Chapter 700 - 398: Black-Hearted Xu Manning (Part 2)

"Nothing much, just stopping by to appreciate the ’blossoming spring plum’ on campus."

As he spoke, Li Peifeng kept his eyes on Zhao Duoduo, thinking that no matter how beautiful the plum blossoms outside were, they couldn’t compare to the one right in front of him.

Zhao Qingge’s medium-length straight hair was half-tied, looking naturally simple and friendly. The sunlight cast a captivating wine-red glow on the edges of her hair. Her face was elegant and composed, exuding serenity, and her brows seemed to carry a hint of both joy and pride.

Today, Zhao Qingge’s outfit was quite ingenious. A cream-colored coat that could be compared to petals, with a pink turtleneck underneath that could pass as a flower’s core; she was dressed just like a winter plum blossom.

A poem goes:

"Gradually, the fragrance of the cold plum drifts across the water, casting shadows on both sides of the stream."

"With deep feelings, it endures the hardships of wind and frost, refusing to be a second flower in the world."

It endures the hardships, refusing to be a second flower!

I want to cultivate flowers!

I want to pick flowers!

I want to arrange flowers!

"What are you looking at?"

"At my fiancée, is that not allowed?"

Li Peifeng answered confidently. Zhao Qingge’s lips moved slightly; she instinctively wanted to retort, "Who said I want to marry you," but the words never came out. After a moment’s silence, she said, "There’s an online literature research class later, you can take it for me, lots of undergraduates are eager to hear you lecture."

"Sure, on my way here I even ran into..."

Li Peifeng was about to mention running into Chen Jinfeng but held his tongue, smiling as he leaned closer to Zhao Qingge. "If I substitute teach, is there any reward?"

Zhao Qingge looked at her computer screen. "I’ll reward you with a lunch."

No no~ If I agree to this, Miss Xu will definitely be displeased, and I might not get dinner tonight.

Li Peifeng remained unflustered. "That’s insincere, choose another."

Zhao Qingge hesitated for two seconds, glanced at him, then refocused on the computer screen. She leaned slightly forward to give Li Peifeng’s cheek a light, fleeting kiss, as if just brushing against it, and was about to return to her original position when Li Peifeng puckered his lips and chased after hers.

"Who are you fooling?"

Slurp, slurp~

The white plum shyly transformed into a red plum.

...

"Here they come, here they come."

"Is Senior Brother Li here?"

"Yes, they’re all here."

At 9:48, Zhao Qingge and Li Peifeng walked into the classroom. The large lecture hall, capable of seating a hundred people, was completely packed, with onlookers at the door.

The reason for this might be because a previous lecture’s video had increased Zhao Qingge’s fame, leading more students to attend this class. Additionally, there might be several female students hoping to catch a glimpse of the charismatic Li Peifeng during the class.

Li Peifeng’s ears were sharp; from the moment they entered, he heard male students quietly marveling at Old Zhao’s looks, saying she was a hundred times more stunning than in the videos. There were also female students staring unblinkingly at him, their eyes faintly glowing blue.

"A warm welcome to all the new faces auditing the class~"

Zhao Qingge put on a wireless microphone and easily overpowered the murmurs in the audience. Seeing that there were no distractions, she continued, "But we still have to proceed with the class as usual. Today, Li Peifeng and I will co-lecture, primarily to research and evaluate the online literature works you previously created."

Zhao Qingge had previously arranged for the students to form six groups for online literature creation and serial publication on various platforms, learning to write through practice and exploring their own paths.

It had been nearly four months since their works were published; out of the six group projects, only one was still being serialized. Although it’s up, it only has double-digit subscriptions, and the results are too pitiful to look at. The other five have all been abandoned.

However, despite the dismal results in online literature, the students performed excellently in the meaningful execution of their assignments.

The research findings on online literature creation were ultimately compiled into an annual report by Li Peifeng. The article "The Objective Reality of Aesthetic Changes in Online Literature in 2121" will be published in the upcoming issue of the core journal Literary Report.

The practice was a mess, but the academics were outstanding.

"This is a very interesting outcome. I remember when the books were being published, every group member was full of confidence, thinking they would achieve good results, but reality... Peifeng, you’ve read these books; what do you think their problems were?"

