A Misunderstanding

Especially when she saw the unmistakable look of speechlessness cross the young man's icy face.

Ouyang Zixin felt as though the temperature of her whole body had dropped a few degrees.

The slight change in her expression did not escape the others around her.

They turned their heads and followed her gaze.

The blue-haired young man was eating with a girl who had the same soft blue hair. The two seemed to be talking quietly.

He looked helpless, yet there was an indulgent warmth in the way he watched her.

At the sight of the blue-haired girl, Na'er tugged Li Qingyue's sleeve and pointed across the room.

"Brother Qingyue, I know her. Her name is Xu Xiaoyan. She's our roommate and a classmate in our first-year class."

Na'er kept her voice low, as if afraid the people over there might hear.

At the mention of Xu Xiaoyan's name, Li Qingyue raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

He could not understand why Xu Xiaoyan was in his class.

In the original timeline, Xu Xiaoyan had not attended Eastsea Academy. She had studied at another academy all along.

Only after Class Zero was formed and the siblings were defeated on the Spirit Ascension Platform had Xu Xiaoyan transferred over.

But what he was seeing now clearly did not fit.

Xu Xiaoyan had arrived at the very start of the school year and gone straight into their first-year class.

There had to be a reason behind it.

While Li Qingyue was puzzled, the others' looks turned strange.

Mu Xi, in particular, knew that her good friend Ouyang Zixin had long had a crush on Xu Xiaoyu.

Yet here Xu Xiaoyu was, chatting and laughing with another girl. Their closeness was painful to watch.

It was not that Xu Xiaoyu could not spend time with anyone else. After all, he had never said he liked Ouyang Zixin.

But he had never clearly rejected her, either.

Both Ouyang Zixin and Mu Xi were prominent figures at the academy.

Mu Xi drew attention because of her father's standing and status.

Ouyang Zixin's family could not compare with Mu Xi's. The attention she received came purely from how beautiful she was.

After all, Ouyang Zixin was the senior whom Tang Wulin had once loved from afar without winning her heart.

That alone said plenty about how stunning she was.

She could not compare with top-tier beauties like Li Qingyue and Na'er, but among ordinary people, she was unquestionably gorgeous.

Now that she was in her fifth year, she carried a faint trace of youthful innocence.

But she was no longer a child who understood nothing.

Watching Xu Xiaoyu with the blue-haired girl, Ouyang Zixin visibly lost her composure.

She instinctively wanted to stand up and demand an explanation.

After a moment of silence, however, the light in her eyes went out.

Her eyes filled with disappointment, and she pressed her red lips together.

Before she could speak, Mu Xi stood up.

Mu Xi was not one to stop and sort out rights and wrongs.

Eastsea City belonged to others, but it was Mu Chen's city too.

Her father was a Level 8 Blacksmith and a Soul Douluo-level powerhouse.

As for anyone in Eastsea City who dared offend Mu Xi—or rather, dared offend her—

Apart from Xie Xie in the original story, you would be hard-pressed to find a second person.

So Mu Xi wasted no words.

She shot to her feet and slammed her fair hand against the table.

Bang! The sharp crash made students and parents turn to look.

Mu Xi was already striding straight toward Xu Xiaoyu without a moment's pause.

Xu Xiaoyu froze when he saw her approaching.

His gaze settled on the furious girl, and unease crept into his heart.

Truthfully, he did not have strong feelings for Ouyang Zixin.

She had always treated him well, but he thought of her as a younger schoolmate he looked after.

Mu Xi, on the other hand, genuinely made him nervous.

Even the Xu family's influence could not compare with the Mu family's.

Mu Chen's status spoke for itself. In all of Eastsea City, he was undoubtedly the strongest and most powerful person.

Neither the local Spirit Pagoda branch master nor the local Tang Sect branch head was likely to be stronger than a seven-ring soul master.

Against Mu Chen, who had eight rings, Three-Word Battle Armor, and the rank of Level 8 Soul Engineer, they could not compare at all.

If even the branches of those great organizations fell short, Xu Xiaoyu certainly did.

Mu Xi looked at Xu Xiaoyu and did not bother with another word.

Her three Soul Rings lit up almost at once, their dazzling light gathering swiftly.

A huge fireball took shape in her hand.

Mu Xi's fiery decision to attack gave Xu Xiaoyu a fright.

But before she could hurl the fireball, Li Qingyue sighed helplessly.

He knew the truth: Xu Xiaoyu and Xu Xiaoyan were brother and sister.

Naturally, he could not let Mu Xi attack. If she did, they would be entirely in the wrong.

As Li Qingyue gently raised his hand, dozens of emerald-green vines streamed from his palm.

In an instant, they wrapped around Mu Xi's wrist and snuffed out the half-formed fireball in her hand.

Seeing her wrist bound, Mu Xi spun around.

When she saw that Li Qingyue had stopped her, her surging anger faltered for no reason she could name, and she fell silent.

If anyone else had tried to stop her, she would already have erupted.

But when she looked at Li Qingyue—especially that impossibly handsome face—she somehow could not stay angry.

Still, she shot him an unwilling glare.

"What are you doing, Qingyue? That man is no good. You know Zixin has always liked him, and he's never turned her down."

"And now he's here, getting intimate with some first-year girl!"

Mu Xi grew angrier as she spoke, her chest rising and falling.

Li Qingyue could only feel helpless at her words.

He did not know why Xu Xiaoyan had suddenly transferred here in her first year.

But the two of them were real, blood-related siblings.

What was more, to put it bluntly, he had been the one to organize this meal.

If the two of them actually fought or something happened, Li Qingyue would have a difficult mess on his hands.

He had only just arrived at the academy, and the clash with his roommates was barely behind him. How was another commotion already starting?

Still, Li Qingyue said nothing about Mu Xi's fiery temper.

He merely raised his hand again. Countless vines surged out and wrapped Mu Xi from head to toe like a sticky rice dumpling.

Then he gave his wrist a light tug and pulled her back.

Only then did Xu Xiaoyu finally recover from his shock.

Mu Xi had truly frightened him. When she raised her hand, he had thought she was about to attack.

If the boy in front of him had not stopped her, he would never have blocked that strike.

Xu Xiaoyu had summoned an ice staff almost by reflex, and his three Soul Rings had appeared around him.

But before he could speak or demand an explanation, the green vines shot toward him.

In the blink of an eye, he too was wrapped up like a sticky rice dumpling.

Xu Xiaoyu had assumed Mu Xi did not struggle because she knew the boy.

Once he was wrapped up himself, he struggled with all his might and found he could not break free.

Only then did Xu Xiaoyu realize that Mu Xi's lack of resistance might not have been her choice.

The vines simply would not budge. They were absurdly tough.

Looking at the two of them bundled up, Li Qingyue turned helplessly toward the blue-haired girl, who stood frozen with fright.

"Mu Xi, Zixin, this girl is Xu Xiaoyan. Those two are almost certainly siblings. They even look quite alike."