Emotional Intelligence Below Zero

"Sorry, I already have a male companion!" As she spoke, Meng Xuanxuan gently slipped her arm through Tang Yu's. Tang Yu had not expected this move from her and felt awkward all over. He wanted to pull away, but Meng Xuanxuan held him fast.

"That's fine. It's only one dance. I'm sure this gentleman won't object, right?"

Hearing that, Tang Yu slowly raised his head and looked at the man before him. He had an ordinary face, and the youthful immaturity had yet to fade from his features. One glance was enough to tell that he had grown up sheltered and spoiled.

"Little brother, just because I'm easygoing doesn't mean you can treat me like this! How do you know I won't object? Aren't you afraid I'll beat you up?"

"Pfft..." Tang Yu's words made Meng Xuanxuan burst out laughing. Only then did she realize that Tang Yu had such a funny side.

Zhang Mufeng had not expected Tang Yu to say something like that either. He stood there awkwardly at a loss, not knowing how to respond.

Suddenly, the music stopped. Tang Yu saw Li Yiyang standing in the center of the banquet hall, raising a hand to signal for silence.

"I invited everyone here today mainly to strengthen the bonds between classmates. Although we may not have been in the same class or even attended the same school before, once the college entrance exams are over, I believe most of us will meet again at the Asian Military Academy. By then, we'll all be from the same place, and we'll surely have to help each other out..."

For the first time, Tang Yu felt that Li Yiyang was like one of those school administrators who spoke endlessly at every school assembly. Only after everyone had grown impatient did he finally seem ready to wrap things up.

"Finally, I hope everyone can bear witness and share this moment with me!"

Before his voice had even faded, Li Yiyang turned a gaze as gentle as water toward Tang Yu's side—or, more precisely, toward Meng Xuanxuan. By now, everyone had more or less figured out what was going on.

Li Yiyang was not tall, about the same height as Tang Yu. He walked steadily toward Meng Xuanxuan, step by step, and as if performing a magic trick, produced a small, exquisite gift box from his hand.

"Xuanxuan, will you be my girlfriend?"

The banquet hall suddenly became terrifyingly quiet. Everyone wanted to see Meng Xuanxuan's decision. As for Tang Yu, he had already been completely ignored.

This Li Yiyang really didn't take him seriously at all. Even if he was only a shield, Li Yiyang couldn't just undermine him like this!

"Ahem, Li Yiyang, have you not figured out the situation?" Meng Xuanxuan's hand was practically about to twist the flesh off Tang Yu's waist. Left with no choice, Tang Yu gave a few dry coughs and stepped forward to speak to Li Yiyang.

Unexpectedly, Li Yiyang had no intention of paying Tang Yu any attention. "Xuanxuan, you don't need to use Tang Yu to brush me off. I know him. His emotional intelligence is below zero. There's no way he could be your boyfriend!"

Hearing that, Tang Yu nearly died of anger. What did Li Yiyang mean by saying his emotional intelligence was below zero? If they were not on fairly good terms, Tang Yu would have really wanted to beat him up.

"Well then, since that's the case, I suppose it's time for me to bow out gracefully!" As he spoke, Tang Yu made room for Li Yiyang and moved to stand beside Zhang Mufeng, hoping to stay away from the trouble.

"Tang Yu, you bastard!" Meng Xuanxuan was so furious her lungs were about to explode. Tang Yu really was worthless. He let her down at the critical moment.

"Li Yiyang, you're not my type. If you keep this up, then we won't be friends anymore!" Taking a deep breath, Meng Xuanxuan rejected Li Yiyang without sparing him any dignity.

Li Yiyang looked as though he had been struck by lightning. His face instantly turned deathly pale, and he stood there blankly for a long while before seeming to come back to his senses. "What type do you like? I can change!" Still unwilling to give up, Li Yiyang looked at Meng Xuanxuan with the last trace of hope in his eyes.

Meng Xuanxuan had not expected Li Yiyang to ask that. For a moment, she did not know how to answer.

Silence. Dead silence. The entire banquet hall was so quiet that even a needle hitting the floor could have been heard.

"There! I like someone like him!" In her panic, Meng Xuanxuan raised a hand and pointed at Tang Yu.

Whoosh!

Everyone's gazes followed the direction of Meng Xuanxuan's finger and landed on Tang Yu. Tang Yu had never understood what it meant to get caught in the crossfire before, but today, he finally did. This was getting caught in the crossfire!

"What's so good about him?" Li Yiyang was completely enraged. Meng Xuanxuan was obviously just brushing him off. He knew Tang Yu well enough. Calling him a genius would not be an exaggeration, but in Li Yiyang's eyes, Tang Yu was not someone who knew how to please girls.

"Back then, Xia Linlin from their class, the school-recognized beauty, confessed to him in front of so many people, and he rejected her without showing any mercy. I really don't understand what you like about him!" Li Yiyang was not wrong. To outsiders, Xia Linlin and Tang Yu had seemed to get along quite well. Thinking Tang Yu might simply be passive, she took the initiative to confess to him. Yet Tang Yu did not appreciate it at all, humiliating Xia Linlin so badly that she had no choice but to transfer schools in dejection.

"Li Yiyang, what do you mean by that?"

The moment he heard Li Yiyang mention Xia Linlin, Tang Yu yanked Meng Xuanxuan behind him and narrowed his eyes at Li Yiyang. His gaze seemed almost tangible, sharp as a blade. The spiritual pressure of a Force Warrior was not something an ordinary person could bear. Li Yiyang's complexion had already been poor, but now it became even whiter.

