Chapter 109: Two Steps
What Bai Zhouyun hadn't expected was that Yang Zhou, who simply wouldn't go away, was still sticking by Nan Yu's side!
Originally, he had planned to speak with Nan Yu alone. And yet Nan Yu was actually willing to be friends with someone as ordinary as Yang Zhou, a Mental Power User with mediocre ability. Even at this school, where Nan Yu had always stood apart from everyone else, this friendship was unique.
He couldn't see anything special about Yang Zhou. All he felt was that Yang Zhou was incredibly annoying.
Almost every single day, he whispered bad things about him into Nan Yu's ear.
Nan Yu continued to keep the weak Yang Zhou by his side, and apart from Yang Zhou, he hardly interacted with any other classmates at school.
It really was strange. Could it be that Nan Yu was naturally unwilling to socialize with other people?
Bai Zhouyun gave Yang Zhou a long look. Everyone else was easy to win over, but Yang Zhou was like an unyielding rock. He remembered that in the past he had tried to buy him off, yet had never succeeded.
Even more infuriating was that Yang Zhou had immediately gone to Nan Yu and told him about the attempted bribe. Fortunately, back then Nan Yu had always put Bai Zhouyun first, so he hadn't paid much attention to it.
In any case, that wasn't what mattered now.
The important thing was that after talking for so long, he still hadn't achieved his real objective.
Moreover, Bai Zhouyun knew that there were definitely members of the Marshal's legion secretly protecting Nan Yu. Everything that had just happened would undoubtedly be reported.
If his grandfather found out that he had privately come to see Nan Yu, he probably wouldn't be allowed outside for several more days...
After all, during this period his grandfather had explicitly forbidden him from contacting Nan Yu in private.
Still, it should be fine.
Those people reported directly to the legion. They certainly wouldn't contact the Bai family.
Nan Yu's attention was entirely on Yang Zhou.
Normally, Yang Zhou would have already stepped between them and told Bai Zhouyun to stay away. But from the moment Bai Zhouyun had arrived until now, Yang Zhou had simply stood silently behind Nan Yu.
So... had something happened?
Nan Yu couldn't help becoming a little worried, completely losing the patience to continue chatting with Bai Zhouyun.
"If there's nothing else, we'll be leaving."
Bai Zhouyun nodded and watched Nan Yu pull Yang Zhou along by the hand as they hurried away. They were walking unusually fast.
Did they have something urgent to do?
Only after they had put some distance between themselves and Bai Zhouyun did Nan Yu ask, "Yang Zhou, what's wrong? You weren't acting like yourself today. Normally you'd have jumped in long ago."
Only then did Yang Zhou snap back to his senses.
"Ah! I'm fine... I just feel..."
"Feel what?"
Leaving a sentence half-finished always made people curious enough to ask.
Yang Zhou scratched his head.
"Actually, I'm not sure myself. I just feel like the current Bai Zhouyun is different from the completely useless Bai Zhouyun from before."
Nan Yu nodded.
"Is it because he's become a High-Tier Ability User? Back when he was only Mid-Tier, it wasn't very obvious. But High-Tier Ability Users aren't very friendly to Mental Power Users whose mental power isn't particularly strong. Especially when facing someone they dislike, they'll unconsciously release their pressure."
"That's it! That's exactly it!"
Yang Zhou suddenly understood.
"I felt like he was targeting me the whole time. So he really hates me that much? Hmph! He deserves it! Who told him to keep treating you badly before? Looking down on you? Now he's changed in some ways, but he's still treating you badly. The only difference is that now he just keeps coming to harass you."
Having figured it out, Yang Zhou instantly became irritable.
"That scumbag really knows what he's doing. He deliberately used that kind of pressure so I couldn't confront him head-on. But does he think that's the end of it?"
"Just wait! Next time I'll definitely overcome his pressure. Then I'll make him regret it! He absolutely did it on purpose this time. Damn it!!"
The moment Yang Zhou thought about how he had cowered behind Nan Yu just now, he felt unbearably embarrassed.
Being embarrassed was one thing.
