Chapter 213


    <h4>The Set-Up</h4>


    <small></small>Perhaps there was a good reason why old-schoolmunication was deemed as, well, old school—it was unreliable, even though it functioned by magical means .


    For hours Li Yundong had stood on his balcony and waited for the paper crane''s return, yet there were no signs of it . Maybe Su Chan had gone to bed already? Did Ao Wushuang confiscate the paper crane? Li Yundong sighed . This was stupid . He should head back inside . It wasn''t like standing out here would make the cranee any faster .


    Li Yundong pushed away from the railing and entered the living room .


    Zi Yuan rose from the couch as soon as he stepped in .


    "I''m gonna head back," she said .


    "Oh," Li Yundong said, closing the sliding door gently . "Thanks for dinner . I really appreciate it . "


    Zi Yuan nodded . "Good night, then . "


    Following Zi Yuan''s departure, Li Yundong did a quick visual sweep of the apartment, which felt empty all of a sudden . Guess he had gotten used to Zi Yuan''s presence inside his apartment .


    He walked around the apartment for a bit and ended up standing outside Su Chan''s room . A wave of loneliness rose inside him, but he tamped it down . He lowered his hand from the door knob and let out a heavy sigh .


    Sneaking around in her room wouldn''t make him miss her any less .


    He strode into the living room, then moved past the couch towards the kitchen .


    Zi Yuan had cleared the dining table and taken care of all the dishes . He came to a halt outside the kitchen . He turned and slowly walked towards the dining table .


    Zi Yuan had reced the table cloth .


    A teacup sat at the center of the table . When he touched the teacup''s surface, he found that it was still warm . Pressed underneath the teacup was a note: "The Heavenly Thunder is approaching . Stay focused . Drink it while it''s still warm . "


    Li Yundong picked up the teacup and studied its contents . He raised the teacup and then brought its rim closer to his nose .


    He sniffed a few times and found that the liquid was odorless . He took a small sip and realized that it was tasteless as well .


    Probably just warm water . . .


    He drank up the rest .


    Li Yundong nearly dropped the teacup when he felt it: a strong pulse in his lower abdomen, right at his lower Dantian .


    It was like his Vital Orb had just grown stronger .


    Li Yundong stared at the teacup . That couldn''t have been just water . Even though it tasted just like water, he knew that Zi Yuan must have fed him something .


    Li Yundong sighed and ced the teacup back onto the table . I''ll just ask her tomorrow .


    He turned away from the table and nced around the apartment again, wondering what he should do .


    The answer was pretty obvious .


    He padded towards the center of the living room and got into a meditative posture .


    ***


    The next morning, Li Yundong was proud to announce that the Running Man had set a new record: half an hour from New Hongsheng District to Tiannan University, and he''d done it while carrying a bulky magical object on his back .


    The strange looks and hushed whispers began the moment he walked past the campus gates . Great . The entire university had probably found out about yesterday''s incident at the canteen by now . Right . As if that wasn''t par for the course .


    He wondered what kind of excuse he coulde up with to justify the Fan of Seven Treasures'' magical properties . That it was aponent of an AI-controlled robot? So believable right there .


    What were Zi Yuan''s reasons again for her insistence that he should return to the university? He honestly didn''t know anymore .


    On the way to the academic building, a voice stopped him in his tracks .


    "Tsk, tsk, you think that guy can still walk?"


    "Hmm . . . I don''t know, Nana . But I think he might run into a little trouble considering how swollen his head must be . "


    There was a giggle .


    "Well, fame does that to people . "


    Li Yundongughed out loud . Those two . . .


    He turned around and saw Feng Na and Cheng Cheng standing side by side, staring at him .


    He gave them a wave . The two women waved back and began walking towards him . Cheng Cheng was dressed differently today . Instead of her usual casual attire, she was wearing a long-sleeved blouse and a pair of ck dress pants .


    "Whoa . Somebody''s giving out a lot of OL vibes . " He gave Cheng Cheng a thumbs up . "Nice . Very professional . "


    Feng Na stopped right in front of him while Cheng Cheng stood slightly to his left .


    <small></small>Li Yundong gave Feng Na a nod . "Morning . "


    "Don''t so sound surprise, please," Cheng Cheng said . "You make it sound like I don''t usually look nice—"


    Iing!


