Chapter 105: A Mistake
However, after reading those words, Old Master Bai found them rather unsatisfactory.
Bai Zhouyun might be useless, but he was still a member of the Bai family.
Anything Bai Zhouyun said now represented not only himself, but also the Bai family's attitude.
Old Master Bai could already imagine how people would view the Bai family if Bai Zhouyun really posted such an overly humble apology.
So he revised the entire statement before publishing it.
The overall meaning was still an apology.
Watching his grandfather publish the statement through his own social media account, Bai Zhouyun suddenly had a bad feeling.
His grandfather had occupied a position of power for far too many years.
He simply didn't understand how to deal with people on StarNet.
In Bai Zhouyun's opinion, the easiest solution was to lower himself as much as possible.
But asking his grandfather to humble himself?
That was impossible.
Originally, Bai Zhouyun's draft had consisted of humble apologies, pleading for forgiveness, promising that he would never make such a mistake again, and explaining that the incident had happened because he had been under too much pressure.
Now, however, he had become a High-Tier Ability User through his own efforts.
He would certainly turn over a new leaf and never make the same mistake again.
Words like those might have resonated with some people.
Such a humble apology might even have satisfied part of the public.
After all, most people only wanted to see him apologize.
As long as he lowered his posture enough, there was a certain chance of success.
That was why he hadn't been too worried at first.
But...
Now his grandfather had rewritten the statement entirely from his own perspective before posting it through Bai Zhouyun's account.
That was the real problem.
If Old Master Bai had published such a statement himself, it wouldn't have been an issue.
However...
Although Old Master Bai's statement carried essentially the same meaning as Bai Zhouyun's original draft...
One was humble.
The other sounded distinctly superior.
Throughout Old Master Bai's wording, the underlying message was clear.
This was their family's private matter.
Outsiders had no business interfering.
Now that Bai Zhouyun had become a High-Tier Ability User through his own efforts, much of his pressure had disappeared.
He would certainly never make such mistakes again and would treat Nan Yu well in the future.
The moment the statement was posted...
StarNet suddenly fell silent.
Even Yang Zhou, who had been following the entire situation, was momentarily stunned by Bai Zhouyun's shamelessness.
StarNet remained quiet for a short while.
Not because people thought the statement was good...
But because everyone had been shocked by just how shameless it was.
They were busy trying to figure out how best to express their anger.
Only two or three minutes passed.
The Bai family had been closely monitoring the response.
Normally, comments should have begun appearing within seconds.
Several minutes of complete silence was highly unusual.
But very soon they no longer had time to dwell on how strange it was.
Because after everyone finally recovered from their shock...
An overwhelming flood of insults exploded across the page.
Every refresh brought thousands more comments.
Everywhere they looked...
Nothing but insults and curses.
If StarNet hadn't explicitly prohibited the use of overly direct profanity, countless people would probably have cursed them so viciously they wouldn't even know who they were anymore.
Although most of the comments were forced to insult them indirectly...
Anyone with eyes could tell just how ridiculous Bai Zhouyun's performance had been.
What did Old Master Bai see?
He saw comments like—
"My god, Bai Zhouyun really has some nerve. What kind of tone is that? What kind of attitude? He makes a mistake and still talks down to everyone, like, 'I made a mistake, so what? None of your business.'"
"He really thinks highly of himself. How could ordinary commoners like us compare? Sure, what he did might not technically be a crime, but morally he's absolutely disgusting. I bet Old Master Nan had no idea what a huge mistake he'd made back then."
"The Nan family really must have had eight lifetimes of terrible luck to become connected to the Bai family. They produced such an incredible Mental Power User, only for him to be paired with such a useless piece of trash."
"So what if he's a High-Tier Ability User? Does that mean he gets to look down on everyone? I'm not just talking about him either. Do you even know how many High-Tier Ability Users there are in the Empire? The way he acts, you'd think becoming a High-Tier Ability User was the same as becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User."
"This attitude completely stunned me. What's this? The one who made the mistake is acting like he's in the right? Before today, I thought he was just another spoiled rich kid who liked to fool around. Bad habits are hard to change, after all. But today... wow. This really opened my eyes."
"By the way, wouldn't it be perfectly appropriate to nominate Bai Zhouyun's behavior for this year's 'Most Confusing Human Behavior Awards'? I think he'd fit perfectly."
"The person above me isn't alone."
"I agree too. This really broadened my horizons. I honestly feel sorry for the Bai family for ending up with someone like him."
"Wait a second. Would Bai Zhouyun alone really dare post something like this? As far as I know, this incident has already become enormous. Before making any public statement, wouldn't he definitely have discussed it with the Bai family first?"
That single comment immediately shifted the direction of the discussion.
A small number of people still said whatever came to mind.
But most gradually became more restrained.
After all...
They still had to consider the Bai family.
