Chapter 213
The Set-Up
Perhaps there was a good reason why old-school communication was deemed as, well, old school—it was unreliable, even though it functioned by magical means .
For hours Li Yundong had stood on his balcony and waited for the paper crane's return, yet there were no signs of it . Maybe Su Chan had gone to bed already? Did Ao Wushuang confiscate the paper crane? Li Yundong sighed . This was stupid . He should head back inside . It wasn't like standing out here would make the crane come any faster .
Li Yundong pushed away from the railing and entered the living room .
Zi Yuan rose from the couch as soon as he stepped in .
"I'm gonna head back," she said .
"Oh," Li Yundong said, closing the sliding door gently . "Thanks for dinner . I really appreciate it . "
Zi Yuan nodded . "Good night, then . "
Following Zi Yuan's departure, Li Yundong did a quick visual sweep of the apartment, which felt empty all of a sudden . Guess he had gotten used to Zi Yuan's presence inside his apartment .
He walked around the apartment for a bit and ended up standing outside Su Chan's room . A wave of loneliness rose inside him, but he tamped it down . He lowered his hand from the door knob and let out a heavy sigh .
Sneaking around in her room wouldn't make him miss her any less .
He strode into the living room, then moved past the couch towards the kitchen .
Zi Yuan had cleared the dining table and taken care of all the dishes . He came to a halt outside the kitchen . He turned and slowly walked towards the dining table .
Zi Yuan had replaced the table cloth .
A teacup sat at the center of the table . When he touched the teacup's surface, he found that it was still warm . Pressed underneath the teacup was a note: "The Heavenly Thunder is approaching . Stay focused . Drink it while it's still warm . "
Li Yundong picked up the teacup and studied its contents . He raised the teacup and then brought its rim closer to his nose .
He sniffed a few times and found that the liquid was odorless . He took a small sip and realized that it was tasteless as well .
Probably just warm water . . .
He drank up the rest .
Li Yundong nearly dropped the teacup when he felt it: a strong pulse in his lower abdomen, right at his lower Dantian .
It was like his Vital Orb had just grown stronger .
Li Yundong stared at the teacup . That couldn't have been just water . Even though it tasted just like water, he knew that Zi Yuan must have fed him something .
Li Yundong sighed and placed the teacup back onto the table . I'll just ask her tomorrow .
He turned away from the table and glanced around the apartment again, wondering what he should do .
The answer was pretty obvious .
He padded towards the center of the living room and got into a meditative posture .
***
The next morning, Li Yundong was proud to announce that the Running Man had set a new record: half an hour from New Hongsheng District to Tiannan University, and he'd done it while carrying a bulky magical object on his back .
The strange looks and hushed whispers began the moment he walked past the campus gates . Great . The entire university had probably found out about yesterday's incident at the canteen by now . Right . As if that wasn't par for the course .
He wondered what kind of excuse he could come up with to justify the Fan of Seven Treasures' magical properties . That it was a component of an AI-controlled robot? So believable right there .
What were Zi Yuan's reasons again for her insistence that he should return to the university? He honestly didn't know anymore .
On the way to the academic building, a voice stopped him in his tracks .
"Tsk, tsk, you think that guy can still walk?"
"Hmm . . . I don't know, Nana . But I think he might run into a little trouble considering how swollen his head must be . "
There was a giggle .
"Well, fame does that to people . "
Li Yundong laughed out loud . Those two . . .
He turned around and saw Feng Na and Cheng Cheng standing side by side, staring at him .
He gave them a wave . The two women waved back and began walking towards him . Cheng Cheng was dressed differently today . Instead of her usual casual attire, she was wearing a long-sleeved blouse and a pair of black dress pants .
"Whoa . Somebody's giving out a lot of OL vibes . " He gave Cheng Cheng a thumbs up . "Nice . Very professional . "
Feng Na stopped right in front of him while Cheng Cheng stood slightly to his left .
Li Yundong gave Feng Na a nod . "Morning . "
"Don't so sound surprise, please," Cheng Cheng said . "You make it sound like I don't usually look nice—"
Incoming!
