At Odds

As far back as he could remember, Lin Jun had been bound by two very different ways of life. His mother and her family came from a scholarly household, and they demanded that he cultivate kindness and virtue. He began with the Three Character Classic, the Thousand Character Classic, and the Disciples' Rules, then moved on to the Great Learning and Doctrine of the Mean, the Analects, and Mencius. The classics and lessons in filial piety had shaped his inner character.

On the other hand, his father had been a soldier and believed in neither kindness nor cruelty, but in strict obedience to orders. In his eyes, a son of the Lin family needed to build a strong body from an early age through hard training. Taking a cold bath in the middle of winter was no big deal! His mother had nearly fallen out with his father over it, but in the end, under his father's imposing authority, Lin Jun had forged himself into a formidable man.

The two starkly different kinds of upbringing had made Lin Jun coarse on the outside but thoughtful underneath. His decision to meet Su Yuan this time was his "inner self" at work. Otherwise, with his rough appearance, he wouldn't have sat down to settle things with words.

"Why not?"

"Well... anyway, there are reasons that aren't convenient to talk about."

Reasons that weren't convenient to talk about... What could they be? In the dim light, Lin Jun took another careful look at Su Yuan. Suddenly, he stepped back a couple of paces. When he looked at her again, it seemed he had figured something out. He nodded thoughtfully, a hint of disgust crossing his brow, though he also looked deeply sympathetic.

The contradictory emotions were so plain that Su Yuan, the person at the center of it all, was baffled.

Who knew what that guy Lin Jun had imagined?

Next, Lin Jun's attitude took a complete turn. He gave an awkward laugh. "Um, sorry about what happened just now, Su. Please don't hold it against me, haha."

His eyes darted around. Su Yuan wondered if the big guy had been moved by her "sincerity."

A sudden gust of wind swept through a gap in the trees, rustling the leaves. The long-lasting fragrance of osmanthus drifted through the air, drawing Su Yuan's gaze to the golden-yellow blossoms nestled among the green leaves nearby.

The shadowy forest was too quiet. Insects had fallen silent in the bushes, leaving only the gentle murmur of a stream flowing through a ditch in the distance. For a moment, neither of them had anything to say.

After a while, Lin Jun tossed aside the vine in his hand and cleared his throat. "Well, that's all I wanted to talk to you about today, Su. Let's chat again when we have time." With that, he came over and patted Su Yuan on the shoulder. All traces of his earlier menacing demeanor were gone; he seemed like a big brother looking out for a younger sibling.

Even after Lin Jun had gone, Su Yuan stayed rooted to the spot, still unable to make sense of it. What on earth was that guy thinking? How could his attitude change so fast? She shrugged. She had thought she'd need to persuade him with more heartfelt words and a deeper con, but the guy had been so easy to fool. Then again, what did he expect? Su's courage wasn't exactly in short supply.

Su Yuan was afraid of pain, but she had always been bold to a fault. Her earlier display of being "scared stiff" in front of Lin Jun had involved a little genuine fear, but most of it had been an act. Back in high school, Su Yuan had been pretty formidable.

The fact that Lin Jun was so easy to fool proved that he wasn't much of a threat.

Su Yuan had no idea how wrong she was. Humming a tune, she picked up the vine from the ground and headed back to her dorm in high spirits.

Just after coming down from Jingyu Mountain, she stepped onto the rubber track and saw a figure flash past. Someone had hidden in wait up ahead. She stopped short and swung the vine in her hand, whipping it straight at them.

"Smack!" Wang Ping caught the vine with one hand.

"Why are you here?" Realizing she had hit the wrong person, Su Yuan was quite surprised.

Wang Ping grunted. He wasn't angry. "I saw someone being dragged into the Back Mountain just now. They looked a bit like you, so I came to check. Are you okay?"

In fact, seeing Su Yuan come down from Jingyu Mountain unharmed, vine in hand and enough energy to hit someone, he already knew nothing serious had happened. Wang Ping was a big, burly man, but he valued loyalty above all else. He had the reckless streak of someone who would take a knife for a friend. Even though he knew Su Yuan was fine, he couldn't help wanting to get to the bottom of things.

Seeing how thin and frail Su Yuan looked, he just couldn't feel at ease. She looked like someone almost anyone could bully.

