"Slap!" Lu Xing could no longer hold back and slapped Xiaoqian hard across the face with a crisp, loud sound.
Xiaoqian staggered and almost fell off the sofa. Lü Xing's blow was extremely hard; half of her face was swollen. She looked at Lü Xing in disbelief, covering her reddened face, and said, "You hit me? Why? Just because of him? Didn't you say you were…"
"You good-for-nothing bitch, what do you know?" Lu Xing immediately interrupted her with a ferocious expression, shouting: "Apologize to Ling Yun right now, and then disappear immediately!"
Xiaoqian opened her mouth with teary eyes. Her arrogance vanished without a trace with the heavy slap. She looked pitifully at Lü Xing, whose face was ashen, and then at Ling Yun. Suddenly, she burst into tears and ran out of the dormitory without looking back.
Lu Xing seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, angrily slamming the open door shut. He forced a smile at Ling Yun and said, "I'm sorry, Ling Yun. My girlfriend is uneducated and has very low manners. She doesn't know how to speak properly. I've already taught her a lesson. Don't take it to heart. I apologize on her behalf."
Ling Yun gave him a deep look and smiled calmly, "It's alright. The main problem is that I didn't know, otherwise I wouldn't have come back to bother you two first. Go after her quickly, don't make her sad. Women need to be cherished. If you hit her, it would make me feel really bad."
Lu Xing glanced at Ling Yun, seemingly trying to discern his true thoughts. But after Ling Yun finished speaking, he turned and headed towards the bedroom. Lu Xing had no choice but to look away. He thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll go. Please don't be angry, Ling Yun."
Ling Yun turned around and said calmly, "No, you should go quickly. Don't let your girlfriend get too far away."
Lü Xing nodded, then changed his clothes and hurried downstairs.
Ling Yun sat on his bed and casually removed the camera disguised as a clothes hook. After storing data for more than half a month, there should be some interesting content inside. Recalling the information Gu Xiaorou had shown him, a cold smile crept onto Ling Yun's lips.
The panoramic view was already open, and everything inside and outside the campus was clearly displayed in Ling Yun's mind. He even heard every word of what Lü Xing said to Xiao Qian after catching up with her and then calling Qin Zhengwei and Fang Xiaoming on his phone.
If he were just an ordinary person, he might have already fallen into a carefully laid trap, and wouldn't even know how he died. But Ling Yun is a superhuman, possessing magical powers that seem almost like magic to ordinary people. Faced with this overwhelming asymmetry, all the traps meticulously set up against him by the opposing side become a laughable, childish conspiracy.
After carefully removing the chip from the miniature camera and placing it in the computer, Ling Yun quickly reviewed the recordings from the past few days. He then uploaded the useful content to the online drive, cleared the chip's storage, hung the computer on the bedroom wall, and meticulously cleaned away any signs of use before leaving the room.
Looking at the weekly class schedule posted on the wardrobe, Ling Yun couldn't help but smile bitterly. It seemed like he hadn't attended many classes since starting university; even his textbooks were brand new, sitting untouched on the bookshelf. Including military training, half a semester had passed, and with all sorts of things happening, he didn't know how many professional courses he had fallen behind in. It seemed he needed to make good use of the remaining time to catch up.
Besides bioengineering, Ling Yun also plans to minor in economics and finance. Bioengineering is not his first choice; he only intends to study it in depth out of curiosity about the superpowers caused by genetic mutations. However, he will not make it his main career path in the future.
Finance is a new and promising industry, and making achievements in financial investment can bring considerable economic benefits. Regardless, Ling Yun believes that using superpowers to acquire money is not a righteous path. Although he has embarked on this path and strives for self-improvement, Ling Yun often prefers to treat himself as an ordinary person.
Lu Xing never returned after leaving, and it was unknown whether he went to meet up with Qin Zhengwei and the other two. Ling Yun didn't bother to care. After watching TV for a while, it gradually got dark. Looking at the clock, it was almost eight o'clock, so Ling Yun left the dormitory and headed towards the Bingyan Cafe.
Chapter 107 Do you have a girlfriend?
Walking on campus, Lingyun realized that there seemed to be far more students at night than during the day. Perhaps it was because the night was more romantic and suited to university life. Most students were in small groups, creating a charming scene. And many were couples in love. Seeing pairs of students walking hand-in-hand, Lingyun couldn't help but recall a joke she'd once read in a magazine: Elementary school campuses are filled with students walking in lines, middle school campuses with students walking in bunches, and university campuses with students walking in pairs.
Jinghua University serves as a mirror for Chinese universities to the world. Naturally, it invests heavily in its image; the campus layout is elegant and dignified, with a refreshing green ambiance that doesn't lack grandeur. Moreover, it is rich in traditional Chinese cultural characteristics. Whether it's the teaching buildings, dormitories, or parks and other spaces for faculty and staff recreation, all adopt architectural styles dating back to the Song and Ming dynasties. Furthermore, to reach a global audience, it incorporates contemporary top-tier architectural styles, making the entire university appear refined yet vibrant, a culmination of many virtues, inspiring a desire to visit.
Spending four of the best years of one's life here will become a classic story wherever one goes, inspiring envy in others.
Upon arriving at the backyard, Ling Yun immediately spotted the neon sign of Bingyan Café flashing in the night. Male and female students were constantly going in and out through the brown automatic glass doors. Compared to other shops in the school's backyard, Bingyan Café seemed exceptionally popular; its difference was immediately apparent.
Ling Yun was secretly amazed. He thought to himself that the last time he came to this coffee shop, it wasn't this crowded. How could the number of customers have increased several times in just over a month? It seemed that Su Bingyan was not only exceptionally skilled in martial arts, but also had a knack for business. If he couldn't find a job after graduation, he could learn from her whether to open a coffee shop; he figured it would be very profitable.
