Chapter 122: Guessed Wrong
Darkness fell over her eyes, and her vision blurred.
Jian Yu blinked, realizing that everything in her sight had turned black.
A dark figure was pinning her down, covering her mouth, kissing her demandingly.
The figure was tall, domineering, oppressive.
Jian Yu’s fingers twitched as she prepared to fight back.
A flash of white from the auditorium crossed her mind, and she hesitated, extinguishing the Purple Smoke at her fingertips.
Jian Yu had a suspect in mind.
’F6’s strength is second only to F7’s. With Xi Yu away, Ling Yanzhi is the strongest. He’s powerful enough that there’s no way he couldn’t have defeated the figure who ambushed me.’
’Unless... Ling Yanzhi didn’t want to intervene.’
’So who could it be? Who would make Ling Yanzhi, who was undoubtedly watching from the shadows, choose to look the other way instead of apprehending the attacker?’
Sheng Yue.
’Ling Yanzhi has always thought I like Sheng Yue.’
’Xi Yu and Pei Yin think I like Sheng Yue too, which is why they wouldn’t want me to find out what he’s been doing.’
’It’s just like that time he stole a kiss. I pretended not to know, and they played along, pretending to be blind and deliberately not telling me.’
’Only someone with Sheng Yue’s status would make the two freshmen assigned to protect me too scared to shout or rush in to stop him.’
"Mmph."
In the midst of her thoughts, her lips were forced apart, and an embarrassed blush crept onto Jian Yu’s pale face.
Her legs began to struggle instinctively, and her shoulders trembled slightly.
’Playing dumb so you can keep running away?’
’After being kissed once, twice... you still think you can run?’
Jian Yu bit down hard on the dark figure’s lip.
Her voice was hoarse and her eyes were red-rimmed as she whispered his name. "Chairman Sheng."
The man’s faint gasps by her ear were intoxicating, and also very familiar.
Jian Yu’s heart began to race. A sudden unease washed over her.
The black mist before her eyes dissipated, and her vision gradually cleared.
’Whoops. Guessed wrong.’
"Chairman Sheng?" Ling Yanzhi slid one arm under Jian Yu’s knees, swept her into his arms, and pinned her against a pavilion pillar.
His expression darkened as he stared coldly at her.
Jian Yu turned her face to the side, her head tilted slightly upward.
A branch of green plum blossoms reaching into the pavilion brushed against her chest.
The touch of spring-like green against her collarbone accentuated her long, fair neck.
There was no trace of a smile on Ling Yanzhi’s face.
His tone was mocking, laced with the sound of gritted teeth. "Always thinking about your Chairman Sheng, aren’t you? To the point you can’t even recognize the man who shares your bed and kisses you every day?"
Helplessness and shame flickered in Jian Yu’s large eyes, and her face began to burn.
Her voice was weak. "I thought it was him."
’Time for some damage control?’
Jian Yu lowered her gaze, then looked up again with an expression of innocent confusion.
"I saw a white cape in the auditorium," she explained, "and a star-blue insignia."
Without saying whether he believed her, Ling Yanzhi’s face held a dangerous smile.
Beneath his refined, defiant brow, an emotion Jian Yu couldn’t comprehend surfaced in his interwoven black-and-red eyes.
The man’s black shirt was casually half-tucked into his waistband, and the choker around his neck caught a faint glint of light in the dimness.
His black and red shirt, loosened by Jian Yu’s struggles, now hung open, revealing a sliver of pale skin and the lines of his chest.
Careless. Decadent. Alluring.
"White?" Ling Yanzhi’s voice was gentle. He wasn’t deliberately making it sound cold, but it still carried an icy edge.
Jian Yu glanced at his clothes. All black and red.
She instinctively fell silent. Her eyelashes fluttered as she averted her gaze, pretending she hadn’t noticed.
"I wasn’t lying. It all went dark just now, so I couldn’t tell," Jian Yu mumbled, choosing to offer a quiet defense after a moment’s hesitation.
She thought for a moment, then snapped back to her senses.
’What do I have to feel guilty about?’
Her eyes darted about for a second before Jian Yu lifted her head, suddenly bold and defiant.
Though her eyes looked timid, she said, "Weren’t you supposed to be catching the attacker? You came out too soon. You didn’t even catch him."
Ling Yanzhi scoffed, his gaze drifting to a corner of the white plum grove.
’If I’d come out a moment later, I really would have had to catch Chairman Sheng and gift-wrap him for her.’
Jian Yu rested a hand on Ling Yanzhi’s shoulder. Her voice was a low, pleasant murmur. "Your grip on my waist... it hurts a little."
Her eyes were wide and round, their corners tinged with red, her cheeks flushed as well.
