Hiding Yourself

The little incident during the meal soon passed, and everyone resumed eating in peace. Near three o'clock, Wenren Sheng drank a glass of water and stretched slightly.

"Not bad. A Zhen's cooking has improved again. Who knows how many secrets of Great Divine Land cuisine that little Jap has stolen from us," he remarked casually.

Zhao Han asked curiously, "Is A Zhen the chef here?"

"Yeah, a guy from East Island. He looks proper enough, but he's actually an otaku hopelessly obsessed with anime."

"Uh, East Islanders have always been humble and polite. Since ancient times, they've been loyal followers along Divine Land's eastern front. Why do you call him a little Jap, Teacher? That sounds rather contemptuous," Zhao Han said, blinking in confusion.

"That's just the teacher's personal hobby," Xu Yunshuang said with a smile. "As long as they aren't from Divine Land, he sometimes calls them that."

"This isn't my prejudice," Wenren Sheng reminded them. "Let me give you another lesson. Those people are humble and loyal because we have always had this..."

As he spoke, he casually gripped the handle of a ceramic cup and applied a little force. The hard ceramic handle instantly turned to powder and scattered across the white tablecloth.

The other two women showed no change in expression, but Zhao Han's eyes widened. She stared at the pile of powder, thinking, At this level, even Uncle would probably have to get serious to pull it off.

"Only by maintaining this will there be lasting friendship between us and them."

After that small demonstration, Wenren Sheng stood up to pay the bill.

To him, one of the best things about this world compared to his previous life was that, with the Mysterious Realm mixed into it, Divine Land's lower limit had always remained high.

Even in its weakest days, it could still hold on as East Asia's dominant power and keep pace with the progress of the times.

That was because none of the Mysterious Realm's top experts were fools. Every one of them was broad-minded and kept their eyes on the entire world. They would never become closed-off and decadent like feudal rulers.

They constantly faced competition from the whole world. To become closed-off and decadent meant being ruthlessly killed by rivals and having one's Otherworldly Host stolen away.

And because of his memories from his previous life, he was often a little more vigilant than the locals.

After returning from the register, he said to the three women, "When you get back to the Club, handle this incident according to procedure. Go to the Project Department and retrieve the records, communicate with the Patrol Division... And remember that rule: without me accompanying you, don't make private contact with any suspicious person."

"Understood, Teacher," Xu Yunshuang answered first.

Zhao Han nodded as well. Her mood had already recovered. After all, she had not seen any truly gruesome scene. If a merely dramatic tale of human hearts could leave her unable to recover, she would never have been chosen by an Otherworldly Host.

"Good. Then I'm going home. Shan Shan, take the two of them back to the Club later." Wenren Sheng left after saying that.

Wu Shanshan answered, then immediately rose and hurried after him.

Zhao Han wanted to follow, but Xu Yunshuang reached out and stopped her.

The two sat back down at the dining table. Though Zhao Han did not quite understand, she decided to use this time alone to ask this senior, who seemed to care for her, a few things that concerned her.

"Senior Wu seems to have a very good relationship with Manager Wenren?" she probed.

"Mm. After this summer, Shan Shan will be a fourth-year student. She's actually a year older than the teacher. Not only does she attend classes at the Club, she has also interned at the Project Center for a year. After graduating next year, she'll most likely stay here to work." Xu Yunshuang smiled.

"Oh..." Zhao Han pretended to tidy her short black hair, while a classic workplace scenario rapidly took shape in her mind—a female intern using her beauty to cling to a young and promising superior in order to fit in quickly and rise through the ranks.

No wonder. Wu Shanshan clearly saw her, a newcomer, as her greatest enemy.

Yun Shuang-jie was the young lady of the Five Colors Group, attended the prestigious Aomori University, and was only taking supplementary classes at the Club. She was composed and reserved, kind and rational, gentle and graceful... She would not compete with Wu Shanshan over a man.

As for the unseen Xiao Qing, she was an official employee of the Club's R&D Center. Wu Shanshan probably could not afford to offend her.

Her earlier guess had been right. Because of her Otherworldly Host's prompt, she had deliberately approached Wenren Sheng. Of course she would be fiercely targeted.

Boys were all fickle creatures, just like those guys in her class. They looked innocent on the surface, but who knew how many times they had changed their crushes...

