Chapter 56: Totally Lame!

After the fight, Xu Chen remained silent. Li Dong didn't push him and, instead of taking him back to the dorm, he led the group to a barbecue stand outside the North Gate for drinks.

A few bottles in, Xu Chen started crying.

Li Dong said nothing; he had already guessed the reason since the incident happened near the girls' dorm.

Meng Qiping, however, couldn't stand seeing a man like this. He glared at Xu Chen and snapped, "It's just a woman! Men shed blood, not tears—pathetic!"

Xu Chen's pursuit of Huang Shanshan wasn't a secret. If Li Dong could guess, so could Meng Qiping.

Xu Chen ignored Meng Qiping, wiped away his tears, and downed another large glass of beer.

After a few minutes of silence, Xu Chen suddenly asked, "Where are Lao Tie and Lao Yuan?"

Meng Qiping, seeing Xu Chen didn't want to talk about Huang Shanshan and not wanting to provoke him further, replied, "Lao Yuan isn't in the dorm; the class monitor went to see the teacher."

"Oh!"

Xu Chen nodded, saying nothing more, but he seemed to be in a foul mood and gulped down another glass of beer.

Li Dong didn't know what to say either. Everyone handles things differently.

Li Tie going to find the teacher was one way of dealing with it, and it seemed more prudent, but Xu Chen probably didn't see it that way.

Young students who hadn't experienced much of the world wanted to see hot-blooded brotherhood and bravery, not Li Tie's seemingly calm but actually less loyal approach of involving a teacher.

The table fell silent again, and Xu Chen began drinking heavily, likely hoping to drink away his sorrows.

Li Dong didn't stop him. He had brought Xu Chen here specifically to drink. Some things are best forgotten after a night of drunkenness, so he, Meng Qiping, and Zhang Hao drank with him.

The four of them drank until about ten o'clock, with empty bottles piling up under the table.

Li Dong and the others were fine; they had a tolerance, and though their faces were flushed, they were still clear-headed.

But Xu Chen was completely drunk. As soon as Li Dong paid the bill, Xu Chen started vomiting by the roadside.

Li Dong had Meng Qiping support Xu Chen while he and Zhang Hao followed behind.

Lighting a cigarette and taking a puff, Li Dong asked Zhang Hao, "Chen Fang is Huang Shanshan's senior, right?"

Zhang Hao nodded and added, "Brother Chen started the fight today because Chen Fang deliberately provoked him."

Zhang Hao then recounted what had happened that day.

Apparently, ever since the evening party, Huang Shanshan had started dating Chen Fang, and Xu Chen, unwilling to accept it, followed her everywhere when he had no classes.

After a few instances, Chen Fang noticed Xu Chen's presence.

Probably fed up with being tailed, Chen Fang kissed Huang Shanshan at the dorm entrance today on purpose.

Though Xu Chen was upset, he still hadn't lost his mind. But after Huang Shanshan went upstairs, Chen Fang deliberately walked over to Xu Chen and said a few provocative words.

Already simmering with anger, Xu Chen lost it, and without thinking, he rushed at Chen Fang and started fighting.

But Chen Fang was over 1.8 meters tall and physically strong—nothing Xu Chen, a skinny guy, could match.

He was knocked down in no time. Zhang Hao had initially planned to help, but two of Chen Fang's friends showed up, so Zhang Hao had no choice but to go back and call for help.

After hearing Zhang Hao's account, Li Dong pondered for a moment and asked, "So, you're saying that as soon as the fight started, that Shao Ran and Liu Feng were already there?"

Zhang Hao, upon hearing Li Dong's question, wasn't stupid. As someone who got into Jiangda, he furrowed his brows, deep in thought, and said, "Hmm, it does seem like it was premeditated... Do you think he was deliberately picking a fight?"

Li Dong snorted; wasn't it obvious?

To be honest, if this had happened to Li Dong, he wouldn't have put up with Xu Chen either.

After all, having a tag-along whenever you're with your girlfriend is annoying. If Li Dong had the chance, he wouldn't pass up on teaching the guy a lesson.

But it's all about perspective. Since Xu Chen was his roommate, Chen Fang's issues weren't Li Dong's concern; he naturally sided with Xu Chen.

"Let's let this go for now. Tell Xu Chen to be careful for the next few days and not to follow Huang Shanshan around anymore." Li Dong worried that Chen Fang and his buddies might take another shot at Xu Chen. Since he was busy, he couldn't keep an eye on him, so he instructed Zhang Hao.

Zhang Hao nodded and then asked, "Huang Shanshan probably doesn't know about this yet. Should we..."

Li Dong stubbed out his cigarette, frowning, "No need. An incident outside the girls' dorm, and she's unaware? I think she's not interested in Xu Chen. Forced love doesn't work. If we spell it out too plainly, it'll just make future encounters awkward."

They were all classmates, and university had just started. If they had a public falling out now, how would they face each other for the next four years?

The next day, Xu Chen sobered up.

