The Shield (Part One)

But Zhao Liya immediately blushed and spat inwardly, "What's gotten into me? What's there to show off about in front of a blockhead? How shameless!"

Zhao Liya had been smiling like a flower just moments ago, but now a flush spread across her pretty face as she lowered her head, apparently lost in thought. Zhang Hupan couldn't help becoming a little mesmerized. His gaze unconsciously swept over her chest. Women were naturally sensitive about certain parts of their bodies, and when Zhang Hupan's eyes inadvertently lingered on her chest, Zhao Liya suddenly came back to herself. Blushing, she snapped angrily, "Hey, Zhang Hupan, you lecher! Where are you looking?"

Her coquettish shout struck like a thunderbolt on a clear day. Zhang Hupan was scared out of his wits and no longer dared let his eyes drift toward Zhao Liya. Like a child caught stealing food, he lowered his head and stared at his toes! The scene at the foot of Wudang Mountain resurfaced in his mind. Damn it, how did I make such a rookie mistake again? I wonder if this girl will fly into another rage. But her chest really is fuller than before! His heart was in turmoil, yet he couldn't help comparing them.

Seeing Zhang Hupan acting like a child who had done something wrong, Zhao Liya could no longer vent her anger. She, too, felt waves of embarrassment over the suggestive things she had said. The two fell into a brief silence again.

Perhaps the embarrassing incident at the foot of Wudang Mountain had been too severe. In any case, Zhang Hupan felt inexplicably guilty whenever he was with Zhao Liya. In front of her, he would rather remain silent than take the initiative to say even half a sentence.

At last, Zhao Liya broke the awkward silence and said coquettishly, "I want to ask you to be my boyfriend!"

"What!" Zhang Hupan instantly panicked, his hands and feet at a loss. The beauty who had been so fierce toward him a moment ago was now asking him to be her boyfriend. Women really were strange creatures. Could Hu Zhiming and the others' theory actually be true? The less attention you paid to them, the more they would care about you! Zhang Hupan was utterly confused when Liu Xizhen's lazy, beautiful face suddenly flashed through his mind, and he instantly found the answer.

"No!" Zhang Hupan said hesitantly, afraid of offending the beauty before him.

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhao Liya realized she had misspoken and omitted two words: "as a fake." But when she saw Zhang Hupan panic and even directly reject her, she felt an anger and humiliation she had never experienced before. For so many years, countless rich young men and handsome guys had surrounded her, yet she had never shown any of them the slightest favor. She had never expected that this blockhead, this country bumpkin from a remote mountain village, would reject her without the slightest hesitation.

"What's wrong with me? Why am I not good enough for you?" Zhao Liya's face was filled with anger. She glared fiercely at Zhang Hupan as she advanced on him step by step.

A warm, fragrant breath washed over him. He could even smell the sweet fragrance in her mouth. Good heavens, she was far too close! Zhang Hupan could clearly see the pearly whiteness of her neat, beautiful teeth behind her red lips.

Her beautiful face was right in front of Zhang Hupan's. Though her eyes held a hint of fierceness, all Zhang Hupan saw was boundless beauty.

With the beauty advancing on him step by step, Zhang Hupan had no choice but to retreat step by step. But the path beside Huajia Pond was only so wide, and soon Zhang Hupan was forced to the edge of the pond. One more step and he would end up drenched. He had no choice but to stop retreating!

Zhao Liya kept glaring angrily at Zhang Hupan and hadn't noticed that he had nowhere left to go. His sudden stop caught her off guard, and her delicate, full body lunged uncontrollably into Zhang Hupan's arms!

"Y-you stopped retreating?" Her angry voice held a trace of panic.

Her lovely face flushed red. So beautiful! Zhang Hupan couldn't help praising her inwardly. Naturally, he wasn't foolish enough to explain anything at this moment. He merely glanced innocently behind him.

Zhao Liya had of course realized what had happened, but a young woman's reserve and her first close contact with a man left her flustered. That was why she continued glaring angrily at Zhang Hupan without reason. There was another brief silence, but this time it was tinged with suggestiveness and embarrassment!

"What exactly did you want to see me about? Don't tell me you really want me to be your boyfriend!" This time, Zhang Hupan had finally learned his lesson. He knew that if he didn't speak and change the subject, the beauty before him might become angry from embarrassment, and the scene at the foot of Wudang Mountain might very well happen again!

Only then did Zhao Liya remember why she had asked Zhang Hupan out. Although some of his actions just now had irritated her, compared with those rich young men, Zhang Hupan was clearly much more likable. At least he wouldn't shamelessly pester her. When she thought of the word "shameless," Zhao Liya suddenly recalled that Zhang Hupan's gaze just now seemed to have carried a hint of that as well. Whatever. This blockhead is still much less annoying than those lechers!

"It's like this. I have a party tomorrow night, and I want to ask you to temporarily pretend to be my boyfriend." Although she was still somewhat embarrassed and angry over what had just happened, Zhao Liya composed herself and spoke seriously.

Pretending to be a boyfriend, especially the boyfriend of a beautiful woman—unless he was an idiot, no man would refuse. Besides, if the performance went well, who knew whether he might one day become her real boyfriend? Unfortunately, our Zhang Hupan was a genuine idiot when it came to courting women. He suddenly remembered that he had to work at a bar tomorrow night, so he rejected her without a second thought. "Sorry, I have something to do tomorrow night!"

This time, Zhao Liya was thoroughly enraged. She had never been rejected in her entire life, much less twice in a row. In her eyes, "I have something to do tomorrow night" was nothing more than an excuse. Even if he had something to do, could it really be more important than accompanying her to a party? Beautiful women could be truly terrifying when they became unreasonable. She didn't stop to consider why he had to accompany her to the party in the first place. Was it simply because she was beautiful?

If it had been another girl, being rejected like this might have prompted her to turn and leave, swearing never to bother with such an insensitive man again. But Zhao Liya was different. She had always been proud and haughty, and being so callously rejected by a boy from the mountains was nothing short of the greatest humiliation of her life! If she slunk home like this, Zhao Liya probably wouldn't be able to find peace for the rest of her life. As far as she was concerned, this was no longer about whether she could persuade Zhang Hupan to pretend to be her boyfriend. She absolutely had to make him pretend, or she would never be able to swallow this insult!

"What are you doing tomorrow?" Her voice carried irritation, and her handsome face flushed bright red.

Normally, being questioned like a criminal would have made the supreme leader of the Wudang Sect angrily fling up his sleeve and leave. For some reason, however, Zhang Hupan simply couldn't get angry with Zhao Liya. The astonishing touch from moments ago still lingered on his chest, along with the maidenly fragrance, leaving him savoring the memory even now.

"I found a part-time job. I have to work tomorrow night!" For some reason, Zhang Hupan honestly told her the reason.

When she heard that it was only for something like this, Zhao Liya became even angrier. "Isn't it just for a little money? Can't I hire you for one night?" Although she spoke with some disdain, the moment the words left her mouth, she began secretly regretting her rash statement. After all, Zhang Hupan was merely her classmate, and his performance over the past few months had been plain for all to see. As a student from a remote inland mountain village, he had learned English better than anyone else in less than a month, shown great prowess at the sports meet, never taken the slightest advantage of her over the past several months, and now was supporting himself by working. Deep down, Zhao Liya genuinely admired Zhang Hupan. Otherwise, she wouldn't have asked him to pretend to be her boyfriend. But words once spoken were like water spilled, and Zhao Liya had been spoiled like a princess since childhood. For her, admitting a mistake was harder than climbing to heaven!