Martial Arts School Turmoil (1)

"Then come eat with me!" Dongfang Yinyin smiled for once. "I suppose you won't refuse, right?"

Pei Shao's heart skipped a beat. He nodded. "Of course not! Haha, on the contrary, I'm deeply honored!"

Seeing Pei Shao and Dongfang Yinyin walking together toward the cafeteria, many of the trainees wore astonished expressions, their mouths hanging wide open. Pei Shao was utterly baffled. What he did not know was that although Dongfang Yinyin usually seemed very easygoing toward every trainee, she had never once eaten with any of the male trainees. Yet now she was walking with a man whose appearance was hardly outstanding—and some even recognized him as the very man who had taken liberties with her yesterday. How could they not be shocked?

Dongfang Yinyin herself did not care in the slightest. No matter what sort of looks she received, she took them calmly. Along the way, she even took the initiative to tell Pei Shao some amusing stories about the martial arts school. Pei Shao could tell that although she did not truly respect him as a master, she had at least begun to regard him as a friend. And the more Dongfang Yinyin spent time with Pei Shao, the more she felt that aside from his somewhat indecent moves during their match that day, he was not as sleazy as she had imagined. Sometimes, whenever the topic turned to men and women, this obviously inexperienced young man would become somewhat awkward, even flushing faintly without realizing it. That surprised her a little. After all, although the martial arts school was not as bustling as some internationally renowned luxury hotels, it still attracted all sorts of people. Many men came here not to practice martial arts seriously at all, but to pick up girls. Some had even set their sights on her. That was why Dongfang Yinyin generally thought little of ordinary men. She felt that a real man would never indulge in lust. Though this Pei Shao had taken advantage of her before, he did seem somewhat different from the others. It made Dongfang Yinyin want to say something to tease him and see him squirm in embarrassment again. But out of reserve, she merely thought about it.

In truth, she had another purpose in asking Pei Shao to eat with her. Later, she wanted him to accompany her somewhere so she could secretly observe just how strong he really was. She also wanted to tell him that there were certain people in this martial arts school whom he should not offend lightly unless necessary.

So as soon as they finished eating, Dongfang Yinyin took the opportunity to get straight to the point. "A-Shao! Now that we're done eating, do you want to work it off a little? Can you accompany me somewhere?"

With a beautiful woman speaking softly at his side and plenty of time left in the day, Pei Shao had no reason to refuse, so naturally he nodded in agreement. Besides, he truly wanted to look around and see what level the other trainees had reached in martial arts.

The two then left the cafeteria and followed the corridor until they stopped before a small side hall. A burst of raucous laughter came from inside. Crimson light refracted through several glass panes in the door, giving the place a gaudy, intoxicating air.

Dongfang Yinyin led Pei Shao inside, and the noise immediately flooded his ears. As they walked farther in, Pei Shao soon saw a tall, fashionably dressed man surrounded by a large group of male trainees in white training uniforms. Though his clothes were also in the style of a training uniform, the faint sheen reflecting from them made it clear to Pei Shao that they were made of some special material. They were especially eye-catching beneath the lights and looked exceptionally smooth, nothing like ordinary coarse cloth.

At that moment, the man seemed to shout something else, but Pei Shao did not catch it. Then another crowd of people burst into laughter, and the atmosphere grew extremely lively. Pei Shao saw a smug look appear on the man's face. The laughter conveniently drowned out the footsteps of Dongfang Yinyin and Pei Shao.

"Who is that guy?" Pei Shao finally could not help asking. Naturally, his question was swiftly swallowed by the surrounding din.

Dongfang Yinyin leaned close to his ear and answered in a voice only Pei Shao could hear, "His name is Cui Jianhao. He's the young master of a wealthy family."

At such close range, Dongfang Yinyin's cherry lips breathed fragrance into his ear, and her faint scent washed over him. Pei Shao's mind swayed, and he nearly pulled her into his arms. Fortunately, he did not completely lose his reason at the critical moment and managed to put on the brakes in time, avoiding making a fool of himself on the spot.

The two then quietly exchanged a few more words. The people in front of them remained completely unaware.

Only when they reached the edge of the crowd did Cui Jianhao, surrounded as though the stars were orbiting the moon, brighten and immediately wave in their direction. "Hello, Yinyin, you're here!" The others turned around as well, but without exception they addressed her respectfully as "Miss Yinyin" or "Senior Dongfang!"

Because the room was lit by clusters of small orange-red pendant lamps, the lighting was somewhat dim. It was not until the trainees automatically stepped aside and made a path for Dongfang Yinyin that Cui Jianhao noticed Pei Shao standing behind her. But from his expression, it was obvious that he had taken Pei Shao for a servant or lackey. He merely glanced at him indifferently before turning his gaze back to Dongfang Yinyin's face.

Pei Shao did not mind either way. He was only here to watch the excitement.

Cui Jianhao was clearly somewhat surprised by Dongfang Yinyin's arrival. Based on his understanding of her personality, she rarely liked spending time with members of the opposite sex whose martial arts skills were inferior to hers. In that regard, he felt that the "Red Qilin Super Dazzling Color-Changing True Color Series Training Uniform" he had specially spent tens of thousands on today had been an absolutely brilliant purchase—it had brought him good luck so quickly!

Dongfang Yinyin looked at his training uniform then, but her delicate brows drew together slightly. Cui Jianhao smiled elegantly and said, "Yinyin, don't you think my Red Qilin Super Dazzling True Color training uniform is cool too? Those tens of thousands were well worth it, right?"

Dongfang Yinyin glanced at him without speaking. The people nearby, however, wore proud expressions, as though Cui Jianhao was not the one wearing that outfit, but they were. Pei Shao found those expressions utterly speechless.

Only then did Pei Shao realize that when this Cui Jianhao spoke to Dongfang Yinyin, he was not as respectful as the other trainees. Instead, he carried an overbearing air, as if he were very accustomed to giving orders. When the people around him had been flattering him just now, he had smiled generously at every one of them, but those smiles were merely perfunctory, habitual courtesies. They had not come from his heart at all.

As for someone like Pei Shao, whom he considered a mere "underling," Cui Jianhao could not even be bothered to put on an act. He did not offer so much as a smile, simply acting as though Pei Shao did not exist.