Pu Yingxue’s heart skipped a beat and she gave Lin Huai a weird stare. Lin Huai quickly turned his face away. Damn, she wouldn’t really fall for me, would she? Oh my, my tongue needs to be watched.
Pu Yingxue looked slightly disappointed. But soon afterward, she smiled and said, “Let’s go and have hotpot.”
The hotpot stall was not considered big, but it could still fit around seven to eight tables. At this point, the place was crowded with people.
The boss saw that there were customers walking in and immediately said, “A total of two seats?”
“Yes, the two of us,” Lin Huai replied.
Just then, the owner suddenly saw Pu Yingxue. The middle-aged owner grinned happily. “Oh, it’s teacher Pu Yingxue. There is still an empty spot here, but you would have to share the table with some other customers.
Lin Huai glanced over and saw a few wayward-looking gangsters gobble down their food. It just so happened that there were two empty seats next to them. Lin Huai frowned when he thought of sitting with such people while enjoying a meal with his beautiful teacher. This would destroy the ambience.
Pu Yingxue whispered to him and explained, “This shop is usually very busy and there are many customers. Therefore, it’s like this everyday. Two or even three groups of people will share a table. It ultimately depends on the number of customers in the shop.”
Lin Huai acknowledged and said, “You are the host so you can decide. I am fine with anything.”
“Alright, let’s hurry and take a seat then. What hotpot do you feel like having?”
Lin Huai said, “Pork ribs. Also, give me two portions of hotteok.”
Pu Yingxue smiled and said, “I will have the same as him.”
“Alright, sure!”
The boss left to do his work. Lin Huai and Pu Yingxue sat down as the few gangsters kept their heads down and continued eating. The gangsters ignored them and Lin Huai felt more at ease.
Pu Yingxue said, “Lin Huai, you have such immense skills in music. I can tell that you must really like music. Even though you are no longer in a music college, you could still come to me to explore certain topics together. I know I might not be as capable as you when it comes to music, but I will surely help you as long as I have the ability to help you.”
Pu Yingxue sounded a little regretful. Lin Huai had so much musical talent, and yet he had to transfer to Yulan College due to lack of money. She found this regretful.
Lin Huai smiled and said, “It’s okay. It doesn’t matter where I am, I will always be learning. Besides, our college is not too bad.
“Sigh, no matter what, it’s still of a lower grade. In our college, music is only an elective subject and is treated as a hobby. On the other hand, a music college is more professional and the standard of the teachers are higher as well. At the very least, upon graduation, you could become a music teacher of sorts. If you are lucky, you can even become a singer.”
Lin Huai smiled and said, “There are so many music colleges around the world. It’s not so easy to debut as a singer.”
“Of course not. It’s difficult to become a singer, and the possibility of that happening is one in a thousand. However, Tongcheng Music College has produced singers that are still popular today.”
Lin Huai was curious and asked, “Who?”
Pu Yingxue stared at Lin Huai weirdly and asked, “You studied at that music college for a month, and yet you don’t know this?”
“Nobody really mentioned it to me before,” Lin Huai said casually.
After all, Lin Huai only spent a short period of time at the music college, and Pu Yingxue did not suspect anything. All of a sudden, she looked envious and full of admiration. She said in an excited voice, “It’s Wang Jiarui, the most popular singer in Tongcheng City’s history. She is one of the most outstanding singers of the younger generation. She just released her second album and once again, she achieved platinum sales volume. She will eventually be coming to Tongcheng City to host a concert and I must attend.”
“Oh, it’s Wang Jiarui.” Lin Huai nodded.
The truth was that Lin Huai did not pay much attention to news of the entertainment industry. Wang Jiarui was a superstar that debuted less than two years ago and seemed to have gained popularity last year. Lin Huai didn’t know what she looked like but had heard one of her top hits; it was actually pretty good.
Pu Yingxue said emotionally, “I actually think that Wang Jiarui would eventually become one of the four young divas. She is really beautiful and her voice is splendid as well.”
Lin Huai asked curiously, “Are you exaggerating?”
“Not an exaggeration at all. Not only does she look like an idol, she is also very capable. This is why I idolize her. Not only that, she is about my age and has already debuted for two years.”
Lin Huai smiled and said, “It’s not the most tremendous achievement ever. There are many singers that debut in their pre-teens or teens.”
Nowadays, many fresh meats indeed debut during the pre-teens or teenage years. Some of them even skipped school to debut early. Moreover, they didn’t have abilities. All they did was rely on their good looks. However, they still managed to charm the young girls into fangirling over them.
Pu Yingxue shook her head and said, “She’s different. Although she has the looks, she depends on her skills. Let me recommend a few of her songs to you when we get back and you will understand.”
As they were chatting, the hotpot and hotteok arrived. Lin Huai took two mouthfuls, let the aroma and taste settle in his stomach, and his eyes lit up. He praised from the bottom of his heart, “Yum, this is really tasty!”
Pu Yingxue smiled and said, “I told you so. I am a regular at this shop and I really enjoy the food here.”
Lin Huai said, “I understand that you are a regular here. However, you must be careful. Even though the hotpot in this shop is truly delicious, the location is rather secluded. Since you look so cute and beautiful, don’t let the bad guys abduct you.”
Pu Yingxue blushed and gave a light cough. Her face was red and she quickly put her head down and continued eating.
