Chapter 75: Agreed
Only when Bai Zhouyun saw the two of them did he remember what time it was. He had picked the worst possible moment to come.
He hurriedly waved his hands while backing away, intending to retreat into his hovercraft. "Wait! I'm not here to fight. I just wanted to say a few words to Nan Yu. Things in the game weren't what he thought they were."
Nan Yun raised an eyebrow. "Hm? What do you mean they weren't what he thought? That sounds awfully familiar. Don't tell me you've been flirting with someone else in the game too?"
Nan Zhen's face darkened immediately. "You're really asking for a beating. You really are. I'll teach you a proper lesson today. Don't worry, though—I’ll hold back a little. After all, someone as noble as you deserves special treatment, right?!"
In the end, Bai Zhouyun earned himself nothing but a thorough beating. He didn't even get to see a single strand of Nan Yu's hair.
After driving Bai Zhouyun away, Nan Yun and Nan Zhen returned to the living room, sat comfortably on the sofa, and chatted with smiles on their faces. Although they had beaten him up, they hadn't actually injured his muscles or bones.
The severity was about the same as the beatings he received during special training from his instructors.
The only difference was that they had deliberately targeted the places that hurt the most.
There was one thing Bai Zhouyun didn't know.
Their younger brother had gone out earlier to play with Yang Zhou and still hadn't returned. According to the latest message, he would be home in another ten minutes. They had only acted a little more ruthlessly because they wanted to drive Bai Zhouyun away before Nan Yu came back.
Unfortunately, they had overlooked one important detail.
Just as Bai Zhouyun climbed back into his hovercraft to leave, he suddenly remembered something.
When Nan Yu had logged into the game earlier, hadn't he logged in together with Yang Zhou?
That meant Nan Yu had probably been with Yang Zhou before.
If Yang Zhou wasn't at the Nan residence, then Nan Yu must be at Yang Zhou's home.
Which meant...
Nan Yu still hadn't gone home!
He still had a chance.
Of course, Bai Zhouyun had become much more self-aware now.
Ever since returning to this point in time, he had been constantly regretting it.
Since he had already come back, why couldn't he have returned just a little earlier?
If that had happened, the misunderstanding in Black Night Forest never would have occurred.
If things had gone that way, Nan Yu would still be following him around like before, and he wouldn't have to worry about anything.
After getting back into his hovercraft, Bai Zhouyun grimaced as he sprayed healing medicine over himself.
Most of the superficial injuries healed almost immediately.
Only after finishing did he suddenly realize—
He still planned to go see Nan Yu.
Wouldn't it have been better to keep those injuries?
They were only superficial wounds anyway. They weren't serious at all.
But since he'd already treated them, he couldn't exactly go back and ask Nan Yun and Nan Zhen to beat him up again.
Even so, he could still go find Nan Yu.
Setting the hovercraft to autopilot, he headed to the temporary parking area near the entrance of Qinghe Residential District, close to the academy, and waited there.
It was already getting late.
Logically speaking, Nan Yu should be heading home soon unless he intended to stay the night there.
But after the kidnapping incident, Bai Zhouyun couldn't imagine Nan Yun and Nan Zhen allowing Nan Yu to spend the night outside.
Still, after waiting for several hours without seeing Nan Yu come out, he began to grow uncertain.
Night had already fallen.
Nan Yu still hadn't appeared.
Was he really planning to stay there overnight?
Nan Yun and Nan Zhen had actually agreed to it?
That was completely unexpected.
Even so, Bai Zhouyun refused to give up.
He remained parked outside for a while longer until a patrol robot arrived and reminded him that he had occupied the temporary parking spot for too long and needed to leave.
Only then did he reluctantly drive away.
It looked like Nan Yu really was spending the night at Yang Zhou's place.
Still...
Tomorrow would do just as well.
After Bai Zhouyun returned to his room, he received a communication request from Yun Feiyu.
He accepted it.
Yun Feiyu looked pale, his complexion bloodless and his spirits low.
Bai Zhouyun knew why.
