Chapter 4: Li Dong's Invitation

The atmosphere was a bit awkward.

Chen Yue quickly tried to defuse the tension, saying, "Xue, don't take it too seriously. This guy..."

"There's no need for you to explain!"

Yuan Xue's anger grew as she saw Li Dong's indifferent expression. She said coldly, "Li Dong, I don't know what I've done to offend you. Why do you keep giving me a hard time? Is there something I owe you? Whether I go out or not is my own choice. What right do you have to give me a cold shoulder?"

Yuan Xue's eyes reddened as she spoke. She had long harbored grievances against Li Dong, and this was the moment it all exploded.

Even if Li Dong ignored her, she wouldn't have minded, considering there were plenty of people pursuing her and trying to please her.

But Li Dong seemed to bear a grudge against her every time they met, either sneering or turning his face away. They were seated near each other, so she had avoided looking back for months, dreading to see his cold expression.

Having been pampered all her life, Yuan Xue couldn't tolerate this. She had rarely encountered men who gave her a hard time.

Her loud voice drew the attention of the entire class.

Especially the boys, whose eyes seemed to shoot daggers at Li Dong. Li Dong was taken aback and felt a mix of awkwardness and embarrassment.

He didn't think he was in the wrong; he hadn't even been thinking about Yuan Xue. If she misunderstood him, there was nothing he could do about it.

Moreover, Li Dong felt wronged about Yuan Xue's claim that he had been giving her a hard time. Even if he didn't like her, he wouldn't be rude to a pretty girl. The problem was that Li Dong's cold attitude contrasted sharply with the enthusiastic treatment she received from other boys, making Yuan Xue feel he was giving her a hard time.

Seeing that Yuan Xue was almost in tears, Li Dong, with his thirty-year-old mindset, had to offer a dry apology. "I didn't mean it like that…"

Seeing Yuan Xue still glaring at him, Li Dong sighed and said, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. From now on, I'll greet you with a smile every day when I see you!"

He forced a big smile, thinking that beautiful women really are trouble. He also wondered when Qin Yuhan would become a part of his family.

Li Dong's words and actions almost made Yuan Xue laugh, and her grievances quickly faded. Her anger, which had come quickly, left just as fast.

To avoid being a spectacle, Yuan Xue turned her head and ignored Li Dong.

"Such a nuisance!"

Muttering softly, she noticed that everyone was still watching. Li Dong, unbothered, retorted, "What are you staring at? What, do you want to fight me? None of you have the guts, do you? I've never backed down from a fight, so if you want, we can go practice..."

Li Dong scolded everyone but found that few dared to challenge him. Most students in the key class were well-behaved, and even the few troublemakers didn't want to stand out.

Many people knew Li Dong well; he had grown up in the market, where people from all walks of life were present.

It wasn't bragging when he said he'd fought many times. If someone got into a fight with him, not only would it be embarrassing, but if he got beaten up, there was a risk of getting sneakily retaliated against, which had happened before.

The matter was forgotten after the teacher entered the classroom. With the college entrance exams approaching, no one wanted to stir up trouble.

...

The day passed quickly while Li Dong was distracted, and as soon as school ended, he rushed out of the classroom.

Wang Jie called after him urgently, "Dongzi, see you at Oriental Plaza at 7 PM. Don't forget!"

"Got it!"

As the voice faded, Li Dong was already out of sight.

Yuan Xue, who was packing her books, seemed to think of something and turned to Wang Jie, "Where are you meeting? Let me see if I have time. If I'm not busy, I might join you."

It's not clear if Yuan Xue was pretending to be indifferent or really didn't want to go. After all, students don't have much to do in the evenings besides not having evening classes, so it's unlikely she was busy.

Wang Jie, not caring about the details, happily replied, "We're meeting at the west gate of the plaza, right across from the school, at 7 PM!"

"Okay, I got it."

Yuan Xue responded lightly and ignored Wang Jie, leaving swiftly under Wang Jie's hopeful gaze.

...

"Hey, Qin Yuhan, do you want to go to Oriental Plaza tonight?"

"No, I don't."

"Why not? Do you have plans tonight?"

"Even if I don't, I won't go. Li Dong, are you trying to get back at me?"

Qin Yuhan rolled her eyes and said irritably, "We were enemies yesterday, and today you're so eager to have me join you. Should I go or not? You're being overly enthusiastic without any good intentions!"

"Hehe, Yuhan…"

"Stop!"

Qin Yuhan twisted her delicate neck in discomfort and said, "You're giving me goosebumps. Li Dong, are you trying to woo me?"

She looked at Li Dong with suspicion. Although Li Dong had occasionally pursued her before, it had been a while, and now he was persistently reaching out.

Li Dong laughed awkwardly. As a middle-aged man, he was indeed experiencing a bout of nostalgia, but being scrutinized by a young girl made him uncomfortable.

