Chapter 275 A Secret Inside Story from University
Xiao Qidi instantly activated his internal energy to protect himself.
There was a muffled thud.
An alloy baseball bat struck him on the head.
But he didn't budge, while the slick-haired man was so shaken that his hand went numb and the baseball bat slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.
The slick-haired man suffered fractures to two fingers on his right hand, and his left hand is now in pain and numbness, causing him immense discomfort. However, compared to the shock he has experienced, these physical pains are insignificant.
Xiao Qidi touched his hair, which had been ruffled by the baseball bat, and said as if nothing had happened, "Now we're even, right?"
"You... are you human or..." The slick-haired man took two steps back in terror, glanced at the shadow beside Xiao Qidi, and swallowed the word "ghost."
Xiao Qidi ignored him and turned to walk towards the hotel entrance.
The slick-haired man stared intently at his retreating figure, spat, and said viciously, "You scared the hell out of me. As long as you're not a ghost, that's fine. Damn it... you know hard qigong, huh? Just you wait!"
Once he confirmed that Xiao Qidi had entered the hotel ahead, the slick-haired man ignored his female companion and drove away quickly in his sports car.
The curly-haired woman, who had been left behind, struggled to her feet, straightened her clothes slightly, and hurriedly entered the hotel.
——
Five large round tables were set up in a large private room in the hotel.
Six or seven people sat at a table, making a total of more than thirty people, all of whom were young men and women in their twenties.
This was Ning Jinli's classmate from university.
Except for a few who couldn't be contacted, almost everyone came.
It just so happened that it was right after the Spring Festival, so everyone had some free time. Also, since it had been less than a year since graduation, many classmates were still in contact with each other.
During her university years, Ning Jinli rarely participated in social activities and gatherings due to her family circumstances. As a result, she was practically invisible for four years, and her relationships with her classmates were generally ordinary. She only had two female classmates who could be considered her friends.
These two friends chose to go abroad for further studies right after graduating last year. They have been extremely busy for the past six months. When they finally had time to return to China, they contacted Ning Jinli.
If it weren't for their invitation, Ning Jinli wouldn't have planned to attend the class reunion.
Everyone was having a meal at the time, and each table was occupied by people who were close to or familiar with each other.
Ning Jinli and two friends sat at the table furthest to the side. There were three men at the table, who had no particular relationship with the other students and were not outstanding figures during their university years, so they chose to sit at the same table as Ning Jinli.
In the magnificent private room, apart from Ning Jinli's table, the atmosphere at the other four tables was very lively, with everyone drinking and chatting enthusiastically.
"Jinli, it's been more than half a year since I last saw you. Why do I feel like you're even more beautiful than before?" A girl wearing black-rimmed glasses to Ning Jinli's left stared at her intently.
Ning Jinli was a little embarrassed, "Ah? Maybe it's just your imagination..."
The round-faced girl sitting to her right said with a grin, "Xiaoyan's eyesight has never been good, but she's right this time. I can vouch for it. Jinli, you really are even more beautiful now. Unlike me, I went abroad and chose a grueling major that's killing me, and it's made me age prematurely."
Speaking of this, the girl named Xiaoyan also had a lot of complaints. She said that the job she chose was not only tiring, but the job prospects had also deteriorated in recent months. She really didn't know if she would be able to find a job after she finished her studies in a few years.
Ning Jinli pondered for a moment and asked, "Why don't you wait until you get your degrees and then come back to China to work? I think the development prospects in China are much better than in any other country."
"Sigh, we'll see when the time comes." Xiaoyan adjusted her glasses and changed the subject, "Jinli, Tingting, have you two found someone yet? Let me make it clear, I'm still single. I still believe that no man in this world can catch my eye, and I'm prepared to never date or get married."
The round-faced girl looked helpless. "Don't ask me, I've never been popular with the opposite sex. Jinli, you must keep your eyes open and don't make the same mistake again, ending up with a scumbag like your ex-boyfriend."
Ning Jinli had already told two friends about her breakup with her ex, which is why the girl called Tingting reminded her.
Before Ning Jinli could say anything, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open.
"Sorry, sorry, I was stuck in traffic and I'm late..." a pleasant voice rang out.
Everyone quieted down and turned to look at the door.
