Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 41: My Wife Has an Appointment

Seeing Da Hu’s expressive gestures of hesitation and eagerness, Zhou Jie held back his laughter before slowly explaining, “Actually, according to my senior, there are only four officially recognized campus beauties: Chen Feier from the art department in her sophomore year, Wu Susu from the journalism department in her sophomore year, Shi Yu from the literature department in her sophomore year, and Du Si from the medical school in her junior year. They’re known as the top four beauties at Peking University.”
“Huh? Why so few? Are there no freshmen?” Da Hu interjected.
Zhou Jie gave Da Hu a glance before continuing, “Don’t rush. I’m getting to it! Among the freshmen joining us this time, to put it mildly, two ‘superstars’ have emerged—Ouyang Ziyi and Qin Nianran. Ouyang Ziyi is from the law school; I heard she ranked first in her entrance exams. Qin Nianran, from the business administration department, was the top scorer in her field after becoming the highest-scoring candidate in the college entrance exam. Both of them are outstanding in their own ways—Ouyang Ziyi is passionate like fire, while Qin Nianran is naturally aloof. Moreover, they both come from wealthy families, drive luxury cars, and are truly the ‘peerless twin beauties.’ With them around, not only will the other beautiful freshmen be overshadowed, but even the original four beauties will seem dull in comparison…”
Zhou Jie was about to keep talking when he suddenly noticed Da Hu making face-pushing gestures while Chu Tianyu sat upright, as if signaling something. At the same time, out of the corner of his eye, he seemed to see two sharp glances directed at him. A shiver ran down his spine as he suddenly remembered that Le Er was still there!
“Oh no, oh no! You idiot, Da Hu! You’ve gotten me into trouble! How am I supposed to explain this to Le Er?” Zhou Jie thought to himself, glancing at Da Hu and Chu Tianyu.
“Ahem, A Jie, Le Er… Hehe, sorry, I drank too much beer. I’m going to the bathroom!” With that, he left Zhou Jie behind, looking resentful, and rushed out.
“Ah, Chu Tianyu…” Zhou Jie called out in a pleading tone, as if Chu Tianyu were his only lifeline. With him around, Le Er wouldn’t act rashly right away. It would be better to settle things slowly rather than while she was still angry.
Chu Tianyu remained calm, looked straight ahead, stood up, patted himself off, and said a classic movie line before turning to leave: “One must repay what one owes in this world…”
“Two ungrateful guys… Ah… Oh… Ah…”

Not far from Chutianyu, they could already hear Le Er pinching and stepping on things under the table, along with her whispered words, “Great job, huh? ‘The Two Beauties of a Generation’—when you get back, are you going to take apart my computer?”
“Why take apart the computer?”
“I can’t find a laundry board, so of course I’ll have to kneel on the motherboard!”
“Ah!”
…
The little incident during lunch didn’t affect their afternoon activities. Soon evening approached, and Chutianyu prepared to leave, while Da Hu claimed he wanted to stay for more food, stubbornly insisting on meeting Le Er’s roommates so it would be easier to organize social gatherings later.
Anyway, their schools weren’t far apart. Chutianyu had to go back for a dinner party—Bai Lei was treating some girls—and insisted Chutianyu go back to “set the scene” for him, so Chutianyu left first, while Da Hu stayed to continue being a nuisance.
Watching Chutianyu walk away, Zhou Jie suddenly seemed to remember something and quickly asked a question he’d been holding in his mind, “Da Hu, Le Er, let me ask you something. What impression does Chutianyu leave on you? Don’t rush to answer—think carefully!”
At first, Da Hu and Le Er thought Zhou Jie’s question was strange. Chutianyu was just an ordinary, honest guy who loved reading—what could there be to think about? But as Zhou Jie said, once they really calmed down and thought carefully, it didn’t seem as simple as they had initially thought.
After pondering for a while, Da Hu, with his strongest logical thinking skills, spoke up first: “I really hadn’t paid attention to this before. I only know that Ah Yu likes playing basketball and reading. From what I’ve seen, he seems honest and down-to-earth, not very talkative, and only gets more lively after playing basketball with us. After analyzing it, first, he’s a transfer student. The fact that he could directly join our class based on his initial grades means he must have some connections. I’ve talked to him occasionally before, and he said it was through his uncle’s connections, but now I doubt that. Second, Ah Yu is actually very smart. Especially after getting to know him better, his hard work is obvious, and his progress is rapid. I’ve even said that he solves some problems faster and more cleverly than me. Third, based on these two points, it’s unlikely he would only get into a second-rate school like Beifu.”
“And what about the conclusion?” Zhou Jie asked.
“What conclusion?” Da Hu wondered.
“The conclusion! You’ve analyzed this for so long—what’s the conclusion?” Zhou Jie pressed.

