Chapter 38
Shen Xianqing’s face turned green with rage. He had just declared that no one in Bestia could fill his spot, only to forget about that exchange student, Ling Ye.
Moreover, with Ling Ye’s family background, he actually could.
But what was Ling Ye after?
The four of them had known each other since childhood; their families were old acquaintances. Why would an outsider force his way into their tight-knit circle just to be snubbed?
Yun Xiao, being relatively simple-minded, just assumed Ling Ye came alone and had no friends at the academy, yet looked down on making friends with ordinary rich kids.
He Ting and Xu Xingchuan exchanged a glance. The former’s expression turned slightly cold, while the latter crossed his legs as if watching a play, leisurely lifting a teacup from the side and blowing on it, putting on quite the act of sophistication.
Ling Ye continued, “With one phone call, Shen Shao can enjoy all my privileges at the foreign academy. It’s not an unequal exchange.”
Ling Ye’s treatment at the foreign beast academy was absolutely top-tier; if Shen Xianqing went there, he wouldn’t have to go through so much trouble.
The only difference between them was—
He Ting and Xu Xingchuan simultaneously looked at Yan He, who was sitting quietly on the armrest of the sofa.
Yan He: “???”
Yan He silently put down the melon seeds he was cracking and quickly wiped the smile off his face.
Why look at me!
This has nothing to do with a melon-eating spectator lackey like me!
Yan He quickly fled toward the wet bar, saying, “I’ll go refill the tea for the young masters.”
Once Yan He had temporarily left, Shen Xianqing lost control and scolded angrily, “Ling Ye, don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning! Keep dreaming!”
“Starving yourself into a skeleton is your own fault. There will never be a place for you in the F4.”
“Old He, just tell me, does ‘F5’ even sound good?!!”
Seeing He Ting speechless, Xu Xingchuan continued to fan the flames like a spectator, speaking gently, “Old Shen, don’t put it that way. A pentagram is far more stable than a square.”
Shen Xianqing instantly thought of the three blue stars on the Empire’s five-star flag: “…”
Irrefutable. He couldn’t argue with that!
Shen Xianqing’s handsome, sinister face was so angry it was practically pressed against the hundred-inch screen. He looked like a vicious snake spitting venom, wishing he could crawl through the internet cable and take a bite out of Ling Ye.
Ling Ye stopped being polite, too. “At least I’m half a gentleman and come out in the open. Some people arranged a damn fox as an insider, unaware that they’ve already been backstabbed, right?”
Ling Ye had been observing from the shadows every day recently. He had long discovered that the fox specially-enrolled student—who was initially cautious and even very reluctant—had recently been arriving at the meal spot even more punctually than the stray cats and dogs.
Although that fox was a specially-enrolled student, his family outside was considered a middle-class household earning millions a year. So, while his nameplate rank in the academy wasn’t high, he didn’t worry about food or drink.
To avoid being found out, he even ate his fill before going to eat Yan He’s relief food. He ate so much he got fat and had to schedule ab workouts to lose weight.
Ling Ye hid in the window of the private room on the second floor of Cafeteria No. 10, staring darkly at the scene below. Yan He hadn’t seen many foxes, so he loved to pet it, and that fox laughed until he trembled.
Truly a demon!
Of all people, he chose a fox as an insider. Did this venomous snake’s poison go straight to his brain?
Shen Xianqing’s face sank instantly. As expected, fox spirits are unreliable; they only know how to seduce people!
“Don’t even think about it.”
He had only been an exchange student for less than half a month, and someone was already genuinely trying to take his spot.
Shen Xianqing felt a little anxious inside. He felt that if he waited three months to go back, the yellow daylilies would be cold (it would be too late).
Yun Xiao looked confused. “???”
No, what kind of riddles are they speaking in?
As the head of the F4, He Ting had to clear his throat and step in. He looked at the unconvinced Ling Ye and said, “Ling Shao, there are many entanglements within the F4. We don’t suggest you join, but we can be friends.”
He Ting couldn’t backstab Shen Xianqing.
The expression on Ling Ye’s sunken, handsome face shifted unpredictably. suddenly, he smiled. “Friends? You mean love rivals.”
Ling Ye stood up, shrugged his bony shoulders, and dropped a final sentence as he passed the hundred-inch screen: “A snow leopard is much more attractive than a venomous snake.”
That sentence was a critical hit!
In terms of family background, wealth, and looks, Shen Xianqing didn’t lose to anyone. But his beast form was a giant venomous snake. Normal people willing to pet a regular kitten wouldn’t want to touch a cold, poisonous snake, right?
