Chapter 131: Li Ye Only Wants Peace and Quiet

"Director Zhang? What do we do now?"

Lu Jingyao was startled, suddenly flustered.

Among the list of strategies Liu Muhan had given her, Director Zhang was an indispensable figure—saying he held life-and-death power wasn’t an exaggeration.

Liu Muhan smiled and said, "Qian Shun can influence Director Zhang—we can too! Director Zhang is moving this Sunday; would you come with me?"

"They didn’t even notify us—is it appropriate?"

Lu Jingyao hesitated; after all, Director Zhang’s move was a private matter—showing up uninvited might make them unwelcome guests.

Liu Muhan packed her bag as she spoke: "My dad knows Director Zhang—he asked me to bring a housewarming gift. You’re just coming along with me."

"Thank you so much, Muhan."

Lu Jingyao finally understood what Liu Muhan meant by "no need."

People who want to study abroad don’t need to struggle like she did.

Look at He Xue scheming all day on campus, fawning over this one and chasing after that one, pulling out all stops to find connections—yet she never realized the real capable person was living right in the same dorm.

Of course, maybe since that bar of soap, He Xue had already severed any possibility of becoming friends with Liu Muhan.

On Saturday afternoon, Wen Leyu got out of class early and hurriedly asked Li Ye to take her to the bus stop.

Li Ye rode his bike carrying the girl across half the campus, asking as he pedaled: "Our house will be ours tomorrow—aren’t you coming to give your opinion?"

Wen Leyu said, "What opinion do I give? Won’t Hu Man and Xiao Yan be going tomorrow? I really forgot something at home—hurry up, hurry up."

"Alright then!"

Li Ye didn’t press further; he just felt that since he’d bought a house, he should let Wen Leyu see it.

In his past life, when a man bought a house, he absolutely had to let the woman see it first, then endure her endless guidance.

[Add her name, add her name, must add her name, or we break up.]

[The renovation must be my decision, the furniture must be my decision—ask me if I’ll pay? I’ve given you my whole self, aren’t you lucky I’m not charging you?]

But Wen Leyu didn’t care about the house at all—as if she didn’t care about anything.

Still, seeing Li Ye pedal in silence, Wen Leyu gently punched his back with her small fist.

"Next week there’s a welcome dance—I need to go back and get my high heels; all my dorm mates have high heels."

"Also, my dad’s workplace gave him two pairs of imported leather shoes—I’ll sneak one back for you."

"Your dad’s shoes—I wouldn’t fit in them."

Wen Leyu grinned: "You don’t need to worry—I’ve already arranged someone to exchange them for you tomorrow. Hurry up, hurry up—I need to get home before my brother arrives."

Li Ye was surprised; what he meant by "won’t fit" was different from what Wen Leyu understood.

Wen Leyu thought Wen Qingsheng was much taller than Li Ye—his shoes were at least two sizes bigger, so she’d already figured out a solution.

"Then I’ll just take you home directly."

"That’s a long round trip! You’ve lost weight these past few days—rest for two days."

"."

The girl truly cared about Li Ye.

On Sunday morning, Li Ye strictly followed Wen Leyu’s instructions: slept until naturally awake, washed up, went downstairs for breakfast, then slowly rode his bike to Zaojunmiao.

Today, Old Master Zhang was moving, and Li Ye had to come over to complete the final handover of the house.

As he rode to the alley entrance, he saw from afar that Old Zhang’s gate was already piled with belongings—clearly they’d started moving things out early.

The furniture, as agreed, was left for Li Ye, but books, bedding, and daily necessities had to be taken away; those few appliances were even more precious and couldn’t possibly be left behind.

Look at that TV—carefully wrapped in cotton quilts, treated like a newborn baby.

Who knew how they’d feel years later, when they realized a single chair from that house could buy a truckload of TVs.

Also, Old Master Zhang was moving to a new dormitory building on campus—one with its own bathroom.

Because the state had strict housing allocation rules: one person couldn’t own two homes; even if a married couple worked at different units, they could only own one house.

So Old Master Zhang had to sell his sihe Academy to get the apartment.

Sigh~

At the courtyard gate, Li Ye saw Lao Song, Wei Jiaxian, and Tan Min all squatting along the wall.

Today, Hao Jian would arrive in Jingcheng from Yangcheng, so Jin Peng and Wang Qiang went to the train station to pick him up; Li Ye sent these three to help with the move.

"What’s going on?" Li Ye smiled. "You three moved all this stuff and can’t even stand up?"

