Although it was summer vacation, quite a few students and teachers had remained on campus.
A young-looking teacher hurried over to handle the sudden incident. The unconscious student was carried away. As for Chen Nuanyu—
She received a verbal reprimand and education.
"This is the treatment seed-level students get." An older student among the onlookers sighed. "And she's a seed-level student with both visualization and breathing at Great Accomplishment. When school starts, we'll probably get to see another famous scene of professors fighting to recruit someone."
"Damn, that monster just graduated from her fourth year and left, and now there's another successor? I heard this seed-level student has already reached First Refinement?"
"Definitely more than that. The one who passed out was a third-year, at the peak of First Refinement, with the strength of a thousand catties. If you ask me, this freshman is most likely at Second Refinement."
"Second Refinement? Freshman? Those two words can go together?"
Amid the murmuring voices,
Countless gazes lingered over the fairy-like maiden untouched by mortal dust and the frail-looking young man.
Over the past few days, Genius Chen had come to the library every day. With her status as a "seed-level" student, coupled with that face, it would have been difficult for her not to draw attention.
In fact, discussion threads about Chen Nuanyu on the school forum had practically exploded exponentially.
College students were always the idlest people around. Wherever there was gossip, there would always be them.
"You're a Jiang University student too?" Chen Nuanyu asked for the second time, turning a blind eye to everything around her.
A light breeze drifted over. Her dress fluttered, and her wine-red hair swayed gently like leaping flames.
"To be precise, an incoming freshman."
Zhang Fusheng shrugged and answered,
"Not in the Martial Arts Department either. I'm in the Computer Science Department. Once school starts, I'll see if I can transfer into the Martial Arts Department."
He glanced at Chen Nuanyu's red hair, then carefully studied her exquisite face, deep in thought.
He had not made the connection before, but now that he was properly looking at Chen Nuanyu, her brows and eyes bore two or three parts resemblance to Second Senior Sister Chen Yuque.
And both of them had naturally red hair.
They probably were not biological sisters. Cousins?
"From Linshu Middle School?" Chen Nuanyu asked again.
"Yep." Zhang Fusheng pointed at Zhu Xiaoming and the other two, smiling. "We came together."
At the side, Zhu Xiaoming and Lu Yao looked at each other. Since when had Old Zhang known Genius Chen?
He had been hiding his depth well?
Only Zhong Yue looked as though this were perfectly natural.
Chen Nuanyu pondered for a moment.
"I can arrange your transfer into the Martial Arts Department."
After a pause, she said calmly,
"By the way, have dinner with me tonight. You and me."
Her tone did not rise or fall, as if she were issuing an order, carrying an unmistakable air that brooked no doubt.
The crowd of onlookers stirred slightly. Quite a few people took out their phones, secretly snapped pictures, and immediately uploaded them to the forum.
"There are too many people."
Chen Nuanyu took hold of Zhang Fusheng's wrist and said evenly,
"Let's go have afternoon tea now."
The murmurs came to an abrupt halt. Lu Yao's eyes widened into perfect circles, while Zhu Xiaoming could not hold it in and blurted, "Holy shit."
But only Zhang Fusheng knew.
Chen Nuanyu was not holding his hand. She was locking him down—or rather, restraining him. That fair, tender palm was like an iron shackle.
Then, right in front of everyone, she "held" Zhang Fusheng and forcibly took him away.
The bewildered trio left Tianbao Building.
"What exactly is the relationship between Zhang Fusheng and Genius Chen?"
"I don't know either!"
"Aren't you two good buddies?" Lu Yao questioned.
Zhu Xiaoming could only smile bitterly.
"I really don't know. Old Zhang, he was just yesterday—"
He glanced at Zhong Yue, who blinked at him in confusion.
Lu Yao rubbed her forehead.
"Well, great. School hasn't even started, and Zhang Fusheng is already going to become famous."
"What do you mean?" Zhu Xiaoming asked curiously.
"Don't you check the Jiang University forum?"
Lu Yao opened her phone and gestured with her lips.
"There. He's already famous."
Zhu Xiaoming and Zhong Yue leaned over and saw the top post on the forum.
'Shocking! A seed-level freshman actually—!'
They opened the post. It contained a detailed account of the library incident, with a picture at the end of the red-haired girl holding Old Zhang's hand.
Zhu Xiaoming scanned it. In just ten minutes, the replies had already broken three hundred. Every refresh brought another twenty or thirty replies.
Someone had even directly posted Zhang Fusheng's basic information in one reply.
'Zhang Fusheng, male, 18 years old, outstanding graduate of Linshu Middle School. Father: Zhang Wentao. Mother: Zhou Guifang.'
"Holy shit, Old Zhang got doxxed already? How did they do that??"
"This is Jiang University."
Lu Yao said helplessly,
"There are all kinds of people among the students—local elites and powerful families, outstanding people from other cities. Linshu Middle School was mentioned just now too. Would it be hard for them to pull a graduate's records from Linshu Middle School?"
Zhong Yue asked curiously,
"Is Chen's level of attention really that high?"