This time, no one had helped him, so he had still been killed repeatedly until the game forcibly logged him out. It was only natural that he wasn't feeling well mentally.
Looking so pale only made Yun Feiyu seem even more pitiful.
"Zhouyun..."
His voice carried a hint of sobbing, as though he had suffered an unbearable grievance.
Bai Zhouyun couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
After all, in his previous life, Yun Feiyu had stayed by his side until the very end.
He had always been Bai Zhouyun's perfect partner—both lover and confidant.
Seeing him in such a weakened state naturally left Bai Zhouyun unable to remain indifferent.
The problem was...
At present, they had nothing between them.
Thinking of the Nianshen Grass in Nan Yu's possession, Bai Zhouyun couldn't help but think that if Nan Yu could be persuaded to accept Yun Feiyu as his disciple, he would surely be willing to hand it over.
In his previous life, Nan Yu had only given it to Yun Feiyu after becoming a High-Tier Mental Power User himself.
This life probably wouldn't differ too much.
"Zhouyun... I'm going to be expelled soon. What should I do?"
He wasn't talking about the game.
After all, the game was only a game.
Painful as it was to lose progress, what worried him far more was the academy's decision to expel him.
Although he had spoken with Nan Yu before...
Something still didn't feel right.
Perhaps Nan Yu had only pretended to agree, intending to drag things out until the academy's deadline arrived and Yun Feiyu was forcibly removed from the school.
No matter what Nan Yu was thinking, Yun Feiyu refused to accept that outcome.
He wanted to stay at the academy.
He wanted to spend the rest of his life with Bai Zhouyun.
The recent changes in Bai Zhouyun had been so dramatic that even Yun Feiyu, who knew him better than almost anyone else, had been shocked.
Yet before long, he found himself utterly captivated by this new Bai Zhouyun.
Nothing else mattered anymore.
Every day, all he thought about was how to remain by Bai Zhouyun's side.
He was willing to give up everything if necessary.
That was why he had approached Nan Yu—a person who normally would never have crossed paths with him again—and begged to become his disciple.
If that happened, he could remain at the academy.
Even if he was no longer officially a student, everything else would stay exactly the same.
The academy would also keep the previous expulsion order confidential.
Even if he ultimately failed to meet the graduation requirements and simply left the academy empty-handed, no one outside would ever know what had happened.
His student status, however, would naturally be gone.
Yun Feiyu was extremely satisfied with those terms.
That was why he had gone to Nan Yu without any hesitation.
Originally, he had expected it to be very difficult.
After all, Nan Yu already misunderstood him badly, and now his prejudice had grown even deeper.
If Nan Yu ever found out that Shui Zhongyou was actually him...
Then...
Bai Zhouyun frowned slightly.
"I can't help you with this anymore. If it were any other school, maybe. But this is the Royal Military Academy of the Capital Star. It's not something we can interfere with."
With tears welling in his eyes, Yun Feiyu looked as though he was about to cry.
"Zhouyun, I asked Nan Yu to accept me as his disciple before, and he didn't reject me outright. Do you think... do I still have a chance?"
The moment he heard those words, Bai Zhouyun immediately thought of the Nianshen Grass in Nan Yu's possession.
"Yes. You definitely have a chance. If he really wanted to reject you, he wouldn't even have given you the chance to ask. His attitude must already be softening. Over the next few days, talk to him properly at school. I'm sure he'll agree."
Only after hearing those words did Yun Feiyu finally stop crying and reveal a pale smile.
"Mm... You're right, Zhouyun. Then tomorrow I'll go ask Nan Yu again. It should... be fine."
Perhaps even he didn't truly believe everything would be fine.
But he had no other choice.
He had to try.
Nan Yu really didn't go home that night.
He stayed at Yang Zhou's place and planned to return the following day.
He had already contacted both of his older brothers beforehand and explained the situation.
Nan Yun and Nan Zhen also knew that elite members of the Legion were now secretly protecting Nan Yu.
Wherever he stayed, he would be safe.
After what had happened last time, their security arrangements had naturally become much tighter.