"Who needs us to move anything?" Lao Song chuckled, nodding toward the house. "Go inside and see—these college students are more capable than strong laborers."

"Students came to help?"

Li Ye hadn’t expected that.

A professor like Old Master Zhang should’ve had the school’s logistics department provide a vehicle and workers—no need for students.

As Li Ye entered, he indeed found a group of students bustling around the osmanthus tree in the courtyard.

Spades and shovels swung back and forth, digging a deep trench around the tree’s roots—they clearly intended to transplant the entire tree with its root ball.

Good heavens—trees die when moved, people thrive when they move; transplanting trees was a skilled task.

"Hey, buddy, you’re here!"

Zhang Rui spotted Li Ye and hurried over to greet him: "This osmanthus tree has been raised by my father for many years—we have feelings for it, so..."

Li Ye smiled: "I understand, but transplanting plants is delicate work—you’ll need to be careful."

Zhang Rui lifted his chin and grinned: "Don’t worry—I’ve got a classmate from the Agriculture Academy, top-notch expert."

Only then did Li Ye notice one student among the group muttering incessantly, looking especially professional.

But whatever.

Have fun.

The diggers finally finished; the osmanthus tree’s root system had been excavated into a large soil ball to increase transplant survival.

At that moment, Old Master Zhang stepped out of the house and invited everyone in for tea.

"Thank you, Director Zhang—this tea is delicious."

"Director Zhang, your tea set is so beautiful..."

"Actually, I think Director Zhang’s furniture is even more beautiful."

"Of course! How else could it be worth two thousand yuan?"

"Cough, cough, cough~"

The students’ banter made Zhang Rui beside them feel awkward.

Li Ye had paid two thousand yuan for his furniture—he always felt he’d gotten a bargain.

Old Master Zhang smiled and introduced: "This student is the new owner of the house—the young writer Qi Cun Dao Feng."

Everyone paused, finally noticing Li Ye.

One girl asked incredulously: "You’re Qi Cun Dao Feng—the one who wrote 'Infiltration'?"

Li Ye nodded: "Yes, that’s me."

Several students immediately gathered around.

"You’re so young!"

"Why did you buy a house in Jingcheng? Are you settling here?"

Zhang Rui answered for him: "He’s a freshman at Jingda this year—smaller than us, yet he’s already earned tens of thousands in royalties. How’s that for embarrassing?"

"Tens of thousands in royalties?"

The students were stunned; their gazes at Li Ye seemed to reflect gold.

"Are you in the Chinese Department at Jingda?"

"No, I’m studying World Economics."

"So you really made a lot of money?"

"Not bad—not too much."

Li Ye chatted warmly with the students, soon learning they were all from Jingcheng Foreign Languages Academy, mostly from the student union.

They’d come to help Old Master Zhang move out of pure respect for their teacher.

"Hello, I’m Qian Shun. We’ve founded a Qingya Literature Society at Jingwai—please come chat sometime. I read your 'Infiltration'—a very fresh story."

"Sure, I’ll come when I have time."

Li Ye exchanged polite pleasantries but had no intention of deepening the connection.

Just hearing "Qingya" told him they were literary youths—he was a popular writer, not their kind.

But the girl was enthusiastic; another girl stepped forward to shake his hand.

"Hello, I’m He Xue, English Department, Class of '81 at Jingwai. Can I have your contact info? We can write letters."

Was this a pen pal request?

But Li Ye froze.

Class of '81 English Department—that would make her Lu Jingyao’s classmate?

Jingwai was such a big school—could it really be that coincidental?

But it got even more coincidental.

Two girls walked through the courtyard gate: Liu Muhan and Lu Jingyao.

Liu Muhan entered and smiled: "Hello, Uncle Zhang."

Director Zhang stood up and smiled: "Muhan, you came... why did you bring gifts?"

“My father couldn’t come himself, so he asked me to bring you a small gift to congratulate you on your move.”

As Liu Muhan spoke, his expression suddenly turned strange, his gaze shifting to Li Ye behind Zhang Rui.

Director Zhang continued his polite formalities: “Your father is too courteous, truly too courteous—is he in good health?”

Liu Muhan could only reply awkwardly: “Uh, yes, fine.”

He Xue and the others in the courtyard also froze in place.

They never imagined that the detested petty bourgeois, Liu Muhan, actually knew Director Zhang—and not just casually.

Seeing the smile on Director Zhang’s face, He Xue knew exactly what she had missed.

