"Contradiction"

Zhou Yi's figure, cold as ten-thousand-year ice, vanished briskly and cleanly at the end of the corridor, leaving no room for anyone to argue. Yet the "cohabitation" order she had brought was like a bomb tossed into a volcano's mouth, setting off a storm in Wang Dong's mind—no, deep in her very soul—powerful enough to destroy heaven and earth!

She stood there blankly, holding the two brand-new Dark Green school uniforms that still carried a faint scent of starch, as if her soul had been drawn out of her and she had turned into an exquisite yet fragile statue. Those Pink Blue Eyes that usually sparkled with life were now filled with confusion, shock, and a drowning kind of panic.

Live... live in the same dorm?

With that guy? That bastard who had been teasing her nonstop since yesterday, throwing her mind into chaos, and even— even doing that kind of Intimate Action to her?!

How was that possible! Absolutely impossible!

She was the Little Princess of the God Realm! She was destined to inherit a divine seat! How could she... how could she live together with a man?! If word got out, how would she ever show her face again? If her father found out, he would definitely come carrying the Asura Demon Sword and overturn all of Shrek Academy!

Long Yao looked in the direction Zhou Yi had left. His words, spoken with a faint wry smile—"Looks like this Old Hag won't be easy to persuade"—only poured oil on the fire in Wang Dong's ears. How could he be so calm?! How could he say something like that in such an indifferent tone?! Did he not think this was absurd? Completely outrageous?!

Her anger, like a volcano suppressed to its limit, suddenly erupted from the bottom of her heart, instantly burning away the last thread of her reason.

"Let's go take a look at the dorm first."

When Long Yao turned around and said those words to her, Wang Dong felt that what flowed through her veins was no longer blood, but scalding lava. She jerked her head up. On her Small Face, flushed red from Shame and Anger, her Beautiful Eyes burned with raging flames as she glared at him.

"Who wants to go look at the dorm with you!" she shrieked, her voice trembling slightly from agitation. "I'm not living with you! Absolutely not! I'm going to find Teacher and argue this right now!"

As she spoke, she turned to rush off and find Zhou Yi, but Long Yao merely glanced at her with an expression so calm it was almost cold and said flatly, "She just said that if we're half an hour late, we'll be expelled on the spot."

Those words were like a basin of Ice Water poured over Wang Dong's anger, nailing her forward-charging Footsteps firmly in place.

Expelled...

That was right. This was Shrek Academy! The number one Soul Master Academy on the continent! The place she had secretly run to behind her parents' backs, wanting to prove herself! If she was expelled because of something like this, wouldn't all her efforts and disguises become one enormous joke?

Reason and pride waged a brutal War of Attrition in her mind. In the end, the stubbornness that refused to slink back in disgrace still overpowered the dignity that had been trampled on.

She bit her Lower Lip hard, so hard that even her delicate Lips turned faintly pale. Without a word, her chest heaving violently, she finally turned around and strode toward the New Student Dormitory area at an almost self-tormenting speed. She walked extremely fast, as though some primordial beast was chasing her from behind, wanting only to get as far away as possible from the man who left her heart in utter turmoil.

One in front and one behind, the two kept a distance of a dozen meters between them, crossed several training grounds, and arrived at the cluster of buildings marked "New Student Area." Building No. 7 was a very ordinary-looking Three-Story Small Building made of bluish-gray stone, its outer walls covered in emerald-green vines.

Wang Dong stood at the door of Room 101, staring at the perfectly ordinary Wooden Door, feeling as if it were the mouth of a giant beast that chose people to devour.

Long Xiaoyao walked over unhurriedly, took out that bronze-colored key from his robes, inserted it into the lock, and turned it gently.

With a click, the door opened.

As the door was pushed open, a scent mixed with wood, sunlight, and green grass rushed toward them.

Just as Long Yao had said, "small as it is, it has everything."

The dorm room was not large, only about thirty square meters. Just inside the door was a small living area with a wooden table and two chairs. The floor was laid with smooth wooden boards and wiped spotless. Light streamed in through a large window, making the entire room look very bright.

