They played until late afternoon before Li Jianjun finally sent Yu Li home.
On the way, Yu Li leaned against Li Jianjun’s back the entire time. They had enjoyed themselves immensely that afternoon. She felt truly well-treated by Li Jianjun, and at this moment, she had developed strong feelings for him. Before the blind date, she had actually been quite resistant to the idea, only going because her parents had insisted. But that was no longer the case. She felt that this blind date had been the right choice; otherwise, she would never have found a man as wonderful as Li Jianjun.
"Yu Li, did you have a good time today?" Li Jianjun asked with a smile as they arrived at her doorstep.
"I did. I really had a great time." Yu Li nodded quickly. It was honestly the most fun she had ever had in her life.
"That's good to hear." Li Jianjun smiled. "When I have time again, I'll take you out, or you can come visit my place in the Courtyard."
"Mhm! I will. I'll come find you as soon as I'm free." Yu Li had cast aside her reserve; she didn't want to let a man like Li Jianjun slip through her fingers.
"Great! You should go inside now. I need to head back and get some rest, too." Li Jianjun looked at the sky; it was getting late.
"Okay, be careful on your way back." Yu Li looked at him, feeling very reluctant to part. She actually wanted to follow him, but she thought better of it—they weren't married yet, and she was, after all, a young woman.
"See you later." Li Jianjun waved at her and walked away.
Yu Li watched his retreating figure, lost in thought.
"Sis? Stop staring, he’s already gone," Yu Haitang said, suddenly popping out. The voice startled Yu Li.
"You little brat, you scared me to death!" Yu Li rolled her eyes at her sister. She didn't know what to do with this eccentric little girl who never seemed to grow up.
"Sis, did Brother Jianjun buy these things for you? He’s so generous!" Yu Haitang had originally meant to say something else, but she noticed the clothes in Yu Li’s hands—several of them—and her eyes widened.
"Yes, he bought them for me." A happy smile bloomed on Yu Li’s face at the mention of Li Jianjun.
"Wow! Brother Jianjun is so great! Sis, how about this—why don't you let me have him?" Yu Haitang said with envy.
"Go, go, go! You’re just a kid, go back to your studies!" Yu Li patted her younger sister on the head. What was this girl thinking all day? How could she even say something like that?
"Sis, I’m not a kid anymore! I’ll graduate from high school in a year and then I’ll be looking for a job," Yu Haitang retorted.
"Alright, alright, I know you're growing up. When the time comes, I’ll find you someone good, too. I’m tired, I’m going inside to rest." Carrying the pile of clothes, Yu Li walked inside with a smile, leaving Yu Haitang feeling sullen and a little regretful. If only she were the older sister instead.
***
Before long, Li Jianjun arrived back at the Courtyard. As soon as he entered, he saw Shazhu chasing Xu Damao all over the compound. He had no idea what was going on, but he didn't care to get involved. He was tired from his day out with Yu Li and just wanted to rest.
However, he didn't want trouble, but trouble came looking for him. Xu Damao ran right toward him.
"Li Jianjun, save me! If we team up, we can definitely beat this guy Shazhu!" Xu Damao shouted when he saw him.
"Li Jianjun, get out of my way! Or I’ll beat you up right along with him!" Shazhu, seeing Xu Damao hiding behind Li Jianjun, spoke coldly. He despised Li Jianjun just as much as he did Xu Damao; they were both just as disgusting.
"You can try," Li Jianjun said. He hadn't wanted to cause a scene, but Shazhu’s words had rubbed him the wrong way. Besides, he had been wanting to teach Shazhu a lesson for a long time. Did the guy really think he was the toughest person in the compound? It was laughable.
"What did you say? You’re asking for it!" Furious, Shazhu swung his fist at Li Jianjun.
"Watch out!" Xu Damao hadn't expected Shazhu to attack so quickly and tried to warn Li Jianjun. But the next second, he was stunned.
Li Jianjun dodged the punch and delivered a swift, powerful kick that sent Shazhu crashing to the ground, rolling several times.
"Since when is Li Jianjun so strong?" Xu Damao was shocked; he hadn't expected such power.
"You bastard!" Shazhu scrambled up and charged at Li Jianjun with ferocious intensity, but Li Jianjun didn't back down. He met him head-on.
A minute later, Shazhu had been given a brutal beating, which thrilled Xu Damao. So Li Jianjun was actually that formidable? That was perfect!
"Haha! Good job! Let’s see him be arrogant now, always trying to hit people at the drop of a hat!" Xu Damao laughed heartily.
"Stop! What is going on here?" Yi Zhonghai and the other residents, having heard the commotion, arrived on the scene. Yi Zhonghai stepped in to call a halt, though he was inwardly stunned—Shazhu was actually being beaten by Li Jianjun? The others were equally shocked; Shazhu was usually the one doing the bullying, not the victim.
"Ask this idiot yourself." Li Jianjun didn't bother with any further explanation and walked away.
"Shazhu? You..." Yi Zhonghai furrowed his brow.
"Hmph! Let me tell you! This moron—I don't know what kind of madness took hold of him, but the moment I got back, he started chasing me to hit me. Then he threatened Li Jianjun and tried to attack him, too. So, Li Jianjun gave him what he deserved," Xu Damao declared loudly.
The onlookers were shocked. "What? So Shazhu started it? He got what was coming to him."
"Exactly. I never thought Li Jianjun was that strong; Shazhu is no match for him at all."
"That’s a good thing. Maybe now he’ll stop acting like he’s the toughest person around."
The crowd began to show their contempt. Shazhu had deserved it; he thought he was the strongest, and look what happened—he got beaten up.
"Alright, alright, there's nothing more to see. Everyone, disperse!" Yi Zhonghai sighed. "Shazhu, come with me..." He felt he needed to have a serious talk with Shazhu; the boy was far too impulsive.