Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 43: Passionate Collision

As soon as the conversation started, Qin Nianran and Chu Tianyu, who had only spoken halfway, both turned their attention over, eager to see what kind of stunning beauty had entered.
Indeed, it were two beauties who stepped in—one in her youthful prime and the other a mature woman. Both were dressed in fashionable outfits, exuding an extraordinary sense of taste and avoiding anything clichéd. The scent of perfume came from the older one, adding to her allure and mature charm.
Once they saw the two women’s faces, Qin Nianran and Chu Tianyu quickly turned away. Qin Nianran remained expressionless and didn’t continue the previous topic; instead, she lifted her water glass and tapped it lightly. Chu Tianyu, however, not only turned away but also buried his head in the steak that had just been served and began eating voraciously.
What a coincidence! The younger one was none other than one of the hot girls he had encountered repeatedly on the road during his summer vacation—his “hot cousin”! He didn’t know her name, so Chu Tianyu had temporarily given her such a nickname.
Noticing Chu Tianyu’s strange behavior, Qin Nianran asked in surprise, “Do you know them?”
“Oh, not really, not really. Do you?” As an excuse, perhaps because he was eating the steak too fast and felt choked, Chu Tianyu casually grabbed the water beside him and took a gulp…
“What do you mean ‘not really’? If you know them, say you know them; if not, say you don’t. Why are you talking in such a twisted way?” Qin Nianran retorted first. Seeing Chu Tianyu’s apologetic demeanor, she let him off and continued to sit leisurely, not even lifting her eyelids as she said, “I do know the younger one. She’s from the same school as me, in the same class. I think her name is ‘Ouyang Ziyi’…”
“Pfft~” Chu Tianyu spat out water. Luckily, he turned his head in time, otherwise it would have splashed on Qin Nianran.
“What’s wrong?”
“Cough, cough, I’m choked!” Chu Tianyu hurriedly explained while turning his head to the side and drinking from his glass. He was now determined to finish this bottle of soda, even though there wasn’t much left…
But as if to make matters worse, despite trying his best to turn his head aside and pretend to drink, Ouyang Ziyi glanced around slightly, whispered a few words to her companion, then walked toward where Qin Nianran was sitting.

At this moment, Ouyang Ziyi wasn’t paying any attention to Chu Tianyu—the silly boy who wouldn’t stand by her side and even got knocked out as a collateral victim. Instead, she accidentally spotted Qin Nianran. As the saying goes, like attracts like, especially when both are among the most stunning beauties. Though the title was rather boring, underlying competition and hostility had already arisen between the two.

The two had never met formally before, and Ouyang Ziyi never expected to run into her here by chance. What’s more, she discovered that this so-called “fairy of the world,” regarded by others as naturally aloof, was actually meeting up with a man in such a casual tea house, sitting together eating teppanyaki? No, that couldn’t be right. Had she misseen things? She had thought they would be romantically sitting side by side, each holding a cup of tea, gazing at each other affectionately…

Some say human curiosity can kill a cat, but a woman’s curiosity can bring that dead cat back to life only to kill it again!

Ouyang Ziyi didn’t set this “legend” aside. She wanted to know who this guy was who could get Qin Nianran to eat teppanyaki with him and what kind of charm he possessed.

Ouyang Ziyi walked over quietly, choosing a table next to Qin Nianran. She sat beside her, facing Chu Tianyu diagonally across from them.

Chu Tianyu was bending over so low while drinking water that he was almost touching the ground on the other side. With Qin Nianran’s sharp intelligence, it was obvious there was more to this situation! Especially since Ouyang Ziyi was sitting right next to her, boldly scanning the boy across the table in an impolite manner. And then there was Chu Tianyu, acting so suspiciously as if he had done something shameful, avoiding eye contact.

Unconsciously, she kicked Chu Tianyu hard under the table. After kicking him, she regretted it immediately. What was she doing? Even if he had done something wrong, it wasn’t her business. Their agreement clearly stated that they shouldn’t interfere with each other, and that was also her most firmly held principle. She didn’t expect to get angry for no reason today and even lose her composure over this fool. She really needed to reflect on herself when she got back.

