Ning Tian and Wu Feng

The young girl gave him a sweet smile, her voice crisp and pleasant as she politely asked, "Hello, classmate. Could you tell us which way we should go to get to dorm 409?"

Lin Ye came back to his senses and returned her with a gentle smile. He raised a hand and pointed behind them. "Go back the way you came. Turn left at the intersection by the freshmen dormitories, and it'll be the second building. Room 409 is on the fourth floor."

"Thank you, classmate."

The girl's smile grew even sweeter as she introduced herself with easy grace. "My name is Ning Tian, and this is my friend, Wu Feng. May I ask what your name is, classmate?"

Ning Tian? Wu Feng?

Lin Ye's heart jolted, and he finally realized who the two of them were.

No wonder they were so strikingly beautiful. So it was Ning Tian, the little princess of the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect, and that jealous queen Wu Feng beside her!

That was what he'd thought. At Shrek Academy, anyone with looks and temperament like this had to be a named female character. The nameless extras with no screen time were all plain-faced. This rule really never failed!

Lin Ye suppressed his surprise, maintaining a proper smile as he gave his name. "My name is Lin Ye."

Wang Dong'er, standing beside him, also nodded to the two girls and gave the name she used publicly with a faint smile. "Hello, I'm Wang Dong."

Wu Feng, who stood beside Ning Tian, didn't speak right away. She merely stared at Lin Ye for several seconds with her somewhat proud eyes, making him feel rather baffled, before coolly uttering two words. "Wu Feng."

After saying that, she tugged at Ning Tian's sleeve, clearly unwilling to linger any longer.

Ning Tian smiled at Lin Ye and Wang Dong'er again, thanked them, then turned with Wu Feng and headed toward the freshmen dormitories.

Watching their retreating figures, Lin Ye raised a brow, finding it immensely amusing. He wrote another line in the Diary.

[Interesting. Truly interesting. I'd barely left the dorm when I ran into Ning Tian, the little princess of the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect, and that jealous Wu Feng.]

[Wu Feng isn't bad-looking herself, yet she just happens to be into girls.

She's always stayed by Ning Tian's side protecting her. Ning Tian sees her as a best friend, while she sees Ning Tian as her lover. Tsk, tsk. You couldn't find a combination this bizarre even if you searched through all five Douluo Continent novels.

There's something else I can't figure out. Logically speaking, Ning Tian's orientation is normal. She definitely likes boys.

But why did the original story say that whenever some girls got close to Ning Tian, Wu Feng would stop them too? I really don't get it.

If boys get close to her and you get jealous, then stopping them is understandable.

But why the hell would you stop girls from getting close to her? Are you not even going to let Ning Tian make friends normally? Sigh, all I can say is that friendship and love between girls are truly impossible to understand.]

Wang Dong'er, standing at Lin Ye's side, raised a brow in surprise.

The two girls who had just passed them by were actually famous female leads as well?

She had heard of Ning Tian. She came from the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect, and her martial soul was the top-tier support-type Seven-Treasure Glazed Pagoda. Her talent was exceptionally outstanding. Wang Dong'er hadn't expected those two to be among the "female leads" mentioned in the Diary.

Naturally, Wang Dong'er knew the name of the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect well.

Like the increasingly declining Tang Sect of today, this support sect that had once stood at the pinnacle of the continent had long since lost its former glory. Calling it a setting sun would not be an exaggeration.

But after reading the rest of the Diary's contents in her mind, Wang Dong'er's entire body instantly stiffened. Fine goosebumps rose on her arms, and even the corners of her mouth twitched.

Eugh? Girls liking girls?

She felt uncomfortable all over.

For someone whose orientation had always been normal, this was beyond her understanding. It was practically heresy.

Just hearing about it felt awkward, and she couldn't help moving a little closer to Lin Ye.

Star Dou Forest, beneath Lake of Life.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion blinked its round eyes. It reread the newly updated Diary in its mind several times, yet still failed to understand the words in it.

It shook its furry little body and cautiously moved closer to the silver-haired woman meditating nearby. In a soft voice, it asked, "My Lord... what does that 'girls liking girls' thing written in the Diary mean?"

Gu Yuena slowly opened her eyes. An indescribably strange look flashed through her violet-gold pupils as she lowered her gaze to the Emperor Auspicious Beast, whose face was full of curiosity.

She snorted irritably, raised a hand, and lightly tapped its little head. "You're just a child. Why are you asking about things you shouldn't? Ask nonsense again, and I'll lock you back in your cage."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion immediately shrank its neck in fright, its furry ears drooping. It hurriedly shook its head and waved its paws, no longer daring to ask another question. It could only secretly glance at Gu Yuena.

Seeing it like this, Gu Yuena helplessly rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on.

That boy Lin Ye was really becoming more and more uninhibited.

