Chapter 68
Chapter 68: The affluent and the poor
Translator:Sparrow Translations
Editor:Sparrow Translations
Cao Shanshan blushed as her heart pounded violently in her chest. The humiliation seemed never-ending.
The gasps and stares were not limited to the crowd outside the hostel entrance. Even the students along the class corridor, those in the field, as well as students in the female hostels had their eyes glued to their marvelous and intimate pose! Cao Shanshan felt as if the whole campus had its attention focused on the two of them!
Fortunately for her, the time was already half past seven. With it, the sun had almost completely disappeared from the horizon. The sky had darkened as dusk arrived. At the very least, those students who happened to be further away were not able to see Cao Shanshan's beet red cheek.
However, with the approaching nightfall, it also served to amplify the strange sense of intimacy between the two people. As a result, intensifying the imagination of its onlookers.
If only Cao Shanshan could turn back time, she swore she would never have unleashed that kick!
Initially, the girl had many more questions for Ling Yun, such as what he had been doing the whole afternoon, why he skipped lessons and why he bought so many branded items. But that too was ruined by this kick of hers!
At the same time, this d*mned fatty was just too bold and disrespectful towards a maiden's feelings!
Yet, what confused her the most was despite the embarrassment and anger she felt because of Ling Yun, she was also unable to deny the genuine emotions welling up inside her! With Ling Yun's left hand holding her ankle and his right arm wrapped around her slender waist, she was literally in a tight embrace with him! Though it was hard to admit, Cao Shanshan felt a sense of security in that embrace that was hard to reject. Accompanying it was a feeling she had never felt before. It was a kind of euphoria. It rose up within her, expanding throughout her head before saturating her whole body.
As she raised her head and looked into Ling Yun's eyes, her heart was shaken anew. She realized that his gaze was crystal clear, like the September sunshine, glittering and yet not overly dazzling. His pupils were like two deep abysses, calm and absent of turbulence, distant yet close.
Within his gaze was only sincere admiration for her beauty and on his face, a genuine smile. Any girl would have been captivated by that expression and unable to tear their eyes away. It extinguished any hatred or anger within them.
It was the first time Cao Shanshan had looked at a guy so up close, with their body sticking together and their eyes only inches away. He was not ugly at all, in fact, if only he was willing to lose that layer of fat on his face, Ling Yun would no doubt have looked dashing! Furthermore, Cao Shanshan had noticed the shallow dimple on Ling Yun's left cheek. How adorable!
Without her realizing, her punches had slowed as the strength in her fists decreased gradually. Seeing how unaffected Ling Yun was as her fists landed on his chest, Cao Shanshan's anger temporarily subsided as she pulled her fists back. And yet, she did not know where else to place them.
"I didn't know your body was so flexible!" Ling Yun praised with a smile as he remained stationary.
Cao Shanshan replied with a resentful groan and yet, she could not deny how pleased she was to hear that. Not only was she well versed in martial arts, as stated by a certain student, her foundation from dance was also first rate! Even if Ling Yun had not supported her leg, if she wished to split her legs in such a fashion, it would have been a piece of cake.
"Hey, I'm tired." Cao Shanshan spoke coquettishly as she looked into Ling Yun's eyes.
"No worries, I'm here to support you!" Ling Yun replied bluntly with a smile.
"So are you going to let go or not?"
"Nope!"
"Really?" Cao Shanshan asked as a smile formed on her flushed face. Her bright, crescent moon smile was as brilliant as a star-studded sky. It was refreshing like the first breeze of spring, sending Ling Yun into a daze.
"I am a man of my word, no means no! Besides, look at our classic pose, we should treasure this moment more!" Ling Yun answered
Cao Shanshan gaze shifted to Ling Yun's left hand which was holding her ankle. With a flash of mischief in her eyes, she bit down hard.
"What the f*ck?! I can't believe you just did that! What are you?! A dog?" Ling Yun shouted, his face a mixture of pain and shock. This was followed by a hasty retreat as Ling Yun shook Cao Shanshan off his left hand.
With her right leg finally on the ground, Cao Shanshan did not bother to continue her fight with Ling Yun for she already knew that she was no longer a match for Ling Yun.
She bent down. Using both of her hands, she massaged her slightly sore right leg. As she straightened her back, she gave Ling Yun a merciless glare before speaking.
"I will remember what you did today, if you dare to skip any more lessons I'll make sure to give you the worse bite you can imagine!"
After giving Ling Yun one final threatening look, Cao Shanshan left in the direction of the teaching block.
"That tyrannical girl! To bite someone and still be so demanding!" Ling Yun mumbled softly to himself as he watched her ravishing back move away with a helpless expression.
"Is it over already?"
"Since when did Cao Shanshan have such a good temper?" an onlooker exclaimed.
"Yeah! With her grim expression a while ago and that humiliation she suffered from Ling Yun, I was expecting more!"
"How anti-climatic! If only they had kissed, that would have been a treat for us all…"
"Haha, a kiss? How about you give it a try? Though that'd be like your present before being sent to the afterlife," a student replied with a laugh.
"With this, Ling Yun has officially initiated a big feud between him, Gou Junfa and Lu Chengtian. I bet they'll be hopping mad when they find out about today's spectacle!" Another student commented.
"Forget about today, wasn't yesterday's clash alone enough? Ling Yun even sent Gou Junfa to the hospital with his fists!"
"Mark my words! I'm sure this incident will cause great pandemonium across Qingshui High!"
…
Not listening to the various comments by students around her, upon seeing that Cao Shanshan was walking back to the classroom, Zhang Ling ran after her in a hurry. As she passed Ling Yun, she stopped for a moment. With a flirtatious grin, Zhang Ling teased Ling Yun,
"Well done, handsome. Keep it up!" Zhang Ling raised her thumb in approval to Ling Yun.
