Chapter 87: A Plea to Pull Some Strings
Jian Yu stood rooted to the spot, unsure whether to leave or stay.
She had a feeling it had something to do with the dean.
After a moment’s thought, she decided to eavesdrop.
Arms wrapped around her waist and the back of her knees, lifting her into the air.
She clutched Xi Yu’s neck, her heart skipping a beat.
"Baby, you smell so good." Xi Yu lowered his head and nuzzled her neck, taking a sniff.
A very light kiss, moist and slightly cool.
Jian Yu could feel his lips part and grind gently against her skin.
A crisp clinking sound rang out.
Pei Yin was swinging a thin chain at his waist, his gaze dark as he looked over.
He was sitting nearby at a floating table covered with all sorts of strange parts.
Jian Yu glanced at it, then quickly looked away.
Her gaze locked onto Ling Yanzhi, who was beside them. She stared for two seconds before lowering her eyes, looking as if she’d been caught doing something wrong.
’Eavesdropping, and using the method Pei Yin taught me to conceal my presence... will they be angry?’
’It was fine this time; they probably weren’t discussing anything important. But next time, if...’
"Finished with your bath?"
Probably not expecting her to show up so suddenly, Ling Yanzhi paused the conversation.
He stood up, walked over, and tucked away a loose strand of Jian Yu’s hair with his fingers.
Two pink and blue ribbon hair ties were on his wrist. He slipped them onto his long fingers and carefully tied her hair into a low ponytail.
"I forgot, Baby can’t take a bath today." He smiled and kissed her forehead.
Xi Yu rubbed his chin against the top of Jian Yu’s head. "Following the doctor’s orders. Such a good girl, Baby."
"Baby, do you prefer a necklace or an earring? I’m planning to make a monitoring device," Pei Yin chimed in.
Their reactions were very nonchalant, and they just kept changing the subject, as if trying to hide something.
Jian Yu decided to ask outright, "Did something happen to the dean?"
Twisting her waist to the right, she reached her hands out toward Ling Yanzhi.
It was a gesture asking to be held.
She rarely took the initiative. The last time...
The last time was also today, when she’d taken the initiative to kiss Pei Yin!
When Pei Yin was helping her Awaken, she’d even let Ling Yanzhi kiss her!
And now she wanted Ling Yanzhi to hold her.
The tables do turn.
But they never seemed to turn in Xi Yu’s favor.
He felt upset, unbalanced.
Xi Yu refused to let go. "Baby, why can’t you let me hold you?"
He didn’t look at Ling Yanzhi’s outstretched hands, his obsessive gaze fixed on Jian Yu’s slightly pale face.
The only time she had chosen him so decisively was when she had decided to break up.
Very decisively.
Xi Yu felt a little wronged, and his eyes reddened uncontrollably. "Baby, when will it be my turn?"
Jian Yu turned her head, stunned and at a loss.
She pulled her hands back and placed them on Xi Yu’s shoulders again.
She shot a quick glance at Ling Yanzhi’s dark expression, her fingers clenching the hem of her nightgown.
Jian Yu had no principles. She stammered, "You... you can hold me too."
Ling Yanzhi’s brow furrowed.
The surprise was so sudden and unexpected that Xi Yu blinked, not quite processing it.
Being the clever guy he was, he quickly figured out the trick.
Xi Yu’s voice was choked with emotion. "You kissed them, too."
His hazel eyes welled up with tears, and his reddened eyes stared straight at her.
The silver ornament on his forehead and the silver earring on his ear cartilage glinted faintly, making him look like a handsome young man from Miaojiang.
Jian Yu found she couldn’t look away.
Pei Yin said sarcastically, "Other people kiss lips, you kiss feet. Who would dare kiss you? If you’re that starved for affection, go find Yang Zhang. Yang Zhang can kiss you eight hundred times a day."
"..." Anxious about the dean, Jian Yu quickly gave the corners of Xi Yu’s mouth two kisses.
That barely managed to placate him.
While Xi Yu was still in a daze, she turned her head back. "What happened to the dean?"
