Volume 4: Hidden Battles – Chapter 142: It’s Simple Again

At breakfast that morning, everyone sat around the table. For Chu Tianyu, it was truly a feast for the senses—full of charm and allure! Ouyang Ziyi’s natural grace, Xue Feifei’s deep affection, and Li Rou’s shy timidity—all exuded charm and sensuality…

At that moment, the news on TV reported on the unprecedented sensation at Beifu Academy the previous night, showing several live footage clips and interviews with Bai Lei. The final scene depicted Chu Tianyu and Xue Feifei’s harmonious sword sounds, creating an illusion as if they were shattering the void!

Watching Bai Lei talking nonsense, even Chu Tianyu couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

“That scoundrel really has his own ways—something about invisible wires and secret special effects actors. How could he come up with such things?” Ouyang Ziyi said with a smile.

“Hearing you talk about this classmate so often, I didn’t realize he was such an interesting person until I met him!” Xue Feifei also laughed, covering her mouth.

“Yes, he’s a real clown. His mouth is perfect for giving interviews!” Even Li Rou, who had been shy earlier, spoke cheerfully as if relieved.

“Truth is, our Tianyu has benefited a lot from his arrogance. He takes on all the awkward tasks for us. With just a few words, he can fool people into confusion—making them forget where north is or what they originally wanted to ask!” Ouyang Ziyi affirmed.

“No, it’s not arrogance. In Bai Lei’s words, that’s called being low-key!” Chu Tianyu tried to hold back his laughter and joked seriously.

“Right, right, definitely low-key! Hehe…” Ouyang Ziyi corrected herself.

“Tianyu, did you know Bai Lei could help you out when you went on stage?” Li Rou asked, still a bit unaccustomed, as she called out to Chu Tianyu.

Chu Tianyu shook his head honestly. “Who was thinking of him at that time? Actually, I think it was the dragon energy in me and Feifei’s cosmic energy interacting, plus the melodies she sang. It filled my heart with passion, and I just wanted to express myself through swordsmanship and songs. Everything else was secondary!”

“Weren’t you afraid of revealing your strength and not being low-key enough?” Ouyang Ziyi teased him on purpose.

Chu Tianyu smiled slightly and said, “Actually, staying low-key is just one way of doing things—it’s not a shackle, nor should it become a burden in handling matters. Hehe, as an old song goes, ‘Act when it’s time to act!’ Though it’s phrased bluntly, the truth remains the same!”
Ouyang Ziyi and the others nodded in agreement. They could understand Chu Tianyu’s bold actions from last night, but still, acting decisively when the time comes is easier said than done—how many people in the world can reach such a state?
Just as everyone was pondering, Ouyang Ziyi’s phone suddenly rang. Without hesitation, she answered it. Chu Tianyu heard it was her father, Uncle Ouyang, calling. Chu Tianyu was curious about what could possibly require a call at such an early hour.
Ouyang Ziyi kept nodding as she listened, but her expression remained relaxed, with no signs of concern. Five minutes later, she hung up and, seemingly in high spirits, said to Chu Tianyu and the others, “Hehe, do you all have time this weekend? Let’s go to Paris together!”
The others were stunned. They hadn’t expected Ouyang Ziyi to bring this up right after hanging up. Before they could ask in confusion, she began to explain.
It turned out that her father had called to tell her to go to Paris this weekend to meet Sister Xin, mainly regarding the inheritance she was to receive—her grandmother’s will. After Ouli Jia Bao Group lost contact with Europe, Sister Xin had been secretly handling the matter for Ouyang Ziyi’s safety. It seemed that the procedures and certifications were almost complete, and all that was left was for Ouyang Ziyi to attend a handover ceremony and identity verification. Some details were to be discussed in person with Sister Xin once she met her…
With this explanation, everyone finally understood. Ouyang Ziyi also said it wouldn’t take long—just a weekend trip, with procedures completed on Monday and a return on the same day. Today was Friday, so it happened to be a weekend. From her tone, it seemed like the main purpose was to shop wildly in Paris, with the inheritance matter handled casually along the way!
“What do you think? Let’s have a great time this weekend. If anything comes up, we can return next Monday without any issues. Everyone should go!” Ouyang Ziyi asked for their opinions.

