They walked through a few temples and climbed over the hill to get to where the great pagoda was located.
For a lot of people, most large-scaled temples were similar. However, it was a lot of fun when they came together and filled the trip with laughter.
Zhou Liren, in particular, took up the role of a 'wicked tour guide' and explained all sorts of things using his own ridiculous logic as if he knew a lot about them. The other students laughed at his strange stories and at the same time liked his humorous side.
Xie Yujia was very happy as well. However, there was still a hint of worry on her face as she walked beside Hao Ren.
They climbed to the top of the pagoda to enjoy the brilliant view and refreshing breeze.
There were seven floors in the pagoda, and they could see all the temples from the observation deck on the seventh floor. There were busy streets and crowded buildings outside of the red walls.
Xie Yujia held on to the railing, and her bright eyes stared at the sky.
The breeze high above the ground fluttered her clothes, showing her perfect curves. It waved the hair beside her neck as well, exposing her jade-like smooth skin.
"Go over there! Idiot!" Zhao Jiayi noticed that Hao Ren was still hanging out with them and nudged him.
They all knew that this trip was the best opportunity for something to happen between Xie Yujia and Hao Ren. If Hao Ren, who was the biggest coward when it came to relationships, could take this opportunity and 'claim' Xie Yujia, it would be very romantic.
"Go! Go!" Even Ma Lina urged him from the side.
Instead of staying with Xie Yujia, she was hanging out with the guys to give Hao Ren an opportunity.
Hao Ren felt sorry for Xie Yujia as she was enjoying the scenery all by herself. He walked over and said, "Hehe, this view is pretty decent."
Xie Yujia turned to him and nodded with a smile.
"It's working! It's working!" Zhou Liren and the guys cried out in excitement as they observed the two from a few steps away.
A kid who was passing by heard their remarks and looked around confused. "What's working?"
"I'll treat you guys to dinner if Yujia and Hao Ren can work it out!" Ma Lina said happily.
"Deal! You said it yourself!" Ru Rong looked forward to the meal.
They chatted around without even paying much attention to the scenery. Hao Ren and Xie Yujia, on the other hand, stood side by side without many words.
"Did I bother you too much before?" She suddenly asked.
"It's alright. You are the Class President, so it was your duty," Hao Ren said lightly.
Xie Yujia looked at Hao Ren as if she wanted to say something else. However, she kept it to herself.
Hao Ren looked into the temples with golden glazed tiles and thought to himself, "Would I miss the person who micro-managed me if she stopped one day?"
"Come on. Let's get down. It's about time for lunch!" Xie Yujia breathed in heavily and said.
She turned to Zhao Jiayi and the guys. "Come on! We are going to eat!"
"Ren is so dumb!" Zhao Jiayi gritted his teeth after seeing Hao Ren leaving the platform, spacing out.
The group of people left the pagoda and headed to a restaurant nearby. Everyone was cheerful and happy. However, the guys who were close to Hao Ren felt sorry for him for missing the opportunity.
There was some free time after lunch. Zhao Jiayi wanted to go karaoke, and the guys who came with their girlfriends agree to go. Hao Ren was forced to join by Zhao Jiayi.
They thought Xie Yujia, as the leader, would be joining as well, but she said that she was tired and wanted to go back to the hotel and rest.
A few other people had their own plans, so Zhao Jiayi and about 20 other people headed toward the KTV in Xin'an City.
The afternoon passed by quickly. Hao Ren felt the pressure as he watched the others sing cheerfully.
'Singing King' Zhao Jiayi glimpsed at Hao Ren as he sang. He wanted to create another opportunity for Hao Ren by inviting everyone to karaoke. Xie Yujia didn't come along, which meant...
"Dull AF!" If Zhao Jiayi knew that Xie Yujia was leaving yet Hao Ren hadn't taken any actions, he would have killed Hao Ren!
If Zhao Jiayi knew that Xie Yujia grew up together with Hao Ren and waited for him for over ten years, this self-proclaimed player would have killed him a million times!
Zhao Jiayi had to report to the Basketball Team after dinner, and Zhou Liren, Hao Ren, and the guys went back to the hotel.
