In the passageway of New York Central Station, Gu Yueyan stopped in dissatisfaction and tugged at Lin Xianyu, who still wanted to keep walking. "Why did you suddenly pull away?"
"If I didn't pull you away, what would you have wanted to do, Class President?" Lin Xianyu countered.
"I wanted to have a good talk with Qiao Muyi!" Gu Yueyan said, a bit annoyed. "These past few days, she's been making veiled taunts at . I've put up with her for a long ti. Can't I reason with her?"
"But is Sister Qiao soone who listens to reason?" Lin Xianyu laughed. "Class President, you can pinpoint the essentials when studying and taking notes, but you can't identify the main conflict in matters of love."
Gu Yueyan muttered, "If only love were as simple as studying... Then what's the main conflict, you tell ?"
Lin Xianyu earnestly guided her, "Think about it, Class President. What's the real reason for your disputes with Sister Qiao? Is it because she looks down on you?
"No, Sister Qiao is the kind of person who looks down on everyone. But she specifically targets you because there's a conflict of core interests between you two. Or rather, on this trip, aside from , all of your core interests are at odds. After all, there is only one cake, yet five of you want to divide it. Even Little Jiu wants to co and have a taste of the cream.
"However, this cake was already divided according to each person's performance, following established customs. But these last few days, Class President, you have been performing better and better. Sister Qiao was the first to realize your threat, suspecting that you want a bigger slice of the cake. Hence, she unconsciously singled you out to suppress you."
Gu Yueyan crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, turning her head away with a huff. Her puffed cheeks were super cute as she said, "So, that's why I need to clear things up with her, right? It's not like I can just let her provoke and not fight back, right?"
Lin Xianyu took out her SLR cara and captured this precious 'class president's aggrieved photo', saying, "Of course, you should fight back, but you're attacking the wrong person.
"In terms of thick skin, eloquence, and technique, Class President, you are far behind Sister Qiao.
"Isn't there a saying? When angry, the strong unleash their blades toward the stronger, while the weak vent their frustrations on the weaker."
Gu Yueyan asked in confusion, "So I should bravely challenge the Great Demon King, Qiao Muyi?"
"No, I an you should vent your frustrations on Big Brother Ren; he's the big punching bag who won't dare to oppose you," Lin Xianyu said seriously. "This matter blatantly has nothing to do with him, but even if you act capriciously, he will still accept it all.
"The mont Sister Qiao bullies you, you turn around and bully Big Brother Ren. Think about it, ultimately, it's all Big Brother Ren's fault. If he hadn't refused to treat you as the only princess, would you have to suffer this aggravation?
"What's most important is that your rebellion will only tickle Sister Qiao, instead revealing your weakness. But it's different with Big Brother Ren—the harder you bully him, the more Sister Qiao will feel distressed, and others will start to resent Qiao Muyi, who initiated the conflict, creating a situation of collective disapproval!
"This is a dark stratagem—the principle of the young master offering his head!"
Gu Yueyan blinked. "Isn't it 'relieve Wei by besieging Zhao'?"
"Sa difference!" Lin Xianyu waved her hand, full of wisdom. "This principle applies anyti. Class President, you never stir up trouble and often stand on the moral high ground. So of course, you can wield your moral cudgel and relentlessly lash out at Big Brother Ren. As long as others feel sorry for him, they naturally won't dare to provoke you."
Gu Yueyan chewed on her lip a bit and whispered, "Then… what should I do? It's not going to be too serious, right?"
Lin Xianyu rolled her eyes and said, "What? You haven't even started, and you're already feeling sorry for him?"
Gu Yueyan bit her lip faintly. "Um..."
Lin Xianyu asked, "So you an to say, you've already forgiven him for dating several of you at once?"
Gu Yueyan was montarily stunned, shaking her head repeatedly. "No."
Lin Xianyu sighed. "Then this is the price he has to pay for his mistake. Why should you feel sorry for him?
"Class President, I won't comnt on your relationship, but even if one day you all really beco a harmonious family, rember that you've never owed him anything.
"Saving a life and love cannot be equated. You are with Big Brother Ren because of love.
"So, it's he who owes you. It's he who made a mistake. And you are aggrieved because of his mistake. You should rightfully use every ans available to fight for your rights without feeling guilty, and certainly without considering his feelings.
"Otherwise, if you forgive him without boundaries now, in the future, he could hurt you without boundaries as well."
Gu Yueyan nodded thoughtfully. After a mont, as if she understood, she gratefully patted Lin Xianyu's shoulder. "Thank you, Xianyu."
"Hehe, we are good sisters, after all," Lin Xianyu affectionately linked her arm with Gu Yueyan's, laughing. "If Little Star later wants to hire a secretary, you'll have to let know right away!"
