Li Yundong returned to the classroom to find it empty, save for Su Chan, who sat alone in the back row, her back to him.

Li Yundong crept forward quietly and heard Su Chan murmuring to herself while clutching two paper figures: "You have to behave. If you don't, your big uncle won't want you anymore."

Then Su Chan, using a rougher voice, manipulated another paper figure, stating, "Little Miss, behave and you'll get good food, hear me?"

After that, Su Chan switched to a delicate, soft tone: "Little Miss is being very good, she’s been so well-behaved lately. Here, Little Miss gets a kiss!"

Li Yundong couldn't help but burst into laughter: "Alright then, come here and give me a kiss!"

Hearing Li Yundong’s voice, Su Chan was startled and delighted. She turned, her face instantly breaking into a radiant smile, and she pounced towards him with enchanting grace, planting a firm kiss: "You’re back! I’m starving!"

Li Yundong dotingly pinched the little girl’s nose: "Starving, are you? Hurry up, one quick kiss, and your uncle here will take you for a proper meal!"

Just as Su Chan was about to deliver another peck, she saw a girl standing at the doorway. The girl shifted awkwardly and said, "No, someone is watching!"

Li Yundong turned and smiled at Zhou Qin, signaling her to wait a moment.

Watching the two of them interact so intimately made a pang of sourness and heat rise in Zhou Qin’s chest. She suddenly realized that in all her years, she had never known what it felt like to be in love. Just now, daring to take Li Yundong’s hand had sent a flush through her body, her fingertips tingling as if electrified.

Zhou Qin lightly traced the fingers of the hand she had held, looking at Su Chan with envious eyes, sighing inwardly: What on earth does it feel like to be so intensely in love? When would this boy ever show her such gentleness and doting affection?

Li Yundong smiled at Su Chan and asked, "What were you muttering to yourself about alone in here?"

Su Chan giggled, pulling out the two paper figures she had folded. She pointed to the one with a smiling face and said, "This is me, Little Miss!" Then she gestured to the other one, drawn with downward-slanted eyebrows and a fierce expression, and declared, "And this is you, Big Uncle!"

Li Yundong laughed: "Well, well, drawing me so ugly! You’ll be spanked, and you’re forbidden to eat today as punishment!"

Su Chan whined, clinging to him: "Noooo, I can’t draw! You’re always yelling at Little Miss, I hate you!" As she spoke, Su Chan secretly glanced at Zhou Qin: "How about, when we get home, I sneak you a little kiss?"

A heat flared in Li Yundong’s core; he was utterly captivated by this adorable little sprite. He deliberately put on a stern face to tease her: "Nonsense! If I’m going to kiss you, it will be out in the open, why should it be sneaky!"

Su Chan sweetly chirped: "Okay, a proper, open kiss then! Hee hee, you really have no shame!"

Li Yundong chuckled. Casually, he remarked, "These paper figures you folded are quite good, but where did you get this paper?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed that the paper figures were covered in writing!

Li Yundong was momentarily stunned, suddenly feeling a wave of exasperation: "No way, you used the pages from my textbook to fold these?"

Su Chan stuck her tongue out: "I ripped out the first two pages you and I recited. It should be fine, right?"

Li Yundong was caught between laughter and tears. He deliberately gave Su Chan a fierce glare: "When we get back, I’ll punish you by making you kiss me a hundred times!"

Su Chan jumped slightly, puffing out her cheeks: "My lips will get swollen from all that kissing!"

Li Yundong snapped his fingers against her forehead: "Serves you right, for tearing up my textbook! Come on, let’s go, don't keep others waiting. Zhou Qin is treating us to dinner today!"

Su Chan clutched her forehead, making a face at Li Yundong, then her eyes darted mischievously. As Li Yundong turned, she leaped onto his back, clinging to him and whining: "I want a piggyback ride!"

Li Yundong turned back with mock helplessness: "Alright, stop fooling around, someone is watching!"

Su Chan giggled: "If you don't let me have my hundred kisses later, I won't stop bothering you!"

Li Yundong feigned anger: "Absolutely not! One hundred kisses, not one less! But, since you want a ride, I’ll carry you when we get back!"

