The night was deep. In front of the outer courtyard dormitory building,
Cao Longyan and Jiang Nannan walked side by side. They had just reached the building when a petite figure in green came running toward them from a distance, sobbing.
It was Xiao Xiao...
Her eyes were red, tearstains still marked her cheeks, and her hair was a little disheveled. She had clearly been crying for a long time.
Cao Longyan's heart tightened. He turned to Jiang Nannan.
"Sis Nannan, you go on ahead. A friend of mine over there doesn't seem to be in a good mood. I'll go check on her."
Jiang Nannan looked at Xiao Xiao, then at the worry on Cao Longyan's face. A faint, hard-to-detect sadness flickered in her eyes.
So Longyan already had someone he cared about...
She nodded gently and forced a smile.
"Go ahead, Longyan. Your friend needs you. I'll head back to the dorm."
After they waved goodbye, Jiang Nannan turned and walked into the dormitory building without looking back. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to see what happened next.
Cao Longyan hurried over to Xiao Xiao, his brow furrowing.
"Xiao Xiao, what's wrong? You... why are you so upset?"
Xiao Xiao raised her head and looked at him through tear-filled eyes.
She had clearly seen Cao Longyan return with Jiang Nannan.
That golden-haired senior sister was gentle and beautiful, and she was even known as the outer courtyard's number-one beauty. Standing beside him, they looked so well matched.
She didn't want to ruin someone else's relationship, much less hear Cao Longyan say something like, "We're just friends."
She sniffled, her voice trembling and thick with tears.
"Cao Longyan... could you please stop being so nice to me? I might get the wrong idea..."
With that, she spun around and rushed into the dormitory without looking back, leaving Cao Longyan standing there alone, completely baffled.
"Huh? What's going on?"
Cao Longyan scratched his head and watched Xiao Xiao disappear, utterly at a loss.
Had he made his concern that obvious? Was it wrong to be nice to someone? What had she misunderstood?
He shook his head, sighed, and stopped thinking about it before heading into the dormitory.
Dormitory 107
The moment Cao Longyan opened the door, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong crowded around him.
"Longyan, spill! What exactly is your relationship with Senior Jiang Nannan?"
Wang Dong looked full of gossip, her eyes shining with dazzling curiosity.
Huo Yuhao watched him curiously too.
"Longyan, you and her..."
Cao Longyan could only make up a quick explanation.
"When I was little, I went out to play with my older sister and happened to meet her. We're sort of friends..."
"Friends?"
Wang Dong clearly didn't believe him. She pursed her lips.
"Just ordinary friends? If you're just friends, why would Senior Jiang Nannan ask you to leave with her alone? And why were you talking so late? Also, the way she looks at you is a little suspicious..."
Huo Yuhao nodded along, staring straight at Cao Longyan as he waited for an answer.
Looking at how nosy they were, Cao Longyan couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Seriously, how did Huo Yuhao pick up Wang Dong's bad habits? As they say, birds of a feather flock together... But what's so suspicious about the way Nannan and I act?
Cao Longyan didn't want to say more, so he changed the subject.
"Forget that. I want to ask you two something. Help me figure it out."
He recounted everything that had happened with Xiao Xiao, including what she had said, exactly as it happened. The only difference was that he called her "a friend of mine."
After listening, Huo Yuhao was just as bewildered.
"So that girl... why would she say that?"
Wang Dong, on the other hand, seemed to have suddenly seen the light. Her eyes lit up, and she tried desperately to stifle her laughter, her shoulders shaking.
In the end, she couldn't hold it in. She burst out laughing, doubling over.
Cao Longyan and Huo Yuhao stared at her in confusion, not knowing what had gotten into her.
"Wang Dong, what are you laughing at?"
Cao Longyan frowned.
Wang Dong finally managed to stop laughing. She looked at Cao Longyan as if he were beyond saving.
"Longyan, first of all, could you make your story a little less fake? 'A friend of mine'? That friend is obviously you. You can only fool Yuhao, who's just as clueless about feelings as you are."
"You've maxed out your skill points in cultivation, combat, and intelligence, so why haven't you put even one point into romance?! Hahaha!"
"What do you mean?"
Cao Longyan frowned even harder. A faint blue glow had already gathered in his left hand, with Wrath of the Ice Dragon King ready to go at any moment.
Wang Dong instantly backed down and hurriedly raised her hands in surrender.
