"Hey—wait for me!" After catching up, Xu Ming glanced at Yang Yi walking ahead, and a chill went down his spine. "Second Brother, Fourth Brother, was everything you said just now true?"

"Damn, are you saying we brothers would lie to you?" Fatty Lin suddenly asked with a mischievous grin.

"Then you guys have to plead my case for me; I really don't want to turn into a swollen head." Xu Ming knew it clearly; that Yang Yi was a monster. He still hadn't forgotten what happened at the space bar earlier. Those eerie footwork, that terrifying destructive power—just thinking about it was frightening.

"Heh heh, you're covering the cost of our underwear for a month!" Ye Xiaohou whispered shamelessly.

"Hmph!" Xu Ming was utterly speechless upon hearing that. These guys were the epitome of shamelessness, actually demanding he wash their underwear! He cried out inwardly, 'The heavens are unfair!'

"What, you're unwilling?" Fatty Lin raised an eyebrow and asked.

Just as Xu Ming was desperately trying to suppress the indignation rising in his heart, Yang Yi suddenly turned his head and said, "Do mine too. Otherwise, wait till we get back to the dorm, and you’ll be the one turning into a swollen head!"

"Ah... Holy crap!" Xu Ming was practically driven mad.

"Puchi!" Li Qian bit her lip and smiled. Although she was walking ahead, she could still hear what they were saying.

Yang Yi and the other three exchanged glances. Though a bit embarrassed, they couldn't help but burst into hearty laughter; "Hahaha!"

"Waaah, I’m the only pitiful one! You group of scoundrels conspired to mess with me, didn't you?" Xu Ming said with a pitiable look.

"You don't have to wash them. But then, you won't just be dealing with one punch," Yang Yi said with a wicked smile, thinking to himself, 'At least these guys have some conscience; the awkward atmosphere seems less awkward now.'

The group walked toward the mess hall chatting and laughing. Along the way, Li Qian occasionally watched Yang Yi. She realized that the banter and friendship among the boys were so engaging. No wonder the ancients said: In youth, men, for camaraderie, would fiercely charge through armies. Perhaps this was the bond between men.

Upon entering the mess hall, it was the usual arrangement: Fatty Lin and Xu Ming went to fetch the rice and dishes. However, today was a bit special because Li Qian also went to help.

"Um... Classmate Xu, what does Yang Yi like to eat?" Li Qian asked Xu Ming, who was busy serving food.

"Uh, well, you’d better ask Fatty Lin about that. He’s the closest to Boss," Xu Ming didn’t know how to answer her and shifted the responsibility to Fatty Lin.

Fatty Lin saw Li Qian’s expectant look and smiled, "I know you want to find out about Brother Yi. Well, since you asked, I'll help you out..."

"Really? Thank you!" Li Qian seemed overjoyed, skipping around like a very cute little girl when she heard that.

Just as Fatty Lin was about to tell Li Qian what dishes Yang Yi preferred, over by Yang Yi's side, Ye Xiaohou glanced furtively at Li Qian and the others who were busy nearby and asked, "Boss, did Li Qian confess to you or something?"

"Uh!" Yang Yi was momentarily stunned and replied, "Why, are you starting to learn how to play matchmaker?"

"Heh heh, I’m no matchmaker, but I can see that Li Qian really likes you. Didn't you see the innocent smile on her face? Boss, you better make up your mind—do you like her or not?" Ye Xiaohou pressed.

"What business is that of yours!" Yang Yi said, seemingly trying to evade the question.

"Boss, you better think this through. Given the current situation, I think you should tell her how you feel sooner rather than later. Otherwise, it won't just be her who gets hurt; it might hurt you too," Ye Xiaohou secretly admired himself. Who the hell was it that called his pickup theories nonsense back then? Aren't they proving useful now? Gaga!

"I know!" Yang Yi naturally knew Ye Xiaohou was concerned for him, so he could only respond with a smile. However, if Yang Yi knew what Ye Xiaohou was truly thinking, he would probably be furious enough to smack him for using him as an experimental subject for his pickup theories.

Not long after, the food was brought back, and everyone slowly started eating. At this moment, Li Qian picked a piece of marbled pork from her own bowl and handed it to Yang Yi, saying, "This is for you; it's your favorite!"

"Uh!" Yang Yi seemed to have been stunned frequently today. He hadn't expected Li Qian to become so bold. Seeing her smiling face, he inexplicably felt a sense of happiness.

Jealousy. Absolute jealousy. It wasn't just Fatty Lin and the others who were envious; even the beasts nearby who noticed Li Qian were utterly jealous! Heavens, they felt their hearts twisting in agony; their goddess was feeding someone else—it was agonizing...

After giving the piece of food to Yang Yi, Li Qian began to eat slowly, taking small bites. Her manner of eating was quite elegant. But who knew how sweet her heart was at that moment? I need to be proactive; I need to use my actions to tell him that I like him.

To love boldly and hate fiercely is often good. Li Qian had clearly defined her objective now. Even though Yang Yi hadn't given her any answer yet, she wouldn't give up. She knew that if she missed this chance, she would be the one regretting it later. If she didn't hold tightly onto her happiness now, would her life be happy in the future?

Yang Yi looked at the dish Li Qian had given him and sighed softly in his heart. He picked it up and brought it towards his lips when, suddenly, a soccer ball smashed onto their dining table with a "Peng!"

"Ah!" Li Qian was startled and quickly stood up.

Yang Yi frowned. Xu Ming, Ye Xiaohou, and Fatty Lin stared fiercely. Xu Ming stood up and roared, "Which bastard kicked that soccer ball?"

Just as Xu Ming’s voice faded, five swaggering youths walked over. The one leading them wore an expression of utter disdain and mockery as he said, "Hey, what are you yelling about over there, kid? Go fetch the ball for this young master, damn it!"

"You..." Xu Ming was about to say something.

Yang Yi stood up at this moment, dusted off a few specks of rice that had landed on him, and asked Li Qian, "You weren’t scared, were you?"

"Mm!" Li Qian blushed and replied upon hearing Yang Yi's concerned question.

"Good, I’m glad you weren't frightened." As Yang Yi spoke, he bent down to pick up the soccer ball that had rolled nearby, ruining their lunch, and turned to cast a cold glance at the five youths.

The leader, seeing Yang Yi retrieve the ball, assumed they must have been intimidated and became even more arrogant, saying, "You’re quite sensible. Hurry up and bring the ball over to this young master."

"En-hmm? You want this ball?" Yang Yi suddenly asked with a strange smile.

"Nonsense, hurry up and bring it over to this young master!" the leader shouted aggressively.

"Heh heh, since you want it, why don’t you try catching it?" Yang Yi chuckled, suddenly tossing the soccer ball forward, then quickly stuck out his foot, sending the entire ball flying away.

【Brothers, give a big boost! Your little brother needs your support here! Charge forth strongly! Gaga!】