Yan He came over with the freshly brewed pot of tea. Seeing Ling Ye leaving, he asked politely, “Is Ling Shao not drinking tea?”
Did they quarrel? Too bad I missed the drama.
Ling Ye: “Next time for sure.”
Yan He knew this was just a polite deflection, so he didn’t take it to heart. Who knew that a few days later, it would really be “for sure.”
Yan He excitedly went over to pour tea for He Ting and the others. Seeing He Ting staring at him without drinking, he asked tentatively, “Did I brew it badly?”
He Ting handed the teacup over. Yan He paused, then poured the tea from the rim into his mouth from a distance. Although it was bitter, he gave a thumbs up: “Delicious. I brewed it really well.”
Yan He tested the waters sneakily: “Since I brewed it so well, you won’t deduct my wages, right?”
He Ting: “…I won’t.”
Sometimes, he really admired Yan He’s dullness.
Yun Xiao stared at this scene and started yelling angrily from the side, “Why use He Ting’s teacup?”
“Did you not prepare a new teacup for me and Yan He?!”
Yan He quickly said, “Yun Xiao, I have a private water cup in the lounge area.”
Yun Xiao yelled even louder, “What is a water cup? I want a teacup, a teacup!”
The staff on the side were terrified and agreed repeatedly.
Xu Xingchuan smiled meaningfully. Being an outsider watching the play was interesting. He stood up, gently patted Yan He’s head, and casually dropped a sentence: “Little Sprout He, be good. I’m going to pay respects to Lord Beast God.”
He Ting stared at Xu Xingchuan’s retreating back, his eyes flickering.
Old Xu might not know that even to them, He Ting never actively reported his itinerary.
Under the gloomy sky, a shrinking figure finally appeared at the entrance of the European-style academic building’s rooftop.
Xiao Tu walked tremblingly toward the group of rich kids smiling meaningfully and bowed repeatedly: “S-Seniors, hello.”
Xiao Tu had been called by these wealthy students today, but he didn’t know why, and had been uneasy the whole time.
“Yo, specially-enrolled student. I heard your beast form is a rabbit. Have you eaten dinner?” Pan Ze, the leader, asked.
Xiao Tu didn’t understand, but decided to answer truthfully: “Replying to Senior Pan, not yet.”
Lop-eared rabbits were timid by nature, and Xiao Tu was so scared he hadn’t eaten dinner before coming.
Pan Ze’s eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he slapped his thigh excitedly: “Good! Very good! You’re the one!”
Xiao Tu was terrified, not knowing what he had been chosen for, afraid he had become a toy for the rich young masters.
Pan Ze scoffed, “What are you nervous about? Wait a bit, then transform into your beast form and go to the entrance of Cafeteria No. 10 to grab Yan He’s relief food. Remember, you’re fake eating—sneak it back for us to eat!”
Yan He knew his beast form was an African Spotted Hyena, and that ugly-cute appearance was very recognizable. He was the only hyena in the entire academy; if he burrowed into a group of stray animals, Yan He would definitely pick him out.
Xiao Tu: “………????”
No, what the hell?
Xiao Tu looked at the group of serious-faced rich kids in disbelief. What is going on?
This group of rich kids had no choice. Recently, rumors had been spreading through the academy that the cat and dog food made by Bai Yuzhou and Yan He was superb. There were even anonymous posts on the forum saying it inexplicably helped control beast transformation, comparable to a magical elixir.
Many students secretly transformed into beasts and pretended to be stray animals to grab food.
Their beast forms weren’t fierce beasts, but they weren’t common either, making them easy to spot.
Then they discovered the beauty of specially-enrolled students. Ninety percent of specially-enrolled students had ordinary, weak beast forms. Wasn’t this perfect?
“Hurry up. It seems the News Department is coming to film tonight. Who knows if there will be leftovers to eat in the future?”
Xiao Tu: “…Oh, okay O.O”
The Fat Orange Cat dragged his leg, which had been nearly stomped lame by the snow leopard recently, and arrived. Today might be the last day; he had to get some more food!
The photography guy from the Academy News Department arrived carrying his camera. Seeing the mountains and seas of animals piled up at the entrance of Cafeteria No. 10, he was instantly dumbfounded.
Holy crap, why are there so many? They’ve taken up nearly half the plaza!
Yan He couldn’t figure out why it had turned out like this either. He just wanted to follow the protagonist shou to feed stray animals for a few days to “aid the dragon’s rise.” But these small animals seemed to have their own network—one told ten, ten told a hundred.