Old Master Bai had once fought alongside the Emperor himself.
He had rendered tremendous service to the Empire.
People could freely curse Bai Zhouyun.
But they still believed Old Master Bai—and even the Bai family as a whole—deserved a certain degree of respect.
Moreover...
The one who had actually made the mistake really was Bai Zhouyun alone.
Could it possibly have been the Bai family's idea for Bai Zhouyun to fool around with someone else while engaged to Nan Yu?
Of course not.
Once the discussion shifted toward the Bai family...
Most people toned things down.
However...
They continued insulting Bai Zhouyun just as fiercely as before.
They simply tried to avoid dragging the Bai family into it.
And just like that...
Bai Zhouyun officially became the target of everyone's anger.
After seeing the result, Old Master Bai immediately realized why it had happened.
He wasn't stupid.
When he had rewritten Bai Zhouyun's statement, he had unconsciously placed himself into Bai Zhouyun's position.
Only afterward did he realize...
Bai Zhouyun wasn't him.
His own tone simply couldn't be used that way.
In other words...
The person who had ruined everything this time...
Was himself.
Because of that, he could no longer bring himself to scold Bai Zhouyun.
Thinking it over...
Bai Zhouyun's original draft really had suited him much better.
Old Master Bai coughed awkwardly.
"Enough. Go back for now. Don't pay attention to StarNet. Leave everything there to Grandpa."
"But as for Nan Yu..."
Bai Zhouyun immediately straightened his back.
"Don't worry, Grandpa. I'll definitely make Nan Yu change his mind."
Even now...
No one in the Bai family had developed any sense of crisis.
They believed that as long as Nan Yu hadn't become a High-Tier Mental Power User yet...
There was absolutely no possibility that the engagement between the Nan and Bai families would be dissolved.
So even after things had escalated this far...
They still remained surprisingly relaxed.
Meanwhile...
Yang Zhou and the others were scrolling through the replies on StarNet.
As he read, Yang Zhou muttered to himself,
"Bai Zhouyun's skin is way too thick. He did something this disgraceful, yet he's still acting so self-righteous. Like, 'Who I fool around with is none of your business...'"
"He's so infuriating! If I ever get my hands on that guy, I'll definitely beat him up!"
Nan Yu felt that although Bai Zhouyun was considered rather weak among Ability Users...
As a Mental Power User, Yang Zhou probably still wouldn't be able to beat him.
Yang Zhou snorted.
"Hmph, hmph, hmph!"
Nan Yu looked at him.
"What?"
Yang Zhou excitedly pointed at the screen.
"Nan Yu, look at this! In just over ten minutes, the topic climbed onto the trending list..."
"It debuted directly at Number One!"
"The popularity is absolutely insane!"
Nan Yu blinked.
"Huh? That incredible?"
Making it into the Top Ten was understandable.
But jumping straight to first place...
That was genuinely terrifying.
The Empire possessed countless star regions.
Countless inhabited planets.
An unimaginable population.
Strange things happened every single day.
At its core, this was simply a family matter.
Logically...
It shouldn't have become this enormous.
Yang Zhou looked at him.
"What are you thinking?"
Nan Yu explained his reasoning.
Yang Zhou simply shook his head.
"How can you think like that?"
"What do you mean?"
"First of all, we're on the Capital Star—the most prosperous and influential planet in the entire Empire."
"Second, our academy is the Empire's number one academy. It's also the only academy connected to the Imperial Family—the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star."
"And most importantly..."
"Nan Yu, I think you've seriously underestimated both your own abilities and the impact you've caused."
"That competition might have just been a bit of fun to you."
"But to everyone across the Empire..."
"You're the only Mental Power User currently alive who has any chance of becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User while still young."
He continued,
"To put it another way..."
"Nan Yu, do you know how many years it's been since our Empire last produced a new High-Tier Mental Power User?"
Nan Yu froze for a moment before calculating.
"...More than fifty years?"
Yang Zhou nodded.
"Exactly."
"Fifty years."
"Before that, roughly every twenty or thirty years another High-Tier Mental Power User would appear."
"News like that reassured the public."
"But now fifty years have passed."
"What do you think that has done to people's mentality?"
Nan Yu hesitated.
"You mean..."
Yang Zhou sighed.
"If I'm not mistaken..."
"This situation is only going to get more and more serious."
Nan Yu looked doubtful.
"...Probably not..."
Yang Zhou took a deep breath before patting him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry."
"Even if things change dramatically..."
"Even if something huge happens..."
"The person who'll get hurt definitely won't be you."
He didn't say the rest aloud.
Just as celebrity fandoms sometimes produced obsessive stalkers...
The same kind of extremists would inevitably appear here.
Some people would believe that someone as exceptional as Nan Yu—someone destined to become a High-Tier Mental Power User—should remain forever untouchable.
No Ability User deserved him.