Li Yundong whipped his head to the side . At the same time, his hand shot out and grabbed . . .
Cheng Cheng's wrist .
Li Yundong and Cheng Cheng stared at each other for a second .
Cheng Cheng's eyes were wide with shock .
With a sigh, Li Yundong relaxed his stance and let go of Cheng Cheng's wrist .
"Sorry . That was a reflex," Li Yundong said . Then, he shot Cheng Cheng a worried look . "Are you okay?"
A smile spread over Cheng Cheng's stunned expression . "Nah . It's fine . I should've known better . " She chuckled . "You're a trained martial artist after all . " She gave him a strange look . "Though you do seem a bit wound up tight today . I mean, it wasn't like I was trying to slap you or anything . I was just trying to pat your shoulder . . . "
"Yeah… My bad," Li Yundong said . "Like I said, it was just a reflex . "
Cheng Cheng waved off his concerns . "So . I heard from Nana that you put on a show again yesterday . At the canteen . "
Li Yundong groaned . "Don't even start . "
"I'm pretty sure putting on a show is an understatement, Cheng Cheng," Feng Na piped in . "He tore the whole place apart!"
Li Yundong shot Feng Na a glare . "You're not helping . "
"What?" Feng Na hid a smile behind her hand . "I was just stating the truth . "
Li Yundong narrowed his eyes at Feng Na . "And you still want to be near me after what you saw?" Li Yundong jerked his chin towards his backpack, where the Fan of Seven Treasures sat . He'd wrapped up the thing with another piece of cloth today . "Not scared that it might try to hurt you?"
Suddenly, Feng Na didn't look so smug anymore . "Um . . . Will it?"
Li Yundong laughed out loud . Either she was either slow on the uptake or she had balls of steel .
"No," he said . "It's completely harmless as long as you don't try to touch it . "
He could see the curiosity in Feng Na's eyes as she stared at his backpack . She was probably dying to ask him about what the fan does or how it works . In which case she would be completely out of luck, because Li Yundong himself had no clue .
"Damn . . . " Cheng Cheng clapped her hands together . "Now I'm curious about what happened . Can't believe I missed the whole show!"
Li Yundong raised a brow . "You do know that it was a dangerous situation, right?"
Cheng Cheng shrugged as though it wasn't even a big deal . "Maybe I like to live precariously . "
Until death got in your face, he added mentally .
"Well? Just look it up on the goddamn forums," he grumbled . "I'm sure it's up there already . " He looked towards Feng Na . "So what's up anyway? There has to be a reason why you guys are here bugging me so early in the morning . "
Feng Na broke into a grin . "As a matter of fact, we do!" she said .
"Uh-huh…"
"Yep! We need your help!" Cheng Cheng said .
"Right . Why am I not surprised," he said dryly .
Feng Na cleared her throat . "So we've got these tables that we have to move, you see?"
Cheng Cheng nodded . "And since we know you're strong . . . "
Li Yundong chuckled and raised his palm . "Okay . Okay . You need my help moving a bunch of tables . I get the idea . " Li Yundong looked towards Feng Na . "When and where?"
Feng Na grinned . "We'll take you there after your lecture . "
Li Yundong smirked . "What if I just, I don't know, decided to run off after my lecture?"
Feng Na smirked back . "Not a chance . "
Li Yundong raised his brow . "You sound confident . "
Cheng Cheng giggled . "That's because we'll be following you around today to make sure you don't run off . "
Li Yundong did a double take .
The two girls were smiling at him cheekily .
"Are you guys serious?" he asked .
A smug look spread across Feng Na's face . "Of course we are," she said . "You're not getting off the hook that easily . "
"What about your classes?" Li Yundong studied the two women with suspicious eyes . "Your schedules just happen to be free right now?"
"Of course," Feng Na said smugly . "Which is why we'll be sitting in your lecture hall until your lecture ends, so deal with it . "
"Mm-hmm," Cheng Cheng said . "We'll be watching you . " She pointed two fingers at her eyes .
