Chapter 44: F4
Xi Yu froze for a moment, then reached out to embrace her and undid the handcuffs.
He pressed close, a worried look in his eyes as he checked her breathing.
Her breathing went from rapid to regular in less than a minute.
A quick check revealed she’d fallen asleep.
’Could she really be that unconcerned?’
Xi Yu couldn’t figure it out. His thumb caressed Jian Yu’s swollen red lips for a moment.
Her body was soft, her cheeks flushed, and the corners of her eyes were red. A faint sheen of tears still clung to her curled lashes.
Time itself seemed to stand still around her, no longer flowing.
Xi Yu lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes softening.
He lowered his head and sucked greedily on her lips a few times. "Such an adorable baby."
He had gone through so much trouble to find an Exotic Beast Egg, planning to use the newly hatched Alien Beast for his experiments. That way, he wouldn’t have to harm Jian Yu, and Duan Feiye, who was about to return, wouldn’t notice.
He’d even planned on boasting to Jian Yu about it, but who would have thought that along the way, he’d receive a breakup text from her.
"My baby isn’t good at all. She loves to lie."
Slipping an arm under the bend of her knees, he lifted her into his arms. Dark thoughts surged through Xi Yu’s mind, but he quickly suppressed them.
’Ling Yanzhi was here first, then I arrived later, and my baby’s heart is still hung up on Sheng Yue.’
’And then there’s that big-mouthed Pei Yin, running his mouth everywhere, to the point that even that bastard Duan Feiye is rushing back.’
Xi Yu was incredibly annoyed. He lowered his head to Jian Yu’s plump, pink lips and stole two kisses, barely managing to restrain himself.
"Baby, you’re mine."
...
Jian Yu had an wonderfully comfortable sleep. By the time she woke up, it was already dark.
The room was dim, but she could vaguely make out a handsome man with broad shoulders and a narrow waist sitting by the bedside.
She squinted lazily. "Ayue?"
The room lit up brightly.
Ling Yanzhi turned his head, a flicker of malice in his eyes for a split second.
"Ling Yanzhi?" Jian Yu was instantly wide awake.
’She used my full name.’
’I really don’t like that.’
Ling Yanzhi reached out and pulled her onto his lap. "Baby, you’re still groggy from sleep. I’m Yanyan."
’I don’t want a nickname that starts with ’A’ like Xi Yu’s.’
’But ’Yanyan’ sounds too much like something an elder would be called.’
’If he didn’t desperately want to hear Jian Yu call him that, Ling Yanzhi wouldn’t even be able to stand the nickname.’
He lowered his head and rubbed the red marks on Jian Yu’s wrist.
He stared at her intently. "Baby, can I do that, too?"
"..." Jian Yu couldn’t pull her hand back and could only wiggle her fingers.
She carefully glanced up, then down, then up, and down again.
’I’m tired. I’ll have to politely decline.’
’I can’t even handle just the two of them. I’m too embarrassed to admit I’ve played otome games.’
Noticing his gaze, Jian Yu subconsciously looked down at herself.
Her delicate, fair skin was covered in a dense pattern of hickeys.
’Wow, Xi Yu is really something else. He didn’t leave a single untouched spot.’
Mentioning another man in front of Ling Yanzhi wasn’t very wise, but Jian Yu honestly didn’t know what else to say.
She rarely interacted with people; most of the time, she was just leaving fiery reviews online.
Ling Yanzhi let out a soft sigh. "Are you thinking about Xi Yu, baby?"
He ruffled her hair.
Jian Yu pursed her lips and shook her head.
Ling Yanzhi tightened his arms, adjusting his posture so she could lean against him more comfortably. "Baby, I’m the official one, right?"
"!?" Jian Yu looked up, her eyes wide.
’Is he asking for official status?’
’Well... in that case, should we make it official? I’m in a hurry, too.’
Jian Yu mulled it over. ’I shouldn’t make the distinction too clear. Harem infighting always happens when statuses are unstable.’
"Xi Yu is, too. You all are."
’Clever me. As expected of me.’
Ling Yanzhi let out a low chuckle. "Two official ones, huh."
"I’m afraid you’ll fight," Jian Yu said, shrinking back like a timid quail.
"Fine, two it is. As long as you’re willing to acknowledge it, I’m already very happy." Ling Yanzhi was indeed easier to talk to than Xi Yu.
