As soon as Li Yundong picked up Feng Na’s call, he was startled and asked, “Feng Na? What’s wrong? What happened?”
Feng Na said dramatically, “Oh dear, someone’s dead! Hurry up and get to the school!”
Li Yundong assumed something major had occurred and quickly pressed, “What exactly happened? Don’t rush, just tell me slowly!”
Feng Na spoke quickly, “You’ll know when you get here. I’m counting on you to save my life!” With that, the line went dead.
Li Yundong frowned, turning to look at Su Chan, “Did you hear that?”
The little girl nodded, her face etched with worry, “What happened?”
Li Yundong pondered for a moment and said, “I don’t know, but from the sound of it, Feng Na made it seem quite serious. Shall we rush over and see? Though, tsk, she didn’t say exactly where on campus she is. How are we supposed to find her?”
Su Chan considered it, “Let’s just go and see? Maybe it really is urgent. If it’s something like that shooting incident again, we really can’t delay.”
Li Yundong thought about it, “Then, how about we fly over?”
Su Chan glanced around. Although the high-end community they were in was luxurious and wealthy, it was situated in the suburbs, rather remote. Only a few luxury cars occasionally passed by, and there were hardly any people on the roads.
The little girl nodded and said, “Okay. I was planning to head back to school for dinner anyway; it’s been a long time.”
Li Yundong sighed slightly, “It has, hasn’t it? Though we only left school for about a month, it feels like centuries since I’ve been back. By the way, if I skip classes for this long, do you think the school will expel me?”
Su Chan scoffed, “That’s their loss!”
Li Yundong chuckled. He used to place great importance on this diploma and degree, primarily because continuing his studies allowed him to receive an extra allowance from his parents. But now that Li Yundong had managed to get established outside the teahouse, with many wealthy merchants eager to offer him money, he hardly cared about that paltry sum anymore.
Li Yundong smiled faintly and said, “Let’s go. There’s no time to waste; we need to get back and check.”
Seeing no one around, the two quickly soared into the air, flying toward Tiannan University. Upon reaching the campus, to save time, Su Chan used the Yan Tian Nu Yin to mask their presence as they descended from the sky.
Su Chan looked at the familiar surroundings of the campus. It was already evening. Many students were hurrying along the tree-lined paths, clutching textbooks on their way to the lecture halls for self-study. Many couples were walking hand-in-hand under the night sky, lost in romantic moments. On the sports field, lights still twinkled, where a few playful students were engrossed in a game of soccer, creating a scene of vibrant activity.
The little girl couldn't help but exclaim, “It hasn't changed! It feels so familiar! Though, it doesn’t seem like anything serious has happened!”
Li Yundong also felt a little strange, but his gaze swept across the area, and he spotted a familiar figure flash by not far away. Li Yundong focused his eyes and saw a round-faced beauty in a long purple dress carrying two plastic bags piled high with all sorts of snacks. She had an MP3 player in her ears, humming a little tune as she walked leisurely toward the lecture building.
Who else could it be but the frantic Feng Na from before?
Li Yundong and Su Chan exchanged glances. The little girl’s mouth dropped open, and she said, “Did she trick us? She looks like she’s heading for a picnic!”
Li Yundong was also surprised. He couldn’t help but say, “I think so too... But based on her past attempts to set me up, this is probably another scheme!”
Li Yundong recalled the previous times Feng Na had tried to ‘frame’ him—whether it was ‘using’ him during a speech or begging him to speak as a student representative—each time resulting in a huge embarrassment.
Thinking of this, Li Yundong couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. He said, “Forget it. This girl always loves to act first and ask for permission later. Let’s go see what she’s up to.”
The two followed Feng Na invisibly. Feng Na, completely unaware, walked into the lecture building with her two bags of snacks.
When she reached the third floor and entered a classroom, a buxom beauty immediately rushed to greet her—it was Feng Na’s best friend, Cheng Cheng.
Cheng Cheng gasped as if she had seen a Bodhisattva delivering salvation, “Wow, look at all this food!”
