People Found Out About The Base I Built On the Moon

Chapter 1074: Chapter 139 Rebirth_9

But Zhao Yu couldn’t present proof. He merely asked online, and each time Hao Jingjing either claimed she was multitasking with a part-time job or that she was in a hurry due to some urgent matter.

There was always a reason, but Zhao Yu could still sense that she was deliberately avoiding him.

If it were anyone else, Zhao Yu would definitely think that they looked down on him and did not want to interact with him.

But Hao Jingjing’s approval rating remained at 66, indicating that she did not hold such feelings.

“Could it be that the scene where I saw her crying made her so embarrassed she couldn’t stand it?!”

The only explanation Zhao Yu could think of was the last time he was present; Hao Jingjing had burst into tears.

Understanding her character — self-deprecating, sensitive, and introverted — showing such emotions in front of others was indeed embarrassing.

Yet, no matter how embarrassing, Zhao Yu had to persevere.

After all, he needed to ensure Hao Jingjing’s approval rating was high enough for him to get the money.

“Ha, talking about repaying debts through part-time jobs, I’ve never seen this guy actually doing one!”

“In the end, it’s just his nature not to change…”

“It’s a pity for his father, burdened with such a son…”

Although Zhao Yu didn’t care about others’ opinions of him, these days, many people were indeed paying attention to him.

After all, Zhao Yu’s act as a fake rich second generation who spent hundreds of thousands in three months, with his parents being mere farmers, piled up to create excellent news material.

Consequently, many press outlets approached, trying to extract stories from students, with some even offering money for insider information.

As a result, newspapers reported Zhao Yu’s unchanging nature — not taking up any part-time jobs but still spending lavishly and dining out.

In reality, Zhao Yu never dined out; he simply ate at normal small restaurants without ordering anything special.

That’s how typical students behaved.

But to people in society, it looked different.

In their eyes, owing tens of thousands with his family’s struggling situation,

he should now be cutting back severely, eating instant noodles or biting into steamed buns every meal to compensate for his past three months of extravagant spending.

This news report caused the girls in his class to look at Zhao Yu with even lower approval.

Even Su Xinxin included, who for the first time saw her approval rating drop below 20 points, falling to the teens.

But now, Zhao Yu couldn’t concern himself with Su Xinxin, although it was painful, he had to focus momentarily on Hao Jingjing.

Finally, one evening around eleven, when Hao Jingjing finished her shift at the fruit shop and was on her way back to the dorm, Zhao Yu caught her in the act.

“Have you been avoiding me these past few days?!” Zhao Yu asked bluntly as soon as he saw her.

Hao Jingjing was startled by Zhao Yu’s appearance and quickly waved her hands.

“No~~I haven’t…”

Her voice grew softer, clearly lacking confidence.

“I consider you a friend, are you avoiding me because my reputation is so bad?”

Zhao Yu knew Hao Jingjing feared being misunderstood and wrongly accused, so he purposely framed his question this way.

Indeed, Hao Jingjing panicked immediately, trying to explain she hadn’t, but couldn’t find the right words and ended up crying out of frustration.

“Let’s go, don’t cry here!”

Zhao Yu glanced at a distance, noticing a few boys who seemed to have spotted the situation and wanted to come over to investigate.

Knowing college boys, who often wanted to meddle in others’ business and play heroes upon seeing a girl crying, he quickly pulled Hao Jingjing away.

Seeing the pair leave, the onlooking boys chased a few steps to make sure Hao Jingjing wasn’t resisting or struggling before they left.

Hao Jingjing didn’t know where Zhao Yu was taking her. Though the crying stopped, tears still streaked her face, and her mind raced with chaotic thoughts.

Zhao Yu led the way, holding onto Hao Jingjing’s sleeve, as if fearing she might run away.

The further they walked, the darker the street lights became, until they reached a pitch-black spot.

But having been in school for over three months, Hao Jingjing recognized immediately that this was the school’s sports field.

At that moment, couples were dotted about the stands of the sports field, cuddling and kissing every few meters.

The entrance of Zhao Yu and Hao Jingjing aroused no attention whatsoever.

Furthermore, it was so dark that no one could see their faces clearly.

“What…what are you doing?” Hao Jingjing was somewhat flustered, her heart pounding as if a deer were bumping around inside.

Zhao Yu sat Hao Jingjing down in a secluded corner and asked directly, “Tell me the truth, why have you been avoiding me these days?”

“I…”

Perhaps because it was so dark and they could barely see each other’s faces, Hao Jingjing dared to look up at Zhao Yu this time.

Her courage seemed bolstered by the darkness as she spoke in a slightly louder voice than usual, “I’m afraid…”

“I’m afraid I’m falling for you…”

She hesitated briefly but then firmly added, “I’m not in a position to be in a relationship, nor do I have the time…”

Clearly, she had mentally prepared herself to say this.

Or perhaps, after spending an afternoon with Zhao Yu in the library, she had been analyzing and reflecting on it over these days, eventually concluding that Zhao Yu wanted to date her.