Her gaze shifted downwards, only to find that Ling Yanzhi hadn’t withdrawn the hands he’d held out to take her.
Jian Yu pressed her lips together.
Red Snake grew anxious just watching: [Yanyan, watch me!]
The snake’s head slithered to Xi Yu’s foot and bit down.
It bit a tentacle.
Yang Zhang thrashed its tentacle wildly: [Sneak attack! A sneak attack! I’ll teach you to sneak attack! Master treats you like a brother, but you treat him like a love rival!]
The tentacle bashed the snake’s head like a game of Whac-A-Mole.
Red Snake slipped away, darting all over the place.
Jian Yu reached out and hooked her finger around Ling Yanzhi’s right index finger, shaking it gently.
A gesture of goodwill.
"The dean is fine. I just received the news as well." Ling Yanzhi leaned over and took her into his arms.
At that moment, Xi Yu was still bubbling with happiness and didn’t object, quickly letting go.
He realized his mistake. "I’m sorry, Baby. You were worried about the dean, and I made you worry about me instead."
’So, something really did happen with the dean.’
Jian Yu thought for a moment and quickly came to a conclusion.
She looked up. "Was it Xu Shaoqing?"
"Mhm." Ling Yanzhi decided to just let the person on the other end report directly.
It was true that the dean was fine.
As for the others, he didn’t know.
The Star Brain communication hadn’t been cut. The person on the other end received the instruction and continued their report.
"Our people have been protecting her from nearby, but Dean Zhang is too perceptive. We didn’t dare get too close for fear of affecting her."
"The day before yesterday, Xu Shaoqing was exiled from the Imperial Capital Star, and she came to Blue Star not long after. Worried that something might happen, we had no choice but to reveal our identities to Dean Zhang."
"We sent reinforcements, and Dean Zhang, knowing the situation was serious, was very cooperative. But an incident still occurred tonight."
"A lot of mercenaries showed up, with Levels ranging from D-level to S-Class."
"There were three S-Class and one Level 2S. A high price was paid, and they were all fighting to kill."
"Only the dean was unharmed."
"Alliance regulations state that any adult and a child they wish to adopt only need to be in contact for over three months and have mutual consent to meet the adoption requirements."
"The orphanage Dean Zhang opened was just a formality. When no one came to adopt the children, Dean Zhang ended up processing the adoptions for herself."
"When she immigrated to Blue Star, she brought all nineteen children with her, not leaving a single one behind."
"Of the nineteen, three were at school and four were interning at a machine shop, so they missed it. Of the remaining children, most only sustained minor injuries. The ones who were more seriously hurt were the eldest sister, Zhang Yuan, and Zhang Yun, plus one other."
His voice faltered.
"There was another girl named Zhang Xin’er, the dean’s biological daughter. During emergency treatment, she was pronounced dead three times."
"We had administered an antitoxin shot beforehand and given her medicine, but the toxins from a Level 2S expert spread too quickly. Coupled with her own severely weakened constitution, we couldn’t save her."
"Alliance regulations require that those who die from poison must be incinerated. Dean Zhang was outside the incinerator, arguing with Xu Shaoqing, when Miss Jian’s call came through."
"Xu Shaoqing’s goal was to make Miss Jian and Dean Zhang turn against each other. When she saw that Dean Zhang’s reaction wasn’t what she expected, she broke free from her restraints and tried to attack the dean."
Jian Yu’s breath hitched. "And then?"
The man replied, "She died."
Ling Yanzhi frowned. "Who died?"
"Oh." The man’s voice weakened slightly. "Xu Shaoqing died."
He knew there was a Level 2S expert he couldn’t beat, so of course he had to call for backup.
"When reinforcements arrived, they immediately captured them. Seeing the tables had turned, the mercenaries tried to run."
Ling Yanzhi cut him off. "Get to the point."
The man’s voice grew weaker again.
"Our men accidentally killed Xu Shaoqing."
"Family Head, if an Awakener kills a normal person, the sentence isn’t heavy. But if an Awakener kills another Awakener, it means serious prison time."
"Do you think... you could step in and get them out?"