Starforce Warriors-Chapter 496: I Like You

Ren Dong held Li Xiaofei's arm as they left the slum together and made their way to her school. Zhendan University was an impressive school.

With the strength and talent Ren Dong displayed at the start of the second semester of her senior year, it would have been absolutely impossible for her to gain admission to the top university in the south.

However, thanks to Li Xiaofei contributing a secret manual and the unique teaching model of Red Flag High School, the young girl finally excavated enough potential to shine. In the latter half of the High School War God League, she achieved an extraordinary performance and displayed exceptional talent.

As a result, during the recruitment campaigns of various university admissions teams, Ren Dong, as one of the starting five on Red Flag High School’s school team, attracted significant attention. At that time, many prestigious universities, including those in the 211 and 985 groups, extended offers to Ren Dong.

She had been very close to choosing Zhongshan University, but at the last moment before graduation, Zhendan University, known as the best in the south and third in the nation, extended an offer. It even threw in a half-scholarship. Naturally, Ren Dong did not refuse and chose Zhendan University.

Standing at the gates of Zhendan University, Li Xiaofei was visibly shocked.

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"Hehe, how about this? Bet you didn’t see it coming," Ren Dong said, clearly pleased with his reaction.

That’s right. She had brought him here just to show off.

Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but vigorously ruffle the little girl’s hair, messing up her twin ponytails with a grin, “You’re killing me here. This is stabbing me straight in the heart.”

They were on the same team, and he was even the team’s MVP of the year. Yet, his teammate had ended up at the third-best university in the country. Meanwhile, the school he attended, White Deer Academy, probably wouldn’t even rank third from the bottom nationwide. Comparison really could drive a person mad.

“What are you doing?” A slightly angry voice suddenly interrupted from the side.

Turning, they saw a boy dressed in a Zhendan University uniform walking out of the school gates. His narrow, slanted eyes squinted slightly as he stared at the hand Li Xiaofei had just pulled back from Ren Dong’s head. His gaze was as sharp as a blade.

The boy’s fair skin and delicate features gave him a refined appearance. But his expression at the moment was anything but friendly. It was more like that of an enraged alpaca.

Li Xiaofei froze.

Were my earlier actions misunderstood by Ren Dong’s classmate?

Ren Dong, however, immediately grabbed Li Xiaofei’s arm and glared at the boy as she shouted, “None of your business... Get lost!”

With that, she yanked Li Xiaofei along and strode through the side gate of Zhendan University. The tall, pale boy’s face flushed red as he watched their backs, his anger almost palpable.

It was lunchtime, so the school cafeteria was bustling as people came and left.

“Today, it’s my treat,” Ren Dong announced, proudly holding up her student card. She smirked as she added, “Let this third-rate university student experience the dining culture of a top-tier university.”

This girl...

Li Xiaofei gritted his teeth as the needling continued. Moments later, the table was set with two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup. A faint medicinal aroma wafted from the soup bowl.

Ren Dong handed him a pair of chopsticks and a spoon. “Don’t hold back. I went all out today to make sure you eat your fill.”

“All out? Did you get your period or something?” Li Xiaofei wore an exaggerated sympathetic expression and said, “What a pity. I thought... Ah, never mind, never mind.”

Ren Dong squinted mischievously and said, “If you’d like, you can try the other three places.”

“Pfft.” Li Xiaofei nearly sprayed the soup all over the little girl’s face.

He was speechless.

How long has she been in the big city? Her sense of humor is now sharp enough to crush me completely. But still, what are the other three places?

The question flashed through Li Xiaofei’s mind briefly before he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. Changing the subject, he asked, “You win. On a serious note, have you had any contact with the principal?”

It had been six months and twenty-one days since their bandit-like principal had gone missing.

Ren Dong shook her head and said, “He doesn’t answer calls or respond to LightChat messages on the old light core number. I even asked Director Qin, and he can’t get in touch with him either.”

Two people who used to be inseparable now seemed completely disconnected. There was no need to even mention anyone else.

Old Chen, oh Old Chen, where on earth did you disappear to carry out your mission? Don’t tell me you’re... gone for good?

Li Xiaofei felt a twinge of unease.

The two chatted and laughed as they ate. The atmosphere was warm and harmonious. The friendship forged during their high school days was unbreakable, especially with countless shared life-and-death battles in the virtual battleground. Their bond went beyond ordinary friendship; it was more like family. Otherwise, they couldn’t have exchanged such bold jokes so easily.

Suddenly, Li Xiaofei sensed something. He turned and spotted the slender, pale-skinned boy sitting at a nearby table and glaring at him once again .

What an intense sense of jealousy.

“Your admirer?” Li Xiaofei asked, turning back to Ren Dong.

Ren Dong scoffed, “A deranged stalker. The guy’s brain is fried, and he’s utterly relentless. Whenever someone so much as talks to me, he challenges them to a duel and beats them half to death. Now everyone avoids me, and even my charity group disbanded because of him. Damn it, if his dad weren’t the department head, I’d have poisoned him into impotence ages ago. He’s such a nuisance.”

Li Xiaofei chuckled. “Doesn’t that put me in danger?”

Ren Dong grinned. “Well, we’re comrades-in-arms, aren’t we? This time, you’ll just have to take one for the team as my shield. Besides, it’s not like I won’t repay you. I could be your temporary girlfriend for a few days; a real one, no pretending. That is, if you’re willing.”

Li Xiaofei smirked. “You’re clearly after my body.”

“No.” Ren Dong corrected him with a sly smile. “I’m after both your body and your soul.”

Li Xiaofei gazed at the girl sitting before him. Her light blonde hair was tied into casual twin ponytails, and faint freckles across the bridge of her nose gave her a mischievous and lively look. Her delicate, petite features formed a picture of charm, and when she smiled, her eyes curved into crescent moons, sweet and playful.

She looked like a pure, otherworldly spirit who had accidentally wandered into the mortal realm.

“You seem different from before today,” Li Xiaofei remarked.

Ren Dong lowered her head slightly, bit her lip, then looked up and met his gaze directly. Leaning in just a little, she asked, “More proactive, perhaps?”

Li Xiaofei nodded. “You’ve got me so turned around I can’t tell whether you’re joking or being serious anymore.”

Ren Dong replied, “It’s not that you can’t tell. It’s that you don’t want to.”

Li Xiaofei rubbed his temples, clearly at a loss. Ren Dong took a sip of her soup, dabbed her mouth with a napkin, and then leaned forward.

Resting her chin on her delicate, snow-white hands, she smiled and said, “Hehe, even someone as cold as Captain Yan liked you. So why can’t I? Before, I kept it all to myself. Just seeing you every day was enough to make me happy. But in the past six months since we’ve been apart, I’ve been consumed by longing for you, day and night. Your school’s internet restrictions only made it worse. There were so many times I couldn’t even reach you. Do you know how that feels?”

“I never expected to run into you in the slum today. Maybe it’s the heavens rewarding me for all those times I wandered through the slums, searching for places that reminded me of where you used to live. On the way back, holding onto your arm, I made up my mind. I won’t hide my feelings anymore. I’m going to face you head-on.”

Li Xiaofei froze in place. He never could have imagined Ren Dong would be so direct in her confession. When she saw him sitting there dumbfounded, Ren Dong couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“I’ve never seen you, the almighty King King, so flustered before,” she said, laughing gleefully.

After laughing for a while, she added, “It’s okay if you don’t like me. I’ve already told you how I feel, and that’s enough for me. Don’t feel pressured, okay?”