"Scamming" Le Zhengyu

Morning sunlight streamed through the cafeteria windows as Gu Yue pushed open the doors and walked in at an unhurried pace. She wore her school uniform, her long hair draped casually over her shoulders, with a trace of just-awakened languor in her eyes. Quite a few students were already seated inside, and the noise of conversation mingled with the clatter of bowls and chopsticks.

Xie Xie was bent over his breakfast, lifting a spoonful of porridge to his mouth. He absentmindedly glanced toward the cafeteria entrance, and the instant he did, he froze. His eyes went wide, and the spoon in his hand fell to the floor with a clatter. He blinked hard, as though doubting his own eyes, then hurriedly poked Tang Wulin beside him, who was intently eating a bun.

"Boss, look! Gu Yue... she actually came to the cafeteria!" Xie Xie lowered his voice, his tone full of astonishment and disbelief. Really, no one could blame him for reacting so strongly. Gu Yue rarely appeared in the cafeteria in the mornings. She always overslept and missed breakfast, so Tang Wulin usually brought a portion back for her. Seeing her walk into the cafeteria in person today was about as rare as the sun rising in the west.

Tang Wulin turned at his words, his gaze landing on Gu Yue as a gentle smile appeared on his face. He waved her over. Gu Yue gave a slight nod, her expression unchanged, then went straight to the serving counter. After casually picking out a few items, she carried her tray over and sat in the empty seat beside Tang Wulin.

She quietly picked up her spoon and took small bites of porridge, her movements graceful and calm. Xie Xie could not help leaning closer, asking with a grin, "Oh? Gu Yue, what made you willing to get up and come to the cafeteria today? Did the sun rise in the west?" Gu Yue raised her eyes and glanced at him, irritation flickering in her gaze. "Shut up. I need to talk to Wulin."

Tang Wulin set down his chopsticks and turned toward Gu Yue. "Gu Yue, just tell me what it is." Gu Yue paused her meal and looked at Tang Wulin seriously. "Um... do you still have any Star Silver Steel in your forging room?"

Tang Wulin rubbed his chin and thought for several seconds before answering apologetically, "Star Silver Steel? I think I used the last of it before and haven't had time to restock. Sorry, Gu Yue." A hint of disappointment flashed through Gu Yue's eyes. She softly said, "Oh," then lowered her head and silently continued eating, saying nothing more.

The atmosphere fell quiet for a moment. Xie Xie's eyes darted around before inspiration suddenly struck him. He slapped the table and said excitedly, "Hey! Gu Yue, I remember now! Le Zhengyu has a piece of Star Silver Steel! Don't you need it urgently? Why not ask him?"

Gu Yue looked up and frowned, doubt in her voice. "Would he give it to me?" Xie Xie grinned slyly and lowered his voice. "You could just trick it out of him. That guy can be pretty easy to fool sometimes..."

Before he could finish, Gu Yue abruptly stood up, making her tray wobble slightly. Her face darkened at once as her violet eyes fixed on Xie Xie. Her voice was clear and firm. "Listen, Xie Xie! Even if I, Gu Yue, died poor, I would never commit fraud!"

The scene shifted to the narrow corridor outside Le Zhengyu's dorm room, where a silent tug-of-war was now unfolding. Tang Wulin felt as though Gu Yue's elbow was about to punch through his ribs. Grimacing in pain, he protested softly, "Gu Yue, stop squeezing."

"Shut up," Gu Yue said without looking back, her voice extremely low and carrying a rare hint of nervousness. "Don't let Le Zhengyu notice us."

The corridor was dimly lit. The four of them—Tang Wulin, Gu Yue, Xie Xie, and Xu Xiaoyan, who had been forcibly dragged over to "make them look more intimidating" but really only wanted to run away—were pressed against the wall like four geckos. Xie Xie was holding back laughter, his shoulders constantly shaking, while Xu Xiaoyan's entire face seemed to say, Who am I? Where am I? Why am I here?

Le Zhengyu's door was tightly shut, with a sliver of warm light seeping out from beneath it. The faint rustle of turning pages could be heard inside. According to Gu Yue's "reliable intelligence," that piece of Star Silver Steel was in the second drawer on the left side of Le Zhengyu's desk. It was an indispensable material for completing the core formation of her latest soul tool. The problem was that Le Zhengyu treasured the thing more than his own life. There was absolutely no chance of borrowing it through normal means.

Tang Wulin muttered again, "Didn't you say you'd rather die poor than cheat, swindle, or steal?"

Gu Yue shot him a look. In the dim light, her eyes were startlingly bright. "If I don't cheat, swindle, or steal, I'll die poor." Her logic was simple and perfectly justified.

