Qin Yexuan stood before Song Qilin and his group, appearing utterly alone and outnumbered.
Song Qilin, however, was stunned. He had been a prominent figure at Chaoge Academy for three years, a campus celebrity from the moment he enrolled, moving about as if no one could touch him, surrounded by a throng of sycophants. Never before had anyone dared to block him face-to-face and question him so brazenly.
Song Qilin chuckled. He was in a good mood today, so he didn't strike immediately. "Idiot, do you know who I am?"
"No."
Song Qilin's lackeys burst into laughter. "He's a new student idiot. This is our Student Union President, understand? Even the counselors call him Brother Song."
Qin Yexuan's expression remained unchanged. "I don't care who you are. Stay away from Yu Luo. This is your first warning, and it will be your last."
Song Qilin's face darkened. "Oh, a fan of Su Yu Luo? You think you can challenge me?"
They had cornered Qin Yexuan on the main road near the archives building.
"Speak, what's your name, student ID, and department? Don't you kowtow to your seniors when you see them?"
Song Qilin and his gang treated bullying freshmen like a game. The new students nearby, seeing this, were terrified and steered clear.
Qin Yexuan was exasperated. "I already told you, my name is Qin Sheng, from the Traditional Chinese Medicine department. I don't remember my student ID."
Seeing his serious demeanor, Song Qilin laughed until his stomach hurt. He poked Qin Yexuan's chest with his finger. "Here at Chaoge Academy, I am king. Believe it or not, I can make your next three years feel like hell!"
Someone beside him chimed in, "The Student Union's power is far greater than you imagine, kid. We can ensure you don't even get your graduation certificate."
Qin Yexuan flicked the man's hand away. "I've said what I needed to say. If you'll excuse me, I'm leaving."
He couldn't afford to get into a fight on campus and expose the identity he had worked so hard to infiltrate. Besides, Qin Yexuan's objective in coming to Chaoge was the monsters of Lingmeng Mountain, not this group of foolish university students.
But as Song Qilin saw him about to leave, his anger flared. "Detain this hothead and send him to the security office to find out what's gotten into him, daring to provoke me?"
The security personnel had already arrived and now surrounded Qin Yexuan with smirking faces.
This was turning into quite the incident.
Students all around watched the spectacle from a distance.
The roommates from Dorm 803 were just returning from an internet cafe when a guy from the adjacent Dorm 802 shouted gleefully from afar, "Your roommate Qin Sheng is in a fight with the Student Union!"
What?
Zhao Xibei, the head of the dorm, immediately asked, "Which department of the Student Union?"
The guy, with a mocking tone, replied, "He's finished this time. He's picked a fight with Song Qilin and is already surrounded."
My God!
The head of the dorm's face turned pale.
"Who is Song Qilin?" asked the third roommate,傻乎乎 (shǎ hū hū - foolishly).
Qian Nanhai, the second roommate, and Li Hao, the fourth, were already terrified. "He's the Student Union President, the big shot of our academy."
Li Hao scratched his head. "Is this Qin Sheng crazy? I heard that someone who didn't know his place before provoked Song Qilin and was accused of theft and expelled."
The head of the dorm took a deep breath. "That's considered good. Before coming here, I already found out that Song Qilin is one of the people you absolutely cannot provoke on campus. He's messed with quite a few people, and even a female teacher from the art department was..."
The head of the dorm had clearly done his research. He rubbed his hands and suddenly rushed towards the archives building.
"What is he doing?"
"Is he... is he going to save Old Fifth?"
The other three roommates exchanged bewildered glances.
Li Hao scoffed. "What 'Old Fifth' and 'Boss'? We're not blood brothers. I'm changing dorms. Goodbye, everyone."
He turned and left.
The second roommate hesitated on the spot, torn.
But the most honest one, nicknamed "Grandson," clenched his fist and followed his leader.
"Damn it, I'm Qian Nanhai. Whether we're blood brothers or not, we just became sworn brothers in the same dorm... Damn it, live or die!"
The second roommate, Qian Nanhai, also moved forward, trembling step by step.
The three of them stood behind Qin Yexuan. The head of the dorm was bending over, offering a cigarette and apologizing.
Song Qilin slapped it away, grabbed the head of the dorm by his collar, "You want to take the blame? I'll make your whole dorm suffer!"
The head of the dorm froze. Despite his tall and imposing frame, he was now at a loss.
"Hey, respected seniors, there's no need for this," a trembling voice came. The fourth roommate, Li Hao, had appeared, holding four red envelopes, clearly hastily prepared.
He quickly stuffed the envelopes into Song Qilin and his gang's hands.
Song Qilin threw them aside with a "snap." "Do I lack this little bit of money?"
Li Hao gritted his teeth and took off the limited-edition sports watch from his wrist. "Chairman Song, let's be friends. Our Dorm 803 will keep this madman in check and won't cause any more trouble."
Song Qilin showed a flicker of interest. He unceremoniously grabbed the watch and pointed at Qin Yexuan's nose. "You watch yourself. I'm keeping an eye on your dorm."
With that, he had the disciplinary department record the names and student IDs of the five individuals. Then, he left with a sinister grin.
The men from Dorm 803 sighed and looked at the calm Qin Yexuan, letting out a torrent of curses.
Li Hao, touching the empty space on his wrist, suddenly burst into tears.
"Why... why did I do this? On our first day, and I've already suffered such a loss."
The third roommate sidled over. "You were amazing just now. I'm impressed."
Li Hao said indignantly, "That wasn't just any watch, it was a limited edition! You can't get it anymore... Sigh, where's that scoundrel, Old Fifth?"
Qin Yexuan was already gone.
"Let's go. He's probably scared and can't face us. Regardless, we've united today. No one is allowed to change dorms. I consider you guys my brothers!"
The head of the dorm was moved by his own words. "To stand up for each other on the first day we met, that's true manhood. I'll treat you all."
Li Hao was speechless. "Forget it. Last night at dinner, you ate all my living expenses, and today..."
The third roommate, the honest and somewhat foolish one, exclaimed excitedly, "I'll treat, I'll treat! Old Fourth, you've lost so much. I'll treat today."
He took out his wallet, pulled the second roommate along, and they headed out to find a hot pot restaurant.
Qin Yexuan appeared on the top floor of the opposite administrative building. He had climbed over the high wall, as Song Qilin was currently in the Student Union office in the center of the top floor.
Peering through the window, he watched the few individuals from Dorm 803 below, feeling a sense of wonder.
"How many years has it been since someone touched me like this? It's rare indeed. I guess I have no choice but to accept you guys as brothers."
A smile curved his lips. He turned and, like a phantom, slipped into the Student Union office.
The lights instantly extinguished. Song Qilin, who was searching for documents, was shocked. As he reached for his phone, a searing pain shot through his fingers. A thick dictionary was stuffed into his mouth.
Qin Yexuan crisper-crashed-crashed broke all five fingers on his left hand, lightly retrieved Old Fourth's watch, and then lightly tapped the dictionary. With a muffled groan from Song Qilin, his two front teeth were pulverized.
Qin Yexuan withdrew without a word and vanished from the building in an instant.