Three Questions

"The first problem is the dormitory toilets."

Huo Yuhao set down his teacup, his expression gradually turning serious.

Yan Shaozhe was slightly taken aback.

He had originally thought Huo Yuhao would bring up insufficient cultivation resources or ask the academy to open access to more advanced books.

But instead, it was the toilets?

"Go on."

Huo Yuhao nodded.

"The freshmen dormitory in the outer academy has only one public restroom on each floor. There are only a few dozen stalls in total, yet over a hundred students live there."

"Every morning after getting up, everyone has to line up."

"Some students even end their meditation half an hour early just to secure a spot."

"This has already seriously affected normal cultivation."

Yan Shaozhe's expression became somewhat strange.

Ending meditation early just to use the restroom?

He had genuinely never heard of such a thing.

Huo Yuhao did not stop.

"Also, the dormitory building's flushing system is far too old and often gets clogged."

At this point, he paused.

He seemed to be considering a more tactful way to describe the scene.

In the end, he gave up.

"Sometimes you can see super strawberry towers."

Yan Shaozhe: "..."

"Occasionally, golden giant pythons even appear."

Yan Shaozhe's face darkened.

Of course, he understood what those two terms meant.

But precisely because he understood, he wanted even less to hear more.

"Enough."

Yan Shaozhe raised a hand to interrupt Huo Yuhao. "I already understand this problem. Tell me about the others."

Huo Yuhao felt somewhat regretful.

He had not even finished yet.

For example, the stall at the very end of the third floor had been broken for so long that it was practically forming its own ecosystem.

But since Yan Shaozhe did not want to hear it, so be it.

"The second problem is the public bathhouse."

Yan Shaozhe's eyelid twitched.

For some reason, he suddenly had a bad feeling.

"The bathhouse is too small, there aren't enough cubicles, and there are no partitions at all."

Huo Yuhao said seriously, "Everyone is a hot-blooded young man. Being packed together so often is somewhat inconvenient."

"Two days ago, two students even got into a fight in the bathhouse because they stepped on each other's feet."

"In the end, one of them lost his footing and knocked over all five people beside him."

Huo Yuhao sighed inwardly.

The scene that day had been truly chaotic.

Fortunately, he washed quickly.

Otherwise, there might have been one more person lying on the floor.

Yan Shaozhe fell silent for several seconds.

"Anything else?"

"Yes."

Huo Yuhao straightened his back and said solemnly, "There are no benches in the cafeteria."

Yan Shaozhe froze.

"No benches?"

"That's right."

"The tables in the outer academy cafeteria are very high, yet students can only stand while eating."

Huo Yuhao could not understand it. "The academy can build simulated cultivation grounds worth tens of thousands of gold soul coins, so why is it unwilling to add a few benches to the cafeteria?"

Yan Shaozhe opened his mouth.

For a moment, he actually did not know how to answer.

Shrek's cafeteria had never had benches.

As for the reason...

It seemed that a long time ago, a dean had believed soul masters should not waste time eating, so he had all the benches removed.

Later, everyone got used to it, and no one mentioned it again.

"I hope the academy can take these issues seriously."

Huo Yuhao's tone was stern. "A good living environment allows students to devote more energy to cultivation instead of spending every day figuring out how to fight for a toilet."

Yan Shaozhe slowly nodded.

"Your suggestions are very valuable. The academy will consider them carefully."

He sounded utterly sincere.

As for when they would be resolved, that was another matter.

Repairing the dormitory flushing system cost money.

Expanding the bathhouse cost money.

Adding tables and chairs to the cafeteria still cost money.

There were so many students in the outer academy. How many gold soul coins would it take to replace everything for all of them?

They were soul masters, after all.

A little hardship was nothing.

Let the students suffer; he would bear the infamy.

Seeing that Yan Shaozhe had already made his position clear, Huo Yuhao did not continue pressing the matter.

He had said everything that needed to be said anyway.

Whether the other party listened was the other party's business.

"Dean Yan, why exactly did you call me here?"

Huo Yuhao glanced out the window. "If there is nothing important, I still need to return to the library to read."

Only then did Yan Shaozhe remember the real matter.

He cleared his throat. The smile on his face gradually faded, and his expression turned solemn.

"There is indeed something very important."

As he spoke, he took out a file he had prepared in advance from beneath the desk and gently pushed it toward Huo Yuhao.

"Take a look first."

Huo Yuhao lowered his eyes.

At the very top of the file, two words were written neatly.

Betrothal Contract.

Below that were his name and Ma Xiaotao's.

Huo Yuhao raised an eyebrow.

He had already guessed that Yan Shaozhe valued his Ultimate Ice and had considered that the man might ask him to regularly help Ma Xiaotao suppress her evil fire.

But he had not expected the old man to be so direct.

Yan Shaozhe folded his hands and said seriously, "I intend for you and Xiaotao to enter into a betrothal contract."

"Once you sign it, you will be an insider of Shrek from then on."

Huo Yuhao did not answer. Instead, he picked up the contract and examined it carefully.

The contents were not complicated.

The two parties would become engaged.

He would be responsible for helping Ma Xiaotao suppress her evil fire, while the academy would be responsible for nurturing them.

As for what resources would specifically be provided, not a single word was written there.

There were even fewer substantive guarantees.

The corner of Huo Yuhao's mouth twitched slightly.

This betrothal contract sounded nice, but in reality, it was equivalent to trying to rope him, an Ultimate Ice soul master, directly into Shrek with a single sheet of paper.

There was not even a deposit.

It was rather insulting.

"I'm sorry."

Huo Yuhao set down the contract and said tactfully, "Senior Ma is outstanding, but I already have a fiancée."

"So I cannot sign this contract."

After saying that, he stood up.

"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."

The smile on Yan Shaozhe's face froze.

"Wait."

He hurriedly picked up the investigation materials on the desk and quickly flipped through them.

Name, age, hometown.

Parents' circumstances, upbringing.

Unmarried.

He indeed did not have a wife.

But that damned investigation form had never asked whether he had a fiancée.

Yan Shaozhe stared at those two words, the corner of his eye twitching violently.

What a miscalculation.

The investigation had been so detailed, so how had it missed the most important item?

Still, he was ultimately the dean of Shrek's Martial Soul Department.

After a brief moment of shock, Yan Shaozhe quickly regained his composure.

"It's fine."

He put down the documents and instead consoled him. "You can cancel your original betrothal contract first."

"Then become engaged to Xiaotao."

Huo Yuhao was stunned.

He stood there, looking at Yan Shaozhe's serious face without speaking for a long while.

How exactly was this old man's brain wired?

What did he mean, cancel the original engagement first?

Then get engaged to Ma Xiaotao?

If Ju Zi found out, she could probably bring a Class 9 fixed-installation soul cannon to blockade the gates of Sea God Island the very next day.

Were all Shrek people this self-righteous?

Yan Shaozhe was still talking animatedly. He believed that Huo Yuhao's family background was neither remarkable nor supported by any powerful connections, so the fiancée he had become engaged to was probably no distinguished young lady and was unworthy of him. He was completely unaware that Huo Yuhao's face was gradually darkening.

"Dean Yan."

"This kind of joke is not funny."

He turned and walked toward the door, reaching out to pull it open.

"If there is nothing else, I will be leaving."

In Huo Yuhao's heart, Ju Zi was indeed somewhat twisted and obsessive. She had actually developed feelings for him when he had only been eight or nine years old.

But she had at least cared for him and raised him since childhood. Although he still could not truly accept Ju Zi's feelings, Huo Yuhao could not bring himself to betray her and act like an ungrateful wretch.