Chapter Forty-Nine: The Gentleman's Agreement

Chapter Forty-Nine: A Gentlemen’s Agreement!

Tang Zhong had no idea what had happened to Li Tieshu, nor did he know that Hua Ming, with his own intentions, had already altered the course of Li Tieshu’s life.

After returning to the dorm, he took a shower and lay on his bed for a nap.

Liang Tao and Li Yu were in low spirits as well. Li Yu didn’t borrow Tang Zhong’s computer to play games as usual, but climbed up to the top bunk to read a novel. Liang Tao, who always liked to sing in the dorm, was silent today.

Even the corridor outside seemed quieter than usual. No one was wailing or shouting, and no one was laughing aloud. It was as if everyone had sunk into a somber mood.

No one could have predicted that the hot-tempered man had such a profound impact on these young men.

Hua Ming pushed open the dormitory door and walked in, his eyes darting mischievously. “Brothers, I have earth-shattering news for you! Come on, beg me for it. If you beg, I’ll tell you.”

No one paid him any mind.

“What’s this? Don’t believe me? I promise you, this news is explosive—absolutely worth it!” Hua Ming kept shouting.

“Boss, can you be quiet for a while?” Liang Tao sat up and shouted at him. “Even if you’re not sad about Instructor Li leaving, you should at least respect our feelings, right?”

“Heh, what’s there for men to be sad about? Women are our goal! Guess who I just ran into on my way back? Go on, guess.”

No one guessed.

“Fine. If I don’t tell you, you’ll never guess in a hundred years.” Hua Ming continued his solo performance energetically. “Su Shan. Yes, goddess Su Shan. I actually ran into her. My god, she’s even more beautiful than on the admission letter cover! That photo is lifeless—bah, I’m the lifeless one.”

“The photo is static; it can’t capture her spirit. Just moments ago, we passed each other in a sea of people, and our gazes locked—deep and meaningful. I felt my soul leave my body. I had no physical form, only pure spirit. All around me were fields of flowers, endless swathes of rapeseed blossoms. We ran hand in hand through those flowers—”

Hua Ming’s face was intoxicated, his broad features tilted up. “At that moment, I felt utterly unworthy. She was so beautiful, so elegant, so pure. Aside from my looks, I couldn’t find a single merit to compare with hers. She’s the most beautiful flower in the world, and I’m just a sturdy green leaf.”

Liang Tao jumped down from his bed, his eyes gleaming. “Is that for real?”

“It’s true,” Hua Ming nodded solemnly.

“Where did you see her?” Liang Tao asked eagerly.

“By the water room entrance.”

Whoosh—

In a blur, Liang Tao had already vanished.

“I wasn’t done yet!” Hua Ming shouted after him toward the stairs. “There was a man with her!”

But Liang Tao was already out of earshot.

Hua Ming curled his lip in disdain. “That guy’s a rookie. No experience dealing with goddess-tier bosses. With a woman like Su Shan, the more you chase her, flatter her, and praise her, the less chance you have. If you had the guts to slap her twice, maybe she’d actually fall for you.”

“Did you slap her?” Tang Zhong asked.

“I did.” Hua Ming grinned sheepishly.

“How’d that go?” Tang Zhong squinted, smiling. He thought to himself, that woman really is a femme fatale; every man who sees her can’t forget her. With looks like that, why bother with college? She should just go be a superstar.

“It worked. I woke right up.” Hua Ming stroked his own face gently. “It really hurt.”

“——” Tang Zhong was speechless.

So he’d slapped himself.

“You really saw her?” Tang Zhong pulled a pillow under his neck, intrigued.

“Of course,” Hua Ming boasted, lifting his chin. “Right at the water room we always go to. She wore a white dress, her hair tied with a purple ribbon—sigh, a crowd of love-struck fools trailed behind her. I followed for a few dozen meters, but felt it was too shameful, so I turned back.”

After a pause, he added, “Liang Tao’s a fool. He won’t have a chance. There was a handsome guy with Su Shan, just as good-looking as me.”

“A handsome guy? Is it the one we saw before?” Tang Zhong wondered to himself. “I wonder what their relationship is.”

“Let him chase in vain,” Tang Zhong said with a smile.

“Exactly. Let him get discouraged a bit. Otherwise, he’ll keep thinking about her,” Hua Ming nodded. “In our dorm, besides me, nobody else has a shot.”

“I think so too,” Tang Zhong replied.

Hearing Tang Zhong’s support, Hua Ming grinned broadly. He took a cutting board and kitchen knife from the bookshelf and started chopping greens for his pet rabbit.

