DFLB – Chapter 36

Lu Xun did not hold Qian Wei for very long, but for Qian Wei it seemed like time had frozen at that moment, as if a century had passed. She didn’t know why but being so close to Lu Xun and feeling his breath on her cheek made Qian Wei feel a little unable to breathe.

Fortunately, even as her face was becoming redder and redder and she was beginning to feel like she was about to suffocate, Lu Xun suddenly let go of her. His eyes seemed a little fierce and when he spoke his tone was sharp: “Are you stupid? Don’t you know how to duck when you see a ball coming at you?”

“I… I…”

Qian Wei stammered and wanted to explain when Lu Xun interrupted her.

“Forget it, it’s not my problem.” He glared at Qian Wei warningly and said, “Stay out of the way.”

Then he picked up the basketball and walked off towards Zhao Peng. At first, Qian Wei had thought that Lu Xun’s tone with her just now had been fierce but compared to how he was talking to Zhao Peng now, it could only be called gentle.

Because right now, Lu Xun looked very angry and his handsome face was locked in a stern mask that radiated a majestic aura that was akin to that of an ancient emperor.

“You couldn’t win the game so you can only rely on a sneak attack from behind?” Although there was a great deal of anger on his face, Lu Xun’s voice was scarily calm. “As a man, is that all you can do? Not only do you target a girl, you even use a sneak attack against her. Meanwhile, you don’t dare to attack the men.”

In Qian Wei’s memories, the 28-year-old Lu Xun had always been a powerful force in court who never lost the upper-hand but now she saw that even the 19-year-old Lu Xun had a vague sort of irrefutable dignity that overflowed from deep in his eyes.

Speaking from a completely scientific and objective point of view, Qian Wei had to admit that Lu Xun struck a really handsome figure at this moment.

But while Qian Wei was busy being lost in her daydreams, Lu Xun was pointing at her and confronting Zhao Peng.

“Don’t think that you can come here and bully the girls of our school. Especially not her.”

Most college guys had a strong sense of collective honor and the men from University A were no exception. They absolutely could not tolerate seeing their fellow students being bullied by outsiders and, with Lu Xun taking the lead, the rest of the basketball team members all began to speak up.

“Yeah, you absolutely can’t come here bully our girls!”

Qian Chuan walked over while flexing: “Bullying Qian Wei, are you asking for a punch?”

For a brief moment, an unprecedented united front who had gathered to protect Qian Wei appeared, it was the first time in her life that she had enjoyed this sort of star-studded VIP treatment.

Zhao Peng and his friends were all slightly intimidated by the sudden aggressive momentum from the basketball team. Some of them looked nervous and uncomfortable but after a moment their instinct to save face took over and they all held their ground. Looking at the situation from the outside, it seemed as if they were provoking the men from University A. 

Qian Wei pulled on Lu Xun’s sleeve: “Forget it, it’s not worth it.” Although Lu Xun looked very gentle and refined, Qian Wei knew that right now this guy was probably way angrier than anyone from Zhao Peng’s gang. But now that the two sides were squaring off with each other Qian Wei didn’t want the situation to get any bigger because of her.

Mo Zixin was also obviously a person who understood the principle of putting the overall situation first so she looked at Lu Xun and advised, “Lu Xun, don’t stoop to their level.” Then she wisely found a place for Lu Xun to step down to. “You have an appointment with Mr. Zhang to discuss your paper later, you shouldn’t be late.”

But the result was that Lu Xun completely ignored Mo Zixin’s kindness. He just glanced back at Qian Wei and said: “Forget it? If it hadn’t been for me, this would have been you.” After those words Lu Xun didn’t bother saying any more nonsense, he just tapped his fingers against the ball in his hand as if to confirm his grip, and then threw the ball at Zhao Peng. His movement was so fast it was hard to believe he had aimed at all before throwing but, despite that, the ball accurately smashed into Zhao Peng’s left foot.

