Li Yundong glanced down from the rooftop, holding the little fox, and only relaxed when he saw Xie Fei and Er Lü and the others angrily departing. He then set the little fox down.

The little fox complained filled with resentment, "Why didn't you let me go teach those brutes a lesson?"

Li Yundong found it both funny and exasperating. "What kind of young lady acts like a brawler? Have you been watching too much My Sassy Girl?"

Inside, however, he thought: This situation can't go on forever. I need to figure out how to learn a self-defense technique or two.

Suddenly, Li Yundong remembered why he had experienced that sudden burst of energy, managing to run while carrying someone and even leaping up to the fourth floor!

Thinking about it, Li Yundong found it magical, secretly musing: Could it be a sudden explosion of latent potential? I’ve heard stories about how the human body can unleash incredible strength in moments of extreme danger—even frail women can lift cars when necessary.

Could I be like that too?

Li Yundong thought it over and over, concluding it must be the case; otherwise, there was no rational explanation.

The little fox, on the other hand, believed that since Li Yundong had swallowed the Human Essence Golden Elixir, this minor issue was nothing. In fact, she was still dwelling on the fact that Li Yundong hadn't let her teach those bad guys a lesson, harboring lingering resentment.

The little fox pouted and sulked for a moment before suddenly exclaiming with alarm, "Oh! The money!"

Li Yundong looked at her and noticed her empty hands. She looked timidly at him. "I lost the money you gave me."

A sharp pain struck Li Yundong’s heart. He cried out inwardly: Over a thousand silver dollars, just gone?

He forced a casual expression and asked, "How did you lose it?"

"I don't remember," the little fox said timidly, tugging at Li Yundong's sleeve. "You’re not mad, are you?"

Li Yundong had been receiving a decent allowance from his parents since junior high, and since he wasn't a spendthrift, he had managed to save quite a bit over the years.

For him, a thousand-plus wasn't a negligible sum, but it wasn't life-altering either.

More importantly, he hadn't earned this money himself, so naturally, he didn't cherish it too much.

Seeing the little fox’s distressed appearance, Li Yundong couldn't muster any anger. He sighed, smiled faintly, and naturally stroked her hair. "It must have slipped out when we were running away. Never mind, it's good that you’re safe."

The little fox had no real concept of money, and seeing that Li Yundong didn't take it to heart, she stopped worrying about it too, just murmuring an acknowledgment.

By this time, the area beneath the dormitory building had descended into chaos. Many students were holding up their phones, recording Li Yundong and Su Chan on the roof. Some utterly heartless students, feeling the earlier excitement wasn't enough, began shouting, "Jump down! Jump down!"

Li Yundong was furious inside. These animals were all gloating, just wishing for the world to fall into disorder!

Especially the great beasts from Li Yundong's former dorm; seeing their old roommate on the roof, they were pulling the pretty girls next to them and saying with unwarranted pride, "That’s my roommate!"

Some skeptical girls scoffed, "Is that so? I could say I'm his girlfriend!"

A guy who had seen the little fox with Li Yundong before burst out laughing. "You? Forget it! The one next to him, a hundred of you couldn't compare to her!"

Clearly, the guy speaking had severely low IQ and EQ. The girl heard this and immediately flared up, turning savage. "What did you mean by that? Did you take the wrong medicine or run out of it? If you took the wrong one, go back to the hospital and get it sorted; if you ran out, hurry home and take it, don't cause trouble here!"

The guy immediately shrank back, cowed, muttering under his breath, "It's true, why be so fierce!"

The girl roared, "What did you say?"

While this quarrel was happening, teachers and school security guards rushed over, shouting from a distance, "What is going on here? What happened?"

Wu Hui, who had been lurking in the crowd, immediately stepped forward and embellished the situation. "Director Qian, you arrived just in time. If you hadn't, this place would have erupted into total chaos."

Director Qian was the head of the school's Academic Affairs Office, a middle-aged man with a sharp face and sparse hair typical of mid-level cadres—his hair distribution suggested a severe case of 'eastern support for the west.'

"Ah, Little Wu..." Director Qian’s face softened considerably upon seeing Wu Hui. He flirtatiously smoothed his 'cadre haircut.' "What exactly happened here?"

Wu Hui had previously clashed with Li Yundong, and seeing this opportunity—plus his father’s good relationship with Director Qian—he immediately sought to kick Li Yundong while he was down. He said, "Director Qian, Li Yundong was just fighting with gangsters inside the school. They even drew knives. I believe all the students present witnessed this."