By then, Zhao Han felt that she understood everything. Putting on a gossipy expression, she asked, "I've heard boys at school talk about brands like Senior Wu's sports car. It must be pretty expensive, right?"

"Six hundred and twenty-four thousand. She bought it with her internship salary and project commissions," Xu Yunshuang said with a smile. "Her attainments in the Mysterious Realm are already very close to a Skilled Level evaluation. At the Qualification Exam in about half a month, she should officially advance and become an Otherworldly Host with a Skilled Level evaluation."

Zhao Han's hand froze as she was fixing her hair. A trace of surprise appeared on her face, along with a little envy.

Just as Uncle had said, this industry was a powerful pump, continuously drawing in the wealth created by ordinary industries.

An intern alone could afford a sports car worth hundreds of thousands, while a white-collar worker more than a decade older than her could work painstakingly and only scrape together a down payment on a house.

Xu Yunshuang seemed to see through her. She pressed down Zhao Han's hand and said, "You don't need to envy her. As long as you persevere, in a few years, you'll reach her level too."

"Thank you, Yun Shuang-jie." Zhao Han broke into a bright smile. "But new Otherworldly Hosts like us are only temporary holders. Only by becoming an expert in a particular branch can we become permanent hosts. Thinking about that really is nerve-racking. I actually understand Senior Wu. She's fighting desperately too."

"Heh, it's all right. You'll definitely cross that threshold," Xu Yunshuang said, gazing into her eyes and encouraging her gently. "After all, you have such vigor."

"Haha, is that so?" Zhao Han grinned. "My family just says I'm carefree."

"That's good. Only an optimistic mindset can maintain one's state of mind. By the way, you're still a high school student, right?" Xu Yunshuang asked, her clear eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, Senior, you're really perceptive. After this summer, I'll be in my final year of high school. Uncle pulled some strings to get me into this class because I wanted to learn Teacher Wenren's Extraordinary Memory. If I can learn it, I won't have to fear the hell of the college entrance exams... Ha, maybe I'm just dreaming. I didn't expect it to be so difficult. It's impossible to learn it in just over a month of summer vacation." Zhao Han laughed at herself.

"It may not be impossible, if you can fully tap into your Otherworldly Host's potential and train in a targeted manner," Xu Yunshuang said seriously.

"Then..." Zhao Han was about to ask how she should train specifically, but suddenly stopped.

She remembered Uncle's warning: "No matter when, do not reveal any information about your Otherworldly Host to anyone else, not even a little. Don't forget that there is a long list of backups behind you, waiting to take your place at any time. The only ones who can possess that information are the Supreme Patrol Division and yourself."

She quickly changed course. "Then if I want to get into Yun Shuang-jie's university, how should I study in a targeted way during my final year of high school?"

Even for an Otherworldly Host, academic credentials were important. If one failed the Qualification Exam, one could still rely on one's degree and former status as an Otherworldly Host to do supporting work on the fringes of the Mysterious Realm, receiving compensation beyond the reach of ordinary industries.

"Heh, you can actually apply as a special talent student. As long as you demonstrate talent in cultivating your Otherworldly Host, you may have a chance to be directly recommended for admission," Xu Yunshuang explained patiently. "Of course, it would be best if you were admitted through the normal route. That would be better for your own safety. After all, hiding yourself is a lesson that temporary holders like us must learn. The Patrol Division's main protection targets are experts and highly valued geniuses."

"Thank you for the reminder, Yun Shuang-jie." Zhao Han thanked her sincerely. Although she had known this already, a warm current still flowed through her heart.

It seemed that even in this unknown world, she could still make true friends.

The two continued chatting in the private room. It was around 3:40 when Wu Shanshan finally returned, and their conversation came to an end.

Zhao Han looked carefully and noticed that Wu Shanshan's short black hair, just like her own, was slightly disheveled. Her face was a little flushed, and her breathing still seemed somewhat hurried.

Could this be what happened afterward in those stories? Zhao Han's face immediately reddened at the thought. Yet she did not look down on Wu Shanshan. She now understood the other woman's circumstances and could understand her actions. Not everyone had resources like Yun Shuang-jie's, and wasn't she herself also trying to take shortcuts through her Otherworldly Host's prompt?

Though she would never imitate such a direct approach, objectively speaking, it was only the difference between fifty steps and a hundred.