East Sea F4

Stepping out of Mu Chen's office, Wang Chuan walked along the internal corridor of the association toward the exit. He hadn't gone far before he ran into a blonde girl coming from the opposite direction.

The girl was about eleven or twelve years old, dressed in an exquisite fiery-red dress. Her face was beautiful, though her brows and eyes carried an innate sense of arrogance.

She had been walking in a hurry, seemingly on her way to find someone, but when she saw Wang Chuan, her steps faltered. She looked him up and down, a flash of astonishment crossing her eyes, which was quickly replaced by a look of scrutiny and faint dissatisfaction.

"You're the new disciple Uncle Zhen Hua just took in?"

The girl lifted her chin, her tone carrying a hint of interrogation.

Upon hearing the form of address and the tone, Wang Chuan immediately guessed her identity.

Mu Chen's daughter, Mu Xi.

He remembered that one of the spots for the youth group at the East Sea City Blacksmith Association should have belonged to her. Now that he had taken it, it was only natural for the young girl to be upset.

Wang Chuan wore a gentle and appropriate smile, nodding slightly:

"You must be Uncle Mu Chen's beloved daughter, little sister Mu Xi, right?"

"Hello, I am Wang Chuan."

His voice was clear and pleasant, his attitude polite, and his smile as refreshing as a spring breeze.

Mu Xi, who had been aggressive and prepared to hold him accountable, was stunned by this sudden, gentle greeting and the sincere smile on his handsome face.

Her full-blown questions and dissatisfaction seemed to hit a soft wall, dissipating by more than half in an instant.

She felt her cheeks heat up slightly, her heart skipping a few beats for no reason. The "harsh words" she had prepared couldn't be spoken, and she suddenly became somewhat flustered, her previous arrogant posture vanishing into thin air.

"Um..."

"Yes, it's me."

Mu Xi's voice softened involuntarily, even carrying a hint of bashfulness she hadn't noticed herself.

"Are you on your way to see Uncle Mu Chen?"

Wang Chuan asked naturally, as if the small confrontation from a moment ago had never happened.

"No..."

"Ah, right!"

"I am going to find my dad!"

Mu Xi snapped back to reality, realizing the purpose of her visit, and hurriedly followed Wang Chuan's lead, her face turning even redder.

She didn't dare look at Wang Chuan again, hurriedly tossing out a "I'm leaving first," before walking past him quickly with her head down like a startled little rabbit...

It almost looked like she was fleeing in a panic.

Watching her back, Wang Chuan shook his head and chuckled. He didn't take this little interlude to heart and headed straight out of the Blacksmith Association.

Returning to the familiar East Sea Academy, Wang Chuan went directly to the Academic Affairs Office to find Director Long Hengxu.

"Director Long."

Wang Chuan knocked on the door.

Long Hengxu, who was working at his desk, looked up at the sound. Seeing Wang Chuan at the door, his face instantly showed surprise, which quickly turned into delight.

"Student Wang Chuan? It's you!"

"Why are you back?"

"My master asked me to return to participate in the upcoming Sky Sea Alliance Grand Competition."

Wang Chuan explained briefly.

"Really?!"

"Naturally."

Long Hengxu stood up abruptly from his seat, the joy in his eyes almost overflowing.

"Good! Good! Good!"

"This is truly wonderful!"

He said "good" several times in a row, his excitement evident. He didn't even have time to say more to Wang Chuan, hurriedly saying, "Student Wang Chuan, please have a seat, I'm going to find the Dean!"

He then rushed out of the office like a gust of wind, leaving Wang Chuan standing there, somewhat confused.

"I just came back to participate in a forging competition..."

"Why is Director Long so happy?"

Wang Chuan muttered to himself, puzzled.

This was only a side-profession competition; while it would help the academy's reputation, it shouldn't be enough to make Long Hengxu lose his composure like this, right?

He had no idea that Long Hengxu thought he had returned to participate in the Soul Master group of the Sky Sea Grand Competition.

Carrying a bit of confusion, Wang Chuan left the Academic Affairs Office and headed toward the dormitory area.

Just as he reached the tree-lined path near the dormitory building, he heard the familiar sounds of playful fighting coming from ahead.

Tang Wulin and Xie Xie could be seen chasing each other while laughing and joking, followed by a gentle-tempered blue-haired girl with lively eyes—it was none other than Xu Xiaoyan.

The three of them seemed to have just finished training, and the atmosphere was relaxed and cheerful.

"Brother Wang Chuan!"

The sharp-eyed Tang Wulin was the first to spot Wang Chuan. He shouted in surprise, immediately ditching Xie Xie and charging over like a little cannonball.

"Wulin."

Wang Chuan smiled and stepped forward to meet him, letting Tang Wulin run right up to him, his face beaming with genuine joy.

"Brother Wang Chuan, you're finally back!"

"I've missed you to death!"

Tang Wulin grabbed Wang Chuan's arm, his eyes sparkling.

Wang Chuan chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"I haven't been gone that long, have I?"

"It's been half a year!"

"That's already a very, very long time!"

Tang Wulin emphasized earnestly, the longing in his tone completely sincere.

Looking at the reliance and joy in Tang Wulin's eyes, Wang Chuan felt a warmth in his heart.

"Sorry, my mistake."

His gaze swept over the approaching Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan, then scanned the surroundings. Not seeing that familiar silver-haired figure, he asked casually:

"Where is Gu Yue?"

"Isn't she with you?"

"Oh, Gu Yue."

Tang Wulin replied, "She went to the Spirit Pagoda today; it seems she had some business there."

Upon hearing this, Wang Chuan's expression turned somewhat peculiar.

He had almost forgotten that in the original story, Gu Yue eventually became a disciple of Leng Yaozhu...

Does this mean that he and Gu Yue, who had already become "siblings," were now about to become "fellow disciples"?

This relationship...

It's a bit messy.

What do you call this?

Once a sister, always a sister.

Wang Chuan shook his head, shaking these nonsensical thoughts away.

At this moment, Tang Wulin had already enthusiastically introduced Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan to Wang Chuan.

Xie Xie was still his usual restless self, curiously sizing Wang Chuan up.

Xu Xiaoyan was a bit shy, greeting him obediently.

Wang Chuan smiled and exchanged a few pleasantries with them, his attitude gentle and refreshing like a spring breeze.

At the same time, a flash of realization crossed his mind.

Tang Wulin, Xie Xie, Gu Yue, Xu Xiaoyan... the F4 of East Sea Academy.

It looked like they had all gathered together.

That evening, Gu Yue returned from the Spirit Pagoda.

When she saw that familiar figure, who now seemed to carry a slightly different aura, a complex wave of emotion surged uncontrollably deep within her purple eyes.

The warm memory fragments belonging to "Na'er" were intertwining and colliding with the rational mission of being "Gu Yue."

Tang Wulin enthusiastically introduced the two.

"Gu Yue, this is my Brother Wang Chuan!"

"Brother Wang Chuan, this is Gu Yue from our Zero Class; she's very impressive!"

Gu Yue suppressed the agitation in her heart, striving to maintain her usual cold and indifferent demeanor. She nodded slightly toward Wang Chuan, her voice calm and ripple-free.

"Gu Yue."

Wang Chuan took in the fleeting trance and the deliberately maintained calm in Gu Yue's expression. He understood, but he had no intention of pointing it out.

Everyone has their own path to walk and burdens to carry; he respected her choices and was willing to protect this pure memory that belonged to "Na'er."