“Ziyi, I’m so sorry. I have to return to my sect today. This opportunity came by chance, and it was something I fought hard for with my master. I can’t delay any longer, so I won’t go with you!” Xue Feifei said apologetically.
Ouyang Ziyi looked at Chu Tianyu calmly; it seemed he had known about it all along, and it was also related to matters within the sect. She didn’t know what else to say, so she turned her eager gaze to Li Rou and urged her, “Li Rou, let’s go! It’s a weekend, and it won’t affect our classes. Even if it does, it’s just for a day or two. That scoundrel can handle asking for leave. Come on, don’t hesitate! After all, Chu Tianyu is here for everything. You just need to relax and focus on Parisian perfumes, clothes, bags, and food!”
“Hey, hey! You guys go shopping. Why drag me, a man, along?” Chu Tianyu quickly objected upon hearing Ouyang Ziyi’s plans. His anxious expression made Xue Feifei hide her smile behind her hand.
Ouyang Ziyi rolled her eyes and said, “Oh, oh, oh! We haven’t even started talking yet, and you already want to back out? I’m just asking you to go and have some fun, as if it’s a short trip of two or three days. What are you afraid of? At most, you’ll just help carry things. It’s not like you have to save the world’s people. You’re overreacting. It’s such a simple task—are you going to disappoint the organization’s trust in you?”
“Another simple task?” Chu Tianyu exclaimed in surprise.
“What’s wrong? Is there a problem? Why add ‘again’? Have you done other simple tasks before?” Ouyang Ziyi asked doubtfully.
“Oh, nothing. It’s just that I feel like someone said something similar to me a few days ago…” Chu Tianyu said, rubbing his head.
“Good, then. I’ll go book tickets now! Three tickets, three!” After getting Li Rou’s approval, Ouyang Ziyi proudly waved three fingers at Chu Tianyu.
“I still need to go back and pack, and there’s also school stuff…” Li Rou hesitated.
“No need. Everything you need for the trip is here. Just bring your ID card. We can buy anything else there. Hehe, our Tianyu has a credit card that never runs out of money. Don’t worry at all!” Ouyang Ziyi said.

“I’ll go make the call right now. I’ll have someone handle the exit procedures; there seems to be a direct flight to Paris this afternoon…” Ouyang Ziyi said excitedly in the end.
…
“Hello, is this Bai Lei?” After sending Xue Feifei away, Chu Tianyu called Bai Lei. As soon as the call connected, a series of furious shouts, like a storm, came from the other end.
Half an hour later, Chu Tianyu finally managed to seize a moment when Bai Lei took a breath and said directly, “I’ll explain all these things to you slowly later… Yes, including Xue Feifei’s matter—I definitely won’t deceive you; I’ll ensure you get all the important details… By the way, please take a few more days off for me these days… And also for Li Rou… What? How dare you say I have no backbone? What does that mean?”
After finally dealing with Bai Lei, Chu Tianyu felt as if he had just fought against a dozen experts—it was no easy task!
But when Bai Lei heard that he wanted to ask for leave for Li Rou, he angrily said, “You really have no backbone at all!” This left Chu Tianyu utterly puzzled. When he mentioned it to Ouyang Ziyi, she said disdainfully, “You don’t even know? He’s calling you shameless! But looking at you, he’s not wrong—deserved!” With that, she pulled Li Rou upstairs to pack their things!
“Who did I offend?” Chu Tianyu muttered in confusion.
When Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou appeared in front of him again, Chu Tianyu could hardly believe his eyes!
Li Rou was wearing a light pink tight dress, covered with a snow-white short fleece vest. Her long legs were wrapped in crystal stockings, and she wore pair of light pink high heels. Standing there, she was graceful and full of charm!
Ouyang Ziyi, too, had changed her usual style—she wore a men’s-style suit, tied her long hair back with a thick ribbon, just like those male artists with a ponytail! At first glance, one might think she was a man! Indeed, with her dark blue eyes and that outfit, if she walked down Paris’ fashion streets, she would have the effortless style of an artist mixed with a certain masculine laziness—this combination of styles would surely charm many romantic French women…
But what really shocked Chu Tianyu wasn’t the change in Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou’s clothing styles, but the intimate poses and attitudes they displayed!