Least of all someone like Bai Zhouyun.
Yang Zhou was willing to bet that sooner or later...
Someone would attempt to assassinate Bai Zhouyun.
Some people's logic was frighteningly simple.
If Nan Yu was going to marry a piece of trash like Bai Zhouyun, then the Empire's future High-Tier Mental Power User would effectively be ruined.
If the engagement couldn't be dissolved...
Then simply kill Bai Zhouyun.
Problem solved.
Yang Zhou didn't voice those thoughts.
They were merely his own speculation.
He would tell Nan Yu if such things actually happened.
Besides...
If someone like Bai Zhouyun died...
Yang Zhou believed he would deserve it.
Nan Yu leaned closer, narrowed his eyes, and stared directly at Yang Zhou.
His expression practically said—
You're hiding something from me.
Yang Zhou immediately felt guilty.
"W-Why are you looking at me?"
"Everyone's looking at you."
"Have you decided how you're going to respond to all of this?"
Nan Yu finally looked away.
"Hmph."
"What attitude could I possibly have?"
"How do you think it feels to personally see your fiancé fooling around with someone who used to be your friend?"
Yang Zhou asked,
"Completely numb?"
Nan Yu nodded.
"Exactly."
"Numb."
"And..."
"I can probably act the part pretty convincingly too."
"What do you think?"
As he spoke, Nan Yu immediately put on an expression of complete indifference.
Cold.
Untouchable.
Anyone who saw it would truly believe he wanted nobody to approach him.
Yang Zhou blinked.
"Wow."
Nan Yu winked at him.
"So?"
"Pretty convincing, right?"
Yang Zhou nodded.
"Yeah."
"It really is."
While they were chatting...
The discussion on StarNet shifted once again.
The signs had actually appeared earlier.
Back then, people had merely shouted online without taking any action.
Now things were different.
Everyone believed they had finally seen Bai Zhouyun's true character.
A scumbag like him...
Someone completely incapable of understanding his own place...
Remaining engaged to Nan Yu was simply nauseating.
Why should someone like that be allowed to marry one of the Empire's greatest Mental Power Users?
It wasn't fair.
Countless soldiers and commanders had devoted their entire lives to protecting the Empire.
Yet in the end...
Many of them still hadn't earned enough contribution to request treatment from even a single High-Tier Mental Power User.
So why...
Why should a worthless bastard like Bai Zhouyun monopolize someone as extraordinary as Nan Yu?
Whether everyone truly reached that conclusion naturally...
Or someone had begun steering public opinion...
No one knew.
But as discussions continued...
The atmosphere gradually changed.
People stopped treating it as entertainment.
Instead, they increasingly felt that Bai Zhouyun simply wasn't worthy of Nan Yu.
If someone like Bai Zhouyun could be considered worthy...
Then who wouldn't be?
He became a High-Tier Ability User and immediately acted as though he had become the strongest person in the entire Empire.
So arrogant.
Anyone unaware of the truth might think he'd become the nation's number one powerhouse.
Comments quickly flooded in—
"Why does someone like him deserve to be with Nan Yu?"
"Why? What about all the people who devoted their lives to the Empire?"
"I refuse to accept it! None of us accept it!"
"I'm saying this right now. If trash like Bai Zhouyun—someone who couldn't even stay faithful and went out fooling around—actually marries Nan Yu..."
"I'll literally explode on the spot!"
"Me too!"
As Yang Zhou read through those comments, he noticed the people claiming they would "explode on the spot."
Most people would naturally assume they were merely expressing anger.
Yang Zhou didn't think so.
Those people might actually...
Forget it.
There was no point thinking about it now.
No one would harm Nan Yu.
Even if some extremist became deranged enough to target him...
Members of Marshal Yu Lanfeng's legion were secretly protecting him.
Nothing would happen.
Nan Yu slowly stood up.
He looked at Yang Zhou.
Yang Zhou looked back.
Why is he looking at me like that?
Did he guess what I was thinking?
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
"Let's go."
"Class is over."
"I'm heading to the hospital."
"What about you?"
Yang Zhou blinked.
"Oh right."
"It's time already."
"I... I'll just head home."
"Alright."
"I'll get going first."
Nan Yu left for the hospital.
Earlier, the hospital director had contacted him.
Two soldiers suffering from exceptionally severe Mental Sea contamination had just been transferred there.
The hospital staff could only prevent their conditions from worsening.
If they wanted them to recover...
Nan Yu had to come personally.
As for asking a High-Tier Mental Power User?
That was impossible.
Even Yu Lanfeng possessed only a single opportunity to request treatment from a High-Tier Mental Power User.
There was simply no way he could invite one to work at his hospital.
Given Nan Yu's current abilities...
No matter where he went...
He was already the best.
After Nan Yu left, Yang Zhou quietly returned home.
On the way, he contacted someone.
