Chapter 143

Chapter 143

Lin Lie naturally recognized Luo Yu as well. Seeing Luo Yu's hostile gaze directed at him, Lin Lie didn’t know whether to be dumbfounded or resigned.

What was going on with Bai Xingshu? Why was every troublemaker he got involved with from such influential backgrounds?

Of course, when faced with others’ hostility, Lin Lie never shied away.

He raised an eyebrow and sneered, facing off with Luo Yu: "What are you doing here?"

Luo Yu was also of the Luo family's main lineage—someone who naturally drew everyone's attention. Lin Lie had long known about this year's most talked-about freshman.

So the question arose.

Wasn’t Luo Yu a first-year? Why was he so chummy with Bai Xingshu?

"Of course I’m here. I live here," Luo Yu said, raising an eyebrow at Lin Lie and pointing to the room next to Bai Xingshu’s dorm.

Lin Lie went quiet.

Ah… right.

Had he known, he would have put in for a room transfer this year!

The thought flashed through Lin Lie’s mind, and then his lip curled.

Oh, he had almost forgotten—these dorms were two to a room. If he had done that…

Lin Lie was rendered speechless.

In that case, odds were it would have been him sharing a room with Luo Yu.

Lin Lie felt like the air had been punched from his lungs.

Bai Xingshu, listening to their exchange, blurted out: "You two know each other?"

Lin Lie spoke first: "Yes, our families run in the same circles."

After all, they were both direct descendants of prominent families in the capital. When it came down to it, there were maybe fifty kids in their bracket—it would be strange if they didn’t know each other.

Then, frowning, Lin Lie asked, "How do you know him?"

When Lin Lie referred to Luo Yu as "him," his tone was downright icy.

Bai Xingshu didn't bat an eye at this.

Lin Lie had always been alright with his inner circle—like their Class S classmates—but to outsiders…

Bai Xingshu still remembered how all bristle and bite Lin Lie had been when they first met.

Bai Xingshu gave them the rundown on how Luo Yu had come to work as a temp at their precinct.

Lin Lie did a double take.

He never saw this coming.

Something wasn't adding up. Lin Lie's brow furrowed.

How could a child from the Luo family suddenly be arranged to do a temp job?

For these scions of wealthy families, long vacations always come with curated opportunities. So no matter how unwilling Lin Lie was, he still had to follow his elder brother as an assistant in the Fourth Corps.

Luo Yu was certainly no exception.

Well-versed in elite social codes, Lin Lie immediately sensed something was off.

Luo Yu didn’t care what Lin Lie thought. After Bai Xingshu finished explaining the situation, Luo Yu cut to the chase.

Luo Yu took out the championship medal he had prepared.

"Senior! I won the championship!" Luo Yu’s face was beaming. "Like I said I would, this medal is for you!"

Hearing this, Lin Lie immediately turned to look at Luo Yu, but Luo Yu didn’t even look his way.

In Luo Yu’s view, disliking a rival was one thing, but currying favor with the imperial household was far more important.

Showing Bai Xingshu his gold medal was far more meaningful than Lin Lie’s nosy grilling about how they knew each other.

"I’ll win even more medals, and I’ll give them all to you!" Luo Yu boasted confidently to Bai Xingshu.

Lin Lie’s eye twitched, and he couldn’t help but speak up. "What does Bai Xingshu need your medals for?"

Only then did Luo Yu glance at Lin Lie. "Do you have any?"

Luo Yu knew that last year’s Freshman Tournament champion was Bai Xingshu.

This dig struck a nerve, instantly igniting Lin Lie’s fury.

Lin Lie rolled up his sleeves, and Luo Yu, having trained relentlessly during the long vacation, immediately squared up.

In the end, Bai Xingshu opened his dormitory door and placed the gift he was holding inside.

Shen Geng, inside the dorm, looked puzzled at the ruckus outside the door.

He could hear the sounds of punches and kicks, along with various trash talk.

Things like "Your punches are weak like you skipped breakfast," or "Do you even know what real combat is? This is just a bar fight."

Words like "trash," "weak," "useless," and "waste" kept echoing in Shen Geng’s ears, leaving him totally lost.

The voices outside sounded oddly familiar.

Shen Geng recognized Luo Yu’s voice immediately, but the other one… no matter how he listened, it sounded like Lin Lie.

"What’s going on out there?" Shen Geng asked Bai Xingshu.

The dormitory door had decent soundproofing, so Shen Geng had been completely unaware of the commotion outside.

"Male bonding," Bai Xingshu replied, his tone carrying a trace of pride.

Military cadets, especially those from the Combat Department, often built camaraderie through sparring.

Bai Xingshu himself had first befriended Lin Lie after roughing him up.

The same went for their class—after everyone got a collective beating from Director Liu, their bonds tightened.

Back in the apocalypse, it was even more common—countless friendships were earned with fists.

Any conflicts would be resolved after a good fight—physical persuasion settled things.

Seeing the two start throwing punches, Bai Xingshu didn’t bother figuring out what their tension was about. He simply hauled his stuff back to the dorm and called it a day.

Shen Geng was at a loss for words and could only manage an awkward,

"So… we’re just leaving them like that?"

"Of course not!" Bai Xingshu looked at Shen Geng in disbelief. "Do I look like that kind of guy?"

"If there’s a fight, I’m definitely joining in!" Bai Xingshu rubbed his hands together excitedly.

How could he miss out on such a team-building exercise?

If not for worrying about accidentally damaging the gifts from his classmates, Bai Xingshu would’ve gleefully joined the moment the two started their "sparring."

Shen Geng: "..."

Silently, Shen Geng watched as Bai Xingshu rushed out excitedly. A minute later, everything went quiet outside.

Curiosity got the better of him, and Shen Geng stuck his head out.

No surprises there.

Both Lin Lie and Luo Yu were completely wrecked by Bai Xingshu.

The two top-tier Alphas wore matching looks of defeat.

"You guys done? Want to keep going?" Bai Xingshu’s voice was dripping with excitement, clearly hoping they’d continue.

Lin Lie: "..."

Luo Yu: "..."

"No," they both declined.

This time, Bai Xingshu had gone all out, and the ease with which he overpowered them left them shell-shocked.

Bai Xingshu backed off, disappointed, and since Lin Lie didn’t live there, he had no reason to stay.

Lin Lie glanced at Shen Geng, who had just stepped out of the dorm, then at Luo Yu, giving a bitter chuckle.

These two were neighbors—he’d let these neighbors tear each other apart!

Half bitter, half amused, Lin Lie bid Bai Xingshu farewell and left. Meanwhile, Luo Yu picked up his medal from the ground, face stormy.

After dusting it off, he carefully clutched the now-dinged medal in his hands.

"Senior, do you still want this medal?" Luo Yu put on his best puppy-dog voice, looking at Bai Xingshu.

Not that he genuinely felt sorry for himself—he just knew Bai Xingshu was a sucker for this act.

Hoping Bai Xingshu would accept his gift, Luo Yu played his card.

Then, to his confusion, Luo Yu noticed Bai Xingshu instinctively turning to glance at Shen Geng after hearing his question.

Luo Yu: "?"