Shield (Part 2)

Even with Zhang Hupan's current cultivation, let alone swords and blades, even missiles would have a hard time harming him in the slightest. Yet, Zhao Liya's simple look of disdain and her arrogant tone deeply wounded Zhang Hupan's heart. It was only at this moment that Zhang Hupan realized that the beautiful encounter at the foot of the mountain had already been deeply etched into his heart. For so long, they had been deskmates with a tacit understanding. Although Zhang Hupan hadn't shown any outward joy, deep down he felt an indescribable happiness. But now, this beautiful girl he first encountered after descending the mountain was speaking such heartless, disdainful, and hurtful words. He could instantly produce a pile of top-grade jade as tall as a small mountain and throw it in front of her! But what good would that do? Did he have to use his wealth, his immortal status, to earn a second glance from this woman?

Zhang Hupan had his own pride. He wouldn't stoop so low as to show off his extraordinary abilities to someone who looked down on him from the bottom of her heart! But why couldn't he take Zhao Liya's words lightly? He was over a hundred years old; why should he bicker with a young girl? Why did his heart feel a tearing pain? Why did he feel a sense of anger! Zhang Hupan was utterly confused by his own feelings at that moment.

Zhao Liya clearly sensed the anger and humiliation emanating from Zhang Hupan's eyes. For the first time in her life, she inexplicably felt a pang of heartache. However, her innate reserve and pride caused her to say even more hurtful words: "What do you say? I'll pay you. Is ten thousand enough?"

Nothing is more sorrowful than a heart that has died. This was precisely Zhang Hupan's state of mind. He could have simply brushed it off and left, but a sudden thought of "what the hell" crossed his mind, and he blurted out words that even he found baffling: "I can pretend to be your boyfriend, but I want a hundred thousand!"

Zhang Hupan's exorbitant demand didn't provoke Zhao Liya's anger. Instead, it eased her guilt, making her feel no remorse at all, and even seemed to bring a sense of relief. She casually pulled a gold card from her bag, her eyes holding a trace of disdain, and said coldly, "There's a hundred thousand on this card. The PIN is six sixes."

Zhang Hupan missed not a single flicker of Zhao Liya's disdainful gaze. For some reason, seeing her look of contempt made him feel particularly annoyed. Coldly, without a word, he took the card from Zhao Liya's hand and turned to leave. Behind him, Zhao Liya's icy voice called out, "Don't forget, we're meeting at the school gate at seven tonight."

"Isn't it tomorrow night?" Zhang Hupan asked, turning back.

"Are you really going to attend an upper-class banquet dressed like that?" Zhao Liya said with disdain again.

"Do you need to dress up specially to attend a banquet?" This time, Zhang Hupan didn't pay attention to Zhao Liya's disdainful look. He still held great curiosity for the unknown.

Hearing Zhang Hupan's ignorant retort, Zhao Liya's delicate eyebrows furrowed. She secretly regretted her words, thinking, She's from a remote mountain village after all. She's never seen the real upper class. I just hope she doesn't embarrass me tomorrow! No, tonight, besides buying clothes, I have to give her a lesson so she doesn't shame me then!

Zhang Hupan might have been a bit slow when it came to the complexities of male-female relationships, but when he truly calmed down and analyzed things with a normal mindset, as a master of cultivation, even without mind-reading abilities, he possessed extraordinary insight that ordinary people couldn't match.

Zhao Liya's expression was fully captured by Zhang Hupan, and he easily guessed her conflicted feelings. He couldn't help but give a wry smile to himself. He, the highest authority of Wudang, a legendary immortal in the mortal world, was condescending to accompany a young girl to a dance, and this girl was actually worried that he would embarrass her. He wondered if this wasn't the most ridiculous thing in the world!

"Don't worry, this young master will absolutely not embarrass you. Otherwise, you won't pay me a cent! See you at the school gate at seven!" With that, Zhang Hupan turned and strode towards the male dormitory without looking back.

Being seen through was bound to cause some annoyance, especially for a proud beauty like Zhao Liya. To have her thoughts exposed and to be spoken to so bluntly made her even more irrationally angry. Her beautiful face turned bright red, her small hands clenched into fists, and she stomped her delicate legs on the grass beneath her as if they had wronged her.

Even without looking, Zhang Hupan knew Zhao Liya must be furious. He was already a centenarian and a master of the cultivation world; he shouldn't have to stoop to arguing with a secular young girl. But the moment Zhang Hupan saw Zhao Liya's disdainful look, his anger flared up, completely unlike the reaction of an enlightened master. For some reason, seeing Zhao Liya flustered gave him an indescribable feeling!

In the evening, a red Porsche was parked at the entrance of Zhejiang XX University. Standing by the car was a beautiful woman. An absolutely stunning beauty, with neat, shoulder-length black hair, large eyes like autumn water, long eyelashes, a delicate little nose, and even her slightly furrowed brows, indicative of anxiety, looked incredibly charming and alluring. The combination of the luxury car and the beautiful woman drew the attention of passersby. Despite being the focus of everyone's attention, Zhao Liya seemed completely oblivious to the impact she was having. She just stared angrily at the road leading to the school gate, muttering softly, "Damn Hupan, stinky Hupan, making this lady wait for him!"

Finally, Zhang Hupan's figure appeared at the school gate. Zhao Liya stormed up to him, her pretty face flushed, and said angrily, "You, you actually made this lady wait for you!"

"Is there a problem? Didn't we agree to meet at the school gate at seven?" Zhang Hupan asked calmly, seeing Zhao Liya's furious expression. He then raised his wrist, glanced at his watch, and exclaimed with feigned surprise, "Oh my, it's exactly seven o'clock!"

Zhao Liya was so angry she stomped her foot. She had arrived early because she was worried about tomorrow's banquet. However, in Miss Zhao Liya's mind, a beauty like her deserved at least half an hour of respectful waiting from a man, otherwise, it would be too embarrassing! Unfortunately, she forgot that Zhang Hupan was nowhere near the "invincible player" in dating that Hu Zhiming claimed to be. Since they had agreed on seven o'clock and he wasn't late, she really couldn't do anything about Zhang Hupan. Zhao Liya had no choice but to accept her misfortune!

Seeing Zhang Hupan's smug look, Zhao Liya gritted her teeth in anger, glaring fiercely at Zhang Hupan with her large eyes. She coldly commanded, "Get in the car!" Then she turned and got into the driver's seat.

Seeing Zhao Liya's frustrated expression, Zhang Hupan felt incredibly pleased. In fact, Zhang Hupan didn't know why he seemed to particularly enjoy provoking Zhao Liya. It was just that seeing her face turn red, her eyes glare, and her lips pout made him feel exceptionally good. Perhaps it was to retaliate for her personal contempt!

"Coming!" Zhang Hupan replied with a playful grin and slowly got into the passenger seat, enraging Zhao Liya. She regretted ever asking this guy to pretend to be her boyfriend. But now it was too late to back out. She could only hope nothing would go wrong tomorrow.

Before Zhang Hupan could even fasten his seatbelt, the car shot forward like a rocket. "I'll drive you crazy!" Zhao Liya cursed inwardly, her beautiful face icy.

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