Chapter 31: A Shocking Scene

"Young Master Wu? Why do you call me so formally?" Wu Yu's brows knitted instantly, a hint of reproach in his tone. "I do have a name, you know!"

"Alright then, Wu Yu, let me thank you for your kindness! I'm quite comfortable here, so I wouldn't dare trouble you," Liu Qingyan responded promptly.

Was that a gentle rebuff or a sharp one? Wu Yu nearly lost his composure on the spot—after all, this was his turf! Outrageous! He knew well: countless girls longed to throw themselves at him, and he rarely even entertained them.

But Liu Qingyan was different—he couldn't simply snub her. Not just because of her background, but because her beauty far surpassed any other girl he'd ever seen.

Wu Yu felt as though he'd fallen into her web, and he was willing to accept it.

Seeing Wu Yu's awkwardness, torn between desire and frustration, the two boys beside him, acting like his henchmen, turned their attention to Zhang Pu, clearly intent on making trouble.

"Where are you from? Never seen you before, huh?"

"How did you get into the water park? Do you have a ticket?"

Liu Qingyan, noticing their deliberate provocation, immediately stepped in to help Zhang Pu. "He's from our school; we're all here together for a pretend outing!"

Her words left the two boys embarrassed.

But Wu Yu and his companions were not about to give up so easily. Relying on their local advantage, they wanted to press further.

"A Yu—" Suddenly, someone from the water park called out to Wu Yu from across the path.

"I'll go see what's going on," Wu Yu said, hastily bidding Liu Qingyan farewell, not forgetting to shoot a venomous glare at Zhang Pu as he left.

Zhang Pu merely shrugged.

In an instant, Wu Yu and his two friends hurried away, as though fate had offered them a convenient exit.

"Boring, pointless," Liu Qingyan seemed to be passing judgment on Wu Yu and his friends.

"Mmm-hmm," Zhang Pu continued to shrug.

The two of them strolled casually around the area.

Meanwhile, students who knew Liu Qingyan saw her walking side by side with Zhang Pu, appearing almost like a couple, and their jaws nearly dropped in astonishment. Yet none dared utter a word. Everyone here knew Liu Qingyan’s status was akin to that of a princess—those who wished to approach her had to be exceedingly polite. Look at Wu Yu: despite his family being one of the owners of the water park, that meant little before Liu Qingyan. She seemed to be on another level altogether.

Their shock was even greater because Zhang Pu was an utterly unremarkable boy. His looks were ordinary, and he seemed rather shabby.

In fact, Zhang Pu was somewhat careless; even for this outing, he dressed as plainly as usual.

Thus, walking beside Liu Qingyan, they appeared wildly mismatched, which stirred the crowd.

Yet Zhang Pu remained calm, and Liu Qingyan was entirely unruffled.

"Zhang—"

Suddenly, a startled cry sounded by Zhang Pu's ear; a girl seemed about to call his name, but stopped abruptly.

Zhang Pu glanced sideways and saw Wu Xiaomei’s exaggerated expression.

Wu Xiaomei was stunned. She knew Liu Qingyan—the lofty princess who made even her feel inferior.

Zhang Pu flashed Wu Xiaomei a smile.

Then, as Wu Xiaomei watched in disbelief, Liu Qingyan called Zhang Pu away.

"Am I dreaming?" Wu Xiaomei muttered to herself.

"Xiaomei, do you know him?" Her boyfriend, Zhang Biao, eyed her suspiciously.

"Oh! I don’t… Oh! I do…" Wu Xiaomei seemed almost deranged, torn between denial and admission.

The sight of Zhang Pu with Liu Qingyan had shaken her deeply. She had intended to keep her boyfriend from finding out she knew someone as lowly as Zhang Pu, yet she did know him. The contradiction left her tongue-tied.

But Zhang Biao had no idea about her inner turmoil. He was simply puzzled by her reaction—what was so shocking about seeing the goddess of Modern High walking with a nobody? Maybe the goddess was just acting on a whim; was it worth making such a fuss?

Though Zhang Biao wasn’t from Modern High, he knew Liu Qingyan, and he coveted her in his heart. But he had enough self-awareness to know that even if he tried to curry favor, he’d only end up humiliated.

So he didn’t dare pursue Liu Qingyan, content instead with Wu Xiaomei.

"You’ve been absent-minded ever since we got here," Zhang Biao said, taking the opportunity to pull Wu Xiaomei into a tight embrace. "Is it because your aunt keeps you so busy you hardly have time to see me, and now you miss me so much? Well, here I am, right in front of you."

Driven by impulse, Zhang Biao tried to kiss Wu Xiaomei.

But with people everywhere, Wu Xiaomei wasn’t so liberal as to kiss her boyfriend in public, especially since she was still a student.

"Idiot, can’t you see this place is full of people?" Wu Xiaomei pushed him away, scolding.

She was relieved that Zhang Pu had disappeared from view; otherwise, if he saw her and reported back to Xu Huiping, her aunt, she’d be in trouble again.

"Fine, I’ll come to your room tonight—no one will be there," Zhang Biao added smugly.

Actually, Zhang Pu hadn’t completely left Wu Xiaomei’s vicinity. He and Liu Qingyan soon ran into another acquaintance, Hong Yingying.

Hong Yingying was with her boyfriend, Hong Shunquan.

She immediately called out Zhang Pu’s name.

But Zhang Pu, suddenly feigning intimacy with Liu Qingyan, left Hong Yingying dumbstruck.

Then, as if performing, Zhang Pu and Liu Qingyan strolled away from Hong Yingying with flair.

Hong Yingying was so shocked she collapsed into Hong Shunquan’s arms, the latter seizing the chance to take liberties, while Hong Yingying seemed oblivious.

Neither Hong Yingying nor Wu Xiaomei realized that although Zhang Pu acted nonchalant as he walked away with Liu Qingyan, he was still paying close attention to both of them.

With his thousand years of experience in the cultivation world, Zhang Pu could instantly judge: the boyfriends of Wu Xiaomei and Hong Yingying were not good people.

Both girls seemed blinded by their first loves, and tonight their boyfriends were planning to take advantage of them.

Zhang Pu felt that tonight might be quite busy for him—he would have to look after both girls.