"I know a hospital that's great at sterilization surgery. I guarantee it won't hurt."
Lin An's tone suddenly turned warm.
"You've got good potential. If you're willing to go through with it, I can even pay you an endorsement fee."
Tang Wulin and Xie Xie were utterly dumbfounded.
Staring at Lin An's exquisite, saintly face, their minds buzzed.
The Federation capital... had things really gotten this competitive?
"N-no, no, no..."
Tang Wulin finally found his voice.
He waved his hands frantically, his face turning bright red.
"No need, no need! My parents would beat me to death if they found out!"
He was stammering.
Lin An glanced at him and sighed.
There was genuine regret in that sigh.
He really did feel it was a pity.
If the future Dragon Emperor Douluo got sterilized at his family's hospital, wouldn't that be a million times better publicity than some celebrity endorsement?
Besides, that kid's gaze was seriously off.
All they'd done was shake hands.
Why the hell was he blushing?
Thinking of the description of the "Wife of the Dragon God" entry, Lin An decided Tang Wulin would be safer if he got snipped.
Tang Wulin suddenly felt a chill between his legs.
He instinctively squeezed his thighs together.
The fanciful thoughts in his mind vanished, leaving him pale with fear.
Gu Yue walked at the very back and hadn't said a word the entire time.
She silently worried about one thing--
Had the Dragon Queen gotten snipped or not?
Had he really been sterilized?
That wouldn't do!
This queen didn't want to become a widow while her husband was still alive.
Time flew by.
After shopping and eating, the four of them finally reached the entrance to Eastsea Academy.
The sun was setting in the west.
Tang Wulin secretly glanced at Lin An's profile.
It was as if he had a rabbit in his chest, its heart pounding nonstop.
He's so handsome...
I really want to add him as a friend.
He picked up his communicator, hesitated for a long while, then put it down again.
His fingers gripped the edge of the device so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Xie Xie made faces beside him.
He jerked his chin toward Lin An and mouthed, "Come on, go for it!"
Tang Wulin's face turned red again.
He glared at Xie Xie, but still didn't dare speak up.
Gu Yue had watched the two of them fumble awkwardly through the whole thing.
A cold smile slowly curled at the corners of her mouth.
Then she strode straight over.
Before Lin An could react, she snatched the communicator from his hand.
Lin An froze for a moment.
Gu Yue had already deftly activated the communicator, entered her Soul Guidance communication number, added herself as a friend, and returned the device to Lin An.
The whole sequence flowed like a stream, smooth and seamless.
"Contact me tonight."
Her expression was tightly wound.
Her cheeks were faintly flushed, and her lips were pressed into a thin line. She looked incredibly nervous.
"I..."
Seeing that, Tang Wulin finally summoned the courage to speak.
"You what?"
Gu Yue whipped around.
Her silver eyes glared at him coldly, her voice so icy it could shed ice chips.
"I added him, so that's that. Whatever you want to say, I'll say it for you!"
Tang Wulin trembled under her glare.
He swallowed every word that had been on the tip of his tongue.
"Oh..."
He lowered his head, a little disappointed.
Yet the corners of his mouth lifted involuntarily, revealing a silly grin.
He wondered which class Lin An would be assigned to.
Would they still get to see each other often?
After parting ways with the others, Lin An headed to the Academic Affairs Office alone.
On the way, his communicator vibrated seven or eight times.
He glanced down--all the calls were from Gu Yue.
Lin An's expressionless thumb swiped across the screen, ending the call.
Then it vibrated again, and he ended the call again.
After repeating this several times, he simply turned on silent mode.
A string of messages popped up in the messaging app, red notification dots piling on top of one another.
He didn't open a single one.
The Academic Affairs Office at Eastsea Academy was much shabbier than he'd imagined.
Several rows of old solid-wood desks filled the room, their corner paint peeling up.
When Lin An pushed open the door, two people were already inside.
A man leaned against the window, dressed in white as pristine as snow, his figure tall and slender.
He was undeniably handsome, but an unyielding chill clung to his features.
Wu Zhangkong.
Lin An glanced up. Three words floated above the man's head--[Frost Sword Heart].
There was no level indicator, which meant this was a fixed, non-upgradable talent.
Convenient enough, but it also meant his potential was capped.
The other man sat behind a desk. He looked to be in his forties, slightly overweight, with a standard bureaucratic smile on his face.
The head of education, Long Hengxu, had a thoroughly unremarkable entry above his head. Lin An couldn't even be bothered to examine it closely.
"Please have a seat, Lin An."
Long Hengxu stood and poured him a glass of water.
His smile was almost excessively amiable.
He pulled out a chair, pushed the glass to the edge of the desk, then took out a tissue and placed it beneath the cup.
The whole sequence was smooth and practiced, his attentiveness more suited to a hotel concierge.
Lin An sat down, his back straight and his expression calm.
Wu Zhangkong remained standing.
He looked down at Lin An from above.
"Lin An," he began, his voice cool and clear.
"Perfect scores in every subject, and designing a One-Word Battle Armor all by yourself at such a young age--"
He paused, his smile turning even colder.
"Why would a genius like you choose Eastsea Academy?"
He placed particular emphasis on the words "designing a One-Word Battle Armor all by yourself," his sarcasm almost entirely undisguised.
A ten-year-old designing One-Word Battle Armor?
A suit of armor that could, in theory, let a Five-Ring Soul King contend with a Seven-Ring Soul Sage.
Did those people in the Federation make things up without even bothering to rehearse?
Wu Zhangkong sneered inwardly.
He remembered that phone call from a few days ago.
He hadn't saved that number in years, but recognized it at a glance--his mentor.
The man he'd once respected, and who had later disappointed him completely.
His mentor's voice had sounded much older over the phone, but his tone was as unyielding as ever: look after a new student, and, above all, don't provoke him.
Don't provoke him.
Those four words lodged in Wu Zhangkong's heart like a thorn.
He'd never heard his mentor speak in that tone before.
It wasn't an order or a reprimand, but some kind of veiled warning.
But whatever his background, if he'd pulled strings to get in front of Wu Zhangkong, he shouldn't expect a warm welcome.
"Ahem--"
Long Hengxu coughed loudly several times and glared at Wu Zhangkong.
He knew Wu Zhangkong's temperament.
Because of what he'd gone through in his early years, the man harbored a deep mistrust of and anger toward the Federation.
He loathed those who relied on connections to get ahead even more.
But the kid in front of them wasn't just any well-connected student.
Long Hengxu remembered the calls he'd received.
From the education department in Eastsea City to the Federal Central Education Bureau.
From the Universal Group Legal Department to the external relations office at Shrek Academy.
Every one of them was someone a lowly head of education like him couldn't afford to offend.
Not to mention, the Universal Group had already hinted that its future investment in Eastsea Academy depended on Lin An's "experience as a student" there.
How was this a new student enrolling?
This was the God of Wealth descending to earth.
Long Hengxu smiled obsequiously, stealing a glance at Wu Zhangkong from the corner of his eye as he frantically prayed: Ancestor, please, just keep your mouth shut.
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