Acquaintance?

Back at Notting College, he had shown Jiang Chen and Tang San plenty of care and concern.

Yet neither of them had ever shown any intention of taking him as their master.

"Could there be something wrong with my approach?"

Yu Xiaogang could not help reflecting on his methods.

Though he was the foremost authority on theory, theory was ultimately just theory.

Without practical support, it was indeed far less convincing.

Yu Xiaogang frowned deeply. "Perhaps I should change my approach."

Previously, in his eagerness to take disciples as soon as possible, he had practically poured his heart and soul into Jiang Chen and Tang San, fulfilling nearly every request they made.

Yet the results had been negligible.

Perhaps only by personally nurturing a true genius would they come to understand the power of his theories.

Only then would they willingly take him as their master.

At that thought, Yu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes at the distance, a determined smile curling at his lips.

"This time, I'll definitely make you understand what it means to be the foremost theorist of this age!"

The next morning.

Shrek Academy's boys' dormitory.

Tang San slowly awoke from meditation. Seeing Jiang Chen still sound asleep beside him, he did not disturb him and instead slipped quietly out of bed.

He gently pushed open the door. The morning mist had yet to disperse, and there was a faint chill in the air.

Tang San glanced at the sky, then climbed onto the roof and found a sun-facing spot to sit cross-legged. His eyes half-closed as the Purple Demon Eyes slowly began circulating, faint violet light flowing through his pupils.

This was his daily cultivation routine, a habit he had formed over many years.

But not long after he entered meditation, heavy footsteps approached from afar, heading toward where they were.

A tall man in a fitted white outfit, with yellow hair atop his head, came into view.

It was Dai Mubai.

He had originally been supposed to guide the new students yesterday, but after returning from a fight at the Rose Hotel, he discovered that his right arm had actually been fractured.

With no other choice, he had taken a day off.

He had come today to see what this batch of new students was made of, and incidentally teach them the rules of how Shrek Academy students treated their seniors.

When he reached the courtyard entrance, he noticed the figure meditating on the roof.

Those blue clothes, that face... why did he look more and more familiar!?

"It's you!" Dai Mubai blurted out.

Hearing the voice, Tang San opened his eyes. Upon noticing Dai Mubai below, he frowned slightly. "You're... Dai Mubai?"

He had nearly forgotten about this person, but after hearing Senior Oscar's introduction yesterday, he learned that Dai Mubai was actually his senior.

That made his impression of Shrek Academy plummet.

If not for Brother Chen, he would not have stayed here at all.

"So it really is you two!"

A wave of lingering fear rose in Dai Mubai's heart.

Good thing he had not provoked them right away. Since Tang San was here, that meant that guy was here too.

Just then, the door creaked open.

Jiang Chen stumbled out of the room with a yawn, sleepily scratching his hair. When he spotted Dai Mubai outside, he raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if it isn't Kidney-Weak Bro. You recovered pretty fast."

Dai Mubai's face instantly darkened.

But the faint throbbing pain in his right arm reminded him that he needed to endure!

"Ahem, not bad."

Dai Mubai gave an awkward laugh and forcibly squeezed out a smile. "I came to take you to the cafeteria today. We'll need to make a trip to the girls' dormitory later too."

Just then, a lively voice came from behind them.

"Jiang Chen, Tang San, get up."

Xiao Wu approached with Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing.

The three had been chatting and laughing, but the instant they saw Dai Mubai at the door, their smiles vanished.

Hearing the movement, Dai Mubai instinctively turned around.

When he saw the three beauties, each with her own distinct charm, a flash of amazement passed through his eyes. He immediately struck his usual dashing pose and stepped forward, wearing what he believed was a warm smile.

"Good morning, junior sisters. I'm Dai Mubai from the academy, your senior. If you need any help in the future, feel free to come to me."

He deliberately softened his voice, his gaze lingering especially on Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing for a few extra moments.

After all, Xiao Wu was connected to that guy, so he did not dare provoke her.

Yet the bashful or curious responses he had expected never came.

Xiao Wu merely snorted, pulling Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing toward Jiang Chen. The disgust on her face was practically written in plain sight.

Ning Rongrong glanced at Dai Mubai, curling her lips as she muttered quietly, "Shameless playboy."

Her voice was not loud, but it was just enough for everyone present to hear.

Zhu Zhuqing did not even lift her eyelids. Her cool gaze swept over Dai Mubai as though he were a stone by the roadside.

But when she turned to Jiang Chen and Tang San, her expression softened considerably. She gave a slight nod as a greeting.

Dai Mubai's smile froze on his face, and he awkwardly withdrew his outstretched hand.

Judging from the situation, they must have heard about his womanizing exploits.

Damn it. If I'd known, I would've been more careful about being seen when I was having fun.

His lips twitched as he forced out a smile. "It seems you junior sisters have some misunderstandings about me... but that's all right. We have plenty of time ahead of us. We'll all be classmates from now on."

Xiao Wu rolled her eyes, tugging Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing directly past him before crowding around Jiang Chen. "Come on, let's go eat at the cafeteria together."

Jiang Chen looked at her sideways. "Do you know where the cafeteria is?"

"We asked Bearded Senior yesterday," Ning Rongrong said with a smile.

"All right, then let's go."

Jiang Chen and Tang San followed behind the three girls, heading toward the cafeteria.

Dai Mubai stood where he was, his face shifting between green and white. In the end, he still thickened his skin and followed after them.

Shrek Academy's cafeteria was also extremely simple, just a room built from basic mud bricks.

The people in charge of cooking were all nearby villagers, and they still used firewood and earthen stoves, making Jiang Chen instinctively think of the communal meals from his previous life.

Meanwhile, at a table near the corner.

Ma Hongjun, who was bent over his food, vaguely heard crisp laughter and chatter coming from outside.

He instinctively looked up.

The next second, his chopsticks suddenly clattered onto the table.

Three figures were walking in from outside.

The girl on the left wore a pink dress and was lively and sunny. The Black-clad Girl in the middle was cool and ethereal, while the girl in the white dress on the right was delicate and spirited.

The three had entirely different styles, yet every one of them was a delight to behold.

Ma Hongjun's eyes instantly went wide, and he even forgot to chew the food in his mouth.

When had this dump gotten three such pretty junior sisters?!

The moment Dai Mubai entered, he saw Ma Hongjun's besotted expression and slapped the back of his head irritably.

"Fatty, wipe your drool!"

Ma Hongjun cried out and covered his head. Only then did he notice Jiang Chen and Tang San behind the three girls, as well as Dai Mubai's dark expression.

He smiled sheepishly and hurriedly shoveled down a few mouthfuls of porridge, though his eyes still could not help darting toward them.

"Boss Dai, are those the junior brothers and sisters from this year?"

How could Dai Mubai not know what this guy was thinking? He snapped, "I'd advise you to give up on that idea. Every newcomer this year is a monster."

"So what? Aren't we monsters too?"

Ma Hongjun did not take Dai Mubai's words seriously. "Or are you planning to keep them all for yourself, Boss Dai?"