"Isn't that self-contradictory?" Tang Wulin felt his worldview being challenged.

"Get lost." Gu Yue's answer was concise and forceful.

She took a deep breath, as though making up her mind, then broke free from the crowd. She straightened the slightly wrinkled hem of her uniform, and her face instantly shifted into a calm, even faintly haughty expression. She walked to Le Zhengyu's door, raised her hand, and knocked three times, neither too hard nor too softly.

"Who is it?" Le Zhengyu's wary voice came from inside.

"It's me, Gu Yue." Her voice was steady, without the slightest trace of anything unusual.

The door opened a crack, and Le Zhengyu poked half his body out. His golden hair was slightly messy, and his face carried the displeasure of being interrupted. "Gu Yue? What are you here for? I don't have any water for you." He clearly still remembered the last time Gu Yue had come to "borrow water" and walked off with half a packet of tea leaves.

The corner of Gu Yue's eye twitched almost imperceptibly, but she maintained her outward composure. "Do you think I care about your lousy water? I came to borrow a piece of Star Silver Steel."

"Star Silver Steel?" Le Zhengyu's pitch immediately shot up, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "No! Don't even think about it! I went through so much trouble to get that from—"

He was interrupted. Gu Yue began to speak. She was unhurried, her voice clear and her arguments orderly. She started with the importance of soul tool technology development to the team's overall strength, expanded into the necessity of teamwork and mutual support, then hinted that if he helped this time, she could prioritize saving him a share when she made certain "little things" in the future. There would even be discounts when he bought things from her later. There were no threats, only endless temptation, and it all sounded reasonable, with an enticing future. She even invoked the "fine tradition" of mutual assistance among Shrek Academy students.

Le Zhengyu's expression shifted from vigilance to hesitation, from hesitation to contemplation, and from contemplation to gradual wavering. His little bit of shrewd calculation seemed somewhat inadequate against Gu Yue's steadily escalating verbal offensive, which mixed truth with falsehood. He scratched his head, his eyes shifting uncertainly.

"...So, it's only a loan. Once the core formation inscription is completed, the remaining main material can be returned to you," Gu Yue concluded sincerely. "This is good for us, and good for you."

Le Zhengyu stared at her blankly, still calculating the odds of trusting her. Finally, as though he had made up his mind, he gritted his teeth. "...Fine! It's settled, then! But you have to return any leftovers!" He turned and went back into his room. A moment later, he returned holding a fist-sized chunk of metal with a soft silver-white sheen, its interior seemingly dotted with starlight. Reluctantly, he handed it over.

Gu Yue swiftly took the cold, weighty Star Silver Steel. She gripped the metal tightly and looked up at Le Zhengyu. His face still held the conflicted expression of someone painfully giving something away.

"Le Zhengyu," Gu Yue suddenly said, her tone a little strange.

"Hm? Gu Yue, what's wrong?" Le Zhengyu asked in confusion.

The calm, sincere mask on Gu Yue's face instantly vanished, replaced by a sly, almost wicked smile. Her eyes curved into crescents. "I tricked you!"

Before her words had even faded, she sprang forward like a little cat that had successfully stolen something delicious after lying in wait for ages. With a tap of her toes, she shot past Le Zhengyu in a blur, so fast that only an afterimage remained in the air. The three waiting in the corridor reacted just as quickly. Tang Wulin grabbed Xu Xiaoyan, who had not fully processed what was happening, while Xie Xie had already tensed his legs. They followed Gu Yue and sprinted toward the stairwell in a flash.

Le Zhengyu stood where he was, his hand still held in the posture of offering something out. His expression froze. It took him a full two or three seconds to process the words "I tricked you" and the empty corridor before him. In the next instant, rage rushed straight to his head.

"Gu Yue—!!!" His roar nearly blew the roof off the dormitory building, filled with incredulous shock and towering fury at having been fooled. "You wicked woman who cheats, swindles, and steals! Give me back my Star Silver Steel!!!"

His furious roar echoed through the hallway. At the stairwell landing one floor below, Xie Xie finally could not hold it in any longer when he heard the faint bellow from upstairs. Bracing himself against the wall, he laughed so hard he doubled over and nearly lost his breath. Between bursts of laughter, he shouted weakly upstairs, though he knew Le Zhengyu could not hear him. "Le... Le Zhengyu... hahaha... download an anti-fraud app... hahahahaha..."

Upstairs, the response to Xie Xie's gloating "advice" was a thunderous bang as a door slammed shut, shaking dust down from the stairwell ceiling. Le Zhengyu's room door remained tightly closed, as though locking away his boundless resentment along with him. Only Xie Xie's fading, breathless laughter from the distance proved that the "fraud case" had truly taken place.