Cold on the Outside, Clingy on the Inside?

Ma Xiaotao was expressionless.

She already knew that once Bai Luo answered, her entire plan had fallen apart.

She had originally thought Ling Luochen would greet her exposure with cold ridicule.

Yet Ling Luochen's reaction was completely beyond Ma Xiaotao's expectations.

She did not mock her.

Instead, she revealed a gentle, refined smile.

"So that's how it is."

"The girls at the Outer Academy truly aren't mature enough."

"But there's no need to solve the problem this way."

"After all, one lie often requires more lies to cover it up."

"Still, Xiaotao only meant well. She simply didn't think things through that thoroughly."

"If anything like this happens again, Xiao Luo can come to me too. I'm rather good at handling matters involving young girls like them."

From beginning to end, Ling Luochen seemed not to mention anything about her and Ma Xiaotao.

Nor did she directly expose Ma Xiaotao before Bai Luo, revealing that she had not simply been helping him solve a problem but had her own ulterior motives.

Normally speaking,

Ma Xiaotao should have been happy about Ling Luochen doing this.

After all, this meant she would neither be ridiculed by Ling Luochen for being exposed nor have her image in Bai Luo's heart affected.

But...

Why did those words make her feel so uncomfortable?

Ma Xiaotao frowned.

Then, when she noticed that Ling Luochen's gaze had never once left Bai Luo, she suddenly smiled.

She had been angered into laughing.

She finally realized what was wrong!

The pretentious sweetness in everything this woman Ling Luochen said was practically overflowing!

How could this woman possibly not want to mock her?

She simply did not want to appear overly petty in front of Bai Luo and was trying to preserve her image!

At this moment, Ma Xiaotao finally understood completely.

This icy woman Ling Luochen was just like her—she had designs on Bai Luo!

She could not help feeling annoyed and regretful.

If she had known this, she should not have stubbornly claimed that she had won Bai Luo over while trading barbs with Ling Luochen.

And now look what had happened.

Not only had she failed to strike a blow against Ling Luochen, she had even made her set her sights on Bai Luo!

She had found herself a love rival!

She had truly lost both the woman and the army!

Ma Xiaotao complained inwardly and shot Ling Luochen a fierce warning glare.

Don't get any improper ideas about him!

Ling Luochen returned an unconcerned look.

Why not?

What was Ma Xiaotao to him? What right did she have to say that?

Others might fear Ma Xiaotao, but she did not.

Having finally met a boy who had made her fall in love at first sight, Ling Luochen would not let go so easily.

That was simply her personality.

Whatever she wanted, she would definitely work hard to obtain!

Seeing Ling Luochen's look, Ma Xiaotao ground her teeth until they creaked.

Love at first sight?

Pah!

What love at first sight? It was clearly just lust at first glance!

Who would have thought that Ling Luochen, who usually looked so frigid and uninterested, would fall for someone so easily now!

Sure enough, those gossiping people had not been wrong.

Ling Luochen was the classic type: cold on the outside, clingy on the inside!

A sense of crisis rose in Ma Xiaotao's heart.

Although she found this woman Ling Luochen extremely unpleasant to look at,

she had to admit that the woman was indeed beautiful.

Otherwise, she could not possibly have earned the title of Ice Princess in the Inner Academy.

Though Ma Xiaotao did not think her looks were inferior to Ling Luochen's, what if?

What if Bai Luo liked women like Ling Luochen, cold on the outside and clingy on the inside?

She had heard some senior sisters from the Inner Academy chatting about it before.

Some boys liked women who appeared icy and aloof.

Invisible gunpowder began to spread through the air.

Caught between the two beautiful girls, Bai Luo suddenly shuddered.

Looking at the two beautiful girls, both smiling like flowers, Bai Luo inexplicably felt an indescribable chill.

However, the feeling did not last long.

Because another student dressed in the fiery red uniform of Shrek Academy's Inner Academy hurried over.

She spoke to Ma Xiaotao and Ling Luochen, her voice still slightly breathless from rushing over.

"Senior sisters, Xuan Zi is looking for you."

"It seems he wants to brief your generation of the Shrek Seven Monsters about something."

"I'm not too sure what exactly it is."

Upon hearing this,

both Ling Luochen and Ma Xiaotao frowned.

The former had not yet had the chance to interact much with Bai Luo, the boy she had fallen in love with at first sight.

As for the latter, the reason she had invited Bai Luo to Shrek Academy today was to show him around and let him see this year's admissions at Shrek Academy.

With this sudden matter cropping up, it seemed she would have to break her promise.

But refusing was not really an option either.

Although she was the disciple of Yan Shaozhe, the future Master of Sea God Pavilion, Bright Phoenix Douluo,

Xuan Zi's seniority was there for all to see.

He was one of the most senior figures in Shrek Academy today.

Even her teacher Yan Shaozhe was somewhat inferior to him in terms of seniority.

Ma Xiaotao could not openly defy Xuan Zi too much.

That would make things difficult for her teacher.

Therefore,

on one side was breaking her promise, and on the other was a summons she could not easily refuse. Ma Xiaotao was now caught between a rock and a hard place.

Unable to advance or retreat.

She had already cursed Xuan Zi several times in her heart.

He had not brought it up earlier or later, but had to do so now.

Wasn't he deliberately going against her?

Bai Luo saw the troubled look on Ma Xiaotao's face.

He more or less guessed the source of her dilemma.

He took the initiative to say,

"Xiaotao, if you have something to do, you should go first."

"Nannan is at the Outer Academy too. I can go find her."

Upon hearing this,

the conflict in Ma Xiaotao's heart finally eased considerably.

Though she did not want Bai Luo to go find another girl, this was already the best choice.

She nodded slightly, looking somewhat guilty.

"Xiao Luo, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Bai Luo did not mind, and a comforting smile appeared on his face.

"No one could have expected something like this to happen suddenly. It isn't your fault, Xiaotao."

"Xiao Luo..."

The look in Ma Xiaotao's eyes as she gazed at him was practically dripping with affection.

She truly could not resist Bai Luo when he was like this!

He was too gentle!

So gentle that she wanted to hide him away, so that only she could enjoy that gentleness!

"Let's go!"

Ling Luochen impatiently grabbed Ma Xiaotao and forcibly dragged her away.

She seriously suspected that if Ma Xiaotao kept looking, she might do something excessive to Bai Luo.

Having already made Bai Luo her target, she could not watch this big-breasted, empty-headed woman corrupt him.

Only then did Ma Xiaotao reluctantly look away and bid Bai Luo farewell.

After Ling Luochen and Ma Xiaotao left,

Bai Luo turned his gaze toward the Outer Academy.

I'll go take a look. It's been a while since I last saw that girl Nannan.

Bai Luo turned around and walked across Sea God Lake as if on level ground, heading unhurriedly toward the Outer Academy.

At the same time,

the first Soul Master brawl since enrollment had begun somewhere in the Outer Academy.