Liu Lin looked at Wang Dong's face, clearly aggrieved, her eyes red, yet still stubbornly refusing to give in. He almost couldn't stop himself from laughing.
Liu Lin beckoned to Wang Dong, then turned and headed toward the dormitory building. Wang Dong followed behind him, biting her lip and grumbling inwardly.
Just you wait. With my talent, in a few years I'll make you clean up after me.
Huo Yuhao watched the two of them walk away. Since he still had a few things he wanted to say to Liu Lin, he followed them too.
Liu Lin brought Wang Dong to the dormitory door, pushed it open, then stepped aside to let her enter first.
Wang Dong looked around the room and saw that only one bed had bedding on it. The other was bare.
Wang Dong asked in confusion, "Why is there only one person living in your dormitory?"
"The dean arranged it." Liu Lin leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed as he looked at her. "What's wrong?"
Hearing Liu Lin's reply, and remembering what her second father had said to the dean, Wang Dong couldn't help grumbling about him.
"Second Dad, you knew perfectly well I'm a girl, but you still didn't ask the principal to give me a single room. Just wait. I'm telling Big Uncle when I get back."
"All right, stop looking around and go clean up. Even if I don't live here, you still have to clean."
Liu Lin reminded Wang Dong, who stood there sulking.
When Wang Dong heard that Liu Lin didn't live there, and that it was a single room, she wanted to move in.
With her back to Liu Lin, Wang Dong spoke with an awkward, bashful air:
"Since there's an empty bed here anyway, I might as well move in. It'll be convenient for me to clean up for you."
"That way, I won't have to come all the way over from my own dorm every day. If you don't think it'll work, then forget it."
Liu Lin watched her try to act indifferent when it was obvious how badly she wanted to move in, and the corner of his mouth lifted.
Liu Lin regarded Wang Dong's turned back with an amused look. "Do you really want it?"
"Mm, I do."
Hearing Liu Lin's question, Wang Dong felt inexplicably shy and gave a quiet nod.
"What do you want?" After saying that, Liu Lin almost burst out laughing.
"I want... I want to live here."
Standing behind Wang Dong, Liu Lin saw how red her ears were and finally couldn't hold back his laughter.
If he could keep a straight face through that, he'd have nerves of steel.
Hearing Liu Lin laugh, Wang Dong wanted to crawl into a crack in the ground. Still, she took a deep breath.
"So, will you agree to my request?"
Liu Lin coughed twice, his expression turning completely serious, and slowly nodded.
"Mm. Then you can live here. I don't stay here most of the time anyway."
Wang Dong wasn't wrong. He only kept a few things in this dorm during the day and occasionally used it for a nap. He hardly ever slept there at night.
Rather than let an empty bed gather dust, he might as well let her stay. He could also keep an eye on what the young lady of the Tang family was really up to at the academy.
Wang Dong turned and glared at him, but all the grievance had vanished from her eyes. Hearing Liu Lin go on and on, she couldn't help speaking up.
"Got it, got it. Why are you so long-winded?
"By the way, I still don't know your name. I can't keep calling you 'Hey,' can I?"
"Liu Lin."
Wang Dong silently repeated the name, then lifted her chin, her tone still carrying a hint of pride.
"My name is Wang Dong. I may have lost to you today, but sooner or later I'll surpass you. Then you'll have to clean up for me, too."
"Sure, I'll be waiting. If you lose again, it won't be as simple as cleaning up." Liu Lin chuckled and turned to leave.
Wang Dong huffed but didn't answer. Only after Liu Lin's footsteps faded at the end of the corridor did she sit on the freshly made bed, wrap her arms around her knees, and bury her face in them.
Her short, pink-and-blue hair slipped through her fingers, catching the sunset's afterglow with a faint sheen. The tips of her ears were still red, whether from anger or something else, she couldn't say.
Meanwhile, hidden in the shadows, the Titan Giant Ape watched Liu Lin leave the dormitory, his face full of fury.
"That kid has it coming. How dare he make my adorable Xiao Dong clean up after him—and tease her, too?"
"Tease her? Sigh." The Titan Giant Ape seemed to remember something and couldn't help shuddering.
"Xiao Dong's a boy now. Could this young man be..."
His gaze toward Liu Lin grew increasingly strange, and his earlier intention to teach him a lesson vanished.
If Liu Lin had heard that, he would certainly have shouted, "Slander! This is pure slander! I'm straight—how could I be gay?"
Just then, the jade slip in Er Ming's arms lit up.
Er Ming stopped his wild imaginings and opened the jade slip to check it. It was a message from his elder brother, telling him to hurry back.
After reading the message on the jade slip, Er Ming cast one reluctant glance at Wang Dong, then left.
Liu Lin had just stepped out of his dormitory when he saw Huo Yuhao standing at the door.
"Yuhao, is something the matter?" Liu Lin looked at the thin, blue-haired boy before him and asked in confusion.
"Big Brother Liu, I came to thank you for what happened at the White Tiger Duke Mansion last time. Thanks to you, things at home are much better now, and the mansion no longer withholds supplies like it used to."
Huo Yuhao paused, his deep blue eyes fixed firmly on Liu Lin, his voice earnest and solemn.
"Big Brother Liu, I don't know how to repay you. But whenever you need me to do something, whatever it is, I'll do it."
Hearing Huo Yuhao's words, Liu Lin nodded. He was curious to find out just how delicious Huo Yuhao's grilled fish was, to have so many people enjoy it.
He walked over to Huo Yuhao and patted him on the shoulder. "That's perfect. I've been craving grilled fish lately. Do you know how to make it, Yuhao?"
Huo Yuhao froze for a moment, then nodded vigorously. "I grew up by the stream in the back hills of the White Tiger Duke Mansion, catching fish and grilling them all the time.
"I can't compare with the chefs in the Imperial Kitchen, but my mother says the fish I grill are pretty tasty."
"Then that's settled. I'll take you somewhere tonight. There's a stream outside the woods in the academy's back hills. You can grill a couple of fish for me there."
Huo Yuhao grinned. His usually tense, thin face rarely showed the genuine childlike cheer of someone his age.
At dusk, by a stream in the academy's back hills. It was not far from the academy, but few people came there. The water wound down from the mountain, sending up tiny splashes as it rushed between the rocks.
Huo Yuhao crouched by the stream, expertly preparing several Silver Scale Fish he had just caught. He scaled, gutted, and washed them, every step clean and efficient.
Liu Lin sat on a large boulder a short distance away, watching the sunset dye the stream orange-red as he waited contentedly for Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.