Chapter 16: An Invitation; Decent Charisma
As soon as those words were spoken, everyone present froze, turning their heads one by one to look at Shi Yan.
Shi Yan felt a bit uncomfortable under the weight of three pairs of eyes, but after a moment of silence, he spoke. “I believe in Zhuang He’s judgment. The problem is… why was I being controlled by the Zerg?”
Zhuang He fell silent. If only he knew the answer to that.
“In any case, something is definitely fishy. Pay closer attention during Lu Yinās assessment. Also, Zhang Tanxing, the regulations state that two instructors must be present for an assessment; thatās likely why you were chosen.”
Zhang Tanxing looked thoughtful. “Wait, if Shi Yan really tries something with Lu Yin during the assessment, I won’t be able to handle it with my abilities, will I?”
Zhuang He shook his head. “No. Itās likely just because you aren’t strong enough or sharp enough to notice what they intend to do to Lu Yin.”
A “pfft” echoed through the room. Zhang Tanxing glared at Du Yu with his beautiful peach-blossom eyes, looking quite huffy.
“Whatās that supposed to mean?! Am I really that weak?!”
Seeing that Zhang Tanxing was about to blow his top, Shi Yan was quick and nimble, grabbing the “octopus” that had emerged due to the man’s excitement before it could crawl around and spray water everywhere to vent its anger.
Zhuang He coughed lightly, a hint of a smile touching his eyes and lips. Just then, the sunlight spilled in, illuminating half of his profile. For a moment, the three people present were dazed by the sight.
Zhang Tanxing even forgot what he had been angry about, murmuring, “Actually, Shi Yan isn’t all that great. Zhuang He, I think I still like you the most.”
Upon hearing this, a complex expression appeared on Shi Yan’s face, and Du Yu looked at him with a difficult-to-describe expression. The subject of the praise, Zhuang He, simply took a sip of tea. “So you don’t need Shi Yan to take responsibility for you anymore?”
Du Yu nearly burst out laughing again, watching Shi Yanās awkward movements with a hidden smile.
Zhang Tanxing seemed entirely unbothered, his soft arms winding around Shi Yan again. The latter tried to pull him off but failed yet again.
The four of them sat together and chatted about the past for a while longer. Their mental bodies were also released to play. It was a rare occasion for them to be at Zhuang Heās home; his mental power practically saturated the entire house, making it no different from Eden for these Sentinels.
The Sentinels felt comfortable, and it went without saying that the mental bodies were having the time of their lives playing together.
While they were chatting, Zhuang Heās light-brain suddenly beep-beeped. He picked it up and saw it was a video call from Lu Yin. Without overthinking, he connected it.
“Teacher!”
Lu Yinās energetic voice echoed through the room. The other three froze, but Zhuang He didn’t notice.
Du Yu observed Zhuang He as he video-chatted with Lu Yin. There was a visible smile in his eyes, and his tone was gentleāgone was his usual icy demeanor.
She couldn’t help but feel emotional. Could it be that the “iron tree” was finally blooming?
On the other hand, Shi Yan, who understood Zhuang He so well, naturally noticed the change too. He felt a dull ache in his chest but was powerless to do anything.
Zhang Tanxing, however, leaned in boldly and took the initiative to greet Lu Yin. “Little Lu Yin~ Are you sticking to your teacher that much?”
Lu Yin paused on the other end of the video, then flashed a friendly smile. “Teacher Zhang is there too?”
“Yep, weāre all here~”
As Zhang Tanxing spoke, he spun Zhuang Heās light-brain around. Zhuang He didn’t stop him, allowing Lu Yin to see Du Yu and Shi Yan sitting opposite.
Du Yu greeted Lu Yin with a smile, and Shi Yan gave a nod, though his expression seemed somewhat gloomy.
Lu Yin acted as if he couldn’t see Shi Yanās sour face and said to Zhuang He, “Teacher, can I still have dinner with you tonight?”