Lu Xun had obviously put a lot of strength into the throw because the ball sped over so fast that Qian Wei only saw a vague flicker of movement before the ball was already rebounding rapidly away after hitting Zhao Peng. When Qian Wei looked up she saw Zhao Peng’s face had twisted as if he was desperately enduring pain. According to Qian Wei’s deep understanding of Lu Xun, this guy had intentionally smashed Zhao Peng’s toes because, after all, smashing your toes was very painful, maybe even worse than taking a punch. And in Lu Xun’s dictionary, there were no such words as ‘swallowing down anger’.

Maybe they hadn’t expected Lu Xun to be so direct because the whole scene froze. For a moment Zhao Peng and his friends didn’t move at all, as if they were collectively holding their breath.

“Let’s go!” But even after all that, Zhao Peng still wanted to save face. He waved his hand airily and ordered his brothers to follow him away. He seemed determined to act the part of some sort of ‘underworld boss’, but Qian Wei felt that his slight limp ruined the effect…

The moment Zhao Peng left, Lu Xun finally turned back. He glanced over at Qian Wei, and then looked at Mo Tao. Maybe he was upset that he had taken a hit for Qian Wei for no reason because Lu Xun didn’t seem very friendly to Mo Tao.

“Don’t you know to protect your own girlfriend? Do you need someone else to protect her for you?” His tone was provocative and his expression was stormy. Lu Xun glared at Mo Tao with undisguised disdain, then snorted coldly and turned his eyes back to Qian Wei.

Mo Tao was obviously angered and quickly choked back: “Don’t try to drive a wedge in the relationship between me and Qian Wei. No matter what you say, the bond between Qian Wei and I is stronger than gold!”

In the background, several members of the basketball team were shouting for Lu Xun and, hearing that, Lu Xun took a final look between Qian Wei and Mo Tao before leaving without saying a word, his face still dark.

On the side, Mo Zixin bit her lip before finally picking up a small towel and following behind Lu Xun.

Just like Qian Chuan, Lu Xun seemed to think that Mo Tao was her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Mo Tao was still dumbfounded from being suddenly blamed and as he watched Lu Xun’s retreating back he said to Qian Wei: “How can that man be like that? Of course I wanted to block the ball too, but I was born with poor motor skills and a slow reaction speed. What could I have done? I also felt very desperate at that moment, does he think I didn’t want to play the hero who saves the beauty?”

Qian Wei patted Mo Tao on the shoulder and comforted: “Well, he did get hit by the ball because of me just now. He was probably just upset, so you don’t need to care about his words.”

Unfortunately, Mo Tao was still filled with righteous indignation and off in his own little world: “Could it be that a person like me who isn’t good at sports and who has a poor response time doesn’t deserve a girlfriend? I have always been a good citizen who is kind to others, but why do I find that Lu Xun so unpleasant to the eye?” He quickly came to a conclusion, “In short, he had better give up on pursuing Mo Zixin, because I will be the first one to step on the brakes on that relationship! Lu Xun is obviously just a petty, jealous man. He’s a lonely single dog who can’t bear to see other people’s relationships going well. Just look at how narrow-minded he is!”

On the side, Qian Chuan immediately sniffed opportunity: “Brother Tao, what do you think of me? Don’t I look pleasing to the eye?” He winked charmingly, “To tell you the truth, I’ve felt very close to you from the first time we met, as if you are the elder brother I never had. What do you think? They say that: ‘An old friend is just like an elder brother’, right? And as soon as I met you, I felt like I had found a brother.”

Qian Wei was speechless in her heart. Qian Chuan, this guy, when he put on this flattering face it was just too ugly!

Between those two it was obvious that both were talking and neither were listening, but the words between Mo Tao and Qian Chuan reminded Qian Wei that she really had no time to waste. Considering Lu Xun’s twisted temperament she doubted that he would ever be able to confess his love on his own, even if she waited for the rest of her life. It seemed she needed to be more concerned about her future boss’s love life! She would need to find an opportunity to have a good chat with Lu Xun.

Even though she had a thought like that during the day, Qian Wei was very surprised when, that night, just as she decided to go looking for Lu Xun, he had unexpectedly taken the initiative to find her first.

