Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Within the walls of an apartment, lay two troubled souls, each waging a war against their own emotions, wading through the aftermath of their kiss. So much turmoil, so much confusion, so much agitation, yet the only thing separating them was a door.

Amazing what a door can do for humanity these days.

At 2 pm, Li Yundong finally got up from the carpet. He stood outside the bedroom and hollered: "I'm going to class now!"

He didn't know if Su Chan would ever step out of the bedroom again after what he did, but he had to at least try.

The door creaked open, much to his surprise, delight, and relief. A beautiful, red-faced girl stepped out of the bedroom with her head hung low. She approached him with tentative steps and, when she got close enough, tugged the hem of his shirt.

Li Yundong laughed in relief.

"I really thought you'd be holed up in there forever," he said.

Su Chan raised her head, and their eyes met, his filled with relief, and hers swirling with conflicting emotions.

"No more next time, okay?" she said in a small voice.

Li Yundong gave her a sheepish smile.

"Yeah... No more next time. I promise," he said, then cleared his throat. "Come on, let's get going. I'm almost late."

He turned around and strode out of the apartment towards the elevator.

Su Chan followed closely behind him with a long face, chiding herself all the way to the elevator: Argh!!! Useless! Useless! Useless! Why didn't I kick his ass like I had planned! Kick his ass! Warn him not to touch me again! That was the plan! But my heart turned to mush the moment I saw him... I just... Argh!! At this rate, we'll end up mating before he's even ready! If that happens, it'll be a disaster... His body will be ruined, the Jindan will be wasted, and my own body will be ruined too!

None of Su Chan's thoughts were known to Li Yundong, of course. He kept walking until they reached the campus.

Inside the academic building, they saw two angry women charging out of a lecture hall.

"Nana, calm down, okay?" said Cheng Cheng.

"That old pervert!" Feng Na yelled angrily. "How dare he put the moves on me! Even I feel like kicking him in the nuts after what he did! Now I envy Li Yundong. At least he got to see the old bastard get kicked last time!"

"Speak of the devil," Cheng Cheng mumbled, then pointed at Li Yundong.

Feng Na charged at Li Yundong.

"Hah!" Feng Na said. "Finally, I found you!"

It was during times like this that Li Yundong wished he owned a gun so that he could put a bullet in his skull.

He groaned exasperatedly. "What is it this time, your Highness?"

Then, all of a sudden, Li Yundong looked at Feng Na hopefully. "Wait, have you dealt with my expulsion already?"

"I wish," Feng Na grumbled, then snorted. "But don't worry! It'll soon be done!"

"Do you know what Feng Na had to go through for your sake?" Cheng Cheng cut in. "She had to put her dignity aside to beg Director Qian! And you wanna know what the old pervert did? He asked Nana to sleep with him!"

Feng Na glared daggers at Cheng Cheng.

"Shut! Up!" she yelled, then lowered her voice into a hiss. "He doesn't have to know that."

"I just wanted him to know how much you went through," Cheng Cheng mumbled.

"That son of a bitch! He hasn't learned his lesson yet, has he?" Li Yundong growled. He glanced at Su Chan who was standing behind him. "You know what, you should've kicked him harder last time."

Su Chan arched a brow.

"Oh? Fine, then! I'll go give him another kick right now!"

That declaration made all three of them jump in shock

Li Yundong grabbed Su Chan's arm before she could move, thereby putting a damper on her testicle-wrecking crusade.

"Hey, hey. I was just saying, okay? Don't take it seriously, geez," he said. "I'll really be screwed if you kick him again..."

Feng Na released a sigh of frustration.

"Argh! The world is filled with scum these days! And who are the ones who suffer? The good people! So unfair!" Feng Na paused mid-rant and looked at Li Yundong. "Don't worry. I'll definitely take care of this matter for you. I'm a girl of my word!"

Li Yundong nodded and smiled at her.

