Xiao Muxue's Warning

"Xiao Wu, let's move out and live elsewhere."

Li Yue stroked Xiao Wu's hair and told her that he had found a sponsor—and that this sponsor had practically come knocking on his door. He simply could not miss such a good opportunity.

"I'll listen to Brother Yue."

After hearing that a Spirit Hall deacon would be sponsoring them, Xiao Wu still agreed despite her hatred for Spirit Hall. Since it was Li Yue's decision, it was something she would support.

Besides, growing stronger with the support of Spirit Hall would surely surprise that woman when Xiao Wu took her revenge someday. She would have grown up under Spirit Hall's protection.

The three of them went back to the dormitory to pack their things. Just then, someone pushed the door open. He looked disdainfully at the work-study students, but his expression improved considerably when he saw Li Yue. "Boss is treating everyone tonight. He's reserved the second floor of the cafeteria. You should come too."

This was one of Boss Xiao's lackeys. The day before yesterday in the cafeteria, Xiao Chenyu had said he wanted to treat Li Yue to a meal. Since Boss Xiao had told his followers to invite more people, this lackey had included Li Yue as well.

"Can they come too?" Li Yue recognized the boy before him as the follower of the older student who had invited him to eat on the second floor the day before yesterday. If he could bring the work-study students along, then there was no harm in going for a meal.

Boss Xiao's follower hesitated briefly. "Sure. Bring them along."

He looked down on these work-study students and had originally only intended to invite Li Yue. But remembering that Boss Xiao had said the more people they invited, the better, he agreed.

After Boss Xiao's follower left, Li Yue looked at the work-study students. "You all heard him. Someone's treating us to dinner."

"Brother Yue, we're benefiting because of you!"

"Great! We get to eat the food from the second floor again."

"It's only been a few days, but honestly, I've really missed it."

"This is all thanks to Brother Yue. Everyone, thank Brother Yue."

The work-study students were ecstatic to hear that they could go eat with them. Once they had tasted the dishes on the second floor, they could never forget them. After eating the food on the first floor these past few days, it had felt like pig feed, utterly tasteless.

But they had no money. They were poor students who relied on the ten Copper Soul Coins they earned each day as work-study students for their meals. They could barely fill their stomachs on the first floor and would never dare order dishes on the second floor.

Hearing their repeated thanks, Li Yue looked at them with some satisfaction. At least bringing them along had not been in vain.

Why did that older student keep wanting to treat him to meals? Did he have more money than he knew what to do with? Or did he just like making friends? Don't tell me there's something wrong with his sexual orientation.

Li Yue's thoughts wandered wildly, but he was not particularly worried about tonight's dinner.

It was just some foolish rich kid with money to burn treating them to a meal. What could possibly happen? It was not as if eight hundred axemen were waiting in ambush, ready to rush out and chop him down at the signal of a smashed cup. That was simply impossible.

He had been behaving himself perfectly well at Nuoding Academy and had not offended anyone. Besides, school had only started two days ago, and he had not even been on campus. How could anyone be targeting him specifically?

"Let's go."

Seeing that it was about time, Li Yue led the work-study students to the cafeteria. As soon as they entered, they discovered that someone was guarding the stairs to the second floor. Even teachers were not allowed upstairs and were instead being entertained with a banquet on the first floor.

As for the dean, they had reserved the second floor only after he had finished eating. They clearly understood the principle of picking on the weak while avoiding the strong.

By avoiding a conflict with the dean, and with Xiao Chenyu's status as the City Lord's son, even the teachers had to show some restraint and did not dare interfere too much. They simply ate on the first floor.

After all, the food prepared for the teachers on the first floor was quite good. Since Xiao Chenyu was paying, they could eat for free, so they let him reserve the second floor.

Li Yue led the others upstairs and found that the furnishings on the second floor were actually not much different from those on the first. Many people had already arrived, and large basins of food had been placed on every table.

It was a buffet. Everyone could take whatever they wanted and eat as much as they liked.

"Go ahead and help yourselves," Li Yue said, then took a plate with Xiao Wu and Tang San and picked out some food they liked.

"Wow, so many dishes! Can we really eat whatever we want?" The work-study students' eyes lit up at the sight of all the food. Drooling, they grabbed plates and went to the dishes they liked, using tongs to serve themselves.

"Brother Yue, I want this." Xiao Wu held her plate in one hand and wrapped the other around Li Yue's arm, acting cute as she asked him to help her pick out the food she wanted. This was the sort of playful intimacy between a couple.

"This beef?" Li Yue put some onto Xiao Wu's plate. Seeing her satisfied expression, he knew he had chosen correctly.

When Xiao Wu sweetly thanked him, Li Yue smiled and continued walking around with her, helping her pick out the food she liked.

While serving themselves, Li Yue and Xiao Wu unexpectedly ran into Xiao Muxue. Her face was still red, and faint slap marks remained on it.

But upon seeing Li Yue and Xiao Wu, Xiao Muxue did not glare at them. Instead, she anxiously said to Li Yue, "Why are you here? Hurry up and leave. Get out of the academy tonight and hide for a while. Come back to class tomorrow—no, you'd better take a few days off."

She explained, "My brother heard that I was beaten up. He invited all these people to dinner just to cause trouble for you. Luckily, I didn't tell him that you were the one who hit me, but my girls aren't very good at keeping their mouths shut."

Li Yue looked at Xiao Muxue in surprise. You're actually pretty nice. I hit you, and you're still warning me.

Even Xiao Wu's impression of Xiao Muxue improved. Although Xiao Muxue had tacitly allowed her to be slapped twice, those two slaps had already been repaid. Knowing the situation was urgent, Xiao Wu hurriedly urged Li Yue, "Brother Yue, maybe we should leave first. There are so many of them. We can't beat them."

"Too late. We can't leave now." Li Yue raised an eyebrow as he looked at the students who were quietly closing in around them, entirely unconcerned.

With just his first soul skill, Blue Silver Spear, he could skewer all of them. Of course, he would not make things that bloody. They were all classmates, after all. He had no intention of becoming some Evil Soul Master.

At that moment, the host of this banquet, Xiao Chenyu, spoke. He stood atop a table so everyone present could see him. Once they saw him climb onto the table, the crowd fell quiet.

"Has everyone eaten and drunk their fill?" Xiao Chenyu asked solicitously.

The crowd immediately erupted with words of thanks for Boss Xiao. Boss Xiao truly lived up to his name. He had invited nearly every male student in the academy to dinner. More than two hundred boys had come, along with some girls who had followed Xiao Muxue.

"Since everyone has eaten well, let's get down to business. I invited everyone to dinner today because I need a small favor—my younger sister was beaten up today!"

"What? Boss Xiao's sister was beaten up? Who's that bold?"

"Ah! Who could be so cruel as to lay such a heavy hand on her? My goddess was beaten!"

"Boss Xiao, who was it? Tell us already! I'm going to beat him up and avenge our big sister!"

As soon as those words fell, the entire hall erupted. Everyone knew that Boss Xiao was the leader of Nuoding Academy. Whoever dared bully his sister was simply courting death.

Moreover, Boss Xiao's sister was actually quite popular among the students of Nuoding Academy, with many admirers. Nearly everyone present was a boy, and these admirers immediately demanded that Boss Xiao reveal who had bullied Xiao Muxue.