Shen Xixi

Shen Xixi

Wei Jiangyang's rented van had already arrived downstairs. The three boys carried the camping gear and ingredients into the vehicle.

A day earlier, Zhang Heng had retrieved his SF Recurve Bow from the archery range.

After a week of training, his Archery Skill had basically recovered. With the advantages of modern technology, he could consistently score above nine rings on average at the fifty-meter range. What Zhang Heng was truly good at, however, was rapid-fire shooting at moving targets, though that depended on the target's speed and path.

Still, at the archery range, he always felt a pair of resentful eyes fixed on him, making him reluctant to go all out. Usually, he could only find places to practice in the Still World. Now that he was finally heading into the wilderness, he could find somewhere to shoot a few arrows.

"Young Master Zhang, if anything dangerous really happens, you have to protect me first," Chen Huadong said in a simpering voice. He was only joking, though. Zhang Heng had never hidden his archery lessons from the others in the dorm, and everyone knew he had only just started. A week ago, he had still been searching online for videos to learn from. How much could he have improved by now?

"Sure. Just remember to crawl into my arms when the time comes."

The group chatted and laughed as they loaded everything into the trunk. Just then, three girls walked over. Chen Huadong nudged Zhang Heng. "The one on the left, Shen Xixi."

Zhang Heng looked in the direction Chen Huadong indicated and indeed saw a tall girl. Wei Jiangyang had not lied—Shen Xixi's looks were undeniably excellent. She had a model's figure and was quite pretty. Unlike the coquettish female celebrities on television and in magazines, her gaze was clear, yet she lacked the shyness of ordinary girls. No wonder she was the dream girl of so many guys, the top distributor of good-guy cards in the Public Administration Department.

Shen Xixi generously took three bottles of water from a bag and handed them to Zhang Heng and the others. "Thank you. You've worked hard."

Zhang Heng accepted a bottle and thanked her.

A person's upbringing was easiest to see in small matters. It was clear Shen Xixi had not treated the three of them as free labor or bodyguards, nor did she think boys ought to carry things just because she was a girl. That was especially rare among girls, particularly pretty ones.

Chen Huadong continued the fine tradition of being a scheming military adviser and whispered in Zhang Heng's ear, "I heard Shen Xixi's father is a university professor and her mother is a literary translator. Good family values. What do you think? She's a pretty good match for you, Young Master Zhang."

Wei Jiangyang, meanwhile, did not see the person he had been waiting for and could not help asking, "Where's Xiaoxiao? Why don't I see her?"

"Hahaha, that woman is always the biggest hassle whenever our dorm goes out. She takes forever to put on makeup. Wei Jiangyang, you'll have plenty to suffer through after you marry her." The short girl in the middle, barely one and a half meters tall and looking like a middle schooler, spoke with a grin. Needless to say, she had to be Xu Jing, the legal loli Chen Huadong had his eye on.

The moment she finished speaking, she received a hard knock on the head.

"Sorry for making you laugh. I'll properly discipline this child," Shen Xixi said seriously to Wei Jiangyang as she withdrew her hand.

Just as the atmosphere was harmonious, a voice suddenly called out beside them. "Xixi."

Shen Xixi's expression changed slightly at the sound.

"Xixi, is your dorm planning to go out and have fun? Why didn't you tell me? I could've driven you there." A red BMW 5 Series sedan pulled up beside the group.

The boy inside pulled the handbrake and got out.

Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows. He had wondered why Shen Xixi looked somewhat familiar. It turned out they had met before. The couple he had seen outside the supermarket after buying scratch tickets had been Shen Xixi and this guy wearing Supreme.

"Cheng Cheng, why is it you again? Xixi has already clearly rejected you several times. Why are you still haunting her?" Xu Jing was nothing like her name suggested. She was a girl who could never keep her mouth shut and always spoke bluntly.

Having his rejected pursuit exposed in public made Cheng Cheng lose face, but Xu Jing was a girl, so he did not feel comfortable lashing out. He could only force down his anger.

"Xixi, can I borrow a moment to talk? There's a café nearby. I know their Blue Mountain coffee is really good," Cheng Cheng said.

Shen Xixi frowned. Even with her good temper, she was nearing the end of her patience. She had not known Cheng Cheng before, but after she sang a song at the freshman welcome party, he had sought her out. For the past half month, he had been relentlessly pestering her.

From flowers, snacks, and fruit to iPhones and concert tickets, Cheng Cheng had simply asked other girls to leave them outside Shen Xixi's dorm room.

Yet the tactics that had always worked on other girls had unusually hit a wall with Shen Xixi.

Every gift he sent was returned to him unopened, and Shen Xixi had made herself very clear: she had no interest in dating right now.

Yet the more she acted this way, the more enthusiastic Cheng Cheng seemed to become. He kept his posture humble, and because Shen Xixi had been raised well, it was difficult for her to say anything too harsh. As a result, Cheng Cheng had continued pestering her until now.

Rumors about the two of them had already begun circulating around the school, giving Shen Xixi quite a headache.

Besides, lately she seemed to run into Cheng Cheng wherever she went. How had he known her dorm was going camping, and how had he happened to arrive right before they left? That was far too much of a coincidence.

Shen Xixi glanced at the girl named Wang Huan standing behind Xu Jing. Wang Huan gave an embarrassed smile. Her family circumstances were average, but a few days ago, a YSL lipstick had suddenly appeared in her drawer. Detective Xu Jing had deliberately searched online for its price and discovered it would cost at least seven or eight hundred yuan.

At the time, everyone had teased Wang Huan about whether she had been kept by some coal boss. Now, it seemed that lipstick had come from another source.

However, Shen Xixi had no intention of pursuing the matter. She saw that Xiaoxiao had already emerged from the dorm building in the distance, so she said sternly to Cheng Cheng, "Cheng Cheng, didn't we talk about this on Monday? I don't drink coffee, and we're leaving immediately."

"That's fine. Let them go ahead first. I'll drive you over afterward. Don't worry, it won't delay anything," Cheng Cheng continued to cling to her.

Chen Huadong could not stand it any longer and was about to speak when he saw Wei Jiangyang signal him with his eyes.

"Don't provoke that guy," Wei Jiangyang said in a low voice.

"What's the big deal? He's just some rich second-generation kid. Look at our Young Master Zhang—now that's what a model rich second-generation kid looks like." Chen Huadong curled his lip in disdain.

Zhang Heng shook his head. "Don't talk nonsense. I'm not some rich second-generation kid."

Zhang Heng's family background was somewhat similar to Shen Xixi's. Both came from intellectual families. They lived comfortably and never had to worry about food or clothing, which was already quite good among ordinary people, but they still could not compare with wealthy business families.

Wei Jiangyang gave a bitter smile. "Cheng Cheng isn't someone to mess with. He's a year above us. When he first enrolled, he got into a fight with an upperclassman. His family seems to run hotels, and he's generous with money, so he has gathered quite a few people around him. He turned the student union into a complete mess. Xiaoxiao couldn't stand his behavior last semester, so she quit the union."