1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 157 The Fiancé Makes His Appearance, Gu Bin Arrives
Some people, unable to bear the silence, seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, howling at the top of their lungs as if afraid no one would hear them.

Those eager to hire the beautiful woman to dance were getting restless, and more and more people moved closer.

Lin Xiyu frowned slightly, rejecting several people in a row, gradually losing patience.

"Get out of the way, you bunch of ugly ducklings and grotesque men, you think you can ask a beautiful woman to dance?"

Just as she was about to leave, she was startled by a sudden sound. Turning around, she saw that the once noisy hall had inexplicably become quiet, and the crowded people had automatically parted to the sides, leaving a narrow passageway for only one person to pass through.

"Ah!"

Li Qing almost burst out laughing: "What kind of important person is making an entrance? It's like the real thing!"

"Ming's here, shouldn't the beauties give us face this time?"

Someone with sharp ears overheard her words and chimed in, "Ming-ge is the campus heartthrob of our East China Normal University, the dream lover of all the girls."

Why are you responding when I'm speaking?

Li Qing, with her spoiled young lady temper, glared at the man without any courtesy: "Does East China Normal University have a campus heartthrob? How come I didn't know?"

-

"Never heard of it only means you're hard of hearing and ignorant."

These words were like stirring up a hornet's nest, and the entire hall erupted in chaos.

"Ming is not only handsome and academically excellent, but he also completed his bachelor's and master's degrees with full scholarships for three consecutive years. His English academic papers were published in the front page of The Times, and his fame spread even to Fudan University and Tongji University."

“A girl came all the way from another school to confess her feelings to him.”

"Ming receives more love letters in a day than you receive more letters home in a year, and the girls he's rejected could line up from East China Normal University all the way to the gate of Fudan University."

-

"Oh my!"

Surrounded by the attacks, Li Qing felt a surge of anger and retorted sharply in Shanghainese: "The Times, huh? Sounds pretty impressive, huh? That scared me to death."

"What are you doing at our Shandong hometown association, a Shanghainese?"

"Judging from her expression, she's definitely up to no good."

None of the people present could understand Shanghainese, and they could tell good from evil from her tone of voice.

The Shandong man spoke roughly, and Li Qing was so angry she was about to explode. Just as she was about to lose her temper, a tall and imposing figure walked out from the crowd and stopped the noise.

"If you all say less and don't speak, no one will think you're mute."

The hall fell silent instantly, the previous noise gone.

"you"

Li Qing raised her eyelids to look at the person who had arrived, showing no gratitude whatsoever: "Could this be the so-called campus heartthrob from East China Normal University that they were talking about?"

"I've never really agreed with using the term 'campus heartthrob' to describe a man's appearance."

Wei Ming smiled gently, ignoring her provocation.

He was tall and slender with handsome features and a gentle, refined demeanor, making him a type that young girls would certainly like.

"You're quite an interesting person."

Li Qing's eyes flickered, and her imposing manner involuntarily weakened: "Unlike those people, whose mouths stink like they haven't brushed their teeth for three days."

"Three days is too short."

Wei Ming commented seriously: "He hasn't brushed his teeth for a whole week."

"Cough cough."

A chorus of coughs erupted from the crowd.

"Did you hear that?"

Wei Ming laughed: "Anyone who coughs has been hit where it hurts, and they can't keep their mouth shut."

"Hahaha"

Li Qing was amused by his humorous tone and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"If a beautiful woman smiles, does that mean she's not angry anymore?"

A glint of light flashed in Wei Ming's eyes, and his smile became even more gentle and pleasant.

"never mind."

Li Qing raised an eyebrow arrogantly: "Since you're reasonable enough, I'll let this matter drop and not hold it against them."

"It's an honor to have such a beautiful lady do me such a favor."

Wei Ming cupped his hands in thanks, then looked at Lin Xiyu and said, "This must be our new junior, right? Junior, could you do me the honor of dancing for me?"

“Ming has never asked anyone to dance before. This is the first time in the four years since I entered the campus. I have to give him face. After you dance this dance, you will be Ming’s person. With Ming protecting you, you can walk around the campus with your head held high and no one will dare to mess with you.”

Before the beautiful woman could even speak, someone had already jumped out to support her. Lin Xiyu's eyes flashed with displeasure, showing no intention of giving him any face.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you, senior, I can't dance."

This was a blatant slap in the face, and the hall fell into an instant, deathly silence.

