The Ball

The banquet was finally drawing to a close, and the final event, the ball, was about to begin.

"Hey Feng, did you just sit here eating the whole banquet?" Hen said, looking at the rising star peeling an orange with a hint of exasperation. "Don't you care at all what Elysia and Lilith are talking about?"

"If I care about everything, wouldn't that be a form of control?" Zhu Yufeng said casually. "Even the closest relationships need to maintain a suitable distance at certain times, which is necessary for both people in the relationship."

Hen sighed. This junior was good in every way, but he didn't seem to get close to anyone else. Apart from Elysia and the others around him who were somewhat special to him, he couldn't even remember the names of the others.

"Lilith ...she does know some of my habits and my past... Elysia knows my the Present." Zhu Yufeng said, looking at the two people still chatting at the bar not far away. "This is probably the first time they've had so much free time to chat. There are some things I might not be able to say in the present. Besides, if I were needed to be present, Elysia would have dragged me over there already."

Hen smiled and patted Zhu Yufeng's shoulder forcefully, "You little rascal! I think you say you need to keep a proper distance sometimes, but you don't really care, do you? Otherwise, why would you choose this place to eat?"

Zhu Yufeng: "..."

Maybe... a little?

"Speaking of which, this banquet was rather boring. After all, the two people who made the greatest contributions refused to go on stage to give speeches, so in the end I had to give a summary speech on the Fourth Herrscher incident." Hen shrugged and said, "By the way, Qianjie did Qian Jie, who single-handedly held off the Fourth Herrscher, go? I think I saw him a while ago. Does he never take off his mask?"

"If you both fight him with all your might, maybe he'll take off his mask and show you," Zhu Yufeng said while eating an orange. "If you want to find him, where is he?"

Hen followed Zhu Yufeng's gaze and saw Qianjie leaning against the wall, doing nothing, just crossing his arms and watching the noisy crowd in the venue. He wondered what kind of expression was on his face under the mask.

Hen withdrew his gaze and said, "If I remember correctly, Qianjie was the person you and Elysia vouched for. Oh right, he was with that Pardofelis when Fire Moth, right? So, you two actually have a pretty good relationship?"

"You could think of it that way..." Zhu Yufeng replied, "Speaking of which, I just saw Himiko, the captain of the Seventh Squad of the Far East Branch. She greeted me and said that you had mentioned me to her. Do you two know each other?"

"How could you not know her? Do you think everyone is like you, avoiding communication during missions and outside of missions, and then just walking away after the mission is over?" Hen rolled his eyes. "I've even worked with her a few times. She participated in the Third Herrscher incident last year, and she was in charge of the cleanup afterwards, but I don't think you noticed."

He dared to say that if Feng talked more with other people, he would have rejected far more love letters from the girls around the Present than he had the Present.

After all, Feng and Kevin are two different things. Kevin has always had a stoic expression and a "ruthless but taciturn" demeanor. Moreover, he has made it clear that his girlfriend is Dr. Mei. Feng is different. His CP, after he made his debut, has always been a hot topic in the world of "Fire Moth". Of course, the two lively assistants in the Mobius Laboratory played a significant role in this.

Although Feng usually appears indifferent to everything...

Why are all these newcomers so outrageous lately? Feng, Hua, Kevin, Kosma, these four rising stars with excellent combat records and fiercely competitive training, are all quieter than the last. Hua is so low-key that she is often overlooked. Only Pardofelis is more enthusiastic, and she is also very popular in the Fire Moth.

Sakura is a veteran assassin, not a newcomer, and she doesn't talk much.

Then there's Qianjie. I've heard he has Qianjie terrible temper, and he always ends conversations with a single word, "Get lost," whenever anyone tries to communicate with him. It must be tough for Raphael...

I wonder what it would be like if Elysia hadn't been there to liven things up...

Are we just going to stare at each other blankly?

Setting aside the jumbled thoughts in his mind, Hen noticed something amiss. "You actually remembered Himiko's name?"

Zhu Yufeng slowly typed a "?". What do you mean he actually remembered so-and-so's name? He was just too lazy to remember it. Don't really think he couldn't remember it. Besides, Himiko is also an important figure related to Hua. She's the kind of person who, even if Hua has forgotten the past, will involuntarily react and shed tears when she sees Himeko.

How could he not take a note?