But embarrassing himself in front of someone like Bai Zhouyun...
That was absolutely unacceptable!
Completely unacceptable!
Yang Zhou ground his teeth so hard it looked as though he wanted to turn around immediately and beat Bai Zhouyun half to death.
Fortunately, his attention shifted quickly.
Very quickly, he remembered that they had evening classes today!
They were leaving now, but in another hour they would have to come back.
Nan Yu said, "In that case, let's spend some time in the library. An hour will pass quickly. Going home and then coming back would just be troublesome and waste time."
"Sounds good. We'll do that."
—
After Nan Yu and Yang Zhou left, Bai Zhouyun also departed from the school soon afterward.
He had sneaked in quietly, and he intended to leave just as quietly.
Unfortunately, several students happened to see him while he was leaving.
Bai Zhouyun never noticed.
Believing that no one had seen him, he hurried away without stopping.
He also failed to notice that those students had already recognized him and casually taken a picture.
Just as Bai Zhouyun climbed into his hovercraft, those students uploaded the photo to the school forum with the caption:
"Breaking news! He actually had the nerve to come back to school!"
Replies flooded in almost immediately.
There was no helping it.
Everyone knew exactly who he was.
After all, recently the hottest topic on the StarNet had been Bai Zhouyun. He had occupied the trending lists for several consecutive days without ever dropping off.
Other people wished they could stay trending for a few more days.
He, on the other hand, had earned his place there entirely through his own actions.
No matter how much he wanted to come down, he simply couldn't.
Countless people were "envious."
Of course, Bai Zhouyun wanted no such envy.
He only wanted everything about himself to disappear from the StarNet.
The discussion on the school forum had originally been confined to a relatively small circle.
No one intended to make it into a huge issue.
But there were always people who loved stirring up trouble.
Someone exposed Bai Zhouyun's secret return to school on the StarNet.
Objectively speaking, was there anything strange about Bai Zhouyun going back to school?
Of course not.
He was a student there.
Returning to school during the academic term was perfectly normal.
But Bai Zhouyun's reputation had already become completely rotten.
People on the StarNet weren't discussing why he had gone to school or what he had gone there to do.
Instead, they all focused on something else.
"So this Bai guy is still allowed to stay enrolled? This is the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star, the best academy in the entire Empire. Why haven't they expelled him yet?"
"Exactly! A student like him remaining there is a disgrace to the academy. Before all the evidence is finalized and before he's officially convicted, they should hurry up and kick him out. Otherwise, once he's convicted, the Royal Military Academy will forever have the stain of producing a criminal."
"I have to admit, he really had the nerve to show himself. And he even went back to school..."
"The academy handled the falsified student records case really well before. I even thought they were very responsible, especially since they gave everyone a free qualification to take Marshal Yu Lanfeng's legion assessment. But I'm really dissatisfied with how slowly they're handling this matter. There's still no sign of progress."
"Is the Royal Military Academy planning to hide inside its shell like a turtle? Don't think you can pretend nothing happened by pulling your head and limbs inside. Hurry up and expel him!"
"The Royal Military Academy is the dream school of people throughout the Empire. I don't want the dream I had when I was young to be polluted by someone like him. Throw him out immediately!"
Because of this exposure, another enormous uproar erupted across the StarNet.
People's emotions were especially unstable.
Just as some commenters had said, the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star was the finest academy in the Empire.
It was naturally a place everyone admired.
When they were young, countless people dreamed of studying there.
Even if they ultimately failed to get in and later came to love their own schools instead, it never changed the fact that this academy had once been the most beautiful ideal in their hearts.
And now...
Someone like Bai Zhouyun had appeared at that academy.
How could they not be furious?
Were there members of wealthy families with poor character at the academy?
Were there spoiled rich heirs?
Of course there were.
But no matter how wildly those people behaved outside campus, once they entered the academy they restrained themselves considerably.
At the very least, they knew how not to invite trouble from the school.
Someone like Bai Zhouyun, however...
Someone whose personal misconduct had escalated into damaging the academy's reputation while also involving suspected criminal behavior...
