Chapter 17: Call Me Boss

From the man's words, Qin Xuan immediately understood that he was one of the suitors of that "Teacher Su" from earlier, and he seemed to be rather formidable. What Qin Xuan disliked most was being threatened, especially since he had no particular interest in Su Muqing to begin with, let alone any sophisticated strategy of playing hard to get.

"I'm sorry, but threats don't work on me. If there's nothing else, goodbye."

Without hesitation, Qin Xuan turned and walked away.

Such an attitude would infuriate anyone, but the tall man was not angered; instead, he watched Qin Xuan leave with great interest, and after a while, a cold smile appeared on his face.

"People who don't know what's good for them never end well..."

Murmuring these words softly, the tall man turned and strode off in style.

...

When Qin Xuan returned to Dongfang Qingwan's side, he found that someone else had joined her—it was her handsome younger brother, Dongfang Wenhao. Upon seeing Qin Xuan return, Dongfang Wenhao shot him a glance.

"Big bodyguard, don't cause trouble for my sister. That guy you just provoked is not someone you can afford to mess with."

Qin Xuan didn't care and chuckled, "Who is he, some big shot?"

Dongfang Wenhao replied disdainfully, "To you, yes, he is. His name is Li Shihao, and his family is very influential. Anyway, as a mere bodyguard, you could never handle him."

"Well, that's unfortunate, because I think I've already gotten on his bad side," Qin Xuan said, spreading his hands and feigning helplessness.

Very influential family? Qin Xuan thought to himself that he'd already encountered quite a few powerful figures in Jinling—Senior Zhao Long, Zhang Tianyu, the young chairman of Tenglong International, not to mention the Dongfang family itself was no pushover.

This Li Shihao was no Li Shimin—what was there to be afraid of?

"You..."

Seeing Qin Xuan's expression, Dongfang Wenhao was instantly enraged. But just as he was about to say something, Dongfang Qingwan frowned slightly and chided him, "Wenhao, that's enough."

Dongfang Wenhao looked aggrieved.

"Sis, it hasn't even been that long and you're already taking his side."

"I'm just being reasonable. Stop making a scene."

With that, Dongfang Qingwan gave Qin Xuan a helpless smile, and Qin Xuan, of course, paid no mind. Wenhao was still a child at heart; arguing with him would be pointless.

Since Dongfang Wenhao wasn't in the same major as the other two, he had only come over to greet his sister. So, halfway there, he parted ways with them, but not before shooting Qin Xuan a venomous glare.

Qin Xuan remained unfazed, pretending not to notice.

This only made Dongfang Wenhao even more furious. Still, he was quite afraid of his sister, and after being reprimanded by her just moments before, he dared not act out and simply stormed off in frustration.

...

The gathering for Class One of the Business School was held in a large lecture hall in the business building. It was said to be the first meeting for the new students to get to know one another, and apparently, some teachers would be in attendance.

But none of this concerned Qin Xuan—he was only tagging along with Dongfang Qingwan.

"Look, Dongfang Qingwan is here!"

"She really came!"

As they reached the classroom door, an excited chorus rose from inside. Qin Xuan felt a bit resigned. The way news of beautiful women spread faster than anything else on campus these days was almost absurd.

New students hadn't even met each other yet, and most already recognized Dongfang Qingwan by sight—a true phenomenon.

Yet what surprised Qin Xuan even more was that someone actually recognized him, too.

"You're Qin Xuan, right?"

A slightly thin young man walked over, smiling as he offered his hand.

Qin Xuan glanced inside the classroom, saw that Dongfang Qingwan was already chatting with a few girls she seemed to know from before, and felt at ease.

He then sized up the young man: not tall, with a somewhat sly expression, the kind who looked like a mischievous troublemaker.

Though he wore an Armani casual suit, he didn't exude the arrogant air of someone like Yang Weiyang. That made Qin Xuan feel a little more favorable toward him.

"I'm Qin Xuan. And you are?"

They shook hands briefly as Qin Xuan asked.

"My name is Zhou Xiaoyu. Heh, Qin Xuan, it's true what they say—meeting you in person is different. Where did you get that outfit? It really has a classical vibe; I want to get one too."

"Oh, it didn't cost much. Online shopping is so convenient these days, it's easy to buy one." Of course, Qin Xuan wasn't about to tell him that his robe was a magical artifact blessed by his master, not something an ordinary person could just purchase.

"I'm afraid even if I wore one, I couldn't pull it off like you do," Zhou Xiaoyu said, clearly frustrated by his own height.

"You never know until you try," Qin Xuan replied with a smile. "By the way, am I really that well-known? How did you recognize me?"

"Don't you ever go online? On the Jinling University student forum, the post about you and Dongfang Qingwan is number one in hits—who wouldn't recognize you?"

Qin Xuan was startled.

Was he that notorious? Unbelievable. Beauty truly is a source of trouble; the moment he arrived, he became the center of attention.

"That idiot Yang Weiyang—he's become infamous among the freshmen now," Zhou Xiaoyu continued with a laugh. "But Qin Xuan, the part where you threw him into the lake was satisfying, though I'm sure he's still holding a grudge. You'd better watch out."

As for that, Qin Xuan wasn't worried.

"Relax, Yang Weiyang will steer clear if he sees me now. He wouldn't dare cause me trouble even if he had a death wish."

Qin Xuan was confident in his own psychic abilities. After all, Yang Weiyang was just an ordinary guy with no backing. That warning at the entrance to Tenglong International was enough to make Yang Weiyang fear him.

But Zhou Xiaoyu clearly didn't believe him.

"Qin Xuan, I won't deny you're impressive, but everyone knows Yang Weiyang is a mad dog. He'd only avoid you if you were his old man!"

Qin Xuan just smiled, not bothering to argue. At that moment, an arrogant voice suddenly rang out from outside the classroom:

"So many beauties among the new students this year! I’ll have to jot down a few names in my notebook—I'll have some targets to pursue! By the way, which class is having a gathering in this room?"

Qin Xuan couldn't help but laugh.

Wasn't that Yang Weiyang's voice?

Clearly, Zhou Xiaoyu recognized it too, a look of schadenfreude on his face. "Qin Xuan, if Yang Weiyang really avoids you, I’ll have to call you Boss."

"Guess you'll have to get used to it," Qin Xuan replied with a helpless smile. He had no wish to stir up trouble, yet trouble always found him—what could he do?

Just as he finished speaking, Yang Weiyang and a few cronies appeared at the classroom door, peering inside. Soon, Yang Weiyang's face lit up with delight. "What a gorgeous beauty! Wait, isn't that Dongfang Qingwan?"

Then he spotted Qin Xuan looking at him with a calm expression. His face instantly fell.

"Ah, Brother Qin, is this your class gathering? So sorry to interrupt! My apologies!"

The moment Yang Weiyang saw Qin Xuan, he panicked, blurted an apology, and turned to flee. In a flash, he was gone.

His cronies were left staring at each other in confusion. Wasn't that the guy who threw them into the lake last time? Why did their boss, instead of seeking revenge, run away so fast?

Most people in the classroom only saw a red-haired youth appear and then vanish, paying it little mind.

Only Zhou Xiaoyu, standing beside Qin Xuan, had heard everything Yang Weiyang said, and stood there dumbfounded.

"Boss, I really have to call you Boss now!"