In three years, such a slightly exaggerated approach might not be effective anymore.
But for now, for the recently turned 19-year-old Chen Yanfei, Han Lie’s timing and tact were nothing less than perfect.
She laughed heartily, waving away Han Lie’s fingers, and replied proudly, "I dared to bring our campus belle to see you; how could I not give her a heads-up first?"
Han Lie clasped his fists in a salute and turned his head away, conceding defeat.
The awkwardness from not having seen each other for a long time vanished instantly.
"Let’s go. Wherever you two want to hang out, Brother Lie will accompany you the whole time!"
Chen Yanfei shifted to make space on her left—her right arm linked with Ding Xiang’s—and suggested enthusiastically, "Let’s check out the main campus of Shanghai International Studies University first! We’ve always been curious about what it looks like..."
Han Lie pursed his lips. "Besides having more foreigners, it’s really not as good as your Songjiang campus. Let’s go!"
So, the three of them strolled towards the SISU campus, chatting along the way.
"Tough Guy, what did you call me just now? Village Belle?!"
After Chen Yanfei asked, Ding Xiang also looked up curiously. Fresh chapters posted on N0velFire.ɴet
Han Lie suppressed a laugh and replied, "One time, my mom came to pick me up from school and happened to see you. She remarked to me, ’That girl is really pretty! Sturdy and looks like she’d be good at bearing children. If she were in the countryside, matchmakers from all the surrounding villages would wear out our doorstep...’"
Chen Yanfei burst out laughing.
Ding Xiang, meanwhile, clapped her hands over her mouth, letting out a series of very strange, muffled giggles, like "HOO-HOO-HEE-HEE..."
So adorable, so adorable, Han Lie felt an even stronger urge to playfully punch her...
However, he barely had the thought before Chen Yanfei landed a punch on him. "You clearly didn’t get hit hard enough!"
Brother Lie chuckled and raised his eyebrows at her. "I’ll give you another chance. Aim for the abs this time."
At the mention of "abs," Chen Yanfei blushed.
"Pah! Dealing with you is a waste of time. Sooner or later, someone will sort you out!"
Laughing and joking, the three of them quickly circled the SISU campus. The Hongkou campus was indeed small due to the tight land availability.
Two beautiful girls and a handsome young man attracted quite a bit of attention.
Then, as they rounded the back of Building 4, three international students approached them: two white guys and one who looked like a "bro." One of them whistled at the girls, and the other two blocked Chen Yanfei’s path.
"Hey! Beautiful girl, my name is Chen Zhen. Can I know your name?"
The first white guy who spoke had a slightly stiff Chinese accent, but he was mostly intelligible. He looked very strong, and even in the November weather, some of his chest hair was visible.
Chen Yanfei frowned, preparing to walk around him.
The other two international students burst out laughing and crowded closer.
"Hey, bro. Your boy over there with the beauties—didn’t go so well for him, huh?"
Good grief, this Black guy must have had a teacher from Northeast China...
The remaining white guy approached Ding Xiang with a grin, asking, "Junior Sister, which department are you a student in?"
Good grief! For all his mangled Chinese, his pronunciation of "Junior Sister" was perfect. He must have practiced that pickup line a lot!
Chen Yanfei and Ding Xiang had never encountered such a situation and were somewhat flustered.
Han Lie immediately stepped forward, pressed a hand against Michael Chen Zhen’s chest, and gave him a firm push. He warned with a stern expression, "Hey! This is a university. Don’t cause trouble, okay?"
Michael Chen Zhen was pushed back a step and frowned, sizing up Han Lie.
The other student, the Black guy, said nonchalantly, "We’re international students..."
Han Lie immediately cut off his laborious attempt at speaking. "Get lost now, or do you want to fight?"
The three international students, realizing Han Lie’s firmness, immediately held up their hands. "Hey, easy, easy!"
Then, shrugging, they walked away, still laughing and joking.
Even as they walked away, they kept looking back, visibly commenting on Chen Yanfei and Ding Xiang.
"Why were they like that?" Ding Xiang, still shaken, pressed her hands to her chest.
Chen Yanfei had also been a little scared, but she recovered very quickly, showing remarkable composure.
"Tough Guy, that was awesome!" She gave him a thumbs-up, her smile wide like an emoji. "I knew you were no pushover last time we met, and now you’re even more manly!"
Ding Xiang nodded vigorously, her gaze on Han Lie filled with both gratitude and admiration. Perhaps because they weren’t very familiar with each other yet, she was too shy to express herself more openly, only managing a soft, "Thank you."
Chen Yanfei, however, was quite excited and pressed on with another question, "Hey, Tough Guy, weren’t you afraid they’d actually fight? There were three of them!"
Han Lie laughed. "Don’t think they’re so scary. Once you’ve dealt with more foreigners, you’ll get it. They’re typical bullies—they respect strength, not kindness. If you’re polite to them, they’ll just keep harassing you."
Chen Yanfei had a moment of realization. "So if you’re tough with them, they get scared too?"
"Definitely!" Han Lie gestured towards a nearby academic building with his chin. "This is a university. Win or lose a fight, you still get disciplined, right? They don’t want trouble either. Isn’t it better for them to just cruise by comfortably?"
"You reacted so quickly, and you handled that perfectly." Chen Yanfei was genuinely impressed. "It was lucky you were here. Otherwise, we would’ve had to try and sneak away, and who knows if we could’ve even avoided them..."
"Come on, we’re closer than that!" Han Lie waved his hand dismissively. "When I was at my lowest, you were the one by my side. Our bond is like an old married couple’s..."
A slap landed squarely on the back of Tough Guy Brother Lie, making him grimace in pain.
The "family guardian" glared, her hand still raised from the slap. "If you go one day without a beating, you’ll be tearing the house down!"
Oops, I almost forgot. Chen Yanfei’s temperament was just like Xi Luting’s—she also had a tendency to get physical...