Chapter 5

Xu Yan hesitated for a moment. He had rented a two-bedroom apartment near the school, and one of the rooms was empty. Renting it to this girl wasn't out of the question. However, the girl had no ID and seemed a bit odd, which made Xu Yan worry about getting into trouble.

Just then, Xu Yan's phone in his pocket rang. He apologized and pulled out the phone, only to hear a roar from the receiver: "Xu Yan, you're really out of line! We agreed to meet at KFC at eight to play League of Legends, and look at the time now! Where the hell are you?"

Recognizing the voice of his classmate and best friend Liu Yang, Xu Yan couldn't help but smile. He hurriedly apologized and explained that he had already arrived at KFC but had to leave due to an emergency, and it seemed he wouldn't be able to play tonight.

The fat guy on the phone roared even louder: "What, you can't come? That's really out of line, Xu Yan. Fat Master knows you're lonely and bored without a girlfriend, so I specially made time to help you improve your skills. Do you know how many beautiful women are crying and begging me to spend the night with them? But Fat Master has a heart of steel and a sense of righteousness like Guan Yu, and I turned them all away. I refused the temptation of so many beautiful girls to keep you company, and this is how you repay me? How can you face the Party and the people who have nurtured you? How can you face your dad who makes stinky tofu? How can you face Fat Master?"

"Hey, hey, Fat Master, you got it wrong. The one who can't find a girlfriend is you. Tonight, it's Mr. Xu who will keep you company through the long night."

"Hmph, Xu Yan, no more nonsense! I give you five minutes to show up, or I'll use my Invincible Char Siu Grabbing Hand on you tomorrow!"

"Fat Master, I really can't come—" Xu Yan glanced at the girl in front of him, stepped aside, and lowered his voice: "You should know, Mr. Xu is being bothered by a girl he just met. She's crying and begging to go home with Mr. Xu. Sigh, Mr. Xu is really troubled by this. It's all because Mr. Xu is too handsome and charming, and being too affectionate always hurts the hearts of beautiful women..."

The phone erupted with unrestrained laughter: "Pfft, Xu Yan, you're just blowing smoke. Who doesn't know you're a thousand-year-old shut-in? If any blind girl actually chases after you, I'll walk to class on my hands tomorrow!"

Feeling insulted by Fat Master, Xu Yan's competitive spirit flared up: "Pfft, believe it or not—Hey, Fat Master, are you still at KFC? Me and the girl are walking south from Chunxi Road, just wait three minutes. If you don't believe me, come and see for yourself. If she's not a beauty, Mr. Xu will buy you a week's worth of meals!"

"Alright, if a beauty is really chasing after you, I'll buy you a week's worth of meals too! Wait for me!"

The call ended. As Xu Yan put down the phone, he had made up his mind: no matter who this girl was, he had to win Fat Master a week's worth of meals! He smiled at the girl and said, "Sorry for the wait. An old friend just called—about what you said earlier, of course there's no problem! I have an empty room at my place. It's a bit simple, but it has a bed and everything you need. You're welcome to stay."

"Thank you, sir, for your help. But—" The girl looked at the phone in Xu Yan's hand with interest and asked, "Sir, what is this? I heard voices coming from it, and you said it's your friend—could it be a magical device that can transmit voices over long distances?"

"Really? You've never seen a phone before? Even farmers from the most remote and impoverished areas wouldn't be this clueless these days."

Xu Yan gave the girl a suspicious look, but with so many strange things about her, he didn't have the energy to investigate further. He explained casually, "This is an iPhone 4S, made by Apple in the United States—let's talk more as we walk."

The girl leaned in to examine the phone and praised, "Such a delicate magical device, capable of transmitting voices over long distances? It must be very valuable, I think it's even better than a sound-transmitting wall!"

"Um, it was quite expensive at the time, but I bought a gray market version, which was a bit cheaper."

As they walked and chatted, despite not understanding each other at all, they somehow managed to have a harmonious conversation, which was quite strange. On the street, Xu Yan spotted a familiar face, none other than Fat Master Liu Yang.

Seeing that Xu Yan wasn't lying and was indeed walking with a beautifully dressed girl, Fat Master was so surprised his mouth dropped open. He gave Xu Yan a thumbs-up from a distance, and Xu Yan secretly made a gesture to eat, but Fat Master closed his eyes, pretending not to see.

The girl noticed Xu Yan's gesture: "Sir, what are you doing?"

"I saw a friend and was just greeting him—don't worry, we can ignore him and keep walking."

The girl stopped and smiled, "Since he's your friend, it would be rude to ignore him. Let me see who it is." She followed Xu Yan's gaze: "Oh, it's the fat gentleman over there, right?"

Xu Yan smiled—Liu Yang was 1.6 meters tall but weighed 180 pounds. His round face and body, along with his round belly, made him look cute rather than bulky.

Seeing them looking at him, Liu Yang walked over confidently. Xu Yan covered his face, speechless at this shameless guy. He wished he could tell the world he didn't know him, but Liu Yang had already walked up and grabbed his arm, acting as if they were the closest of friends.

Xu Yan rolled his eyes to the sky, "Comrade, which unit are you from, and what do you want with us?"

Liu Yang ignored Xu Yan, his face blooming like a chrysanthemum as he grinned at the girl, showing eight white teeth: "Beautiful lady, hello! I'm Xu Yan's best friend—Liu Yang. We've been friends since we were in diapers, and we're the best of friends!"

"Hey, buddy, who said they weren't close friends and wanted rent for notes in production management class yesterday?"