    Li Yundong whipped his head to the side . At the same time, his hand shot out and grabbed . . .


    Cheng Cheng''s wrist .


    Li Yundong and Cheng Cheng stared at each other for a second .


    Cheng Cheng''s eyes were wide with shock .


    With a sigh, Li Yundong rxed his stance and let go of Cheng Cheng''s wrist .


    "Sorry . That was a reflex," Li Yundong said . Then, he shot Cheng Cheng a worried look . "Are you okay?"


    A smile spread over Cheng Cheng''s stunned expression . "Nah . It''s fine . I should''ve known better . " She chuckled . "You''re a trained martial artist after all . " She gave him a strange look . "Though you do seem a bit wound up tight today . I mean, it wasn''t like I was trying to p you or anything . I was just trying to pat your shoulder . . . "


    "Yeah… My bad," Li Yundong said . "Like I said, it was just a reflex . "


    Cheng Cheng waved off his concerns . "So . I heard from Nana that you put on a show again yesterday . At the canteen . "


    Li Yundong groaned . "Don''t even start . "


    "I''m pretty sure putting on a show is an understatement, Cheng Cheng," Feng Na piped in . "He tore the whole ce apart!"


    Li Yundong shot Feng Na a re . "You''re not helping . "


    "What?" Feng Na hid a smile behind her hand . "I was just stating the truth . "


    Li Yundong narrowed his eyes at Feng Na . "And you still want to be near me after what you saw?" Li Yundong jerked his chin towards his backpack, where the Fan of Seven Treasures sat . He''d wrapped up the thing with another piece of cloth today . "Not scared that it might try to hurt you?"


    Suddenly, Feng Na didn''t look so smug anymore . "Um . . . Will it?"


    Li Yundongughed out loud . Either she was either slow on the uptake or she had balls of steel .


    "No," he said . "It''spletely harmless as long as you don''t try to touch it . "


    He could see the curiosity in Feng Na''s eyes as she stared at his backpack . She was probably dying to ask him about what the fan does or how it works . In which case she would bepletely out of luck, because Li Yundong himself had no clue .


    "Damn . . . " Cheng Cheng pped her hands together . "Now I''m curious about what happened . Can''t believe I missed the whole show!"


    Li Yundong raised a brow . "You do know that it was a dangerous situation, right?"


    Cheng Cheng shrugged as though it wasn''t even a big deal . "Maybe I like to live precariously . "


    Until death got in your face, he added mentally .


    "Well? Just look it up on the goddamn forums," he grumbled . "I''m sure it''s up there already . " He looked towards Feng Na . "So what''s up anyway? There has to be a reason why you guys are here bugging me so early in the morning . "


    Feng Na broke into a grin . "As a matter of fact, we do!" she said .


    "Uh-huh…"


    "Yep! We need your help!" Cheng Cheng said .


    "Right . Why am I not surprised," he said dryly .


    Feng Na cleared her throat . "So we''ve got these tables that we have to move, you see?"


    Cheng Cheng nodded . "And since we know you''re strong . . . "


    Li Yundong chuckled and raised his palm . "Okay . Okay . You need my help moving a bunch of tables . I get the idea . " Li Yundong looked towards Feng Na . "When and where?"


    Feng Na grinned . "We''ll take you there after your lecture . "


    Li Yundong smirked . "What if I just, I don''t know, decided to run off after my lecture?"


    Feng Na smirked back . "Not a chance . "


    Li Yundong raised his brow . "You sound confident . "


    Cheng Cheng giggled . "That''s because we''ll be following you around today to make sure you don''t run off . "


    Li Yundong did a double take .


    The two girls were smiling at him cheekily .


    <small></small>"Are you guys serious?" he asked .


    A smug look spread across Feng Na''s face . "Of course we are," she said . "You''re not getting off the hook that easily . "


    "What about your sses?" Li Yundong studied the two women with suspicious eyes . "Your schedules just happen to be free right now?"


    "Of course," Feng Na said smugly . "Which is why we''ll be sitting in your lecture hall until your lecture ends, so deal with it . "


    "Mm-hmm," Cheng Cheng said . "We''ll be watching you . " She pointed two fingers at her eyes .