This statement was incredibly venomous, immediately labeling Li Yundong as someone engaged in an armed brawl with hooligans on school grounds. If this charge stuck, he would certainly be expelled, possibly even detained.

Sun Li, who had been chasing after the crowd, heard this and immediately her delicate eyebrows shot up. "Wu Hui, what nonsense are you spouting! Those thugs were clearly chasing Li Yundong with steel blades, and they wouldn't let up even when he ran into the school! What do you mean he was fighting gangsters on campus? Where did the fighting happen? I didn't see any!"

Students nearby who had witnessed the event started shouting in agreement, "Yes, that's right! We didn't see it either!"

Wu Hui’s face changed. He walked up to Sun Li and whispered to her, "Sun Li, are you sure you’ve got this right? Didn't you really dislike this guy? You need to understand the situation before you speak!"

Wu Hui’s final words carried a strange, clearly threatening tone.

Sun Li sneered, stepping back as if disdaining to associate with Wu Hui. "I might not like him, but I despise someone taking personal revenge even more!"

Wu Hui’s face contorted. "Sun Li, who are you talking about! Who is taking revenge!"

Sun Li said coldly, "Whoever it is knows it clearly in their own heart!"

Wu Hui’s expression turned deeply grim. Director Qian, growing impatient, interrupted. "What is the actual situation? Little Wu, since you just arrived, it's understandable if you didn't see everything clearly; that's not your fault. However, if the situation is as Little Wu described, Tiannan University will show absolutely no leniency!"

Director Qian, seasoned and cunning, neatly shifted the responsibility entirely onto Wu Hui with one sentence, while simultaneously using his authority to subtly hint his own bias to the students.

Ding Nan, who had been observing everything coldly, rolled her eyes and lowered her voice to Zhou Qin. "Zhou Qin, that arrogant brat earlier, thinking he was so great just because he found a little tart, why don't you suggest..."

Zhou Qin glanced at her coolly, paused for thought, and slowly shook her head. "Forget it. Let bygones be bygones. Besides, he hasn't really offended me. Though, you seem to have had some friction with him?"

Ding Nan was furious internally: Isn't it because of you that I have friction with him?

Ding Nan managed a strained smile. "I was just suggesting. You are so broad-minded; how could I compare?"

Zhou Qin smiled and walked toward Director Qian.

Ding Nan watched Zhou Qin's retreating back, a shadow of malice flashing in her eyes. She clenched her teeth inwardly: Wanting both the reputation and the sin! You manage to stay far away from all the bad things, letting me take the fall, while you grab all the good opportunities, never leaving any for me! Hmph, Zhou Qin, Zhou Qin!

Zhou Qin was completely unaware of the poisonous glare directed at her back. She reached Director Qian’s side and said softly, "Director Qian, I know a little about how the events unfolded."

Director Qian turned his head and saw Zhou Qin standing before him. His somber expression instantly transformed into an eager smile, as if the person standing there was his superior; he was practically wagging his tail.

"Ah, finally, someone with clear eyes! Zhou Qin, you've arrived at the perfect moment. Tell me exactly what happened! Hurry up!" Director Qian's attitude toward Zhou Qin was noticeably warmer than toward Wu Hui—the reason was simple: Zhou Qin’s background was far more powerful than Wu Hui’s.

Zhou Qin wore a faint smile, radiating the elegant composure of a refined young lady, yet it paradoxically carried an air of aloofness that kept people at a distance. "Director Qian, the situation is basically consistent with what Classmate Sun Li said. I saw it too, and I believe the other students on campus can attest to that."

"Is that so?" Zhou Qin looked up, scanning the crowd left and right.

The male students, utterly captivated by Zhou Qin, shouted in unison, "Yes!"

This essentially settled the matter. Director Qian immediately made his decision. "So that’s what happened. Fine, I understand. Um, where is Li Yundong?"

Unexpectedly, the staircase leading directly to the roof of the male dormitory was unlocked.

When Li Yundong and Su Chan descended, the area below the dormitory was already packed, with Director Qian sweating profusely from being jostled by the students.

Upon seeing Li Yundong, Director Qian was visibly stunned by Su Chan standing beside him. It wasn't just him; the surrounding students also fell silent, the noisy crowd beneath the dormitory momentarily quieted.

Zhou Qin, standing next to the Director, frowned slightly and murmured, "Director Qian, this is Li Yundong. You should ask him about what happened today."

Director Qian snapped out of his trance. He looked at the demure Su Chan beside Li Yundong with a complicated expression, then turned to Li Yundong. He meticulously inquired about the sequence of events and then informed Li Yundong that he needed to submit a report to the Academic Affairs Office the next day.

