Chapter 00110: What a Coincidence
# What a Coincidence
Chapter 110
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 110 What a Coincidence
August 19, 2024 Author: Banshang Bupo
It was the height of summer, the hottest time of the year, and the students were not yet back in school.
So even though it was not a day of rest, the swimming pool was still packed to the brim.
In many spots, people were not swimming at all; it was more like they were just soaking in a bath.
However, the deep-water area was relatively deserted.
Three people, a young man and two young women who looked to be high school age, were huddled in a corner.
“Xiaoyan, just give me one chance.”
To be precise, it was the young man endlessly pestering one of the girls.
His name was Wang Peng, and he was Gan Xiaoyan's classmate.
In terms of looks, while not devastatingly handsome, he could be called a comely youth.
In terms of academic performance, he was among the top in the entire school.
It was said he was from a rich family, quite wealthy.
If one had to point out a flaw, it was that he was not very tall, currently not even 1.7 meters.
A catch of such quality often had girls making eyes at him, but Wang Peng did not care much; he was more obsessed with soccer.
Ask him to go out and meet new girls, and he would not even bother.
Ask him to go out and play soccer, and he would have booked the field a day in advance.
That was the kind of person he was.
But ever since Gan Xiaoyan transferred to the school, the situation immediately changed.
The first time Wang Peng saw her, he was stunned by her beauty, as if she were a celestial being.
For the first time ever, he even stopped playing his beloved soccer and started pestering Gan Xiaoyan relentlessly.
“I… I’ve already clearly rejected you several times. Please stop pestering me.”
“You heard her. Get away from us.”
Wang Peng was not angry about Gan Xiaoyan's rejection, but Lei Lei's interruption annoyed him greatly.
What’s it to you?
“This is between me and Xiaoyan. Stop butting in all the time.”
“You followed Xiaoyan all the way to her doorstep, and you say it’s none of my business? Do I have to call the police?”
Wang Peng, however, was completely unconcerned.
“Do you have proof? Can’t I just be passing by?”
Indeed, Lei Lei had only seen Wang Peng once downstairs from Gan Xiaoyan's apartment building.
But at the time, seeing him peeking around furtively, she felt he was up to no good.
Rebuffed by his words, Lei Lei was at a loss for a response.
But she immediately nudged Gan Xiaoyan with her elbow and gave her a meaningful look.
The latter understood at once and quickly said:
“I already have a boyfriend. He’s in the trade business, and he made over two million this week alone.”
Calling a convenience store ‘trade’ was not wrong.
“It’s just money, right? My family has money too.”
Lei Lei could not help but retort:
“That’s your family’s money. Do you have the ability to earn it yourself?”
This time it was Wang Peng's turn to be speechless.
Still in high school, how could he have the ability to earn money?
But he could not admit defeat.
He quickly said:
“But he’s much older than you. He must have bad intentions. Xiaoyan, believe me, I’ll definitely treat you well.”
“Don’t say any more. My boyfriend will be here soon, and he has a bad temper…”
Before Gan Xiaoyan could finish her prepared line, Lei Lei, with her irrepressible fiery temper, immediately added:
“That’s right. You’ll be leaving horizontally.”
“A bad temper? If he has a bad temper, why are you with him? Xiaoyan, I will definitely be good to you.”
Damn, this kid was impervious to reason.
Lei Lei really wanted to send Wang Peng flying out of the pool with a crushing fist.
But if she made a move, it would not be as simple as him leaving horizontally; he might have to be sent out in a small box.
Just as they were tangled in this dispute, a voice came from the side:
“Ah, so you’re here. I’ve been looking for a long time.”
Wang Peng only felt a large shadow fall over him from the edge of the pool.
Then, the person squatted down and said:
“It’s been a while. I didn’t expect the City Swimming Center to have expanded.”
This person was none other than Li Chengxi.
He was 180cm tall.
While not ridiculously tall, his years of athletic experience had given him particularly broad shoulders.
Squatting by the poolside, he was perfectly backlit, giving people the feeling of dark clouds gathering overhead.
Looking closer, even while squatting, Li Chengxi’s eight-pack abs were clearly visible.
His muscles were not massive, but they exuded a sense of power.
One glance was enough to tell he was someone who exercised regularly, not some poser who bulked up by drinking protein powder.
In contrast, Wang Peng, who looked pale and soft, had to use a swimming ring to follow Gan Xiaoyan into the deep-water area.
If the two of them were to stand face to face, it felt like Li Chengxi could tear him apart with his bare hands.