"Well, guess I'll leave everything in your capable hands."

Feng Na and Cheng Cheng left in a hurry. Once they were out of the academic building, Cheng Cheng asked, "What are you gonna do now, Nana?"

Feng Na frowned in thought, then smiled.

"I've got an idea!" she declared.

Cheng Cheng's eyes brightened. "What idea?"

"Ask Zhou Qin for help!"

Cheng Cheng gave her best friend a sneer. "Says the one who vowed to never ask her for help."

Feng Na tipped her head back and laughed a few times. "The game has changed, my friend. The game has changed!"

***

"That chick does have a strong sense of justice, I'll give her that," Li Yundong told Su Chan after Feng Na and Cheng Cheng disappeared from the academic building's entrance.

If Li Yundong knew about the schemes she had in store for him during the exchange visit, he wouldn't have made that comment.

Su Chan nodded in agreement. "Yup. She really is a good dinglu!"

Li Yundong looked at Su Chan exasperatedly.

"Hey, would you stop that?" he said. "You can't just run around and call each woman we meet a dinglu, okay?"

"Why on earth not?" Su Chan gave Li Yundong a look of utter confusion. "Every woman is a dinglu!"

That statement silenced the entire floor they were on.

The students around them stared at them in shock.

Heat rose to Li Yundong's cheeks, then he grabbed Su Chan's hand and stormed off, but not before hearing the roars of laughter behind them. Why! She was so obedient at home, so why is she saying these kinds of things the moment we're out?

Li Yundong made it to the lecture hall with his dignity in one piece.

Barely.

He then led Su Chan to the back of the lecture hall. This time, however, they didn't sit in the last row, but the fourth row from the back instead.

Minutes later, Sun Li walked into the lecture hall but pulled up short the moment she saw Li Yundong near the back of the lecture hall. A smile threatened to form on Sun Li's face when she remembered the spectacle that he and Feng Na had created during morning class earlier. Sun Li walked past the front rows, then stopped in front of Li Yundong.

"Yo, chick magnet," Sun Li said in greeting, trying but failing to stifle her smile. "How nice of you to grace our humble lecture hall with your great presence?"

Sun Li's smile made Li Yundong's cheek burn.

"It's not like I can afford not to come," Li Yundong said. "I'm about to be expelled."

Sun Li's smile vanished instantly, and she stared at Li Yundong without saying anything. After a while, she sighed.

"You're always running around looking for trouble..." Sun Li said.

"Me? Looking for trouble?" Li Yundong laughed bitterly. "You're joking right? Why would a low-key person like me go around asking for trouble?"

Sun Li's eyes darted to Su Chan briefly.

"Right. Low-key while having such a beautiful woman following you everywhere you go," she said in a strange tone.

Li Yundong sniffed the air a few times, then feigned a curious look.

"Hey, do you smell that?" he said, turning to Su Chan, then back to Sun Li. "I think that's the smell of jealousy."

He sniffed a few more times before fixing his eyes on Sun Li.

"And I think it's coming from you, class rep."

Sun Li stomped her foot in anger.

"In your dreams, Li Yundong!"

Sun Li turned around and stormed off.

Li Yundong shook his head wryly.

"Hey, Li Yundong. Are you really gonna be expelled?" asked a guy who was sitting in the row in front of his.

Li Yundong glanced at the guy briefly. Funny how this was the first time they spoke to each other despite having been in the same class for a year.

"Yeah, I guess," Li Yundong answered casually.

"Shit..." said the guy. "Then what're you gonna do?"

Li Yundong thought the guy seemed pretty taken aback by his answer, though he didn't know why.

Li Yundong laughed mockingly. "What else can I do other than accept the inevitable? If there isn't a place here for me, then I'll leave with my head held high. No regrets. The world's such a huge place. Surely, I can find a place for me out there. At least it would be better than this shithole of a place."