There had never been anyone like that before.
As a result, many people across the Capital Star were now eagerly waiting to watch the Bai family's downfall.
—
By the time Old Master Bai learned about the matter, it had already remained on the StarNet for quite some time.
The trending topic "Bai Zhouyun Get Out of the Academy" had already climbed into the top twenty entirely on its own momentum.
It looked ready to break into the top ten, standing shoulder to shoulder with the earlier trending topic "Bai Zhouyun Banned Drugs."
At that very moment, Bai Zhouyun had only just returned home before Old Master Bai immediately summoned him over.
After seeing everything on the StarNet, Bai Zhouyun froze.
He quickly realized exactly what he had done.
"Grandfather..."
Old Master Bai didn't even know what to say anymore.
If Bai Zhouyun hadn't been a member of the Bai family...
He would have torn him apart with his bare hands.
"Don't call me Grandfather. Tell me one thing."
"What exactly are you planning to do now?"
Bai Zhouyun had no idea.
In any case, he absolutely couldn't keep appearing on the trending lists.
"I'll stay obediently at home for the time being. I won't go out again."
The popularity of the first incident had already begun fading.
Given a little more time, people would eventually forget about it.
But this time he had ignored his grandfather's instructions, gone to school on his own initiative, and brought another wave of insults and suspicion onto both himself and the Bai family.
He felt miserable as well.
"So now you finally understand that you can't casually go outside? The moment you step out the door, you become the news. Do you understand? Wherever you go, you'll become a trending topic. Do you understand?"
"I understand, Grandfather."
"Fine. Go back now. And remember this—until I tell you that you may go out again, you are not allowed to leave the house without permission. Understood?"
"I understand, Grandfather."
Only after giving those instructions did Old Master Bai soften his tone slightly.
"Did you see that child, Nan Yu?"
Bai Zhouyun nodded.
"I did, Grandfather. When he saw me today, he even showed concern for me. He asked what would happen if someone discovered I'd come out."
Old Master Bai found that rather strange.
Did that really count as concern?
Forget it.
Bai Zhouyun could interpret it however he liked.
That wasn't what Old Master Bai actually wanted to ask.
"Do you know that Nan Yu has been getting very close to Marshal Yu recently?"
"Huh? That's impossible, Grandfather. Nan Yu has been at school this whole time. During breaks he's either at the hospital or back home. How could he have much contact with Marshal Yu?"
"And besides, have you forgotten? Marshal Yu is the most famously rigid person in the entire Empire. No matter how outstanding Nan Yu is or how suitable he might be, as long as he already has a marriage engagement, Marshal Yu would never have any private contact with him."
Old Master Bai thought about it.
"I hope you're right."
Deep down, he thought the same thing.
Yet for some reason, he always felt that something was wrong.
He simply couldn't identify what it was.
After all, Marshal Yu spent almost all of his time traveling between the Empire's various border regions.
Unless absolutely necessary, he rarely returned to the Capital Star.
Although Nan Yu had already been recruited by Marshal Yu's legion and might indeed have met him several times because of his exceptional talent, it was impossible for there to be anything more than that.
He was probably overthinking things.
"Fine. Since there's nothing else, go back to your room. Remember, wait until the discussion about you dies down on the StarNet before going outside again. Things will be much easier then."
"Grandfather, didn't someone come to draw my blood before? They took the sample away. Why haven't the test results come out yet?"
"Don't those tests usually finish within a day? Even if they take a little longer, the results should have been ready by now."
"I've already urged them many times."
"What did they say?"
"They said this isn't an ordinary blood test. It's specifically testing for banned substances, so it requires more time. They told us to wait patiently. Once the results are released, everything will be clarified, and then you'll be fine."
"I understand."
"Good. Now get out."
Bai Zhouyun immediately left.
He returned straight to his room and shut the door behind him, locking himself inside.
Everyone else assumed he was in a bad mood and didn't want to be disturbed.
Whenever someone passed his room, they deliberately walked as quietly as possible, afraid that making too much noise would anger the person inside and bring trouble upon themselves.