And then he acted as if nothing had happened, returning to his previous reclusive lifestyle, spending all his time outside of class playing video games.

Seeing this, Li Dong was relieved. Being a recluse was better than going crazy over a woman.

With Sun Tao still in Qingyang overseeing the new store's renovation and opening, Li Dong was practically running things at Longhua alone and didn't have much time to spend in the dorm.

With Xu Chen back to normal, Li Dong resumed his busy schedule of early mornings and late nights.

...

Longhua Plaza.

"Mr. Li, if we go by your design plan, the construction period might have to be extended." After hearing Li Dong's requirements, Tan Jie, the manager of Yifeng Decoration's Design Department, quickly shook his head, indicating that completing the work in three months would be very challenging.

"Then how long do you need?"

"About four months should do it."

Li Dong immediately frowned, unhappily saying, "Four months? Spring Festival will be over by then—how am I supposed to open?"

Seeing that Tan Jie was about to speak again, Li Dong impatiently cut him off, "Three months at most. If you can do it, great. If not, I'll find someone else! With a 5 million yuan renovation budget, I can find at least ten other companies in Pingchuan that are just as good as yours. So, tell me now—can you get it done in three months or not?"

With Li Dong staring him down, Tan Jie broke out in a cold sweat.

A 5 million yuan contract was a rare find even in Pingchuan.

What Li Dong said wasn't pleasant, but it was true—there were definitely companies in Pingchuan better than Yifeng.

Gritting his teeth, Tan Jie nodded, "We'll do our best..."

"It's not about doing your best—it's a must! This needs to be written into the contract: If you can't complete it in three months, I'll withhold 10% of the payment for each day past the deadline!" Li Dong's tone was severe, making it clear he wasn't joking.

If he missed the end-of-year peak season, Li Dong would lose at least a million yuan in potential earnings, and Yifeng would have to pay for that.

"Mr. Li!"

Seeing that Tan Jie was about to speak again, Li Dong interrupted once more, "I'm not an unreasonable person. If you finish even one day early, I'll personally reward your team with 10,000 yuan. Two days early, 20,000. If you can finish a month early, I'll give you an extra 500,000!"

Opening even one day early meant earning money one day sooner. If they could finish a month early, the rent savings alone would exceed 500,000 yuan. Li Dong was well aware of this.

Tan Jie could only smile wryly. With only three months to work with, finishing a month early was nearly impossible.

But if they really put in the effort, finishing ten days or so ahead of schedule might be doable.

Seeing Tan Jie nod, Li Dong felt a bit more at ease but didn't forget to remind him, "Speeding up is fine, but the quality has to be guaranteed. I'll hire an independent agency to inspect the work when it's done!"

"Don't worry about that, Mr. Li. Even if you didn't mention it, we wouldn't cut corners. Yifeng might not be the biggest decorating company in Pingchuan, but we do have the best reputation." Tan Jie quickly defended the company, and seeing Li Dong's frown ease, he relaxed too, knowing this deal was now secure.

Their conversation ended there. Li Dong checked the time; he had a class back at school in the afternoon and needed to head back.

As he headed downstairs, he happened to run into Wang Jia, who was wearing a work uniform.

Seeing Wang Jia, Li Dong couldn't help but smile. He still hadn't forgotten how hilarious it was when she made faces at him!

Despite Wang Jia trying to avoid him, Li Dong called out loudly, "Miss Wang, no mistakes recently, right?"

Wang Jia was furious; she had been trying to avoid this pest, but now she was forced to face him.

"I've had enough of your nonsense," Wang Jia said sharply. "If you keep bothering me, I'll have to take measures."

The pest, who was none other than Chen Lei, a notorious troublemaker, sneered and replied, "Oh, really? And what kind of measures are you going to take?"

Wang Jia's patience was wearing thin. "I've warned you before. Stay away from me and my friends."

Chen Lei's grin widened. "Or what? You'll have to do more than just threaten me."

Wang Jia took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I'm done talking. If you don't leave, I'll have no choice but to get the authorities involved."

Chen Lei's expression darkened. He had heard rumors about Wang Jia's connections and knew she wasn't someone to be taken lightly. Still, he wasn't one to back down easily.

"You think you can scare me?" Chen Lei challenged. "I'm not afraid of your threats."

Wang Jia's eyes flashed with determination. "I'm not threatening you; I'm giving you a choice. Leave now and there won't be any trouble."

Chen Lei stared at her for a moment, then turned and walked away, grumbling under his breath. Wang Jia watched him go, relieved but still on edge.

As she turned to leave, her friend, Li Mei, approached her with a concerned look. "Are you okay? I saw everything."

Wang Jia nodded. "I'm fine. Thanks for checking on me."

Li Mei sighed in relief. "Good. I was worried he might cause more trouble."

Wang Jia managed a small smile. "Don't worry. I'll handle it."

The incident had left Wang Jia shaken, but she was determined not to let it affect her. She had dealt with pests before, and she was confident she could handle this one too.