There was a hint of unintentional coyness in his tone as he looked at Zhuang He with bright, shimmering eyes. This caused the three people present to simultaneously look up at Zhuang He.
Shi Yanās brow furrowed. Based on his knowledge of Zhuang He, he assumed the man would refuse. Du Yu looked on as if watching a play, and Zhang Tanxing stood by with a slight smile, a glimmer of “certain victory” in his eyes.
In the end, only Zhang Tanxing guessed right, as Zhuang He thought for a moment before agreeing.
“Zhuang He, you…”
Shi Yan wanted to ask him why he had agreed to Lu Yin but wouldn’t agree to him. But the moment the words left his mouth, he saw Zhuang He look up at him. The warmth lingering in that smile stung Shi Yanās eyes. Suddenly, he understood.
“Itās nothing. Iām leaving.”
Shi Yan retracted his lion, which was still playing a game of “paws” with the crocodile, and hurried out the door without looking back.
Du Yu, who was well-aware of the “love-hate entanglement” between these three, simply sat to the side drinking tea. After watching Shi Yan bolt out, Zhang Tanxing followed closely behind.
Zhuang He showed no reaction to their behavior. He merely glanced at the doorway before lowering his lashes and saying to Lu Yin, “See you tonight then.”
Lu Yin didn’t know what had happened on that end. He hung up the call in high spirits, leaving only Zhuang He and Du Yu in the room.
“Theyāre gone?”
Du Yu huffed twice. “Youāre asking what you already know. Was that intentional?”
“What was intentional?”
Zhuang He feigned ignorance, looking at her with his beautiful golden eyes, innocent and calm.
“Sigh, I don’t know what to say about those two. That little Sentinel is a pitiful one, being used by you as a tool.”
“I didn’t say anything. How did he become a tool?”
Zhuang He also picked up his cup and took a sip. The shadow of his long lashes fell under his eyes, making him look like a well-behaved, jade-like beauty.
“Whatever you say. Shi Yan is really… forget it. I hope Zhang Tanxing gets what he wants.”
Du Yu, never one to shy away from drama, chuckled and offered them her “blessings” behind their backs.
Zhuang He remained noncommittal, standing up to usher his guest out. “Aren’t you leaving?”
“Leaving, leaving right now.”
Du Yu also stood up. As she brushed past Zhuang He, she left a low-voiced sentence: “Itās not just the high command.”
Then she sauntered away, taking her “little” darling crocodile with her.
Zhuang He went to his room to change into something for going out, pondering the words Du Yu had left behind.
He hadn’t told Shi Yan the truth. It wasn’t a suspicion; it was a confirmation.
Ordinary Sentinels and Guides naturally wouldn’t have noticed the anomaly in Shi Yan back then, nor could they confirm it. But they had forgottenāZhuang He was anything but ordinary.
He had received the highest-level, most rigorous education and training. At the same time, he was the Empireās “test subject.” It was precisely because of this that he could confirm Shi Yanās condition.
That assessmentāit wasn’t just “them” who were looking forward to it. Zhuang He was also anticipating it. What would “they” try to do to Lu Yin?
ļ¼
Lu Yin was so excited that he changed outfits several times. He even dragged Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang over to help him choose. It wasn’t until Liang Tong angrily threw in the towel that Lu Yin finally settled on a white shirt paired with black casual trousers that made his legs look exceptionally long and straight. At a glance, he looked quite youthful and energetic. If one could ignore his tall, robust build, he was practically the standard “high-school hunk.”
The kind of youthful, vibrant heartthrob that men and women on the Star-Net loved most.
Liang Tong lay slumped on the sofa, looking drained as he gave Lu Yin a thumb-up. “Extremely handsome. Youāll definitely win Chief Zhuangās heart.”
“What nonsense are you talking about? Itās not like that.”
Lu Yin rolled his eyes at him, then looked down at himself. After much thought, he went back into his room and put on that silver necklace.