“Ugh, do you really need me to state the conclusion? We at Qingda are only responsible for analysis and listing; the actual abstraction and theorization are your job at Peking University!” Da Hu said matter-of-factly.
“Ugh…” Zhou Jie was speechless.
“Leer, what do you think?” Zhou Jie turned to ask Leer.
“Well, I don’t really have any specific feelings. Just a vague intuition—nothing concrete. I simply feel that when he’s with us, he’s very calm and detached. I can’t put it into words,” Leer said.
“By the way, Aje, you’ve only asked us. What’s your opinion?” Da Hu demanded.
“I can only say that regarding A Yu, I really can’t say much!” Zhou Jie replied.
“Tch, that’s the same as saying nothing!” Da Hu sneered.
“I think Jie makes sense. It’s precisely because we can’t put it into words that it speaks volumes!” Leer affirmed with her feminine intuition.
“What does that mean?” Da Hu still didn’t understand.
“In other words, he’s ‘not ordinary’! Let me ask you—though you seem carefree most of the time, deep down aren’t you arrogant? Ask yourself: when you’re with A Yu, have you ever felt disdain or contempt for him?”
“No!” Da Hu answered firmly.
“What about the other students?”
“Yes!” After a brief silence, Da Hu replied firmly.
“The answer lies here…”
A few days after meeting Da Hu and Zhou Jie last time, they separately informed him to pick up his completed library card. For Chu Tianyu, life at school became much quieter, but it was still fulfilling. He continued to fulfill his duties as class president, though many practical tasks were taken over by Bai Lei, who used them as a pretext to get closer to the class’s pretty girls and engage in despicable behavior, claiming it was to relieve the third member of the class’s burden. This allowed Chu Tianyu to relax. Aside from attending necessary classes, he spent his time in the libraries of Peking University and Tsinghua University. Every morning, he would get up early to jog on the playground and practice breathing exercises to regulate his energy.
After reaching the fifth level of his Purple Void Dragon Energy during that epiphany in Shanghai, Chu Tianyu entered a vast realm. Although he didn’t engage in deliberate cultivation or make any substantial breakthroughs, he felt his skills improving day by day. He no longer faced the bottleneck of being unable to exert his strength as before. It seemed that a cultivation approach of acting naturally without forcing anything suited him better.

So Chu Tianyu maintained this state of mind, not forcing himself too much, only practicing a little in the early mornings. The only thing that regretted him was that, under these circumstances, he didn’t have the chance to practice the swordsmanship he loved so much. He had a few copies of rare swordsmanship manuals brought from the Xuanji Sect’s armory, but despite reading them, he still hadn’t had the chance to practice, which left him quite anxious.

That afternoon, after a class, Chu Tianyu was about to pack up his things and return the books to Peking University when Bai Lei, laughing and slinging an arm around Bao Cai, slowly made his way over to him. “Damn, Lao San, seriously? Going to the library again? Aren’t you bored? It’s all books, books, books! Ugh, if I had to live like you, I’d suffocate in a second!”

“Lao San knows there are golden houses and beautiful women in books—what do you know?” The tall guy spoke up fairly.

Chu Tianyu could only give a wry smile in response to Bai Lei’s behavior. “What else am I supposed to do if not read? Look at you—just ‘bubbling’ around all day. Isn’t that boring too?”

Hearing this, Bai Lei immediately protested, “Is this called boring? Are you kidding? I think you’ve gone crazy from reading so much. No way, Lao San. As brothers, we can’t just watch you suffer anymore. Put aside those talent-requiring, high-difficulty activities like dating in reality for now. Let’s show you the excitement of virtual life!”

“Play online games like you guys?” Chu Tianyu asked.

“That’s right! Play ‘All Creatures 2’ with us. With today’s virtual technology, you can play games while sleeping without wasting time or losing focus,” Bai Lei said confidently.

“Exactly, Lao San. This time, the scoundrel isn’t bluffing. This online game is amazing—even my parents play it. People like you who don’t play it must be extremely rare!” Bao Cai said eagerly.

“So, Lao San, what do you say? We’ll go to the Zhongguancun game agency later to buy some rare memorabilia. Come with us! We’ll also pick out a virtual helmet for you. Oh, and I’ll tell you about the background of this game first. Of course, when it comes to the background, we have to mention the dog of the developer’s cousin, aunt, or neighbor…”

“I’d better go exchange my books first. If I don’t, it’ll be overdue!” Without waiting for Bai Lei to finish his long speech, Chu Tianyu quickly left in a hurry.

