126 The Legendary Extraordinary Boyfriend of Liu Yunqi

The girl from the music academy was startled and glanced anxiously around the crowd. Suddenly, a handsome young man dashed out and pulled her aside. He didn’t rush to leave but waited to watch the unfolding spectacle.

The girl asked her boyfriend what had happened. He leaned close and briefly explained.

Her eyes widened instantly. She happened to be in the same class as Liu Yunqi. Although Liu Yunqi had only been here for two days, she had already drawn the attention of everyone, especially the girls.

The arrival of Liu Yunqi stirred mixed feelings among the students. The music academy held a special status within Mingzhu School. The girls there were almost spoiled, showered with endless admiration, and all the male students pursued them relentlessly.

The quality of the music academy girls was indeed the highest in the entire school. There might be one or two outstanding ones, but overall their level was quite even.

Liu Yunqi’s appearance shattered the calm of the music academy. Compared to her, all other girls paled in comparison. Standing before her, they felt a profound sadness. How unfair was the Creator to have fashioned her as a flawless work of art, someone to be admired from afar.

Moreover, after observing for two days, it was clear that although Liu Yunqi appeared affable to everyone on the surface, she was internally cold and distant, shutting people out completely. Perhaps it was her detached aura, as if she cared for nothing in her heart, that made her seem unapproachable. Anyone who got close to her felt uneasy. Sometimes, with a hint of malicious thought, they wondered if she might be cold to the bone—could she be incapable of love?

Today, however, the girl overheard a rumor: Liu Yunqi once had a remarkable boyfriend in middle school who had entered Mingzhu School as the top student.

Curiously, this boyfriend had never appeared publicly, and no one had ever seen him.

The girl glanced instinctively at Zhong Yun. Could it be him? Then she shook her head firmly. No way. No matter how picky Liu Yunqi was, she wouldn’t like someone so unimpressive.

Actually, Zhong Yun wasn’t bad-looking—just a bit ordinary, not ugly at all. But this music academy girl had been utterly spoiled at Mingzhu School, surrounded by handsome boys, so her standards were naturally sky-high.

Just like Zhong Yun, who often regarded Liu Yunqi with a different gaze. Other girls might be pretty to him, but only just.

More girls appeared, some passing by, some meeting their boyfriends, others going to meet admirers—but Liu Yunqi was nowhere in sight.

Despite all the strange gazes fixed on him, Zhong Yun remained calm and composed, seemingly oblivious to the murmurs around him.

Seeing his indifferent expression, the students of Mingzhu School grew even more resentful. “Keep pretending. We’ll make you humiliated soon enough. Let’s see how you keep this up.”

Time ticked by, second after second. Then another figure appeared behind the door. Seeing the familiar silhouette, a slight smile curved Zhong Yun’s lips.

For some reason, the boys watching felt an urge to beat him up at the sight of that hateful smile.

The door slowly opened, revealing an absolutely stunning figure.

A hush fell over the crowd. Everyone’s mouths hung open as if stuffed with a duck egg, eyes frozen in place, staring blankly at the figure.

It was Liu Yunqi. She had truly come out.

Some tried to reassure themselves it was just a coincidence. But in the face of such harsh reality, their mental defenses shattered like fragile glass.

***

Liu Yunqi’s autumn-like eyes flicked and caught sight of Zhong Yun standing to one side. A breathtaking smile bloomed on her face.

She smiled. And every boy present felt their hearts shatter—she had actually smiled at that boy from Yuehu.

Zhong Yun stepped forward. “Surprised?”

“Mm.” Liu Yunqi naturally linked her left arm with his. Her eyes sparkled, taking in the expressions of the boys around them. She leaned closer. “Not going home today?”

Through the thin layers of clothing, Zhong Yun felt the warmth of her skin. His breath quickened. They had never been this close before.

“Ahem, have you eaten?” Zhong Yun quickly composed himself and asked, revealing his purpose.

Liu Yunqi shook her head, then gently rested her head on his shoulder. “Where do you want to go?”

Her obedience and softness surprised Zhong Yun, filling him with joy. Did this mean she had surrendered to him?

“I know a restaurant with a nice atmosphere.” Zhong Yun’s excitement made his voice flutter.

They walked along, and when they passed the young man who had given directions, he dropped the flowers he was holding with a clatter but didn’t pick them up. He was utterly confused, his mind repeating only three words: Why? Why? Why?

No one understood why, and all the onlookers watched dumbfounded as the two walked away like a loving couple, their backs closely pressed together, perfectly matched.