Hao Ren thought for a while in the empty room since he was still worried about Xie Yujia. Then, he took the key and left his room. He knocked on Xie Yujia's door on the same floor.
Xie Yujia answered inside and only opened the door after about ten seconds.
She was surprised to see Hao Ren instead of other girls in the class. Then, she gave him a weird look.
Hao Ren felt sorry for her when he noticed the tiredness in her eyes.
"Did you... Eat yet?" Hao Ren asked.
"I didn't go out, so I just had some hot dogs that I brought," Xie Yujia swept her hair behind her ears and said.
"Let's me take you out for dinner," Hao Ren thought for a bit and offered.
"It's ok; I'm not hungry." Xie Yujia smiled.
"Did you... Cry?" Hao Ren asked something that he shouldn't have asked.
Zhao Jiayi would have kicked his a*s if he were here to witness Hao Ren's dumbness with girls.
"No..." Xie Yujia rubbed her eyes. "I was taking a shower, and the shampoo got into my eyes."
Hao Ren noticed that she was in the same outfit as earlier; he knew that Xie Yujia was so anxious and upset that she couldn't even make up a better lie.
"Rest up, and let's go to the night market later," Hao Ren said.
Xie Yujia asked in surprise, "Just us?"
"Nah, with Zhou Liren and the guys," Hao Ren answered without thinking.
Xie Yujia stood still and sighed as she watched Hao Ren heading toward the guys' rooms. If it were any other girls who didn't have her temperament, they might have already smacked him.
"No wonder no girls liked him in so many years." Xie Yujia knocked her head and went back to her room to get changed.
Half an hour later, they gathered in the lobby to go to the night market. Those who came were all single, and Xie Yujia was the only girl who showed up.
Zhou Liren was still energetic, and he was thrilled that Hao Ren invited him. It never occurred to him that he should ask Hao Ren and Xie Yujia to go alone.
Besides Zhao Jiayi, there were still quite a few of them who were single. Ma Lina had already gone to her auntie's place for the night, and Xie Yujia had no choice but to go with the guys since she had already agreed to it.
They took a taxi from the hotel to the night market. It was a busy and crowded Saturday night, and it had everything to offer.
The guys were still greedy for snacks after dinner. Since the pretty girl, Xie Yujia, was with them, they were in the mood of trying all sorts of delicious snacks.
"Here!" Hao Ren bought two kabobs and handed one to Xie Yujia.
Xie Yujia looked at him. Although she was still a little upset, her last line of defense was broken by the kabob Hao Ren handed over. She was moved by him again.
She knew that Hao Ren didn't mean anything bad. Although he seemed mean to her when they were little, he still protected her. Hao Ren got along well with his classmates in the university, and he always helped whenever he could; he was reliable and straightforward.
If she didn't have Little Older Brother in her heart, Hao Ren would have been a very nice...
In Ma Lina's opinion, it was Hao Ren's luck that a pretty girl like Xie Yujia was interested in him. She wouldn't be trying to match the two if she hadn't noticed Xie Yujia's bad appetite and lack of spirit lately. Since Hao Ren seemed to be too ordinary of a guy, it would be a waste to let Hao Ren have Xie Yujia, a gentle, caring, kind, and beautiful girl!
The group wandered around as they tried different snacks. Hao Ren checked out some decor stands with Xie Yujia from time to time; it was indeed a pleasant experience to hang out with classmates like this.
However, a profession found itself a market in such a busy crowd; thieves.
They were too busy having fun to notice that two thieves already had their eyes on Xie Yujia's backpack. They sneaked behind her and reached toward a pocket which was slightly open. Xie Yujia just put her wallet in there after paying for a phone sticker!
Zhou Liren and the guys saw some acrobats in the front, so they ran ahead in excitement. Hao Ren, who just got the phone sticker with Xie Yujia, stayed behind with her.
His acute hearing and sight located the thief who was reaching for her bag!
Pa! Hao Ren grabbed the thief's wrist in a flash and pulled on it. The thief lied on to the ground immediately.
Xie Yujia hadn't even realized what had happened, and it scared her all of a sudden.