"So, in the end, what was she really trying to do?" Ling Yun asked with a puzzled look.
"You can ask her yourself, she will surely tell you! Anyway, I will be going now, don't forget you still owe me a feast!" Zhang Ling replied with a giggle and a wink before continuing her chase after Cao Shanshan.
Ling Yun gave the distant figure of Zhang Ling a look of contempt as he thought to himself, Such a glutton!
At that instant, Ling Yun could sense a faint trace of spiritual energy being emitted close to him.
"Big brother, it's already past seven. Let's go home." Ning Lingyu said softly as she stood behind her brother.
Ling Yun turned to face his sister, absorbing the much needed spiritual energy being emitted from her body. With a gentle smile, he replied, "Yep, let's go back home!"
Ever since Ling Yun had acquired the Dayan Great Stars Technique, his strength training had been revolving around it. As a result, he depleted a large amount of spiritual energy from his body daily.
Furthermore, today, he had had to use much spiritual energy to suppress the Gu Insect within Old Man Xue's body. Despite receiving replenishment from the jade box during the process, it was still insufficient. Thus, he was actually in desperate need of spiritual energy.
Ling Yun also noticed that after absorbing the spiritual energy from the spiritual communication jade, the Meridians in his body had significant dilation. If he was lucky, he just might be able to rise to Physique Tempering Stage Level 2.
"Hey boss, the car's over by the entrance. Shall we go?" Tang Meng, who was following the siblings, exclaimed
.
Ling Yun nodded his head in agreement before asking Ning Lingyu, "Lingyu, are you done packing the things that you're bringing home?"
"I got it done yesterday!" Ning Lingyu answered, her face beaming. Just the thought of being able to see her mother's face soon filled her face with a joyous expression.
Thus, Ling Yun and Tang Meng, together with Ning Lingyu, went to pick up her baggage before making their way straight towards the entrance.
The hummer was an SUV from an American car company and was nicknamed the 'King of SUVs' in the industry.
As Ling Yun looked at the rugged design of the hummer, it's massive body as well as the air of mightiness it gave off, he could not help but compare it to Zhuang Meina's limited edition Ferrari. The two vehicles were total opposites.
"What is this car?" Ling Yun asked Tang Meng, whose face was brimming with arrogance.
"Are you kidding me? Don't you know a hummer when you see one?" Tang Meng replied. Having wanted to use this chance to show off his awesome hummer, he could only lower his head dispiritedly. If Ling Yun did not even have the slightest idea what car it was, what was the point of showing it off? It was the same as casting pearl before swine.
Crestfallen as he was, Tang Meng did not forget his gentlemanship, inviting Ning Lingyu into the car first before entering the driver's seat himself.
*Vroom!* the vehicle roared as Tang Meng started the engine and stepped on the gas.
"What a loud sound!" Ling Yun shouted unconsciously as he heard the wild bellow from the engine starting.
Tang Meng rolled his eyes. He had already lost the mood to even rebut.
"Where to?"
Ling Yun turned to Ning Lingyu.
"Lingyu, let's go buy something for mum before we return. Where do you think we should go shopping?"
"Ehm… how about Hua Lian supermarket? We can also help mum shop for some groceries," Ning Lingyu replied hesitantly.
Ning Lingyu's hesitation was not without reason. Even though it was a supermarket, the products were not cheap. Being from a poor family, Ning Lingyu had had to help out with shopping from a young age, thus learning the importance of saving every cent possible. To accomplish that, she made sure she was aware of the price market whenever she was out shopping for groceries.
However, today, she wanted to make a feast for her brother in celebration of him regaining his courage and pride. Thus, she suggested Hua Lian supermarket, which had good ingredients.
Just imagining the scene of her mother, brother and herself sitting together in that nostalgic room laughing and chatting happily left Ning Lingyu with a warmth expression.
With her heart set on speeding home, they arrived at Hua Lian supermarket.
Once they were in the supermarket, they began their shopping spree. As for Tang Meng, he undoubtedly took on the same role as Ling Yun this afternoon.
They mostly bought daily necessities such as cooking oil, salt, vinegar as well as fruits and vegetables. Always having to help out with daily house chores whenever she returned home, Ning Lingyu was well aware of what she needed to buy.
Ling Yun watched silently as Ning Lingyu continued picking products and comparing them. The way Ning Lingyu bit her lips and scrutinized every product, be it a bag of salt or a bottle of vinegar before deciding caused a stir in his heart. Looking at his sister's meticulous and thrifty mindset, Ling Yun could not help but think of Zhuang Meina's unrestrained spending that afternoon.
They were in the same country, the same city and these young ladies were about the same age. Yet, why were their lifestyles as different as the sky and the earth?
Zhuang Meina never looked at the price of a product when she shopped. As long as it suited her tastes, the price did not matter in the slightest. Even if it was the same brand and same type of product, she was willing to spend more money just to purchase different colors! These were done without a single worry.
In contrast, his sister had to compare each salt packet and each bag of noodles to the very cent before making her decision! Ling Yun was infuriated!
Was this truly the extent of the difference between the affluent and the impoverished? With that thought, Ling Yun smiled to himself coldly before grabbing a bottle of soy sauce that Ning Lingyu had carefully chosen and placed it back on the shelf.
As if that was not enough, Ling Yun took everything in Ning Lingyu's basket and dumped it all on the store shelves. He then patted his stunned sister's shoulder and spoke gently yet firmly, "Lingyu, just tell big brother what you need. I'll buy them for you!"