But Bai Zhouyun wasn't angry.
He had simply rushed back to his room because he wanted to contact Yun Feiyu as quickly as possible.
After all, it had been Yun Feiyu who suggested secretly sneaking out.
Now he needed to talk to him.
Yun Feiyu had been waiting for his reply all along.
The communication request was accepted immediately.
Inside, however, Yun Feiyu was extremely nervous.
He had already seen both the school forum post and the later StarNet exposure.
He felt both anticipation and fear.
He anticipated that Bai Zhouyun might still care deeply about him.
If so, he could continue obtaining plenty of credit points.
As for what he feared...
"Xiaoyu?"
Seeing that Bai Zhouyun didn't seem angry, Yun Feiyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
"I'm here. What's wrong, Zhouyun?"
"You haven't seen what's on the StarNet?"
Yun Feiyu paused briefly.
"I haven't. Did something happen? Let me take a look."
He quickly pretended to search for the news as though seeing it for the first time.
A moment later, he looked at Bai Zhouyun with obvious unease.
"I-I'm sorry, Zhouyun... It looks like this happened because of the suggestion I gave you... This... this..."
As he spoke, he became so anxious that he looked ready to burst into tears, because he had no idea what to do.
Seeing him like this immediately made Bai Zhouyun's heart ache.
"Alright, alright. I'm not here to blame you. If anyone's at fault, it's me for not hiding well enough. I didn't notice there were other people around at the time, so someone accidentally took a picture."
Yun Feiyu quickly calmed down.
Now he could tell that Bai Zhouyun wasn't very patient, and it was obviously because of what had happened.
If Bai Zhouyun had already comforted him and he still kept clinging to the matter and irritating him, it would only make him completely lose his temper in the end.
"I'm sorry. I never should have suggested that. You must have been scolded again after you got back, right? It's all my fault. I won't casually give advice like that again."
Bai Zhouyun looked at him with sympathy.
He truly liked Yun Feiyu.
Otherwise, he never would have had so much patience with him.
He also thought about the Yun Feiyu from his previous life, who had become a High-Tier Mental Power User and obeyed his every word.
The thought made him even happier.
But he quickly returned to reality.
In his previous life, everything had gone so smoothly because his relationship with Yun Feiyu had never been exposed.
But now...
No matter how stupid Bai Zhouyun was, he had finally realized that the current Nan Yu would never tell Yun Feiyu about the Nianshen Grass, much less hand it over to him.
That meant the plan he had originally counted on—waiting for Nan Yu and Yun Feiyu to resolve everything between themselves—was impossible now.
He had to think of another way as quickly as possible to make Nan Yu and Yun Feiyu reconcile.
Although the chances were incredibly slim, how would he know it couldn't be done if he didn't try?
Besides, if Yun Feiyu didn't become a High-Tier Mental Power User, how was he supposed to gain a High-Tier Mental Power User who would obey him completely?
For that goal, in his previous life he had even abandoned Nan Yu after Nan Yu himself had become a High-Tier Mental Power User.
Nan Yu's talent and ability had both been among the very best.
Even if Yun Feiyu eventually became a High-Tier Mental Power User, he still couldn't compare to Nan Yu at the same level.
Coming back to his senses, Bai Zhouyun looked at Yun Feiyu on the communication screen.
"Are you still staying in that house?"
"Yeah. I've been here the whole time. I don't even dare go outside. I have every meal delivered from the restaurant. Zhouyun... c-can I still go back to school?"
He looked exactly like someone who longed to return to the academy.
Previously, he had even given up a better opportunity just to stay there.
And even after remaining at the academy, he had been restricted in every way, to the point where he could hardly be considered a proper student.
Even so, he had still chosen to stay.
In the previous life, because Nan Yu and Yun Feiyu had always been close friends—their relationship even closer than Nan Yu's friendship with Yang Zhou—Nan Yu had given the Nianshen Grass to him.
With the help of the Nianshen Grass, Yun Feiyu had successfully met the assessment requirements and graduated smoothly, obtaining his diploma.