Su Chan blew warm air near Li Yundong’s ear and chuckled: "We can have our secret ride after we shut the door?"

Li Yundong’s heart fluttered; he desperately wanted to be alone with Su Chan right then. He gave her a suggestive smile: "Deal, we'll shut the door and have our secret ride!"

Su Chan tittered: "Pigsy carrying his wife!"

Li Yundong pretended to be offended: "Are you insulting me!"

The two walked towards the classroom exit, laughing and chatting. Zhou Qin hadn't seemed impatient waiting. She watched the playful pair with a smile, her eyes filled with an inexpressible envy.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Li Yundong said with a chuckle to Zhou Qin, ruffling the little girl's hair beside him. "This one is too mischievous."

Zhou Qin smiled faintly: "It's fine. I truly envy you two."

Su Chan looked very seriously at Zhou Qin and began, "I recognize you, you're that Profound Yin..."

Before she could finish, Li Yundong clapped a hand over her mouth, narrowly stopping her from uttering the phrase "Profound Yin Virgin Cinnabar Cauldron"!

Li Yundong glared at Su Chan: "Idiot, don't just blurt things out!"

Su Chan pouted, obediently replying, "Oh."

Zhou Qin blinked. Although she didn't grasp the full meaning of Su Chan’s unfinished sentence, she greeted Su Chan kindly nonetheless: "Hello."

Su Chan smiled warmly back at Zhou Qin.

Zhou Qin asked Li Yundong, "Where are we going to eat?"

Li Yundong considered for a moment: "Around the school should be fine, right?"

Zhou Qin laughed: "How can that work? If you’re treating, we need to find somewhere decent. Aren't you supposed to be treating us to a feast? What kind of feast can you get at a street stall?"

Li Yundong laughed: "As a commoner like me, I’m happy enough with a street stall. How about this: you pick the place, and I’ll follow. Hey, let’s set the ground rules first—don't pick somewhere so expensive you can’t pay the bill! Don't leave us as collateral there!"

Zhou Qin smiled wryly: "Don't worry. In Tiannan City, there’s no place I can’t settle the tab!"

Li Yundong turned to Su Chan and said, "See that? That’s what you call wealth and confidence."

Su Chan stuck her tongue out and whispered close to Li Yundong’s ear: "Chase her, woo her. If you get her, you’ll have a ready-made Virgin Cinnabar Cauldron for your cultivation, plus money!"

Li Yundong raised his hand and slapped her pert bottom with a pa sound: "Stop talking nonsense!"

Su Chan cried out in surprise, covering her bottom with both hands, her face flushed red, looking both wronged and indignant: "I wasn't wrong!"

The three of them walked out of the school, chatting and laughing. As they reached the base of the teaching building, Li Yundong suddenly bumped squarely into someone.

This person was none other than Xie Fei, the student with whom Li Yundong had previously clashed.

Xie Fei was leaning against something, smoking, his eyes idly scanning the beautiful girls on campus. The moment he spotted Li Yundong emerging from the building, he flinched violently and tried to bolt away.

Seeing him instantly ignited a fire in Li Yundong’s chest. He roared, "Stop right there!"

But just as Li Yundong prepared to chase, a gasp came from the main door of the teaching building: "Li Yundong?"

Li Yundong spun around at the sound and saw a pair of identical twin sisters, dressed exactly alike and looking exactly alike, staring at him with expressions of sheer delight.

Li Yundong was momentarily lost: "Who are you? You know me?"

One of the girls, who had a red bow tied in her hair, laughed, rubbing her nose with one hand: "You forgot me already?"

Li Yundong scrutinized the girl with confusion: "You, you are...?"

The girl with the red bow laughed: "We met outside McDonald's!"

Li Yundong suddenly recalled: "Ah! You’re the McDonald’s Auntie!"

The girl giggled: "Finally remembered."

Li Yundong turned to Su Chan and deliberately put on a stern face: "You even punched her last time! Look, punching a beautiful girl right on the nose—you really are a ruthless destroyer of beauty!"

Su Chan hid behind Li Yundong stubbornly: "Hey! It wasn't on purpose! She was the one who scared me!" Then Su Chan peeked out from behind him: "I’m sorry!"

