Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Outside the car window lay the familiar scene of Jiangcheng at night. Xiao Luo relaxed in the backseat and silently admired the nightscape. His eyes were sullen and filled with sadness. Nevertheless, at the same time, he was looking past the sorrow and boldly getting ready to face new challenges.
His journey at Huaye had ended, and a new one was about to begin!
Once he’d checked his longing for Zhu Xiaofei and his other friends, Xiao Luo realized that he was now looking forward to the future. Like a martial arts master returning home from training, he was excited about showing off his skills and building a dynamic career.
Meanwhile, back at Huaye, the girls from the English Department were all flustered. They were giddy like ants on a hotpot.
“I can’t get through! Xiao Luo’s phone is switched off!” Zhu Xiaofei frowned as he took his headphones out of his ears.
What was going on?
Everyone was puzzled. Why had Xiao Luo decided to go missing for no good reason? Even more strange, he’d vanished during the choir’s performance.
“Have you tried contacting him on WeChat or QQ?” Chu Yue asked in a hurry.
With his hands spread wide, Zhu Xiaofei replied, “I tried reaching out, but there was no reply.”
“Don’t tell me that something’s happened to him?” Wang Lingling speculated.
“Don’t jinx him!”
“Hero Luo is so formidable. Nothing bad will happen to him!”
“That’s exactly right. Can’t you think more positively, Wang Lingling?”
Many of the girls began criticizing Wang Lingling. But after a short bout of critical venting, the inevitable question of where Hero Luo had gone was right back on the table.
Huang Ruoran said to Zhu Xiaofei, “Why don’t you head to our dorm and see if Xiao Luo is there?”
Zhu Xiaofei nodded. Just as he was about to head to their dorm, An Huanhuan, who had stayed silent this entire time, suddenly spoke up with swollen red eyes. “Don’t bother,” she said. “I’m sure Hero Luo has left already.”
Left?
To everyone else, these words felt like a massive bomb had just exploded. They all turned around and looked at An Huanhuan.
An Huanhuan lifted her head, bit her lip, and explained, “Hero Luo is different from us. He’s not a student, and the only reason he came to our school was to protect Princess Yue.”
What…
Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief. They were astonished by what An Huanhuan had just said. Not a student? If he was only here to protect Chu Yue, did that make Xiao Luo a bodyguard?
Thinking about how Xiao Luo had singlehandedly managed the incident at the club, it seemed as if An Huanhuan had not fabricated this story. It was all true.
One girl, who greatly admired Xiao Luo, walked to the front and eagerly questioned Chu Yue, “Princess Yue, is it true what Huanhuan said?”
However, Chu Yue’s mind drew a blank.
Left? Did he really leave just like that?
It felt like her soul had been extracted from her body. She felt empty inside and couldn’t explain this mood that had overcome her. She had yet to express her gratitude toward Xiao Luo, so why had he left? And so suddenly, at that?
“That’s impossible, An Huanhuan. Can’t you stop fooling around?” Zhu Xiaofei said. He couldn’t accept the reality that Xiao Luo had already left.
“I wish I were joking, but it’s the truth. Hero Luo told me himself.” Tears began streaming down An Huanhuan’s cheeks as she could no longer hold back her feelings.
“Man, I refuse to believe it!”
Zhu Xiaofei turned around and ran to the bedroom. He refused to believe that Xiao Luo would leave without so much as a word or that Xiao Luo was just Chu Yue’s bodyguard.
“Lao Zhu!” Ding Kai exclaimed, following him.
Huang Ruoran raised her head and looked toward the pitch-black sky. She stretched out her hands, and rainwater dripped on her palms, tickling her like goose feathers. “It’s raining.”
The silent drizzle was like a bunch of elves descending lightly and slowly from the sky.
At that moment, the English majors’ hearts were extremely heavy.
A teacher walked out of the auditorium with considerable excitement on her face and announced to the English Department: “The assessment results are out, and the English Department came in first place in the choir competition!”
First place?
Before, this would have been a triumph worth celebrating. After all, everyone had put in a lot of hard work to achieve this victory. However, the glory had since lost its value because of Xiao Luo’s departure. Everything would have been perfect if only Xiao Luo had been there to celebrate this achievement with them.
“Jerk!” Chu Yue said, swearing as she ran past the crowd to leave the school compound.
“Young Mistress Chu, what are you doing?” Bai Ling asked anxiously.
“I’m going to get that jerk back!”
Chu Yue ran with all her strength. She wanted to get Xiao Luo back, no matter what it took. This glory had to be shared with Xiao Luo, even if it was only for a minute or just a second. How could he leave without saying anything? Why was he so arrogant?
That teacher was bewildered and thought to herself: What’s wrong with the students in the English Department? They won first place, so why do none of them look happy?
At that moment, everyone’s phones lit up with a notification.
Looking at their screens, they all saw a message from Xiao Luo. He had included everyone in the choir.
“I think I should congratulate all of you. Your performance on stage was incredible. I believe that you will all achieve a good result. I’m sure Huanhuan has probably already told you this, but I’m not like you. I’m not a student. I’m just a bodyguard. I’ve now accomplished my mission, so it is time for me to leave. Life is like a journey, and although we all have our own individual pursuits, distance won’t wash away our friendship. Everyone, farewell!”
“Hero Luo…”
Girls are sensitive creatures. After reading Xiao Luo’s scheduled message, many of them began to weep.
Huang Ruoran was no exception. Although her eyes were red, she managed to hold back her tears.
“What’s wrong with all of you? You guys took first place!” exclaimed the confused teacher, furrowing her brow. She had a thousand questions in her head. For the life of her, she couldn’t work out why these students were crying.
“We won first place, so we are happy. So happy that we’re crying. Huhuhu…” An Huanhuan said, giving the first excuse she could think off before she too started bawling.
Following her lead, the other girls couldn’t help but sob either.
The teacher was astonished and thought: Oh, what the heck. Don’t tell me it’s now a trend for kids to start crying when they’re happy?
Meanwhile, at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion Hotel, in an antique-looking private room, Xiao Luo and Chu Yunxiong sat in front of a big table. The table was covered with various delicacies and wine.
Chu Yunxiong’s personal bodyguards, Leng Zuo and Leng You, were also inside the private room. They put on cold expressions, and their bodies emanated swift, fierce auras. Neither of them was happy with Xiao Luo’s behavior because he had sat in the senior seat as soon as he had arrived. Furthermore, he had completely ignored the fact that Boss Chu was present and had started rudely feasting on the food.
However, to Chu Yunxiong, Xiao Luo’s actions came off as unpretentious. They were admittedly preferable to the impeccable manners of many hypocrites.
“I’m full!”
Xiao Luo put down his bowl and chopsticks, took out a napkin, and wiped his mouth. His face was filled with satisfaction.
“Xiao Luo, do you know what seat you are sitting in right now, according to manner and custom?” Chu Yunxiong asked, looking at him with a smile.
“I don’t know.”
Xiao Luo shook his head, after which he laughed hollowly and said, “Don’t tell me that this is the senior seat?”
Although Xiao Luo did not know precisely what each seat represented, coming from the countryside, he had some rough general knowledge. He knew that it was permitted to sit in any place except for the senior seat. That exquisite seat was reserved for respectable people or seniors, so it would be rude to occupy it without an express invitation.
Chu Yunxiong nodded without saying another word.