"What happened between Xia Linlin and me is not for you to comment on. I won't hold it against you today, but I hope you'll watch your words in the future!"

With that, Tang Yu turned and left. If he had known this would happen, he would never have come here no matter what Meng Xuanxuan said.

"Tang Yu!" Meng Xuanxuan could clearly see that Tang Yu was genuinely angry. She hurried after him, leaving behind an awkward Li Yiyang and the many onlookers enjoying the show.

"Hey! Wait for me!"

"Are you planning to walk all the way back from here?" Meng Xuanxuan truly could not keep up with Tang Yu's pace, so she could only call out like this. Sure enough, Tang Yu stopped.

"Get in the car first!" Seeing him stop, Meng Xuanxuan quickly drove Angel's Wings up beside him.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?" After thinking for a long time, Meng Xuanxuan could not resist speaking up.

"Ask."

"Um... who is Xia Linlin?" Meng Xuanxuan was very curious. Given Tang Yu's EQ, if he had rejected her, then he obviously did not like her. But why had he become so angry when Li Yiyang mentioned Xia Linlin's name?

"A classmate."

"Then why are you still so angry?" Meng Xuanxuan clearly did not believe Tang Yu's answer. Sure enough, when she asked that, Tang Yu fell silent.

"Can you tell me about it?"

Hearing that, Tang Yu paused slightly, his gaze drifting uncertainly.

"How should I put it? During my three years of high school, she was probably my only—and my best—close friend. But one day, she suddenly told me that she didn't want to be friends with me anymore. At the time, I felt empty inside... Later, she transferred schools."

Tang Yu spoke softly and calmly, as though recalling an old friend from the past. It made Meng Xuanxuan both irritated and exasperated. Xia Linlin had taken the initiative to confess, yet Tang Yu had been so dense that he did not react at all. Anyone would have lost heart.

Meng Xuanxuan even felt sorry for Xia Linlin for falling for a guy like Tang Yu.

"Did you two never contact each other again?" Meng Xuanxuan knew that Xia Linlin had probably chosen to transfer schools because she was afraid it would be awkward for them to meet.

"No."

"You really are an idiot!" Hearing Tang Yu's answer, Meng Xuanxuan scolded him resentfully. But when she met Tang Yu's icy gaze, she immediately shrank back in fright and did not dare say another word. The feeling was strange. Even when facing Uncle Qin, Meng Xuanxuan had never felt as though she had fallen into an ice pit.

When they arrived at Lincheng Estate, Tang Yu got out of the car and headed straight home.

"Aren't you going to invite me in to sit for a while?" She had personally brought him home, and he did not even know to invite her inside?

"I don't have any tea at home!" Tang Yu still remembered that she had wanted to come in for tea last time. He had no tea to serve her.

"You have plain water, don't you?" Meng Xuanxuan said irritably. Without waiting to see whether Tang Yu agreed, she headed straight toward his home.

Clearly, Tang Yu had no intention of entertaining Meng Xuanxuan. The moment he entered, he turned on his computer and browsed online for information about further cultivation after awakening.

Awakening Force and becoming a Force Warrior was only the first step on the path of martial arts. Every additional point in one's gene count meant that one's cells could contain a little more Force. As one's Force value continued to rise, one's spiritual cultivation would also increase accordingly. The two affected each other, and barring special circumstances, one would not encounter a situation where they could not control their own Force.

What Tang Yu lacked now was a method for using Force. Originally, his Force value had been comparable to Yuan Chengwu's, but because Yuan Chengwu knew how to maximize the use of his Force, the power he unleashed was far greater than Tang Yu's. If Tang Yu also mastered the methods and techniques for using Force, then combined with the Primordial Martial Way, he would be unstoppable.

Tang Yu had a feeling that the black crystal his father had left behind did more than simply teach him martial arts moves.

There was always loss when a warrior unleashed Force. There were losses in extracting it from the cells, in channeling it through martial techniques, and throughout the process of circulation. Thus, for an ordinary Force Warrior with a gene count of 100, their actual Force output would rarely exceed 1,000 kilograms. Force secret arts could raise that number significantly. However, Tang Yu possessed the black crystal and was a freak himself, which was why, when his gene count was only 99 and before he had even cultivated Force, he could already strike with 1,730 kilograms of force!

Hundred-Forged Force Art: Tempers the Force within the cells. At its highest level, it can double one's Force output. Price: 4,500,000 Federation Credits!

Nethervoid Force Transformation Art: Meditate upon the boundless void to accelerate the circulation of cellular Force. At an advanced level, it can increase one's Force output by 1.5 times. Price: 10,000,000 Federation Credits!

After looking at only two Force secret arts, Tang Yu lost the courage to continue. Damn! They were far too expensive. Even the cheapest one cost 4.5 million Federation Credits.

"Are you looking for Force secret arts?" With nothing else to do, Meng Xuanxuan glanced over to see what Tang Yu was doing and saw him browsing Force secret arts online.

"You awakened?" Suddenly, Meng Xuanxuan remembered what Uncle Qin had said: Yuan Chengwu had fled in defeat!

Tang Yu, Tang Yu! Just how many secrets are you hiding? Even Yuan Chengwu, with a gene count of 200, was no match for you!