No one would be given another opportunity.
Since Nan Yun and Nan Zhen weren't particularly worried anymore, they allowed him to stay.
After taking a shower, Nan Yu lay down on the bed.
Yang Zhou occupied the spot beside him.
Looking up at the ceiling, Yang Zhou sighed.
"Honestly... this feels surreal."
Nan Yu turned to him.
"What is?"
"How long has it been since we last slept in the same room and had a proper conversation like this?"
Nan Yu thought about it.
If he counted his previous life as well...
Probably several decades.
"You can't even remember anymore, can you?" Yang Zhou chuckled. "Back then, every time Bai Zhouyun was involved, it was like your brain disappeared. But the moment you were away from him and stopped talking about him, your brain came back."
Nan Yu was speechless.
Was he really that bad?
Then he thought about it carefully.
...Apparently he was.
Yang Zhou continued, "Everything that's happened recently feels like a dream."
He rolled over to face Nan Yu.
"Nan Yu... do you think you'll get back together with Bai Zhouyun someday?"
"Seriously, are you just angry with him right now, or have you really stopped loving him?"
"Your change this time makes sense logically, but it still happened too suddenly. It leaves people feeling uneasy. I bet your two older brothers feel exactly the same."
Nan Yu sighed inwardly.
Yang Zhou was right.
If he wanted his brothers to truly believe him...
He would probably have to wait until his engagement to Bai Zhouyun was officially dissolved.
Once the engagement was gone...
No matter what happened afterward, they would never doubt him again.
"Oh, right!" Yang Zhou suddenly changed the subject. "When I saw you interacting with Marshal Yu in the game... are you really that familiar with him? He actually patted your head! I want the Marshal to pat my head too!"
Nan Yu's mouth twitched.
How did the conversation jump topics so quickly?
Pat his head?
As if he cared.
"I have no idea why he suddenly did that. I was startled too, okay?"
Yang Zhou's eyes sparkled.
"Hey, Nan Yu... do you think Marshal Yu might... have a little thing for you?"
Nan Yu stared at him with wide eyes.
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
Yang Zhou waved his hand.
"I know, I know, he's an upright person. I'm just saying—isn't it possible?"
"Have you ever heard of him patting anyone else's head before?"
"No, right?"
"I knew it. You're special to him."
"I've always paid attention to news about him, but I never noticed anything unusual before. I just wanted to know what you think."
Nan Yu took a deep breath.
"What is there to think about?"
"That's all pure imagination."
"Marshal Yu is the Empire's strongest Ability User, the commander of its strongest Legion, the younger brother of the Empress, a member of the Imperial Family, a Marshal who holds enormous authority."
"He's someone standing at the very peak."
"He's completely out of our league."
"So stop daydreaming."
Yang Zhou rolled his eyes.
"Anyone would step down from their pedestal for the person they love—or bring the one they love up onto that pedestal with them."
"How could it be nothing but wishful thinking forever?"
"Nan Yu, why don't you at least give it a try?"
"If you never even try, wouldn't that be such a waste?"
"And what a waste of the opportunity between the two of you!"
Nan Yu genuinely had no idea what opportunity Yang Zhou was talking about.
"Enough. Go to sleep."
"Stop thinking about all this nonsense."
"Nonsense?" Yang Zhou protested. "I honestly think the Marshal likes you."
"If he only wanted to test some newly added game functions, wouldn't it have been better to use one of the Mental Power Users from his own Legion?"
"They're official Legion members."
"They won't betray him."
"They won't gossip."
"They won't be in danger."
"And yet he specifically chose you."
Nan Yu slowly opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
For just a brief moment...
Yang Zhou's words actually shook him.
As memories of all the times he had spent with Yu Lanfeng resurfaced...
There really did seem to be something there.
Wait.
Wait, wait, wait!
What was he even thinking?
He was still engaged.
The Yu Lanfeng he knew was an upright man.
He would never pursue a Mental Power User who was already engaged to someone else.
So even if...
Even if Nan Yu wanted something to happen between them...