Ignoring Zhu Yufeng's somewhat speechless look, Hen stroked his chin and muttered to himself, "Indeed, Himiko is the Present unmarried and single... As a mature and intelligent warrior, she is indeed hard for some people to handle... Do young people these the Present like this?"

Zhu Yufeng's eye twitched. He expressionlessly took out his phone and entered recording mode. "Hen, if you keep talking, I'm going to record this and send it to Senior Blanca. You seem to know nothing."

Can you please stop misunderstanding me?! I knew you were unserious in my past life, but I only realized in this life how unserious you can be, and how unbearable it is.

"Ahem, hahaha... Oh dear, these are just personal thoughts, no need to take them so seriously, Feng." Hen immediately came to his senses and said to Zhu Yufeng with a dry laugh, "Also, Feng, take my advice, you can't handle that kind of woman. If you want to find a partner, it's better to find someone your own age."

Zhu Yufeng: "..."

Alright, alright, everyone knows you're the Archbishop of the Maple Party now, go ahead and fight Kevin.

"Speaking of which, the dance is about to start, and it'll be your time, young people's time. I, this old man, won't disturb you any longer." Hen said and then slipped away.

Zhu Yufeng glanced at the digital clock on the wall; the ball was indeed about to begin. He then looked towards the bar, where Elysia and Lilith had finished their conversation and were both coming toward him.

"Have you finished talking?" Zhu Yufeng asked.

"Yes, I've really learned a lot about you. How should I put it, it's really opened my eyes," Elysia said with a smile. For some reason, Zhu Yufeng felt a little guilty. He looked at Lilith, Lilith just showed her usual mischievous smile.

It's probably because... Lilith told Elysia about things that she almost confessed to Lilith more than once...

Zhu Yufeng could only bite the bullet and say, "You... you know everything?"

Elysia's smile deepened, "What do you mean? Is there something I don't know?"

Zhu Yufeng: "..."

"One is influenced by one's company," goes the saying. Elysia has only spent a short time with Lilith, and instead of correcting Lilith, she's been corrupted by Lilith? No, wait, Elysia was already a bit cunning to begin with...

For example, there's the Versailles with Mei in the Elysian Realm. You know, Mei, in order to maintain her figure, would burn off the extra calories by running on the treadmill at night if she ate even a little bit extra. Besides, most girls are concerned about their figure, but this Elysia even said that her side effects were quite "terrifying," like not being able to gain weight no matter how much she ate...

"Okay, okay, I'm not teasing you anymore." Elysia's tone immediately became lighter again. "I know that with your personality, you would never mention something like going to a hot spring together, but I do get jealous sometimes."

"So, next time we'll go to the hot springs with Maple together?" Lilith asked Elysia. "I think that's a good idea. When do you plan to go?"

Zhu Yufeng & Elysia: "..."

Suddenly, I don't know what to say anymore.

"Alright, now it's your turn. I won't disturb you any longer," Lilith said with a smile. "The ball is about to begin, so please welcome the two of you?"

Elysia looked at Zhu Yufeng, leaned closer to him, and said, "Is Lilith always like this?"

"She's always like this." Zhu Yufeng smiled wryly.

Speaking of which, isn't Lilith's script a bit like that of Elysia leader in the later Elysian Realm? Anyway, she could be either, right? On the contrary, Elysia... although she would tease Sakura or Pardo in her daily life and also liked girls to be close to her, it's just that... when it comes to being open in front of me, she is obviously not as casual as Lilith.

Watching the two leave, Lilith's lips curled into a strange smile, "After all, even Elysia, in front of someone she likes, will be mindful of her words and actions, wanting to show him her best side..."

She wasn't interested in arguing about which dance partner she was, because she figured the others had already discussed it before she arrived. Besides, she didn't care about dancing and didn't even care who taught this blockhead his dance moves.

In her previous life, she had already noticed that Mobius, Vill-V, Pardofelis all had feelings for Feng. Elysia had only guessed based on the invitation, and in the end, she was right... If Elysia had realized it sooner, given Feng's personality, she wouldn't have stood a chance.

Before you get there yourself, why not check out what your acquaintances are up to?

On the dance floor.

"Hua, have you never practiced before?" Himiko took Hua's hand and guided her step by step, starting with simple footwork to familiarize her with the dance steps.

"Um... I'm not interested in these things," Hua said somewhat awkwardly.

