Chapter 86: The Legendary Tang Zhong!

Chapter Eighty-Six: The Legendary Tang Chong!

Qiu Yihan was like a delicate, charming little white flower—everyone who saw her wanted to pick her and take her home.

“And this is?” Hua Ming cast a sidelong glance at the boy in a white tracksuit, his hair slicked back, handsome and radiant, and asked.

He regarded Hua Ming and Liang Tao with wary hostility, and they felt equally unfriendly toward him. The brothers hadn’t even had a chance to make their move, and this guy had already barged in—what was that about?

“Zhou Wei.” Whether Qiu Yihan was truly naïve or just pretending, she calmly introduced both parties. “He’s our class president.”

She then pointed to Hua Ming and Liang Tao and told Zhou Wei and his group, “They’re Hua Ming and Liang Tao from the Psychology Department.”

“Psychology Department?” Zhou Wei was displeased, but he maintained a warm, genial smile. “How did you come to know students from the Psychology Department?”

The boys following Zhou Wei were equally unhappy. The flower of the International Trade Department wasn’t traveling with them, but had been taken out by these Psychology guys. Were there really no boys in their department that she liked? Wasn’t this a slap in the face for all their male students?

“We’re sister dorms,” Qiu Yihan said with a smile.

“Sister dorms?” Zhou Wei’s lips twitched. So-called sister dorms—weren’t those just the infamous paired dorms?

Zhou Wei’s gaze toward Liang Tao grew even more hostile. Qiu Yihan’s paired partner must be him, right? This pretty boy decked out in designer brands—he really was irksome.

Zhou Wei was a freshman in the International Trade Department, in the same class as Qiu Yihan, and he was also the class president.

Having the department beauty in his class gave Zhou Wei a feeling of happiness, as if he had the advantage of proximity. While other boys were either feigning indifference or genuinely shy, he had already begun his pursuit of Qiu Yihan openly.

During military training, he helped her request leave, bought her water during breaks, constantly sent snacks to her dorm through friends—though Qiu Yihan declined them all, every freshman in the department knew he was chasing her. Anyone else wanting to pursue her had to first consider if they were good enough.

Before the holiday, he planned a class trip to Jade Maiden Mountain, hoping to create a chance for himself and Qiu Yihan to be alone. He’d heard her mention in casual conversation that she liked traveling, so he approached her to ask if she wanted to join the trip. She said she already had other plans. Unexpectedly, as soon as he boarded today, he saw her sitting with other boys.

“That’s right,” Hua Ming said with a hearty smile. “At my suggestion, our dorm joined with four beauties from your department as sister dorms. We help each other out, travel together—this is our first group activity. We’ll definitely organize more in the future.”

Zhou Wei ignored Hua Ming’s provocation and looked at Qiu Yihan, smiling. “Our classmates are in the next carriage. Want to go say hi?”

Qiu Yihan thought for a moment. “No need for now. There are so many people—it’s crowded and inconvenient. Aren’t you all getting off at Jade Maiden Mountain, too? I’ll come find you after we arrive.”

“Alright,” Zhou Wei nodded, then cast another glance at Hua Ming before leading his group forward.

Liang Tao touched his own face and asked, “Why does he keep looking at me?”

“Maybe he likes your DIOR cologne,” Hua Ming said.

Liang Tao’s face turned green. “You’re wearing it too.”

“I’ve got the smell of sweat—he can’t catch it,” Hua Ming chuckled.

The trip from Mingzhu Station to Jade Maiden Mountain Station was only half an hour. In that brief time, Zhou Wei came by twice, each time bringing snacks or drinks for Qiu Yihan.

Hua Ming and Liang Tao were annoyed but powerless. Qiu Yihan wasn’t their girlfriend; Zhou Wei’s pursuit was open and aboveboard—they couldn’t say anything.

By the time the train stopped at Jade Maiden Mountain Station, dusk was falling.

Tang Chong and his friends shouldered their backpacks and got off, only to find that besides themselves, a huge crowd of students had the same destination.

Tang Chong’s expression grew serious. “We need to get into the mountain quickly. If we’re late, we might not find a place to stay.”

Indeed, with so many students arriving, how many local homes could accommodate them?

It was already past six, and there was no return train. If they couldn’t find lodging in the mountain, they’d have to spend the night at the station. The station was spacious enough, but there were no beds or blankets. Tang Chong wouldn’t mind, but the girls wouldn’t be able to sleep there.

Zhou Wei and his group squeezed over, smiling. “Yihan, have you found a place to stay?”

“No,” Qiu Yihan shook her head. “Aren’t we supposed to look once we get into the mountain?”

