."
The crowd murmured in agreement, echoing the top student, expressing their discontent towards Ye Qing.
Ye Qing said nothing, but Lin Huayu was the first to get angry, slamming the desk and saying, "What does it have to do with you? Why are you talking so much nonsense?"
"I'm just disagreeing with this friend's viewpoint, and besides, this is a university classroom, not a restaurant where just anyone can come and go." The top student glanced at Lin Huayu and said, "Miss Lin, class is about to start, could you please ask your follower to leave first?"
Lin Huayu was extremely annoyed and said, "He is my friend, not a follower. Also, Ye is here to audit, does the school prohibit people from auditing?"
The top student sneered, "Auditing? Hmph, aren't you afraid he'll fall asleep? Can he understand university courses without a proper foundation?"
The crowd burst into laughter, but Lin Huayu grew even angrier. She was about to speak when Ye Qing pulled on her clothes.
"Don't argue with them," Ye Qing whispered lowly.
"Why not argue? These people are looking down on us!" Lin Huayu snapped indignantly.
"What's the use of winning the argument?" Ye Qing pulled Lin Huayu to sit down, as if he hadn't heard the people's mockery, and he sat quietly next to Lin Huayu.
Lin Huayu was fuming, but despite her fiery temper, she was still very polite. She would only argue in such situations and would never bully others based on her status.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before class started, and an Old Scholar wearing thick glasses entered the room.
Old Scholar was a good-natured type of person, who put down the textbook and said, "Today I won't roll call. Those who are absent please notify them. Every term, there are only three opportunities to skip class. If caught thrice, you won't pass this course."
"Teacher, I guess no one is absent in our class today. Plus, there's an extra person!" The top student stood up and glanced at Ye Qing, "Lin Huayu brought a follower into the class. This is a classroom. Shouldn't the follower be waiting outside?"
"Oh?" Old Scholar looked at Ye Qing, still not quite understanding the situation.
Lin Huayu stood up indignantly and said, "Teacher, he's my friend and he's here to audit the class. Our school doesn't forbid auditing either; it's allowed."
"Auditing is allowed for intellectuals, but you brought a laborer. He can't even understand what's being taught. What else can he do besides causing disruption in the class?" A female student mocked, her hostility toward Lin Huayu's allure in class was well known among these girls.
Lin Huayu's eyes widened in anger, "Hey, which eye of yours saw him as a laborer!"
Another female student said, "If he's not a laborer, what is he? Ask him if he's even finished middle school? This is university; you think someone without any foundation can just audit classes here?"
Lin Huayu, furious, was about to argue with these people when Old Scholar waved his hand and said, "Let's not argue about this. Actually, it's fine if this student wants to audit. Learning is endless. Whether you have a foundation or not, wanting to learn and audit is never wrong. Alright, let's not waste time on this matter.
Everyone, take out your textbooks; today we are going to discuss a rather difficult formula. Of course, this formula won't be required for the exam. Those who plan to apply for graduate studies, take note—this formula might appear in your entrance exam."
Old Scholar expounded on the formula from beginning to end. Since he had spoken, the students certainly didn't dare say anything. However, many of them turned repeatedly to look at Ye Qing sitting in the back.
Ye Qing sat upright, listening attentively to Old Scholar lecturing at the front. As for Lin Huayu, she became impatient after a while, covered her face with the textbook, and started whispering to Ye Qing. But Ye didn't pay her any mind, so she ended up aimlessly fiddling with her hair in boredom.
"Now that everyone understands this formula, let's reinforce it with two problems," Old Scholar said as he briskly wrote two problems on the blackboard. "These two are quite challenging. It's fine if you can't solve them since the formula itself is very complex. However, those who want to apply for graduate studies should pay close attention."
Most of the students stared dumbfounded at the problems on the board, genuinely unable to solve them. Only a few top students slowly deduced the answers on their papers, all eager to solve these problems as if it was a contest of wits.
Ye Qing memorized the two problems and took Lin Huayu's notebook, casually writing down two numbers. To him, these problems were insignificant.
The university students used fifteen minutes of time, and the top student who had previously mocked Ye Qing was the first to stand up, "Teacher, is the answer to the first problem 1?"
"Oh, you solved it. Very good!" Old Scholar beamed, "You got it right, the answer to the first problem is indeed 1. It seems you've mastered this formula—should be no trouble for you in your graduate exam."
"This formula isn't hard; the problem is quite simple too, it just requires some dedication," the top student said with an annoyingly humble expression, glancing back at Ye Qing, "I think, with this kind of problem, most students in the class should be able to solve it. As long as they were paying attention just now, even an auditor should be able to solve it."
All eyes turned to Ye Qing; Old Scholar glanced at him too but didn't hold much hope. Such problems were inherently difficult; expecting someone who was auditing for the first day to answer them was wishful thinking.
The top student was intentionally creating trouble for Ye Qing; he looked at Ye and said directly, "What are your thoughts on these two problems, as an auditor?"
A burst of laughter came from the crowd, a real slap in the face for Ye Qing in front of everyone.
Ye Qing remained silent; Lin Huayu, however, was annoyed, "So you solved this problem, big deal! If you are really capable, solve the second problem too!"
The top student smiled, "Sorry, I was just about to start. But still, I would like to hear what our auditing friend thinks. He's been sitting here for the entire class; unless he's a fool, he should have some thoughts."
Ye Qing still sat without moving, as if the top student wasn't talking about him. Old Scholar waved his hands, "Alright, let's not discuss this further. The second problem, does anyone have any thoughts?"
"Teacher, Lin Huayu seemed to have some issue with the second problem; shall we listen to her thoughts first?" a girl suggested, the girls being even more hostile toward Lin Huayu.
"Yeah, Lin Huayu brought up the issue, she must have started solving the second problem."
"Let Lin Huayu explain the second problem to us."
The group of girls giggled noisily, all targeting Lin Huayu. Old Scholar, always democratic, looked at Lin Huayu, "Since everyone says so, Lin Huayu, what are your thoughts on this problem?"
Lin Huayu's face turned red with embarrassment. She had been distracted all class; what thoughts could she have? Being put on the spot by the teacher meant she couldn't respond, wasn't that like losing face back to her grandmother's house?
Lowering her head, Lin stood up, at a loss for words. Just then, Ye Qing handed her a piece of paper with a number written on it.
"1.735." Lin Huayu didn't know what Ye meant by it, but she had no other option but to call out that number.