"That won't do. Girls need to be a little more assertive sometimes, especially when boys have no self-awareness. If they don't act a little, they won't know anything at all," Himiko said earnestly. "At this time, skills like dressing up or dancing are very necessary. Of course, you also need to learn not to put all your eggs in one basket."

Himiko glanced at Elysia and Zhu Yufeng on the other side. She thought the two of them worked well together and seemed to be a good match. She didn't think Hua had any chance of winning, but as a senior, she should give the child some necessary help in time.

On Kosma's side.

"Amo, your dance moves have become much more skillful," Disaster teased with a smile. "Compared to last time when you accidentally stepped on my foot, you've really improved a lot."

"Perhaps... I've let it go," Kosma said.

(Before, I was always hesitant about my relationship with Disaster, wanting to get closer but always lingering. Now that I've finally taken that step, many things... have become much easier.)

"Yes, it's amazing that you, such a blockhead, have finally come to your senses." Disaster said with some emotion. A little over a year ago, Amo wasn't like this. Ever since the Fire Moth came along, Amo has changed a lot.

Although... Disaster vaguely felt that Kosma Fire Moth before the time he suddenly said he was going to Changkong City, Kosma couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

But none of that matters anymore. No matter how things change, Amo is still Amo. In essence, he is still that boy who wants to be a Heroes. As his childhood friend and senior sister, of course I have to take responsibility for keeping an eye on Amo. After all, this guy always makes me worry.

Kevin's side.

There's not much to say about these two; everything they did was so natural and effortless.

"Mei, did you practice on your own afterwards? Your dance steps are much more skillful than before," Kevin said.

"You don't need to worry about these things." Mei's expression suddenly became a little unnatural. "Learning to dance occasionally is a good way to relax after the experiments are over."

She wouldn't admit that she was afraid Kevin be taken away by other women or even men.

Yes, I'm talking about that guy dancing with Elysia. Elysia, you really need to keep an eye on your man and not let him run around like that!

Zhu Yufeng: "..."

Why does he feel like he's been unfairly blamed? Why is it so dark tonight?

"What's wrong, Feng?" Elysia noticed that Zhu Yufeng's expression was off. "What are you thinking about?"

"It's nothing, it's just that I feel... like someone has misunderstood me again," Zhu Yufeng said.

Speaking of which, I didn't see Vill-V and Mobius at this banquet. They didn't come... well, maybe they felt it wasn't necessary.

The two of them didn't come for different reasons. Mobius didn't care, and besides, she can't dance and doesn't want to learn. Why would she come and make herself suffer? Last time, she was so upset about this that she drank some alcohol and almost got a week's worth of instant noodles from Zhu Yufeng. A whole week!

As for Vill-V, after her failed ambush on Zhu Yufeng last time, her id personality still doesn't dare to look at Zhu Yufeng's face for too long, which has also affected the other personalities to some extent. As for Evil, she has the same attitude as Mobius, indifferent, because she knew in advance that Lilith would be there, so she plans to change her approach and take some other actions. Evil, the only one who can dance, is giving up, and the other personalities are powerless to do anything about it.

Pardo waited patiently for Elysia and Zhu Yufeng to finish their dance. To be honest, only she and Elysia were actually going to dance with Zhu Yufeng this time. Sakura didn't plan to join them, and since Rin needed to go to bed early, she took Rin and left when the banquet was almost over.

Qianjie exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay, and Yizhu leaned against the wall watching.

Some soldiers from other branches wanted to invite Pardo to dance, Pardo declined them all. She came here to dance with Brother Yu Feng. Otherwise, she would have left with Sister Ying as soon as the dance started. Even Sister Lilith couldn't handle Sister Elysia here, so what could a cat like her do?

But it seems like Lilith isn't planning to come up after Sister Elysia and Brother Yu Feng finish dancing.

It seems like things are going really well for Amo. Keep it up, Sister Daisy!

As Pardo watched Zhu Yufeng dancing with Elysia, she thought about how some of the warriors she had rejected turned their gazes to Zhu Yufeng, only to be heartbroken even more. Some were even reminded by their companions that there was still Lilith waiting for them...

My heart is so broken it's beyond repair.

Zhu Yufeng: "..."

Whose eyes are these now?

Elysia noticed this time, and she looked at Zhu Yufeng with a hint of amusement, saying, "It seems you're becoming the public enemy of the boys within the Fire Moth, Feng."

"I didn't want to either," Zhu Yufeng said, somewhat speechless.