"All you know how to do is act cute." Ling Yanzhi couldn’t help but put her down, only to pull her into a full embrace. He nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck, lingering there for a moment.
’Her warm, fresh scent... so soft...’ His heart seized, and an itch started deep in his teeth.
He lowered his head, wanting to bite down, but the fear of drawing blood made him restrain the urge.
’Her waist hurts?’
"I’m hurting too. My heart hurts. From how angry you make me." Ling Yanzhi felt like a pervert.
One moment he was seething, and the next his anger melted away at the sight of Jian Yu’s blinking eyes.
His fingers tightened, giving Jian Yu’s slender waist a squeeze, his thumb stroking the subtle dimples of her lower back.
’Small head, small face, small frame. Slender, shapely legs. A flat stomach with just a hint of soft flesh and faint lines.’
’Big, bright, round eyes. Long, curling lashes. A sweet, adorable smile. And her knees and feet are all pink.’
Ling Yanzhi forced himself to stop the blatant recollection.
’What the hell? He wasn’t a pervert with a foot fetish like Xi Yu. What was he doing thinking about her feet?’
"I won’t mistake you again," Jian Yu said, wisely choosing to back down.
’It really seems like they’ve forgotten all about my attempt to transfer schools and run away.’
’No interrogation, no imprisonment... they’re so busy they’re less like male protagonists and more like overworked wage slaves. They don’t even have time to watch me every day.’
’Could it be... they’ve seen through my act?’
Just as the doubt surfaced in her mind, Ling Yanzhi explained.
Ling Yanzhi’s tone was cool and cocky, laced with impatience. "Shi Zhao is coming to our academy as an exchange student. He’ll be here for a year."
He took Jian Yu’s hand and led her out of the pavilion.
"You wanted to live on the same planet as Shi Zhao, so I’ve granted your wish. In the future, if you have any demands, bring them to us directly. Don’t try to sneak away again."
Ling Yanzhi’s tone didn’t sound threatening. "Push Xi Yu too far, and you can forget about having a normal life."
Jian Yu still looked skeptical after he said this.
Ling Yanzhi continued, "Then there’s Pei Yin. He’s made human specimens before. If you keep trying to run, he’s very likely to turn you into one for his collection."
Jian Yu got the message.
’So they are still threatening me.’
They walked away hand-in-hand, their figures quickly swallowed by the surrounding sea of flowers.
They left the two freshmen staring at each other in bewilderment before the pair parted ways and headed back to their dorms.
From behind a green-bricked, green-tiled building, Sheng Yue slowly emerged from the shade of the white plum trees.
He stepped onto the staircase, his gaze falling on the potted green plum tree inside the pavilion, his expression dimming.
Yin Jiu tried to comfort and encourage him.
[Master, don’t be discouraged.]
[Master, there’s always next time!]
Having gotten away with it once, there would surely be a second time. Yin Jiu felt itself growing bolder.
[Next time, I’ll pounce right on her and hug our baby’s leg.]
[I’ve looked in the mirror. All humans like fluffy pets like me.]
[Then, I’ll act all cute and cuddly. When baby sees me, she’ll definitely soften up, hold me, and comfort me. Then, Master, you can pretend it’s all for my sake and you’ll have no choice but to follow our baby around.]
Sheng Yue didn’t block out its incessant chattering. He gave a slight nod before turning to leave.
His voice was crisp and cool as his tightly pressed lips parted. "Alright."
...
Villa No. 6.
Ling Yanzhi led Jian Yu down to the basement.
He didn’t press Jian Yu about her abilities, stating concisely, "My baby needs to be able to protect herself."
Jian Yu stared at the vast, sparsely furnished space, her expression blank.
’My chronic illness has barely flared up recently. My legs don’t hurt, my heartbeat is strong, and my appetite is much better.’
’I haven’t slacked on my training, though my practice sessions have been shorter.’
’An S-Class Soul Ghost Body died by my own hand,’ Jian Yu thought. She considered herself more than capable of self-defense.
RUMBLE.
Various moving targets rose from the basement floor, along with a virtual reality gaming machine custom-built for Jian Yu.
Ling Yanzhi pulled her down to sit, placing the VR helmet on her head. "This time, it was me. Next time, it might be someone else."
Jian Yu pressed her lips together but didn’t refuse.
It felt as if her entire being was being pulled into another world.
Ling Yanzhi’s gentle, soothing voice echoed in her ears.
"I hope you can’t resist me, and that you won’t. That’s for the best, for me. But I don’t want my baby to be unable to break free from anyone else, to be bullied by them."
"The pain sensitivity... I helped my baby turn it down to the lowest setting. Don’t be afraid. Just treat it like a game."
"The dungeons inside, the strength of the Alien Beasts—it all matches reality. The people on the leaderboards are all modeled after real-world Awakeners. My baby can try challenging them."