    "This is ridiculous . " Li Yundongughed . "You know there''s no chance in hell you two can stop me if I really want to run right? I suggest you save yourselves some trouble and… What?"


    Neither of the women were even looking at him right now . Instead, their eyes were focused on something behind him .


    Li Yundong turned around and followed their gazes .


    Li Yundong''s stomach clenched .


    Ding Nan was heading straight for them .


    "Hey, Ding—"


    Li Yundong was cut off by Ding Nan''s cold voice: "Do you want to know where Zhou Qin is?"


    ***


    It took everything in Li Yundong''s power to stay cool .


    "Yes," he said almost too quickly . "Where is she?"


    Ding Nan didn''t answer the question . Instead, she seemed to be observing him, watching his reaction to her words . Somehow, the frosty look on Ding Nan''s face rubbed Li Yundong the wrong way .


    "Ding Nan . . . " Li Yundong said, his voice betraying his urgency . "Stop ying games . Tell me where she is . Why isn''t she attending her sses?"


    A small part of him feared what he might hear from Ding Nan . But still, he needed to know the truth so that he could do something to help .


    "sses?" Ding Nanughed snidely . "I doubt she''d be able to attend sses ever again . "


    Li Yundong''s blood ran cold . His hand rose instinctively to grab Ding Nan''s shoulders, but then he held himself back at thest second, fearing he might hurt Ding Nan .


    "What''s that supposed to mean? What happened to her? Tell me!"


    A smirk pulled across Ding Nan''s lips .


    "Why, are you worried about her?" Ding Nan sneered . "Does your heart ache for her?"


    Li Yundong took a step back and schooled his features .


    "Of course I''m worried about her," he said in a firm tone . "She''s my friend . "


    "Friend?" Ding Nan sneered, then pointed a finger at his face . "I bet you only befriended her because of her status and money!" A look of disdain spread across Ding Nan''s features . "I wonder how you would treat her now that she''s be a penniless nobody . "


    Anger rose inside Li Yundong .


    "I don''t give a shit about her status and money," Li Yundong said coldly . "She''s my friend . " Li Yundong took a step forward . "Now I''m gonna ask you again . Where is she?"


    Ding Nan''s smug expression faltered, and she took a step backwards .


    "If she''s in trouble, then I wanna help . " Li Yundong said, softening his tone . "I don''t care whether she''s rich or poor . None of that matters . She''s my friend . "


    His words seemed to have renewed Ding Nan''s confidence somehow . She snorted . "Just wait till you see the state she''s in . "


    Li Yundong''s heart stopped . What the f*ck happened to Zhou Qin? Did she get hurt?


    "So what if she''s in a bad state?" Cheng Cheng said in a tone of disdain . "Li Yundong isn''t a suck-up who only befriends someone for their status . " There was a pause . "Unlike a certain someone . "


    Anger shed across Ding Nan''s eyes . She turned and red daggers at Cheng Cheng and Feng Na .


    "Drop the pretense," Ding Nan snarled . "You''re all just a bunch of hypocrites!"


    Cheng Cheng looked like she was ready to pounce, but Feng Na held Cheng Cheng back and gave her friend a subtle headshake .


    Li Yundong decided to step in right then . "Quit stalling, Ding Nan . Just tell me where to find her . "


    Ding Nan rolled her eyes and turned around to walk away .


    Son of a bitch!


    Li Yundong hurried after her . "Ding Nan! Come on!" He grabbed Ding Nan''s arm and forced her to turn around . "If you know where she is, just tell me!"


    They stared at each other for a moment . Ding Nan''s expression was guarded and unreadable . As the staring match dragged on, Li Yundong began to sift through his memory for the contents of the Mahamudra Tantra . Perhaps there was a tantric mudra that would allow him to force the truth out of someone .


    <small></small>He came up with none .


    Ding Nan freed her arm from his grip . "I''ll give you one day to think things over . " She backed away a step, then turned around to walk away . "Come find me if you still wanna know where she is . I''ll tell you then . " Ding Nan stopped walking and stood there with her back facing him . "You might not like what you see . Don''t say I didn''t warn you . "


    Ding Nan began to walk away again .


