Chapter 8
Ever since Senior Wu Saiqi had taken the stage, Bai Yuzhou’s eyes hadn’t left him.
A gentle tug at the corner of his shirt pulled him from his thoughts. Bai Yuzhou frowned and glanced down to see a slender hand. For a moment, he blanked, knowing it belonged to Yan He.
Turning his head, he was met with Yan He’s secretive gaze. Bai Yuzhou instinctively leaned closer as Yan He’s voice whispered by his ear, popping softly like a firework. “Bai Yuzhou,” he murmured, “what if we’re not actually people, but animals?”
A tickle spread across his ear.
Bai Yuzhou covered it with his hand and sat up straight, staring at Yan He with a strange, baffled expression, his eyes filled with confusion.
Yan He blinked. Why is he looking at me like I’m an idiot?
He quickly adjusted his mask and forced a dry laugh. “Don’t look at me like that, I was just kidding. I know what’s going on, hahaha!”
It seemed his idea really was too absurd. The protagonist was already treating him like a raving lunatic.
If all the students were beasts in disguise, how could he explain himself? He was certain he was a normal human with no special abilities, yet it seemed every student at Bestia Academy was hiding a secret he knew nothing about. Yan He was crushed. In other transmigration stories, the protagonist knew the entire plot and had a god’s-eye view of everything. He, on the other hand, knew nothing!
Bai Yuzhou couldn’t understand why Yan He would ask such a non-question. Seeing the joking smile in his eyes, he lowered his voice and said seriously, “Yan He, listen to the senior’s speech.”
A seed of doubt had already been planted in Yan He’s mind. He was about to nod when a sudden commotion erupted from the crowd, the noise growing louder and louder.
What’s going on?
Yan He followed everyone’s gaze toward the entrance of the Third Auditorium.
A male student with an incredibly conspicuous red, spiky hairdo stood with one hand behind his back, using the other to push open the heavy auditorium doors.
Pan Ze stood by the entrance, his head slightly bowed like a well-behaved bellboy. Yun Xiao strode in, his long legs carrying him forward. Though he wore the same standard black suit as everyone else, it somehow looked more refined on him.
Perhaps it was the black and gold nameplate glinting on his left chest that gave Yan He that impression.
What a show-off!
The professor on stage saw him and immediately raised a hand, signaling for Wu Saiqi to pause his speech.
Yan He took it all in, marveling at the sheer power dynamics of this noble academy novel. The F4’s influence was absolute. They were gods among men, and even the professors had to make way for them.
It’s so cliché, so Mary Sue. I love it!
“It’s Senior Yun Xiao! Oh my god, I’m actually seeing him in person.”
“I’d willingly become Senior Yun’s prey.”
“Why is Yun Xiao at the freshman orientation? All I care about is whether the F4 have actually broken up. They still haven’t denied the rumors.”
“He Shao is reclusive, Xu Shao is always off sketching somewhere, and Shen Shao left school for medical treatment. Yun Shao is the only one in the F4 you can actually run into. I’m so lucky!”
“The specially-enrolled students can forget it. They’ll never reach the level of a black and gold nameplate. The F4 will always be above them.”
The surrounding students buzzed with excited whispers, their eyes tracking Yun Xiao’s every move.
Yan He watched as Yun Xiao headed in his direction, a little surprised. In an auditorium filled with hundreds of people, Yun Xiao’s gaze locked onto him with pinpoint accuracy.
Yun Xiao had only asked if he was in the Third Auditorium on WeChat; he never asked for his seat number. What kind of eyesight is that?
Or was he here for someone else? Yan He wasn’t sure what Yun Xiao was up to.
Was he here for him?
No way, right? When a boss from the F4 needs his lackey, isn’t it always a phone call? Who would bother to come in person?
Yan He was sitting in an aisle seat. There was no one to his left, and Bai Yuzhou was on his right.
Yun Xiao’s tall figure came to a stop in front of Yan He. “Get up.”
As a qualified lackey—especially one who had just been paid fifty thousand yuan—Yan He immediately prepared to stand.
But Yun Xiao’s gaze fell on Bai Yuzhou. “I was talking to you,” he said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Their seats were a bit to the side, so there were other empty spots in the row.