When she received Lu Xun’s call, Qian Wei had been busy preparing a paper on Marxist philosophy. She busily tried to use one hand to continue diligently copy and pasting while she picked up the phone with the other.

“Qian Wei, come downstairs.” From the other end of the phone, Lu Xun’s low and magnetic voice appeared.

“What? Why?”

Lu Xun’s voice had a rare tone right now, not as chilly as it usually was. He paused after hearing her question, then spoke with a little exasperation: “Just come down first.”

How could Qian Wei dare to ignore the instructions of her future boss?

Qian Wei ran downstairs hurriedly and saw Lu Xun was standing in front of the door to the girl’s dorm.

That was way too conspicuous! Before saying a word, Qian Wei grabbed Lu Xun and dragged him over to the tree-lined path that was off on one side of the girls’ dormitory because she knew it was generally empty.

“What you promised me before, does it still count?” When they had moved a small distance away, Lu Xun suddenly spoke.

Qian Wei was stupefied: “…ah?”

“You said you would help me chase Mo Zixin.” Lu Xun spoke very quickly. Then when he finished speaking he turned his head away and unconsciously kicked at a pebble on the side of the road.

This sudden change of heart made Qian Wei almost want to explode with ecstasy. It seemed he had finally grown up and Qian Wei felt like she might be about to shed some motherly tears. 

Lu Xun, Lu Xun, every day I watch the stars and the moon for a sign and now, at last, you’ve been enlightened!

“Of course!” Qian Wei replied instantly. She was so excited that she almost wanted to dance, “To think that you could finally say those words! Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment? Since you never had the drive to do anything, or any sense of crisis, or any desire to take the initiative, it was no use no matter what I tried to do for you. But now that you are finally aware of your heart, everything will be easy!”

When he saw Qian Wei’s reaction, Lu Xun seemed obviously unhappy. He looked at her with a frown: “Are you a pimp or something? It’s not like you are the one chasing Mo Zixin, so why are you so excited?”

“I’m happy for you!” Qian Wei patted her chest and said, “Don’t worry, just leave it to me. I, Qian Wei, never make a move easily because it would be just too devastating, but for you, I’ll do it!”

“Are you free this weekend?” She asked.

Lu Xun nodded.

“Then you should ask Mo Zixin to go to the movies this weekend. I remember Liu Shiyun told me that there is a new horror movie playing this week. If you two watch a horror movie together then she will probably be afraid. And then when she is feeling afraid, you can take the opportunity to hold her hand and comfort her in the dark.” Qian Wei thought about it a little and then added, “Also, people are not allowed to talk loudly inside the movie theater. Because of that, when she gets scared, you can lean close to her ear and comfort her in a low voice. That is the kind of thing that will make a girl’s heart beat faster and, when paired with your beautiful voice, it will be very romantic.”

“You seem to have a lot of experience.” Lu Xun said slowly. Qian Wei frowned. Here she was excitedly giving Lu Xun useful advice but he was focusing on a strange point.

Qian Wei rolled her eyes and warned: “Lu Xun, do you not want to chase Mo Zixin after all? If you’re not sincere enough, then I won’t waste my time!” Now that the tides had finally turned and Lu Xun, who was usually desperate to save face, had no choice but to count on her for help Qian Wei was so overjoyed that she was like a serf rising up and overpowering her lord. She spoke very proudly. “You tell me, what do you mean by asking that question? Huh? You are a man, so you have to focus on one topic at a time. Right now we are discussing how you should chase Mo Zixin, so why are you ignoring the topic and bringing up my experience?”

Lu Xun looked at her and said, “I just wanted to check if this method came from your personal experience. That way I would know if it stands up during a practical test and whether or not it is reliable.”

“What do you care!” Qian Wei coughed. “I have a very high level in the theoretical side of things. I don’t need practical experience. It’s just chasing a girl, it’s not like we’re doing research and development on a new drug where we would have to go through many rounds of clinical trials before we could go into production. Plus, I’m a woman, do you think I don’t know how other women think?”

