Chapter 107
Unconsummated
Someone was sobbing . Sniveling, really, like the person was too afraid to cry loudly even though she was clearly distraught . His eyelids felt heavy, which was strange because just moments ago, he felt as though he had all the power in the world . Darkness greeted him when he opened his eyes . He blinked a few times and wondered what time it was . Light from the city streamed in through the open sliding doors and windows . The light was faint, just enough to cast shadows on the walls and floor .
Gentle sobs drew his attention to his 2 o"clock . He blinked his eyes rapidly, then squinted through the semi-darkness . He saw Su Chan"s prostrated form a few feet away . She was kneeling with both arms on the floor and her face buried in them . Her shoulders trembled as she sobbed into her arms .
"S- Su Chan?"
The sobbing stopped and Su Chan"s head shot up . Her eyes were wide and they seemed a bit puffy on the edges . Clearly, she had been crying for quite some time . Her cheeks, and nose were red, and her hair was a mess . She was beautiful .
"Y- Yundong? Is that really you?"
What? Of course it was him . Did she expect someone else to be here? "Yeah, of course . Why are you cry—"
His back crashed into the floor, and Su Chan was suddenly on top of him, straddling him . The whole thing would"ve been erotic if she wasn"t sobbing into his chest . Li Yundong"s hands rose to pat her back . "Tell me what"s wrong?"
"Idiot, idiot, idiot!" Su Chan emphasized how much of an "idiot" he was by pounding his chest with each mention of the word . "I thought I lost you!"
What? Lost him? But he was just meditating, wasn"t he? She got out a few more garbled words after that before she dissolved into sobs .
What the heck was going on here? Shouldn"t she be happy that he pa.s.sed the test? Li Yundong stroked her hair gently . "You didn"t lose me . See? I"m here now . "
Su Chan didn"t answer, though her sobs seemed to have quietened . He wondered what she"d seen to make her cry like this . Did he do something while he was meditating? Did he look like he was dying? He kept comforting her until the sobbing subsided, which took quite a while . Eventually, Li Yundong patted her shoulder a few times and tried to sit up . This time, Su Chan let him . Li Yundong sat up and extended his arms above his head in a long stretch . After that, he looked towards Su Chan, who was drying her tears with her hands . He patted her head . "Ready to tell me what"s wrong?"
Su Chan stared at her lap . "I- I thought you were about to fail the test . . . "
Chuckling, he tickled Su Chan"s neck . "Tsk, tsk, tsk . So little faith in me . I think you"ve hurt my feelings . . . "
Su Chan pushed his hand away and looked him in the eye . "Your face . . . It changed completely . It didn"t even look like you were in a meditative state anymore . You didn"t look peaceful . You looked… You looked like . . . like some kind of maniac with an addiction . I thought . . . I thought your Spirit gave in to the G.o.d"s control . "
Li Yundong rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly . "Uh . . . well . . . "
"What happened?" Su Chan asked earnestly .
Li Yundong sighed . "The G.o.d appeared and then . . . " He shook his head . The whole experience honestly felt so weird that he couldn"t even find the words to describe it . "I think the G.o.d went inside me? Or was it the other way round . . . I don"t know . All I know is that I"m controlling the G.o.d"s body . And I felt powerful . "
Su Chan inched closer . "And then?"
"I did a lot of things . Flew around in the G.o.d"s body, and I felt so free, you know? Like I can control everything . Like everything answers to only me, and I get to do whatever I want . "
Su Chan sighed . "That"s just an illusion, the illusion of ultimate power . The moment you believe that it"s real, it"s all over for you . The G.o.d would"ve gained control over your Spirit and you"ll be trapped inside that illusion forever . "
Li Yundong didn"t know what to say . When she put it that way, it sounded like a really close call . When he was flying around inside his Spirit s.p.a.ce, it did feel real . So real, in fact, that he had entertained thoughts about staying there forever .
"How did you get out?" Su Chan was staring at him intently . "If you"re back, then something must have convinced you that it wasn"t real . "
Li Yundong recalled the exact moment he realized that something didn"t quite add up .
