No Consensus

In his childhood memories, Lin Jun was always bound by two lifestyles. His mother and her family were scholars, demanding of his kindness and virtue. His early education included the Three Character Classic, Thousand Character Classic, and Disciples' Rules, followed by the Great Learning and Doctrine of the Mean, Analects, and Mencius. This classical and filial education established his complete inner essence.

On the other hand, his father, a military man, didn't believe in good or evil, but in absolute obedience. In his father's view, as a man of the Lin family, a strong physique needed to be forged from a young age! Taking cold showers in the dead of winter was nothing! His mother had almost fallen out with his father over this, but Lin Jun ultimately cultivated a formidable physique under his father's imposing authority.

These two diametrically opposed educations shaped Lin Jun into someone with a rough exterior but a refined interior. His current meeting with Su Yuan was a result of his "inner self" at play. Otherwise, given his rugged appearance, he wouldn't be trying to resolve issues with words.

"Why is it impossible?"

"This... well, there are reasons that are a bit inconvenient to explain."

Reasons that are inconvenient to explain... What could they be? In the dim light, Lin Jun scrutinized Su Yuan again. He suddenly took two steps back. Looking at Su Yuan again, he seemed to understand something. He nodded thoughtfully, a hint of disgust mixed with immense sympathy appearing on his brow.

Su Yuan, the person involved, was baffled by these two contradictory emotions displayed simultaneously.

She had no idea where Lin Jun's thoughts had wandered off to.

Lin Jun's attitude then took a 180-degree turn. He chuckled dryly, "Uh, I'm sorry about what just happened. Little brother Su, please don't take it to heart, hahahaha."

Su Yuan's eyes darted around. Could this big guy have been moved by my "sincerity"? she thought.

At that moment, a gust of cold wind swept through the gap between the trees, rustling the leaves. Wisps of osmanthus fragrance, emitting a long-lasting aroma, captivated Su Yuan. The scent, so familiar and evocative, drew her gaze to the golden-yellow stamens nestled among the green leaves not far away.

The dim forest was too quiet. The chirping of insects in the bushes had ceased, leaving only the gentle gurgling of the stream in the small ditch nearby. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

After a long pause, Lin Jun threw away the vine in his hand and cleared his throat. "Well, I asked you out today for this. Little brother Su, let's chat again when you have time!" With that, Lin Jun walked over and patted Su Yuan's shoulder. His previous fierce demeanor was completely gone, replaced by the feeling of an older brother caring for his younger sibling.

Lin Jun was long gone, but Su Yuan remained frozen in place, bewildered. What on earth is this guy going through? Why did his attitude change so quickly? she wondered. Shrugging, she had expected to need more emotional appeals and logical reasoning, more in-depth manipulation. She hadn't expected him to be so easily fooled. Doesn't he realize how bold I, Su, can be?

Although Su Yuan feared pain, her courage had always been boundless. Her "timid as a mouse" act in front of Lin Jun earlier, while containing some genuine emotion, was mostly a pretense. She had been quite the formidable figure back in high school.

Lin Jun being so easily fooled proved he was not to be feared.

Little did Su Yuan know, she had completely misunderstood. Humming a tune, she picked up the vine from the ground and walked towards her dorm in a good mood.

As she descended Jingyu Mountain and stepped onto the rubber track field, a figure flashed before her eyes. Someone had ambushed her. Her steps faltered, and the vine she was swinging lashed out.

"Slap!" Wang Ping caught the incoming vine with one hand.

"How could it be you?" Su Yuan exclaimed in surprise, realizing she had hit the wrong person.

Wang Ping grunted, unoffended. "I saw someone being dragged into the Back Mountain just now. You looked a bit like them, so I came to check. Are you alright?"

In fact, seeing Su Yuan descend Jingyu Mountain unharmed, with enough strength to wield a vine and strike someone, he knew she was fine. Wang Ping, though burly, was extremely loyal and possessed a reckless devotion to his friends. Even knowing Su Yuan was okay, he couldn't help but want to get to the bottom of it.

Seeing Su Yuan's frail appearance, he couldn't put his mind at ease. She looked like someone most people could easily bully.