It would have to wait until after his engagement to Bai Zhouyun had been dissolved.
Until then, there was no point talking about it.
"Enough. Let's sleep."
"Don't think so much, or you'll have trouble getting up tomorrow."
Seeing that Nan Yu had truly closed his eyes, Yang Zhou felt somewhat frustrated.
Still, he wasn't giving up.
There was plenty of time ahead.
For some reason, he had a strong feeling—
Nan Yu would eventually throw Bai Zhouyun away for good and find his true love.
If that happened...
Could he perhaps start looking forward to his own future as well?
Then again...
He was only a Low-Tier Mental Power User.
He shouldn't hope for too much.
A person had to know their own limits.
Lost in those thoughts, he eventually drifted off to sleep.
Only after Yang Zhou had fallen asleep did Nan Yu turn over and glance at him.
This fool had fallen asleep without a care.
Meanwhile, their conversation had given Nan Yu a massive headache.
Now that he had started thinking about it...
He couldn't fall asleep anymore.
He had only pretended to sleep earlier.
He lay quietly on the bed, gazing out at the brightly illuminated night beyond the window.
The city lights were almost too bright.
He got up and walked over to close the curtains.
But as soon as he reached the window...
He noticed something unusual outside.
Standing in the darkened room, Nan Yu looked down from the high floor.
The residential district's streetlights were still on.
With his exceptionally strong mental power, he could clearly see everything happening below.
Three men stood near Building Five.
Two of them were probably Ability Users.
The third appeared to be a Mental Power User.
The two Ability Users were shoving each other back and forth, their mouths moving nonstop as they cursed at one another.
The Mental Power User kept trying to break up the fight.
Unfortunately, he accomplished almost nothing.
Not only did he fail to calm them down, but the argument quickly escalated from shouting to physical violence.
Nan Yu immediately walked into the living room and pressed the property management communication button.
"Hello, sir."
"There are people fighting beneath Building Five. Please send someone over. It's already late, and if something happens, everyone will have their rest disturbed."
"Understood, sir. We'll dispatch personnel immediately. We're very sorry for disturbing your rest."
"It's fine. Just deal with it as quickly as possible."
He ended the call.
"Thank you, sir. We wish you a pleasant night's sleep."
After hanging up, Nan Yu returned to the window.
The three men were still pulling at one another.
Sure enough, the two Ability Users had already started fighting.
However, less than thirty seconds later, property management personnel arrived.
Within only a few seconds, they subdued both Ability Users.
All three men were escorted away together.
Only after seeing them leave did Nan Yu draw the curtains and return to bed.
The two Ability Users had already begun unconsciously activating their abilities during the fight.
If they had fully unleashed their powers there, they might even have demolished the entire apartment building.
After all, an Ability User's combat power after activating their abilities was never something to underestimate.
Using abilities to fight inside a residential neighborhood was one of the greatest taboos.
Having been caught red-handed, the two Ability Users certainly wouldn't be getting off lightly.
Nan Yu paid no further attention to what happened afterward.
Once he lay back down, he quickly fell asleep.
The next morning, he woke up early.
Then he went to wake Yang Zhou, who was still stubbornly clinging to his bed.
"Wake up, wake up. If you keep sleeping, you're going to be late."
Nan Yu had already washed up, changed into clean clothes, and was simply waiting to finish breakfast before heading to school.
Yang Zhou, however, had absolutely no intention of getting up.
"It's still early..."
"Let me sleep a little longer..."
"You go ahead..."
Nan Yu sighed and shook his head.
There were only thirty minutes left before class.
This guy still wanted to sleep.
There was washing up, changing clothes, going downstairs, taking a hovercraft to school, walking from the parking area to the classroom...
That alone would take fifteen to twenty minutes.
Not to mention breakfast.
After thinking it over, Nan Yu asked, "Don't tell me you're like this every single day? How do you manage not to be late? It's honestly hard to imagine."
Yang Zhou mumbled something drowsily...
Then promptly fell back asleep.
Nan Yu couldn't help laughing.