After kicking him, she felt his leg was as stiff as he was—kicking him didn’t even cause much pain. Frustrated, she turned to gaze at Ouyang Ziyi and the other person without restraint. Their eyes met, creating an “abnormal” atmosphere that was suffocating.

Chu Tianyu was concentrating on drinking water when he never expected Qin Nianran to do such a thing. Although the energy on his body had already dissipated it, it still hurt to hold his leg, so he had to act as if it hurt. Immediately, Chu Tianyu let out an “Oh…” sound, holding his leg with one hand and covering his face with the other, trying to straighten his body, but his head also dropped downward under the cover of his hand, almost buried in the table.

“Ah! It’s you! It’s really you!” Suddenly, Ouyang Ziyi exclaimed in shock.

Her sharp cry startled even Qin Nianran, let alone Chu Tianyu, who felt so wronged that he really wanted to shout, “It’s not me, it’s not me!”

How could her eyes be so sharp? She could recognize him even like this! It seemed there was no need to hide any longer, so he straightened up and raised his head, only to find that three pairs of eyes were staring at him at the same time. Qin Nianran clearly had a puzzled and questioning expression, Ouyang Ziyi had a complex look—filled with surprise and excitement as if she had uncovered some secret—while her companion also had a curious and amused expression.

Chu Tianyu’s face turned red. This time it wasn’t some illusion created by his cultivation skills. No matter how skilled or calm he was, he was still under twenty years old. A young man being “appreciated” up close by three stunning beauties—if his face didn’t show any reaction, it must be because he hadn’t washed it in three years or his facial blood vessels and nerves were damaged…

At this moment, Chu Tianyu wisely chose silence, pretending to be dull enough to deceive anyone.

“Hmph, it seems we meet everywhere in life. I never expected to run into you here again?” Ouyang Ziyi said resentfully.

What puzzled Chu Tianyu was that it was always her and her cousin who bothered him. But from her tone, it seemed he had done something wrong to her, which was why she didn’t want to see him. Especially after learning that she was one of the two outstanding freshmen at Peking University, Ouyang Ziyi, and considering he was with Qin Nianran now, he tried his best to avoid her to prevent unnecessary trouble. Yet, it still didn’t work.

Actually, if someone were to investigate their relationship, they would know that Chu Tianyu definitely treated Qin Nianran with indifference, acting on his own without any intention of hiding his true feelings. But he was different. If people found out his fiancée was her, he couldn’t even imagine life going forward! Not to mention going to the library to read in peace—even using the restroom would require several bodyguards. And then there was Bai Lei, that scoundrel, who would keep asking questions in his ear nonstop. Just thinking about it was terrifying.