...

"Where are you?"

At eleven o’clock sharp, the class had run over by fifteen minutes, but after Zhao Qingge announced the end of class, the students unanimously broke into applause.

The course was highly successful, and even after the session was announced over, many students stayed to interact with the pair. Some asked Zhao Qingge whether she would accept graduate students next semester, while others wanted to continue discussing online literature with Li Peifeng.

But Li did not linger; after saying goodbye to Zhao Qingge, he left the classroom and immediately sent a WeChat message to Li Qiyuan

They had arranged to have lunch at the Xu family home by noon, and any later, they’d be late.

"Just about to return to the apartment, almost at the main gate."

After Li Qiyuan replied, another message from Xu Manning came through: "When are you and Uncle arriving?"

"On our way!"

Li Peifeng quickly headed to the school gate to meet up with Old Li, and the father-son duo returned to Jintian City to get the car. But they weren’t driving the G-Wagon this time; Wu Wenyue said she needed the car for filming that afternoon, so Li Peifeng opted for the Ferrari 812GTS.

"Weng~"

The garage door slowly opened. Old Li stared at the red supercar, stunned: "Whose car is this? Manning’s?"

"No, it was also a gift from Tianxuan, but it wasn’t for me, it was for Wenyue to enjoy. I don’t drive it often; it’s a bit small... Let’s go, or we’ll really be late."

Li Qiyuan frowned slightly, his expression complicated as he sat in the passenger seat. Looking at the car’s battle-ready black interior, when the Ferrari drove out of the garage, he gave a helpless smile: "When should I visit Tianxuan’s family?"

Li Peifeng chuckled: "Whenever you’re ready, just go when you’re free."

Li Qiyuan sighed deeply: "Floating through seventy years, now I’m forty, from here the uncertainties loom... Son, promise me, in your next life, don’t get involved with me."

"No way, I’ve made a great vow; in my next life, I still want to be your son."

Li Qiyuan showed no expression, stayed silent, and exuded an aura of negative energy.

This made Li Peifeng a bit afraid that his father would keep this attitude when meeting Xu Manning’s parents, which would surely cause trouble.

However, Old Li kept his promise; maybe he was afraid his actions might hurt Xu Manning. When they finally arrived at the Xu family and met Xu Manning’s parents and a bunch of relatives, he immediately switched to a calm, composed, and warmly welcoming smile.

"Is Peifeng’s father here?"

"Hey, Peifeng, why did you bring so many things again?"

Xue Ya and Xu Hongfei stood at the door to greet them, and Xu Manning’s elder and younger relatives scattered in the opulent living room, also greeted them with smiles.

"Take a seat, the food will be ready soon."

The guests, a mix of various ages, seated themselves and began exchanging pleasantries, mostly about family matters. From Xu Manning’s conversation, they learned that Li Peifeng’s mother was expecting another child and congratulated them accordingly.

Li Qiyuan handled it smoothly; Li Peifeng eagerly offered to help with cooking but was stopped by Xu Manning and taken to her room.

As soon as they entered, Miss Xu proudly announced, "I’ve already transferred fifty million over."

"So fast? It’s only been a morning."

Li Peifeng was surprised, "What about the rest?"

"The rest in my account can be transferred over within a week, but I’m not sure about the two cards from Sister Xuan."

After saying this, Xu Manning examined him closely, feigning hesitation: "But there might be some transfer fees because it went through foreign trade channels and taxes, and the tax is quite high."

"Just tell me what percentage is deducted."

Xu Manning’s eyes shifted, and she sighed: "The account holds 360 million, but after transferring to the domestic account, around 260 million might be deducted..."

Li Peifeng twitched a corner of his mouth: "This fee is higher than money laundering fees. So after all that, I’ll only have 100 million left, and then I’ll have to use it for your bride price, so I won’t have a cent left for myself, huh?"

Xu Manning tried to widen her big eyes, pouting cutely and acting spoiled: "Honey~ you still have me!"

"Can you pay Old Zhao’s bride price then?"

Xu Manning pretended not to hear and leaned over smiling: "Honey, ლ(°◕‵ƹ′◕ლ) give me a kiss~"

"Don’t kiss me; I just kissed Zhao Qingge, and her saliva is still on my mouth!"