"Of course."
Lu Yao nodded seriously.
"Both visualization and breathing at Great Accomplishment, specially recruited by Jiang University before the college entrance exams, and listed as seed-level. You could count all the current seed-level students at Jiang University on one hand."
After a pause, she shrugged.
"It would be one thing if her talent alone were monstrous. The key is that her looks are monstrous too."
"That's true." Zhong Yue sounded a little envious.
Zhu Xiaoming pulled his gaze away from the forum and rubbed his bald head.
"Later, I need to interrogate Old Zhang properly. The two of them went for afternoon tea. How about us three finding somewhere too?"
Lu Yao shot him a glance and rolled her pretty eyes.
"Sure, but can you take off that chain and those earrings?"
"Why?"
"I'm embarrassed to be seen walking with you!"
Zhong Yue nodded in strong agreement.
After getting out of the taxi,
"Where is this?"
Zhang Fusheng looked around the villa district curiously.
"Wasn't this supposed to be afternoon tea?"
"Up ahead." Chen Nuanyu was a woman of few words.
Although he had been making frequent trips to District Three these past few days, aside from the Martial Arts Academy, Zhang Fusheng had not been anywhere else. Following behind Chen Nuanyu now, he looked around curiously.
This villa district was remarkably quiet and sprawling, yet there were not many houses. Every one of them was a detached residence with at least a thousand square meters of gardens and lawns.
They were called villas, but they were more like tiny estates.
Beside some of the larger villas, he even saw artificial lakes.
The two passed through a dense, tree-shaded path and soon stopped before one of the largest villas in the district.
Compared to the other villas that resembled tiny estates, the one before them was plainly a small manor, covering nearly ten mu.
The iron gates of the little manor stood open, and the gatepost bore the number "19."
Villa 1919?
Zhang Fusheng recalled that just a few hours ago, A Bao had asked him to deliver the goods to Villa No. 19 in the villa district.
He had said this place was a bar, and that upon arrival, Zhang Fusheng was to hand the goods to someone named Black Eyes.
"This is actually a bar." Chen Nuanyu spoke blandly and led Zhang Fusheng through the iron gates. A waiter dressed in a black formal suit immediately came forward.
"Miss Chen."
"Mhm. Is Mr. Hei here?"
"Of course, Miss Chen. This way, please."
The waiter led the way. Passing through a small bamboo grove and an artificial lake, the two stopped before the main building. The waiter pulled open the antique redwood doors, revealing the entire interior at a glance.
It really was a bar converted from a villa.
A bar counter stood in the very center. Small round tables were arranged in front of it, with few customers present. At the side, a solemnly dressed woman played the piano.
The two walked up to the bar. The bartender in a tailcoat turned around.
"Mm, a new guest?"
Zhang Fusheng froze. This was Black Eyes?
He was utterly certain.
Because the bartender's eyes were pure black. There were no pupils, nor any whites, making them look exceedingly eerie.
Apparently noticing Zhang Fusheng's astonished gaze, the bartender smiled elegantly.
"Abyssal Black Eyes. It is my special constitution."
"Just like Miss Chen's Unquenchable Heart."
Hong Ji Martial Arts Hall.
"Although the School Master hasn't announced it, I definitely saw Zhang Fusheng follow the School Master up to the fourth floor last night."
Wang Xiangnan said calmly,
"It should be true."
Zhou Quan slumped on his dorm bed as though every bone had been pulled from his body.
Being Old Master Hong's disciple was not much.
But they had only just torn their faces apart, and he had no idea what kind of person this "Brother Fusheng" truly was. Would Zhang Fusheng repay even the smallest grievance?
Not to mention that Zhang Fusheng had inexplicably asked to see his father.
Zhou Quan kept flexing his knuckles, his face somewhat pale.
He was not his father's only son. His eldest brother had been beaten to death by that female bandit, allowing him to take over the position and become the current Eldest Young Master of the Fire Department.
But replacing him and putting one of his younger siblings in his place would only take a word from his father.
Power was like a drug. Once someone became addicted to it, it was hard to quit.
In truth, power was even more addictive than poison.
"Brother Fusheng... no, Senior Brother Zhang, is he at the Martial Arts Academy?" Zhou Quan took a deep breath and asked.
Wang Xiangnan shook his head, indicating that he did not know either.
Zhou Quan paced back and forth for a while, gritted his teeth, and made a call.
"A Bao, how much money is left in my personal allocation account?"
"Mhm. Find a blank account and transfer all the money into it. Make it an account with Jiangzhou Bank. I'll go directly to the District Three branch later to get the card."
After hanging up, he decisively left the Martial Arts Academy and headed for the nearest Jiangzhou Bank. Before long, when he came back out, he already had a bank card in hand.
Clutching the bank card, Zhou Quan found Zhang Fusheng's number. After hesitating, he still dialed it.
"Hello, Senior Brother Zhang, it's me, Zhou Quan. There was a bit of a misunderstanding yesterday. I want to apologize to you in person."
Before you continue