Shaking his head, he said, "Fine. I'll go have breakfast first."
After finishing breakfast and waiting another five minutes, Nan Yu was ready to leave.
Before going, he stopped by Yang Zhou's bedroom once more.
"Yang Zhou, I'm leaving first. Hurry up and come over soon. Class starts in twenty-five minutes."
Yang Zhou merely let out a faint grunt.
There was nothing Nan Yu could do.
He left by himself.
Taking a hovercraft to the academy, he walked toward the classroom for his next lesson.
By the time he sat down, there were still eight minutes before class began.
He couldn't help worrying.
Would Yang Zhou really make it in time?
Time passed second by second. Even when the teacher arrived for class, Yang Zhou still had not appeared.
Very good.
He really was late.
But soon, the teacher said, "Student Yang Zhou has requested leave, so he won't be attending this class."
Nan Yu blinked.
Hm?
Why had he requested leave?
Had he taken leave just to sleep in?
"Teacher, did Yang Zhou say what happened?"
Seeing that it was Nan Yu asking, the teacher did not get angry. If it had been anyone else, he definitely would have dismissed them with a simple, "Why are you asking so much?"
"It seems he said he was stopped by someone and beaten. I don't know the details. It looks like he's handling the matter right now."
Nan Yu became even more surprised.
How could Yang Zhou have been beaten?
He stood up.
"Teacher, I want to go take a look."
The teacher thought for a moment.
Nan Yu's current strength was already greater than his. Coming to class was giving him face. If Nan Yu didn't come, the teacher couldn't exactly say anything either.
Now that Nan Yu was formally asking him for leave, he naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Then go take a look. But don't act impulsively, understand?"
"I understand, Teacher. Don't worry. Thank you."
The teacher waved his hand and immediately signed him a leave slip, making the other students in the class watch with envy.
But they also knew Nan Yu had the strength to make the teacher treat him differently.
If they were as strong as Nan Yu, they could probably swagger up to the teacher and have him open a special green channel for them too.
Nan Yu had no mind to care about any of that now.
He rushed back to the residential district as fast as possible and saw Yang Zhou still standing at the entrance beneath the property management building.
He hurried to his side.
"What happened? What's going on?"
When Yang Zhou saw him, he became even angrier. Pointing at the two people opposite him, he said, "It was these two! They blocked me in the corridor and made me late enough that I actually had to ask for leave!"
"Especially them! Without saying a word, they punched me right away. Look here, near the corner of my eye. It's bruised!"
Nan Yu saw the dark bruise near Yang Zhou's right eye, close to his temple.
It was not serious, but the other party seemed to be a relatively weak Mental Power User. To leave a bruise like that, he must have used real force.
The property management staff stood to the side, unsure of what to do.
Both sides were residents here.
Yang Zhou was still a student at the Royal Military Academy, while the other party was a family member of someone who had already graduated from the academy and joined a certain Legion.
How to handle this matter had become a major problem.
But if it was investigated, the matter was actually very simple.
The other side had made the first move.
They had stopped Yang Zhou, and before he could even react, they had punched him.
Should they be glad that this Mental Power User wasn't very strong?
If an Ability User had landed that punch on Yang Zhou's face, Yang Zhou's head might not have remained attached.
Nan Yu looked at the two of them.
He didn't know who the person standing behind was, but he was certain that he was an Ability User, and definitely a High-Tier one.
As for the person in front, he looked somewhat familiar.
Nan Yu looked at the Mental Power User.
"So can you explain? Why did you attack my friend?"
The Mental Power User probably recognized Nan Yu, so he shrank back a little.
"I... I didn't want to either, but last night, my two older brothers only had a tiny conflict. I didn't expect some resident to report them. Now they've been arrested, and they even said they used abilities to fight inside a residential area."
"They also said that if they're convicted, they'll definitely be sentenced. I was very angry at the time, so I investigated who made the report last night."
Nan Yu paused slightly.
So the source of Yang Zhou's undeserved disaster was actually him?
The corner of Nan Yu's mouth twitched.
