Xiao Wu Calls Him Brother, Tang San's Lovestruck Face

"Fine, I surrender! I surrender! Get up already!"

Ye Hua let go, stood up, and reached out to pull Xiao Wu up from the ground.

Xiao Wu got to her feet and dusted herself off, the blush still lingering on her face.

When she had been pinned down and struggled, her braid had come undone and her clothes had been rumpled. Her liquid stockings had accidentally rolled up, adding an even more enticing touch.

Her loose hair could no longer contain its fresh fragrance; it all drifted to Ye Hua's nose, refreshing his mind.

She lowered her head, her lips moving slightly. In the end, she spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear—

"...Brother."

"Didn't hear that."

Ye Hua teased her.

Xiao Wu suddenly raised her head, her face flushed crimson. Gritting her teeth, she shouted, "Brother! Happy now?!"

[ Ding— ]

[ Mission "Kidnap Xiao Wu" completed ]

[ Distributing rewards... ]

[ Villain Aura equipped ]

[ Xiao Wu has been bound as a rescue target. Current Rescue Progress: 10% (initial favorability) ]

[ Increasing Rescue Progress can unlock more rewards. Please continue working hard, Host. ]

[ Eliminating the factors behind Xiao Wu's corruption and helping her escape her tragic fate can greatly increase Rescue Progress, such as reviving Xiao Wu's mother or helping Xiao Wu see Tang San's true colors. ]

Barely perceptible ripples spread out from Ye Hua, and even his aura underwent a subtle change.

From this moment onward, as long as he was present, Tang San's Protagonist Halo would fail!

People would no longer blindly trust what Tang San said.

His actions would no longer be automatically glorified.

Those he wanted to manipulate into lowering their intelligence and winning over would regain their normal judgment!

Ye Hua nodded in satisfaction. He took several Gold Soul Coins from the Azure Jade Bracelet and tossed them to Wang Sheng, who had been hiding in the corner watching the show.

"Brother Wang Sheng, do me a favor. Help me look for a place to rent in Notting City. Somewhere close to the academy and comfortable will do."

"Use the rest of the money to treat the brothers to a good meal!"

The Gold Soul Coins traced several dazzling golden arcs through the air.

Wang Sheng instinctively caught them. Looking down, he saw no fewer than five Gold Soul Coins lying in his palm.

Faced with such a huge sum, Wang Sheng was visibly stunned for several seconds. Yet before long, he looked up, walked over, and returned the Gold Soul Coins to Ye Hua.

"Ye Hua," he addressed him by name rather than calling him brother, his tone solemn, "I, Wang Sheng, may be poor, but I still have my dignity."

"If you need help, then as a friend, I'll help without a second word. But if you're using money to smash me, I can't accept it. You should take it back."

Ye Hua froze. Looking at the serious, stubborn expression on the boy's face, he fell silent.

Though this world followed the law of the jungle, where the strong could rule over everything.

Stripping others of their dignity and looking down on them was no more than a passing thought!

But could he really do that? Wouldn't that make him no different from Tang San?

"I'm sorry." Ye Hua accepted the Gold Soul Coins with both hands and nodded to Wang Sheng. "I was too arrogant."

"Wang Sheng, I'd like to ask you for a favor—as a friend."

A bright smile bloomed across Wang Sheng's bruised and swollen face. "No problem! Leave it to me!"

"I know Notting City like the back of my hand. I guarantee I'll find you a suitable place!"

The other Work-Study Students also crowded around.

"Brother Ye Hua, how did you defeat Sister Xiao Wu just now? We didn't see it clearly at all!"

"Boss, your school uniform is different from ours. You should be a regular student, so why did you come to our Work-Study Student dormitory?"

"Can I ask something? Are you, like Sister Xiao Wu, also born with Innate Full Soul Power...?"

Ye Hua answered them one by one without showing the slightest impatience.

His tone was calm as he spoke, neither putting on airs nor deliberately pretending to be anything.

It was as if he were simply chatting with ordinary friends, naturally making everyone feel at ease.

"Huh?" Someone suddenly scratched his head. "Now that I think about it, it's strange. The first time I met Brother Ye Hua, I felt especially close to him."

"Yeah, yeah, I feel the same way! Whenever Tang San smiles, I always feel like he's plotting something. Brother Ye Hua is different—he feels so genuine."

"Now that you mention it, I remember too. That arrogant way Tang San acted on the training ground just now, tsk tsk..."

