Chapter 1967: Chapter 1964: The Former Campus Belle
"Lin Tian, why... why are you looking at me like that?" Xiao Manxuan’s eyes met Lin Tian’s intense gaze, her heart skipped a beat, and her fair cheeks blushed slightly.
Her face turned red, and her creamy complexion became even more alluring. Lin Tian said honestly, "Xuanxuan, you’re getting more and more beautiful."
"You’re just full of sweet talk. My sister says you’re a bad egg." Xiao Manxuan playfully rolled her eyes at him, then walked briskly and gracefully out the door.
With each step, her slender waist naturally swayed. From behind, Lin Tian couldn’t help swallowing, feeling an urge to rush up and embrace her. Well, not just embrace—he admitted wickedly to himself.
Shaking his head to dispel the romantic thoughts, Lin Tian finally left the room.
By now, night had fallen. When they arrived at the central cafeteria, it was almost 7:30. At the entrance to the stairs, the student council had set up a check-in point. Without an invitation, you couldn’t go upstairs.
Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan handed over their invitations and smoothly went upstairs. The cafeteria had five floors, and the fifth floor was the banquet hall. When Lin Tian reached the entrance, he found that many people were already there in groups, chatting with familiar faces.
The hall’s setup resembled a cocktail party, with tables laden with various snacks, drinks, and alcohol. Of course, this level of gathering didn’t have any expensive red wine or champagne, just regular fruit wine. But it didn’t affect the banquet’s atmosphere, at least on the surface; all the clubs were getting along.
As soon as Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan walked through the banquet hall door, they immediately attracted everyone’s attention. Both were prominent figures at the university; the guy was dashing and the girl was youthful and beautiful. Especially the guys, when they saw Xiao Manxuan, their eyes sparkled, and likewise, many girls looked at Lin Tian with bright eyes.
"Junior Lin Tian, Junior Xuanxuan, you finally made it..." A tall girl approached them with a hearty laugh; it was Senior Sister Yang Lin, the vice president.
"Good evening, Senior Sister Yang Lin," Xiao Manxuan said gracefully.
"Little Junior, thank goodness you came with Lin Tian; otherwise, he would have been mine tonight." Yang Lin was unabashed about her intentions towards Lin Tian, speaking boldly yet straightforwardly.
Her unabashedness wasn’t annoying or over the top; rather, it exuded a certain calm and confident charm that most guys couldn’t match.
Xiao Manxuan followed up with a smile, "Since Senior Sister likes him, go ahead, he’s yours tonight."
"Ahem..." Lin Tian coughed twice, interrupting their discussion about "possession," and intentionally shifted the topic, "Senior Sister Yang Lin, you’ve organized this well, I’m impressed."
Yang Lin gave him a slight glare, as if blaming him for being obtuse, then shook her head and said, "Do you think it’s that easy? The school’s resources are limited, and there’s competition between the clubs, both healthy and otherwise. What gives me the biggest headache is your Martial Arts Club and the Karate Club; ever since they entered the venue, neither side has shown a pleasant face."
She gestured with her chin at the two groups in the hall with a look of consternation. Lin Tian glanced over; on one side was the Karate Club, but Ju Yuuzen was nowhere to be seen, seemingly led by Kunno Saburo.
Opposite them, of course, was the Martial Arts Club, led by Mu Binglan, with both sides at odds. Among Mu Binglan’s group were familiar faces; He Xiaofei and Qiao Xiaoyi were both there, waving vigorously when they saw Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan.
"Senior Sister, I’m going over there. Rest assured, with me here, they won’t get into a fight," Lin Tian assured her.
Yang Lin knew Lin Tian’s strength, being able to outclass Ju Yuuzen. Such power should be enough to keep these people in check.
She just began to relax when Xiao Manxuan cheerfully added, "Senior Sister, Lin Tian means that if there’s any conflict, he’ll flatten the Karate Club guys before they can make a move, so they won’t get into a fight."
Yang Lin immediately chuckled wryly, thinking perhaps it was a mistake to invite Lin Tian; he was the most dangerous one.
Lin Tian didn’t care what she thought, already meeting up with He Xiaofei and the others. He Xiaofei smiled, "See, I told you he had an invitation, but you didn’t believe me."
"So, have they made any provocations?" Lin Tian asked, his gaze casually sweeping toward the Karate Club, unspoken intentions clear.
Mu Binglan snorted contemptuously, "Hmph, Ju Yuuzen doesn’t even dare to show up. Does Kunno Saburo think he can stir up trouble? He’s overestimating himself."
"Good, no provocation then," Lin Tian said calmly.
"You’re just itching for a fight," Xiao Manxuan laughed.
"Um, fighting here wouldn’t be great..." Qiao Xiaoyi said earnestly.
As they joked, another person entered, walking with a cocky stride and scanning the room left and right, quite high-profile.
"Ning Wenbin, aren’t you afraid of getting beaten walking like that?" The new arrival was Ning Wenbin, and Lin Tian found his flamboyance amusing.
"Brother Lin Tian, we’ve trained quite a bit by now; I can handle myself. Anyone who dares to hit me... I’ll make sure they can’t even..." Ning Wenbin spoke confidently, but before he could finish his sentence, his expression changed, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the banquet hall.
Curious, Lin Tian and the others followed his gaze to see a man and a woman entering. The man was in a shirt and tie, looking quite formal, and the woman was in an off-the-shoulder gown, her white shoulders, sexy collarbones, and beautiful face making her a campus beauty in both attire and appearance.
Ning Wenbin stared at the woman intently, his eyes filled with a complex expression. Lin Tian noticed his demeanor and couldn’t help but frown. Who was this woman that could cause the usually carefree Ning Wenbin to react so dramatically?
Since Lin Tian had met Ning Wenbin, he had never seen him so unsettled, not even when he was rejected by Wu Xiuluo; he was only down for a moment before bouncing back. Ning Wenbin’s reaction now was unusual.
"Do you know her?" Xiao Manxuan asked He Xiaofei softly, turning to her for information, as He Xiaofei lived on campus and was in the know about many things.
Mu Binglan and Qiao Xiaoyi also looked at He Xiaofei, who shrugged helplessly, "That woman is Yin Menglan, Ning Wenbin’s... girlfriend."
Girlfriend? Wasn’t this guy crushing on Wu Xiuluo? How come a girlfriend suddenly appeared? Lin Tian and the others were taken aback, not understanding.
"Ex-girlfriend!" Ning Wenbin suddenly declared, his tone firm and cold.
"Her name is quite poetic, but I don’t like her eyes. I can’t quite say why, just don’t like them," Mu Binglan straightforwardly commented, as blunt as ever in her speech.
"Judging by her looks, she should be considered a campus beauty. Why isn’t her name on the beauty ranking?" Lin Tian asked curiously.
Xiao Manxuan and the other girls rolled their eyes at him, implying he was too focused on looks.
"Who says she isn’t a beauty? She was, ranked quite high too, but then..." He Xiaofei corrected, but hesitated toward the end, seeming considerate of Ning Wenbin.