    "I don''t need a day!" Li Yundong yelled after her . "Just tell me now!"


    Ding Nan kept walking until she disappeared into the academic building .


    "Son of a bitch!" Li Yundong ran a hand through his hair . "I should go after her—"


    Cheng Cheng pulled him back . "You know she could be lying just to get your attention, right?"


    Feng Na nodded grimly . "I agree . Their friendship ended months ago . " Feng Na nced towards the academic building . "There''s no way she could''ve known Zhou Qin''s whereabouts . "


    Li Yundong sighed . "But they were in the same circle . " Li Yundong shook his head . "Ding Nan still have connections . She might really know something . "


    "Why don''t you head to ss first?" Feng Na gave him a sympathetic look . "She said she''s gonna tell you tomorrow anyway, right?"


    "She''s right, you know," Cheng Cheng said . "Besides, I don''t think you''re gonna get much out of Ding Nan even if you go after her right now . "


    Feng Na rolled her eyes and snorted . "Yeah well, given how stubborn she is, I''d say it''s damn near impossible . "


    Cheng Cheng shook her head in disgust . "I still think she''s just vying for Li Yundong''s attention . "


    Li Yundong huffed out a breath . "Let''s just go . "


    It would be naive to think that Zhou Qin was okay at this point . Something had happened to her, and he was going to f*cking find out what .


    ***


    The lecture went by in a blur . By the time Li Yundong was walking out of the lecture hall with Feng Na and Cheng Cheng, he could barely recall the contents of the lecture, super memory notwithstanding .


    Feng Na and Cheng Cheng had stayed true to their word by sitting through the entire lecture with him . They hadn''t said more than a few words to him during the lecture though . They had probably sensed his foul mood and didn''t want to disturb his brooding .


    "Hey, Cheng Cheng," Feng Na said in a faux cheery tone . "How was your internship job? We never got around to ask . "


    Li Yundong knew that Feng Na was just trying to lighten the mood, but he was honestly too worked up over their conversation with Ding Nan to care . As the three of them walked along the hallway, he stole a nce at Cheng Cheng . The girl seemed to be having some kind of silentmunication with Feng Na .


    Li Yundong sighed inwardly and decided to indulge them .


    "Yeah, Cheng Cheng . How was it? Think you can get hired for good?"


    "Ugh!" Cheng Cheng grimaced as though she had just swallowed something rotten . "Just thinking about that stupid job drives me mad . "


    Li Yundong pulled up short . "What? Why?" He looked towards Feng Na . "I thought it was going well?"


    "Well, the job itself was great," Cheng Cheng grumbled . "But the boss? Not so much?"


    "What happened?" Li Yundong pulled Cheng Cheng to a stop, then nced at Feng Na .


    Feng Na didn''t look all that surprised, so he guessed she must have known about it already .


    "I got sexually harassed is what happened," Cheng Cheng said with a sigh .


    What the hell?


    "What did the bastard do?"


    "He kept staring at my chest whenever we were in the same room . " Cheng Cheng pressed her hands to her chest as though to emphasize her point . "If that was all he did, then fine, I could handle it . I mean I''m already used to people staring at my chest anyway . But then yesterday he touched my legs and told me to stay at the office until after hours . " Cheng Cheng curled her lips in disgust . "Said he wanted to" —Cheng Cheng did air quotes—"discuss work-rted matters with me . " Cheng Cheng rolled her eyes . "Stupid old geezer thought I''d fall for that kind of thing . "


    Li Yundong frowned . "Please tell me you kicked him in the nuts . "


    An image of Su Chan kicking Director Qian shed in his mind .


    "Nah . He''s bigger and stronger than me . " Cheng Cheng chuckled sadly . "I''d be stupid to pick a fight with him . " Cheng Cheng nced at him . "Though if I have your fighting skills, he''d probably be dead now . " Cheng Cheng released a heavy sigh . "Worse . I can''t even file a HRint . I mean, what would be the point? He owns thepany . "


    "What about…?" Li Yundong paused in thought . "Have you tried reporting him to the police?"


    Cheng Cheng waved her hand . "I''ve got no evidence against him . "


    "So what''d you do?"