"This is ridiculous . " Li Yundong laughed . "You know there's no chance in hell you two can stop me if I really want to run right? I suggest you save yourselves some trouble and… What?"
Neither of the women were even looking at him right now . Instead, their eyes were focused on something behind him .
Li Yundong turned around and followed their gazes .
Li Yundong's stomach clenched .
Ding Nan was heading straight for them .
"Hey, Ding—"
Li Yundong was cut off by Ding Nan's cold voice: "Do you want to know where Zhou Qin is?"
***
It took everything in Li Yundong's power to stay cool .
"Yes," he said almost too quickly . "Where is she?"
Ding Nan didn't answer the question . Instead, she seemed to be observing him, watching his reaction to her words . Somehow, the frosty look on Ding Nan's face rubbed Li Yundong the wrong way .
"Ding Nan . . . " Li Yundong said, his voice betraying his urgency . "Stop playing games . Tell me where she is . Why isn't she attending her classes?"
A small part of him feared what he might hear from Ding Nan . But still, he needed to know the truth so that he could do something to help .
"Classes?" Ding Nan laughed snidely . "I doubt she'd be able to attend classes ever again . "
Li Yundong's blood ran cold . His hand rose instinctively to grab Ding Nan's shoulders, but then he held himself back at the last second, fearing he might hurt Ding Nan .
"What's that supposed to mean? What happened to her? Tell me!"
A smirk pulled across Ding Nan's lips .
"Why, are you worried about her?" Ding Nan sneered . "Does your heart ache for her?"
Li Yundong took a step back and schooled his features .
"Of course I'm worried about her," he said in a firm tone . "She's my friend . "
"Friend?" Ding Nan sneered, then pointed a finger at his face . "I bet you only befriended her because of her status and money!" A look of disdain spread across Ding Nan's features . "I wonder how you would treat her now that she's become a penniless nobody . "
Anger rose inside Li Yundong .
"I don't give a shit about her status and money," Li Yundong said coldly . "She's my friend . " Li Yundong took a step forward . "Now I'm gonna ask you again . Where is she?"
Ding Nan's smug expression faltered, and she took a step backwards .
"If she's in trouble, then I wanna help . " Li Yundong said, softening his tone . "I don't care whether she's rich or poor . None of that matters . She's my friend . "
His words seemed to have renewed Ding Nan's confidence somehow . She snorted . "Just wait till you see the state she's in . "
Li Yundong's heart stopped . What the f*ck happened to Zhou Qin? Did she get hurt?
"So what if she's in a bad state?" Cheng Cheng said in a tone of disdain . "Li Yundong isn't a suck-up who only befriends someone for their status . " There was a pause . "Unlike a certain someone . "
Anger flashed across Ding Nan's eyes . She turned and glared daggers at Cheng Cheng and Feng Na .
"Drop the pretense," Ding Nan snarled . "You're all just a bunch of hypocrites!"
Cheng Cheng looked like she was ready to pounce, but Feng Na held Cheng Cheng back and gave her friend a subtle headshake .
Li Yundong decided to step in right then . "Quit stalling, Ding Nan . Just tell me where to find her . "
Ding Nan rolled her eyes and turned around to walk away .
Son of a bitch!
Li Yundong hurried after her . "Ding Nan! Come on!" He grabbed Ding Nan's arm and forced her to turn around . "If you know where she is, just tell me!"
They stared at each other for a moment . Ding Nan's expression was guarded and unreadable . As the staring match dragged on, Li Yundong began to sift through his memory for the contents of the Mahamudra Tantra . Perhaps there was a tantric mudra that would allow him to force the truth out of someone .
He came up with none .
Ding Nan freed her arm from his grip . "I'll give you one day to think things over . " She backed away a step, then turned around to walk away . "Come find me if you still wanna know where she is . I'll tell you then . " Ding Nan stopped walking and stood there with her back facing him . "You might not like what you see . Don't say I didn't warn you . "
Ding Nan began to walk away again .