【How lucky for Lu Jingyao】

He Xue’s face darkened as she looked at Lu Jingyao and noticed how pale she looked—not the sharp, defiant air she’d had just days ago, but rather the miserable state she’d been in half a year ago.

Director Zhang also sensed something was off and finally followed Liu Muhan’s gaze to Li Ye.

“Do you two know each other?”

“We met on the train,” Liu Muhan quickly recovered, smiling. “Didn’t expect to run into you here.”

Director Zhang chuckled: “What a coincidence! Li Ye bought my house. If you both have time, you should get to know each other better.”

“Li Ye? The Li Ye from Qingshui County?”

He Xue couldn’t help exclaiming aloud.

When they first enrolled last year, He Xue and Ma Li had often goaded Lu Jingyao into denouncing that country bumpkin bully, Li Ye.

They’d even handled the letters Li Ye sent to Lu Jingyao, so they knew his name.

“You know him too?”

Director Zhang was genuinely surprised, studying Li Ye’s handsome face with growing wariness.

Could this kid be some womanizing rogue who left his mark everywhere?

Didn’t Liu Muhan’s eyes betray something the moment he saw him on the train?

He Xue’s mind raced, and she forced a nervous laugh: “We’ve only heard of Li Ye’s name—he’s Lu Jingyao’s…”

“Uncle Zhang, I’d like to say something to you. Is now a good time?”

“Of course it is—come inside and talk.”

Liu Muhan cut off He Xue’s words and led Director Zhang into the main house.

He Xue, Qian Shun, and the others exchanged strange glances, huddling together to whisper, occasionally glancing at the gloomy Lu Jingyao.

Zhang Rui was equally baffled, wanting to ask Li Ye what was going on, but Li Ye sat motionless, eyes downcast, ignoring everyone like a meditating monk.

About seven or eight minutes later, the sound of an engine came from outside—the car from Beijing had arrived to help Director Zhang move.

Liu Muhan and Director Zhang emerged from the house.

“Come on, let’s load up quickly!”

Liu Muhan grabbed the osmanthus tree’s branches first, posing as if he were working hard.

He Xue and the others, unwilling to be left behind, scrambled to help, lifting and loading the tree.

Director Zhang glanced at Li Ye and gave a slight nod, his expression subtle.

But Li Ye spoke up: “Professor Zhang, may I have a few minutes of your time?”

Lu Jingyao, who was carrying the tree, nearly stumbled.

【What is he going to do?】

【Will he destroy me?】

Given today’s climate, if Li Ye added a few embellishments, Lu Jingyao would be finished.

Even women who divorced normally were discriminated against—how much worse for one who broke off an engagement?

Director Zhang’s expression turned strange, then he nodded and led Li Ye into the main house.

Inside, Director Zhang looked at Li Ye and said: “You want to tell me something about Lu Jingyao, don’t you?”

Li Ye nodded: “I knew Lu Jingyao before. Our parents once considered matching us, so we followed traditional customs—there was nothing improper between us.”

Director Zhang looked surprised but said nothing, continuing to listen.

“But now, Lu Jingyao and I have no relationship left. I believe neither of us should harm or interfere with the other.”

“If she’s slandered because of me, wouldn’t that be my sin?”

Li Ye glanced outside at He Xue and the others hauling the tree together.

A group of students showing up early to help move—clearly they had something to gain, and likely the same thing, which meant competition.

Think about the situation in Beijing—what they were all after was obvious.

Director Zhang suddenly smiled.

“Li Ye, I was genuinely surprised when my niece Liu Muhan called you reasonable and generous—I didn’t believe her at first. But now, I do.”

“Rest assured—I will never allow anyone to damage any student’s moral standing through malicious slander. How does that sound?”

Li Ye exhaled in relief, nodded with a smile, and turned to leave.

Li Ye wasn’t a merciful saint—he simply wanted Lu Jingyao far away, so he could have peace.

Lu Jingyao didn’t want to see Li Ye again—neither did he.

Wen Leyu’s gaze at Lu Jingyao troubled Li Ye, so better she go far away.

Lu Jingyao, still lifting the osmanthus tree, saw Li Ye emerge and felt her heart churn again.

But Liu Muhan whispered beside her: “Don’t worry—he’s a kind man.”

“But…”

Liu Muhan looked up at the spacious sihe academy, then laughed softly and shook her head.

Perhaps going far away is Lu Jingyao’s best outcome after all.

Thank you to the book friend who tipped 3000 coins, and thanks to the brother for your generosity.

(End of Chapter)