Li Yundong smiled at the girl with the red bow: "You’re a student at Tiannan University? I haven’t seen you around before. Do you work at McDonald's?"

The girl smiled: "You’re such a celebrity; it’s normal that you wouldn't recognize little minnows like us. Come find me at McDonald's next time, and I’ll give you a discount!"

Li Yundong smiled at the other girl, who had a blue bow in her hair: "Is this your older or younger sister?"

The girl with the red bow laughed playfully: "You guess!"

Li Yundong examined them closely. He noticed the girl with the blue bow was significantly quieter. She kept looking at him with a gentle smile, a hint of shyness in her gaze, but her demeanor was clearly much more composed than the girl with the red bow.

Li Yundong smiled: "This is your older sister!"

The girl with the red bow exclaimed in surprise: "Amazing! How did you guess? Sometimes even my parents get it wrong!"

Li Yundong pointed at the girl with the blue bow: "When you asked me to guess, your sister glanced at you. Her eyes held a look of tolerance and indulgence, which suggests she’s usually the one looking after you and being patient with you. Right?"

The girl with the red bow stared at Li Yundong, astonished, and gave him a thumbs-up: "You’re something else! Truly my idol!"

With that, the girl with the red bow took a notebook from her sister’s hand and offered it to Li Yundong: "Here, sign an autograph, big star!"

Li Yundong laughed: "I don't even know your name, how can I sign?"

The girl with the red bow laughed: "My name is Deng Yu, and my sister is Deng Jiao."

Li Yundong happily signed the book for Deng Yu and Deng Jiao and handed it back: "Are you in the same class? What year and major?"

Deng Yu laughed: "We’re both freshmen. I’m in Foreign Languages, and my sister is in Chinese—same major as you!"

Li Yundong said: "Good, I’ll look for you at McDonald’s in the future!"

Deng Yu chirped: "It might not be that specific McDonald’s forever, we’ll see if we cross paths again, hee hee!"

The two sisters departed, laughing. Li Yundong had never seen such stunning, identical twin sisters before and couldn't help but watch them for a moment longer. When he finally looked back, he saw Su Chan gazing at their retreating figures with an expression of sheer admiration.

Su Chan started to speak: "What a great Cauldron..."

Li Yundong immediately pinched her nose: "Enough! Cut it out! Don't say the rest of that!"

Su Chan yelped and slapped Li Yundong’s hand away.

Zhou Qin, standing by, watched their playful antics with a smile: "Can we head out now, Prime Minister Li?"

"Prime Minister Li?" Li Yundong looked at Zhou Qin, confused.

Zhou Qin smiled wryly: "You’re even busier than the Prime Minister! Such a busy man, Li!"

Li Yundong chuckled, suddenly recalling the encounter with Xie Fei, and let out a muffled grunt: "He got lucky this time! If I run into him again, he’ll regret it!"

Zhou Qin watched Li Yundong, silently noting his words, but she advised gently, "It’s better to reconcile with enemies than to foster grudges."

Li Yundong was not the type to be magnanimous or forgiving. He didn't voice his disagreement but mentally dismissed her words. He smiled at Zhou Qin: "Forget that bird-man, let’s go treat ourselves to a real meal! My stomach is practically flat!"

Su Chan chimed in: "Yeah, yeah, I’m starving too! I’m going to eat so much later!"

Li Yundong didn't hold back his usual jab: "It doesn't matter how much you eat, as long as you don't pile it all on one plate to build a food tower like last time!"

At this, Zhou Qin burst into laughter.

The group walked further, and as they neared the school gate, Li Yundong suddenly felt a shift in his awareness. He turned his head and cast a glance toward a corner of the teaching building.

Having spent some time with Li Yundong, Su Chan understood him well and asked, "What's wrong?"

Li Yundong frowned: "I don't know, it feels like someone is watching me."

Zhou Qin smiled reassuringly: "You’re a campus celebrity now; isn't it normal for people to watch you?"

Li Yundong smiled but said nothing more, his gaze sweeping over the area like lightning. After a moment, he said, "Forget it, let’s go."

Once Li Yundong and the others had left the campus grounds, a figure emerged from a shadowed corner of the teaching building, fixing a gaze filled with venomous resentment on their retreating backs.