That comment earned him a round of laughter. Then, another student, a girl this time, turned around to look at him. "No, we don't want to see you leave," she said. "You're a great source of entertainment. You can't just let yourself be expelled!"

These little shits! Li Yundong thought angrily. What am I, a f*cking clown meant for their amusement?

He rolled his eyes and ignored those idiots.

Sensing Li Yundong's sullen mood, the other students decided not to bother him and went back to their own conversations.

The start of the lecture drew near, and the lecture hall was soon filled with students.

Eventually, the only unoccupied seats in the lecture hall were the few seats beside Su Chan. Guys stayed away due to Su Chan's predilection for ruining nutsacks while girls stayed away to avoid being seen as ugly in contrast to Su Chan's beauty.

When Zhou Qin and Ding Nan walked in casually, the entire lecture hall plunged into silence. Zhou Qin was surprised to see the lecture hall so full today. When she saw Li Yundong near the back, she quickly made her way over to him.

"Hi, excuse me, please?" Zhou Qin's voice came out soft and gentle when she greeted Li Yundong. When Li Yundong looked up at her, she actually smiled at him.

Zhou Qin!

The Ice Queen!

Smiling!

The students sitting near Li Yundong gaped at the scene. Zhou Qin was known for being cold and aloof, yet her voice sounded so warm today. And she smiled at Li Yundong of all people! What the heck!

Didn't Zhou Qin reject Li Yundong's confession last time? Could it be that she'd changed her mind? That couldn't be right, could it?

Then again, Li Yundong was barely affected by Zhou Qin. Now that he had Su Chan, he was pretty content. Sure, beautiful women could parade themselves in front of him all they want, but he would see them the same way as he saw the clouds in the sky — ordinary. Li Yundong stood up and returned Zhou Qin's smile. Then, he stepped aside and nodded to let her pass.

Zhou Qin stared right into Li Yundong's eyes, and what she saw there shocked her greatly. No. It wasn't what she saw that shocked her; it was what she didn't see. There was no lust and greed in his eyes. Not one bit. Li Yundongs eyes were pure and innocent.

What a far cry from the usual looks Zhou Qin had received from men!

For a moment, Zhou Qin just stood there without moving an inch, stunned, transfixed by this new side of Li Yundong. It wasn't until Ding Nan gently shoved her from behind that she was finally brought out of her daze. Zhou Qin lowered her head quickly. Her dark, straight tresses fell forward, obscuring one side of her face.

Li Yundong thought he saw a blush on her cheeks through the dark curtain of her hair.

A short while after Zhou Qin and Ding Nan had taken their seats, the commotion caused by their arrival died down. However, there was yet another ruckus minutes later when a guy entered the lecture hall. The guy paused at the door, glancing around until his eyes landed on Zhou Qin. He frowned when he saw that the seats on both sides of Zhou Qin were taken. A look of surprise formed on the guy's face the moment his eyes found Su Chan, but then turned into a scowl when they landed on Li Yundong.

The guy strode over, stopping in front of Li Yundong.

"Hey, you!" he spoke to Li Yundong rudely. "I'm taking your seat!"

Li Yundong, who already had a burr up his ass because of his potential expulsion, glanced up at the rude voice. The guy in front of him was tall and good-looking. Well, the guy was basically a second Zhao Yujian. Not only did the guy have good looks, but he was dressed to the nines too. Yeah, those Armani pants definitely looked like they cost more than Li Yundong's yearly rent. The girls, of course, were all staring at the guy and acting as though Brad Pitt had just arrived.

Then came the whispers: "Look! Look! It's Liu Chuan! Oh my gawd... he's so handsoooome!"

Li Yundong honestly didn't know why they were even whispering. They might as well be shouting at the top of their lungs at this point.

The whispers continued.

"I heard he's super rich as well!"

"Aw... Handsome and rich. He's like a treasure trove... Whoever manages to bag him will be rich too!"

