Shrek's Bizarre Scandal

Ma Hongjun watched the scene, stunned as well.

"Are they... possessed?"

Dai Mubai stepped forward to check on them.

But after just one step, his head suddenly spun, and his vision blurred.

He reached out to steady himself against the edge of the table.

But his arm had barely risen halfway before he pitched forward and collapsed straight onto the bed.

A heartbeat later, Ma Hongjun swayed and fell on top of Dai Mubai. The two of them tumbled into the bedding in each other's arms.

The room fell quiet.

A moment later, Ye Qiong emerged from the shadows and strolled out.

He set down a recording device and aimed it at the two men on the bed.

Then he bent down, lifted the four unconscious women one by one, and carried them out of the room.

When he was done, he glanced at the device and let the corner of his mouth curl up.

"Suotuo City should be lively tomorrow."

With that, he turned and disappeared through the doorway.

The next morning.

Dai Mubai opened his eyes, feeling a dull ache at the back of his head.

Still groggy, he braced himself on the bed and sat up. Then he looked down.

His entire body froze.

He was...

Even more shocking was the person lying beside him: Ma Hongjun.

Ma Hongjun had woken up too. He rubbed his bleary eyes and looked up.

For a moment, their eyes met.

The expression on Ma Hongjun's face went from dazed to confused, then to horrified.

"B-Boss Dai..."

Dai Mubai's face darkened like the bottom of a pot.

He abruptly threw back the covers for a glance, then quickly pulled them up again.

Silence.

A long, drawn-out silence.

Both of them felt a burning heat.

At last, Dai Mubai slammed his fist into the bed.

"Who did this?!"

Ma Hongjun shuddered and didn't dare answer.

After that, they hurried around in a panic, trying to cover up the evidence.

Once they were dressed,

neither dared ask any questions. Heads lowered, they slunk out of the Rain-Listening Pavilion.

Just as they left, thinking everything was finally behind them,

the passersby on the street began giving them strange looks.

Some covered their mouths and snickered, while others pointed at them.

Soon, 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 behind him, not daring to breathe too loudly.

Just then, a gust of wind swept by.

A scrap of paper fluttered down and landed right by Dai Mubai's foot.

He looked down.

The paper showed two people.

The drawing was crude, but the two figures' features were unmistakably his and Ma Hongjun's.

Beneath the picture was a line of tiny text:

"Shocking! Two Shrek Academy prodigies caught doing this at a brothel!"

Dai Mubai's hand clenched so tightly that his knuckles cracked.

Ma Hongjun leaned over to take a look. His face went deathly pale.

"W-What is this supposed to be?"

Dai Mubai snatched up the paper and tore it to shreds in a few quick motions.

But when he looked up, he saw that many people along the street were holding identical little pictures.

Some were passing them around.

Some laughed as they looked, doubling over with laughter.

Dai Mubai's face shifted 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 charged through the gates of Shrek Academy, gasping 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, his brows furrowed as well.

Tang San, Oscar, Xiao Wu, Zhuqing, and Ning Rongrong were all there.

Even Dragon Duke and Snake Granny were present.

They hadn't left yet?

At the sight of them, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun's hearts sank.

But they had no choice but to steel themselves and step forward.

"Dean."

Flender stared at him in silence 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 a little lower.

"I asked you, where did you go last night?"

"...We went to the Rain-Listening Pavilion."

The moment he said that, the square fell utterly silent.

Several girls covered their mouths at once, looking at them with disgust.

Flender's face turned livid.

"You worthless 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 to face him.

"Senior, about this matter..."

Meng Shu waved a hand, his tone indifferent.

"There's no need to discuss it. I'm here to talk about ending our partnership."

Flender's smile froze on his face.

"Senior, what do you mean...?"

Chao Tianxiang snorted 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 disgraceful. Who's to say Yiran won't get dragged into something like this in the future?"

Meng Yiran stood behind her grandmother, pale-faced, staring down at the tips of her shoes without saying a word.

A sheen of sweat appeared on Flender's forehead.

"Senior, I failed to discipline them properly. I promise..."

Meng Shu raised a hand to cut him off.

"Promise? What can you possibly promise?"

"This..."

Flender gritted his teeth and wrestled with himself for a moment. At last, he said through clenched teeth:

"Senior, if you don't terminate our partnership, I'm willing to give the Meng family eighty percent of the academy's future shares."

"And the academy's reputation, too. If we make a name for ourselves at the Soul Master Tournament in the future, all that prestige will go 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, heart aching.

"I give you my word."

Meng Shu stroked his beard and gave Flender a meaningful look. At last, he nodded.

"Fine. We'll remember this."

With that, he turned and led Meng Yiran away 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.

"Neither of you is allowed outside the academy for a month."

Dai Mubai lowered his head and didn't argue.

Ma Hongjun didn't dare speak either.

Flender turned and strode away.

Yu Xiaogang looked at the two of them, shook his head with a sigh, and left as well.

The square fell into an awkward, deathly silence.

Tang San spoke first, shaking his head at Dai Mubai.

"Boss Dai, this time... you really went too far."

Oscar said nothing, but his expression was clearly disappointed.

Ning Rongrong stepped forward, took Xiao Wu by the hand, and turned to leave.

"Xiao Wu, come on. Let's not stand around here."