What catches everyone's eye is a curly-haired beauty wearing an exquisite red high-end dress.
"Hey! Our class beauty is here!" someone shouted.
"Siya, come, sit here." Then a man in a suit stood up and greeted her.
The people at the same table as the man immediately helped move their chairs, all appearing extremely attentive.
The girl's appearance immediately attracted everyone's attention.
Back in college, she was indeed considered a great beauty by most of her classmates, so they privately called her the class beauty.
Si Ya smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear, took a deep breath, and walked with a smile toward the table that had served her.
Ning Jinli couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
It wasn't her appearance that attracted me, nor was it because we had any past interactions, but rather because I noticed an unusual red mark on her cheek.
Although it was deliberately concealed by heavy makeup, it still couldn't escape Ning Jinli's eyes.
Si Ya noticed Ning Jinli's observing gaze and frowned slightly as she looked over.
Ning Jinli returned a polite and kind smile.
Si Ya's eyes turned cold. After a brief exchange of glances, she sat down next to the man in the suit.
"Jinli, did you offend her?" Tingting asked in a low voice. "The way she looked at me was obviously strange."
Ning Jinli looked blank. "Impossible. During my four years of university, I never had any private contact with her. Even when we bumped into each other in class, she would ignore me when I greeted her. I can count the number of times we've spoken on one hand."
Tingting looked at Xiaoyan, "Ah...could she actually have been looking at you just now?"
"Me?" Xiaoyan laughed. "I only argued with her during that practical course because I couldn't stand her dragging her feet and affecting the group members' progress. It's been so long, and we're not children anymore. Surely we don't still have any opinions about this."
"Ahem, maybe... I know the reason." A square-faced male classmate sitting at the same table spoke cautiously.
The people at this table were not as lively as those at other tables. From the start of the meal, only Ning Jinli and her two friends chatted quietly, while the three boys kept their heads down and ate without saying a word.
Now one of them suddenly spoke up, immediately piquing the interest of the three girls.
"What's the reason?" Ning Jinli asked.
The square-faced boy glanced around discreetly and lowered his voice even further, saying, "Do you know why Si Ya is called the class beauty by many people in our class behind her back?"
Ning Jinli and her two friends looked at each other in bewilderment.
Tingting thought for a moment and said, "What other special reason could there be? It's just because she has a good figure, knows how to dress, and is pretty. Back when we first entered university, all of us freshmen were country bumpkins, especially after military training. Tsk tsk, we were all tanned like monkeys, only she was radiant."
"Hehe..." Another boy with a refined appearance scratched his head and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Actually, I think you're much prettier than Ning Jinli..."
Upon hearing this, Ning Jinli was stunned, and her two friends immediately cast gossipy glances at her.
Xiaoyan adjusted her glasses and stared at the refined-looking boy who said Ning Jinli was prettier. "Jinli is prettier than her, that's for sure, but don't you guys all like the flashy type? Why are you suddenly saying this... is it because you have a crush on our Jinli?"
The refined-looking boy blushed instantly and hurriedly waved his hands, "No, no, no, don't misunderstand..."
Tingting immediately interjected, "Oh, you mean, you didn't even fancy someone as beautiful as Jinli?"
The refined young man was even more embarrassed, scratching his head and indicating that he didn't mean it that way.
Ning Jinli said, "You two stop teasing him, or the topic will go off track. Let's get down to business."
The square-faced boy continued, "It's like this, not long after the start of freshman year, our class monitor fell for Si Ya. The title of 'class beauty' came from his mouth. He even privately asked the boys in our class if she was the prettiest, and... more than half of the boys said that Jin Li, who doesn't know how to dress up and doesn't wear makeup, is actually prettier. The class monitor got angry because of this. You know, his family is rich and powerful, and we can't afford to offend them. In the end, we could only go along with him and say that Si Ya is our class beauty..."
Ning Jinli stared in disbelief. "There's such a thing?"
Xiaoyan and Tingting complained in unison, "You boys are so boring."
Another boy with a buzz cut, who hadn't said a word the whole time, joined the conversation and continued, picking up where the square-faced boy left off: "Later, the class monitor finally got Si Ya, but one time when he celebrated Si Ya's birthday, he invited all of us male classmates over to join in. For some reason, the two of them had a falling out. The class monitor got drunk and was in a fit of anger, so he said that the most beautiful girl in our class, as everyone agrees, wasn't her but Ning Jinli."