It had to be said that Su Yuan's delicate, feminine "weakness" had already become deeply ingrained in many people's minds.

"Thanks for worrying about me. Don't worry, I'm fine. Lin Jun and I had a little misunderstanding, but we've cleared it up."

"Lin Jun?"

Wang Ping remembered the rumors he'd seen on the forum about Su Yuan and Xiao Yiyan. Lin Jun was the most aggressive of the many people pursuing the campus goddess, Xiao Yiyan. It wasn't surprising that he'd come after Su Yuan.

"Don't be afraid of Lin Jun. I'll talk to him tomorrow and tell him to stop giving you trouble!"

When it came to someone he could talk sense into, Wang Ping never shirked his duty.

Only then did Su Yuan remember that Lin Jun and Wang Ping really did know each other. They were both members of the Sports Department. Thinking of Lin Jun's sudden change in attitude, she asked, "Is Lin Jun usually pretty unpredictable? Does he change his mind really quickly?"

Wang Ping thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No. Lin Jun's usually pretty steady. He just gets hot-tempered now and then."

That "now and then" was when something important to him got touched.

Su Yuan opened her mouth, puzzled.

South District, girls' dormitory.

The moon shone among sparse stars. The typhoon's effects were gradually fading, and starlight had returned to the sky.

In an apartment-style dorm room, a young woman with long, flowing hair sat on the balcony. Outside, trees towered over the central flower bed, and the air was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus drifting over from Jingyu Mountain.

Since the dorms around her were all occupied by girls, the young woman wore only a thin, gauzy nightdress. Beneath its sheer skirt, a pale pair of panties was faintly visible. Her chest was high and full, accentuating her graceful figure.

A slightly shorter girl had just come out of the bathroom after showering. Drying her wet hair, she said to Xiao Yiyan, who was admiring the night view, "Sister Yan, your little stunt has really gotten Su Yuan into trouble!"

Xiao Yiyan turned around and glanced at Yan Bing with a smile. "What do you mean?"

"Lots of students are talking about the two of you online now. Even if you don't care about your reputation, Su Yuan hasn't done anything to anyone. Why drag her into this? Now she's become the enemy of certain people, and things will definitely be rough for her from now on."

"What are you talking about? When have I ever not cared about my reputation?" Xiao Yiyan said, her face darkening with anger.

Yan Bing pouted. "If you cared, you wouldn't have done that in front of everyone..." Seeing Xiao Yiyan's displeased expression, she quickly stopped herself.

Xiao Yiyan laughed instead. "Xiao Bing, how can you side with Su Yuan and criticize your big sister?"

"She's the vice minister of our External Relations Department, and she's a really nice person. Using her as a shield was way too reckless, Sister Yan. And Lin Jun will definitely come after her. Su is so frail; she can't possibly beat Lin Jun."

Xiao Yiyan rolled her eyes. "If Su Yuan heard you say that, she'd be furious."

"Then don't tell her."

Xiao Yiyan rubbed her forehead. "There's one thing you've got wrong. I wasn't using Su Yuan as a shield. If she impresses me, maybe I'll make the act real..."

"You really should give it a rest." Yan Bing swallowed the words before they could escape. Speechless, she gathered up her panties and other undergarments, slipped on her slippers, and went back to the bathroom to do her laundry.

"Alas, I really went out on a limb to get rid of all those guys who are always following me around. I feel a little bad for Su Yuan, but I'll find a chance to make it up to her..."

Xiao Yiyan took a deep breath. Sometimes she thought she was downright devious. She had no idea how she'd come up with such a bold plan. Well, it had to be because that guy Su had tried to turn around and leave without a second thought. That was just too infuriating!

Now that she thought about it, she'd gotten rid of her pursuers, but she also had a bad feeling that she'd gotten herself tangled up in something.

At the thought of Su Yuan, Xiao Yiyan's gaze grew distant. She had seen plenty of handsome boys, but when she looked closely, none of them seemed as natural as Su Yuan.

There was something utterly effortless about her. Everyone knew that a boy who was too feminine could make people uncomfortable, but Su Yuan didn't give anyone that feeling.

Especially those eyes. Her hair was a little messy, as if she'd made no effort to tidy herself up, but her lively eyes still easily gave her away.

How could someone like that... actually be a boy?