Chapter 3: Zhuge Liang

  I took a few days off and rested, and when I came back, I found that there was a new classmate sitting next to my seat.

  The moment we met, I felt a sense of familiarity in my heart, as if we had known each other for many years. We couldn't help but keep sizing each other up, and even the resentful gaze from Zhou Xiaoyu beside me was ignored. Meanwhile, the new classmate sat down next to me with a smile, his bright smile and pearly white teeth making him look like he could be a great model. His dark eyes sparkled, and his smile was radiant - what a sunny boy image!

  He bowed politely and said: "My brother is so courteous, I am Zhuge Xiaoliang, also known as Kongming, a transfer student from Nanyang Sleeping Dragon University."

  I hastily assented, saying: "Liu Bei, humble name Xuande, please instruct me." I hurriedly returned the courtesy, calmly covering up my own awkwardness.

  Zhuge Liang pondered for a moment, then said with extreme sincerity: "Ah, I don't know why, but when Kongming first saw Xuande... he felt as if they had met before."

  Wow, so direct! Is this kind of old-fashioned pickup line still popular nowadays?

  I was dumbfounded and felt a bit petrified all over.

  Zhang Xiaofei turned around and nibbled on Guan Xiaoyu's ear for a while, and the two of them burst out laughing together.

  I turned around and glared at these two people fiercely.

  Guan Xiaoyu hastily pulled Zhang Xiaofei, and the two of them chattered and giggled as they ran out, looking back while walking away.

  I quickly adjusted my facial expression and asked, "Really?" At the same time, I looked at Zhuge's expression, sincere and earnest, absolutely not like joking - should he take this as a simple joke? However, being approached by such a handsome and lively person wasn't an unpleasant thing.

  Then thought for a moment and said:

  "Xuande has never been to Nanyang, I think it's probably because I have a fate with Brother Zhuge?" I said.

  For some reason, her face seemed to be red.

  "Well said." Zhuge Xiaoliang surprisingly nodded repeatedly.

  Two people were enjoying themselves, when a discordant voice came from the side - "Hmph, I wonder if this is what they call 'birds of a feather flocking together' or 'colluding in villainy'?" The cold sarcasm didn't need to be searched for, at the Land Forces Command Academy, except for Zhou Xiaoyu, no one dared to comment on me like that.

  I turned around and stared at the fox, glaring at it.

  But Zhou Xiaoyu was obviously not Guan Xiaoyu and Zhang Xiaofei, he was calm and collected, holding a book to read, as if the previous sentence was not said by him.

  "We do our own thing, no need to mind what others say. Zhuge Xiaoliang glanced at Zhou Xiaoyu with a tolerant and calm smile, speaking softly to me alone in a tone that was just right, but loud enough for Zhou Xiaoyu and the surrounding classmates to hear clearly."

  So clever, so well-behaved, Zhuge Xiaoliang, great! I gave a big round of applause in my heart.

  She glanced at Zhou Xiaoyu with a sideways glance, and it was rare that the white and tender face of the shy woman had already turned into a purplish-red complexion.

  He stood up, brushed his sleeve and left in a very bad mood.

  "Zhuge, you're so awesome!" I won back a round and was overjoyed with a big smile.

  Zhuge Xiaoliang looked at me, seemingly a bit dazed, and then immediately recovered his usual elegance, smiling and nodding: "Nothing, Xuande."

  Nothing, Xuande.

  A faint sentence, yet it made me happy for a whole day.

  The person in front of me is clearly a stranger, but why is it that talking to him feels like there's no distance at all. Maybe this is what they mean by fate, or maybe this is just a kindred spirit.

  Thus, two people who had a good impression of each other quickly became bosom buddies.

  Originally, this scene could often be seen at the Army Command College:

  Zhang Xiaofei was like a small tank rolling through the campus, approaching everyone: Have you seen Yun Chang?

  After a while, Guan Yu's tall figure appeared in the wind like a waving flag, stopping everyone he met: "Have you seen Xuande?"

  Further back, a slightly weak white shadow hastily rushed out, flapping and jumping around, grabbing and asking: Have you seen Yun Chang and Yi De?

  That's me, Yunchang and Yide, performing our classic game of hide-and-seek every day.

  But after adding Zhuge Xiaoliang in this three-person play code——

  In the Army Command College, students see such a scene:

  Guan Xiaoyu and Zhang Xiaofei hastily swept through the campus like a whirlwind, asking everyone they met: "Have you seen Xuan De?"

  Then after a while, a snow-white figure will rush over like a chicken flying and dog jumping, that's me, seeing people asking: Have you seen Zhuge?

  Further back, it was the venerable Zhuge Xialing, who fanned himself as if he were riding the wind and stepping on the moon, with a gentle and elegant demeanor. After seeing someone, he would ask faintly: Have you seen Xuande? — If the other person looked a bit dazed, he would patiently and gently ask again: Or perhaps Yunchang or Yide?

  The four of us seemed to have a tacit understanding, performing an epic game of hide and seek... or a strange food chain, enjoying it immensely, playing with abandon, every day, without rest.

  The tormented students' spirits are about to collapse, I know they deeply worry that with the new semester's rapid arrival, this game of hide-and-seek or food chain team has infinite possibilities for growth.

  In private, I described the conversation between Yunchang and Yide as follows: "Ziyou has obtained Kongming, just like a fish getting water." The expressions of Yunchang and Yide were naturally discontent. I knew that they had objections to Zhuge.

  Yi De curled his lip: "I'm not too fond of that person, he's got the same aura as Zhou Xiaoyu." Although he was a rough guy, his sixth sense was incredibly strong, and what he said often hit the nail on the head.