Wang Peng had imagined his rival might be a brutish fellow with a face full of flesh, but he never expected him to be so well-built.
His heart immediately panicked.
Lei Lei took the opportunity to secretly tap the top of Li Chengxi's foot, as if to say, ‘What took you so long?’
They had originally agreed to meet at the swimming pool at two o’clock, but Li Chengxi had taken the wrong bus.
By the time he arrived, it was already almost two-thirty.
Then he discovered his swimming trunks did not fit and had to buy a new pair.
All this back and forth had wasted a lot of time.
During this time, Lei Lei and Gan Xiaoyan had been thoroughly pestered by Wang Peng.
If Li Chengxi had not arrived, Lei Lei might not have been able to resist taking action.
Li Chengxi looked at the three people soaking in the water and immediately understood the situation.
He jutted his chin towards Wang Peng.
“Little brother, do you need something with my girlfriend?”
His tone was not heavy, but it landed on Wang Peng's heart like a hammer.
Did you hear that? My girlfriend.
“I… I…”
Wang Peng stammered, but perhaps the magic of love was indeed powerful, as he immediately mustered his courage and said.
“Gan Xiaoyan isn’t right for you. Your age gap is too big. You must be using your money to deceive people.”
“I don’t like the sound of that. What do you mean, a big age gap? It’s only a few years.”
He had learned in elementary school that anything over two counted as ‘a few’.
So even a nine-year difference was ‘a few years,’ not ‘over ten years.’
“Besides, do we need to report our relationship to you? Not even the police are that nosy.”
Li Chengxi was very reliable.
Since he had agreed to help, he would definitely see it through properly.
Cornered by these two sentences, Wang Peng was rendered speechless.
For a moment, he was flustered and did not know what to do.
See, this is the benefit of working out.
Studying is so you can be calm and composed when dealing with idiots.
Working out is so idiots can be calm and composed when dealing with you.
One look at Li Chengxi's build and Wang Peng knew he could not win a fight.
But if it came to reasoning, he was in the wrong too.
But he could not back down.
If he retreated now, he would truly have no other options.
“Big Brother, I can see you’ve been out in the working world for a few years. If you’re just looking to play around, I can introduce you to other girls. But please stop pestering Gan Xiaoyan, alright?”
“Oh? So you’re saying Gan Xiaoyan can be exchanged for someone else? You think girlfriends can be swapped around so casually?”
“No, that’s not what I meant!”
Wang Peng immediately began to explain in a panic, but it seemed the more he tried to clarify, the worse he made it sound.
But then again, although Li Chengxi had agreed to be the shield, seeing Wang Peng so flustered, he could not help but feel a little pity.
A young boy experiencing his first crush was being taught about the cruelty of society on the spot.
It was more or less a bit tragic.
Li Chengxi was a bit soft-hearted, so seeing this, he softened his tone and said:
“Little brother, that’s not how you pursue a girl. You think you can win a girlfriend by pestering her relentlessly, but in reality, couples are together because the feelings are mutual. If you want to pursue someone, she has to have you in her heart, or at the very least not dislike you. Only then is relentless pursuit useful.”
Li Chengxi had said these words to Xue Wenshu as well.
It was not just these kids experiencing their first romance who did not understand; even many adults who had been working for years could not grasp it, ending up as someone’s backup option for who knows how many years.
If the goddess spat, he would mix it with water and drink it for three years, and still think he had managed to lick her boots.
Li Chengxi understood this so well because he had a roommate in college who was a veritable sage of love, boasting to him about his exploits every day.
It was meant as kind advice, but Wang Peng clearly did not take it to heart.
People in love do not have high IQs, and Wang Peng was no exception to this rule.
Hearing Li Chengxi’s words, he thought he was humblebragging, and his face immediately flushed red.
“Aren’t you just tall and have some money? You just wait, I’m calling for backup!”
He slapped the water's surface and backed away a little, his eyes darting left and right before shouting to the other side of the pool:
“Brother Wen! Over here!”
Then he splashed his way closer to the edge of the pool and said hurriedly:
“Someone’s bullying a student from our school.”
“Who? How are they bullying you?”
‘Brother Wen’ was a bit puzzled by Wang Peng’s words.
He looked up and saw Li Chengxi, and not far from him, Gan Xiaoyan and Lei Lei soaking in the water.
“Li… Brother Li? What are you…?”
And this Brother Wen was none other than Xue Wenshu…
(End of this chapter)