What caught the eye most, however, was the room's layout. The entire space was divided in two down the middle by a heavy dark blue curtain that almost reached the floor. On either side of the curtain was a simply constructed wooden bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. All the furniture was brand-new, but the style was utterly plain.

Most importantly, right in the center of that curtain was a tiny "single room" partitioned off with an even simpler wooden screen, only about five or six square meters in size. Though cramped, this small space formed a relatively independent area with more privacy.

"Then you can sleep inside, all right?"

Long Yao's polite, questioning voice rang out, completely igniting the nerve in Wang Dong that had long since been stretched to its limit.

"All right? What's all right about it?!!"

She whirled around and hurled the two school uniforms and badges in her arms into Long Yao's chest as if flinging away something filthy!

"Who wants to divide rooms with you! Who wants to sleep inside! Long Yao! I'm telling you, don't think I don't know what you're thinking!" She pointed at his nose, and in those eyes burning with fury, a layer of mist even rose from her excessive agitation.

"You bastard! Pervert! You've been following me since yesterday, deliberately bumping into me, and even— even saying those... those shameless things to me! And now you want to live in the same room as me?! Dream on!"

Her voice rose from Shame and Anger, sounding somewhat sharp, yet because of it, it also carried a trace of grievance even she herself did not notice. She felt that all the humiliation and anger she had experienced since birth had been tasted in a single day! And the culprit behind all of it was this hateful fellow in front of her, wearing an innocent face as if he had done nothing at all!

"I'm telling you! This room! If you're here, I'm not! If I'm here, you're not! You want to stay? Fine! I'll leave!"

As she spoke, she turned to rush out of the room. She would rather go fight Teacher to the death and be expelled than remain in the same room as this man any longer!

But the instant she turned, her wrist was gently yet irresistibly caught by a warm and powerful large hand.

"I understand," Long Yao said slowly.

That calm "I understand" was like a sharp, ice-cold scalpel, precisely cutting open the seemingly impregnable armor Wang Dong had built from anger and shame.

She had already prepared herself to face a violent storm. She had imagined that he would angrily refute her, coldly mock her, or even strike back at her with even harsher words. She had been ready to escalate this quarrel without limit, until one side completely broke down.

However, she received none of that.

No anger, no argument, not even the slightest trace of impatience.

He merely looked at her quietly. In those Profound Eyes, the teasing and amusement from before were gone, replaced by a calm fatigue that made her heart clench suddenly. And in the depths of that still lake, Wang Dong clearly caught a trace of... fleeting grievance.

That trace of grievance was so faint, so difficult to notice, yet like a red-hot silver needle tempered with deadly poison, it instantly pierced through all her defenses and stabbed hard into the softest part of her soul.

That was right... from beginning to end, what did any of this have to do with him?

The random grouping had not been arranged by him.

Sharing a dorm was the academy's order.

He had even considerately given her the only single room with privacy...

And what about her?

She had been like a Madman, shouting and screaming at him, venting all her resentment and Shame and Anger on him without any reason at all.

"I'll explain it clearly."

After saying that last line, he turned and walked out. For some reason, his back looked somewhat bleak and lonely. He did not slam the door and leave as she had imagined. Instead, he placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly, gently, closed that wooden door.

"Click."

That light sound struck Wang Dong's heart like a heavy hammer, draining away the last bit of strength she had left.

The door was closed.

The entire room instantly sank into deathly stillness. Only she remained, along with her heavy, chaotic breathing.

The sky-high fury that had supported her just now vanished without a trace in that instant, like a balloon that had been punctured. Replacing it was an overwhelming emptiness, regret, and... self-loathing that nearly suffocated her.

She had been wrong.

For the first time, she realized with such clarity just how absurdly wrong she had been.

That exhaustion and weakness from the depths of her soul swept over her once more. She could no longer support her body. Her legs went weak, and she slowly slid down along the cold door panel until she was sitting on the floor.

She buried her head deeply between her knees. Her slender shoulders began trembling violently beyond her control. One drop, then two... Scalding tears, like pearls from a broken string, could no longer be held back. They burst from her eyes and quickly soaked the dark green uniform in front of her.

She made no sound, only wept silently and despairingly.

It was not because she felt wronged, nor because she was angry. It was a more complicated emotion, mixed with guilt, confusion, and deep disappointment in herself. She hated this version of herself, hated this self who was like an unreasonable shrew throwing a tantrum.