Following her exclamation, another gasp arose nearby, and a blond, blue-eyed boy lunged forward like a hungry tiger, shouting, “My God, finally some food!”
Immediately after, a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl followed, speaking broken Chinese, “Thank heavens, I was starving!”
Li Yundong was stunned when he saw the two of them. Su Chan also couldn't help but wonder, “Yundong, aren't these the two who wanted to ask you to be their master? Why are they here?”
Li Yundong was secretly puzzled as to why John and Olba were there, but he squeezed Su Chan’s soft hand, signaling her to stay quiet. The classroom was empty except for the five of them—Feng Na, Cheng Cheng, Chris, John, and Olba—so even the slightest noise sounded jarring.
The two silently followed Feng Na into the classroom, standing quietly behind her, listening to their conversation.
Feng Na stared speechlessly as the two snatched the bags from her hands. She shook her head and turned to Chris, who was behaving more reservedly, “Are you two trying to rob me? Why are you acting like you haven’t eaten for days?”
Chris smiled, countering with a question, “Did you contact Li Yundong? Where exactly does he live?”
Feng Na grinned proudly, “I called him over!”
John, who was busy devouring Oreos, was instantly startled. He exclaimed loudly, without bothering to finish chewing, “What? You already called Master here? Good heavens, I—I haven’t finished eating yet!”
Feng Na laughed heartily, “Surprised? Don’t worry, eat slowly. I estimate it will still take him some time to get here, and he doesn’t even know where we are.”
Cheng Cheng nudged her with her elbow and said, “Hey, Nana, it’s a bit unkind of you to trick Li Yundong into coming here!”
Feng Na scoffed dismissively. She tore open a bag of Wangzai buns herself and said, “Unkind of me? I wonder who is unkind! Skipping classes is one thing, right? But the problem is, he won't even log onto QQ, and yesterday when we went to Di San Xian, he didn't even open his shop! What’s his deal, playing secret agent? If I didn’t use this method, how else could I get this elusive great hero to show up?”
Cheng Cheng thought it over and nodded, “That makes sense too!”
John was concentrating hard on finishing his food, but he noticed Olba next to him was already wolfing hers down, leaving a messy scene in front of her. He couldn't help but say in English, “Hey, Olba, watch your image!”
Olba was wrestling with a bag of chips. She shoved handfuls of chips into her mouth with one hand while saying, “What does it matter? I represent the image of the Chinese people right now!”
John laughed and cursed, “Be careful Master hears that, or he’ll definitely be angry! Besides, you only have a temporary residence permit! Didn't you always reject the idea of becoming Chinese before?”
Olba, eating too quickly, choked and her eyes rolled back. Chris, looking exasperated, handed her a bottle of Coke. Olba quickly took a few big gulps and patted her chest vigorously before finally gasping out, “John, you’re wrong about that. I actually have a secret I haven't told you!”
John asked curiously, “What secret?”
Olba said seriously, “Actually, I’ve always felt like I was Chinese in my past life!”
John burst out laughing, “Don’t joke, Olba. Just a few days ago you were calling this a still-uncivilized country!”
Olba, caught in the act, wasn't annoyed. She pouted and said, “You need to understand, sometimes mystery and barbarism are synonyms.”
Feng Na’s English was good, but listening to their conversation left her utterly confused. She turned to John and asked, “John, what are you two talking about? I can’t understand! Are you planning to stay in China long-term?”
John said excitedly, “Not only that, I’ve applied to transfer schools to Tiannan University. I plan to settle down in this country and marry a Chinese woman. How about that? Isn’t it cool?”
Feng Na was even more astonished. She stammered, “Ah? Transferring from the world-class University of Pennsylvania to Tiannan University? You—you have something stuck in your head… Ah, no, no, why did you suddenly make such a decision?”
John knew what Feng Na hadn't finished saying, but he didn't mind. He mimicked a few moves from a kung fu movie and said mysteriously, “I want to become Li Yundong’s disciple and be a superhero who saves the world!”