"Wait, wait! Brother Yan, I was wrong! I'll explain, okay?"
She looked to Huo Yuhao for help, but he simply turned his face away and pretended not to see.
"You too, Huo Yuhao! You're joining Cao Longyan in bullying me!"
Wang Dong looked deeply disappointed.
Huo Yuhao coolly shot back,
"You brought it on yourself."
Wang Dong pursed her lips and stopped fooling around. She puffed out her cheeks, her expression more serious than ever.
"Longyan, is it possible Xiao Xiao likes you... and then she saw you with Senior Jiang Nannan and got jealous? That's why she said those things and ran off!"
"What?!"
Cao Longyan was utterly stunned. His eyes went wide in disbelief.
"You mean... Xiao Xiao likes me? And she got jealous because she saw me with Sis Nannan? How could that be..."
He had never been liked by a girl before—not before transmigrating, and not after.
After coming to this world, he had only thought about keeping the girls from getting hurt or helping them escape their tragic fates. He had never considered anything else.
But after Wang Dong put it that way, it did seem to make a little sense.
Seeing Cao Longyan standing there, dumbfounded and lost in thought, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao couldn't help laughing.
It was the first time they had ever seen Cao Longyan at a loss...
The next morning, in the Freshman Class One classroom
Cao Longyan, Huo Yuhao, and Wang Dong finally sat together.
Xiao Xiao, meanwhile, sat as far away from Cao Longyan as she could. She kept her head lowered the entire time, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
Xiao Xiao's roommate, Su Yao, leaned over curiously and sat down beside her.
"Xiao Xiao, what's wrong? You went to bring the class monitor medicine yesterday, didn't you? Why did you come back with red eyes, and why are you avoiding him today?"
The previous night, Xiao Xiao had been meditating in the dorm when Su Yao found out that Cao Longyan had challenged an upperclassman to a duel in the Soul Fighting Zone. She had hurried back to tell Xiao Xiao right away.
Worried that Cao Longyan might get hurt, Xiao Xiao grabbed her best healing medicine and ran to the Soul Fighting Zone.
But she was still too late. The duel was already over.
However, after asking around, she learned that Cao Longyan had won and was completely unharmed.
Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief. She had been happily getting ready to head back when she unexpectedly spotted Cao Longyan strolling beside Jiang Nannan by Sea God Lake, chatting and laughing.
In that instant, her heart shattered.
At Su Yao's words, Xiao Xiao's lips moved, but no sound came out.
Seeing that she wasn't answering, Su Yao assumed Cao Longyan had bullied her. She immediately bristled with indignation.
"Did that class monitor jerk bully you? I knew it! Handsome, powerful men are all rotten! He must be some heartless scumbag who plays with people's feelings!"
At that moment, Cao Longyan, sitting up front, inexplicably sneezed.
"Achoo!"
He rubbed his nose, a chill running down his back.
Why did he feel like someone was cursing him?
Xiao Xiao hurriedly raised her head and explained,
"No! Cao Longyan didn't do anything! I just overthought things and got carried away..."
Her voice carried a trace of hurt, along with a barely noticeable hint of insecurity.
Seeing her like that, Su Yao could only sigh and say nothing more.
Some things were best left alone by outsiders—and it was better not to interfere...
The class bell rang.
The classroom fell silent at once.
A figure slowly walked up to the podium.
He was a man who looked to be around forty, dressed in a Shrek teacher's uniform. His features were ordinary, but he had a gentle, refined air about him.
Standing at the lectern, he surveyed all the new students and spoke warmly.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Wang Yan. Starting today, I'll be the new homeroom teacher for Freshman Class One."
A buzz of whispers rose from the students below.
"Wang Yan? I've never heard of this teacher before."
"Yeah. We know most of the teachers at Shrek. Who is this Wang Yan?"
"He seems much gentler than Teacher Zhou, but I wonder how strong he is."
Everyone looked puzzled. Only Cao Longyan's lips curled slightly into a knowing smile.
He knew that Wang Yan had been discovered by the academy ahead of time because of the recommendation he had made at the Sea God Pavilion Meeting, which had been put into practice.
Wang Yan himself, however, knew nothing about it.
Cao Longyan's gaze settled on Wang Yan at the lectern.
Teacher Wang, I look forward to learning from you in the days ahead.
This year's Freshman Class One at Shrek was destined to become different because of you.
Before you continue