Chapter 126: Passing Along a Favor

Wu Shuai could only watch helplessly as Su Yingxue left with Li Mu, his heart burning with frustration. He had planned to grow closer to Su Yingxue that day—to let her experience the meticulous care of an upperclassman, make her feel grateful, make her depend on him, and then gradually lead her to admire and fall for him. Instead, he had failed even to strike up a proper conversation, and she was already gone.

He had even arranged a dinner gathering that evening. His close friends were prepared to toast Su Yingxue at the table, while he would gallantly take all the drinks meant for her, earning her gratitude. Then, while the opportunity was still warm, he would introduce her to members of the student union. But now...

It felt as though he had made an ambitious plan to travel around the world, packed everything and stepped out the door—only to be hit by a car and forced to return home to recuperate.

One of his followers asked, “President Wu, what about the dinner tonight?”

Wu Shuai waved irritably. “You organize it. I’m not going.”

With that, he stalked away in dejection. Since entering university, when had the campus heartthrob who could command the winds and clouds ever suffered such a humiliating setback?

As for Li Mu, he followed Dong Ai in a daze to a rather nice restaurant. Dong Ai reserved a private room, and the five of them sat down inside. Dong Ai began by introducing herself.

“My name is Dong Ai. I’m a fourth-year student in the School of Economics, and I’m from Pengcheng.”

Li Mu, Sun Jian, and Dou Xueli all nodded repeatedly, greeting her as their senior. Su Yingxue, however, looked surprised.

“So you’re Senior Sister Ai, the famous one from the School of Economics...”

Dong Ai smiled faintly. “Famous? Not at all. I’ve simply been at this university for a long time.”

Li Mu had no idea what legendary deeds Dong Ai had accomplished, nor did he know exactly what she was famous for. There was only one thing he wanted to clarify.

“Senior Sister Ai, do you know me?”

“No, I don’t,” Dong Ai replied with a smile.

Li Mu was about to ask another question when Dong Ai continued, “I don’t know you, but I know your older sister. Chen Wan was one of my closest friends in high school.”

Li Mu was stunned. Only then did he understand what had happened. While Wu Shuai had been singing, he had sent Chen Wan a text message telling her that he was attending the hometown association gathering. Dong Ai must have come after Chen Wan told her.

As far as he remembered, the beautiful and wealthy Chen Wan had attended high school in Jinling. He did not know exactly which school she had gone to, but it seemed that Dong Ai, who was also from Pengcheng, must have studied in Jinling as well.

If that was the case, there was nothing strange about her coming to find him. Still, why had he never heard that Chen Wan had a high-school classmate at Renmin University?

Dong Ai was equally curious. During the summer vacation, Chen Wan had mentioned that she seemed to have fallen for a boy. At the time, Dong Ai had merely been intrigued. She wanted to know what kind of boy could possibly appeal to Chen Wan’s exacting taste.

Then Chen Wan had told her that she had actually fallen for a boy three years younger than herself, a boy who had only just graduated from high school.

Dong Ai had been completely shaken by the revelation.

For a long time, she kept questioning Chen Wan, asking what kind of high-school student he was, why she had fallen for him, and what made him so special.

Dong Ai had countless questions. She knew Chen Wan too well. Chen Wan possessed a fairy-tale-like, even unrealistic, vision of romance. What sort of charm could a high-school boy possibly have to leave her so utterly bewitched?

But Chen Wan refused to say. No matter how much Dong Ai pressed her, she would not reveal anything. She only told Dong Ai that the boy she liked might one day become her junior at university.

So Dong Ai had been waiting for the new term to begin, eager to see what kind of junior possessed such extraordinary ability.

Yet Chen Wan had given her no information at all. Dong Ai did not even know where the freshman was from. With more than two thousand first-year students, there was no way for her to narrow down the search.

Then, today—just twenty minutes ago—she received a message from Chen Wan:

“Would you like to meet the boy I like?”

Dong Ai had been studying in the library at the time. She nearly went mad with excitement and immediately called Chen Wan.

“Who exactly is the boy you like?”

“You have to promise me one thing first.”

“Tell me. I’ll promise you ten things.”

“He has always treated me as an older sister, so you absolutely cannot let him know that I have those kinds of feelings for him.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to lose him, and I’m unwilling to take that risk.”

After hearing this, Dong Ai became even more curious about the boy. What was going on? Where had this little boy come from, that he could make Chen Wan so hopelessly infatuated?

After Dong Ai swore that she would keep her promise, Chen Wan told her that the boy she liked was named Li Mu, that he was from Haizhou, and that he was attending the Southern Su hometown association gathering.

Dong Ai immediately called the association’s president. After learning that today’s event had been organized by the vice president, Wu Shuai, she asked for the address and headed straight to Harbor Restaurant.

Now, as she looked at Li Mu sitting before her, she could not think of much to say about him. He was handsome, certainly, but in her eyes he was nowhere near the pinnacle of male beauty. Beyond that, she could not see anything particularly remarkable.

She was also very curious about the girl named Su Yingxue sitting beside him. Though Dong Ai was busy, she occasionally wandered around One Spoon Pond, so she naturally knew that this girl had recently become famous throughout Renmin University. Yet Su Yingxue, who was following Li Mu around, was not at all as cold and aloof as people described her online.

Dong Ai even felt that Su Yingxue seemed somewhat meek and dependent in his presence. That impression could not possibly come from their being mere classmates. Their relationship had to be more complicated than that.

Just what had this brat done to deserve such luck? Two extraordinary beauties clearly regarded him as something more than ordinary. As for Chen Wan in particular, Dong Ai had always believed that the happiest man in the world would be the one who eventually married her. That conviction had never wavered, because in Dong Ai’s eyes, Chen Wan was perfect beyond reproach.

