Invincible East

Zhao Liya had been in a terrible mood these past few days. Why did being the heiress of Zhao Group mean she always had to attend all sorts of inexplicable banquets? The lecherous gazes, obscene expressions, and boastful mannerisms of those spoiled young masters left her utterly exhausted and disgusted every time she attended one. Tomorrow was Lin Ling's grandfather Lin Xiaotian's seventieth birthday. As the heiress of Zhao Group, and with Longteng Group being a fellow Martial Arts Families and its old master celebrating his birthday, Zhao Liya had to attend the banquet. Besides, Lin Xiaotian was Lin Ling's grandfather, and as her best friend, she had no reason to refuse. However, those young masters from the prominent families were truly detestable. Lin Ling's cousin Lin Weifeng was especially awful—a complete playboy. Every time she saw him, it made her sick as if she had swallowed a fly.

If Big Brother Shi Liwei were here, that would be great. Then I could invite him to be my dance partner. Zhao Liya could not help picturing a tall, handsome young man before her eyes. Unfortunately, she had heard that he had been taken away by an expert to cultivate five years ago, and had never appeared again. Zhao Liya could not help sighing inwardly. Shi Liwei was the eldest son of the Shi family, an exceptionally rare martial arts prodigy and one of the most outstanding figures among the younger generation.

Zhang Hupan felt that something was very strange today. He could clearly sense that Zhao Liya, who had always been lively and cheerful, seemed preoccupied and dispirited today.

"Seal, can you answer this question?" Seal was Zhang Hupan's English name. Ever since she had become friends with Zhang Hupan, the beautiful Scottish girl Xindi had taken to calling him by it.

"Seal? Right, how could I have forgotten this blockhead?" Zhao Liya suddenly brightened, and a crafty glint flashed through her eyes.

Zhang Hupan, who was answering the question, inexplicably felt a chill. He vaguely sensed that something ominous was welling up in his heart.

When Zhao Liya nudged Zhang Hupan with her elbow and whispered, "When class ends, come walk around Huajia Pond with me. I have something to discuss with you!" Zhang Hupan finally understood why he had felt that something was wrong. Perhaps because of what had happened beneath Wudang Mountain, he always felt somewhat guilty around Zhao Liya. That was probably one of the reasons he always followed the beautiful Scottish girl out of the classroom after class.

It would be very rude to refuse an invitation from a beauty. Even though Zhang Hupan really did not want to be alone with Zhao Liya, he could only nod to show that he agreed.

When Zhang Hupan and Zhao Liya walked out of the classroom side by side, Zhang Hupan clearly heard the sound of every boy's heart shattering and felt the thick killing intent. By the time they were nearly at Huajia Pond, Zhang Hupan could still hear the girls gossiping and the boys wailing like ghosts from inside the classroom.

"Oh my god, my first love!"

"The princess of my heart!"

"I'm going to kill you, Zhang Hupan!"

"Hey, we really didn't see that wrong, did we? Zhao Liya has fallen for that country bumpkin!"

"Hey, Li Li, look! They're going to Huajia Pond together!"

Hu Zhiming and the other four were heartbroken too, but Zhang Hupan was their leader. If their leader got to enjoy himself, they could at least bask in a little of his glory. Thus, while all the other boys were still immersed in their misery, Hu Zhiming, Li Yong, and the others had already begun fantasizing about spending time with the beauty. Of course, after what had just happened, Zhang Hupan's miraculous skills at wooing girls once again left them in awe. "The boss is definitely the Invincible East of the world of wooing girls!" Chen Youliang whispered admiringly. Hu Zhiming and the others nodded repeatedly in complete agreement.

The weather was pleasant today, with bright sunshine. The sunlight of late autumn felt especially comfortable against the skin. However, Zhang Hupan and Zhao Liya could not feel any warmth from it at all. They had walked nearly halfway around Huajia Pond without saying a word. Although Zhao Liya was a cheerful girl, this was her first time strolling around Huajia Pond alone with a boy. Huajia Pond had always been a meeting place for student couples. As the two walked side by side, they attracted frequent attention from passersby. Nearly every boy shot Zhang Hupan an intensely jealous look, while all the girls secretly shook their heads, seemingly lamenting that such a beautiful girl was together with a boy of such ordinary appearance.