There Li Rou was seen clinging to Ouyang Ziyi like a dependent bird, while Ouyang Ziyi displayed a rough, masculine demeanor, occasionally making affectionate gestures toward Li Rou and looking at Chu Tianyu with a smug expression, which instantly made Chu Tianyu feel a chill of disgust.
This situation persisted even after the three of them boarded the plane; Chu Tianyu still had to deal with it in extreme frustration. To his surprise, the two of them still wore such outfits and stayed close to each other affectionately, acting like a couple, while Chu Tianyu was left to carry bags and suitcases behind them!
Chu Tianyu knew it was on purpose on their part. As for the reason? Who could guess what those women were thinking? So he simply put on an eye mask, took a short rest, and chatted with the god of sleep.
Seeing Chu Tianyu, who had been extremely frustrated throughout the journey and now finally had no choice but to take a nap, Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rou, feeling their scheme had succeeded, couldn’t help but snicker secretly.
“Ziyi, is it okay for us to do this?” Li Rou asked softly, worried after laughing.
“What’s not okay about it? Thinking of how reckless and domineering he was last night, we need to unite and fight back firmly to show him who’s in charge!” Ouyang Ziyi said in a misleading tone.
“Is this really considered fighting back?” Li Rou asked in confusion.
“Of course. With these outfits, we act like a couple. No matter where we go, we can stay close—whether shopping or strolling. Then we can hold hands, and it will be perfectly justified for that jerk to carry all our things. Just think about making him join us for such a simple task; he still refuses. Well, we’ll make it a bit more complicated for him! Hmph…”
After saying that, seeing Li Rou still looking reluctant, Ouyang Ziyi revealed the real reason: “What, you feel sorry for that jerk? Actually, I have a reason for doing this. With his crazy behavior, without Xue Feifei, the two of us aren’t even his match. If we let him do as he pleases, we might not even be able to leave the hotel, let alone go sightseeing, shopping, or anything else!”
When Ouyang Ziyi explained the real reason, Li Rou suddenly realized, as if shaken: “I see. You really thought of everything!”
“Of course…” Ouyang Ziyi said proudly.

And that troublemaker, who should have fallen asleep there, couldn’t help but twitch the corners of his mouth at their whispered conversations. He sadly thought to himself, “It’s over, it’s over. Xiao Rourou seems about to be corrupted. Sigh, agreeing to come here was a mistake! What’s called a ‘simple task’ doesn’t sound like anything good at all. I must be more careful from now on—there are no free lunches, and if it’s called a task, it’s never simple!”
The plane arrived in Paris already in the dead of night. Sister Xin didn’t come because she still had some matters to attend to and needed to finish them over the weekend. Moreover, her grandmother’s castle was far from Paris, so Ouyang Ziyi discussed it with Chu Tianyu and decided not to trouble Sister Xin with back-and-forth trips. They also agreed with Sister Xin to spend one day in Paris before leaving. So, it was a small agency operating in Paris that came to pick them up.
There was no conversation that night. Early the next morning, Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rourou got up and dragged Chu Tianyu along to carry out their “simple” plan. Their first target was, of course, a famous brand-exclusive shopping street just a few hundred meters away from the Arc de Triomphe and connected to the Champs-Élysées.
Ouyang Ziyi, like a bird out of its cage, led Li Rourou through the stores. Entering one shop, they ordered dozens of pieces of clothing, handbags, etc. Then, under Chu Tianyu’s astonished gaze, she calmly said, “Discard everything we just picked out. Pack up everything else for me!”
Although he didn’t understand French, seeing the shop assistants bustling about with smiles, Chu Tianyu finally understood what Ouyang Ziyi meant…
By the time Ouyang Ziyi and Li Rourou reached the fifth store, Chu Tianyu was completely numb!
But just then, a gentle female voice suddenly came from inside the store, saying, “I’m sorry, you can’t take this one. I saw it first…”