    Cheng Cheng stared at him like he''d grown ten heads . "I quit the job and left, what else . " Cheng Cheng shrugged . "Bye-bye job opportunity . "


    Li Yundong sighed . "Shit . . . That sucks . . . "


    There was a snort . Li Yundong nced sideways and saw Feng Na giving him a wry smile .


    "See? I told you the other day, didn''t I?" Feng Na said in a tone of resignation . "It''s hard to get a good job these days . "


    "Hey, Li Yundong . " Cheng Cheng smiled . "If you ever n to start your ownpany, don''t forget about us, okay?"


    Feng Na nodded with zest . "Yeah . It''s much better to have you as a boss than those perverts . "


    "Me? Starting my ownpany?" Li Yundong chuckled . That was probably as likely as pigs flying . "Don''t hold your breath . "


    Li Yundong moved further along the corridor while the two girls followed him . They were headed to the media room . Apparently, these tables and chairs had to be moved from the media room to somewhere .


    "If you want, I could call President Cao or President Yin and ask them if they have suitable positions for you two," Li Yundong said as they descended the stairs of the academic building .


    "Really?"


    "No thanks . "


    Cheng Cheng and Feng Na spoke over each other .


    The three of them stopped walking and stared at each other for a moment .


    Cheng Cheng had sounded pretty excited just now, but Feng Na just t-out denied the offer .


    "What''s the matter with you two today?" Li Yundong asked, his eyes narrowing . "Do you want me to put in the call or not?"


    Cheng Cheng and Feng Na did their silentmunication thing again .


    "Uh, guys?" Li Yundong waved a hand in front of them .


    "Um… Well . " Cheng Chengughed awkwardly . "I think I agree with Nana . Don''t think that''s a good idea . I mean, I don''t think we''d . . . " Cheng Cheng cleared her throat and grinned . "I don''t think we''d be a good fit there . "


    Li Yundong gave them a strange look . What the hell was that about?


    Feng Na pped her hands together .


    "Come on, let''s go! The tables and chairs aren''t gonna move themselves!"


    ***


    It wasn''t until Li Yundong had strode into the media room that he realized that he''d just been yed . These supposed tables and chairs were already arranged into neat rows when they got there .


    The media room was filled with students, who sat in those chairs . Some kind of stage was set up in front of the room .


    Li Yundong red at Feng Na and Cheng Cheng .


    "There never was any tables and chairs to move, was there?"


    Cheng Cheng stuck her tongue out . "Ta-da!" She gestured proudly at the room .


    "Nope . " Feng Na smirked . "That was just an excuse to get you here . "


    "What the hell is this?" Li Yundong jerked his chin towards the stage .


    Feng Na pped his shoulders . "Rx, pal . The candidates for the student council president will be giving their speeches shortly . "


    "What? I thought that''s supposed to take ce this evening?"


    Feng Na waved her hand casually . "The schedules got moved up . The speeches will begin in . . . " Feng Na checked the time . "Probably fifteen minutes . "


    Li Yundongughed . "You know you guys could''ve just told me, right? I already gave you my word that I''ll be there when you deliver your speech . "


    A slow grin spread across Feng Na''s face . "Nope . That''s not good enough . " Feng Na''s grin turned into a smirk . "I had to be sure that you''re here on time . "


    "That''s why you followed me around," Li Yundong said, shaking his head in amusement . "So you could drag me here . "


    Feng Na shrugged . "I didn''t want to take any chances . "


    Li Yundong scanned his eyes across the media room . More students were filing in, and the chatter seemed to have gotten louder now .


    Li Yundong tore his eyes away from the stage and looked towards Feng Na .


    "I don''t get it," he said, shaking his head slightly . "Why is it so important that I''m here?"


    Cheng Chengughed out loud .


    "Well…" Cheng Cheng stepped towards him and patted his shoulder a few times . "The truth is, my friend, you y a crucial role in ensuring Feng Na''s victory today!"


    Li Yundong narrowed his eyes at the two women . What''s that supposed to mean?


    "What the hell are you two up to?"


    Feng Na and Cheng Cheng exchange several looks .


    "Oh . . . You''ll see . " Feng Na smirked . "You''ll see soon enough . "