Chapter 101: Confession for Leniency

The singing competition concluded with Li Qian's performance of "Ten Years."

Overall, the competition was rather uneventful, with the only highlight being Huang Shanshan.

When the judges announced Huang Shanshan in third place, the auditorium erupted in boos.

An excited male voice shouted, "This is unfair!"

"Huang Shanshan should be first!"

"There's a scandal!"

...

The teachers maintaining order quickly moved to quell the unrest among the students. Some of the instigators were harshly warned.

Fang Qingfei was also troubled. On one hand, she was disappointed that Huang Shanshan, who had been highly anticipated, didn't win.

On the other hand, the judge was Li Qian. If there was a scandal, it would mean she was criticizing herself.

Li Dong observed from the side and couldn't help but laugh as he saw Fang Qingfei's changing expressions.

Fang Qingfei, already irritated, was further enraged and snapped, "It's all your fault!"

Li Dong's face fell instantly. What kind of logic is that?

What does Huang Shanshan's loss have to do with him?

Too lazy to argue with her, Li Dong turned to leave.

Fang Qingfei called out urgently, "Where are you going? I was just speaking offhandedly!"

"Going home!"

Of course, after watching the competition, what else could he do but go home? Was he supposed to stay here overnight?

Fang Qingfei's face turned various shades of anger and frustration. She felt she had never won against Li Dong, which made her even more infuriated.

---

Li Dong walked out in a carefree manner but became bewildered once outside.

He had been led here by Fang Qingfei, and now, walking back by himself, he found himself lost in the small woods.

Li Dong was speechless. Losing face this badly was quite something.

In such a small place, he had managed to get lost!

He was about to find an exit to get out of the woods when a glimmer of light appeared in the darkness.

Then he saw Fang Qingfei approaching with a flashlight. Surprised to see him, she asked, "Aren't you leaving?"

Li Dong cleared his throat and tried to sound composed, "Why should you care if I leave or not? I'm tired after listening to songs all night and needed a break."

Fang Qingfei was somewhat skeptical but didn't notice anything amiss.

Ignoring Li Dong's bizarre behavior, Fang Qingfei continued walking out.

Li Dong followed her. After a while, Fang Qingfei suddenly turned around and asked, "Why are you following me?"

"Don't accuse me unjustly! It's not your private road. Can't I just go home?"

Fang Qingfei stared at him for a moment and then burst into laughter. "So you're lost!"

Li Dong's face turned red, but fortunately, it was dark. He tried to argue, "Nonsense, you're the one lost. Get real!"

"Hahaha, still denying! This path leads to the teachers' dormitory. Are you saying you live there too? Keep pretending!"

Fang Qingfei was thoroughly enjoying this rare opportunity to mock him.

Li Dong was feeling embarrassed and frustrated. Was it necessary to laugh so exaggeratedly?

He snorted and, seeing that they were almost out of the woods, quickly walked ahead of Fang Qingfei and headed outside.

As soon as he exited the woods, the streetlights illuminated the area, and Li Dong recognized where he was.

Even though Fang Qingfei continued to laugh at him from behind, Li Dong hurriedly ran along the main road. He only relaxed once he was far from the teachers' dormitory.

Thinking about how he had been the subject of Fang Qingfei's ridicule, Li Dong sighed. His reputation was completely tarnished.

---

After the singing competition, Li Dong's life returned to normal.

He attended his classes as usual, and when he didn't have classes, he either dealt with matters at Longhua or checked the progress of his new house's renovation.

By the end of April, Li Dong received two pieces of good news simultaneously.

The first was that the new house was finished with its renovation and could soon be inhabited.

The second was the performance report for April.

While there were no significant changes in the other branches, Longhua's performance had increased by twenty percent.

This positive news excited Li Dong. After all, Longhua was Yuanfang's largest flagship store.

With monthly profits exceeding three million, a twenty percent increase meant an additional six hundred thousand for Li Dong this month.

He wasn't sure if it was due to the increased consumer spending in Pingchuan or if the various promotions had attracted more customers.

In any case, the increased profit was significant. The extra earnings this month outweighed his investment, covering his costs within a month.

In a good mood, Li Dong decided to share the news.

He called Qin Yuhan and, once the call was answered, said cheerfully, "Yuhan, are you coming back to Pingchuan tomorrow? I'll pick you up."

Tomorrow was May Day, and he wanted to give Qin Yuhan a surprise.

He hadn't told her about the new house, so now that the renovation was done, he was looking forward to starting big purchases with her.

To his surprise, Qin Yuhan responded angrily, "I'm not coming back! Go bother your little fox instead!"

Li Dong was puzzled and frustrated. "What little fox? What have I done to you?"

"Li Dong, stop lying! I know all about your little affairs. Be honest, or we won't have anything to talk about!"

Li Dong was extremely frustrated. He snapped, "Qin Yuhan, where did you hear these nonsensical things? What do I have to confess?"

After a moment of silence, Qin Yuhan's voice came back on the line, sounding like she was covering the phone and talking to someone else. A while later, she sweetly said, "Li Dong, I was just joking. You're not mad, are you?"

Li Dong's mouth twitched. At this point, if he didn't realize what was going on, he would be a complete idiot.

Qin Yuhan was testing him with such a clumsy method.

Li Dong rubbed his temples and said impatiently, "Stop listening to your roommates' nonsense. If they lead you astray, wait until we meet next time, and I'll deal with them!"

"Yuhan, your boyfriend actually dares to threaten us. Dump him!"

"Yes, Yuhan, you shouldn't keep this kind of boyfriend!"

"Yuhan, let me answer the phone. I want to see how he handles me!"

"..."

Li Dong was covered in sweat. Were these women so idle?

He was worried that if this continued for four years, Qin Yuhan might change into a different person.

If Qin Yuhan really started becoming suspicious all the time, could their relationship still continue?

The thought of it made Li Dong shiver. He quickly said, "Yuhan, let's talk privately. Don't let them overhear the call!"

On the other end, there was more shouting, and the voices gradually faded as it seemed Qin Yuhan had left the dormitory.

Li Dong sighed in relief and asked, "Are you out?"

Qin Yuhan giggled and said sweetly, "You're not mad, right? They insisted on taking my phone."

Li Dong rolled his eyes but didn't dwell on it. He asked again, "So, are you coming back tomorrow?"

Qin Yuhan hesitated and finally said, "I'm sorry, but Fangfang and the others said they're going to visit attractions in Beijing for May Day and insisted that I join them. I probably won't be able to come back."

Li Dong was a bit disappointed. It seemed he couldn't give her the surprise after all.

But then he thought, since Qin Yuhan couldn't come back, he would go to her instead.

He was about to tell Qin Yuhan but decided to wait until tomorrow. He had already planned the surprise and was determined to keep it.