Waterbound Love - Chapter 23

As expected, after class, Du Bai was invited to the director’s office. The director, with a kind smile on his face, gently and subtly expressed his accusation that Du Bai was misleading the emotional direction of the current youth. To put it bluntly, he accused Du Bai of seducing adolescents. This would have been enough, but his words were laced with ambiguous hints, which infuriated Du Bai. She thought to herself, being a well-educated young socialist who does not oppose the party, and not threatening the modernization of socialism, she has also made some achievements in her field. How could she tolerate such petty contempt?

Smiling in anger, she smoothed her hair and approached the stunned director, her lips slightly parted, “Not seducing them? Then should I seduce you instead?” As the director leaned forward, Du Bai suddenly stepped back and lowered her face, “Old and brainless, you better not overestimate yourself.”

“You, you, you,” the director’s face turned as red as a liver with fury.

“What about me?” She replied with a faint smile that did not reach her eyes. “Are you trying to say that I won’t be able to stay at E University?” Her gaze turned cold. “Let me tell you directly, I was specially hired by the president. The value I bring to this school far exceeds yours. Before you mess with someone, it’s best to understand her first, or you’ll suffer the consequences. I may not be a saint, but I’m not someone a random trash can take down. Don’t doubt my words; you’ll find out tomorrow whether I’m bluffing or if I have real skills.” With that, she slammed the door and left, ignoring the director.

Outside, she saw Wei Qingqian and Rumor waiting. Seeing Wei Qingqian’s impatience, she realized that Rumor must have come along with Wei Qingqian, and they had probably been there for some time.

“Nice, beauty! Are you going to deal with me too for offending you so much?” Rumor’s words earned him an eye roll from Wei Qingqian, but Rumor didn’t mind and remained in high spirits.

“Call me beauty one more time, and I’ll deal with you today,” Du Bai said, and Rumor playfully made a scared expression. Unbothered, Du Bai led the way, causing Rumor to shout and yell behind them as they walked off.

Du Bai thought about telling Wei Qingqian to stay away from Rumor, but then reconsidered. After all, she didn’t really know what she should say. Why interfere in someone else’s life with a condescending attitude as if she had all the answers? With that thought, she brightened up. “Let’s go, I’ll be the host and treat you to a drink.”

Initially, Du Bai planned to bring only Wei Qingqian, but Rumor insisted on tagging along to “protect” Wei Qingqian’s chastity. Since she didn’t dislike Rumor and figured the more, the merrier, she let him come along. The group certainly caught some attention when they arrived at Somn. Du Bai walked ahead with Wei Qingqian, her face expressionless, while Wei Qingqian repeatedly tried to shake off the clingy Rumor behind them. Clearly, his efforts were in vain. Wei Qingqian couldn’t help but roll his eyes, wondering if he was just having a streak of bad luck this year to be stuck with someone like Rumor.

Ji Feiling noticed this scene as they entered. He recognized Wei Qingqian, the nephew of Wei Wen. As for the woman with them, her background was unclear. Tinna, someone even entangled with Wei Wen, had said nothing despite being asked. So Ji Feiling remained in the dark.

But he would eventually find out, wouldn’t he? Ji Feiling gave a slight smile.

“Oh my, the world is really going downhill if even Du Bai starts going after younger prey,” Tinna remarked naturally.

“You’re mistaken. Nowadays, it’s the younger ones chasing the older ones. Just like today, I’m treating.” Du Bai knew what Tinna was getting at and deflected her question smoothly.

Wei Qingqian gave Tinna a sidelong glance but said nothing. “Young Master Wei,” Ji Feiling addressed him. Seeing Wei Qingqian’s puzzled look, he continued, “I saw you at a party your uncle hosted.”

Assuming him to be a friend of his uncle, Wei Qingqian nodded and said a polite “Hello,” maintaining a perfect balance of manners-not too distant, nor too familiar. Du Bai thought to herself that this kid could really put on a show; outside, he indeed had the bearing of someone from a prestigious family.

Wondering why Rumor had gone silent all of a sudden, Du Bai looked around but could see no trace of him. She figured it was probably for the best and didn’t give it another thought.

After some idle chit-chat, Du Bai and Ji Feiling’s vibes clashed, and their conversation felt insincere. Weary, Du Bai chose to stay silent and focus on her drink. Tinna sensed the tense atmosphere and mentioned she had matters to attend to. Without any attempt to detain her, Du Bai watched as Tinna took Ji Feiling away. No sooner had they left than Rumor returned. Du Bai sensed something subtle in the timing but dismissed it as unlikely and decided not to dwell on it.

Wei Qingqian, not holding his liquor well, insisted on escorting Du Bai home. In the end, it was Du Bai who ended up ensuring Rumor took Wei Qingqian back to his apartment. Rumor had initially boasted confidently about managing alone, but Du Bai’s distrustful glance left him deflated-his reputation for reliability wasn’t the best, after all. Neither of them knew where Wei Qingqian lived and thought to drop him at the school, but a quick call to Wei Wen, Wei Qingqian’s uncle, provided the right address. Du Bai hung up with a wry smile after hearing Wei Wen’s excited tone, hoping this wouldn’t lead to any complications. The last thing she needed was her life being disrupted.