"Why are you hitting others!" The other thief shouted at Hao Ren, trying to pretend to be innocent.
Hao Ren ignored them and headed toward where the guys were with Xie Yujia.
However, the second thief wouldn't let go and caught up with them. "Buddy, why are you hitting people for no reason? You broke his arm, and you need to pay for his medical bill!"
The stand owners all recognized these two thieves since they came here often. However, they didn't want to cause trouble for their own businesses, so they stayed out of it. These thieves were always hanging around in the area. Even though they were sent to the police, they got released in a couple of days.
Xie Yujia had never seen something like this. Although she panicked, her mind was clear with Hao Ren's hand on her arm. "Hao Ren, I'll go get Zhou Liren and the guys!" she said.
The thief who was on the ground stood up, pretending that his arm hurt. He circled behind Hao Ren and Xie Yujia as he shouted, "Why did you hurting me for no reason? You are not leaving until you pay me some money!"
They could tell that Hao Ren and Xie Yujia were students from outside of Xin'an City. Therefore, they had decided to blackmail them.
Hao Ren looked at them calmly. With his strength and power, he wouldn't even be scared if there were ten or twenty of them! All he was worried about was Xie Yujia's safety.
On top of that, he couldn't release his five-elemental sword energies around mortals.
When Hao Ren was thinking about how to protect Xie Yujia as well as defeat the thieves, Yu Rong and the guys realized that Hao Ren and Xie Yujia weren't following them. They turned back and saw the two of them circled by two hooligans.
"Damn it! How dare you bully my buddy!" Yu Rong dashed their way with two unfinished kabobs in his hands!
He was the Vice Class President after all. Although he didn't take care of any of the class issues, he still had a title. Regarding fighting, he had no problem!
Zhou Liren, Gu Jiadong, and a few others came over as well, and they immediately circled the two thieves. The dozens of them started the fight without a word!
"Mount Fo Shadowless Kick! Stone Breaking Fist!" Zhou Liren shouted out some cool names as he punched and kicked.
Those two thieves were immediately beaten up by over ten young students.
Hao Ren looked at them in surprise; he had no idea that the guys had so much strength in them. Before he made a move, the thieves were already rolling on the ground begging for forgiveness.
Suddenly, a flashing police car appeared at the exit of the night market.
"Big Dipper Fist! Buddha Palm Technique!" Zhou Liren got more and more excited as he shouted.
"Damn it, let's get out of here! See you at the west exit!" Ru Rong dragged Zhou Liren, who was in his battle mood, and sprang out of there.
Although he didn't care much for the class as the Vice Class President, he demonstrated strong leadership abilities!
The group of people followed him to the west exit!
Hao Ren saw the police and dragged Xie Yujia out of there as well since he didn't want to get into trouble!
The night market in Xin'an City was pretty big; it took them a while to get to a safe area.
"Damn it; I haven't even used my 'Heavenly Maid Scatter Blossoms' move yet!" Zhou Liren complained as they got out of the market, waving his arms around.
Xie Yujia was out of breath. She laid her hands on her knees and looked around at the guys. As a good student, she had never been involved in a fight like this!
However, she suddenly understood more about the friendship amongst the guys.
Although they were noisy, the guys stuck up for each other! Even though they were risking being caught by the police, they wouldn't let their buddy get bullied and blackmailed.
However, if Hao Ren had a bad relationship with them, they would never have fought for him!
Instead of his own strength, Hao Ren's charm was in that everyone was willing to help him as his good friend!
Even though it was a fight, she felt sadder about parting ways with the classmates whom she had profound friendships with.
Would she ever be able to experience happy days like this in such a warm class again?
"A bus can take us back to the hotel from here!" Yu Rong read the bus information on the other side of the street and came back happily.
Then, everyone followed him across the street and got on the bus to Hanting Hotel.
There were many empty seats on the bus since it was late at night. Yu Rong and the guys in the front of the bus started to discuss what just happened. Although they were just taking a bus, it gave them a special feeling to be on a bus with their classmates in an unfamiliar city.
Hao Ren turned to Xie Yujia and sensed the reluctance to leave in her eyes. He lightly nudged her arm.
"Yujia, don't go."