Chu Tianyu could no longer pretend to be deaf and dumb. “Hmm, hello! Yeah, it’s quite coincidental!” As soon as he finished speaking, he saw a glint of cold light from Qin Nianran across from him. She glared at him resentfully, her meaning clear—she was questioning his earlier claim that he didn’t know her well.
Chu Tianyu knew that if he didn’t clarify things, the misunderstanding would grow even worse. He no longer cared about that Ouyang Ziyi either. After all, she had already recognized him, and he had greeted her. It seemed like he really didn’t know her well and wasn’t close to her either!
“Uh, this young lady, although we’ve met twice on the road, it was just a brief glance, and we hardly exchanged words. To disturb us like this so rashly seems a bit, well, impolite, doesn’t it?” Chu Tianyu tried to phrase it gently.
“Oh, familiarity breeds comfort. This is already the third time. How can it be called ‘rash’? Besides, if I’m not mistaken, you must be Qin Nianran from the Business Administration department. Hehe, we’re classmates, even from the same year. Greeting a classmate can’t be called ‘rash’, right? What do you think, Classmate Qin?” Her words were full of confidence, truly showing her bold personality.
“Hello, the famous Ouyang classmate—everyone knows you. For us, it’s not ‘rash’ at all; it should be ‘happy’ to meet you. How could we dare to think highly of ourselves? But strangely, I didn’t see your bodyguard today. So, at first glance, I really didn’t recognize you!”
Qin Nianran spoke in a calm tone, not loudly or quickly, but her words were sharp and pointed, making Chu Tianyu sweat profusely. His “genius wife” was truly remarkable. He felt thrilled—this was exactly how to deal with that bold Ouyang Ziyi.
After hearing this, Ouyang Ziyi merely raised her eyebrows slightly before smiling. “I, Qin Nianran, the aloof fairy of Peking University, am here eating steak on an iron plate, having a private meeting… Hehe…” She paused, not specifying what kind of private meeting it was, then continued, “So, those commoners like bodyguards wouldn’t dare to come. What if they disturbed our fairy-like presence and ruined this wonderful atmosphere?” As she spoke, her delicate face showed a slight expression, and subtly, her gaze turned back to Qin Nianran.
Qin Nianran smiled calmly and said, “This isn’t my place. I can’t decide who comes or goes. There’s no need to worry about disturbance. As for ‘private meeting’, I’m curious what explanation or legal basis you, the so-called top law student at Peking University, have for that? Otherwise, it might not just be slander, but also an inappropriate description!”

As soon as those words were spoken, Ouyang Ziyi giggled and retorted, “What, is ‘private meeting’ not the right description? Isn’t it a private date between you two? Words aren’t inherently good or bad, but how one interprets them makes a big difference…”
“Oh, I wonder if you understand the context. Though words aren’t good or bad, if they’re used in an inappropriate setting to imply something inappropriate, it either shows the speaker has ulterior motives or simply indicates their low level of understanding…”
“Is that so? Regarding this issue…”
…
For a long time, the conversation continued:
“I never expected our Peking University fairy to have such extraordinary taste and such friends. Could you please introduce them? I’m sorry to ask, but Ziyi is just curious.”
“It seems like someone was just saying something about ‘wherever life takes us, we’ll meet’—why are you being so subtle now?”
“Modesty is a traditional virtue! Someone who can go on a private date with Classmate Qin must be special. It’s just that this gentleman left a very deep impression on me when we met, and since then… I wanted to confirm it!”
“He’s right here now. You can just ask him directly…”
Chaos. The world was in chaos—this was Chu Tianyu’s feeling at the moment. So many formidable women, each with sharp wit, eloquent speech, and a graceful, elegant tone that was truly admirable.
But while he admired them, he had also experienced what it meant to face fierce verbal sparring, sharp retorts, and the power of women. It wasn’t until they shifted the topic to him that Chu Tianyu stopped watching from the sidelines and became alert, ready at all times…
Suddenly, Ouyang Ziyi turned her gaze away, as if talking to herself, “Well, I really can’t ask anymore. Besides, I and that classmate across from you only met by chance—maybe three times in total. Once, he gave us his seat, and we even had to thank him. The second time, he scolded us for driving too fast. The last time, someone tried to play the hero to save us, but was knocked out by someone else. I don’t know if he was really unconscious or not. Anyway, after we two women drove those hooligans away and things calmed down, he woke up and even ordered takeout! Sigh, even the smartest people need to keep their eyes open so they don’t get deceived!”

Chu Tianyu was furious after hearing that. What did she mean by not getting involved anymore? It was like scolding a monk in front of him—although the words were similar, he couldn’t express his true feelings and could only swallow his anger. How unjust! He really couldn’t justify his position.
If he couldn’t explain it, then he wouldn’t!!
Chu Tianyu was truly angry now. He never expected that by being too accommodating, he would let this Ouyang Ziyi get more and more aggressive. He hadn’t done her any wrong, and she had been looking for trouble from the start. No matter how wrong he might be, it wasn’t her place to criticize him. Don’t think she’s easy to bully—let her see what a “honest person” is capable of…