Chapter 76: So Clichéd

Meng Qiping went into the room, and after finishing a cigarette, Li Dong followed him inside.

The girls were busy cleaning and decorating the room.

Seeing himself with nothing to do, Li Dong felt a bit awkward and picked up a broom to help.

Cheng Nan, who was hanging small decorations by the bed, quickly said, "Li Dong, you don't need to help. Just find a place to sit."

"It's fine, I…"

Before he could finish, Meng Qiping cleared his throat and said, "Dong Ge, what Cheng Nan means is that you should just stay out of the way and relax somewhere cool."

"Pfft!"

The girls couldn't help but laugh at this, and Li Dong's face turned dark.

Since the room was small and already occupied by the girls, he couldn't do much to help. He picked up a small stool and sat by the door.

There was no other choice; all the sitting space inside was taken by the girls, and he couldn't just barge in.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for the room to be arranged.

Meng Qiping, full of bravado, announced, "Everyone, don't leave after a while. I'm treating you all for lunch to celebrate the housewarming."

Li Dong shot him a look. This guy really had no shame—nearly broke, yet still dared to treat everyone.

...

They ended up having noodles at a noodle shop.

Of course, this wasn't Meng Qiping's idea. After a lot of persuasion from the girls, Meng Qiping "reluctantly" agreed.

Li Dong, who knew the inside story, found it ridiculous. This guy was really putting on an act.

If they had gone to a big restaurant, Meng Qiping would probably have been unable to even pay for the meal.

After eating, Li Dong was about to head back.

Bai Su, who had barely spoken, suddenly said, "Li Dong, I need to talk to you."

Li Dong frowned, ignored Meng Qiping's suggestive glances, and nodded, "Okay, go ahead."

Bai Su glanced around at the others and said, "I'd like to talk to you alone."

Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to them. Li Wan teased, "Su Su, if you have a secret, share it with us! You're not going to—ah…"

Before she could finish, Li Wan screamed and grimaced, "Su Su, you're so ruthless!"

Bai Su snorted and retorted, "Who told you to gossip!"

With that, she ignored Li Wan and turned to Li Dong, "Is it convenient?"

Li Dong didn't want to think too much about it and walked over to the side.

Bai Su followed him, and Li Wan, trying to eavesdrop, was pulled back by Cheng Nan and Zhao Tingting.

...

"What's up? Just tell me."

Li Dong wasn't sure what Bai Su wanted to talk about. They didn't have much interaction, so there shouldn't be any secrets.

Bai Su hesitated for a moment. Seeing Li Dong's impatience, she huffed and said, "Don't you realize that Shanshan didn't come?"

Li Dong was confused and said, "So what if she didn't come? Why are you telling me?"

"Do you really not know or are you pretending not to? Shanshan and Chen Fang broke up."

Li Dong furrowed his brows. Was this the beginning of a trouble-making situation?

He knew that Chen Fang and Huang Shanshan had broken up, as Meng Qiping had told him, and Cheng Nan had mentioned it had something to do with him.

Could Bai Su be seeking revenge or something?

Li Dong eyed her suspiciously. Hmm, her chest is a bit prominent—could there be something hidden?

Bai Su was embarrassed by Li Dong's scrutiny and snapped, "Where are your eyes looking?"

"Ahem… It's fine. Continue. Huang Shanshan and Chen Fang broke up. What does that have to do with me?"

Li Dong was still puzzled. It wasn't about revenge; he was just curious about why Bai Su was involving him.

"Shanshan has been in a bad mood lately, always in a daze. I want you to comfort her."

Bai Su's request left Li Dong stunned!

Was he hearing things, or did Bai Su say he should comfort Huang Shanshan?

Already impatient, Li Dong snapped, "Forget it, I'm leaving now!"

Bai Su's frustration grew, and she retorted angrily, "Shanshan broke up because of you. Shouldn't you take responsibility?"

At this moment, Li Dong wanted to curse!

Why was everything his fault? He wasn't involved in Huang Shanshan and Chen Fang's breakup.

Moreover, Huang Shanshan's emotional state was none of his business. Why should he be responsible?

Li Dong was extremely frustrated and suppressed his anger, saying, "If there's nothing else, I'm really leaving. You all can comfort Huang Shanshan. She'll be fine soon."

After all, they were classmates, so Li Dong didn't want to say anything too harsh.

In his view, these women were just looking for trouble.

Chen Fang wasn't a good guy anyway; if Huang Shanshan wanted to, she could easily find someone better. There was no need to be so emotional.

And no one forced them to break up. It was completely unreasonable!

Bai Su was infuriated by Li Dong's indifferent attitude and said, "If Shanshan hadn't fallen for you, would I be telling you this?"

A thunderbolt from a clear sky!

When Bai Su's words fell, Li Dong was completely dumbfounded.

"Is it true?"

"Of course it's true!"

Li Dong was almost going crazy. What kind of melodramatic plot was this!

Huang Shanshan liked him?

This must be a joke!

Li Dong felt like crying. He was afraid Bai Su was playing tricks on him and asked again, "Are you sure you're not lying?"

Bai Su, enraged, said, "What good would it do me to lie?"

Li Dong felt his face twitch. This was too dramatic!

Being handsome really brought a lot of trouble. Li Dong felt both narcissistic and troubled.

Taking a deep breath, Li Dong calmed down and sighed, "So what do you want me to do?"

Bai Su frowned and said, "It's like I'm sending you to a death sentence! Isn't Shanshan good?"

"Very good," Li Dong said lazily, quickly agreeing.

"Are you not interested because of Chen Fang? Actually, Shanshan and Chen Fang didn't have much of a relationship. They only knew each other for a month or two and had no real feelings."

Bai Su, seeing Li Dong's perfunctory attitude, thought he was put off by Huang Shanshan's past relationship with Chen Fang, and hurriedly defended her friend.

Li Dong waved his hand. He didn't care about these details and said directly, "I have a girlfriend now. No matter how good Huang Shanshan is, it's not possible."

"You have a girlfriend!" Bai Su was evidently surprised.

Li Dong knew that Cheng Nan probably hadn't mentioned it to them; otherwise, Li Wan and the others wouldn't have been unaware of his move out.

"Yes, I have a girlfriend, and our relationship is very good," Li Dong said with emphasis.

He realized Bai Su's intention was to set him up with Huang Shanshan… ahem, to matchmake them.

Li Dong quickly clarified; otherwise, he didn't know what kind of trouble he'd face in the future.

Bai Su bit her lip. Li Dong was right; she was trying to set him up with Huang Shanshan.

But now that Li Dong had a girlfriend, she didn't know what to say next.

Holding on to her last hope, Bai Su asked, "You have a girlfriend. Why haven't we met her?"

Li Dong rolled his eyes. Why should he introduce his girlfriend to her? They weren't that close.

Still, he explained, "My girlfriend is in Beijing. Cheng Nan has met her."

Since Cheng Nan had met her, there was nothing more to say.

Bai Su looked disappointed, "So Shanshan…"

Li Dong didn't know what to say. This was such a clichéd situation; he was at a loss for words.