Chapter 29: When You're Popular, There's More Controversy

Nanny Chen instructed the servants to clear away the meal before heading straight to the kitchen; she knew that Li Zishen had begun to fear being alone.

In the past, he had dined alone too, but now his state of mind had changed.

In the study on the fourth floor, Bai Long placed the black cell phone on the coffee table before standing up straight again.

"Brother Shen, everything at the school is running smoothly."

The phone contained many photos, with images of vehicles, bodyguards, and the precise locations of every camera at the Foreign Language College.

After Li Zishen browsed through these photos from beginning to end, his expression relaxed slightly.

"Did the people from Wuyou Pavilion only follow up to the east gate?"

"Yes, they turned back the way they came as soon as Lady Tang entered, and as for other suspicious individuals, none have been found so far."

Li Zishen leaned against the couch, massaging his temples. After a moment, he steadily looked at Bai Long, "Sit down and rest for a bit; it's been exhausting running around all morning."

"Thank you, Brother Shen. It's not tiring."

To ensure Tang Xiaowan's safety and to protect the Yishen Group from cyber-attacks, Li Zishen had Bai Long arrange stakeouts at every exit of Jin City University and put Chen Xin in charge of the cyber screening.

It had been half a month since the incident at Mei Garden where Tang Xiaowan was assaulted, but Li Zishen still had no clues about the identity of the person behind the scenes.

If Tang Xiaowan hadn't disappeared for half an hour due to intoxication a few days ago, Li Zishen would never have agreed to let her go to school. He would rather be the villain and keep her confined to Li Garden for peace of mind.

At this moment, someone knocked on the study door.

After receiving permission, Nanny Chen entered, carrying a tray with two bowls of lean meat porridge, but she remained silent, setting it down and then immediately leaving.

Li Zishen gestured for Bai Long to drink the porridge.

"Thanks a lot, Brother Shen."

This lean meat congee was Tang Xiaowan's favorite breakfast. Even if she didn't eat it every day, she had it at least four times a week.

Watching, Li Zishen's eyes softened.

He stirred the spoon in the bowl in circles, the beef chunks outnumbering the rice in the porridge.

Li Zishen took a sip and his lips curved slightly, "When you pick them up tonight, take the same route back and buy two roast ducks on the way, from Immortal Restaurant."

Bai Long set down his spoon and hesitated a moment, then replied, "Yes, Brother Shen."

Meanwhile, at the entrance of the Foreign Language College.

Tang Xiaowan and Li Zihan stood facing each other, one with cheeks puffed out, the other whistling triumphantly.

"Let's go. I've got lots of tasty food, and there's an aunty who specially cooks; her skills are no bragging matter, the best in all of Jin City!"

"I've checked out the canteen—all sorts of delicious options. Let's go to the canteen, okay?"

The voice was sweet and very soft.

Li Zihan swallowed and tried to appear nonchalant as he shook his head, "No, it's better to go to the small apartment. The food outside isn't hygienic."

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"I'm doing it for your good."

Agitated, Tang Xiaowan took out a bottle of water from her bag and began to drink and argue.

They had been at a standstill for half an hour.

For students with fewer classes, probably everyone had already gone back after dining. But Tang Xiaowan and her company were still disputing over where to eat.

Just last night, Li Zihan had already instructed the cooking nanny that starting today, he and Tang Xiaowan would be returning to the apartment for lunch together.

He thought that Tang Xiaowan would surely be curious about where he used to live, and since she was short on money, going back to the small apartment for lunch was undoubtedly the best option.

But he miscalculated. What sparked Tang Xiaowan's interest even more was the university's large dining hall.

"Let's go, Wan, hurry up and eat. I'm starving."

"But I really want to go to the cafeteria."

It was just seven words, but Tang Xiaowan spat them out one at a time, and her voice was particularly loud.

It was the peak time after school, and immediately several people gathered around to watch.

"Hey, this guy is pretty authoritarian, huh? He won't even let the girl go to the cafeteria?"

"The big cafeteria isn't that expensive, right? He looks well-dressed, so why is he being so stingy?"

"Tight-fisted people are always tight-fisted."

"Wow, look, it seems to be Young Master Lai!"

"Oh my god, it really is him, why would he come to the Foreign Language College?"

With the screams of two girls, the crowd exploded into chaos, and everyone turned their surprised gazes toward them; even a few girls took out their phones to sneak photos and videos.

"Young Master Lai? Which Young Master Lai?"

"How many Young Master Lais can we have in our school? It's Li Zihan from the Medical College, his family is the number one wealthy family in Jin City, the legendary rich kids!"

The people who were just saying Li Zihan was stingy and tight-fisted had a sudden change of tone, elevating the issue to a character flaw.

"Oh, no wonder, it's the young master of the Leng Family, Li Zihan! The sons of rich families are indeed arrogant and overbearing!"

"Rich people are fickle and love to play, looks like he's got a new girlfriend!"

"Not a bad figure, not bad at all!"

More and more people gathered, with a variety of comments. There were those who admired Li Zihan's handsome looks, and of course, there were those who sympathized with the girl being entangled by a wealthy heir.

In fact, most students from the Foreign Language College had never seen Li Zihan before; they had only heard his name.

His father, Li Zhenshan, had been donating to his alma mater since graduating, bringing honor to the Leng Family while also expanding the family business. In just a few years, they became the number one wealthy family in Jin City.

Li Zihan was born during this time. Different from Li Zishen, the eldest son of the household, he could do as he pleased.

Fame brings about trouble, where there is good, there's bad.

Because Li Zihan was rather casual with his actions and disdained to clarify misunderstandings, rumors about him began to spread unchecked across the campus over time.

Stories about girls seeking death or fasting to lose weight for him, skipping classes to watch motor rallies only to end up with broken legs and neglected for months, and so on.

Actually, Li Zihan really couldn't be blamed for these things; it was all the trouble caused by one-sided crushes from the girls.

Because of this, Madam Lai specially bought a small apartment for him and even arranged for two people to take care of his daily life.

Not living on campus naturally avoided a lot of trouble, but it wasn't good news for Li Zihan.

He enjoyed the buzz, liked playing games with his roommates, and shooting the breeze together.

As for a crowd like today's, Li Zihan didn't care at all; he was just worried whether Tang Xiaowan would be the subject of gossip.

"Xiao Wan, everyone's looking, let's hurry up and go, okay?"

"Then move out of the way?"

"I mean, walk with me."

Tang Xiaowan gave Li Zihan a blank look, "But I really want to go to the cafeteria."

"It's more convenient to go to the small apartment."

Upon hearing this, the students were astonished that he actually wanted to take the girl to his private apartment. Everyone was agape and began to accuse Li Zihan of having poor character, trying to take advantage of the girl.

Tang Xiaowan touched her nose and sighed lightly, "Ah, really scared of you now, let's go." Then she headed towards the direction of the school's main gate.

Li Zihan followed in stride.

The crowd of onlookers gradually dispersed as well.

However, what Tang Xiaowan didn't know was that one of her classmates was among the crowd. Although not joining in the discussion, they sneakily recorded a short video.