When he stepped out of the room, Liang Tong looked at the necklace on his neck and asked curiously, “Where did you buy that?”
“Teacher gave it to me.”
Lu Yin adjusted his clothes, then ran to the bathroom mirror to check himself one last time.
Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang exchanged a glance, both seeing disbelief in the other’s eyes.
“Why did the Chief give you a necklace?”
Liang Tong asked with difficulty. He remembered Qi He calling Lu Yin “Zhuang He’s dog.” At the time, he just thought Qi He was being foul-mouthed, but seeing Lu Yin wearing a necklace given by the Chief made him think of that moment again.
Why did he feel that what Qi He had said… might not have been entirely wrong?
No, no, no. Thatās different. Qi He was just being an ass. Liang Tong comforted himself. Beside him, Hua Huijiang was clearly on the same wavelength.
“My spiritual power was a bit out of control during training once. Teacher injected his spiritual power into this necklace to help soothe me.”
“Oh, oh! So thatās how it is! Hahaha, look at me making a big deal out of nothing, hahaha.”
Lu Yin gave them a strange look, then checked the time. It was close to dinner. He hurried out to meet his appointment, leaving only a dashing back view for Liang Tong and Hua Huijiang.
Left behind, the two roommates looked at each other and shook their heads.
It was the same old sentiment: Falling in love with the Chief was simply too easy!
When Lu Yin arrived at the canteen, Zhuang He was nowhere to be seen. He stood silently by the main door waiting, scrolling through something on his light-brain.
“Um… hello.”
A timid voice rang out. Lu Yin looked up to see a tall, cute girl. she was greeting him somewhat awkwardly.
“Ah, hello.”
Lu Yin put away his light-brain and gave a polite reply.
The girl seemed extremely nervous, stammering for a long while without knowing what to say. Lu Yin stood before her, waiting patiently for her to organize her words.
“LuāStudent Lu, can we exchange contact info?”
The girlās face turned completely red after she said this, her whole being flushing like a beautiful peach.
Hearing this, Lu Yin understood her meaning. But for some reason, he felt absolutely nothing for the pretty girl in front of him. His first reaction was actually: What would Teacher think if he saw this?
He shook his head and said somewhat apologetically, “I’m sorry. I probably can’t give you my contact info.”
The girlās flushed face instantly turned pale. She murmured with trembling lips, “Does… does Student Lu already have someone he likes?”
“No, I don’tā”
Just as Lu Yin was about to deny it, his nose suddenly caught a familiar, clear fragrance. He looked in the direction the scent was coming from. Zhuang He had arrived at some unknown point and was watching them.
His gaze met Zhuang Heās, and his heart skipped a beat. A numbing sensation crawled up his limbs, making him feel a bit breathless.
The girl also followed Lu Yinās gaze. The moment she saw Zhuang He, she froze in shock. Her lips trembled as she looked at Zhuang He, then back at Lu Yin. Suddenly, she dropped a sentenceā”I wish you success”āand ran away.
Before Lu Yin could snap out of it, he heard the girl seemingly talking to someone else. “Thatās the Chief! If I had known he liked the Chief, I would have… oh my!”
“Exactly… I like the Chief too! But Guide and Guide can’t…”
“I bet he can’t catch the Chief. After all, the Chief has so many pursuers, and Student Lu is just…”
“True. Both of them are 3S… I ship it!”
From the corner of his eye, Lu Yin saw the girl seemingly open her light-brain and type something excitedly, but he didn’t have the heart to pay attention.
Because Zhuang He was already walking toward him.
“A confession from a classmate? Your charisma is quite something.”
Zhuang He walked to Lu Yinās side, his tone slightly upturned as he offered the praise. That icy face was enough to scare away the students watching the drama, but Lu Yin keenly captured a trace of a smile in the depths of Zhuang Heās eyes.
Sometimes he really hated how sharp his intuition was.
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