Ning Rongrong's lips curled up too. "He'll probably be so scared he pisses his pants."
Zhu Zhuqing imagined the scene. She tried several times to suppress the smile tugging at her lips, but in the end, they lifted ever so slightly.
Bai Chenxiang hesitated. "What if we really do end up fighting? The Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring is just for show. I'm actually only at level 61."
Xiao Wu patted her shoulder. "Don't worry. The three of us will lie in wait nearby. If he dares to make a move, I can handle him by myself."
Zhu Zhuqing spoke up too, her voice cool and even. "I'll be there as well."
Ning Rongrong added with a smile, "It'll be four against one. He's a level-65 Soul Emperor. What's he going to do, turn the world upside down?"
Bai Chenxiang thought it over, then nodded.
"Fine. Let's try it."
Xiao Wu clapped her hands.
"Then let's do it!"
The four of them came out of the alley, and the sunlight made them squint.
Xiao Wu began assigning roles.
"Rongrong, Zhuqing, and I will head back to the academy first. I'll look for Ma Hongjun around the garden to the south. That guy likes to hang around there smoking when he has no afternoon classes."
"Chenxiang, once you spot him, just walk over by yourself. Act like you're out for a casual stroll, as if nothing's on your mind."
Bai Chenxiang's lips moved. She took a deep breath. "All right."
The four parted ways at the entrance to the pedestrian street. Xiao Wu, Ning Rongrong, and Zhu Zhuqing left first, while Bai Chenxiang slowly made her way toward the academy.
Bai Chenxiang walked alone along the flagstone path. Her white flats made soft tapping sounds against the stones. Her light green dress swayed gently with each step, and the legs beneath her gray stockings glimmered softly in the sunlight.
Her palms were a little sweaty.
She had never done anything like this before, so of course she felt a little nervous.
But when she thought of Ma Hongjun's disgusting words and the big hand that had nearly twisted her wrist, a cold glint entered Bai Chenxiang's eyes.
Enough.
It was time to teach him a lesson.
In the garden on the south side of the academy, sunlight filtered through the canopy overhead, scattering patches of light across the ground.
The garden wasn't large. Low shrubs surrounded a small pond, with several rows of stone benches nearby. In one corner stood an old locust tree, its enormous canopy shading half the sky.
Ma Hongjun sat on a stone bench beneath the old locust tree.
His gray jacket hung open. He rolled an unlit cigarette between the fingers of his right hand, while his left rested on his knee and he idly swung one leg.
His mind was a mess, full of what he'd heard in the dormitory that morning.
Dai Mubai's words kept circling through his head.
"There are four people in Xiao Wu's dorm. Xiao Wu's gotten stronger, Ning Rongrong's gotten stronger, and Zhu Zhuqing's gotten stronger too. That leaves Bai Chenxiang for you to check. I'm leaving this task to you. Besides, you like her anyway."
Ma Hongjun put the cigarette between his lips, then took it out again.
In the past, he wouldn't have needed Dai Mubai to tell him to seize a chance to get close to Bai Chenxiang. He would've gone after it himself.
Bai Chenxiang's pretty face flickered through his mind. Her light green dress set off her fair skin, and her voice was soft when she spoke.
Ma Hongjun admitted that he had his eye on her, but things were different now.
It was as if the sky over Douluo Continent had changed.
Xiao Wu had kicked Tang San flying, Ning Rongrong had knocked Oscar's front tooth out, and Zhu Zhuqing had beaten Dai Mubai until he was calling her "Granny."
All three women had undergone some kind of "mutation" within the span of two days.
Bai Chenxiang was their roommate. She lived with them, ate with them, and slept with them every day. If the other three really had some kind of fortuitous encounter, could Bai Chenxiang have benefited too?
The more Ma Hongjun thought about it, the less certain he felt, but he couldn't disobey Dai Mubai's order.
In their little F4 group, Dai Mubai was the leader. When the big brother gave an order, his underling couldn't exactly tuck his head and hide.