Just then, a few boys walked past me like a gust of wind. The first boy, glancing at his watch, said anxiously, "Oh no, oh no, there won't be any seats left."
Another boy behind him also looked dejected: "Last time we came, we couldn't get a seat. Hopefully we won't be this unlucky this time."
The boy next to him curled his lip in mock disdain: "Look at you guys, so pathetic. Even if Su Bingyan is really that pretty, I don't think she's anything special. I'm not like you guys who rush to give her money to spend, and then you don't even get a smile in return."
Before the first two boys could speak, the boy to his right was already mocking him: "You're just bragging, pretending to be high and mighty. I wonder who it is that takes a flashlight and sneaks into bed every day after the lights are off to look at posters of the Four Beauties. What a hypocrite!"
The boys burst into laughter. The one who had initially been dismissive chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I'm just letting my imagination run wild. Can't I even fantasize a little? Everyone knows that for the past two weeks, the four most beautiful girls in our freshman year have been going to Bingyan Cafe almost every day. It's gotten us guys going there every day too, thinking we can get closer to the beauties and maybe even strike up a conversation and become friends. If we could even win their favor, that would be even better!"
The boys burst into laughter again. The first boy flicked his finger on his head: "You're dreaming. You think she'd sit in the lobby drinking coffee for you to admire for free, and then keep waiting for guys to come up and introduce themselves? The coffee shop owner, Su Bingyan, has already reserved private rooms for other beauties. We can only catch a glimpse of them when they go in and out. Sigh, it's so hard to even see a beautiful woman, let alone talk to her. I really envy her classmates in her major, who can get up close and personal with her. We can only sigh in envy."
The boys burst into laughter, then sped up like a whirlwind, rushing into the Ice Goose Cafe before the couples could get in.
Ling Yun was dumbfounded, thinking that this was the real reason why Bingyan Café was always packed with customers. It seemed that he was really out of touch with the times and had even forgotten the effect of beautiful women.
His mind flashed through images of Su Bingyan's aloof beauty, Yang Yuqi's gentle elegance, Chen Jiaxuan's cheerful charm, and Lin Naimei's alluring allure. Now, it seemed that these four girls were indeed beauties among beauties. Now that they were gathered together, they naturally competed for attention, attracting boys like bees to flutter around and watch, all eager to witness the beauty of these women.
If they knew the true identities of these beautiful women, wouldn't they be stunned? Ling Yun thought to himself, a slight smile creeping onto his lips.
As Ling Yun approached the café, the floor-to-ceiling glass doors, tinted brown, slid open automatically. Just as he was about to step inside, a handsome doorman in a brightly colored uniform bowed and stopped him: "Excuse me, sir, have you reserved a private room?"
Ling Yun was taken aback. A private room? Xia Zhen hadn't mentioned this to him. She only told him to come at eight o'clock, but Ling Yun really didn't know if she had notified Su Bingyan in advance to make a reservation. Moreover, he remembered that last time he came, there was no doorman to greet him at the door. Did that mean he couldn't sit in the lobby even without a private room reservation?
After hesitating for a moment, Ling Yun said, "Excuse me, a friend asked me to come here at eight o'clock tonight, but I don't know if she booked a private room in advance. Can I sit in the lobby and wait for her for a while?"
The doorman smiled slightly, revealing a set of pearly white teeth, and said very warmly and sincerely, "I'm sorry, sir, our coffee shop is quite busy, and the main hall and private rooms are usually full by 7:30 pm. If you haven't made a reservation in advance or by phone, then I'm sorry, I'll have to trouble you to wait a little while or come back tomorrow."
Just as Ling Yun was about to say something, the couple behind him grew impatient. They linked arms and went straight inside. The doorman bowed again but didn't stop them; instead, he let them in.
"Didn't you say the main hall and private rooms were full?" Ling Yun raised an eyebrow. "Why did you let them in but not me?"
"Sir, do you have a girlfriend?" the doorman asked with a smile.
"So what if you have a girlfriend? So what if you don't?" Ling Yun asked, frowning.
The doorman replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "That's right, sir. We are open to singles during the day, but if there are still a few empty seats in the lobby in the evening, we will only give priority to couples and not to individuals."
"If you have a girlfriend, sir, you can bring her along and enjoy our fragrant Mandheling Romantic Coffee. But if you don't, I'm sorry, judging from your expression, it seems you haven't found the right girl yet," the doorman said with a calm smile. His tone and wording were impeccable, but to others, it seemed to carry a different, subtly sarcastic meaning.
That means, since you're not particularly good-looking and don't have a girlfriend, you shouldn't come to this cafe full of couples.
Just then, several more couples walked by hand in hand. They all overheard the doorman's distorted words and couldn't help but cover their mouths and chuckle, while secretly glancing at Ling Yun. They couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for this seemingly honest and ordinary young man.
Chapter 108 Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover
Ling Yun raised an eyebrow, about to say something, but after thinking for a moment, he smiled and shook his head. He didn't want to argue with a mere doorman. So he took out his phone, intending to call Xia Zhen to ask when she would arrive.
"Ling Yun!" A soft, joyful call immediately drew everyone's attention.
Amidst the astonished gazes of everyone, a beautiful girl with a graceful figure strode briskly from the café's lobby towards the door. She wore an elegant strapless black dress, her skin dazzlingly white, her hair flowing like a cloud, and her face the epitome of a perfect lover in the dreams of countless young men, along with her prominent and prestigious status. All the boys couldn't help but turn their heads, their gazes burning with intense desire.
Who else could be so stunning as Su Bingyan?