"Sure!" Gu Yueyan nodded fervently, marveling, "I never expected that although you've never been in a relationship, Xianyu, when it cos to these matters, you're absolutely eloquent. Amazing!"
If it were anyone else, Lin Xianyu would have thought they were mocking her, but coming from the Class President... it was definitely genuine praise.
Gu Yueyan's eyebrows quivered slightly, and she casually asked, "So Xianyu, haven't you thought about dating in college? Don't you have soone you like?"
Lin Xianyu saw through Gu Yueyan's probing and, amused as if watching an elentary schooler challenge her to a solo, said with a smile, "There probably is soone, but I haven't planned on dating."
Gu Yueyan asked, "Why?"
"I'm cowardly," Lin Xianyu laughed. "Besides, isn't the ga fun? Aren't idols worth chasing? Or are the variety shows not interesting? Love isn't the top priority on my life's to-do list right now."
Gu Yueyan nodded thoughtfully. "Oh… Hey, aren't we supposed to be heading back?"
"I actually really need to use the restroom; co with ," Lin Xianyu cheerfully pulled Gu Yueyan to look for the restroom, hiding all her thoughts deep in her mind.
I'm a very cowardly person, hesitant to state what's clearly right or wrong for fear of losing friends.
Too afraid to actively cultivate after the resurgence of Spiritual Energy, in case I have to take on responsibility.
In this era of peace, I dare not express my liking for you, for fear of holding others back.
Although I'm lazy, enjoy sowing discord, suggesting sches for the Class President, and watching dramas from the sidelines, I know I'm a good girl.
When they got back to the eting spot, they found only Qiao Muyi, Ren Xingi, and Little Jiu holding a black cat there. Lin Xianyu curiously asked, "Where are Teacher Dong and Big Brother Ren?"
"They eloped," Qiao Muyi said indifferently.
The two looked at Ren Xingi, who nodded and spread her hands. "They have already left New York, hiding together in another night, filled with intimate monts."
Gu Yueyan frowned slightly. "Did they have an urgent matter to return to the country for?"
New York is 12 hours behind the Mysterious Country. It was noon in New York, which ant it was nightti in the Mysterious Country.
No longer joking, Qiao Muyi confird, "Yeah, it seems there was a problem with a space experint at the Sky Capital Research Institute, and Cheng Ling had to go there to handle it urgently. Xiao Suo... Xiao Suo's reason for going is that he's a Fourth Stage Healing Cultivator who could treat the injured. He volunteered enthusiastically to accompany Cheng Ling."
While this was a perfectly valid reason, coming from Ren Suo, it always seed a bit off.
Lin Xianyu raised an eyebrow slightly. "So you an Big Brother Ren and Teacher Dong have temporarily left us. If they encounter any issues, we won't be able to intervene in ti…"
Everyone was stunned, and their expressions changed dramatically!
Qiao Muyi gritted her teeth. "Why is it Cheng Ling again? Shouldn't it be my turn this ti?!"
Ren Xingi clicked her tongue. "How could they leave behind this ti? I was with Teacher Dong last ti; it's so unfair!"
Gu Yueyan also felt a bit disgruntled. "Teacher Dong, two tis in a row, huh…"
"Unfair, Little Jiu wants to go too!" Little Jiu cried out, holding the black cat high. The black cat let out a lazy OW.
Lin Xianyu was speechless—did these people think they were going on a picnic?
They should be aware that, if things go wrong, Big Brother Ren and Teacher Dong could end up in events as serious as the Lunar Deity Trial or an invasion from a different dinsion!
However, from what they said, their experiences with Big Brother Ren on these adventures seed to be no different than picnics, and they even got to witness him displaying his wise and brave side...
Lin Xianyu asked, "Can't we just call them?"
"The Sky Capital Research Institute is blocking cellphone signals," Qiao Muyi shrugged. "We can't do anything from here; we can only wait for them to return or to get in touch with us."
Everyone's expressions varied; so were worried, others dissatisfied.
At that mont, Qiao Muyi suddenly walked over and touched Gu Yueyan's head. Gu Yueyan imdiately stepped back, cautiously watching Qiao Muyi.
"Are you serious about stepping back?" Qiao Muyi smiled. "Alright, alright, Xiao Suo scolded earlier, and after thinking it over, I realize I did wrong these past few days. So I wanted to apologize to you, Yueyan. Can you forgive ?"
Lin Xianyu's eyebrow twitched.
Big Brother Ren dared to scold you?
I might as well believe that the Supre Supre didn't summon Big Brother Ren in 1999 because his level was too high, breaking through Skyrim to beco an exceptional-level cultivator who couldn't be summoned.