Besides, Tang San, Oscar, and Dai Mubai were all recovering from their injuries. They were counting on him.
"Whatever. I'll give it a try first." Ma Hongjun tucked the cigarette behind his ear, dusted off his pants, and stood up.
Just then, he caught sight of someone out of the corner of his eye.
A girl was slowly approaching along the path on the east side of the garden.
The hem of her light green dress fell to mid-calf, fluttering gently with the rhythm of her steps.
A section of her slender, shapely calves showed beneath the hem, covered in gray stockings. Her white flats barely made a sound against the flagstones.
Her waist wasn't exaggeratedly slim, but the dress's fitted cut traced a soft curve. Its loose neckline partly concealed her chest, which rose and fell slightly as she walked.
Two braids rested against her chest, their ends reaching her waist. Her face was fair and clear, with no unnecessary expression.
Bai Chenxiang. Ma Hongjun swallowed.
He glanced around without thinking. There was no one else in the garden. The afternoon sun slanted down, and the only sound beneath the trees was the chirping of cicadas.
Bai Chenxiang was all alone.
Two thoughts wrestled in Ma Hongjun's mind.
One said, "Be careful. Her three roommates have all changed. She might have changed too."
The other said, "How can you pass up such a great opportunity? There's no one around, and it's broad daylight. What could possibly happen?"
There was a knife above the word lust, and the second thought won.
Ma Hongjun straightened his clothes, tugged at his collar, and walked toward Bai Chenxiang.
He put on what he thought was a handsome smile. "Well, well! If it isn't Chenxiang!"
Bai Chenxiang raised her head.
She saw Ma Hongjun and paused. "Oh, Ma Hongjun. What are you doing here?"
Ma Hongjun put his hands in his pockets and took a couple of steps closer.
"Yeah, what a coincidence. I was just taking a break here. I didn't expect to run into you."
Bai Chenxiang neither stepped back nor moved forward. She simply stood there, watching him.
Ma Hongjun thought her expression seemed a little different today. Usually, when Bai Chenxiang saw him, her eyes were full of avoidance. She would rather walk around him than get near him. But today, she stood there without moving or trying to get away.
Ma Hongjun took that to mean she was warming up to him, and pressed his advantage.
"Chenxiang, have you thought any more about being my girlfriend?"
Bai Chenxiang's expression didn't change at all.
"You're disgusting. I'll never agree. Please don't bother me again."
Ma Hongjun's smile stiffened.
He'd heard this before. Bai Chenxiang always said the same things: "I'll never agree" and "Don't bother me."
In the past, Ma Hongjun might have tried to sweet-talk her a little more. But today, he was already seething. Dai Mubai had ordered him to do this, and he was worried Bai Chenxiang might have changed too. His patience was all but gone.
"What? You dare talk to me like that?" Ma Hongjun's face darkened, and his tone changed. "If you don't say yes today, don't blame me for losing my temper."
Bai Chenxiang's eyes narrowed slightly.
She wasn't hot-tempered like Xiao Wu, nor was she the type to stand her ground in a direct confrontation like Zhu Zhuqing. She was used to putting up with things, used to avoiding trouble. But today was different.
Today, she had a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Ring, and three people were lying in wait behind her!
"What are you supposed to be?" Bai Chenxiang's voice wasn't loud, but every word rang clear. "How dare you talk to me like that?"
Ma Hongjun froze. This was the first time Bai Chenxiang had ever spoken to him in that tone.
This girl, who usually spoke so softly and went out of her way to avoid him, had actually said, "What are you supposed to be?"
Ma Hongjun's temple twitched, and his anger flared.
"Huh? You brought this on yourself." Ma Hongjun took a step forward and pulled his hand out of his pocket. "There's no one around anyway. Why should I be afraid of you?"
His right hand reached for Bai Chenxiang's wrist.
Then he stopped.
A wave of pressure surged toward him.
It was as if the air throughout the garden had suddenly changed. The temperature was dropping, the sunlight was dimming, and even the cicadas in the old locust tree had fallen silent.