"I don't need a day!" Li Yundong yelled after her . "Just tell me now!"
Ding Nan kept walking until she disappeared into the academic building .
"Son of a bitch!" Li Yundong ran a hand through his hair . "I should go after her—"
Cheng Cheng pulled him back . "You know she could be lying just to get your attention, right?"
Feng Na nodded grimly . "I agree . Their friendship ended months ago . " Feng Na glanced towards the academic building . "There's no way she could've known Zhou Qin's whereabouts . "
Li Yundong sighed . "But they were in the same circle . " Li Yundong shook his head . "Ding Nan still have connections . She might really know something . "
"Why don't you head to class first?" Feng Na gave him a sympathetic look . "She said she's gonna tell you tomorrow anyway, right?"
"She's right, you know," Cheng Cheng said . "Besides, I don't think you're gonna get much out of Ding Nan even if you go after her right now . "
Feng Na rolled her eyes and snorted . "Yeah well, given how stubborn she is, I'd say it's damn near impossible . "
Cheng Cheng shook her head in disgust . "I still think she's just vying for Li Yundong's attention . "
Li Yundong huffed out a breath . "Let's just go . "
It would be naive to think that Zhou Qin was okay at this point . Something had happened to her, and he was going to f*cking find out what .
***
The lecture went by in a blur . By the time Li Yundong was walking out of the lecture hall with Feng Na and Cheng Cheng, he could barely recall the contents of the lecture, super memory notwithstanding .
Feng Na and Cheng Cheng had stayed true to their word by sitting through the entire lecture with him . They hadn't said more than a few words to him during the lecture though . They had probably sensed his foul mood and didn't want to disturb his brooding .
"Hey, Cheng Cheng," Feng Na said in a faux cheery tone . "How was your internship job? We never got around to ask . "
Li Yundong knew that Feng Na was just trying to lighten the mood, but he was honestly too worked up over their conversation with Ding Nan to care . As the three of them walked along the hallway, he stole a glance at Cheng Cheng . The girl seemed to be having some kind of silent communication with Feng Na .
Li Yundong sighed inwardly and decided to indulge them .
"Yeah, Cheng Cheng . How was it? Think you can get hired for good?"
"Ugh!" Cheng Cheng grimaced as though she had just swallowed something rotten . "Just thinking about that stupid job drives me mad . "
Li Yundong pulled up short . "What? Why?" He looked towards Feng Na . "I thought it was going well?"
"Well, the job itself was great," Cheng Cheng grumbled . "But the boss? Not so much?"
"What happened?" Li Yundong pulled Cheng Cheng to a stop, then glanced at Feng Na .
Feng Na didn't look all that surprised, so he guessed she must have known about it already .
"I got sexually harassed is what happened," Cheng Cheng said with a sigh .
What the hell?
"What did the bastard do?"
"He kept staring at my chest whenever we were in the same room . " Cheng Cheng pressed her hands to her chest as though to emphasize her point . "If that was all he did, then fine, I could handle it . I mean I'm already used to people staring at my chest anyway . But then yesterday he touched my legs and told me to stay at the office until after hours . " Cheng Cheng curled her lips in disgust . "Said he wanted to" —Cheng Cheng did air quotes—"discuss work-related matters with me . " Cheng Cheng rolled her eyes . "Stupid old geezer thought I'd fall for that kind of thing . "
Li Yundong frowned . "Please tell me you kicked him in the nuts . "
An image of Su Chan kicking Director Qian flashed in his mind .
"Nah . He's bigger and stronger than me . " Cheng Cheng chuckled sadly . "I'd be stupid to pick a fight with him . " Cheng Cheng glanced at him . "Though if I have your fighting skills, he'd probably be dead now . " Cheng Cheng released a heavy sigh . "Worse . I can't even file a HR complaint . I mean, what would be the point? He owns the company . "
"What about…?" Li Yundong paused in thought . "Have you tried reporting him to the police?"
Cheng Cheng waved her hand . "I've got no evidence against him . "
"So what'd you do?"