Everyone looked at the only person in the room who dared to refuse him with the eyes of someone looking at a fool.

"Xi Yu, you can learn if you don't know how."

The English major senior quietly tugged at her skirt from behind and kept winking at her: "Ballroom dancing isn't hard to learn. The most basic ones are slow waltz and slow waltz. As long as you can keep up with the rhythm, you'll be fine."

"I have no musical talent, so it's a bit difficult for me to keep up with the beat."

Lin Xiyu was perfectly capable of understanding her meaning, but the more others tried to persuade her, the more annoyed she became.

You'll be branded and become his person just by dancing a dance.

Did they ask for her opinion?
Ask her if she agrees?

"This junior girl is clearly from Shandong; she's straightforward and direct, even when she's rejecting someone, she's so blunt and doesn't beat around the bush."

Wei Ming remained relatively restrained and did not turn hostile on the spot. His suitors, however, were not happy about this and took the opportunity to suppress him with malicious mockery and an extremely arrogant attitude.

"What's with the pretentiousness? Senior Wei asked her to dance, and she dared to refuse. She's asking for it."

"So what if you made a documentary? Do you really think you're a celebrity?"

"Celebrity my foot! He's just a nobody. He thinks he can turn a sparrow into a phoenix. He doesn't even know his own worth. Is the entertainment industry easy to get into? He'll just be someone else's stepping stone."

"She did it on purpose, trying to take advantage of the situation and gain some fame for herself."

"What gives her the right to climb over senior students to gain fame for herself?"

"This kind of person should be exposed so that everyone can know her hypocritical true colors."

-

"Tsk tsk, what a lively scene! We two brothers have arrived just in time to see a good show."

At the entrance of the hall, two more people entered at some point. One of them had his arms crossed and leaned against the wall, looking nonchalant, with his strikingly dyed blond hair.

Even so, he was still inferior to the boy next to him.

The young man possessed an extraordinary temperament and stood upright. Just by standing there calmly, his powerful aura inspired awe.

"Who are you?"

What are you doing at our social gathering?

The hall fell silent once more, everyone's attention drawn to the boy. Even the girl who had been maliciously provoking him was intimidated by his powerful aura and shut her mouth in embarrassment.

"We're also from Shandong. What's wrong with us coming to a fellow Shandong native's gathering?"

A hint of mockery flashed in Wang Fan's peach blossom eyes, and he retorted without hesitation when faced with the questioning.

Are you a student at our school?

As the organizer of the social event, the senior student from the English Department had a duty to step forward and inquire.

She took a few steps forward, staring at Wang Fan's striking blond hair, her face clearly showing disbelief.

We are not from your school.

Wang Fan tossed his hair arrogantly and proudly boasted, "With your school's level, you're not good enough for my buddy. Your so-called school heartthrob is nothing but trash compared to my buddy."

"What exactly do you want to do here?" The English major senior was angered by his provocative tone, and her tone became a bit sharp as well: "If you just want to cause trouble, you are not welcome here. The academic affairs office is in the south. Turn left when you go out. Goodbye."

"Who said we're here to cause trouble?"

Wang Fan scoffed, completely disregarding her threat: "We're here to visit relatives. Do you have any written rules prohibiting students' family members from coming to the school on weekends to visit their loved ones?"

"Whose family are you?"

The English major senior was so annoyed by his unreasonable behavior that she gritted her teeth and looked around the lobby.

It seemed that she would tear a piece of flesh from anyone who dared to admit to having a relationship with the two of them.

"mine."

A clear and melodious female voice broke the silence of the scene.

Without hesitation, Lin Xiyu raised her arm, once again drawing everyone's attention to herself.

"Xi Yu."

The English major student nearly broke her teeth, staring at her incredulously: "You know them?"

"Yes."

Lin Xiyu met the man's ambiguous gaze and answered decisively, "They are my friends."

"To be precise, he is my fiancé."

Gu Bin's lips curled up slightly as he strode over, took her hand, and glanced at her finger without a ring, his eyes darkening slightly.

"It's inconvenient to wear a ring to school."

Lin Xiyu's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly offered an explanation.

"He is your friend?"

Wei Ming couldn't keep up the act any longer, and his face suddenly turned very ugly.

Are you hard of hearing?

A cold glint flashed in Gu Bin's eyes: "Didn't you hear what I just said? Or would it be better if we found a place to talk privately?"

"hiss."

Among the onlookers, someone gasped in surprise.

