"Hehe—Lilian, you were awesome just now! But you really embarrassed that guy. I bet he won't let this go, and now he's totally holding a grudge against me! Out of nowhere, I've become his love rival! Sigh—" Shawn Young chuckled bitterly as he spoke to Lilian Grace along the way.
"Hmph! What, are you scared? Scared Jeremy Ling will come after you?" Lilian Grace glared at Shawn Young and asked.
"Uh—Scared of him? No way! You know we’re not even afraid of the mafia, why would I be scared of that punk? Heh—if he dares mess with me, I’ll make him regret it!" Shawn Young sneered.
Shawn Young wasn’t joking. If Jeremy Ling wanted to cause trouble, Shawn wouldn’t mind using him for some practice. After all, his powers had grown a lot lately, and he’d just mastered a few spells—he was itching to test them out on someone.
"Hmph—that guy’s such a jerk, and you’re no better! Always trying to take advantage of people, you’re terrible!" Lilian Grace blushed as she remembered how Shawn Young had kissed her just now, along with all his other "bad behavior" before. Strangely, she couldn’t really get angry at him—she wondered why she let him act so cheeky without truly wanting to push him away.
"Haha—I'm just cooperating with you! We’ve teamed up before, and dealing with someone like Jeremy Ling is a piece of cake!" Shawn Young smugly pulled Lilian Grace’s arm tighter around his own.
"You—you jerk, you’re terrible! Always looking for an excuse to take advantage of me! Annoying—" Lilian Grace finally realized she’d been walking arm-in-arm with Shawn Young the whole way, and she didn’t even feel awkward about it. Her cheeks turned an even brighter shade of red, making her look even more stunning, and she hurriedly tried to pull away.
"Come on! Just let me hold your arm—it’s like a consolation prize for being your shield!" Shawn Young had no intention of letting go. He could feel that Lilian Grace was only half-heartedly trying to pull away, so he decisively tightened his grip and refused to let go.
"Uh—you, you—why are you such a bad guy—" Lilian Grace was shy and embarrassed, but she didn’t struggle anymore. She was already getting used to Shawn Young’s shamelessness.
"Hehe—that’s more like it! By the way, Lilian, isn’t your family in the city? Why aren’t you going home for the weekend?" Shawn Young started making conversation.
"Oh! I was planning to go home, but one of my roommates isn’t feeling well these days. So I came out to the 'Jiaozi' convenience store to buy her some daily necessities. Look, I just finished shopping when Jeremy Ling started pestering me! She’s still waiting for me downstairs at the dorm, so I need to hurry back!" Lilian Grace suddenly remembered her real reason for being out.
"Oh, I see—well, let me walk you back!" Shawn Young understood how she felt.
"Mm-hmm—let’s go!" Lilian Grace didn’t object.
The two of them walked back into Southern University, heading toward the girls’ dormitory. Along the way, they attracted a lot of attention—after all, Lilian Grace was so famous that almost everyone at Southern University knew her. But plenty of people didn’t recognize Shawn Young. Seeing the campus queen walking arm-in-arm with a handsome, well-mannered guy, the passersby couldn’t help but be curious and jealous. Especially the guys coming toward them—first they were shocked, then conflicted, and their looks at Shawn Young clearly said: "Damn, even the best cabbage got snatched by you! I’ll destroy you with my glare!"
Now Shawn Young finally understood what it felt like to be stabbed by jealous glares—it was a unique experience. Being the campus queen’s boyfriend was no easy job, and he couldn’t help but smile wryly.
"Now you know how annoying it is to be stared at all the time!" Lilian Grace could easily guess what Shawn Young was thinking.
"Yeah—now I really get it! But hey, we’ve got a strong defense! Come on, let’s give those beasts even more to stare at!" Shawn Young shouted, wrapping his arm even tighter around Lilian Grace’s waist.
Up ahead, there was suddenly a dull thud. Shawn Young and Lilian Grace looked up and couldn’t help but smile—a bespectacled nerd, probably one of Lilian’s many secret admirers, was so focused on their "interaction" that when Shawn Young suddenly hugged his "goddess’s" waist, the poor guy was so shocked he walked right into a streetlamp. He fell to the ground, nose bleeding, but quickly scrambled up, covered his face, and dashed away—another heartbroken fan added to the world!
"Wahaha—this guy’s hopeless—" Shawn Young watched the nerd run off in tears, shaking his head and sighing. He didn’t realize he’d once been part of that same heartbroken fan club himself.
As they chatted, Shawn Young and Lilian Grace arrived outside the girls’ dormitory. Southern University’s dorms were right next to Lover’s Lake—a hundred-acre expanse of clear, emerald water, with a wide shimmering surface, shaded by green trees all around. The beautiful lake, blue sky, green water, and white clouds made for a dazzling scene, adding a special kind of campus romance to Southern University.
It was dusk now, and Lover’s Lake glimmered with golden light under the setting sun, looking even more enchanting. The gentle breeze over the water brought a fresh, natural scent, making everyone feel instantly relaxed.
"Oh! My friend’s waiting over there—shall we go?" Lilian Grace suddenly pointed to a stone bench under a big tree by Lover’s Lake.
Shawn Young quickly looked over and saw a girl in a white dress, with long hair draped over her shoulders, sitting on the stone bench. She was resting her delicate chin on one hand, gazing absentmindedly at the golden ripples on the lake.
Lilian Grace led Shawn Young over to the girl, and soon they were standing beside her. But the girl didn’t notice them, still lost in thought as she gazed at the lake, looking troubled.
"Hey—Yvonne, what are you thinking about? You’re totally spaced out!" Lilian Grace greeted her first.
The girl was startled, turned her face, and when she saw it was Lilian Grace, she gave a calm smile and waved, "Oh! Lilian, you’re back. I’m just sitting here, that’s all."
"Huh—Yvonne Hu!" Now Shawn Young got a good look at the girl and couldn’t help exclaiming.
This girl had jet-black, glossy hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall, features so delicate they defied description, and a slender waist that looked impossibly fragile. She was an extraordinary beauty, but her aura was as cold and aloof as moonlight. Her simple white dress wasn’t particularly fashionable, but anyone could tell it was high-quality—and it only enhanced her cool, ethereal vibe. This stunning, cold beauty was none other than Yvonne Hu, one of Southern University’s three campus belles and Shawn Young’s old crush from the art department!