"Hey, I hear he's super good at basketball as well. People call him Kaede Liu! Oh, you know? After Kaede Rukawa!" (T/N: Kaede Rukawa is a character in the anime/manga series “Slam Dunk”)

Li Yundong snorted inwardly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Can you girls be any more typical...

Then, Li Yundong suddenly decided to tease Liu Chuan a little. He feigned a look of surprise and pointed at Liu Chuan's face.

"Oh, hey... You look like that action star... Argh... What's the name... The last name... Can't remember the last name..." Li Yundong began snapping his fingers. "Dammit... What's the name..."

Deep down, Liu Chuan was pleased, though he kept a humble exterior.

"Action star? Nah... I'm sure you're mistaken," Liu Chuan said.

The other students took Li Yundong's word seriously and began appraising Liu Chuan's face curiously, which inflated Liu Chuan's ego further.

Li Yundong smacked his own forehead all of a sudden.

"Aha! Now I remember," Li Yundong said, pausing briefly for effect. "Kaede! Kaede Matsushima! It fits, right? Isn't that what people call you? Kaede?"

Several things happened at once: the smug smile on Liu Chuan's face vanished; Ding Nan spit out the milk tea she'd been drinking and burst into laughter; Zhou Qin turned her head away to hide her smile; the entire lecture hall erupted with laughter. (T/N: Kaede Matsushima is a Japanese AV actress)

"Action" star indeed!!

Anger flashed in Liu Chuan eyes, though for the sake of appearing cool in front of Zhou Qin and Ding Nan, he kept his composure and smiled, even though it was pointless — that smile made him look like he hadn't taken a shit in years.

Liu Chuan cleared his throat harshly. "Dude, didn't you hear what I told you just now?"

"What?" Li Yundong feigned a look of confusion. "I don't think I heard ya."

Liu Chuan pointed at Li Yundong's seat. "I. Want. Your. Seat."

"Why should I let you have it?"

Liu Chuan sneered, then began nodding.

"Oh... Okay... I get it," Liu Chuan said, pulling out a Hermes wallet from the pocket of his Armani pants. "Here!"

Liu Chun waved a few bills in front of Li Yundong's face.

Li Yundong stood up and took the bills, then sat back down again. He turned to Su Chan who was sitting beside him and blinking her eyes at him in confusion — she didn't understand what the students were all laughing about.

"My, my, look at this," Li Yundong said, waving the bills in front of Su Chan's face. "Someone's kind enough to give us free money. Looks like today's our lucky day!"

Liu Chuan's face went red in anger. "Hey! Now that you've taken the money, move away from the seat!"

Li Yundong looked at Liu Chuan in confusion. "Oh, you mean the money isn't a gift?"

Liu Chuan nearly passed out from anger. "I was paying you for the seat! Now move aside!"

Li Yundong laughed.

"Hey, guys, did he say he was paying for the seat just now?" Li Yundong glanced around a few times, then looked back at Liu Chuan again. "Nope. I don't think you did. Besides, when did I agree to give you my seat?"

"You're messing with me!" Liu Chuan roared.

Li Yundong smirked. "Hey, how about this?" he said, waving the bills in front of Liu Chuan's face. "Now I'm gonna pay you to get out of my sight. How about that?"

"But that's my money!"

"Oh, but you gave it to me, remember?"

"I gave it to you in exchange for your seat!"

Li Yundong laughed. "But I never said I'd give up my seat!"

Liu Chuan's breaths were coming out in angry puffs, his chest heaving and shaking. He gritted his teeth and yelled, "Fine! You have the money then! You'll need it to buy a coffin!"

"Sure. I'll make sure to buy one that fits your size. How tall are you anyway?"

Liu Chuan glared at Li Yundong, his fists trembling at his sides.

"You wanna die?" Liu Chuan threatened.

Li Yundong's eyes flashed like lightning.

"Say that again! Let's see who's the one that ends up dead!"