I had originally intended to attend class to clear my head, but a small commotion involving a few girls around noon left me napping for half the afternoon instead. Unlike before, I didn't engage in any playful nonsense with Su Xue in my half-slumber. When I finally awoke, the dorm room was empty, leaving only a faint, fragrant slip of paper beside my pillow.

“Junior Brother, don’t be sad. Everything will get better. I believe lovers will eventually be united. We’re heading to class now; you rest here by yourself. Goodbye. Su.”

Seeing the delicate yet somewhat endearing handwriting, I smiled. Even though the Dragon Girl’s fate was temporarily unknown, I had to rally for their sakes. It was too late to make it to class now, so I might as well head to the library to read instead. As soon as the Hope was finished, I would leave for the Moon to find the Dragon Girl.

The moment I stepped out of the girls’ dormitory building, I felt someone observing me. I glanced over; it was just a student, so I paid it no mind. However, before I reached the library, I was intercepted behind a small hill. From this, I drew a conclusion: in the future, I should stick to the main roads. Small paths might offer better scenery, but they are ripe for trouble.

Seeing over a dozen figures emerge, exuding hostile energy, I asked, “Gentlemen, is there an issue?” I certainly didn’t want to pick a fight without reason, especially since I felt too lazy for one.

One particularly tall fellow, gripping a baseball bat with smug satisfaction, announced, “Are you Zhao Qian from the Finance Department?”

It seemed I had stumbled upon the campus underworld of Longteng University. Suddenly finding something worthwhile to do, I replied, “That’s me. Do you need something? I don’t recognize you.”

“Heh heh…” the other guy chuckled, then glanced at his underlings. “It seems very few people here don’t know you, you hooligan who specializes in groping pretty girls’ backsides. We’ve come today to uphold justice and punish evil.”

I nearly burst out laughing at their high-minded justification. “Gentlemen, while it’s true I appreciate the curve of a beautiful posterior, I only touch those who deserve it. I don’t recall molesting any of your wives or aunts, do I?”

The dozen or so men surrounded me and brandished their weapons—mostly legs torn off tables and chairs. Still, the wood looked thick enough to cause serious injury if it hit one’s head. “Oh yeah? Boy, you’re certainly arrogant. People say you don’t even take the Four Great Vajras seriously. I’d like to see what skills you truly possess.”

I settled into a horse stance. “Come on then, I’m game. But you’d better be the durable type; don’t let me knock you out cold with a single kick.”

“Damn it!” the tall one cursed, starting to rush forward before restraining himself. “Before we deal with you, I need to clarify something, lest you pass out before you can answer.”

Impatiently, I retorted, “If you want to fight, fight. What else do you need to ask?”

The tall fellow inquired, “What did you do after entering the girls’ dormitory this morning?”

I paused, stunned. “Are you the men Xie Yujia sent?”

The tall guy didn’t wait for an answer; a figure emerged from behind the rockery. “That’s right! It’s me!”

It was Xie Yujia. Having been exposed, he dropped the pretense. This guy was clearly an employee of one of my subsidiary companies, yet he dared to plot against his own boss.

I dropped my horse stance and asked Xie Yujia, “Do you like Xu Chen?”

The dozen or so men beside him all laughed in unison. “You won’t find a single person at Longteng University who doesn’t like Xu Chen, unless he’s been castrated.”

I thought about it seriously and then replied to Xie Yujia, “You know, now that you mention it, I think I might actually have a bit of a soft spot for her. I’ve just been avoiding the issue. Fine, the next time I see her, I’ll definitely find a chance to ask. If she likes me too, this will be easy to sort out.”

Xie Yujia could no longer contain the jealousy burning inside him and threw a punch toward my face. I caught his wrist easily. “I don’t want to fight you. You’re Xu Chen’s assistant, right? I don’t want to make things difficult for Xu Chen over this.”

Being restrained only enraged Xie Yujia further; his face flushed the color of pig liver. “Stop spewing your nonsense! Don’t try to get close to my Chenchen. Do you think that just because she’s the General Manager of Starlight now, you can get her to support you like Fang Yanmeng did? You shameless pretty boy!”

Anger flared in me, and I slapped Xie Yujia across the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. “You had better not meddle in my affairs, or you will regret it!”

Clutching his face, Xie Yujia yelled at the tall guy, “I paid you money not to stand around watching the show!”