Although I've known it for a long ti, I still can't help but exclaim: Sister Qiao is truly the one who tolerates Big Brother Ren without any limits.
Damn, I'm really curious if their broken romance could explode the Solar System...
Gu Yueyan was taken aback for a mont. eting Qiao Muyi's sincere gaze, she nodded mildly. "Well, since you put it that way, I forgive you."
Qiao Muyi smiled with delight and took Gu Yueyan's hand. "That's great. It would be so awkward if we let these little things lead to a cold war between us.
"After all..."
Qiao Muyi glanced at the few of them, a sly smile curving her lips, her gaze playfully revealing a hint of mockery. "Before Cheng Ling and Xiao Suo co back, we are supposed to be travel companions."
Lin Xianyu, Gu Yueyan, Ren Xingi, Little Jiu, and even the Black Cat all felt a chill spreading through their bodies from their spines.
It was a warm April in the human world, yet there was a deathly chill in the air, as if all life was withering.
They suddenly realized that without Dong Chengling and Ren Suo, no one could keep Qiao Muyi in check now!
All of them combined were no match for Qiao Muyi, even if she only used one hand!
"Co, let's thoroughly enjoy this trip."
...
...
"A deviation in the spatial coordinates has occurred."
No sooner had Ren Suo and Dong Chengling landed than Dong Chengling spoke rapidly, "The spatial disturbances are more serious than I thought. The spatial coordinates I left behind have shifted. We should still be inside the research institute, but I'm not sure exactly where. We need to contact the person in charge of the research institute as soon as possible..."
While she was talking, Dong Chengling's body suddenly went limp, and Ren Suo quickly held her in his arms. Dong Chengling exhaled softly. "Teleporting halfway across Earth, I still co up short. Normally, I should have detected the shift in the spatial coordinates before teleporting."
"You are already the most impressive Space Monk," Ren Suo comnted gently, holding Dong Chengling's hand, their fingers interlacing. Then, he looked around, feeling a bit puzzled.
"Is this... the research institute?"
They seed to be in a clothing room, or perhaps a storage room.
The silver-white, cold walls, the bright, voice-controlled lighting, and what seed like noise coming from a distant place, indeed had the feel of a research institute.
The room was large, but it also contained many items, such as Cloud-Stepping Boots, Flowing Cloud Boots, Fairy-watching Shoes, Wave-Dancing Jade-collecting Shoes, Heaven-reaching Crown, Evil-Repelling Cloak, Cloud-patterned Armor, Winged Cloud Armor, Black Tortoise Battle Robe, and Tai Chi Soft Armor...
Whoever arranged these clothes, which seed to co straight out of so xianxia ga, not only provided individual mannequin stands for each item but also labeled each with a na tag and even different matching styles, truly making it look like a display area.
If it weren't for the fact that these clothes lacked Spiritual Energy entirely, Ren Suo might have thought they had stumbled into the treasure room of the Sky Capital Research Institute.
Besides these clothes, there were other curious things, such as several Palace Nine-Tailed Fox cushions.
Ren Suo suspected these cushions had a reversible design, but with Dong Chengling in his arms, he felt it was inappropriate to pick one up and check.
In addition, there were many other items: guitars, basses, harmonicas, paintings and calligraphy, swords and spears, and even stacks of manga manuscripts.
Ren Suo glanced at the manga. The drawing was passable. The story was about a young man from the Eastern Han Ren Family who hadn't awakened his bloodline's Force and crossed over to the 21st century to make his mark in the dazzling modern world. The plot was incredibly cliché, and the dialogue terribly naïve, filled with wishful thinking. It was the kind of standard toilet paper manga that could trick elentary school children out of their money.
There were also several figurine display cases in the room. Naturally, the Nine-Tailed Fox figurines had the highest visibility. They ranged from swimsuits to sticky notes, from Shrine Maiden Outfit to Bandage Outfit, and from sailor uniforms to Saint Fighter armor. There were all kinds of styles, with everything one expects to find.
Apart from these, there were also figurines of the Eastern Han Ren Family, including all past Family Heads and even less frequently seen ordinary Ren Family disciples...
Could the person who used this room be a hardcore fan of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Ren Family?
Ren Suo quickly concluded that this room must be soone's collection room. The consistent style of the collectibles and the thoughtful arrangents made the owner's intense passion palpable.
By then, the drained Dong Chengling was starting to recover and said, "Suo, let's go out."
There was a door to the room, but Ren Suo knew at a glance that it wasn't sothing that could be opened in the conventional way: there was no handle, and there was a cara on the top edge of the door, likely an iris recognition system.