As he left, he glanced back at Li Yundong, shaking his head inwardly: How could this guy’s girlfriend be this stunning? What's so special about him?

After Director Qian left, Li Yundong approached Sun Li, smiling. "Class Monitor, you were truly righteous when it mattered most."

Sun Li asked, slightly surprised, "You heard that? All the way from over there?"

Li Yundong laughed. "Of course! The sound of justice is so loud, it's hard not to hear!"

Sun Li’s lips curved upward slightly, but she quickly masked it with a stern face. "I was just stating the facts. You’ve been cutting classes lately; do you really not care about your credits? If you keep this up, even before others cause trouble, you won't graduate yourself!"

Li Yundong paid this no mind. He thought to himself: Nowadays, master's degrees are common, and bachelor's degrees are a dime a dozen. What good is a diploma from this lousy school anyway? Over a hundred college graduates fight for one job pushing manure carts. In this era, college graduates... hmph!

If it weren't for some supposed agreement with the parents who abandoned him, he wouldn't bother with this crummy university at all!

Despite his thoughts, Li Yundong smiled politely at Sun Li. "Class Monitor really cares about me. You helped me out hugely today; let me treat you to a meal."

Sun Li’s face flushed slightly. She glanced at Zhou Qin, who was leaving with Ding Nan nearby, and chided him crossly, "What nonsense are you talking about! Who wants you to treat me! You have such a stunning beauty by your side; why are you still trying to flirt around?"

Li Yundong looked somewhat awkwardly at Su Chan beside him. He hadn't intended to provoke Sun Li—although the little Sichuan pepper had a good figure—Li Yundong’s focus was entirely on Su Chan right now.

But he had a bad habit: whenever he interacted with girls, he couldn't resist verbal sparring until they blushed furiously, which made him happy. If it were a handsome guy, perhaps his teasing would make the young ladies’ hearts race, but since it wasn't, he usually just got eye-rolls.

Li Yundong noticed that Su Chan was merely observing Zhou Qin intently from a distance, her gaze flickering, as if she hadn't noticed his conversation with Sun Li. Li Yundong let out a breath, feeling a strange sense of alarm.

What was I doing? Why was I talking like that? I should be saying that to Su Chan!

Sun Li saw Su Chan’s gaze and added, "If you want to thank someone, go thank Zhou Qin. It was because she spoke up about what happened that you’re fine now; otherwise, hmph, you can imagine the rest!"

Li Yundong was surprised. "Zhou Qin? Her?"

Sun Li raised an eyebrow. "Who else did you think?"

Li Yundong looked at Zhou Qin’s retreating back and nodded. "This is truly rare. This ice-cold beauty actually speaks a word of fairness?"

Sun Li snorted. "The way you say that is really unfair. Someone helps you out, and you badmouth them behind their back. Shouldn't you go thank her?"

Li Yundong looked at Sun Li and laughed. "Yes, Class Monitor Madam, when you graduate, you must go study early childhood education; otherwise, your talent will be wasted!"

Sun Li retorted irritably, "Go thank Zhou Qin! Why bring me into it? Right after confessing to someone, now she turns around to help you—hmph, maybe there’s a silver lining where you least expected it?"

Li Yundong burst out laughing and was about to make a flippant retort: Well, I never confessed to you, so why did you help me?

Fortunately, he managed to choke the words back just as they reached his lips.

Sun Li gave Li Yundong a sidelong glance, seemingly knowing what he was about to say, and irritably stated, "Classmate Li Yundong, I need to remind you, don't act so frivolous in front of your girlfriend in the future."

With that, she turned, her black hair flipping momentarily, and her graceful figure walked toward the academic building.

Li Yundong stood rooted for a moment, thinking: I’m frivolous? No way?

He turned his gaze toward Su Chan, only to see her eyes fixed intensely on Zhou Qin, shining with an almost fanatical excitement.

Li Yundong looked back at Zhou Qin, utterly confused. What was wrong with this girl? Why did she look like a cat smelling fish oil? Uh oh, is she a lesbian?

Li Yundong stared at Zhou Qin with confusion just as she happened to turn back for a glance while preparing to enter the dormitory building. Their eyes met.

Li Yundong nodded to Zhou Qin as a sign of thanks. Zhou Qin's expression remained placid, showing no reaction, but the look she gave Li Yundong held less disdain and more curiosity.

However, Li Yundong failed to notice that behind him, the troublemaker Wu Hui was staring at him with a sullen gaze. After a long moment, he let out a cold snort and turned to leave.