Born into a good family and blessed with striking looks, Zhao Liya naturally possessed a sense of superiority and pride. Although she needed Zhang Hupan's help this time, deep down, she considered it a favor she was bestowing upon him. Ever since she was little, all she had to do was crook her little finger, and every boy would wag his tail around her like a pug. Yet now, she had asked Zhang Hupan out and walked around Huajia Pond with him for ages, while he remained as stiff as a wooden figure. Not only did he make no effort to curry favor with her, he did not even say a word. Zhao Liya was so furious that she ground her teeth inwardly, her pretty face flushing bright red. The ambiguous looks from the passersby only added fuel to the fire.

Damn you, Hupan. You blockhead! Zhao Liya cursed him nonstop in her heart.

Poor Zhang Hupan might have been called the Invincible East of the world of wooing girls by Hu Zhiming and the others, but only Heaven knew that he was actually an idiot when it came to women! At this moment, Zhang Hupan had no idea that the beauty beside him had cursed him more than a hundred times. He was still foolishly waiting for Zhao Liya to tell him why she had asked him out. In his worldview, since Zhao Liya had said she had something to discuss with him, she should be the one to speak first. Otherwise, how was he supposed to know what it was about? After walking halfway around Huajia Pond, Zhang Hupan, despite being an expert of the cultivation world with powerful defensive abilities, was beginning to have trouble enduring the occasional murderous looks from passersby. If Hu Zhiming and the others could see their boss acting this pathetically, would they finally realize that Zhang Hupan was an idiot at wooing girls, or would they think his technique was simply too profound for their low level of understanding?

If it came to endurance and composure, who in this world could compare with Zhang Hupan? After all, he was an expert of the cultivation world. Even entering meditation for three or five years without food or drink would pose no problem whatsoever. Although the gazes of passersby and Zhao Liya's silence made Zhang Hupan feel awkward and embarrassed, an expert was still an expert. He continued to remain calm and composed, his expression unchanged.

At last, Zhao Liya could no longer bear Zhang Hupan's silence and the ambiguous gazes of the people around them. Abandoning the reserve expected of a young lady, she pouted, slightly furrowed her brows, stomped her feet, and said angrily, "Zhang Hupan, you blockhead!"

"Me? What did I do? How did I offend you this time?" If Zhao Liya had remained calm, she might have noticed the inexplicable "this time" in Zhang Hupan's sentence. Perhaps she might even have remembered something. But how could Zhao Liya remain calm now? She was practically on the verge of exploding.

"Are you always this silent when you're with a girl?" Zhao Liya asked through gritted teeth.

"Didn't you ask me out because you said you had something to discuss with me? I've been waiting!" Seeing how exasperated Zhao Liya was, Zhang Hupan was utterly confused. Yet inwardly, he finally began to believe the saying that women were always inexplicable.

When Zhao Liya saw him say this with a baffled expression, she was utterly defeated by Zhang Hupan! Only now did she recall all his behavior since the beginning of the semester. She had been his deskmate for nearly three months, yet he had never taken the initiative to say even half a sentence to her. How had she been foolish enough to expect this block of wood to speak first? They had wasted so much time wandering aimlessly around Huajia Pond! Thinking of this, Zhao Liya looked at the wooden Zhang Hupan beside her, who was wearing a bewildered expression and sulking helplessly, and suddenly burst into a charming giggle.

The beauty of that smile left Zhang Hupan staring blankly at Zhao Liya, as if five or six of his seven souls had already flown away. His insides churned tumultuously!

If it had been anyone else staring at her so dazedly, Zhao Liya would already have glared at him fiercely. But seeing Zhang Hupan lose his composure so thoroughly because of her, she felt a faint delight in her heart. It was as if the resentment she had accumulated from being ignored these past few months had vanished without a trace. She even felt a surge of triumphant joy and could not help gloating inwardly: Now you know how beautiful I am, don't you?

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http://www./mybook_votebook.asp?a_id=&b_id=136383 (To be continued)