Dong Chengling led Ren Suo to the cara. It flashed a red light, which then turned yellow, and emitted a BEEP, but the door still opened.
"I have certain permissions at the research institute," Dong Chengling explained with a sigh of relief. "The yellow light ans I normally wouldn't have the access rights to enter. However, it's no problem if it's an ergency, if I submit the required application docunts afterward, or if a senior supervisor approves. Luckily, it wasn't the red light of a highly confidential area, or else we would have had to force our way out."
Ren Suo looked curiously at the room—this room was a place that even Dong Chengling wasn't authorized to enter?
"Huh?"
A voice suddenly rang out in the minds of Ren Suo and Dong Chengling. "How did you... Oh, it's Level 5 Space Researcher Dong Chengling. Are you here to deal with the spatial quake accident? Did your teleport deviate due to the spatial quake affecting spatial coordinates?"
Ren Suo and Dong Chengling imdiately looked around, only to discover that there was no one nearby; the corridor behind the door was also empty!
Both of them were shocked and baffled—they were Fourth-Stage Cultivators, but now soone was communicating with them using spiritual power, and they couldn't even find out where the other party was!
Dong Chengling had co to the research institute several tis for spatial research before, but she had no idea that there was such a powerful cultivator here!
Ren Suo was even more shocked; he had not expected his wife's Researcher Level to be higher than his!
He was only a Level 4 Researcher!
Dong Chengling was actually Level 5!
Damn, the promotion speed of Entertainnt Researchers really is slower than that of Practical Researchers!
"Co along the corridor; I have temporarily adjusted your access rights." The voice rang out again.
The monitor's yellow light instantly turned green. After exchanging a glance, they held hands and walked down the corridor together.
The corridor was short. After turning a corner, they saw another shielded door, which opened with a green light after Dong Chengling passed the iris recognition.
A spacious underground space, illuminated by warm light, ca into their field of vision.
Just a few minutes ago, Ren Suo was still at New York Central Station, with its starry sky do resembling a castle.
And now, he saw a magical palace that could rival the Mage's Sanctum from a fantasy novel.
The high ceiling was a real-ti projection of the Solar System in operation. Nurous small asteroids, dwarf planets, and planets orbited an invisible trajectory. The central sun cast warm rays, lighting the entire palace.
The marble floor resembled a lake surface, where each step, depending on the force applied, would create different ripples.
Thirteen giant LCD screens displayed various data. Scholars in white coats sat before control panels, arguing. Among them, Ren Suo recognized familiar faces: Cha Xian'er, You Jiu, and Mr. Chuan.
But the most fanciful and eye-catching thing in the entire space was the gigantic Ice Throne.
Nurous pipes stretched from the huge wall behind it to the ground, forming an incredibly ugly and orderly yet eerily beautiful base that supported a deep blue Ice Throne.
The cold air from the throne extended along the pipes, icing the giant wall. Seats extended from the icy surface, upon which sat ga characters familiar to Ren Suo: Fairy Palace Assassin (2049), Zhao Zili (2049), Supre Supre (1999), Black Coffin Demon King, Dread Chronomancer, Voidwalker, and Mister Darkmoon...
And the most lavish of all, the dazzling ice sculpture of the Charming Nine-Tailed Fox, constantly refracting rainbow radiance.
Ren Suo's first thought was: I'm going to get Bai Ji to set one up for when I get back.
Sitting on the throne was a young immortal with an aura of sage-like elegance.
When Ren Suo and Dong Chengling entered, the young immortal's gaze shifted from the Nine-Tailed Fox screensaver on the laptop to his right. He first glanced at Dong Chengling, then at her hand tightly clasped with Ren Suo's, and finally, his gaze settled on Ren Suo.
Ren Suo lifted his head, looking at this young immortal who seed above the mortal world even amidst its hubbub.
As their gazes t, they each made a subjective yet objectively accurate judgnt about the man before them.
Years later, when people talked about this historic eting, they often used adjectives like "eting of minds," "an instant connection," or "love at first sight" to infinitely glorify the two protagonists.
Countless fan fiction writers (mostly BL), even described the eting like this: "The gears of destiny began to sh and turn at this mont."
The enthusiastic citizen Ren Zuo, who refused to reveal his na, ca out to refute these claims:
"Back then, I thought he was just a scumbag constantly radiating the stench of romance.
"As it turns out, I was right."
When everyone turned to ask the other protagonist's opinion, the privacy-conscious onlooker Ren Suo, who answered anonymously, said:
"Back then, I also thought he was just a poser failing to appear cool and becoming an idiot instead.
"But I never expected that it would be who established his reputation as the King of Posers... Indeed, posing isn't just about personal effort; it's also about the course of history."
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