“That usually works if you come for a regular visit,” Zhou Wei explained. “But this is the peak holiday season. Besides our university, dozens of colleges in Mingzhu are on break—just look at how many students got off the train. At this time, where would you find any rooms?”

Qiu Yihan’s anxiety grew. “Did you find something?”

“Being class president isn’t easy,” Zhou Wei said, his face proud. “I knew there’d be a rush, so I had Xuebing contact two local families in advance. We’ve got six rooms reserved. Xuebing’s a local, knows the area well, and tomorrow he can be our guide.”

He didn’t even glance at Hua Ming and Liang Tao, addressing only Qiu Yihan: “Why don’t you join our group? Your dorm has four girls—we can spare you two rooms. It’ll be a bit crowded, but it’s fine.”

“Yes, Yihan, come with us! Tomorrow we’re climbing Jade Maiden Peak. Xuebing says there’s a Buddha’s Ear Cave with many giant Buddha ears inside—” a girl chimed in, eager to help Zhou Wei. She knew he liked Qiu Yihan and owed him favors, so she naturally spoke up for him.

“Right. I’m taking them to see the Daoist temple, too. There’s an old Daoist priest there—he even knows martial arts. The village elders say he can shatter a brick with one strike—” said the small, wiry local boy, Chen Xuebing.

This was poaching in plain sight. Hua Ming and Liang Tao, of course, didn’t want to see the beauties they’d brought whisked away.

“Thank you for your kindness,” Liang Tao said. “We’ll find a place ourselves. No need to trouble you.”

“Exactly. No one ever died from holding their pee,” Hua Ming said gruffly.

Zhou Wei’s sharp gaze swept over them. “I’m thinking of the girls’ comfort. If you really care about them, don’t let them suffer—are you really going to drag them into the mountain only to find no lodging and have them spend the night here?”

“Why didn’t you plan ahead? Traveling with girls, shouldn’t you arrange everything first—places to eat and sleep? What are you doing, surprising them?”

Under Zhou Wei’s barrage of criticism, Hua Ming and Liang Tao were furious but couldn’t refute him.

They’d just wanted a simple trip, never expecting so many issues.

Zhou Wei made it look like he was speaking entirely for Qiu Yihan and her friends; if they argued, it would seem disrespectful to the girls.

Tang Chong smiled, thinking this boy was quite clever—he seized the moral high ground and attacked relentlessly, leaving no room for retaliation.

But he couldn’t just watch his friends suffer, so he said, “You’re right, it was our oversight. It’s our first time here—we’re unfamiliar with the area. We heard there were homestays and thought we’d find accommodation easily, but didn’t expect rooms to suddenly be so scarce.”

“But as you said, travel is about seeking surprises. This is a little surprise—coming together, facing difficulties, and solving them as a team. That’s more rewarding than just admiring the scenery. Years from now, we might forget the mountains and waters, but the joy of overcoming challenges will stay with us.”

He glanced at Qiu Yihan, He Na, Luo Huan, and Cheng Pei, and said, “Of course, we respect their wishes. If they prefer not to take risks and want to join you, we won’t object. We wish you a wonderful trip.”

“But if they’re willing to stick with us and tackle these little challenges, finding surprise after surprise, we’ll be honored. We have four men here, and we pledge, as men, to do everything we can to take care of them and protect them. They came with us, so it’s our responsibility and duty to return them to school safe and sound.”

Tang Chong’s words were reasoned and sincere—he deflected Zhou Wei’s aggressive attacks and subtly apologized to the girls for their oversight.

Not only did Qiu Yihan, He Na, Luo Huan, and Cheng Pei feel comforted, even some in Zhou Wei’s camp thought Tang Chong was impressive—at least, he spoke beautifully.

Hua Ming and Liang Tao grinned widely, joy written on their faces. Tang Chong’s words had vented all their frustration, leaving them utterly elated.

Just moments ago, being scolded by Zhou Wei and unable to explain had been unbearable.

They thought, Second Brother truly is Second Brother—talented in both words and deeds. When he steps up, he’s worth two.

Zhou Wei hadn’t expected his carefully constructed advantage to be dismantled by this bespectacled guy in just a few sentences. His eyes burned as he stared at Tang Chong. “Classmate, what’s your name?”

“Tang Chong,” Tang Chong replied with a smile.

Crash—

Everyone, Zhou Wei included, stepped back as if they’d seen a ghost, faces filled with fear as they looked at Tang Chong.

He was—the legendary Tang Chong?

(P.S. Are you—the legendary Imperial Guards?)