At Yun Xiao’s command, a specially-enrolled student sitting to Bai Yuzhou’s right quickly stood up and moved, tugging on Bai Yuzhou’s sleeve to signal him to give up the seat.
Bai Yuzhou remained seated, his hand resting on the leather armrest, unmoving.
He subconsciously glanced at Yan He beside him and pursed his lips. He didn’t want to get up.
“Bai Yuzhou, didn’t you hear him? Get up, make room for Senior Yun,” the other student urged in an anxious, hushed tone.
It was as if Bai Yuzhou had suddenly gone deaf. He sat firmly in his seat, refusing to move.
His refusal was an open act of defiance. Yun Xiao finally looked at the boy sitting next to Yan He, his hawk-like eyes locking onto Bai Yuzhou, like a bird of prey zeroing in on its target.
In all his time at Bestia Academy, Yun Xiao had never met a troublemaker who dared to provoke him.
Yun Xiao pushed his tongue against his cheek, a smirk forming. He was amused.
Yan He got it!
So that’s what this was about!
He finally understood why Yun Xiao had come to the Third Auditorium. Finding him, his lackey, was just an excuse. The real reason was to advance the plot!
He’d only heard from his female colleagues that the protagonist shou, Bai Yuzhou, was destined for a love-hate relationship with the F4, constantly opposing them.
The first member of the F4 Bai Yuzhou offended was the most hot-tempered one, Yun Xiao.
And here it was, the story kicking off on just the second day of school.
Bai Yuzhou pointed to an empty seat to his right and looked up at Yun Xiao. “Senior, there’s an empty seat here you can take.”
He wasn’t giving up his.
His stance was clear.
Yan He sighed. This was a classic Chu Yuxun and Murong Yunhai scenario.
With that comparison in mind, Yan He could guess that his roommate was a resilient, pure-hearted type who believed in equality for all, even in a noble academy. He was destined to clash with Yun Xiao to the very end.
Yan He couldn’t bear to watch the scene unfold. The plot was a powerful force.
Yun Xiao narrowed his eyes, staring daggers at Bai Yuzhou, releasing the powerful aura of a bird of prey. His furious voice rose several octaves. “You. Get. Up!”
Yun Xiao hadn’t expected to run into such a bizarre hiccup while looking for Yan He.
Who is this nobody?!
“Who’s that specially-enrolled student? How dare he not give up his seat for Yun Shao? Is he crazy?”
“I think that’s the guy who puked all over Pan Shao yesterday. I swear, how does this guy manage to cause so much trouble?”
A senior from a wealthy family scoffed, speaking like a seasoned veteran. “He’s probably trying to get the F4’s attention with some special tactic. We get people like this every year. Have you all forgotten about the peacock who got plucked bald?”
“Does he think this is some old, cliché noble academy drama? The F4 have seen it all. Does he really think he can seduce them? He’s… barely passable, I guess.”
Someone else whispered in admiration, “But you have to admit, that specially-enrolled student has some nerve. If I were in front of an angry Yun Shao, I’d probably faint from fear.”
After all, survival was an animal’s first instinct, and no one wanted to be targeted by a predator.
Bai Yuzhou looked at Yan He’s profile, suddenly recalling the warm, soft whisper of his breath against his ear. The thought of moving was gone.
A look of determination flashed across Bai Yuzhou’s handsome face. He said in a firm voice, “Senior, this is my seat.”
Bai Yuzhou bit his lip, a twisted sense of excitement bubbling up inside him. So what if I don’t move? Is this F4 member going to hit me, to tear me apart? What will Yan He think when he sees that? Suddenly… he really wanted to know!
He still wouldn’t move.
Yun Xiao was so angry he laughed.
Fine. Today, he was absolutely going to sit in that seat next to Yan He!
Yun Xiao suddenly lifted his leg and kicked Bai Yuzhou’s chair with brutal force, creating a deafeningly harsh sound. “Are you getting up or not?!” he roared.
No one knew where Yun Xiao got such strength, but the entire row of specially-enrolled students felt a numbing jolt under them. The students who were rabbits and hamsters felt their hearts about to leap out of their chests.
Pan Ze shot a vicious glare at Bai Yuzhou, wondering if this was his cue to step in. He could grab Bai Yuzhou, drag him out of his seat, and toss him aside. It would be a perfect way to put Yan He in his place and score some points with Yun Shao.