With this little inside story revealed by the three boys, Ning Jinli and her two friends finally understood why Si Ya had given them such a hostile look earlier.
However, Ning Jinli didn't take it to heart and said that the topic should end there and that they should stop discussing it.
The refined-looking boy blushed deeply, mustered his courage, and asked in a low voice, "Jinli, are you... are you still dating that person?"
He was referring to Ning Jinli's ex-boyfriend from her university days.
Tingting chuckled, "What, you want to pursue our Jinli?"
The refined young man's ears turned red, and he stammered, unsure how to begin.
The other two boys said that this guy had actually liked Ning Jinli for a long time, but he was too introverted to express it. It was only because the two of them cheered him on that he dared to ask.
So his meaning is quite clear.
Xiaoyan immediately said, "Jinli broke up with that bastard a long time ago. As for whether she has a boyfriend now, I was just asking her, but I haven't found out yet."
The refined-looking boy's eyes lit up immediately, and he looked at Ning Jinli with great anticipation, "Then... how about after we finish eating, I... I'll treat the three of you to karaoke or a game of murder mystery?"
Ning Jinli said sincerely, "Thank you for your kindness, but I already have a boyfriend."
The refined young man froze, the light in his eyes quickly fading. His two friends also looked regretful and silently patted him on the shoulder.
Xiaoyan and Tingting were very surprised and quickly asked Ning Jinli who her boyfriend was and why she hadn't told them sooner.
"Well... um..." Ning Jinli looked conflicted. "It's a long story, I'll tell you about it when I have time..."
The existence of this boyfriend really put her in a difficult position.
She hasn't figured out how to write it yet.
You can't just tell your friends the truth, can you?
Tell them that your partner is Emperor Xuanzu Xiao Qidi?
The refined young man suddenly said, "Jinli, are you trying to reject me in this way? Actually... it's okay. Even if you don't have a boyfriend and you don't like me, I... can accept it. You don't need to be too considerate of my feelings."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyan and Tingting both cast suspicious glances at Ning Jinli.
That's certainly a possibility, and when Ning Jinli was pressed by the two of them for an explanation, she said it was a long story, which made it even more suspicious.
“I’m telling you, Jinli,” Xiaoyan said seriously, “they’ve already said all that, shouldn’t you explain things more clearly? If I remember correctly, all three of them came to Xinghan City from other places to study at university, and after graduation they went back to their hometowns to develop their careers. Now they’ve come all this way to attend the class reunion, it’s obviously all because of you.”
Ning Jinli had no choice but to take out her phone, unlock it, and show her the wallpaper. "Look, this is a photo of me and my boyfriend. I'm telling the truth."
Xiaoyan and Tingting immediately moved closer.
The three boys sitting across the round table got up and came over to take a look.
"Wow!" Tingting exclaimed.
The sound was even louder than the conversations at the other tables, and people immediately looked over.
Tingting quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Oh my god... Jinli, your boyfriend is so handsome! Xiaoyan, what do you think?"
Even Xiaoyan, who always has a very discerning eye, was stunned for a moment and said, "There are many handsome men, but this one is not only handsome, but his temperament is also unique... Jinli, does your boyfriend have any brothers? Cousins are fine too, how about introducing him to me?"
Ning Jinli almost lost her temper. "Alright, alright, I've proven it to you all. Can we talk about something else now?"
Behind them, the refined young man's expression shifted from curiosity to shock, and finally to a calm, still look.
His two friends patted him on the shoulder, one on each side.
The square-faced guy said earnestly, "Dude, although you're quite handsome and refined, and as your good friend, I should support you, but this time... I'm sorry, I really can't lie to myself. Jinli's boyfriend is way better than you."
The crew-cut guy comforted him, saying, "With his looks and charisma, you probably can't find another one like him in the whole world. Dude, you have no reason to lose."
"Thank you all," the refined-looking boy said, both amused and exasperated. "I still have my own self-awareness."
"Step aside, let me see," a cold voice suddenly rang out behind them. "Ha, after hearing you rave about her boyfriend like this, I'd like to see who this person is!"
Before they could react, a hand swept past them and swiftly grabbed Ning Jinli's phone without any hesitation.
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