Chapter 131 - 130: Coincidence?
Si Xu’s recitation seemed capable of purifying hearts and calming fears.
Jian Yu felt her anxiety subside.
She listened, mesmerized, and stopped being so nervously vigilant of her surroundings.
As the last line of the blessing was uttered, the entire freshman class began to pray in unison.
Jian Yu blended into the crowd, her voice joining the recitation, managing not to stand out.
The chorus of rising and falling voices instantly brought back a sense of worldly hustle and bustle.
As the prayers ceased, a white Long Feathered Dove began to circle above the auditorium.
Sheng Yue appeared out of thin air.
He stood half-turned, his voice cold as he asked, "Will you choose one this year?"
Si Xu rarely returned, but whenever he did, he would choose one of the freshmen to bestow a feather upon as a blessing.
Sheng Yue’s deep, dazzling blue eyes glanced at the dove before turning to stare unblinkingly at the freshmen.
His gaze landed on Jian Yu, lingering for two seconds—so briefly it was almost a trick of the light.
Si Xu’s voice was steady, his glass-like eyes perfectly clear. "Ah Qi will decide."
Ah Qi was Si Xu’s Soul Beast, a snow-white Long Feathered Dove.
It pecked at its feathers, carefully choosing which one to pluck.
A white feather came loose, instantly turning a sparkling gold.
Clasping the golden feather in its beak, it flew straight toward Jian Yu.
It flew with speed, urgency, and a palpable excitement.
Sheng Yue’s brow furrowed.
He remembered the Golden Feather Yin Jiu had picked up the other day, and an uncontrollable suspicion welled up inside him.
Jian Yu’s fingers curled as she watched Ah Qi, feather in its beak, tilt its head to look at her.
The scene was so familiar, almost a perfect echo of the love letter delivery in the lab.
She nearly forgot to breathe.
Si Xu appeared in a flash, standing right in front of Jian Yu.
His glass-like pupils were pale and translucent, his gaze an empty, pure white. "You are unwilling?"
Jian Yu’s expression tensed. ’??? ’
’Am I too short? I’m 5’5" for crying out loud!’
’Does he have to look right through people like that?’
Glancing at her already outstretched hand, Jian Yu silently raised it a little higher. "I’m not unwilling. It’s a great honor."
There were sharp gasps from the surrounding crowd.
’Was my response too flat? Not sincere enough?’ Her face burning, Jian Yu added, "I’m so lucky."
"The Feather God will watch over you," Si Xu said with a light chuckle.
His voice was as ethereal as an angel’s, branding itself into Jian Yu’s mind.
The feather floated gently down into her palm.
Jian Yu looked up and replied out of habit, "Thanks, you too."
Being so close gave Jian Yu a much more direct appreciation for F1’s handsome features.
His face was flawless, his bone structure perfect, and his figure was beyond reproach.
One look into his pure, limpid eyes seemed to make all her pent-up worries vanish.
His hair was even a little like hers, with the ends curling up in soft, fine waves.
’How could a person like this be the creep who sent the love letter?’
"Yu, it’s time to go." Shen Gu waved a hand in front of her face, breaking her out of her reverie.
The freshmen were shuffling out in a long line.
Jian Yu blinked, coming back to her senses, and followed them out.
"Yu, do you want to head back to the villa, or should I take you to check out the Beast Taming Arena?"
Shen Gu was in a cheerful mood. "I’m definitely going to the Beast Taming Arena in a bit."
Jian Yu paused for a moment. "Pei Yin said he’s coming to get me, so I guess we’re going."
She asked hesitantly, "You’re an Awakener and you already have a Soul Beast. Why do you still want to go tame beasts?"
"Besides Beast Taming, there are challenge matches and other regular competitions."
Shen Gu paused for a moment.
"It doesn’t matter if I lose the matches. Beast Taming can be done forcefully or gently. I can try using the resources the Chief gave me to coax an Alien Beast into coming with me."
"Once they’re brought back to the family, they can freely choose to form a Contract with someone from the Shen Family."
"Anyone with an invitation can enter the arena and participate in all the competitions. I’m the Shen family’s most promising member right now, so I have to do my part."
