Oscar's Changes

Just then, Oscar, having received word from the Academy, arrived. Upon seeing Jin Hao, he called out:

"Young Master, were you looking for me?"

Hearing this, Jin Hao said:

"Yes, Xiao Ao. I heard you didn't return to the residence last night, and since it was also your first night at the Academy, I came to check whether you were adapting well and if you had any problems."

As Jin Hao finished speaking, Ning Rongrong, who had been holding his hand all along, stepped forward and asked him:

"Senior Brother, is this the retainer you mentioned?"

As Ning Rongrong's words fell, everyone present turned to look at her.

As the commander of Heaven Dou City's Imperial Guard, Lin Cheng knew Ning Rongrong's identity. The others present did not, but seeing her address Jin Hao as Senior Brother, they knew her background was far from ordinary and began guessing who she was.

At that moment, Jin Hao said:

"Junior Sister, this is my retainer, Oscar. He is studying at this Academy and only enrolled yesterday."

Jin Hao then turned his gaze toward Qin Ying and said:

"Xiao Ying, this is another one of my retainers. Xiao Ao is the same age as you, and he will be studying at the Primary Academy for some time. However, you have an Assault System Martial Soul, while Xiao Ao is in the Support System, so I'll have to rely on you to protect him at the Academy in the future."

Upon hearing this, Qin Ying said:

"Your Highness, I understand. I'll protect Oscar at the Academy from now on."

Just then, the Academy's dismissal bell rang, and school was over. Some people chose to leave the Academy and return home, while others chose to stay overnight in the dormitories. Those students were now wandering around the Academy in groups, playing and fooling around with their friends. The direction of the Soul Fighting Arena was especially lively.

Ning Rongrong, who had been at the Seven Treasures Glazed Tile School all her life, had never seen such a scene. She tugged on Jin Hao's hand and said:

"Senior Brother, let's go take a look over there. There are so many people."

Jin Hao nodded at her words and said:

"All right, let's go have a look."

Jin Hao then said to Lin Cheng:

"Uncle, I'll take Junior Sister over there for a look. If you have anything else to do, go ahead and take care of it."

"Fine. Qinghe, I'll first take Xiao Ying and Principal Chen to settle Xiao Ying's arrangements. Then tomorrow, I'll find time to bring Xiao Ying to your residence so she can get familiar with the place."

Jin Hao nodded at Lin Cheng's words, then turned toward Oscar. Only then did he notice that Oscar had been staring at Qin Ying the entire time. Even Qin Ying, who had noticed it, had become embarrassed from his gaze.

Jin Hao asked Oscar in a teasing tone:

"Xiao Ao, I'm going to take a look at the Soul Fighting Arena. Qin Ying and the others have matters to attend to. Which side do you want to go with?"

Hearing this, Oscar was still staring at Qin Ying, so he blurted out what was in his heart:

"Young Master, I want to go with Qin Ying and the others to take a look."

Only after he finished speaking did Oscar come to his senses and realize what he had said. He immediately explained:

"No, Young Master, I misspoke. I'd better go with you to the Soul Fighting Arena."

After saying that, Oscar lowered his head awkwardly.

Before Jin Hao could say anything, Ning Rongrong, standing beside him, spoke up:

"Senior Brother, does your retainer like Qin Ying?"

The moment those words fell, not only did Oscar blush, but Qin Ying's face also turned bright red.

Oscar then tried to explain with a clumsy excuse:

"Young Master, I just thought that since Qin Ying has come to the Primary Academy for the first time, she might not know some things. I can explain them to her."

Once he finished speaking, Jin Hao could no longer hold back his laughter. Ning Rongrong also failed to keep a straight face, and Chen Shan was no different.

Not to mention that Oscar had only arrived at the Academy a day before Qin Ying, so how much could he possibly know? Besides, wasn't Principal Chen Shan right there? Could anyone know the Academy better than its principal?

Thus, the entire group burst into laughter. Seeing everyone laughing, Oscar came back to his senses. Remembering his terrible words just now, his face turned even redder, and he lowered his head even further.

Of course, there were two people in the group who could not laugh. One was Qin Ying, who was now too embarrassed to raise her head.

The other was naturally Lin Cheng. He had pitied Qin Ying, rescued her, and taken her as his disciple. He had even planned to raise her at his residence and have her become his nephew's retainer in the future. Yet the moment she entered the Academy, another boy had already set his sights on her. No one would be happy about that.

Still, unhappy as he was, Lin Cheng knew Oscar's circumstances. He was exceptionally talented, his nephew's retainer, and about the right age. If Oscar and Qin Ying truly ended up together in the future, with both husband and wife serving under his nephew, it would not be a bad tale at all.

At that moment, Jin Hao said:

"All right, Xiao Ao, I won't tease you anymore. Go with Qin Ying and the others. It's a good chance for you to get to know Qin Ying better. You are both my retainers, so it is important for you to become familiar with each other."

As Jin Hao finished speaking, Oscar hurriedly nodded. Then he left with Qin Ying, Chen Shan, Lin Cheng, and several teachers.

Only Jin Hao and Ning Rongrong remained where they were. Jin Hao said to Ning Rongrong:

"Let's go, Junior Sister. Let's take a look at that Soul Fighting Arena."

Of course, Ning Rongrong's curiosity was not the only reason Jin Hao wanted to go there. During his investigation, he had discovered that Dugu Yan went to the Soul Fighting Arena every day after school to spar and train with others, so he intended to take a look.

As they walked, Jin Hao pondered something. In the original story, Oscar had essentially fallen in love at first sight when he met Ning Rongrong. Why did Oscar show no reaction upon seeing Ning Rongrong this time, yet seem unable to take his eyes off Qin Ying?

After thinking it over, Jin Hao felt there were several possible reasons.

Perhaps the Oscar of the original story had spent too long around those two scoundrels, Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun, and had become bolder. So regardless of whether he was worthy of her, he went straight after her.

Another possibility was that when Ning Rongrong first went to Shrek, she had not immediately revealed her identity. Oscar had fallen for her first, and after learning who she was and realizing he was not worthy of her, he still did not want to give up.