After receiving a definite reply...
He went home, found his game helmet, put it on, and logged into the game.
Meanwhile...
Bai Zhouyun was completely overwhelmed.
He had no idea what to do.
He knew perfectly well that trying to contact Nan Yu through a communicator was pointless.
He didn't believe Nan Yu would answer anymore.
That left only one option—
Going to see him in person.
But he doubted Nan Yun, Nan Zhen, or Fu Yu'ang would ever allow him anywhere near Nan Yu.
Besides...
He didn't even know whether he should wait at the Nan residence or at the academy.
After calculating Nan Yu's school schedule, Bai Zhouyun hesitated repeatedly before finally deciding to try calling him one more time.
As expected...
The call wasn't answered.
He wasn't surprised.
Wasn't this exactly what he had expected?
At that moment, Nan Yu was busy treating patients at the hospital.
He had already switched his communicator to Do Not Disturb mode.
Even if his brothers called him, he wouldn't know.
Not to mention Bai Zhouyun...
Who had long since been added to his blacklist.
While Bai Zhouyun was wondering what to do next...
Someone else called him.
He looked carefully.
It was...
Actually...
The person he least wanted to deal with right now.
But the leaked video had ultimately been his own fault.
His itchy fingers had installed that surveillance camera.
That had given someone the opportunity to steal the recordings.
Things had become what they were largely because of his own actions.
Thinking that way...
He accepted the call.
The person appearing on the screen was Yun Feiyu, who hadn't shown himself for many days.
Yun Feiyu was no longer officially a student of the academy.
Even if he never attended another class again, it wouldn't matter.
He could simply begin working immediately.
However...
The academy would never again acknowledge him as one of its students.
Everyone knew that.
Seeing Yun Feiyu's eyes swollen red from crying, looking so pitiful, Bai Zhouyun's slight reluctance instantly disappeared.
He was now a High-Tier Ability User.
Perhaps he now had the right to choose whom he wanted to be with.
But that thought disappeared almost immediately.
Thinking about everything Nan Yu could achieve in the future...
He simply couldn't let someone like that belong to anyone else.
The thought alone kept him awake at night.
Yun Feiyu noticed that Bai Zhouyun was merely watching him silently while he cried without saying anything.
He became anxious.
"Zhouyun..."
"Are you alright?"
"When are you coming to see me..."
"I... I haven't gone outside for so long."
"I'm afraid to."
"I can only hide here by myself."
"I feel like everyone knows me the moment I go outside."
"They all know..."
"They all know..."
Seeing him looking so lifeless, Bai Zhouyun immediately felt sorry for him.
"Don't worry."
"This is a special period."
"I can't leave freely."
"Besides Grandpa's people, another group is secretly monitoring and observing me."
"If I do anything inappropriate during this period, they'll definitely report everything exactly as it happened."
"So..."
"Feiyu, be good."
"Once I've settled everything here, I'll come see you."
"I really can't move around freely right now."
Although Yun Feiyu was no longer a student at the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star, he hadn't forgotten everything he'd learned there.
If Bai Zhouyun had left the Capital Star during such a sensitive period...
Being monitored for a while afterward was completely normal.
Yun Feiyu sighed.
"I know, Zhouyun."
"You must be having a hard time lately."
"I know."
Bai Zhouyun nodded.
"Don't worry."
"As soon as I can move around freely again, I'll come find you."
"But from now on, nobody can know we're meeting."
"Do you remember the apartment I bought in that suburban residential district outside the city two years ago?"
"Go live there."
"I already gave you access before."
"You can move in immediately."
"You definitely can't stay where you are now."
Originally, that warehouse had only existed to make meeting Yun Feiyu near the academy more convenient.
Now...
It served no purpose.
Especially after everything that had happened.
He absolutely couldn't continue living there.
The place had probably already been exposed.
If they continued staying there...
More things would eventually come to light.
Fortunately...
Bai Zhouyun was grateful that he hadn't recorded very many videos with the surveillance camera.
If there had been more...
There would have been even more evidence left behind.
Yun Feiyu obediently nodded.
He looked unbelievably well-behaved.
Of course he thought installing surveillance cameras had been wrong.
But he couldn't say so directly.
If he upset Bai Zhouyun now...
Given the current situation...
Bai Zhouyun might decide to stabilize his engagement with the Nan family and simply abandon him.
At this moment...
Yun Feiyu needed to lower himself as much as possible.
Clearly...
It was working.
Seeing Yun Feiyu so heartbroken, Bai Zhouyun transferred 300,000 credits from his account.
"Take it."
"Buy yourself something."
"Try to cheer up."
"Don't be sad anymore."
Yun Feiyu cautiously glanced at him before softly asking,
"Is... is this really alright?"
"You're giving me so many credits."
"If your grandfather finds out..."
"Won't he get angry with you again?"