It was then that the dozen men snapped back to reality, shouting and rushing toward me. They were clearly students from Longteng University, and I truly didn’t want to hurt them—would beating them make me a hero?

“Beep beep!!” A piercing horn blared, and five black Hongqi limousines screeched to a halt on the small road near the rockery. A group of people jumped out. Some were large and imposing, projecting an air of menace that instantly froze everyone into immobility.

One man in a Zhongshan suit pulled me aside confidentially. “I am Secretary Liu, Chairman’s confidential aide. Why is Chief Zhao down here fighting with a bunch of students? And your phone was off, making the Chairman worry sick.”

I pulled out my phone; it wasn't off, just muted—the girls must have turned it off so I wouldn't be disturbed while resting. “I didn't come here to fight them; they insisted on making trouble for me. Secretary Liu, you know my flaw: I’m just too handsome, which naturally invites jealousy from classmates. Since the Chairman needs me, let’s go.”

Secretary Liu chuckled heartily. “The Chief is truly witty. Let’s go.”

Xie Yujia and the others were too intimidated by the imposing presence of the newcomers to speak. Those dozen male students had never witnessed such a scene. Just by looking at the license plates, they knew these people were important; then, seeing their attire—each man looked like a bodyguard equipped with a firearm—even seasoned street thugs would be terrified.

Secretary Liu turned and instructed, “Notify their principal. Tell him to properly discipline these boys; this is hardly the behavior of students.”

I was already about to get into the car, but upon hearing Secretary Liu, I stopped him. “Let it go. They are all my classmates. They were just fooling around because they had nothing better to do. If this escalates to the school and they get demerits, it will hurt their job prospects after graduation.”

Secretary Liu smiled and waved to the group, and everyone quickly boarded the cars and sped away. Xie Yujia climbed up from the ground and shouted at the receding convoy, “Zhao Qian! I don't appreciate your favor! What the hell do you think you are! Xu Chen will always be mine!”

The tall guy patted Xie Yujia’s shoulder. “Assistant Xie, we brothers did our best. That five hundred yuan was earned. I suggest you stop fighting that kid. Remember, he managed to toy with Fang Yanmeng back in the day, let alone a novice like Xu Chen. Furthermore, it was confirmed half a year ago that he made improper advances toward Zhou Ni and Ouyang Qing. Think about Zhou Ni—she’s a golden flower immune to all outside pressure. The fact that Zhao Qian could touch her backside shows his capabilities are extraordinary.”

Xie Yujia replied fiercely, “I don’t care about any of that! Xu Chen is mine, period!”

The tall guy sighed. “Stop muttering. Those people just now had serious backgrounds. They were extremely respectful to Zhao Qian. This Zhao Qian probably has connections. Besides, he actually helped us out just now. If we had involved the principal, we’d be in deep trouble. You need to give up, man. Come on, brothers, job’s done.”

Xie Yujia’s mind was completely clouded by desire. Even after everyone had dispersed, he stood alone behind the rockery, mumbling to himself, “I must have Xu Chen. I won’t allow anyone to take her away.”

Shortly after getting into the car, my newly activated phone rang. I saw it was Xu Chen—what a coincidence. I quickly answered, “Chenchen, what’s wrong?”

Xu Chen’s voice was urgent. “Big Brother Zhao, I know everything that just happened. Xie Yujia didn’t cause you any trouble, did he?”

I almost laughed out loud. “What could he do to me? Do you think your Big Brother Zhao is that useless? But you certainly have excellent intel.”

Xu Chen said quickly, “A friend saw it just now. It’s all my fault, Big Brother Zhao. I will reprimand Xie Yujia. If he acts like that again, I don’t think Starlight will keep employing him.”

“I think Xie Yujia likes you a lot. He’s doing this for a reason, probably afraid I might deceive your feelings.”

“That’s not it, Big Brother Zhao. You have never deceived me, and I… I was willing… I…”

“Can you still cook dinner for me with Su Xue tonight? I’ll head back once I wrap things up.”

Xu Chen’s voice held a hint of excitement. “Yes! We’ll wait for you!”

Secretary Liu gave me a knowing, ambiguous smile. He must have heard plenty about my romantic escapades and was likely wondering which young lady had fallen into my ‘clutches’ this time. But Xu Chen truly cared about me, and I felt I cared for her deeply as well.