News that Liu Yunqi had a boyfriend spread like a storm through every corner of Mingzhu School. The fact that the newly crowned school beauty of the past two days was claimed by a student from rival Yuehu Academy left all the male students of Mingzhu bitter and furious.

Especially the outstanding boys who considered themselves capable of winning Liu Yunqi’s heart—they gritted their teeth in hatred.

“Are you just using me as a shield?” Zhong Yun suddenly asked when they reached a quiet place.

Liu Yunqi closed her eyes and completely relaxed, allowing Zhong Yun to lead her onward. “Don’t you want to?”

Today she was unusually intimate with Zhong Yun, which meant something. Unlike at First High, Mingzhu was full of elites—and the most abundant were those full of self-importance. After only two days, she had already been openly pursued, which was quite troublesome.

“That’s really unfair to me,” Zhong Yun said exaggeratingly. “I’m going to make a lot of enemies. I’d better watch my back when walking at night, or who knows where a brick might come flying from to hit my head?”

“No fair to act innocent after getting the benefit.” A blush spread over Liu Yunqi’s face, as smooth and delicate as jade. She scolded softly.

Zhong Yun laughed heartily.

Holding a girl like Liu Yunqi made him feel prestigious wherever they went. Passersby’s gazes made him feel drunk, swaying as if he were about to float.

Zhong Yun took Liu Yunqi into a shuttle car and headed to a restaurant in the city center called Shui Xin, a place introduced to him by Chen Wen. “It’s great for dating,” Chen Wen had said. Zhong Yun trusted his taste and had been waiting for an opportunity to bring Liu Yunqi here.

When the two young people in school uniforms arrived, the hostess hesitated, but upon seeing the girl’s appearance, was struck dumb and could not bring herself to refuse them entry.

“This way, please.” The young waiter, usually smooth-talking, suddenly faltered upon seeing Liu Yunqi and quickly looked away, afraid to stare. He led them to the best seats in the restaurant.

The place was elegantly decorated, with a subtle foreign charm that didn’t feel out of place. The designer had ingeniously separated each table so that people sitting at one couldn’t see those at another, and vice versa.

The lighting was neither too bright nor too dim—just right. At the center of the restaurant, a pianist played a gentle melody. Though soft, everyone could hear it clearly.

“What do you want to eat?” Zhong Yun picked up the menu and flipped through it casually.

Liu Yunqi, not used to such places, flipped through two pages before putting it down. “You decide.”

Zhong Yun ordered a few dishes, unsure how much Liu Yunqi could eat, and added a soup. “Dessert?”

She shook her head, and he closed the menu. Turning to the somewhat distracted waiter, he said, “Just these for now.”

Zhong Yun rarely visited Western-style restaurants like this. They were expensive and not very tasty, but perfect for romance—the appeal was all in the atmosphere.

“I thought you’d be afraid to come to Mingzhu School,” Liu Yunqi said with a smile.

“Why?” Zhong Yun looked into her eyes as if deeply captivated.

Raising his glass to drink water, he used the motion to break away from her burning gaze, which seemed intent on melting her. It made her shy—a strange feeling, sour and tingling like lemon juice on the tongue, her cheeks burning. She had never felt this way before in front of a second man.

“Aren’t you afraid your identity as a survivor of Tongguang Star will be exposed?”

Suddenly Zhong Yun grabbed her hand resting on the glass. Liu Yunqi flinched but didn’t pull away, glancing around nervously. “What are you doing?” At this moment, she was just like any ordinary girl.

“With you by my side, I’m not afraid of anything,” Zhong Yun said tenderly.

He was about to continue when the waiter arrived with their dishes. Zhong Yun released her hand and waited until the waiter left before speaking again. “Thanks to the privacy law—unless it’s a wanted criminal or a major case, no one can release anyone’s photos in the news or public without permission. Very few people at Mingzhu recognize me, and even fewer know I was on Tongguang Star.”

“You know it now,” Liu Yunqi said.

“Thank you.” Zhong Yun patted the back of her hand, then picked up his knife and fork. “Of course, thanks to your grandfather as well. Without you both, I wouldn’t dare to show up at Mingzhu School so boldly.”

“Zhōng... Zhōng Yun?” A sharp scream cut off their conversation and startled everyone in the restaurant.

Zhong Yun immediately knew it was someone familiar who knew about his Tongguang Star past. He cursed his luck, turned around, and saw a pale face drenched in cold sweat, looking as though it had seen a ghost.

He had seen such an expression before—on Huang Lao.

[Author’s note: Finally finished on time, exhausted. A full nine thousand words delivered. Another chapter update coming tomorrow. Just eleven votes short of seventh place—brothers, keep pushing!]