He had no intention of making things difficult for her.
"Xi Yu went to find Pei Yin. We found an A-level Exotic Beast Egg for you, and Pei Yin is helping to incubate it."
Contractable Alien Beasts are hard to find, let alone one that’s still an egg.
Ling Yanzhi hadn’t intentionally kept it from Jian Yu. "I was afraid if I told you, I’d just be getting your hopes up for nothing."
Jian Yu was surprised. "For me? But I’m not a Half-awakened, so I can’t form a Contract with an Alien Beast."
Ling Yanzhi still wanted her to have a Contracted Beast for protection. "We’ll prepare lots of Beast Fruits for you. Once the little beast hatches, if you feed it every day and build a bond, it will recognize you as its master sooner or later."
He gently squeezed Jian Yu’s fingers. "You have a practical class tomorrow. I’ll have Lin Yu and the others take you to the classroom. Once I’m done with my work, I’ll come pick you up myself."
Jian Yu nodded. She was used to it; this had been the arrangement lately.
「The next day.」
Outside the villa, it was Lin Yu and his red-haired crew again.
They were A and B-level students, with cyan brooches pinned to their clothes.
They greeted her in a friendly manner, "Jian."
"Thanks for your trouble," Jian Yu said, then put on a cool front, not wanting to speak again.
’I thought I had overcome my social anxiety, but it turns out I was just temporarily immune to Ling Yanzhi and his friends.’
’Even after two weeks of contact, I can’t help but feel nervous and flustered around these people, wanting to avoid them.’
She pretended to be calm and simply nodded.
Every planet’s Noble Academy has a Chief, who is generally the student with the most power and the best family background.
Weis Lan Noble Academy was different; it had seven Chiefs.
The chosen Chiefs were S-level by default, or ranked first in their major.
And one’s Level was tied to factors like power, status, Soul Beast, and so on.
Attending Weis Lan Noble Academy meant access to resources, elite social circles, privileged treatment, exclusive areas, and priority rights.
To obtain these benefits, and to escape discrimination and restrictions, the members of the "F7" often had numerous followers.
Ling Yanzhi was no exception.
The red-haired leader, Lin Yu, was an A-level student. Unlike the others, he didn’t try to cozy up to her, but he always watched her with a dazed, infatuated smile.
"Chief Ling told us to escort you to your classroom."
His outfit was cool, but when he spoke, his voice became strangely affected.
Jian Yu couldn’t help but glance up at him. "Thank you."
She glanced down at the black brooch on her uniform. It looked like Obsidian, was unique to specially-admitted students, and was quite beautiful.
’In a Mary Sue world, no matter how grand the spectacle or how cringey the premise, I have to get used to it.’
The redhead led the way, drawing stares from everyone they passed.
Jian Yu remained expressionless, using her escort as a screen while she awkwardly picked at her fingertips.
’What am I supposed to say for small talk? What if I say too much and reveal my true self?’
’But staying silent will make me seem withdrawn and unapproachable.’
’Even a simple sentence, or just a greeting, I have to repeat it hundreds of times in my head before I dare to say it out loud.’
’What if my voice is too quiet and they don’t hear me? Or what if they just don’t reply? That would be so embarrassing.’
They arrived at the Genetic Organism Incubation Lab.
Jian Yu walked in with a deadpan expression, determined to maintain her cold facade to the very end.
Before she entered, the room was buzzing with noise. After she entered, it fell silent.
Jian Yu had discovered long ago that wherever she went, people would instantly stop their conversations.
She had been thoroughly branded as belonging to the two Chiefs, Xi and Ling.
The looks from her classmates were complex and varied: gentle, infatuated, jealous, envious, cold, disgusted, confused, fawning...
Not a single person approached her.
Jian Yu sat down in an empty seat, unilaterally isolating everyone else.
A girl’s exclamation broke the silence.
"Chief Duan is back!"
More voices gradually chimed in.
"Why did Chief Duan bring back a specially-admitted student with him?"
"A guy or a girl?"
"A girl, and she’s pretty, too. Chief Sheng and the others all went to greet her. I have a feeling she might be another one..."
Someone lowered their voice. "No way, did they get tired of her that fast? No wonder the Chiefs haven’t been picking her up personally lately."
Jian Yu could feel their gazes subtly falling upon her.