Rule? What's That

"Oh, this?" Su Chen said in a flat, almost indifferent tone. "Just ignore it."

Wang Dong: "..."

She froze for two seconds, her delicate pink lips slightly parted, wearing a look of pure shock as if to say, "What did I just hear?"

"You... you can do that?" Wang Dong asked blankly, her mind struggling to process the logic. Weren't rules meant to be followed? How could one just "ignore" them?

Su Chen found her bewildered, shocked expression somewhat amusing. He continued walking toward the cafeteria, tossing a remark over his shoulder: "Of course. If you're scared, or if you want to be a rule-abiding good student, then you can just finish your meal in the cafeteria and head back yourself."

His tone was casual, yet carried a faint hint of provocation.

The moment Wang Dong heard this, she reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on; her hesitation and shock were instantly replaced by a competitive spirit.

"Scared? As if!" Wang Dong lifted her chin, huffing defiantly. "Just you wait!"

With that, she darted ahead of Su Chen, slipping into the crowd at the cafeteria entrance in a flash. Su Chen only caught a glimpse of her powder-blue hair vanishing into the throng.

Not long after, just as Su Chen had finished getting his own breakfast, Wang Dong emerged from the cafeteria with two steamed buns, head held high and chest puffed out, a look of "victorious" smugness on her face.

She walked up to Su Chen, handed him one of the buns, and brandished the other in her hand. Her powder-blue eyes sparkled as she boasted, "Well? Isn't this master super brave? I stand by my actions!"

Her expression suggested she hadn't just broken a rule by bringing food out, but had accomplished some monumental feat.

Su Chen took the still-warm bun and looked at Wang Dong's "praise me" expression. A flicker of imperceptible amusement crossed his eyes, but his face remained calm. He simply nodded and replied, "Mm. Thank you."

Wang Dong seemed satisfied with his reaction and stopped dwelling on the "rule-breaking" issue. After all, if the sky fell, the tall ones would hold it up... or rather, Su Chen, the "prime culprit," was already out in front.

The two found a relatively quiet corner and quickly finished their breakfast. Su Chen ate fast, but his movements were not unrefined. Wang Dong was slightly slower, though she didn't take long either.

After eating, the two walked side by side toward the striking white teaching building.

On the first day of school, the area around the white teaching building was bustling. Freshmen, filled with nervousness, anticipation, and curiosity, were searching for their respective classrooms.

"Freshman Class One, this is it." Su Chen stopped at the door of a classroom, checked the room number, and confirmed.

He pushed the door open, and Wang Dong followed behind him.

At this moment, quite a few people had already arrived in the Freshman Class One classroom—about twenty or so. The room, which had been somewhat noisy, fell abruptly silent the moment Su Chen and Wang Dong walked in, as if a mute button had been pressed.

Immediately after, countless gazes converged on them.

When they saw the pair's appearance, a chorus of stifled gasps and whispers rippled through the room, especially among the girls, whose eyes lit up almost in unison.

There was no other reason; the two were simply too dazzling, as if they carried their own spotlights.

Su Chen stood tall, his long golden hair looking exceptionally soft in the classroom light. Yet, his golden-hued eyes held a natural sense of detachment and an invisible pressure that made people feel admiration, yet subconsciously fear drawing too close, as if doing so would disturb something.

Wang Dong displayed a different style. She was also slender, her short powder-blue hair making her skin appear even fairer, and her features were as exquisite as a meticulously carved work of art.

Her face carried the pride and sunshine typical of a youth, but her slightly raised chin and the sharp, sweeping gaze she cast around the room clearly signaled, "I'm not to be trifled with, don't bother me."

The two had vastly different temperaments—one cold and reserved, the other proud and outgoing—but both possessed off-the-charts good looks, the kind that would stand out instantly even in a crowd.

For young girls just beginning to experience the stirrings of romance, the attraction of such looks and temperament was fatal.

"Wow... these two... where did these god-like looks come from? Aren't they just too good-looking?"

"I know that golden-haired one! On registration day at the dormitory entrance, he was the one who defeated that arrogant powder-blue-haired freshman in one move! He didn't even use his martial soul!"

"Right, right! I heard that too! They say the one who was defeated is also a genius, with a thousand-year second soul ring! And yet, he couldn't even last one move against him... that's too terrifying!"

"The blue-haired one next to him is also so good-looking... like an elf!"

"Tch, what's the use of being good-looking? Isn't the one who got defeated him?" a boy muttered sourly.

"Exactly, just a pretty face," someone immediately chimed in, their tone thick with obvious jealousy.

"I still prefer the golden-haired one. His eyes are so special, golden, like gemstones..."

"Hey, hey, I remember now. Isn't that blue-haired one the one who, on the first day of school, was defeated in one move by the golden-haired one and even fell into his arms?" a gossiping girl whispered to her companion, causing several girls nearby to cover their mouths and giggle, their eyes darting between Wang Dong and Su Chen with curiosity and amusement.

Su Chen paid no mind to the surrounding discussion and gazes, as if he were in a place of his own. He walked straight to an empty seat in the back row, sat down calmly, and closed his eyes to rest.

Wang Dong was different. She heard the gossip about her being "defeated in one move," especially the last part about "falling into his arms," which made her ears burn with shame and annoyance.

She glared discontentedly at the students whispering and looking at her with strange expressions, her powder-blue eyes flashing with a clear warning, sharp as blades.

Those students who had been gossiping most fervently, upon meeting Wang Dong's gaze—and especially feeling the faint pressure of her soul power as a Soul Grand Master with a thousand-year second soul ring—instantly fell silent, lowering their heads or looking away, not daring to meet her eyes again.

No one wanted to ask for trouble. Even if Wang Dong couldn't beat Su Chen, it didn't change the fact that she was a genius in her own right. Which ordinary freshman would dare provoke her?

Seeing that the students who had been talking the loudest had shut up, Wang Dong let out a cold snort. With her chin held high, she walked with a proud gait to the empty seat next to Su Chen and sat down heavily, deliberately making the chair creak as if to stake her claim.

Just then—

"E-excuse me, fellow student."

A soft, slightly timid girl's voice rang out from the side.

Su Chen and Wang Dong turned their heads at the same time.