"Do you know what you're saying? Threatening a Warrior? Never mind me, Teacher Qin is a War General Level Warrior from the Limit Martial Arts Hall. Does the Wang Family want to take on the Limit Martial Arts Hall? That would be quite something," Xu Qing sneered.
"No, that's not what I meant. Young Master Xu Qing, you've misunderstood," the steward said, his face changing dramatically as he hurried to deny it.
The Limit Martial Arts Hall was the most powerful force on Earth, bar none, because it had been founded by Hong, the world's strongest man. The Thunder Martial Arts Hall, founded by Thor, the second strongest, came next.
Neither of these halls could be offended—not by the Wang Family, nor even by the entire Underground Alliance combined.
In Jiangnan Base City, anyone who dared offend a member of the Limit Martial Arts Hall was practically asking to die.
"You know what you meant. Threatening me? Your young master sure is something. Isn't he afraid of offending Sister Xin? He doesn't even take the Limit Martial Arts Hall seriously."
"If you'd just told me to watch my back when I walked home at night, I'd have admitted he had some brains. He actually dared to threaten me openly. He's an idiot. Anyone who didn't know better would think your young master was already the Wang Family's head, with power to spare," Xu Qing mocked.
He and Qin Lin were close. It wasn't exactly a secret; plenty of people at the university knew.
There had even been rumors that they were dating, but neither Xu Qing nor Qin Lin had paid them any mind.
The steward's face flushed with embarrassment. He hadn't expected to put his foot in his mouth so quickly—and say something that could easily be used against his master.
"I'm sorry, Young Master Xu Qing. I spoke out of turn. It wasn't my young master's intention," the steward said, quickly bowing in apology.
"Is that excuse supposed to help? You're his subordinate. When you speak, you represent him. You're old enough to know that, aren't you?" Xu Qing found the whole thing ridiculous.
The steward was left speechless with shame, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
As a subordinate and servant, the worst thing you could do was speak carelessly, because it could easily make enemies for your master.
Just like now. He'd said the wrong thing. He shouldn't have brought up Xu Qing staying at his homeroom teacher's house.
"Go on, get out of here. Don't hang around in front of me. Tell your young master not to come looking for me. I can't stand him," Xu Qing said, waving him away.
The steward opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't dare say anything more. He turned and left.
"Honestly. He just had to show up out of nowhere and ruin my mood," Xu Qing muttered.
Then he went back to staring at the moon and spacing out.
In a suite at a high-end hotel not far from Jiangnan University, a young man in a bathrobe lay on a sofa while two beautiful women, one older and one younger, massaged him.
The young man was Wang Xingping, one of the many young masters of the Wang Family.
He had transferred from Kyoto Base City. Naturally, he wasn't staying in the university dorms. Instead, he was enjoying the comforts of a high-end hotel suite near the university.
His goal, of course, was Xu Xin and the Xu Family.
A short while later, the steward came in and stood to one side. "Young master."
Wang Xingping waved his hand, and the two women obediently withdrew.
"Uncle An, how did it go?" Wang Xingping asked as he stood up.
Uncle An shook his head.
"He won't even agree to meet me? He's that difficult to deal with?" Wang Xingping frowned. He'd originally wanted to get on good terms with Xu Qing, since Xu Xin doted on her younger cousin.
"If Xu Qing were a girl, he might be easier to win over. Too bad he's a man." Wang Xingping had seen Xu Qing's photo. He was adorable, almost like a girl.
Even a Wang Family young master who'd been around countless women had to admit that Xu Qing was exceptionally cute and had a lively air about him.
If only Xu Qing had been a girl, he and Xu Xin would have made a perfect pair of sisters.
Besides, Xu Qing was a Warrior. Becoming one at seventeen meant he was certainly talented.
It was just that he didn't seem to be pursuing the path of a Warrior.
"Young master, what should we do next?" the steward asked. He didn't dare mention that he'd threatened Xu Qing.
"It seems I'll have to find a chance to meet him in person. I refuse to believe he has no interest in becoming head of the Xu Family," Wang Xingping said confidently.
At that, Uncle An's eyes flickered. "Young master, perhaps he really isn't interested in becoming head of the Xu Family. He and Miss Xu Xin are close. There's nothing there we could exploit."
"Impossible. Unless he isn't a man, he can't have no interest in that position," Wang Xingping insisted, certain his guess was right.
A man either pursued power, strength, or wealth. How could he be content with an ordinary life?
Besides, Xu Qing came from the Xu Family. How could he have no desires at all?
"Uh..." The steward didn't know what to say.
From his conversation with Xu Qing that evening, it was obvious that Xu Qing was exceptionally clever. He could hide none of his little schemes from him.
The steward thought Xu Qing was frightening. He looked harmless, but beneath that innocent face was a mind that saw through everything.
"All right. I'll find a chance to meet him myself," Wang Xingping said, waving a hand.
By then, it was nearly nine in the evening.
Xu Qing was still sitting by the flower bed, watching the moon.
Before long, he heard familiar footsteps and knew Qin Lin had arrived.
He got to his feet on the edge of the flower bed and looked back at the tall figure walking toward him. She was smiling, her eyes reflecting his image.
"Sorry for the wait. I had a lot to deal with today," Qin Lin said with a smile as she came up to him.
Since Xu Qing was standing on the edge of the flower bed, he was taller than Qin Lin. She had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his gaze.
"Mm. Teacher Qin, there's something I want to ask you." Xu Qing looked down into her eyes.
"What is it?" Qin Lin encouraged him to go ahead.
"Teacher Qin, do you like me?" Xu Qing asked bluntly.
Qin Lin froze, and her heart gave a sudden leap. But she kept her composure and smiled. "Why do you ask? Did I do something that gave you the wrong idea?"
"Or are you teasing your teacher, Xu Qing? That's not nice. It's disrespectful. Even a teacher as good-natured as me can get angry."
She wasn't ready to lay her feelings bare to Xu Qing, so all she could do was steer the conversation away from the subject.
But those weren't the words Xu Qing wanted to hear. He was certain Qin Lin liked him. It wasn't vanity, nor was it a trick of his imagination.
They looked at each other as the seconds ticked by.
Just as Qin Lin was about to say something else, Xu Qing moved. He reached out with both arms and suddenly pulled Qin Lin into an embrace.
Xu Qing's sudden move left Qin Lin rooted to the spot, at a loss.
She nearly forgot to breathe. Her thoughts became a complete mess, and she had no idea what to do or say.
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