Luo Xiaoxiao

"Lin Yu, you better be careful."

"This time you might have really kicked a hornet's nest."

Lang Hua reminded him with concern.

Beating up someone who's wealthy, influential, and morally questionable like Zeng Qiang almost guaranteed retaliation.

"No big deal."

Lin Yu shook his head, his tone dismissive, though his expression remained tense—his furrowed brows so tight they could crush a passing fly.

Lang Hua mistook Lin Yu's demeanor for fear masked by bravado.

Little did he know Lin Yu was just disgusted by Zeng Qiang's existence.

A pure-hearted forum moderator running into a vile homewrecker—

Talk about a clash of good versus evil!

"Lin Yu, do you know anyone in the student council?"

"If you do, maybe they could mediate. Apologize to Zeng Qiang, and you might settle things peacefully."

Lang Hua, being a decent guy, thought it over and offered a solution.

"Me?"

Lin Yu pointed at himself, his voice rising involuntarily.

"Apologize to him?"

Lang Hua nodded, speaking earnestly:

"You should really try to make peace with him."

"Otherwise..."

"I doubt he’ll let this slide."

"We’re both outsiders here—no point picking fights with locals."

"In the end, we’ll be the ones suffering."

Lin Yu shook his head, refusing the well-meant advice.

What a joke!

That damn homewrecker—Lin Yu hadn’t even gone after him yet!

And now he’s supposed to apologize?

Not stringing him up on a lamppost as a makeshift scarecrow was already a sign of Lin Yu’s improved temper!

"It’s fine."

Lin Yu waved it off like it was nothing.

Lang Hua frowned, eyeing Lin Yu skeptically before cautiously asking:

"Dare I ask, Brother Lin Yu, what’s your family background? Who are your parents?"

From their interactions so far, Lang Hua had pegged Lin Yu as an ordinary guy who just happened to look a bit shady.

After all, his cheap street-market clothes hardly screamed wealth.

But Lin Yu’s unshaken calm made Lang Hua second-guess.

Was he just stubbornly saving face?

Or was he some rich or politically connected heir slumming it for fun?

"A bit worse off than the average family," Lin Yu mused.

With his parents gone and only about 500,000 yuan to his name, his situation was objectively worse than many ordinary households.

Sure, most families might not have half a million in cash, but their combined assets—cars, property—easily surpassed that.

"Holy shit!"

The unexpected answer made Lang Hua blurt out in surprise.

"Then what’ll you do if Zeng Qiang comes after you?"

"Beat him up again," Lin Yu said flatly, standing up.

Lang Hua stared at him, speechless for a long moment before finally muttering:

"Dude, I’m not joking here."

Lin Yu’s faint smile faded as he met Lang Hua’s gaze seriously.

"Neither am I."

After lingering in the dorm a while longer, Lin Yu headed downstairs for dinner.

Riding the elevator, his mood soured further.

Logically, the story Lang Hua told had nothing to do with him—yet it still grated on him.

He wasn’t the type to self-insert into misery, but faced with such a blatant case of homewrecking, he couldn’t help feeling agitated.

Damn it!

Why couldn’t heaven just strike that guy down with lightning?

Stop picking on me all the time!

The elevator reached the first floor. Lin Yu stormed out, leaving the dorm building.

He hadn’t gone far when a citrusy fragrance wafted over. Turning, he saw a round-faced, adorable girl.

Her eyes were slightly red, as if she’d been crying. She scrutinized Lin Yu anxiously, her soft voice trembling:

"I heard Zeng Qiang came after you."

"Did he... do anything to you?"

The faint sense of familiarity, paired with Zeng Qiang’s name, jogged Lin Yu’s memory.

Luo Xiaoxiao—the girl who’d struck up a conversation with him in the cafeteria.

There’d been another girl with her too, a sporty, cool type.

What was her name again?

Honestly, Lin Yu couldn’t be blamed for forgetting.

In less than a month since the semester started, over a dozen pretty girls had randomly approached him.

For a second, he’d wondered if this world’s setting had changed—

Like he was some kind of "primordial cultivation furnace," where sleeping with him could boost a girl’s power, extend her lifespan, or preserve her youth.

Otherwise, why would so many beauties keep accosting him out of nowhere?

It made no sense!

Mentally grumbling, Lin Yu shook his head. "I’m fine," he said, instinctively stepping away.

But after half a step, he paused and turned back.

Luo Xiaoxiao’s eyes were still watery, her expression guilt-ridden.

Lin Yu asked: "That Zeng Qiang guy’s chasing you?"

She wiped a stray tear and nodded. "Mhm."

"How long’s he been after you?"

"Mind telling me?"

In Lin Yu’s mind, a wicked little idea sprouted, its dark green tendrils just peeking through the soil.

Luo Xiaoxiao nodded again, speaking slowly:

"He started pursuing me last autumn."

"During the university basketball tournament..."

"I was a new cheerleader, cheering for the teams. Zeng Qiang played for the red team."

"I think that’s when he took a liking to me."

"After the match, he came over to flirt and ask me out."

"But I turned him down!"

Her words sped up slightly here, as if eager to clarify something.

With a faint blush, she stole a glance at Lin Yu before lowering her head shyly.

"I don’t like guys like him."

Lin Yu completely missed her delicate, heart-fluttering expressions.

Frowning, he was lost in thought, weighing something else entirely.

After a long pause, his brows still knit, seemingly undecided.

Glancing around, he figured standing there brooding wasn’t helping.

He turned back to Luo Xiaoxiao.

"Had dinner yet?"

The question caught her off guard—as if she hadn’t expected Lin Yu, who usually brushed her off, to ask.

Recovering, her face lit up with joy.

"No!"

"Want to grab a meal together?" Lin Yu offered.

"Yes!"