Jian Yu looked at his bright, determined eyes and pursed her lips, her feelings complicated.
Her personality was very similar to Shen Gu’s. They had discovered many things in common since they met, but now, it seemed they weren’t so alike after all.
Jian Yu suddenly realized she didn’t even have a single goal.
’Shen Gu isn’t like me. He would never treat this world as some kind of simulation.’
’He entered the academy with a purpose. If he had the ability, he would contribute to the younger members of his family. If he didn’t, he would just quietly wait to graduate, get that prestigious diploma, and bring honor to the Shen family.’
’In Jian Yu’s mind, while she might enjoy forced-love novels, the genre itself depicted worlds with warped values—melodramatic and even crass.’
’Any change to the plot could cause this novel-world to collapse at any moment.’
’Making money, struggling to get ahead... it would all be for nothing, and she wasn’t willing to waste her time.’
’As for hovering between the several male leads... for one, she wasn’t powerful enough to resist them.’
’For another, she was all too aware of her own beauty and didn’t want to end up as some other noble’s plaything.’
’This interstellar beast world had a rigid class system, not much different from ancient times.’
Jian Yu had imagined life at the Noble Academy as something far too terrifying.
’So her initial thought had been, if getting noticed meant becoming a plaything regardless, then why not be the plaything of Ling Yanzhi and his friends?’
’At least they had money, power, influence, and good looks. She wouldn’t be getting the short end of the stick.’
Jian Yu lowered her gaze and turned her wrist over. The two black and red lines on her skin pulsed faintly.
’But now, she didn’t have to be a plaything.’
’There’s nothing wrong with liking a thrill, and nothing wrong with enjoying forced restraint, but why can’t the control be in my own hands?’
’Deciding when things could be forceful, when she needed them...’
Jian Yu admitted to herself that she was someone who got bored easily.
’Her boast to the System—one man a day, thirty male leads in thirty days—wasn’t entirely just talk.’
’An occasional bout of tears gave her a rush.’
’At first, Ling Yanzhi and Xi Yu could still make her feel something.’
’But lately, with Pei Yin’s repetitive actions and blindfolds, she was actually getting a little bored. She could barely squeeze out a tear.’
Screams erupted from up ahead.
The crowd pressed in, then surged backward.
Jian Yu smelled a strange fragrance, its source just to her left.
She glanced up but could only see the freshmen scattering in a panic, making it impossible to pinpoint who the scent was coming from.
"This way." Shen Gu pulled Jian Yu aside to get out of the way.
A large Rhino Soul Beast was charging about recklessly.
Jian Yu glanced at her wrist.
’This was a perfect moment to show off and steal the spotlight. Should she take it?’
’Shi Zhao had told her she became famous overnight by making a huge splash, which was why both Emperor Source Star and Imperial Capital Star had been so desperate to recruit her.’
Before Jian Yu could make a decision, Shen Gu let out a sigh of relief. "It’s okay now."
The crowd ahead parted.
Sheng Yue strode over, looking coldly at the crowd.
His lips formed a hard line, his tone cold and distant.
"Three months into your studies, and you’ve learned nothing. But you’ve certainly perfected the art of running away."
Jian Yu had assumed it was Sheng Yue who subdued the rampaging Rhino Soul Beast.
But to her surprise, Sheng Yue turned and praised three freshmen.
Although it was only with a simple "Not bad."
Just then, a tall student emerged from the side. "I’m sorry, President. I’ll keep it under control next time."
The person wore a cyan brooch and had an unfamiliar face.
His voice was faint. "I hadn’t been out of the auditorium for long when I suddenly smelled a fragrance, and my Soul Beast just... went wild."
Sheng Yue’s brow furrowed, and he looked over at Jian Yu.
Jian Yu met his gaze innocently.
Pei Yin appeared, swinging a long chain. "What’s going on? Why is everyone blocking my way?"
In an instant, the crowd vanished completely.
And just like that, the incident was over.
Jian Yu looked thoughtfully at the Rhino Soul Beast’s owner.
The student’s face was flushed, and he looked rather embarrassed and shy.
Jian Yu looked away, failing to notice the way the student’s expression fell, his eyes turning sinister.