Upon reaching Wei Qingqian’s apartment, the drunken antics exhausted both Du Bai and Rumor. When they finally left, Wei Qingqian, paradoxically, fell into a blissful sleep. Truthfully, Du Bai felt more worn out than Rumor, who seemed to enjoy the company of Little Shui, delighting in his gentle, comforting presence. In contrast, Du Bai had to prevent Wei Qingqian from drunkenly throwing himself at a certain wolf, while also watching that wolf didn’t take advantage of the situation. Drunk or sober, Wei Qingqian was a handful.

After much ado, an exhausted and sweaty Du Bai and a reluctant Rumor left Little Shui’s apartment, each heading to their respective homes.

Back home, perhaps due to sheer exhaustion, Du Bai slept deeply and dreamlessly through the night.

Watching Du Bai’s darkly amused smile, Wei Qingqian felt a shiver down his spine, wondering if he had somehow crossed this formidable woman.

Du Bai tossed the DV to Wei Qingqian. As he watched the footage of himself drunkenly rambling, especially the part where he threw himself at Rumor, he wished he could just disappear. Two guys kissing isn’t a big deal, but when you’re one of them, and it happened while you were out of it, that’s another story.

Wei Qingqian glared at Du Bai, who just shrugged casually. “That’s more like you,” she said. Seeing his puzzled look, she continued, “This is the Wei Qingqian I know-bold and unruly. Why do you act all timid like you owe me money every time you see me? You already paid me back for the bet.”

“I…” Wei Qingqian clearly didn’t want to say much, lowering his head. But Du Bai wasn’t letting him off the hook. She lifted his face with her hands, her gaze unwavering. “You don’t owe me anything. I chose to help you. It wasn’t a favor you begged for. You can be grateful, but don’t feel indebted.”

Looking into her determined eyes, Wei Qingqian slowly felt reassured. “But if you hadn’t helped me, you wouldn’t have ended up in the hospital.” He tried to look down again, but Du Bai kept him still.

“That’s my own issue. I knew the risk from the start. I’m someone who acts on what I know without worrying about the consequences. Besides, I’m fine now. What else is bothering you?”

“What about your eyes-”

“Hey, what’s going on? Let go, let go.” Rumor came running over, breathless. Du Bai rolled her eyes but felt a strange relief. Being interrupted saved her from having to go through it all again. Rumor plopped himself into the chair closest to Du Bai. She withdrew her hands, thinking to herself that dealing with a jealous type could be trouble; better to avoid it when possible.

“What are you two doing?” Rumor asked, looking seriously at Du Bai and Wei Qingqian. Du Bai chose to ignore him and spoke softly to Wei Qingqian, “Even so, Little Shui should stand by me and help me. You can’t pressure me into doing something I don’t want to do.” Du Bai admitted to herself that she enjoyed teasing Rumor, just to see how much of his demeanor was genuine and how much was an act. Though, she also found herself a bit disgusted by her own antics.

“That’s disgusting,” Wei Qingqian responded with a look of disdain, but Du Bai knew that he was letting go, at least on the surface. It was also a way to pave a smoother path for herself in the future. Wei Wen would likely care somewhat about Wei Qingqian.

Rumor was definitely not one to be ignored. Wei Qingqian, irritated, glared at him, tossed him the DV, and walked away. Rumor glanced at the DV and chuckled, smacking his lips as if recalling a pleasant memory. Du Bai watched him patiently, knowing that he stayed back because he had something to say.

Closing the DV slowly, Rumor’s lazy and mischievous demeanor vanished, replaced with a sharp gaze directed at Du Bai.

“I’m very curious about Gossip’s identity. No matter how much I dig, I find nothing but ordinary information-it’s very convincing, but I don’t buy it. I believe you’re not just an ordinary person.” Du Bai smiled. It would be surprising if he could actually uncover the truth, given that her brother had set up her identity long ago. The protective measures meant her true details were not easily found.

“I want to know your Chinese name,” Rumor stated. His serious tone caught Du Bai off guard, but then he smiled, “Ji Yizhi.”

Du Bai was taken aback, “I didn’t expect Young Master Ji to go to such lengths for me. But doesn’t this show a lack of faith in your own abilities?”

Rumor raised an eyebrow with a smirk, “Should I trust you?”

Du Bai thought of Ji Feiling at somn yesterday. “What’s Ji Feiling to you?”

“A distant relative who can’t cause much trouble. Why? Are you interested?”

“My interests are none of your concern. But now that your background is clear to me, let me be direct. Things won’t be easy for you and Little Shui.” Seeing Rumor’s nonchalant expression, Du Bai decided to land a harder hit. “Never mind that Little Shui isn’t interested in you. Regardless of whether you’re both men or even if one of you were a woman, things would still be difficult. You’re carrying the weight of two families.” With that, Du Bai left as Rumor fell into deep thought.

Some matters can be left alone, but that doesn’t mean they won’t influence them when needed, especially when it concerns that innocent child, who evokes a protective instinct.