It just so happened that one of the thugs from the same table looked up and saw this scene. His eyes lit up and he looked at Pu Yingxue with a perverted gaze. He also secretly kicked his two companions’ feet under the table, one kick per person. His two companions both raised their heads, managed to see the blushing and shy Pu Yingxue, and felt their breathing quicken.
Lin Huai saw all of this and thought in his heart, Damn, my big mouth. I just told her not to get abducted by bad people, and here we have bumped into a few bad people. The few people appeared to have intentions of laying hands on Pu Yingxue. However, Lin Huai didn’t mind as facing off three thugs was not difficult at all.
The three of them did not make a move. They only eyed her occasionally, as if Lin Huai was irrelevant. In their eyes, Lin Huai looked like an ordinary student that was not worth mentioning. These gangsters from outside the college had never thought much of students from the colleges.
The three of them finished eating and left the hotpot shop. Lin Huai and Pu Yingxue also finished eating, paid the bill, and left the hotpot shop.
Just as they walked out of the shop, they saw the three gangsters standing in the alley. They had smug grins as they looked at Pu Yingxue.
Pu Yingxue looked slightly uncomfortable. She pulled on Lin Huai’s hand and said, “Let’s head back into the shop and call the police. They don’t look like good people.”
“Don’t worry, it’s nothing. I will reform them with love!” Lin Huai laughed and said. “Lets go. Are you staying in the college or your own house? Let me send you home first.”
“No need, I can head back home myself. You go back to college. However, are you sure you are going to be okay?”
“Yes, I will be fine,” Lin Huai said in a serious voice. “I am very good at reforming people!”
Lin Huai held Pu Yingxue’s hand. Oh my, such smooth and delicate skin. Lin Huai had never thought that such a smooth and tender hand existed. Although her hands were slightly cold, it incited an inexplicable impulse to protect her.
Lin Huai led the way and walked forward. As expected, the three thugs stepped forward and blocked their way.
Lin Huai stopped walking and asked, “I know you all are going to ask me to leave the girl behind. I can avoid trouble and just leave.”
The three of them were stunned as Lin Huai had grabbed the words right out of their mouths. The thug who was standing in the middle smiled and said, “Since you already know it, you can leave now!”
Lin Huai shook his head and said, “Repentance is salvation. Let me reform you all with love!”
“F*ck you and your love!” The three thugs simultaneously rushed forward and pounced on Lin Huai. Lin Huai held Pu Yingxue’s hand with one hand and casually placed his other hand behind his back. He kicked the three of them concurrently and all three of them flew backward. They fell hard on the ground and started screaming out in pain.
Lin Huai smiled and said, “See, I told you so. Repentance is salvation. Have you all been reformed now?”
“We’re reformed, we’re reformed…” The three thugs were afraid after getting beaten up. They struggled to get off the ground, then supported each other as they ran out of the alley.
Lin Huai smiled and said, “See, I told you I am great at reforming people.”
Pu Yingxue chuckled. “How is this reforming? You obviously beat them up.”
Lin Huai smiled and said, “Sometimes in life, if you have to fight, then you fight. If not, they will think that we are easy to bully. I am not willing to use my fist to solve problems, but sometimes, you have no choice but to use your fists.”
Pu Yingxue sighed and said, “I do not like to use force either but I think you are right.”
“Exactly. Using force is not a bad thing. It’s just like how the police have to use force to catch bad guys. Thus, it depends on how you use your force. As for these thugs, they obviously took the wrong path.”
Pu Yingxue looked at Lin Huai and asked in a worried tone, “You are not going to be like them, right?”
“Nope,” Lin Huai smiled and said. “I am the kryptonite of gangsters.”
“But… but everyone says that you are the big boss of the computer science major.”
“Yes, I am the big boss, this is true.” Lin Huai smiled and had a wise look on his face. At this point, Lin Huai looked like a completely different person and his speech sounded meaningful and philosophical. “Do you remember what we were talking about? It all depends on how you use your violence? It’s the same logic in college. Although I am the big boss of the computer science major, it doesn’t mean that I am planning to be a gangster, nor does it mean that as a big boss, I am going to be a gang leader outside of college. I am different from Zhou Minghu. He wanted to dominate the college and be the ruler. All I want is to create constraints and allow the students an environment where they can study and learn wholeheartedly without distractions. Zhou Minghu wanted to lead his henchmen down the path of violence. On the other hand, I wish to lead them in the right direction. That’s the biggest difference between us.”
Lin Huai exclaimed emotionally, “Actually, I had no intentions of being the big boss before this. However, I came to a realization today that if I could, I should be more willing to be the big boss of the college. I want to turn the situation of the college around and motivate everyone to learn and study. Once such an atmosphere is established, even if I released control, the college wouldn’t be in bad shape.”
Pu Yingxue looked on with slight admiration. She said gratefully, “I understand. Lin Huai, you have taken on so much.”
“Haha, it’s considered nothing.” Lin Huai couldn’t help but feel emotional. He had been transferred to this college for less than half a month. Initially, he only wanted to fulfil his duty but was eventually dragged into the complications. All of a sudden, the righteousness and justice in him was awakened and he felt a huge change within himself. If he was ordered to leave and let go of everything here now, he would not be able to do so.