Ma Hongjun watched the scene, stunned as well.
"Are they... possessed?"
Dai Mubai stepped forward to check on them.
But after only one step, the world suddenly spun around him, and his vision blurred.
He reached out to steady himself against the edge of the table.
But before he could even lift his arm halfway, he pitched forward and crashed onto the bed.
A moment later, Ma Hongjun staggered and toppled onto Dai Mubai. The two of them tumbled into the bedding, tangled in each other's arms.
The room fell silent.
A moment later, Ye Qiong emerged slowly from the shadows.
He set an Image Recorder down nearby, pointing it at the two men on the bed.
Then he bent down, helped the four unconscious women to their feet one by one, and escorted them out of the room.
When he was done, he glanced at the Image Recorder and let the corner of his mouth curl upward.
"Suotuo City should be lively tomorrow."
With that, he turned and disappeared through the door.
The next morning.
Dai Mubai opened his eyes, his head throbbing dully.
Still groggy, he propped himself up against the edge of the bed and sat up. Then he looked down—
He froze.
He was...
What made his pupils quake even more was the person lying beside him. It was Ma Hongjun.
Ma Hongjun had woken up, too. He rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked up.
For a moment, the two stared at each other.
Ma Hongjun's expression shifted from bleary confusion to shock and then horror.
"B-Boss Dai..."
Dai Mubai's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.
He abruptly lifted the covers for a glance, then quickly pulled them back up.
Silence.
A long, lingering silence.
Both of them felt a burning flush creeping over them.
At last, Dai Mubai slammed his fist into the bed.
"Who did this?!"
Ma Hongjun shuddered and didn't dare answer.
After that, the two scrambled about, trying to cover up the evidence.
Once they were fully dressed,
neither dared ask any questions. They slipped out of Listening Rain Pavilion with their heads bowed.
Just as they stepped outside, thinking everything had gone smoothly,
the passersby on the street began looking at them strangely.
Some covered their mouths and snickered, while others pointed at them.
Then Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun heard people whispering.
"Have you heard? Those two from Shrek..."
"Shh, keep your voice down. They're right there."
Dai Mubai clenched his fists, the veins in his forehead throbbing.
Ma Hongjun hunched his shoulders and hid behind him, not daring to make a sound.
Just then, a gust of wind swept past.
A scrap of paper fluttered down and landed right by Dai Mubai's feet.
He looked down.
It showed two people.
The drawing was crude, but the two figures' features were unmistakably his and Ma Hongjun's.
A line of small text was printed beneath it:
"Shocking! Two of Shrek Academy's greatest talents caught doing this at a brothel!"
Dai Mubai's hand clenched with a crackle.
Ma Hongjun leaned over to take a look. His face turned deathly pale.
"W-What is this?"
Dai Mubai snatched up the paper and tore it to shreds in three quick motions.
But when he looked up, he saw that many of the passersby were holding identical illustrated leaflets.
Some were passing them around.
Others laughed as they read, doubling over with laughter.
Dai Mubai's face turned from green to purple, then from purple to black.
He didn't dare say another word. Instead, he turned and strode toward Shrek Academy.
Ma Hongjun stumbled after him, his legs trembling.
"Boss Dai, wait for me..."
They hurried along with their heads down, but the whispers around them clung like burrs.
When they finally stormed into Shrek Academy's gates, panting for breath, they found the square packed with people.
Flender stood at the front with his hands behind his back, his face stiff as an iron plate.
Yu Xiaogang stood beside him, frowning deeply.
Tang San, Oscar, Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were all there.
Even Dragon Duke and Snake Granny were present.
Hadn't they left yet?
At the sight of them, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's hearts sank.
But they could only steel themselves and step forward.
"Dean."
Flender looked at him and remained silent for several breaths before speaking.
"Where did you go last night?"
Dai Mubai's lips moved, but he didn't answer.
Flender asked again, his voice lower this time.
"I asked you where you went last night."
"...We went to Listening Rain Pavilion."
The moment he said it, the square fell silent.
Several of the girls covered their mouths, their eyes turning disgusted as they looked at the two men.
Flender's face turned an ashen green.
"You good-for-nothing fools!"
Yu Xiaogang sighed but said nothing.
At that moment, Meng Shu slowly stepped forward.
"Dean Flender."
Flender immediately put on a smile and turned toward him.
"Senior, about this..."
Meng Shu waved a hand, his tone cool.
"There's no need to discuss it. I'm here to talk about terminating our agreement."
Flender's smile froze on his face.
"Senior, you're..."
Chao Tianxiang gave a cold snort and stepped forward.
"My granddaughter's safety and mental well-being must come first for the Meng Family."
"Your academy's students have done something so outrageous. Who can say they won't drag Yiran into it one day?"
Meng Yiran stood behind her grandmother. Her face was pale, and she stared down at the tips of her shoes without saying a word.
A sheen of sweat appeared on Flender's forehead.
"Senior, I failed to keep my students in line. I promise..."
Meng Shu raised a hand to cut him off.
"Promise? What can you possibly promise?"
"This..."
Flender gritted his teeth and struggled inwardly for a moment. At last, he spoke through clenched teeth.
"Senior, if you don't terminate our partnership, I'll give the Meng Family an eighty-percent share in the academy's future."
"And the academy's reputation, too. If we make a name for ourselves at the Spirit Master Tournament someday, all that prestige will belong to the Meng Family."
Meng Shu and Chao Tianxiang exchanged a glance.
After a brief silence, Chao Tianxiang slowly spoke.
"Do you mean it?"
Flender nodded, pained.
"Every word."
Meng Shu stroked his beard, gave Flender a meaningful look, and finally nodded.
"Fine. We'll hold you to that."
With that, he took Meng Yiran by the hand and left with Chao Tianxiang.
Once they were gone, only Shrek's own people remained in the square.
Flender took a deep breath and looked at Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun.
"You two are forbidden from leaving the academy for a month."
Dai Mubai kept his head down and didn't argue.
Ma Hongjun didn't dare make a sound either.
Flender turned and strode away.
Yu Xiaogang glanced at the two of them, shook his head with a sigh, and left as well.
An awkward silence fell over the square.
Tang San was the first to speak. He shook his head at Dai Mubai.
"Boss Dai, this time... you really went too far."
Oscar said nothing, but his expression made it clear that he was disappointed, too.
Ning Rongrong stepped forward, took Xiao Wu by the hand, and turned to leave.
"Xiao Wu, let's go. There's no point standing around here."