The girl bowed and greeted, "Mr. Liu, hello. I'm with this—"

She glanced at Xu Yan, who realized they hadn't introduced themselves properly despite their interactions. He introduced himself, "I'm Xu Yan, a second-year student in the Economics and Management Department at Shudu University. This is Liu Yang, also a classmate in the same department, but in the Enterprise Management program. You can just call him Fat Master. And you are...?"

The girl seemed to hesitate slightly when asked about her identity, but then she calmly said, "Mr. Xu, Mr. Liu, it's an honor to meet you. My name is Zhu Youxiang, and my teacher gave me the name Xun Yun. I'm a student from the Bailu Academy in Anyang Town, SX Dao, and I came to Shuchuan Dao for a trial. I encountered an accident on the way, but fortunately, Mr. Xu helped me. Meeting two such wise and virtuous gentlemen in Shuchuan is truly an honor for Xun Yun."

Hearing this long introduction, Xu Yan was somewhat immune, but Liu Yang was completely stunned, his mouth wide enough to fit an egg. He nudged Xu Yan, "Xu Yan, is this lady speaking Chinese? I recognize every word, but I can't understand them together—can you understand her?"

Xu Yan tapped his head and gave him a meaningful look. Liu Yang was puzzled for a moment before realizing the lady had some mental issues. He looked at her with pity and said, "Oh, so you're Miss Zhu from SX, nice to meet you, nice to meet you! Are you here in Shudu for a trip?"

The girl politely replied, "The academy gave me a task to come here for a trial."

Looking at the bustling, brightly lit street, Zhu Youxiang sighed, "I thought this would be a simple task, but I encountered an accident as soon as I arrived in Shuchuan. The customs and manners of Jiban Prefecture are very different from those of the direct-administered prefectures. It seems that reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. The ancients were right! If it weren't for Mr. Xu's help, I would have been homeless tonight."

"Ah, a beautiful lady homeless!? How can this be! Just follow me, I know where there's a big and comfortable bed... Oh, by the way, I'm still a pure young man, and I don't have a girlfriend yet..."

"Fat Master, go to hell!"

After the pleasantries, Liu Yang asked where they were going. Despite Xu Yan's desperate signals, Zhu Youxiang said, "I just arrived and have nowhere to stay, so I'm going to Mr. Xu's place for the night."

"Ah, the beautiful lady is going to stay at Xu Yan's place?" Fat Master was shocked and said, "Xu Yan, you're really lucky to have such a beautiful lady fall from the sky!"

Fat Master turned to Xu Yan, gazing at him deeply and said, "Xu Yan, we promised to be best friends for life. I've remained chaste for you, and now you're going to abandon me? Xu Yan, you're so heartless, so cruel, so unreasonable! Xu Yan, have you forgotten Xia Yuhuo by Daming Lake?"

"Uh, Mr. Liu, what are you talking about?"

Xu Yan wished he could kill the talkative Fat Master. He said irritably, "Ignore him, he's just being crazy—Miss Zhu, let's go home, ignore him."

Ignoring Xu Yan's murderous glare, Liu Yang said proudly, "This is great, I also have something to do at Xu Yan's place, let's go together!"

So the three continued walking, with Zhu Youxiang in front and Liu Yang and Xu Yan whispering behind.

"Xu Yan, this girl is really beautiful, but she seems a bit strange... Could you understand what she said? How did you meet her?"

"About half, the rest I had to guess. Anyway, I'm used to not understanding her. Even with guessing, I can get it right half the time. She claims to be from the Ming Dynasty—Fat Master, I'm really confused. If you hadn't come, I wouldn't know if she's the one with the problem or if I am."

Liu Yang rubbed his chubby chin, looking very serious, and said, "Xu Yan, from what you've told me, this girl has no ID, doesn't understand RMB, and acts strangely. She's very suspicious. With Fat Master's keen eye and your level, I'm afraid you can't subdue this demoness. If you take her home, it could be dangerous. Xu Yan, your forehead is black, I fear you'll have a disaster tonight!"

Xu Yan clasped his hands in a panic and bowed, "What should I do? Please, Fat Master, guide me!"

"Mr. Xu, don't worry. Fat Master is compassionate and determined to save all beings. I won't let you be harmed by this demoness. Rest assured, I've been practicing the Yuan Yang Child Skill since childhood, and I have twenty years of power. I've developed an invincible demon-subduing vajra, and my pure yang energy is overflowing, enough to subdue any demoness in the world. I'll go to hell if I must. Mr. Xu, just disappear, leave this demoness to me. I'll subdue her until she's begging for mercy!"

"Ha! What pure yang energy overflowing, it's just your brain full of lust!"

"Mr. Xu, don't be angry. The Buddha says, everything can be negotiated. If you give me this girl, I'll treat you to a month—no, the whole semester of meals!"

"Two words for you—get lost!"

"That's one word, you still owe me one!"

"Then here's another—get lost, far away!"

The two bickered all the way to the university campus. The girl's traditional attire drew many curious glances and whispers from passersby. The girl remained calm, ignoring the curious looks, while Xu Yan and Liu Yang tried to avoid being seen by acquaintances. Fortunately, it started drizzling, and the streets became deserted. They reached Xu Yan's place without running into anyone they knew.

At the building, Fat Master Liu Yang still wanted to follow, but Xu Yan kicked him away. He wailed as he ran off, "Xu Yan, you deceived my feelings, played with my body, and then abandoned me. I'll remember this..."

Xu Yan wasn't from Jincheng and had rented a one-bedroom, one-living room apartment. It was previously rented by a senior, who then transferred it to him at a lower price after graduating.

Since it was a girl's room, the furniture and decorations were very neat and cozy, suitable for living. Xu Yan led Zhu Youxiang into his apartment and said politely, "The room is a bit small and simple, but please make do."

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