Xu Yi quietly swallowed his humiliation, braced his aching, battered body, crossed the flower bed, darted through a stretch of covered walkway, and took a wide detour.
The woman stared at his retreating figure, her beautiful eyes blazing with two balls of fire. In the end, she could not bring herself to chase after him.
"What happened? What happened, Vice-Dean? What on earth is going on?"
Xu Yi had barely left when seven or eight black-clad men came rushing over. After saluting the woman, they asked what had happened.
"Nothing happened. This hall is just like all the others—square and boxy, and looking at it makes me angry. Tear it down and rebuild it. Get on it, and make sure it's done before I come back. I don't want this place to look the same next time."
The Vice-Dean ground out those words through clenched teeth, then swept off with a flick of her sleeve.
The black-clad men exchanged bewildered looks, each at a loss.
"B-but what are we supposed to do? Is rebuilding it not enough? This is just too..."
"What are you wasting time talking for? If you want to lose your jobs, keep yapping. Do you think the Vice-Dean is someone we can afford to offend? Hurry up and find people to work on it. Give it some style, some character!"
The black-clad man in the middle barked at them.
Though his whole body was wracked with pain, Xu Yi still had to force himself toward Room Thirty-Six's hall. All he could do was hope Supervisor Hong would unleash his gift for rambling and drag things out.
His hopes were soon dashed.
When he rushed into the hall, the already spacious room seemed even more deserted. Only four pairs of lifeless eyes remained, staring blankly at him.