Watching Hua Ming’s satisfied face, Tang Zhong thought, this guy really knows how to enjoy life.

——
——

“Boss, are you sure you saw Su Shan at the water room?” Liang Tao asked, still unconvinced.

“Yes,” Hua Ming replied impatiently. “How many times do you need to ask before you believe it?”

“Then why didn’t I see her? I searched everywhere but couldn’t find her,” Liang Tao said regretfully.

“Meeting a goddess is about fate. My friend, your fate isn’t ripe—keep cultivating,” Hua Ming laughed.

“Fate, my ass. When military training ends, I’m going to stake out the entrance to the International Finance Department’s building—I don’t believe I won’t see her,” Liang Tao said through gritted teeth.

Tang Zhong’s attention was piqued. “Liang Tao, what did you say? Su Shan is in International Finance?”

“Yeah,” Liang Tao nodded. “Didn’t you know?”

“What year is she in now?” Tang Zhong asked.

“Senior year,” Liang Tao replied. “It’s her final year. She graduates next year. We have to hurry.”

Then he shot Tang Zhong a curious look. “Why do you seem so excited?”

“He’s getting excited for nothing,” Hua Ming declared grandly. “No ordinary guy could ever win the goddess. Only a top-tier loser like me stands a chance.”

Tang Zhong smiled. “I was just asking.”

“Sigh,” Liang Tao lamented. “So you’re interested in Su Shan too. That makes two rivals in our dorm alone. How many must there be in the whole university? With so many outstanding men, I guess I have no hope. None of us do.”

“Come on, Third Bro, don’t boost their morale and kill our own. Just because you and Second Bro have no chance doesn’t mean I’m out.”

“You’re the least likely,” Liang Tao retorted.

“I’ll bet you,” Hua Ming challenged, sticking out his neck.

“What’s the wager?”

“If I fail to win Su Shan—”

“If you fail, then what?”

“I’ll stew my rabbit and eat it,” Hua Ming declared ferociously.

“Fine. And if you succeed, I’ll eat your rabbit raw, fur and all,” Liang Tao shot back with equal fierceness.

Just as children imagine they’ll grow as tall as trees, young men love to make wild bets with impossible stakes.

At that age, they still knew how to savor the pleasures of fantasy.

When the four of them reached the basketball court, a number of male students from Class One had already gathered.

“Is Instructor Li really gone? Who’s replacing him?”

“I hope the new instructor isn’t even stricter than Li.”

“Could anyone be stricter than Instructor Li? Still, I kind of like him—”

Everyone was talking at once. Seeing Tang Zhong arrive, the boys gathered around to ask for news.

Even though Tang Zhong himself didn’t know the answer, they still liked talking to him.

Lu Yifei didn’t appear; he and the other two boys who’d fainted from heatstroke were still resting.

At three o’clock, the boys from Class One automatically assembled in formation at the center of the court.

Thanks to Instructor Li Tieshu’s strict discipline, they’d developed a habit of punctuality.

“The instructors are coming,” someone called.

Several men in uniform strode onto the court.

“Hey, Instructor Li is with them!” someone exclaimed in delight.

“He’s not here to say goodbye again, is he?” someone else worried aloud.

When Instructor Li Tieshu stood before the formation, everyone looked puzzled. Only one person in the class understood.

“Attention!” Li Tieshu shouted.

Snap—

The boys straightened up at once.

“Right-dress!” Li Tieshu continued. “Quick step, move! Move!”

Swish, swish, swish—

Everyone moved, aligning with the rightmost rank.

“At ease,” Instructor Li commanded. He surveyed the group sternly. “Are you all disappointed right now? You finally got rid of the jinx, and now he’s back?”

“Instructor, we never thought that!”

“Yeah, we were always thinking of you. We even wanted to see you off—”

“Instructor, you’re back now—this time you’re not leaving, right?”

Seeing their sincerity, Instructor Li Tieshu couldn’t help but break into a smile.

“Just teasing you,” he said warmly. “I trust the soldiers I train, just as I trust myself. I know you’re not what I joked about. And I know I’m not that much of a failure as a person.”

“That’s right. Now that I’m back, I won’t leave again. Not until military training ends, not until the final performance. I’ll stay with you to the last day, and then I’ll leave together with the other instructors. You wanted me to smile more, and I promise you I will. But can you promise me one thing in return?”

“What is it?” everyone asked.

“I want first place in the drill competition!” Li Tieshu declared. “Bring me the championship!”

“Deal!” the boys laughed and shouted.

This was a gentlemen’s agreement.

No need for pen or ink; they would remember it in their hearts.