The remaining bystanders all looked at the uninvited troublemaker with trembling eyes, not daring to utter a sound.

"Which school are you from? The gates of East China Normal University are not a place where you can just walk in and out as you please?"

Wei Ming, who considered himself a top student from East China Normal University, looked down on Wang Fan, who had a head of blond hair. In his opinion, people who associated with such hooligans were no better.

"I bother!"

Wang Fan saw his disdain and scoffed, "What's so great about East China Normal University? When it comes to schools, we're not afraid. Comparing talent with my buddy is just asking for trouble."

"East China Normal University is no good, don't come here!"

This statement was too sweeping, and Wei Ming's suitors were in an uproar.

"That's right, nobody invited you."

"With her dyed blonde hair, she's obviously not a respectable person. It's strange that Lin Xiyu associates with someone like that; her character isn't very good either."

"Her boyfriend is only decent-looking, but his grades must be terrible, otherwise he would never dare to say which school he goes to."

"What's the use of being good-looking? The senior has completed his bachelor's and master's degrees and has already secured a place in the university without taking the entrance exam. He's just trash from a third-rate school. What makes him think he can compare to the senior?"

-

“Third-rate?!”

Upon hearing the word "third-rate," Wang Fan couldn't help but laugh out loud: "To dare call Fudan University a third-rate university, your East China Normal University is truly amazing. This trip was worthwhile; it really opened my eyes."

"hiss."

Before he finished speaking, another long gasp came from the crowd.

Everyone was stunned by the words "Fudan University," and all sorts of complex and inscrutable gazes converged on the two of them.

"Wei Ming, is that right?"

Gu Bin disdained verbal sparring and pointed his gun directly at Wei Ming: "What kind of skill is it to let a woman stand up for you? Let's settle this like men."

"Cough cough."

Lin Xiyu mistakenly thought he wanted to fight again, and her eyes twitched involuntarily.

Gu Bin gripped her right hand with a little force, giving her a reassuring look.

How do you want to resolve this?

Wei Ming's expression darkened further when he saw the two's private actions.

"Any sport."

Gu Bin said confidently, "Choose whichever you prefer, I'm happy to oblige."

"Basketball."

Wei Ming is on the school basketball team and considers himself to be very skilled, so he doesn't take Gu Bin seriously.

"He really dares to compete with Senior Wei in basketball?"

"Did you just ruin yourself this time?"

"The senior is the star forward on the school basketball team. How dare this pretty boy challenge him?"

His suitors were also incredibly excited, mocking and ridiculing Gu Bin.

"puff!"

"Hahahaha"

Upon hearing the name "pretty boy," Wang Fan spat out a mouthful of saliva and laughed like a goose.

See you at the basketball court, hope you won't be late.

Ignoring the noise, Gu Bin pulled Lin Xiyu along and walked out of the hall first.

As Wei Ming watched the two figures walk away side by side, his right fist suddenly clenched, and veins bulged out.

-

"Hey, your buddies' all gone, aren't you going to hurry up and catch up?"

Li Qing also wanted to go to the basketball court to watch the show, but with Gu Bin around, she couldn't bother Lin Xiyu, so she set her sights on Wang Fan.

"This is the first time I've heard someone call Gu Bin a gigolo. It's hilarious. Let me laugh for a bit first."

Wang Fan laughed so hard he almost choked, and couldn't stop for a while.

"Is your buddy good at basketball?"

Taking the opportunity, Li Qing inquired about gossip and tried to get closer to him: "You won't lose, will you?"

"Who are you?"

Seeing that she kept asking questions, Wang Fan stopped smiling and began to scrutinize her.

"My name is Li Qing, and I'm classmates with Xi Yu; we share a dorm room."

Fearing he might misunderstand, Li Qing quickly clarified her identity: "I didn't mean anything by it, I just care about her."

In Shanghai, people call dormitories "dormitories," and after spending a month at the university, Wang Fan gradually got used to their terminology.

"You're from the same dorm? No wonder you, a Shanghainese, would be at a Shandong hometown gathering. So you came with her."

"Xi Yu is so beautiful, I have to come with her."

Li Qing was really going all out to watch the show, and she kept proclaiming herself: "Luckily I came, otherwise those people would have succeeded in forcing her to dance."

"Ah."

Wang Fan is a shrewd person; how could he not see through her intentions?

He chuckled and said jokingly, "According to you, we really should thank you. In this day and age, there aren't many people as kind and righteous as you, willing to go to great lengths for their classmates."