Shrek Academy, Flender's office.
Zhao Xuan sat upright on one side of the desk, while Flender sat in the seat of honor, looking heartbrokenly at the pile of fragments before him. Even his joy at Zhao Xuan's return had been washed away.
At the thought of this, another surge of anger rose in him. He suddenly barked at Ma Hongjun, who was shrinking back in the corner and looking at him timidly, "You wasteful brat!"
Flender had long established his authority over Ma Hongjun. Hearing this, he could not help shrinking his neck, but he still muttered, "It was just an accident!"
"An accident? Haven't you caused me enough trouble over the years? And look at you now—you're practically a ball! Starting tomorrow, go fight two matches at the Great Soul Arena every day."
"Mm, and run a few laps too," Zhao Xuan chimed in at the right moment.
Flender's eyes lit up at that. After glancing at Zhao Xuan, he nodded in satisfaction. It seemed they were both rather dissatisfied with Ma Hongjun's current state. They truly saw eye to eye.
After berating him for a while, much of Flender's anger subsided. He picked up the cup before him, took a sip of tea, and asked Zhao Xuan, "Zhao Xuan, how long are you planning to stay this time?"
Zhao Xuan pondered for a moment before answering, "I probably won't be going out again anytime soon."
"Not going out? Good, good. Heh heh."
A gleam flashed through Flender's narrow eyes, making him look exceptionally shrewd. Zhao Xuan immediately became wary.
There was a saying passed around at Shrek Academy: no good came when the dean did not smile, and even less good came when he did.
Those words had been deeply etched into the hearts of every Shrek student,