The moment Zheng Qing said, "Forget it," he immediately felt much lighter, and even the air in the dormitory seemed to flow more freely.
The heavy rain outside had eased, and a few streaks of golden sunlight fell in the distance. The world gradually brightened.
Zheng Qing abruptly remembered something he had heard when he had first entered university as a freshman.
Several new students had been discussing the four academies. At the time, Dunton, who had not yet become class monitor, had offered a very subjective summary of Jiuyou Academy students' defining trait—the most fundamental difference between Jiuyou and the other academies was "pride": pride flowing in their blood, buried in their hearts, and branded deep into their souls.
Without realizing it, he seemed to have become a true Jiuyou student.
"—It's just a second authorship. Don't put any strange burden on yourself." Dr. Xiao clearly had not expected Zheng Qing to reject his suggestion again, and a trace of helplessness appeared on his face. "At the end of the day, you're those little elves' owner. Putting your name on the paper is perfectly reasonable..."
"Since they've successfully transformed, they're free now. Don't use words like 'owner' anymore." The boy corrected him very seriously.
"That's a rather contradictory thing to say."
The Fat Wizard scratched his chin, sounding somewhat bothered. "On one hand, you talk about 'freedom,' and on the other, you give the little elves 'equality'... You're both Alpha and Jiuyou. Never seen anyone like you."
Freedom was Alpha's slogan, while equality was Jiuyou's principle. From that perspective, Zheng Qing's decision really was as conflicted as the Fat Wizard had said.
Xiao Xiao turned to look at the Fat Wizard who had just spoken.
"Want the second authorship?" He switched targets.
The Fat Wizard smacked his lips as