When he wrote his Diary before, he at least exercised some restraint. Now he dared to write all sorts of messy domestic gossip and other people's private matters in it. He truly had no reservations at all.

Outside Shrek Academy's freshmen dormitories.

Ning Tian and Wu Feng, who had just reached the entrance, stopped at the same time.

The newly updated Diary contents in their minds struck Wu Feng like a bolt of lightning.

Her already gallant face instantly turned crimson, the flush spreading from her cheeks all the way to her ears, even staining her neck pink.

She froze in place, not knowing where to put her hands or feet. She wanted nothing more than to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

In all her more than ten years of life, she had never been so embarrassed.

The greatest tragedy in life was when the feelings you had hidden in your heart for years, feelings you hadn't even dared prepare to confess, were so bluntly exposed by a complete stranger.

Wu Feng trembled with rage, her fists clenched so tightly they crackled. Her eyes were filled with fury.

If the damned Diary rules hadn't restricted her so thoroughly that she couldn't form even the slightest intention of harming Lin Ye—

She would have turned around immediately, found Lin Ye, and fought him fair and square to shut that loose mouth of his! Though she would probably lose.

Ning Tian, standing beside her, was far calmer.

She turned her head and looked at Wu Feng, who was on the verge of exploding where she stood. A trace of amusement flashed through her eyes. She raised a hand and gently patted Wu Feng's tense shoulder, signaling for her to calm down.

In truth, Ning Tian knew everything.

As the future heir of the Nine-Treasure Glazed Sect, the education she had received from childhood had given her a maturity and intelligence far beyond that of ninety-nine percent of her peers.

How could she possibly fail to notice the feelings Wu Feng hid in her eyes and in her day-after-day protection?

It was simply that some things were destined to remain unspoken.

What Wu Feng wanted was something she couldn't give.

She was an entirely normal girl. What she longed for was to know, love, and spend her life with an outstanding young man.

As for Wu Feng, she could treat her as her closest sister, her most trusted best friend, and her most dependable companion. Within her capabilities, she could fulfill every request Wu Feng made. But when it came to love, she truly couldn't do it.

And Wu Feng probably understood that as well. That was why she had never said it outright, only remaining by Ning Tian's side as a bodyguard and protector, helping her block every approach with ill intentions.

The two had lived together in this tacit understanding, neither of them touching that thin layer of paper that would tear with a single poke.

But who could have imagined that the layer of paper they had both so carefully protected would be so casually pierced by Lin Ye?

For a time, the air itself seemed filled with inescapable awkwardness.

Ning Tian was fine. After all, she was the one being cherished. Aside from feeling a little helplessly amused, she had no other strong emotions.

But Wu Feng was different. She now felt as though every inch of her had been seen through, and even her toes curled with embarrassment. If she knew the term "social death," she would definitely have screamed it at the top of her lungs.

Meanwhile, Lin Ye was still clicking his tongue over his encounter with Ning Tian and Wu Feng. Shaking his head, he walked with Wang Dong'er to Shrek Academy's Outer Court cafeteria.

The moment they entered the cafeteria, even Lin Ye, who had been mentally prepared, couldn't help raising a brow.

The Outer Court cafeteria's decor truly was beyond criticism. Calling it luxurious would be no exaggeration.

Lin Ye and Wang Dong'er walked around the serving counters, picked out several dishes that suited their tastes, took two drinks, and found a window-side table to sit down at.

They sat facing each other, eating leisurely while chatting intermittently. Wang Dong'er did most of the talking, while Lin Ye occasionally responded.

Lin Ye began writing in the Diary.

[Honestly, everything about Shrek Academy's Outer Court is good—the environment is good, the teachers are good, and the cultivation resources aren't bad either. But it has one fatal flaw: it costs too much money.

This place is practically a money-devouring beast.

Take this cafeteria, for example. The price of a single dish here could cover a normal family's expenses for several months.

That may be nothing to those noble children from wealthy families, but it's far too unfriendly to children from poor households.

To put it bluntly, Shrek Academy today is nothing but an aristocratic academy through and through.

Of the students who come here, if not ninety percent, then at least over eighty percent come from major noble sects and wealthy, influential families.

After all, that's just how the world works. Children with good talent most likely don't come from poor backgrounds either. Resources alone can pile up enough talent.

Examples like Huo Yuhao, who was dirt poor, picked up a million-year soul ring halfway through life, and soared into the heavens with his talent advancing by leaps and bounds, are simply far too rare.

How could a golden phoenix possibly fly out of a chicken coop so easily?]

After writing this, even Lin Ye couldn't help sighing. For some reason, a few pessimistic emotions rose in her heart.

After all, whether in her previous life or this one, her background had never been particularly good.

There was no need to mention her previous life. It could only be described as difficult to put into words—a complete mess and utterly worthless.

As for this life, it was only barely passable. Being able to afford Shrek Academy's expenses was nothing but a fantasy.