Cheng Cheng stared at him like he'd grown ten heads . "I quit the job and left, what else . " Cheng Cheng shrugged . "Bye-bye job opportunity . "
Li Yundong sighed . "Shit . . . That sucks . . . "
There was a snort . Li Yundong glanced sideways and saw Feng Na giving him a wry smile .
"See? I told you the other day, didn't I?" Feng Na said in a tone of resignation . "It's hard to get a good job these days . "
"Hey, Li Yundong . " Cheng Cheng smiled . "If you ever plan to start your own company, don't forget about us, okay?"
Feng Na nodded with zest . "Yeah . It's much better to have you as a boss than those perverts . "
"Me? Starting my own company?" Li Yundong chuckled . That was probably as likely as pigs flying . "Don't hold your breath . "
Li Yundong moved further along the corridor while the two girls followed him . They were headed to the media room . Apparently, these tables and chairs had to be moved from the media room to somewhere .
"If you want, I could call President Cao or President Yin and ask them if they have suitable positions for you two," Li Yundong said as they descended the stairs of the academic building .
"Really?"
"No thanks . "
Cheng Cheng and Feng Na spoke over each other .
The three of them stopped walking and stared at each other for a moment .
Cheng Cheng had sounded pretty excited just now, but Feng Na just flat-out denied the offer .
"What's the matter with you two today?" Li Yundong asked, his eyes narrowing . "Do you want me to put in the call or not?"
Cheng Cheng and Feng Na did their silent communication thing again .
"Uh, guys?" Li Yundong waved a hand in front of them .
"Um… Well . " Cheng Cheng laughed awkwardly . "I think I agree with Nana . Don't think that's a good idea . I mean, I don't think we'd . . . " Cheng Cheng cleared her throat and grinned . "I don't think we'd be a good fit there . "
Li Yundong gave them a strange look . What the hell was that about?
Feng Na clapped her hands together .
"Come on, let's go! The tables and chairs aren't gonna move themselves!"
***
It wasn't until Li Yundong had strode into the media room that he realized that he'd just been played . These supposed tables and chairs were already arranged into neat rows when they got there .
The media room was filled with students, who sat in those chairs . Some kind of stage was set up in front of the room .
Li Yundong glared at Feng Na and Cheng Cheng .
"There never was any tables and chairs to move, was there?"
Cheng Cheng stuck her tongue out . "Ta-da!" She gestured proudly at the room .
"Nope . " Feng Na smirked . "That was just an excuse to get you here . "
"What the hell is this?" Li Yundong jerked his chin towards the stage .
Feng Na clapped his shoulders . "Relax, pal . The candidates for the student council president will be giving their speeches shortly . "
"What? I thought that's supposed to take place this evening?"
Feng Na waved her hand casually . "The schedules got moved up . The speeches will begin in . . . " Feng Na checked the time . "Probably fifteen minutes . "
Li Yundong laughed . "You know you guys could've just told me, right? I already gave you my word that I'll be there when you deliver your speech . "
A slow grin spread across Feng Na's face . "Nope . That's not good enough . " Feng Na's grin turned into a smirk . "I had to be sure that you're here on time . "
"That's why you followed me around," Li Yundong said, shaking his head in amusement . "So you could drag me here . "
Feng Na shrugged . "I didn't want to take any chances . "
Li Yundong scanned his eyes across the media room . More students were filing in, and the chatter seemed to have gotten louder now .
Li Yundong tore his eyes away from the stage and looked towards Feng Na .
"I don't get it," he said, shaking his head slightly . "Why is it so important that I'm here?"
Cheng Cheng laughed out loud .
"Well…" Cheng Cheng stepped towards him and patted his shoulder a few times . "The truth is, my friend, you play a crucial role in ensuring Feng Na's victory today!"
Li Yundong narrowed his eyes at the two women . What's that supposed to mean?
"What the hell are you two up to?"
Feng Na and Cheng Cheng exchange several looks .
"Oh . . . You'll see . " Feng Na smirked . "You'll see soon enough . "
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