Qian Wei was afraid that after Lu Xun heard that her idea had not been proven reliable through personal experience he would be dissatisfied. But, on the contrary, Lu Xun’s furrowed brows smoothed out a little and his face looked a little happier. There was even a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“Anyway, it’s a deal. You invite her to the movies this weekend, okay?”

“No.” Lu Xun objected. He seemed to have a new problem and he paused before saying. “It will be too sudden if I just suddenly invite her to see a movie with me alone.”

Qian Wei: ???

Lu Xun spoke seriously: “I hope I can subtly get along with her first and not make my pursuit too obvious. If I just directly ask her out, what will I do if she refuses me? Won’t I lose face?”

Please! You want to chase a girl, but you are also so coy that you don’t want it to be obvious?! Qian Wei really wanted to roar, Lu Xun, Lu Xun, while you are busy pursuing her so painstakingly and subtly, she is going to run away with someone who is less subtle! What is face? Can you eat it?! When Mo Zixin leaves with someone else, you’re the one who will cry!

Unfortunately, no matter how Qian Wei persuaded him, Lu Xun just wouldn’t listen to her. He insisted on taking a more subtle approach.

“I’ll tell you what!” Qian Wei finally said helplessly, “I’ll put down my pride to help you, the big boss. You will bring Mo Zixin to see a movie this weekend as planned, but tell her that you’ve made an appointment with me and want a third person along, just casually think of some reason yourself. For example, you happened to receive three movie tickets recently or something. If you do it like that, you will not be taking the initiative to ask her out alone, so that will meet your requirements to be more subtle. After the movie begins, I’ll find an excuse to leave so that you can just be with her and not deal with an extra light bulb. What do you think?”

Lu Xun had seemed to be waiting for her to say this because he nodded and his displeased face finally showed a faint but satisfied smile: “That sounds fine.”

Qian Wei secretly rolled her eyes and thought, future boss, you are really too preposterous!

“Excellent, we’ll do that then!” After the decision was made Qian Wei prepared to go back to her dormitory and continue to write her paper on Marxist philosophy.

However, Lu Xun stopped her: “When it comes to chasing someone, it probably won’t be successful after just once or twice, right?”

“Of course not, you need to psychologically prepare yourself. You have to be patient with your feelings. Nothing can be achieved overnight.”

Lu Xun blinked and something unknown flickered in his eyes. He lowered his head said: “Then if I don’t succeed this time, you have to help me next time too.”

This was an excellent opportunity to show her loyalty so how could Qian Wei miss it? She patted Lu Xun on the shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t worry, as long as you and Mo Zixin haven’t gotten married, I’ll be on call to help you every day. If we can’t do it this time, then we’ll just fight harder next time! Feel free to contact me if you need anything!”

“What if you’re on a date when I want to contact you?”

Qian Wei winked and said, “Don’t worry! No matter when you call, you will be first! Your business is my business! Even if I’m on a date, you’re my priority!” She did not bother to explain the matter between her and Mo Tao to Lu Xun. On the one hand, she had promised Mo Tao to keep it a secret and, on the other hand, she felt that it was not necessary to correct Lu Xun’s misunderstanding. After all, like this, she was even putting him above her boyfriend in his eyes. Which boss would not be moved by that? In the face of this kind of loyal Qian Wei, would Lu Xun have the nerve not to give her a raise in the future?

While giving Lu Xun advice on how to pursue Mo Zixin, Qian Wei did not waste the chance to gather experience. She could also provide this plan, step by step, to Mo Tao as well. Women, from ages 18 to 28, had some points of commonality in what they liked and in what moved their hearts. Anyway, they were both chasing girls, so any trick that was effective against Mo Zixin would also absolutely be effective against Mo Tao’s neighbor.

And Mo Tao, that guy, was someone who was much better to help than Lu Xun. Each time he would listen to one of Qian Wei’s plans he would immediately start all kinds of ass-kissing afterward. He would always act appropriately grateful and he was also always ready to put her advice into practice.

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