Living Together

Chu He held the human-shaped koala bear in his arms and closed the heavy door to the Principal's Office behind him.

"Click."

A soft sound, and everything outside the door was shut away.

It was as if the world now contained only the two of them.

Chu He looked down. All he could see was Xia Yao's smooth, jet-black hair and the two slender, snow-white arms wrapped around his neck.

"Ahem, Yao Yao, we're here. Could you get down now?" Chu He ventured, trying to shift his weight a little.

But the person in his arms didn't move an inch. Instead, she rubbed her cheek against the hollow of his neck, her icy touch raising goosebumps all over him.

She answered in a thick, sleepy voice that was almost a murmur.

"No."

Chu He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Are you planning to make me your personal chair?"

Only then did Xia Yao slowly lift her head. Her bright, dewy eyes had only just regained their sparkle, but now a thin veil of mist clouded them, and they were full of unease.

"You... will run away."

She spoke the three words softly.

He understood at once.

In the maze of her memories, she had endured too much loneliness and cold. He was the only one who had ever entered it and given her the warmth of an embrace.

Now she was like a drowning person clinging to the only piece of driftwood in sight. How could she possibly let go so easily?

"Run away?" Chu He's heart softened. He deliberately teased her in a lighthearted tone. "Where would I run? This whole school is your territory. Do you think I could escape your grasp, My Principal?"

The title "My Principal" made Xia Yao visibly pause.

She seemed to be processing the meaning of this new term. The legs she had wrapped around his waist loosened a little without her realizing it.

Chu He seized the opportunity and nodded toward the bedroom, where an absurdly large bed stood.

"Look over there. If we don't go lie down on the bed, am I supposed to hold you here all night?"

Xia Yao followed his gaze. The bed was big enough for three or four people, and her stunning face instantly turned red from her ears to her neck.

Her body trembled slightly, and at last she released her arms from around Chu He's neck.

The moment her feet touched the floor, she still instinctively grabbed the hem of Chu He's shirt, like a little animal afraid of being abandoned.

Seeing how she looked both dependent and shy, Chu He's last bit of helplessness had long since vanished.

He didn't say anything else. He simply bent down and scooped her into his arms, drawing a tiny gasp from Xia Yao.

He gently laid her on the soft bed.

Now that a stunning figure had appeared on the otherwise empty bed, Chu He felt that tonight might be even longer than he'd imagined.

"I'm sweaty, so I'm going to take a shower. You stay here and wait for me, okay?" Chu He made an excuse. He needed a little time to calm his racing heart.

"Mm..." Xia Yao replied softly from the bed, her eyes following him without blinking.

After reassuring Xia Yao, Chu He began to take a proper look around.

Though it was called the Principal's Office, it was more like a luxurious penthouse suite that combined an office with living quarters.

It covered more than a hundred square meters. The entrance opened into a spacious living room with a black leather sofa, a stylish glass coffee table, and a massive desk large enough for a small meeting.

Behind the desk stood an expensive-looking ergonomic chair, and behind that was a floor-to-ceiling bookshelf.

Chu He's gaze swept over the shelves, then stopped at the objects displayed there.

The top few shelves held several scrolls made from bizarre materials. One looked as if it had been tanned from the black hide of some creature, with writhing, dark-gold Runes carved into it. Another was strung together from bones and radiated a palpable, chilling cold.

Just looking at them made his scalp prickle.

Now those were the sort of collectibles one would expect an SSS-Class anomaly to own.

But when his eyes moved lower, he froze.

Beneath those terrifying scrolls sat a neat row of... human books?

Their spines were pristine, clearly showing that someone read them often.

As if possessed, Chu He walked over and pulled one out.

The Domineering CEO's Contract Sweetheart. He flipped through a few pages and felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

Suppressing his unease, he pulled out the book beside it.

Love Psychology: From Beginner to Expert.

The last title was even more outrageous—How to Win His Heart Quickly.

So after all that, the all-powerful Anomaly Queen had learned everything she knew about "love" from these ridiculous books?

No wonder she was so direct and domineering!

Kiss someone, and they had to take responsibility. Like someone, and she had to be with them every moment. Dislike someone, and she'd interrogate them outright...

Wasn't that the standard plot of The Domineering CEO's Contract Sweetheart?

Good grief!

Chu He couldn't help thinking, Good grief! He felt like he'd uncovered a huge secret.

Though Xia Yao herself did seem particularly forceful by nature.

He felt both amused and helpless, but beneath that was a deeper, indescribable tenderness.

She was an immensely powerful anomaly who had been alone for who knew how many years, and all she had to learn—clumsily, through imitation—what "love" meant were these shoddily written human books.

Chu He wondered how anomalies had married and had children in the past. If he got the chance, he'd have to find a history book about them and do some research.

Chu He gathered his thoughts and stood in the living room, looking back toward the large bed in the bedroom.

At some point, Xia Yao had changed out of her school uniform and into a fitted purple nightdress. She was lying on her stomach, her smooth little legs swinging up and down in the air.

She noticed Chu He looking at her and turned her head. Her large, pitch-black eyes stared straight at him, and her face wore an innocent, completely unreserved smile.

Chu He silently swallowed.

This was bad. If things followed the plot of those books, he was probably doomed tonight.

He had arrived here at four in the afternoon. It was now past seven in the evening, and Chu He had spent another hour taking a shower!

During that time, all the anomalies who hadn't been chosen for a room had left the boys' and girls' dormitories in utter silence. It was truly a Night of a Hundred Anomalies, a spectacular sight. They left the dorms, then entered in groups through a portal with a black center and faint thunder rumbling around its edges, leaving the university behind!

Strangely, they all seemed both disappointed and helpless!

Once they were on the bed, Xia Yao seemed nervous but also a little expectant. She tugged lightly at Chu He's sleeve, her eyes full of trust.

Chu He sat down beside her and could clearly feel her breathing quicken.

Xia Yao lowered her head and murmured, "I... I just wanted to be closer to you." Chu He felt warmth spread through his heart. He gently patted her back and said softly, "I know. Just relax and get some rest."

Early the next morning.

"All students who have checked in, please assemble on the athletic field at nine a.m.! Latecomers will be executed!"

The cold announcement rang out in the room.

Chu He struggled to get out of bed. His whole body felt as if his bones had been taken apart and put back together, and his lower back in particular was so sore and weak that he could barely feel it.

He turned his head and looked at Xia Yao, still fast asleep beside him. Her long hair was scattered across the pillow, and her sleeping face was peaceful.

On an impulse, he leaned over and kissed her smooth forehead softly.

After a quick wash, Chu He wandered onto the athletic field half an hour early.

There were visibly far fewer people on the field now. A rough count suggested that only around a hundred countries were still represented.

The rest, needless to ask, had been eliminated last night.

The players who had survived gathered in little groups, talking in English about their bizarre experiences during the dormitory trial.