Yan He wasn’t stupid. He knew there must be students pretending to be stray animals in this group, but it was hard to distinguish who was transformed and who was a real stray. Afraid of making a mistake and starving a real cat or dog, he could only feed them all.
These students didn’t eat for free, either. They secretly brought several bags of cat and dog food in the middle of the night so as not to increase the burden.
But why?
Was it because the cafeteria prices were too high and they couldn’t afford it, so they could only eat this?
Yan He thought about it, his gaze falling on Bai Yuzhou’s face, which was as dark as the bottom of a pot. He revealed a meaningful, knowing smile.
Understood.
It’s for the Protagonist Shou.
This was the Protagonist Shou, the new King of Bestia. Perhaps in the original plot, this was how he attracted other students to become his followers.
The Fat Orange at his feet, relying on being part of the earliest batch, extended a clawless paw pad to pat Yan He’s calf, emitting a cutesy meow-meow-meow sound.
He had starved all day just to grab a bite.
Yan He looked at Bai Yuzhou. Seeing his expression was normal, he knew the protagonist shou wasn’t good with words and needed a lackey like him to step up. Yan He looked at the cameraman, cleared his throat, and said, “Everyone, sit down.”
Whoosh. The cats, dogs, rabbits, chickens, and hamsters all sat down in unison.
Some not-so-smart real stray cats were confused, seemingly not understanding Yan He’s meaning. A furry orange paw pad reached over from the side and pressed down on a small cat’s butt, forcing the white kitten to sit.
The Fat Orange Cat smiled smugly. This stupid kitten, it still needs me.
Cameraman: “…”
Are you running military training?
Yan He took out the pre-crumbled meatball crumbs from the plastic bag, mixed them with cheap pet food, and scattered them from above, simultaneously making zuo zuo zuo (calling) sounds.
The Fat Orange’s eyes went straight, and he meowed excitedly.
Ura! Charge, brothers! The Imperial Court of Yan has finally issued the relief grain!!
The cameraman watched the various stray animals frantically scrambling for food and fell into silence: “…”
You call this feeding stray cats and dogs? You’re feeding chickens and ducks here!
However… the effect was indeed quite good.
The cameraman was skilled at photography. He found good angles and took excellent photos, with the style of a blockbuster movie.
That guy had a good relationship with the Special Enrollment Association and sent the photos, which hadn’t even been filtered yet, to President Wu Saiqi in advance.
President Wu frowned as he looked at the dozens of photos sent back, his expression ugly.
That Bai Yuzhou didn’t understand practical affairs. He wanted to take the opportunity to get more dues, but Bai Yuzhou spoke up to stop him. He deliberately shortened the funding for feeding stray animals this time to punish him, and the result??
The effect was unexpectedly excellent!
Seeing the large number of stray animals mixed with some transformed students, including both specially-enrolled students and rich kids, Bai Yuzhou’s prestige had actually increased because of this event.
President Wu couldn’t help but feel a trace of crisis.
He was a specially-enrolled student and had been poor since childhood. Fortunately, his beast form was a wolf. By chance, he became the president of the Special Enrollment Association. It was also he who proposed the dues system, allowing him to slowly start enjoying the luxurious life he dreamed of.
He could finally eat top-tier cuisine, drink red wine worth six figures, and live in a townhouse he once didn’t dare to imagine.
Bai Yuzhou seemed like a thorn that had suddenly sprung up, giving Wu Saiqi a sense of crisis that made him want to erase him.
Window of the Private Room, Second Floor, Cafeteria No. 10
“Young Master, Young Master, calm down! Don’t be impulsive!” Several bodyguards hugged Ling Ye’s waist tightly, afraid he would jump straight out the window.
“Or, Young Master, you can transform into a snow leopard and jump! If you jump in human form, you have no fat, your legs will definitely break!”
Ling Ye stared darkly from the window. Yan He was feeding those small animals again. Among them, that Fat Orange was eating the most happily and snatching the hardest.
Clearly, I’m the one with anorexia who won’t eat anything else. Clearly, these transformed students can eat and drink normally, yet they insist on snatching from me!
I am the sick patient!
Ling Ye stepped one foot on the windowsill, staring fixedly at the animals in the open space downstairs who didn’t even leave him a mouthful of leftovers. He gritted his teeth and said, “These damn beasts!”
“Go, immediately air-freight me all kinds of top-tier, famous, and expensive ingredients from abroad. And then, tomorrow morning… capture Yan He for me!”
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