Thinking he should maintain his composure as a distinguished reborn person, Li Dong said, "What are you talking about? Yesterday you said we were good friends, right? Good friends should go out together. Besides, didn't we reconcile yesterday? I'm not holding a grudge, but you are so petty!"

"Cut it out!"

Qin Yuhan didn't believe Li Dong's words. She laughed and said, "Fine, whatever. I'm free anyway. I'll reluctantly join you tonight."

"Great, I'll wait for you at your house."

Li Dong happily ran off, and Qin Yuhan seemed to see him trip and fall.

Indeed, Li Dong stumbled over a rock and fell flat on his face not far from where he was running. But being used to such mishaps, he didn't mind and remained cheerful.

For some reason, Li Dong couldn't stop thinking about Qin Yuhan. The nostalgia of middle age had become uncontrollable. With a thick skin, he waited for Qin Yuhan to pass by the alley after school.

Inviting Qin Yuhan was a spur-of-the-moment decision, and he hadn't expected her to agree. Li Dong's excitement was understandable.

After a quick tidy-up at home, taking a shower, and changing clothes, Li Dong looked in the mirror and thought he looked quite handsome. He proudly took his 134.5 yuan and headed to Qin Yuhan's house.

Don't ask how Li Dong knew where she lived; after being classmates for five or six years, he should have known.

Arriving at Qin Yuhan's apartment building, which was slightly newer but not very high-end compared to his own, Li Dong waited for about ten minutes. He saw Qin Yuhan come downstairs in white sportswear, kicking her small feet.

At that moment, Li Dong felt a rush of affection. If his daytime nostalgia was due to middle age, this moment was like a teenage crush.

"Hey! Stop staring, or you'll drool!"

Qin Yuhan's teasing voice snapped Li Dong out of his reverie. He quickly wiped his mouth, realizing his mistake, and said awkwardly, "My mouth's a bit dry. I'll buy some fruit later."

"Pfft!"

Qin Yuhan laughed, "Trying to cover up. With me being so beautiful, it's only natural for you to drool."

"Stop being so vain! I really am just thirsty!"

...

The two chatted and joked as they walked to Oriental Plaza. The downtown area was small, and the walk from Qin Yuhan's house to the plaza took only about ten minutes.

Soon, they arrived at the west gate of the plaza, where Wang Jie was waiting. Though Qin Yuhan wasn't in their class, Wang Jie was familiar with her.

Seeing that Li Dong had also invited Qin Yuhan, Wang Jie secretly gave him a thumbs-up in admiration.

Li Dong, full of pride, introduced, "This is my deskmate Wang Jie. Just call him 'Watermelon Head.'"

"Hi, Wang. It's obvious Li Dong gave you that nickname. He loves coming up with nicknames."

Qin Yuhan was not shy. She greeted Wang Jie with a smile and immediately started asking about Li Dong's mishaps in class.

Wang Jie was thrilled to chat with such a beautiful girl and quickly spilled all of Li Dong's secrets.

Li Dong, indifferent to the revelations, didn't mind. His high school years had only a few trivial incidents, and he wasn't concerned about them. His thick skin made him unaffected.

When Wang Jie mentioned Yuan Xue's outburst earlier, Qin Yuhan, interested, asked for details. Li Dong realized something was off and interrupted, "What's with the gossip? Isn't Chen Yue supposed to be here too? Where is she?"

"Here she comes," Wang Jie pointed to Chen Yue and Yuan Xue approaching together.

Li Dong frowned

 slightly and said discontentedly, "Didn't Yuan Xue say she wasn't coming? Why is she here now?"

Initially, he had hoped Wang Jie and Chen Yue would pair up, leaving him with Qin Yuhan, but it seemed unlikely now.

Wang Jie shrugged. High intelligence didn't guarantee emotional intelligence. Yuan Xue's presence today was clearly related to the earlier argument with Li Dong, and he didn't want to get involved.

Qin Yuhan also noticed the two girls. The school was small, and given that Yuan Xue was known as the top beauty in the arts class and Qin Yuhan in the sciences, they were bound to know each other.

As soon as Yuan Xue arrived, Qin Yuhan greeted her with a smile, "Yuan Xue, it's been a while!"

Yuan Xue was taken aback to see Qin Yuhan and responded with a slightly surprised smile, "It has been a while. I didn't expect to run into you here. Are you alone?"

"Just came with Li Dong. We're good friends!"

Qin Yuhan, with a touch of nervousness, affectionately tapped Li Dong's shoulder and responded cheerfully.

Yuan Xue's eyes showed surprise, clearly not knowing Li Dong knew Qin Yuhan.

What Yuan Xue didn't know was that Li Dong had avoided mentioning his connection with Qin Yuhan during high school to avoid embarrassment over past incidents.