Zhang Zheng was startled when he heard Di Leina's sweet yet fierce shout.
He was just trying to lighten the mood by making a joke, but he hadn't expected Leina to hear it. Zhang Zheng instinctively looked towards Ge Xiaolun and the others for help.
"Lunch is ready, let's go eat. We still have theory class after this," Ge Xiaolun said, glancing at Zhao Xin and the others.
"Yeah, yeah, skipping class isn't a good habit," Liu Chuang added, shamelessly.
"Mhm," Cheng Yaowen and Zhao Xin nodded in agreement. The four of them then headed to the cafeteria, completely ignoring Zhang Zheng, as if he didn't exist at all.
What's with people these days? Why is no one loyal anymore? Zhang Zheng cursed them inwardly, but outwardly, he said, "Yeah, yeah, wait for me. I'll join you guys." He turned to chase after the four of them.
"Zhang Zheng, stop right there!" Di Leina's voice rang out again.
Hearing her voice, Zhang Zheng froze in place. Slowly, he turned around and faced a very angry Di Leina. "Leina, what a coincidence..."
"When are you going to marry me?" Di Leina asked sweetly.
That kind tone felt to Zhang Zheng like the fangs of a venomous snake, ready to bite him at any moment.
"(⊙o⊙)… Leina, I can explain. Just give me some time, and I'll definitely explain everything," Zhang Zheng stammered nervously.
"You can explain at your grave. Die."
...
In the theory classroom, Zhang Zheng was glaring daggers at Ge Xiaolun and the others.
Ge Xiaolun felt like he should be scared, but in truth, he wasn't. With panda eyes and cotton stuffed in his nose to stop the bleeding, Zhang Zheng didn't exactly look intimidating.
Even though he knew laughing would likely get him beaten up after school, Ge Xiaolun couldn't help but burst out laughing.
His laughter set off a chain reaction, and soon the entire class was laughing too.
From the moment Zhang Zheng was dragged into the classroom by Di Leina looking pitiful, everyone had been holding back their laughter. Only Zhang Zheng's frightening combat skills kept anyone from daring to be the first to laugh.
Seeing everyone in Super Seminary laughing, Zhang Zheng decided he would never mess with Di Leina again. He also made a mental note to deal with Ge Xiaolun after school.
He shot Ge Xiaolun a "don't even think about leaving after class" look and then sneaked a glance at Di Leina.
"What are you looking at? Want me to punch you again?" Di Leina threatened loudly when she saw Zhang Zheng looking her way, playfully swinging her delicate fist at him.
Seeing her fists, Zhang Zheng instantly assumed a perfect-student pose, staring straight ahead at the whiteboard.
And why was Zhang Zheng so afraid of Di Leina's fists? It was all because of his big mouth.
...
Flashback.
"Die," Di Leina shouted and threw a punch at Zhang Zheng.
Caught completely off guard, Zhang Zheng was sent flying by the hit. Without giving him a chance to recover, Di Leina seized the moment and unleashed a flurry of punches on him.
Unable to fight back, Zhang Zheng was easily KO'd by Di Leina.
Standing victoriously over his fallen body, Di Leina planted her foot on his chest, looking down at him triumphantly.
"Let's see if you dare talk back to this goddess again," she said smugly.
Then, Di Leina unknowingly made a critical mistake. Although she was wearing armor, her lower body only had protection on the sides, and as a lover of short skirts, she ended up giving Zhang Zheng an unintended view.
"I've just seen the most beautiful sight in the world," Zhang Zheng muttered, blood dripping from his nose.
Di Leina, expecting Zhang Zheng to beg for mercy, was momentarily confused by his words. Then, following his gaze, she realized what had happened and blushed deeply, taking two steps back.
"Did you like what you saw?" Di Leina asked calmly as Zhang Zheng slowly stood up.
Even though her tone was gentle, Zhang Zheng knew that one wrong answer would result in her exploding on the spot. The Lieyang civilization was traditional, much like the ancient Tang Dynasty on Earth. While Di Leina loved Earth's culture, if the Lieyang Guardian, Pan Zhen, found out their goddess had been peeked at, he would challenge Zhang Zheng immediately.
"What did I see?" Zhang Zheng played dumb, wiping the blood from his face.
He knew he had to divert the conversation; no matter how he answered, be it "yes" or "no," he'd be in for another beating—possibly even a solar flare bombardment.
"Don't play dumb with me. You know exactly what you saw!" Di Leina grabbed Zhang Zheng by the collar, shouting in his face.
"Yeah, I saw... how beautiful the stars are tonight," Zhang Zheng said sincerely, staring into Di Leina's eyes.
Super Seminary was located in a beautiful spot surrounded by mountains and fresh air, and at night, the stars were indeed spectacular.
Holding his collar, Di Leina didn't believe a single word. Stars, my foot! How could stargazing cause a nosebleed? She hadn't hit him in the nose. He'd guarded his face well enough for that.
Seeing Zhang Zheng still looking at her with that perverted expression, Di Leina felt that her eyes had been defiled.
The goddess couldn't take the insult any longer and punched Zhang Zheng twice in the eyes.
Seeing his panda eyes, Di Leina felt much better. She dragged him by the collar all the way to the classroom without caring about his struggles.
...
Flashback ends.
It was all because of his big mouth saying, "I saw the most beautiful sight in the world."
Zhang Zheng felt a little regretful. The ancestors were right: silence is golden. If he hadn't said anything, he could've enjoyed the "scenery" a bit longer.
Now, he was left with panda eyes. Though he had left them on purpose to calm Di Leina down, it still didn't look good.
As Zhang Zheng reflected on his poor choices, Di Leina wasn't calm either.
Although she was proud, a bit eccentric, and sometimes a little foolish, she was still a girl in her twenties. Naturally, she had some romantic fantasies about the opposite s*x.
As the main goddess of Lieyang, her standards for a potential partner were high. Zhang Zheng, however, seemed to meet her criteria—same age, decent looks, and most importantly, his power matched hers.
Di Leina had overheard Zhang Zheng lecturing Ge Xiaolun and the others about responsibility and had been shocked when Zhang Zheng mentioned that he could hold his ground against other main gods and that he had made an agreement with Death God Carl.
To be able to reach an agreement with Death God Carl meant that Zhang Zheng had the strength to face him head-on.
Although Carl was considered a scholar, no one in the known universe dared underestimate him—not even Holy Kaisa.
So, without realizing it, a certain goddess had started to develop feelings for Zhang Zheng. Although it was just a budding romance, the seed had already been planted.