Yuan Xi

Beside him, Lin Nieran, unseen by others, was introducing this unfamiliar young man to him.

"His name is Wu Liang, and he's also my friend."

"If you run into him again when no one's around, tell him you have a personality called... uh, never mind, I don't have a name right now. Just tell him your own name, he'll definitely understand what I mean."

Lin Yi asked in surprise, "But isn't it only me who can see you? Can he see you too?"

Lin Nieran: "Of course he can't see me, but he recognizes you."

"Lin Yi, Lin Yi?"

Lin Yi snapped out of his reverie and looked blankly at Wang Ding, who had woken him. "Hmm?"

"Lin Yi, it's me, Yuan Xi." Yuan Xi smiled and leaned closer. "Long time no see. It seems you haven't been doing well."

Lin Yi stared at him, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion, but Yuan Xi subconsciously avoided his gaze.

Tao Yuan and Wang Ding automatically fell silent, observing the strange atmosphere between the two.

"You still daydream as much as ever," Yuan Xi said. "I know you'll definitely improve your grades soon; we're all waiting for you."

Lin Yi smiled faintly, his gaze remaining fixed on the person beside him.

The boy, who was facing away from them, had long, choppy hair, his head down, and his lips pressed tightly together. He seemed to be caught in some kind of extreme negative emotion, and he didn't react at all noisy around him.

Lin Nieran continued, "Wu Liang is a bit prone to extremes, but most of the time he's a very good kid."

"At least Yuan Xi in front of you."

Lin Yi then turned his gaze to Yuan Xi, distancing himself from him. "We used to be friends, but we aren't anymore."

Tao Yuan and Wang Ding both looked puzzled. Before they could ask, Yuan Xi smiled and said, "It's because his score isn't high enough to be my friend. Otherwise, we would both lose points."

Lin Yi was about to say something when Yuan Xi interrupted him, "Alright, enough of that. Do you know what happened inside? It sounded a bit like an explosion to me."

Wang Ding felt guilty and remained silent, and Lin Yi also shut his mouth.

It's best if they don't speak right now; if there are any lie detector Rules here, they'll be in big trouble.

Tao Yuan took the lead and struck up a conversation with Yuan Xi: "It sounds like it too. How come there's a bomb in our yard?"

"I don't know," Yuan Xi muttered. "I heard bombs are expensive and hard to buy. Some bad guys must have sneaked in to do something bad."

This statement sparked a lively discussion among the children nearby.

"Exactly, but what would bad people do in the Prayer Room? There's no money there."

"They might be after our idol! They want to destroy our idol!"

"I wonder if that bad guy escaped. Is he still in the yard?"

Watching their wildly imaginative banter, Tao Yuan seized the opportunity to exchange glances with Wang Ding, trying to figure out where they had blown up.

Wang Ding simply made a gesture to her, and Tao Yuan gave him a thumbs up.

Tao Yuan thought for a moment, then casually echoed their sentiments before saying, "I just don't know how powerful this bomb is. What if it collapses the cafeteria? Where will we eat tonight?"

Yuan Xi said, "We can repair anywhere we bomb, but if we damage the Statue, we're finished."

Wang Ding's heart tightened, and he pressed, "What if the Statue breaks?"

"The Orphanage Director will definitely not let the person who planted the bomb get away with it," Yuan Xi said. "That Statue is a god who protects us. The Orphanage Director and the directors cherish it very much. They personally clean the Statue every day and never let us touch it casually."

Wang Ding and Lin Yi exchanged bewildered glances: They shouldn't have touched the Statue, right? They just set off an explosion behind Statue.

[It has to be said, Dù'è's luck is just too good.]

[Wasn't Cheng Shanshi here this time? I didn't see his live stream, what a pity. If he were here, their luck would have been better.]

[Weren't there supposed to be 12 players this time? How come I haven't seen any of the other players?]

[Actually, didn't you guys think that the kid standing next to Yuan Xi just now looked a bit like Wu Liang?]

[No way...]

[I think so, that eerie feeling is just too similar! It must be him, I've seen him for treatment before!]

[How is the man above? Brave man, how dare you go to Wu Liang for treatment!]

[If it really is him, I wonder how many people in the organization will be there this time. Looking forward to it!]

[Whenever there's an organized group, the Instance level is always much higher. I heard the Authorities level for this Instance is A-Rank, so it seems quite challenging.]

Yuan Xi started chatting with the people around him. Seeing this, Tao Yuan prepared to leave the place of trouble with Wang Ding and Lin Yi, so she slowly retreated away from the crowd.

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Yuan Xi turned around and called out to them.

The three of them stiffened and stopped in their tracks. Tao Yuan smiled and said, "Staying here is just a waste of time. Let's go."

Wang Ding nodded. "Yes, yes."

Yuan Xi glanced at Lin Yi, then beckoned to Tao Yuan: "I have something to tell you."

Tao Yuan walked over to him, puzzled. Yuan Xi whispered, "Stay away from Lin Yi. Don't be with him. Many people here, including the Disciplinarian Director, don't like him. If you're with him, you'll be targeted too."

Tao Yuan was taken aback, and said, puzzled, "I think he's a good person."

"Listen to me, my level is so much higher than yours, would I harm you?" Yuan Xi looked at her, "You'll reach a higher level sooner or later, and if Lin Yi gets attached to you, no one will ever adopt you in this lifetime."

"If you don't believe me, you can ask the others. Nobody in the entire Orphanage dares to be with him. I'm just kindly reminding you."

Tao Yuan frowned, looking at the smiling child in front of her. The child's face was clearly innocent and childlike, but it contained a festering heart.

She said, "I don't think he did anything wrong."

Yuan Xi wanted to say something more, but Tao Yuan's expression had already turned cold. "Alright, I need to go back to work now."

"Alright then." Yuan Xi turned her head, looked at Lin Yi, and smiled. "Lin Yi, see you tomorrow."

Lin Yi didn't even turn his head; the three of them quickly left the crowd.

On the way, Tao Yuan asked Lin Yi in a low voice, "What's your relationship with this person?"

"He used to be my deskmate. We both got promoted to B-Rank, but he was too stupid and always got used as a pawn."

Lin Yi said, "He's very lucky. He has beautiful eyes and a likable personality. The Disciplinarian Director all say that someone like him is someone rich people would like. So he won't fall below B-Rank, but he also can't rise to A-Rank."

"But to me, he's not particularly outstanding... at best, he's just passable in appearance?"

Tao Yuan spoke, she looked up and carefully observed Lin Yi's face.

Ever since she learned how Lin Yi's face was injured, she subconsciously avoided looking at Lin Yi face; every time she did, she would think of that night.