Chapter 142: Qin Xuan, I Love You

Qin Xuan did not take his inexplicably failing grade in the ideological and moral cultivation course to heart.

By 5:15 PM, Liu Qianqian had finally finished her class. A multitude of other students, finishing at the same time, walked past Qin Xuan and Dongfang Qingwan, casting strange looks their way. The campus shooting at noon was already common knowledge, as was the fact that this Qin Xuan fellow had apparently neutralized the gunmen. Once the people from the private room where Shen Yina had been held hostage were rescued, they spread the word, and by now, over half of Jinling University’s student body was aware of Qin Xuan’s prowess.

After telling Liu Qianqian to look after Dongfang Qingwan, Qin Xuan shouldered his sword case and headed alone toward Cuihuan Hill on campus.

Despite the earlier shooting, nothing could dampen the students' enthusiasm for watching the duel. Cuihuan Hill was only about twenty meters high, and the open space at its summit was already packed with people. Some had even brought popcorn and chocolate, seemingly intent on treating the duel like a movie.

As Qin Xuan stepped onto the hill, the students who had arrived early broke into cheers. Because of the noon incident, he now had far more supporters than before. The most eye-catching sight was a giant banner inscribed with the words "Qin Xuan, I love you," which caught him off guard.

"Good grief, isn't that a bit over the top?"

Looking closely, Qin Xuan realized he recognized the person standing beneath the banner: Shen Yina, the campus belle from the sophomore foreign languages department. She was tall, and her legs, showcased by her short skirt, were incredibly alluring. Seeing Qin Xuan look her way, Shen Yina was instantly excited and waved, shouting, "Qin Xuan, I love you!"

Several other girls standing beside her joined in the cheering. They had also been rescued by Qin Xuan, and naturally, they felt very favorably toward him.

The crowd around them, however, was dumbfounded. As a sophomore campus belle, Shen Yina was highly well-known at Jinling University; aside from people like Qin Xuan who were indifferent to worldly affairs, almost every male student could recognize her. Moreover, she was the only one among the current campus belles who had never had a boyfriend—excluding the newcomers Dongfang Qingwan and Liu Qianqian. This elevated her status among the male students, who all fantasized about winning her heart.

Unfortunately, although Shen Yina was cheerful and outgoing, she had never accepted anyone's pursuit. Everyone had assumed that Mao Jialiang was the most likely to succeed, given his father’s high-ranking government position. But now, it seemed as if Qin Xuan had captured her heart.

The news spread quickly. Shen Yina shouting "Qin Xuan, I love you" in public and unfurling a banner on Cuihuan Hill said it all. Qin Xuan felt like his head was about to explode. Why did this girl have to cause such trouble? He didn't believe she was in love with him; he assumed she just idolized him a little.

Ignoring the commotion, he walked to the open area at the top of the hill and stood there, feeling the cold evening breeze.

"Brother Zhu, who do you think will win today?" a male student asked a taller boy nearby.

"Don't be ridiculous, Watanabe is the obvious choice. I'm in the martial arts club; I know exactly how strong our president is," the tall boy said dismissively. "Even our president was taken down by Watanabe in one move. You think this Qin Xuan stands a chance?"

"That’s not necessarily true. I heard that at noon, the thing that happened..." The boy lowered his voice, as the shooting incident was now a taboo topic at Jinling University. "This Qin Xuan is very fierce. I even bet a thousand yuan on him winning with Brother Fan."

"Haha, your thousand is as good as gone," the tall boy gloated. "Get ready to live on instant noodles for two months."

The boy felt a bit uneasy. Although rumors said Qin Xuan was a powerhouse, it was just hearsay. If Qin Xuan turned out to be a mere amateur, he would lose his thousand yuan—and two months of instant noodles would be the least of his worries.

Watanabe had not yet arrived, so Qin Xuan took the opportunity to rest and reflect on the Japanese swordsmanship schools. He wondered which style Watanabe belonged to, but regardless, he was confident he could defeat him.

Just then, a sharp, indignant voice rang out nearby: "Can you please stop bothering me?"

Qin Xuan turned his head to see Shen Yina glaring at a boy, trying to drive him away. The boy, however, persisted, shamelessly saying, "Yina, don't be so cold. I was wrong before, but you can't blame me. The situation was so urgent, and the gunmen had guns..."

People began to whisper. "Isn't that Mao Jialiang?" "Yeah, looks like he's having a falling out with Shen Yina?" "Seems like Mao Jialiang doesn't stand a chance anymore."

Qin Xuan didn't know this Mao Jialiang and had no idea what had happened between him and Shen Yina, so he couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

Shen Yina was becoming increasingly irritated by Mao Jialiang’s nagging. "Look at those boys from the first class of Business Administration—they’re freshmen, yet they’re a thousand times better than you."

"I heard they all ended up in the hospital?" Mao Jialiang said dismissively. "Trying to be a hero without the strength to back it up leads to that. Yina, those gunmen just wanted money. Even if you had been taken, with my family’s influence, it would have been easy to get you back. Was it worth sacrificing yourself? Besides, they had guns—what if they had died?"

Shen Yina wouldn't even look at him. If it came to money, her father was the president of the Jinling branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank; she was hardly short of funds. Furthermore, among those boys in the first class of Business Administration, more than one had a background more powerful than Mao Jialiang's. The fact that they had been willing to risk their lives while Mao Jialiang acted like a coward, and was now making excuses, filled Shen Yina with utter contempt.

Glancing at Qin Xuan in the field, Shen Yina thought that her future partner would surely be a man like him, not someone like Mao Jialiang. Suddenly noticing that Qin Xuan was looking at her, she felt a surge of joy, smiled brightly, and cheered, "Qin Xuan, I love you!"

Qin Xuan felt depressed and quickly turned his head away. He had only been curious about what Mao Jialiang was arguing about, but he hadn't expected to be teased by her again, leaving him feeling quite embarrassed.

Seeing the way Shen Yina cheered, a flash of malice crossed Mao Jialiang's eyes. *Qin Xuan! This guy is stealing my woman!* The flames of jealousy and resentment ignited in his heart.

Just then, an even louder cheer erupted from the field.

"Ono, I love you! Ono is sure to win!"

A group of girls stood on a rockery next to the hill, led by Luo Yinghua, the short, chubby girl who had been slapped twice by Liu Qianqian earlier. As if they were witnessing the most brilliant thing in their lives, the dozen or so girls cheered at the top of their lungs, their voices shaking the heavens, making even Qin Xuan feel somewhat outdone.