"So you also know they used abilities to fight inside the residential district? You also know that's very dangerous?"
"Do you know what kind of people live in this district?"
"If their fight had affected those people, do you think that with the strength and background of you and the person who allows you to live in this district, you could settle things with everyone here?"
"At that point, it wouldn't be as simple as sentencing. They might be sentenced to life imprisonment and exiled to a barren star. If the circumstances were serious enough, they could even be sentenced to death. It's not like there hasn't been such a case before."
"I..."
The other party trembled from the heart and liver after hearing Nan Yu's words.
Nan Yu continued, "And there's one most important point."
"The person who saw those two fighting outside last night and called property management to report them was me."
"Not Yang Zhou."
"So are you going to beat me up now too?"
With those few casual words, Nan Yu forced the other party into complete silence.
In the end, he ran away crying.
Although he had left, he still left behind a considerable sum in compensation.
After all, Yang Zhou, the one who had been beaten, was also a Mental Power User.
There was also the property management fine, which had to be paid. Otherwise, they might very well lose the right to live in this district.
Looking at the extra sum that had appeared in his account, Yang Zhou suddenly felt that the bruise on his face didn't hurt much anymore.
"Sorry. I dragged you into this."
"It's not a big deal. Besides, you did the right thing. If you hadn't reported it last night, we might not have seen the sun today. The building would've collapsed and crushed us to death."
Nan Yu said, "All right. We only had that one class this morning, and I've already requested leave too. Since that's the case, let's go back first. I'll spray some healing medicine on you, and it'll recover very quickly."
Yang Zhou nodded.
"Then let's go. We'll go back."
But after taking only two steps back, he changed his mind.
"No, let's not go back. Thinking about it, only a few minutes have passed. Let's still go to class. I don't want an absence on my record. It's only been a few minutes. I think the teacher will definitely excuse me for your sake, right?"
Nan Yu rolled his eyes.
In the end, he still couldn't outargue him, so the two of them returned to class.
When they got back to the classroom, the teacher even asked about their situation.
Only after both of them said everything was fine did he let them in to continue class.
The teacher was also very satisfied.
After taking leave, they returned to class immediately once the matter was resolved.
That deserved praise!
So he simply acted as though the leave request had never happened.
As for the time they had been late earlier, he pretended not to know about that either.
After Yang Zhou found out, his eyes curved into crescents from smiling. In secret, he clasped his hands together toward Nan Yu and bowed apologetically.
Nan Yu found it a little funny.
"Pay attention in class."
He didn't need to attend class.
He already knew everything he needed to know.
But Yang Zhou did.
Yang Zhou nodded with a grin and continued listening very seriously, while also asking the classmates near him what had been covered during the past ten to twenty minutes.
After discovering that it had all been simple and easy-to-understand material, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Class ended.
Nan Yu and Yang Zhou slowly packed their things.
By the time they left the classroom, there were already few people left inside.
Nan Yu pressed lightly on the bruise near the corner of Yang Zhou's eye.
"You should still go back and spray some healing medicine on it, right?"
Yang Zhou didn't feel that it hurt much, but it wasn't good to leave such a bruise on his face either.
"Then let's go."
But just as they left the classroom, Yun Feiyu appeared. No one knew how long he had been waiting there.
Only then did Nan Yu remember that Yun Feiyu still had the matter of being expelled from school.
When Yun Feiyu saw Nan Yu, he looked somewhat awkward and embarrassed, but he still walked forward and looked at Nan Yu with hope-filled eyes.
"Student Nan Yu, about that matter I mentioned to you before..."
Standing behind Nan Yu, Yang Zhou sneered.
He didn't say a word.
Instead, he looked at Yun Feiyu with eyes full of contempt.
Nan Yu rubbed his chin.
"I've thought it over. Actually, it is possible."
"I know it's very difficult to get into the Royal Military Academy. Once you're expelled, getting back in would be twice as difficult."
"So I understand your desire to stay at this academy."
"Since that's the case, I'll agree."
"I hope you can meet the academy's graduation standards before I graduate."