Quite a few of the Work-Study Students present had returned after watching the commotion on the training ground.

If they did not think about it, it was one thing. But once they did, they could easily spot the difference.

Listening to their discussion, Ye Hua's lips curled slightly.

The Villain Aura was beginning to show its effects!

Without the intelligence-lowering boost of the Protagonist Halo, Tang San's hypocritical smile had finally revealed its true face in the eyes of normal people!

But Wang Sheng had not gone to the training ground, and Xiao Wu had not passed by there either. Both were utterly confused.

"Oh, I almost forgot. You were sparring in the dormitory and never went to the training ground."

The Work-Study Students who had watched Ye Hua and Tang San confront each other at the entrance began explaining what had happened.

When everyone heard that Tang San had not only slandered Ye Hua and Director Su, but had also demanded Ye Hua kneel, kowtow, and roll out, they all looked at one another in shock.

How could there be such a vicious person in the world!

A man's knees were worth gold!

Forcing someone to kneel and kowtow—and the key was that Ye Hua had done nothing wrong. Tang San had picked the fight entirely on his own!

Fortunately, Ye Hua was upright and unafraid of scrutiny, while Tang San had suffered the consequences of his own actions. Otherwise, if evil went unpunished, they would have been furious enough to burst a lung!

"This Tang San..." Xiao Wu frowned. "He's vicious enough to kick someone from the same village while they're down!"

"If Director Su had really failed to distinguish right from wrong and expelled you, your future would have been ruined!"

"Trying to ruin someone's future for no reason is even more detestable than slaughtering Soul Beasts indiscriminately!"

[ Ding, Host successfully helped Xiao Wu gain an initial understanding of Tang San's true face. Rescue Progress +5% ]

[ As this is the first time Host has obtained Rescue Progress, you are specially rewarded with one Adaptive Spirit Ring. ]

[ Products from the system are guaranteed to be premium. This is a Thousand-Year Soul Ring and can be absorbed painlessly. ]

Wonderful!

Ye Hua was overjoyed!

It saved him the trouble of painstakingly hunting Soul Beasts!

And even if he put in the effort, he might not encounter one suitable for him!

Meanwhile, the Work-Study Students around him were still enthusiastically recounting the scene to everyone.

When they heard that half of all Tang San's earnings over the next six years would go to Ye Hua, they all felt thoroughly vindicated.

Just then, the door to the Seventh Dormitory was suddenly pushed open from outside.

Tang San stood in the doorway, carrying a worn bundle in his hand. His face still bore the gloom from being publicly humiliated on the training ground earlier.

Damn Ye Hua!

If it weren't for you, how could I be too stingy to even buy bedding!

Spirit Hall's subsidy was already meager, and you extorted me on top of that, leaving me strapped for cash!

The next time we meet, I'll make you pay!

But when his gaze swept across the dormitory and landed on the girl with the long scorpion braid and slender legs...

Tang San's steps abruptly halted!

Even one of his feet remained suspended in midair, unable to come down for a long while!

His pupils unfocused slightly, his lips unconsciously parting as his gaze locked onto Xiao Wu!

From top to bottom, then bottom to top, he stared at her again and again.

His eyes held amazement and greed, along with an obsession that made one's skin crawl, as though he were looking at something destined to belong to him.

His subconscious told him that this girl was destined to become his woman!

Xiao Wu felt utterly uncomfortable beneath that gaze and instinctively moved half a step behind Ye Hua.

Only then did Tang San come back to his senses. The obsession on his face quickly shifted into his trademark gentle smile.

But this time, without the support of the Protagonist Halo, that change in expression looked unbearably stiff and deliberate to everyone present.

It was like a mask carved full of hypocrisy had been forcibly slapped onto his face!

"Hello, everyone. My name is Tang San, and I'm also a Work-Study Student of the Seventh Dormitory." Tang San's manner was gentle and polite, but his gaze continued to drift toward Xiao Wu. "Please take care of me in the future."

No one responded.

Wang Sheng looked at Tang San, then at Ye Hua, and suddenly muttered, "They're both born with Innate Full Soul Power. How can the difference be so huge?"

Though Wang Sheng lowered his voice, Tang San, who cultivated the Mysterious Heaven Technique, still heard him. His face darkened again in an instant.

Killing intent gleamed in his eyes. He cocked the Sleeve Arrow on his wrist and coldly stared at Wang Sheng. "What do you mean?!"