In the livestream room, the danmu that had originally been incomparably excited because an intense conflict was about to erupt also fell into a rare brief standstill at that moment.

[I Really Only Know How to Give Freely]: ...Holy shit... Streamer's move... was fucking top-tier...

[Lust is the Primary Productive Force]: I... I actually feel a little bad for this pink-haired kid... Streamer's combo of "retreat to advance" plus "innocent victim" directly shattered her...

[Keyboard Warrior Ninth-Rank Elder]: Brilliant! Truly brilliant! Did all of you see it clearly?! The value in that series of moves Streamer just made! He didn't argue, because arguing would only intensify the conflict. He took the "fault" upon himself, and with one wronged look, instantly occupied the moral high ground! Then he left cleanly and decisively, leaving the other person alone in the room to reflect! That gave her enormous psychological pressure and space to calm down! By the time he comes back, the initiative will be completely in his hands! This isn't flirting anymore! This is dimensional suppression! It's an open scheme!

[Rich Women Love Me]: Wuwuwu... My precious handsome guy was wronged... It's all that pink-haired girl's fault! She doesn't know what's good for her! But... but the way she looks when she cries... is... is so pitiful too... Sigh...

[Rich Women Love Me] rewarded [Calming Incense (First Snowmelt on the Snowy Mountain)] x1 (value: 999 yuan): Handsome guy, light this when you go back later. It can calm her emotions and let her sleep well. Don't lower yourself to her level.

[Defeat the Hypocritical Tang San]: Hahahaha! Although! Seeing Tang San's precious daughter being made to cry still makes me want to laugh! Streamer is awesome! Let her keep being arrogant! Let her keep being tsundere! Now she knows how harsh society is, right?!

In the room, only Wang Dong's suppressed, faint sobs remained. She curled up behind the door like a wet little beast abandoned by the whole world, helpless and pitiful. She did not know how long she had cried, nor did she know where that man had gone, much less how she was supposed to face him after he returned.

Her world had completely fallen into a mess at that moment.

Time: Douluo Calendar Year 2030 Season: Autumn Next morning, 11:00 AM

Location: Shrek Academy, New Student Dormitory Area, Building Seven, Room 101

Viewers: 118,245

Equipment: True Vast Sea Ring (Divine Artifact)

Items: Shrek Academy Uniform x2, Student Emblem x2, Dormitory Key x1

First Martial Soul: Soul Breaking Spear [Traits: Armor Breaking, Soul Devouring, Penetration]

Second Martial Soul: Chaos Holy Dragon (Hidden) [Traits: Strength, Time, Space]

Soul Power: Level 45 (Soul Ancestor) [Status: True Vast Sea Ring Shielding, external perception at Level 24]

Soul Rings: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Soul Ring (Yellow Hundred-Year), Second Soul Ring (Purple Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Black Ten-Thousand-Year)

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Soul Ring (Black Thirteen-Thousand-Year), Second Soul Ring (Black Twenty-Eight-Thousand-Year), Third Soul Ring (Black Forty-Six-Thousand-Year), Fourth Soul Ring (Rose Gold Hundred-Thousand-Year)

Spirit Skills: [Soul Breaking Spear] First Spirit Skill: Swift Shadow Stab, Second Spirit Skill: Whirlwind Spear, Third Spirit Skill: Armor Breaking Spiral, Fourth Spirit Skill: Thousand Spirit Spear Rain

[Chaos Holy Dragon] First Spirit Skill: Star Ring, Second Spirit Skill: Holy Dragon Claw, Third Spirit Skill: Void Claw, Fourth Spirit Skill: Time and Space Roar

Soul Bones: None

Soul Spirit: None

Reward Stash: [Million-Year Spirit Beast Inverse Scale] x1, [Hallucinatory Perfume] x1, [Starlight Sapphire Brooch] x1, [Tsundere Princess Strategy Manual Platinum Edition] x1, [God-Bestowed Soul Ring] x1, [Spring of Life] x1, [Constant Temperature Double Jade Bed] x1, [Calming Incense (First Snowmelt on the Snowy Mountain)] x1