The Last Person

[Next up is Dai Huabin. Dai Huabin stands in the center of the assessment platform, his back straight like a javelin, his face still showing that arrogant look that he doesn't submit to anyone.]

He had heard Huo Yuhao say that if you tell a lie here, you can't afford the consequences; you have to tell the truth.

Although Dai Huabin and Huo Yuhao didn't get along, he knew that there was no need to joke about such a life-or-death matter. From the moment he stepped onto the assessment platform, he was determined to tell the whole truth.

Tang San's voice, completely calm, came from the void. "Do you have a lover?"

"Have."

Who is your lover?

"Zhu Lu."

The answer was similar to everyone else's.

Tang San nodded slightly and continued to ask the same old question, "Is this person the one you love the most?"

Tang San waited for the expected "yes," but saw Dai Huabin shake his head.

"No."]

Shrek Academy, Female Dormitory.

Xiao Xiao was eating snacks when she saw this, and she almost spat out her snacks, quickly covering her mouth with her hand.

Her eyes widened like saucers, and her cheeks puffed out. "My God! Has Dai Huabin gone mad? How dare he say such a thing? Zhu Lu was watching right outside! If it were me, and I heard the person I like say that, I'd fight him on the spot!"

The most shocked person was Zhu Lu, who was standing in the waiting area.

The faint expectation that had been on her face vanished the moment she heard those two words.

She stared blankly at the familiar figure on the assessment platform, as if she were seeing him for the first time. Her lips trembled slightly, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Tang San was also taken aback, clearly not expecting anyone to give such an answer.

He frowned, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Then who is the person you love the most?"

Dai Huabin fell silent.

He lowered his head, and the silence that followed felt like an eternity.

Finally, he raised his head, his eyes filled with a hint of humility and longing that he himself didn't even realize, and uttered that name: "Wang Qiu'er."

Almost the instant he finished speaking, a complete image suddenly popped up in front of Wang Qiu'er's eyes, and all the sounds clearly reached her ears.

Tang San's eyes turned playful. He looked at Dai Huabin and slowly asked, "You have a lover, yet you love someone else. Do you think you're being fair to your lover?"

Dai Huabin's face showed obvious remorse. He lowered his head again and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry to Zhu Lu. I do love her, but I love Wang Qiu'er even more."

These words were like a knife chilled to the bone, piercing Zhu Lu's heart.

She could no longer hold back, and tears fell without warning, sliding down her cheeks and dripping onto the stone slabs beneath her feet, leaving small, damp stains.

She bit her lip, trying not to cry out, but her shoulders trembled slightly uncontrollably.

The Far North.

Upon hearing Dai Huabin's words, Ice Empress scoffed, "What an overconfident human brat! Daring to covet Emperor Auspicious Beast auspicious beast. With Wang Qiu'er's personality, he should take a good look at himself in the mirror before indulging in such wishful thinking."

Tang San seemed satisfied with the answer. He nodded and then threw out the question he had asked countless times, "If you had to die for one of them, who would you choose?"

Zhu Lu, who was waiting in the waiting area, also stopped crying. She looked up at Dai Huabin on the assessment platform with teary eyes, her gaze filled with despair and the last glimmer of hope.

Dai Huabin stood there, falling into a long silence.

His brows were furrowed, and his expression shifted constantly, sometimes showing longing for Wang Qiu'er, sometimes guilt towards Zhu Lu.

Time ticked by, and just as Tang San was about to lose his patience, he finally spoke, his voice hoarse as if it had been sanded. "Zhu Lu."

Shrek Academy, Inner Court.

When Ma Xiaotao saw Dai Huabin's answer, she raised an eyebrow and said in a complicated tone, "Oh, I really didn't expect that. I thought he would choose Wang Qiu'er, after all, he spoke so affectionately just now."

However, it seems he's not a complete bastard; at least he knows who is genuinely good to him.

This answer once again surprised Tang San.

He raised an eyebrow, his tone clearly surprised. "Since she's not the person you love most, why are you willing to die for her?"

Dai Huabin remained silent for an even longer time this time.

He stared at the ground, as if he could see flowers blooming on the stone slabs.

A full minute passed before he slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with an unprecedented calm and relief. "Zhu Lu is not the person I love the most, but she is the person who has been with me the longest."

She's been by my side ever since I can remember.

When I got into trouble, she covered for me; when I was bullied, she was the first to stand up for me and fight back; when I was punished by my family, she secretly brought me food.

Over the years, no matter what I've become, she has never left me.

He paused, a bitter smile playing on his lips, "I know Wang Qiu'er will never look at me. She's a star in the sky, and I'm just mud on the ground."

In my life, being able to marry Zhu Lu is already an immense blessing.

Therefore, my wife can only be her, and will only ever be her.

I'd be willing to die for her. As for Wang Qiu'er, let her be just an unrealistic dream I had in this lifetime.

Shrek Academy, Inner Court Office.

Upon hearing Dai Huabin's words, Zhang Lexuan's eyes flashed with a complex emotion. She said softly, "So he's not as reckless and impulsive as he seems. Many people live their whole lives without distinguishing between attraction and companionship. The fact that he understands this already puts him ahead of most men."

After Dai Huabin finished speaking, the assessment room fell silent again.

Tang San sat in the ball of light and shadow, his face expressionless, and no one knew what he was thinking. After a long while, he finally spoke softly.

He casually uttered a few polite words like "he's quite responsible," then waved his hand, letting Dai Huabin pass.

Dai Huabin breathed a huge sigh of relief.

He felt the pressure of this assessment was immense, even though it only involved answering a few questions that weren't particularly in-depth.

But she had always avoided this issue, and now it's been laid bare for all to see.

What she didn't know was that his two most beloved women could see her answering.

When Dai Huabin came out, he noticed that Wang Qiu'er was looking at him with a very strange expression.

He looked around but didn't see Zhu Lu.

Then, upon seeing Zhu Lu amidst the golden light, he suddenly realized that Zhu Lu's turn to be assessed was next after his own.