"Zhouyun?"
Bai Zhouyun snapped out of his thoughts.
"Mm. For now, you'd better not return to the academy. The situation between the two of us is causing such a huge commotion that if you go back now, people will probably give you trouble."
After all, Nan Yu had a great many supporters.
Not just supporters, either.
There were people who admired Nan Yu...
People who wanted to become outstanding Mental Power Users like him...
And the families of those whom Nan Yu had once treated.
In short, Nan Yu had now become the center of everyone's attention.
The more popular Nan Yu became, the more trouble Yun Feiyu would face if he returned to school.
In that case, it would be better to wait until the matter about him using banned drugs had been cleared up.
Once Bai Zhouyun himself could return to school, he would be able to secretly protect Yun Feiyu.
The two of them could go to school together.
As for what would happen if people saw them...
Yun Feiyu had already become somewhat numb to it.
But there was nothing he could do.
He really couldn't go back to school.
He wasn't a masochist.
He had no desire to be abused by everyone.
So for now, all he could do was continue staying in this house.
Although, come to think of it...
A life where he ate, slept, and occasionally browsed the StarNet whenever he had time actually wasn't bad.
It was comfortable.
He didn't have to serve anyone.
He didn't have to keep pretending.
It was wonderfully relaxing.
More importantly...
There were no surveillance cameras in this room.
He could let himself rot as much as he wanted.
After reminding him a few more times not to go wandering outside, Bai Zhouyun ended the call.
Immediately afterward, he transferred another one hundred thousand credits to him.
Given the current situation, he couldn't give him too much.
After all, he had only just gotten into trouble and returned home.
If he suddenly spent a large amount of money, his grandfather would definitely become suspicious.
One hundred thousand credits was just enough to stay below that threshold.
Yun Feiyu was still delighted when he received the transfer.
Although it wasn't much, he could understand that Bai Zhouyun didn't dare spend money recklessly right now.
"Heh... Once I've made enough money, I'll dump you..."
Yun Feiyu muttered casually.
A moment later, he completely forgot about what he had just said.
For him now, the greatest pastime was checking the balance in his account.
—
After finishing their evening classes that day, Nan Yu and Yang Zhou went their separate ways.
Nan Yu returned to the villa in his residential district.
Yang Zhou headed to the hospital.
However, shortly after Nan Yu arrived at the hospital, he was greeted by his three older brothers.
"Big Brother, what are you all doing here?"
Nan Yun folded his arms across his chest.
"What are we doing here? Something this big happened to you, and you didn't even tell us. Do you have any idea how worried we've been?"
Nan Yu immediately thought of running into Bai Zhouyun at school earlier.
Even he hadn't expected Bai Zhouyun to be spotted by students while leaving the academy, photographed, and then exposed online.
Now the whole matter had grown even larger.
In a sense, it was entirely Bai Zhouyun's own fault for handling things so carelessly.
He hadn't properly dealt with the aftermath before coming, allowing everything to escalate into such a huge incident.
"But I'm fine, aren't I?"
Nan Yun immediately softened.
"Alright, be good. Tell us—what did that bastard come looking for you about?"
Nan Yu scratched his head.
"Actually, nothing much. He just wanted to have a private meal with me and chat alone."
"Oh, right. Yang Zhou was with me at the time, so Bai Zhouyun wanted to speak with me privately, but I refused."
"Then I left with Yang Zhou. Bai Zhouyun was probably photographed secretly while he was leaving by himself."
As soon as Nan Yu finished speaking, Nan Zhen let out a cold laugh and said mockingly,
"As expected of trash. Even after becoming a High-Tier Ability User, he's still trash. He can even forget something as basic as that."
"He hasn't improved at all."
Nan Yun snorted.
"I thought becoming a High-Tier Ability User might finally make us look at him differently."
"At the very least, I thought we'd see him in a new light."
"But now?"
"Now all I want to say is that Bai Zhouyun really is a completely useless piece of trash."
"He certainly has made us look at him differently..."
"Just not in a good way."