Just as Pan Ze was getting excited, Yan He suddenly stood up.
He tugged on Yun Xiao’s sleeve and braced himself. “Yun… Yun Shao, I’ll get up. You can have my seat.”
Those ingratiating words fell on Yun Xiao like a divine, irrefutable command, each syllable invading his consciousness.
Normally, Yun Xiao would never have accepted such a compromise, but as he stared at the seat Yan He had just vacated, a seat that still held the perfect impression of him, he felt a sudden heat. The urge to transform surged uncontrollably.
A single sentence had managed to soothe Yun Xiao’s explosive temper.
As if possessed, Yun Xiao nodded. In front of Yan He, he was as obedient as a pet bird.
How strange.
Yun Xiao glanced at the hand clutching his sleeve, then shot another furious glare at Bai Yuzhou. He could take Yan He’s seat as a compromise, but he would absolutely not sit next to this low-class animal.
Yan He then tugged at Bai Yuzhou, signaling him to get up and move. Yan He took the seat between the two of them.
The seat still retained Yan He’s warmth, which Yun Xiao now forcefully occupied. His fingers brushed over the cheap leather armrest, as if tracing the places Yan He had touched. See? In Yan He’s heart, I’m important.
Bai Yuzhou’s peripheral vision caught Yan He sitting in his former spot. Yun Xiao’s strong, wild aura now enveloped his warm roommate. See? In Yan He’s heart, I, his roommate, also have a place.
Yan He’s balancing act left both sides perfectly satisfied.
Everyone except Pan Ze!
Pan Ze’s venomous gaze darted between them, finally landing on Bai Yuzhou.
Of course, he wouldn’t dare fight Yun Shao for a seat, but the spot on Yan He’s other side should have been his, not some lowly specially-enrolled student’s!
A grudge-holding hyena would not forget that it was because of Bai Yuzhou that he had lost his wig in front of the entire academy yesterday.
Yun Xiao raised his hand and snapped his fingers, his gaze landing on the man on stage. “Wu Saiqi.”
The student president snapped to attention. “Here!” he shouted.
Yun Xiao propped his chin on his hand and tilted his head. “Continue.”
Wu Saiqi nodded repeatedly. “Yes, sir.”
The fight for the seat was just a small interruption; the freshman orientation continued.
The wealthy students whispered among themselves, discussing what had just happened. The specially-enrolled students felt as if they were staring at an insurmountable chasm, a gap created by class and wealth that could never be crossed.
The Senior Wu Saiqi they idolized was nothing but a submissive dog in front of a true heir like one of the F4.
A dozen minutes later, the orientation came to a close.
Everyone remained in their seats, waiting for Yun Xiao to get up and leave before they dared to move. The rigid hierarchy was on full display.
Yun Xiao stood up and kicked Bai Yuzhou’s pant leg. “Very good,” he said meaningfully. “I’ll remember you.”
With that, he led Yan He away.
Bai Yuzhou watched Yan He follow Yun Xiao out. He had thought his roommate was with Senior Pan, but it turned out to be someone from the even more unattainable F4…
“Yun Shao, were you looking for me? If you need something, you can just call me,” Yan He asked uncertainly as he hurried to catch up.
Yun Xiao himself wasn’t sure why he had come to the Third Auditorium. Maybe it was because of all the recent drama with the F4, or maybe it was his own emotional instability from his transformations.
But it was definitely Pan Ze’s fault! It was because he stole his breakfast that he had to come find him in person!
Yun Xiao looked down at Yan He and said, full of self-righteous anger, “You were supposed to bring me breakfast. Where did you take it?!”
Yan He was stunned. What? Yun Xiao stormed the auditorium and caused a huge scene all for a basket of soup dumplings? And pre-made ones at that?
The more Yun Xiao thought about it, the more justified he felt. Forgetting that he slept until noon every day, he argued passionately, “Do you know how dangerous it is to skip breakfast? It can lead to low blood sugar, malnutrition, and stomach problems—even stomach cancer! My god, are you trying to kill me?”
Yan He chose his words carefully. “Yun Shao, have you been self-diagnosing on Baidu?”
Go online with a symptom, come back with a cancer diagnosis. Search today, get cremated tomorrow.
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