“Damn it, Third Brother, if you don’t want to listen to me, just say so. Why come up with such a crappy excuse? Who doesn’t know you’re obsessed with reading and never stay focused for more than three days? How dare you claim it’s overdue! Hey, where’s everyone? Where did the Big One and Fourth Brother go?” Only then did Bai Lei realize there was no one around him anymore.
“Sigh, geniuses are always lonely!” Bai Lei said plaintively.
……
Chu Tianyu ran away in a state of shock before finally slowing down. He had to admit that Bai Lei’s words were incredibly powerful—He could explain a matter comprehensively and vividly, with logic.、vivid，reason。 Although the topic was originally about buying “apples,” he managed to draw comparisons to watermelons, bananas, and grapes, analyzing their relationships from economics, philosophy, and cost-effectiveness. In the end, he concluded that watermelons have too much water and are too sweet, causing weight gain; they’re also large and heavy, making them difficult to transport—so it’s better not to buy them!
Along the way, Chu Tianyu kept thinking about Bai Lei’s antics. He was truly a funny guy. Although he shared the same motto with Bai Lei—“Stay low-key!”—that didn’t mean his life had to be monotonous. From the first day he met Bai Lei, he willingly accepted being his subordinate, recognizing Bai Lei’s potential in this regard. However, that “potential” far exceeded his expectations.
After spending some time with him and learning about his background, Chu Tianyu developed a new understanding of him. Call him arrogant? He never bullied others. Call him capricious? He always went along with others’ wishes. Call him a jokester? His jokes were harmless and never meant to mock others. Call him condescending? He couldn’t maintain that attitude for even three seconds before returning to being someone who seemed ready to beat anyone up without hesitation…
Thinking of this, Chu Tianyu was surprised to find that, aside from Bai Lei’s childish narcissism and certain thoughts and behaviors, he could actually be considered a sincere, lovable young man who made everyone happy!
He wondered how proud Bai Lei would get if he knew Chu Tianyu’s opinion of him right now. But one thing was certain: “There’s nothing you can do about his charm—he’s a genius!”
As Chu Tianyu imagined this, he smiled secretly. Suddenly, he heard car noises and noisy voices ahead. Glancing ahead, he saw they were almost at Peking University’s gate. Not far ahead, a bright yellow luxury sports car stopped, and the voices were coming from there, clearly discussing something.

Chu Tianyu watched curiously when suddenly the car door opened, and out stepped a beautiful woman in a silver-gray dress, with skin as fair as ice, exuding an ethereal grace. She closed the car door and turned around, coming face to face with Chu Tianyu just as he passed by. Both were stunned, almost simultaneously exclaiming in their minds, “It’s you!”

The woman who got out was none other than Chu Tianyu’s fiancée, Qin Nianran. Chu Tianyu never expected to meet her under such circumstances. After his initial surprise, seeing that she seemed to notice everyone passing by and was glancing this way intentionally or not, he said nothing. Instead, he turned to the other side of the car, took out a few textbooks, hugged them to his chest, and walked away gracefully, never giving Chu Tianyu another glance.

Seeing this, Chu Tianyu could only shake his head and sigh. It had been months since they last met, and she seemed different now—more lively than before in Shanghai, or rather, less mature and more youthful. Thinking of this, Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but smile inwardly, thinking, “She’s the same age as me, both under 20. If not now, when else could she have that youthful vibe? My thoughts are really strange!”

Everyone loves beauty. With her temperament, appearance, figure, and noble background, the title of “peerless beauty” was well-deserved. It was hard to imagine how the other “beauty” could compare to his “wife”! As he thought this, he unconsciously stepped beside Qin Nianran…

Fortunately, Chu Tianyu was naturally carefree, and thanks to his unique cultivation experiences, he approached everything with a mindset of letting things take their course. So this awkward encounter didn’t greatly affect his mood or thoughts. Though he felt a slight disturbance, he simply quickened his pace and continued walking toward the library with his books.

Before he had gone far, his phone suddenly rang. He took it out and was shocked to see the number displayed as “Qin Nianran”!

Chu Tianyu hesitated for a moment before finally putting the phone to his ear.

“Hello…”

“Is this Chu Tianyu?” came a familiar, pleasant voice.

“Uh, Qin Nianran?”

“Do you know there’s a place called ‘Youxian Meidi’ at the west end of Qinghua Road?”

“Mm…”

“I’ll be waiting for you there at 6 p.m.” Without waiting for Chu Tianyu to finish speaking, Qin Nianran got straight to the point.

“Okay…” Before he could finish, the other end of the line already emitted the ringing sound of a hang-up.

Chu Tianyu put down the phone, his mood complicated. It wasn’t because of Qin Nianran’s cold tone on the phone—she had been that way from the first day they met, and he was well aware of that. What surprised him was why she would invite him to meet. Logically, someone like her should avoid him at all costs, not invite him voluntarily. Could it be she had prepared some kind of unequal agreement? The thought of the so-called agreement mentioned by Qin Nianran made Chu Tianyu’s heart tighten inexplicably…

Along the way, Chu Tianyu kept pondering this matter. At that time, Peking University campus was crowded with students after class. In his distraction, he almost collided head-on with another student who was also in a hurry, dressed in sports gear ready to play ball. Fortunately, he managed to dodge in time; otherwise, they would have collided directly.

Though he managed to avoid the collision, trouble followed. As he stepped aside, he heard hurried footsteps behind him—someone clearly unable to stop in time. It was easy to dodge; the first move of the Xuanji Step would suffice. But with so many people moving around, it was too risky to use it recklessly. It might be better to just let them collide!

Before he could think further, a cry of “Ah…” came from behind, and the two of them collided violently. As Chu Tianyu felt a tremendous force hit his back, he sensed two soft masses against his chest. He immediately realized the person who hit him must be a female classmate.

Quick-witted, Chu Tianyu lunged forward. As he fell to absorb the impact, his internal energy surged slightly, creating a gentle force that subtly pushed the incoming person away, preventing her from falling on top of him if he did collapse—otherwise, it would have been even more awkward!