"There was a voice calling me . " Li Yundong paused and then looked up at Su Chan . "Was it you?"
Su Chan shook her head . "I didn"t dare make a sound . You were in a deep meditative state . There"s a good chance you would go into Zouhuo Rumo state if I disturbed you… " Su Chan studied him curiously for a moment . "That voice… What did it say to you?"
Li Yundong shook his head . "It kept calling my name but that"s it . It didn"t say anything else . I kept trying to locate the source of the voice, but I just couldn"t find it . It was like the voice came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time . That"s when I realized that the experience wasn"t real . I knew right away that I wasn"t omnipotent, that it was all just an illusion . I mean, if I was truly omnipotent, then why couldn"t I find the source of the voice?"
Su Chan sighed in relief . "Then after that you came back?"
Li Yundong nodded . "Yeah . The moment I started to doubt the reality of the experience, everything inside my Spirit s.p.a.ce became darker and darker . The G.o.d"s form dimmed out as well . A while later, I woke up and heard you crying . "
"Thank G.o.d . . . " Su Chan said, patting her chest . Then she stopped and suddenly looked up at him . "Yundong . . . What did the G.o.d look like?"
Li Yundong studied her face for a brief moment, then smirked . "You tell me yours, and I"ll tell you mine . "
Su Chan made a face at him . "I asked you first!"
Li Yundong chuckled and raised his palms in surrender . "Alright, alright . "
"So? What did it look like?"
"It was some strange creature with three heads and six arms . " Li Yundong glanced at Su Chan . "It had my face though . Well, three versions of my face to be exact . Each with a different emotion . "
Suddenly, Su Chan leaped up and grabbed his shoulders . Her eyes were wide . "Three heads and six arms?" she said breathlessly .
Li Yundong frowned . "Uh . . . Yeah? Something wrong with that?"
"Tell me everything . Everything you can recall . "
Li Yundong told her about the strange faces and the object each arm was carrying . When he was done talking, Su Chan sat down limply on the floor . She looked like she"d just seen a ghost .
Minutes later, when Su Chan didn"t snap out of her daze, Li Yundong nudged her . "What"s the matter?"
Why was she looking at him like he was some kind weird creature?
The vacant expression remained on Su Chan"s face . Li Yundong waved his hand in front of her face and nudged her again . "h.e.l.lo? What"s the matter?"
Su Chan gasped, then shook her head . "N- nothing!"
Nope . Not buying it for a second . Li Yundong narrowed his eyes . "You were looking at me strangely . I don"t think that"s nothing . "
Su Chan clung to his arm . "Hehehe . . . I was just relieved that you made it, beloved . "
Li Yundong pulled back slightly and stared at her . "Really? You were relieved? That"s all?"
Su Chan bobbed her head up and down . "Mmm! You"ve pa.s.sed the Ningshen phase! I"m so happy!"
Li Yundong smiled . "Which means I"m now ready for the Zhuji phase . Alright then, what are we waiting for? Let"s begin! Chop, chop!"
Su Chan giggled . "Such a pervert . You"re doing it for the wrong reason!"
"I am not!" He totally was .
"Liar, liar, liar . " Su Chan poked his cheek, then made a face at him .
Li Yundong caught her hand and trapped it against his cheek . "Do not doubt my reasons, princess," he said with a straight face . "I want to become stronger . That"s my reason . " Just not the only reason .
Su Chan gave him a sidelong glance, a smirk playing on her beautiful lips . It was a little hard to believe that this was the same girl who had been devastated by his supposed failure just minutes ago .
"You cannot pa.s.s the Zhuji phase yet," she said out of nowhere .
"What? Why?"
Su Chan looked at him as though he had a single-digit IQ . "Because you have to go to school in a few hours?" She pointed at the clock behind him .
"What the—" Li Yundong turned around to look at the clock . "4 . 15AM??" His gaze snapped back to hers . "It took me that long?" Then, something else occurred to him . "s.h.i.t… You watched over me for the whole night, didn"t you… Are you tired?"