Feng Na looked at him strangely, “I can understand wanting to be Li Yundong’s disciple, but saving the world? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
John snorted and kept gesturing, “Like Superman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk!”
Feng Na finally couldn’t stand John’s exaggerated Western style. She turned to Chris in exasperation, “Are you sure your companion here… hasn’t lost his mind?”
Although she was also very hungry, Chris still ate with great composure, maintaining the demeanor of a well-bred lady. She held one cookie in one hand and picked at another with the other, taking small bites while saying unhurriedly, “He’s always been like this; you’ll get used to it eventually.”
Feng Na shook her head and said, “Chris, you suddenly came to ask me about Li Yundong’s whereabouts, and I helped you find him, which is one thing. But we’re friends, aren’t we? You can’t refuse to tell me any gossip, can you?”
“Gossip?” Although Chris’s Chinese was decent, she was completely baffled by such an ‘uncommon’ word.
Feng Na explained, “I mean, some inside information.”
Chris then realized and said, “John and I decided to come to China to seek apprenticeship. Then Olba heard about it and decided to come along too. When we met Li Yundong, he said he would only accept us if we obtained Chinese citizenship. So… we’ve been busy with this for the past few days. We ran around all day today and haven’t even eaten!”
Feng Na was tongue-tied, “You changed your nationality just to become his disciple?”
Olba immediately chimed in, “Yeah, it was an excessive request, right?”
John immediately glared at her, “Be careful Master hears you!”
Olba waved her hand dismissively, “How could he possibly hear?”
John said very seriously, “Master is not an ordinary person. What if he can hear sounds from several kilometers away?”
Olba recalled the various magical sights she had witnessed, and her expression instantly changed. She quickly covered her mouth and said cautiously, “Can I take that back now?”
Cheng Cheng, who had been quietly eating the entire time, couldn’t help but interrupt, speaking in Chinese to Feng Na, “Nana, you’re bullying me because my Chinese is bad, babbling away in that bird language?”
Feng Na explained what had just been said to Cheng Cheng with a wry smile. Cheng Cheng exclaimed in surprise, “So that’s why you were looking for Li Yundong! I thought something serious had happened. Li Yundong is amazing; foreigners are lining up to ask him to be their master?”
John said to Feng Na with some worry, “Feng, do you think Master will come? I’m worried he’ll hide if he hears we’re here!”
Feng Na waved her hand and laughed, “When I step in, I count for two! One call, and I guarantee he’ll come!”
Chris asked curiously, “Is your relationship with him that good?”
Feng Na chuckled proudly, “Of course! The comradeship of the revolutionary class isn't a joke! If I ask him to come, he’ll definitely come right away. That’s what you call being iron-clad buddies!”
John was overjoyed, “Then, Feng, can you ask Master for us? Beg him to take us as disciples?”
Feng Na asked quizzically, “Haven’t you already been calling him Master?”
John said sheepishly, “He hasn’t agreed yet...” But then he quickly added seriously, “However, in my heart, he is my Master. I must become his disciple!”
Feng Na was instantly amused when she heard this. So this guy, like her, was someone who liked to act first and ask for forgiveness later?
John put his hands together in a gesture of prayer, “Feng, since you have such a good relationship with Master, please put in a good word for us. We really want to be his disciples!”
Chris set down what she was holding and looked at Feng Na seriously, “Yes, Feng Na, if you really have some influence, please say something for us.”
Feng Na felt very honored. She waved her hand casually and declared, “Fine, I’ll take care of this! If I ask, Li Yundong will definitely agree!”
The moment her words fell, a voice behind her snorted, drawing out the syllable, “Oh? Is that really the case?”
Upon hearing the voice, Feng Na and the others froze. Their gazes simultaneously snapped toward the area behind Feng Na. What they saw instantly caused the temperature in the classroom to plummet; the air felt as if it were freezing solid. Standing there was a handsome young man, tall and graceful, looking at them with a half-smile. Who else could it be but Li Yundong?