It had to be said that Su Yuan's gentle and outwardly apparent "weakness" had become deeply ingrained in many people's perceptions.

"Thank you for your concern. Don't worry, I'm fine. Lin Jun and I had a small misunderstanding earlier, but it's resolved now."

"Lin Jun?"

Wang Ping recalled the rumors he'd seen on the forum about Su Yuan and Xiao Yiyan. Lin Jun was the fiercest among Goddess Xiao's many suitors, so it wasn't strange that he would approach Su Yuan.

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

Wang Ping never shied away from helping where he could.

It was then that Su Yuan suddenly remembered that Lin Jun and Wang Ping actually knew each other; they were both members of the Sports Department. Thinking of Lin Jun's drastic change in attitude earlier, she asked, "Is this Lin Jun usually very impulsive, with a particularly fast thought process?"

Wang Ping thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, Lin Jun is usually very steady. He only gets hot-tempered occasionally."

That "occasionally" was when something important to him was touched upon.

Su Yuan opened her mouth, secretly puzzled.

South District, Girls' Dormitory Building.

It was a moonlit night with sparse stars. The typhoon's influence was gradually dissipating, and the starlight reappeared in the sky.

In an apartment-style dormitory, a girl with flowing hair sat on the balcony. Outside, the central flower bed was filled with towering green trees, and the air was filled with the scent of osmanthus drifting from Jingyu Mountain.

Surrounded by girls' dormitories, the young woman wore only a thin, sheer nightgown. Beneath the sheer skirt, a light-colored panty was faintly visible. Her chest was high and firm, showcasing her graceful figure.

A slightly shorter girl emerged from the bathroom, drying her wet hair. "Sister Yan, you've really caused Su Yuan a lot of trouble with this stunt!!" she said to Xiao Yiyan, who was admiring the night view.

Xiao Yiyan turned her head, glanced at Yan Bing, and smiled. "What do you mean?"

"So many students are discussing you two now. Even if you don't care about your reputation, Su Yuan didn't provoke anyone. Why drag her into this? She's become a public enemy to some, and her future days will be difficult."

"What are you talking about? When have I ever not cared about my reputation?" Xiao Yiyan's face flushed with anger.

Pouting, Yan Bing said, "If you cared, you wouldn't have... in broad daylight..." Seeing Xiao Yiyan's displeased expression, she quickly stopped.

Xiao Yiyan, however, chuckled. "Little Bing, how can you side with that Su Yuan against Sister Yan?"

"He's the vice minister of our External Relations Department, and he's very friendly. Using him as a shield was indeed rash, Sister. And that Lin Jun will definitely cause trouble for Su Yuan. Senior Su is so frail, he definitely can't beat Lin Jun."

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

"Then please don't tell her, Sister."

Xiao Yiyan rubbed her forehead. "You've misunderstood one thing. I'm not using Su Yuan as a shield. If he performs satisfactorily, I might just turn the tables and make it real..."

"You should save it," Yan Bing said, but swallowed the words. She was speechless. Picking up her small panties and undergarments, she put on her slippers and went back into the bathroom to wash her clothes.

"Sigh, I really put my reputation on the line to shake off those tails always following me. It's a bit unfair to Su Yuan, but I'll find a chance to make it up to her later..."

Xiao Yiyan took a deep breath. Sometimes she felt she was truly scheming. She didn't know how she'd been so bold as to think of this method at the time. Well, it must have been because that Su person actually tried to turn away and avoid her, which was too detestable!

Thinking back now, although she had blocked the pursuers, she also had a bad feeling of having trapped herself.

Thinking of Su Yuan, Xiao Yiyan's gaze gradually deepened. She had seen handsome guys before, but when she compared them carefully, none were as natural as Su Yuan.

That kind of naturalness seemed innate. Many people knew that if a guy was too effeminate, it could be awkward, but Su Yuan didn't give off that feeling at all.

Especially those eyes. Although her hair was a bit messy, as if deliberately unkempt, her lively eyes easily gave her away.

Someone like that... was actually a guy?