Su Chan yawned as if on cue . "Of course I"m tired! Ugh . . . I just want to sleep . . . "
Li Yundong pulled Su Chan into his lap, then tapped her nose playfully . Su Chan snuggled against his chest .
"Why don"t you stay home today? I"ll attend cla.s.s on my own . "
The front of Li Yundong"s shirt bunched up when Su Chan fisted it . "No, no, no . . . Don"t abandon me . . . You promised!"
Seriously? This again? Li Yundong chuckled . How many times did he have to tell her that he would never abandon her? "Fine," he said . "Why don"t you take a short nap first? I"ll wake you up when it"s time to leave for cla.s.s . "
Su Chan nodded . "Okay . . . "
Li Yundong smiled and hoisted her up . He carried her into her bedroom, then lay her down on the bed .
"Stay with me?" she said after he had pulled the blanket over her .
Li Yundong"s eyes went wide . "What?"
"Stay . Until I fall asleep . "
Li Yundong stared at her in disbelief . She has no idea the effect she has on me, does she? Li Yundong dropped his head with a sigh . Dear G.o.d . "Okay . . . Fine . . . " He sat down on the floor beside the bed and watched her .
Seconds later, Su Chan still hadn"t closed her eyes . She was staring at him . "What is it? Go to sleep now," he said .
Su Chan adjusted her head on the pillow, then patted the s.p.a.ce beside her . Oh c"mon… Surely you"re joking, princess… Li Yundong"s throat went dry . He gulped . "Uhh . . . I don"t think that"s a good idea, princess . . . "
"Mmmm . . . " Su Chan whined, then gave him a pleading look . "Please?"
Li Yundong suppressed a groan . Good G.o.d, woman . . . "Alright, alright . . . " He climbed up the bed and got settled beside her . Su Chan"s scent a.s.saulted his nostrils . The air . The sheets . The pillow . Everything smelled like her . G.o.d give me strength . . .
Su Chan snuggled against his side, then rubbed her face against his arm . "Hehehe . . . Much better . "
Li Yundong chuckled and patted her head . "Alright . Go to sleep now . "
Li Yundong lay there for G.o.d knows how long . When going through basketball stats didn"t work, he began picturing Director Qian and his ever-present comb-over .
A while later, when he noticed that Su Chan"s breathing had evened out, he tried to slowly free his arm from her grasp . He needed to get the h.e.l.l out of the room before his sanity abandoned him for good . However . . .
"Mmmm… Why are you leaving?" Su Chan"s watery eyes were on him before he could free his arm . "I"m not asleep yet . "
Li Yundong raised his hands in resignation, then sighed . "Sorry . I thought you were asleep . I won"t leave . "
"Promise?"
Li Yundong smiled and stroked her hair . "Promise . "
Su Chan held out her pinkie and stared at him . Li Yundong laughed . So she still remembers . . . He hooked his own pinkie to hers, then pressed their thumbs together . "There," he said . "Now go to sleep . "
An hour later, Li Yundong was still there, watching her sleep, entranced by her beauty .
***
Li Yundong shook her gently nearly three hours later . "Wake up, princess . Time to go to cla.s.s . "
Su Chan rolled away from him . "Mmm . . . So shleebee . . . " she mumbled .
"Look . Just stay at home and sleep, okay?" Li Yundong said in a gentle tone . "I"ll go to cla.s.s on my own . You don"t have to come with me . I"ll be home as soon as cla.s.s finishes . "
Su Chan sat bolt upright, her arms flailing until they snaked around his waist . "No . . . You promeeeshht . " Her eyes weren"t even open .
Li Yundong didn"t know whether to laugh or cry . "How can you go anywhere in this state?"
Su Chan rubbed her eyes . "Piggy, piggy . . . "
Li Yundong laughed . "What?"
"Piggy, piggy!" she grumbled, sounding totally annoyed .
Li Yundong smiled . "You want me to give you a piggyback ride?"
Su Chan nodded, still rubbing her eyes .
Li Yundong"s brows rose to his hairline . "All the way to campus?"