Looking at Li Mu now, Dong Ai felt almost jealous of his luck, despite being a woman herself.

Before Dong Ai had come, Chen Wan had also told her to take good care of Li Mu. So, during the meal, Dong Ai asked him, “Would you be interested in joining the student union?”

Li Mu smiled. “Do you want me to be honest?”

Sun Jian, sitting beside him, gave him a wounded look and said, “Li Mu, do you know how many people would give anything to join the student union as freshmen?”

Li Mu smiled at Dong Ai. “Senior Sister Ai, could you help get the oldest fellow in our dormitory into the student union?”

Dong Ai stared at him blankly.

What was this? She had come to offer him a favor. If he did not want it, fine—but why had he redirected it with such a spectacular sleight of hand?

Sun Jian looked astonished. He knew that this was his first time meeting Dong Ai, and there was no way she would offer him such a major favor. He hurriedly waved his hands.

“I’m not interested.”

Li Mu put on a stern expression. “See? Now I have to criticize you. You’re being too hypocritical. What did you just say about me? You said this was something countless people dreamed of. How come you’re suddenly not interested?”

Sun Jian panicked. “No, no, that’s not what I meant. I wasn’t...”

Li Mu ignored him and smiled at Dong Ai. “Senior Sister Ai, please take it seriously. Once it’s done, I’ll treat you to a lavish meal.”

Dong Ai suddenly felt that there was something unusual about Li Mu. He possessed an extraordinary calmness. After only a couple of sentences, he had made it awkward for her to refuse.

Grinding her teeth, Dong Ai said, “Fine. Sun Jian, go back and write an application to join the student union. Be sure to emphasize your experience as a class officer in high school. If you have none, make something up. No one will check. Ideally, make it sound as impressive as possible. After the National Day holiday, bring the application to me. It wouldn’t be appropriate to recruit freshmen into the student union immediately after the new term begins.”

Hearing this, Sun Jian stopped trying to decline and hurriedly nodded.

“Thank you, Senior Sister Ai.”

Dong Ai rolled her eyes at Li Mu. “Thank him.”

Weren’t you the one who wanted to do him a favor? Fine, then. She would help him.

Sun Jian gave Li Mu a grateful look. Li Mu responded with a glance that clearly meant: We’re brothers. No need to thank me.

Sun Jian understood perfectly.

After the meal, Dong Ai was somewhat displeased, though she did not show it. She was not angry with Li Mu, nor was she unwilling to help Sun Jian. She simply felt that the boy was too cunning, leaving her with the impression that he had manipulated her. It was not a serious matter, but she was still mildly irritated.

After they finished eating, Dong Ai asked Li Mu for his telephone number. Li Mu also reminded Sun Jian to exchange numbers with him. Dou Xueli was a fellow townsman Li Mu had only just met; they had chatted easily enough, but had not yet formed any real friendship, so Li Mu did not ask Dong Ai to make arrangements for him.

The five of them returned to campus together. Dong Ai did not go to the dormitory area, but headed to the library to retrieve something. Apparently, she had left in such a hurry that her bag was still with the library staff.

Li Mu exchanged numbers with Dou Xueli, then parted ways with him and Sun Jian after first escorting Su Yingxue back to the women’s dormitory.

On the way, Su Yingxue asked, “Why did you turn down Senior Sister Ai’s offer? Joining the student union would bring you many benefits later.”

Li Mu smiled. “Why did you reject Wu Shuai?”

Su Yingxue replied, “I’m not interested in the student union. Besides, I find him somewhat unpleasant.”

Li Mu smiled back. “I’m not interested in the student union either, but I don’t have anything against Senior Sister Ai.”

“Senior Sister Ai is very impressive,” Su Yingxue said. “I had heard of her as soon as I arrived. She’s the most capable girl in our school, perhaps even the most capable female undergraduate at Renmin University.”

Li Mu let out an awkward laugh. Ever since arriving in Yanjing, he had discovered that high achievers were everywhere. The girls in the dormitory at Yanjing University were all academic stars, and so were the students at Renmin University. Damn it, it seemed that he could stop anyone at random on campus and find an academic prodigy.

Then again, it made sense. These universities ranked among the best in the country. Without exceptional academic ability, very few people could get in. Not everyone possessed his kind of luck.

Su Yingxue’s dormitory was in Building One of Courtyard Four. Men could enter Courtyard Four, but each dormitory building had a dorm supervisor guarding the entrance, so under normal circumstances, men could not go inside.

Li Mu escorted Su Yingxue to the foot of Building One, only to discover a large number of young men standing all around it. That was somewhat strange, since each of them was alone and none appeared to be waiting to meet a girlfriend.

The moment Su Yingxue appeared, every pair of eyes fixed on her. Li Mu even saw one of them pull a love letter folded into the shape of a heart from his pocket. Another had folded his letter into an especially exquisite square. Judging by the paper, it must have been expensive, decorated with all sorts of elaborate patterns.

But beneath the streetlamps, Su Yingxue was not alone. Li Mu stood beside her with both hands in his pockets. The love letters were quickly stuffed away again, and the steps some of the young men had impulsively taken forward began to retreat.

Li Mu watched everything unfold and sighed inwardly.

Su Yingxue, without me by your side at Renmin University in your previous life, how did you ever deal with all these flies?

To be continued.

Postscript: This is already Chapter Five. My thanks go to the fifty-six readers who sent monthly votes, the forty-five who sent rewards, and everyone who subscribed. There is far too much gratitude to express, so I’ll let the next burst of updates speak for me!