"Yessshhh . . . "
Li Yundong stared up at the ceiling . What had he gotten himself into this time?
***
All eyes were on them the moment Li Yundong stepped into the lecture hall . He ignored the stares and kept walking down the aisle towards the last row . Nothing to see here, folks . Just a guy treating his girl right . Maybe those dudes could take a page out of his book .
Li Yundong lowered Su Chan onto the seat, which she promptly used as a bed by curling herself like a shrimp and going back to sleep . Li Yundong sat down beside her and began stroking her hair .
"Yo, yo, yo . . . Would you look at that . . . PDA bright and early in the morning?"
Li Yundong turned his head and saw Feng Na and Cheng Cheng approaching him from the opposite end of the last row . Li Yundong smiled at his two seniors . "Morning . "
The two girls stopped beside him, but neither of them sat down . Feng Na was just stared at him strangely whereas Cheng Cheng greeted him with a quick wave . Suddenly, Feng Na pointed at Su Chan . "Why"s she so tired?" Feng Na smirked . "Tsk, tsk, tsk . What have you two been up to last night, hmm?"
Li Yundong"s face flamed . "Nothing . What are you two doing here anyway? Ah . Don"t tell me you failed some of your papers and have to redo your second year?"
"Nonsense!" Feng Na yelled .
Su Chan stirred slightly and rolled over . "Noisshh . . . "
Feng Na had the decency to look embarra.s.sed . She lowered her voice . "I need to discuss something with you . "
"What is it?" Li Yundong whispered .
Feng Na stared at him for a moment .
Li Yundong raised his brows . "Well?"
Feng Na cleared her throat, then sighed . "We need a new president for the Taekwondo Club . "
Li Yundong stared at her blankly until the implication of her words. .h.i.t him . Li Yundong snorted . "No thanks . I won"t take over as the club"s president . "
Feng Na"s expression shifted from hopeful to panic . "Why not? Zhao Yujian"s gone, and you have the teachers" and students" support . You"re the perfect choice . "
"First of all, I"ve indirectly caused Zhao Yujian"s death—"
Feng Na opened her mouth to protest, but Li Yundong silenced her with a raise of his hand . "I"m the one who put him in the hospital in the first place," he said . "He wouldn"t have planned the a.s.sault if he had the chance to perform and show off his skills during the student exchange event . So having me, the person who"s partially responsible for his death, replace him as the club"s president will be inappropriate, don"t you think? Secondly, I"m not a Taekwondo pract.i.tioner . I wasn"t even formally trained in Taekwondo . Heck, I don"t even have belts . I"m not qualified to lead the club . "
Feng Na shook her head . "That"s inconsequential . The belts aren"t a big issue . You just have to take the exams to get them . "
Li Yundong took a deep breath, then exhaled . "And thirdly . . . " He gave Feng Na a pointed look . "I"m just not interested in running the club . "
Feng Na"s face flushed instantly . "Not interested? Then why"d you enroll in the first place?" she challenged .
Li Yundong sighed . "Well I was interested before . " He held Feng Na"s gaze . "But not anymore . "
Feng Na frowned . "Why not? You"re so good at it!"
Li Yundong looked away briefly before returning his gaze to Feng Na . "Too many bad memories, I guess? Besides, I"m too busy these days . "
Feng Na rolled her eyes and snorted . "Yeah . Too busy making babies with your beautiful girlfriend, I bet . "
Li Yundong gaped at Feng Na .
Redness crept up Feng Na"s neck into her cheeks . She raised her chin defiantly . "What? You"re going to deny it?"
"Of course I"m denying it . Su Chan and I . . . We haven"t . . . " Li Yundong cleared his throat, then shrugged .
Feng Na and Cheng Cheng exchanged a few glances .
Then, Feng Na chuckled . "Yeah, right . "
Li Yundong frowned .
Feng Na gave him a funny look . "No offense, buddy . But you don"t seem like the s.e.x-before-marriage type . "
Li Yundong buried his head in his palms . Could this day get any worse?