Jiang Fan noticed that Wang Yao was gesturing with her hands as she spoke, and sensed that something was off.
"Although you're Fatty's cousin, you're about the same age, right? How do you know so much about what he looked like when he was born?"
The fat man was startled.
Oh no! We've been exposed!
"This, that, she--"
The fat man wasn't incapable of making up good reasons; he just felt a heavy burden about deceiving Jiang Fan.
Before he could come up with a good explanation, Wang Yao spoke first.
"Don't let my Xiao Sanjin age fool you; I'm actually many times older than him."
That's an admission?!
The fat man stared at Wang Yao with disbelief, his eyes wide and small.
"Hehe." Jiang Fan clearly didn't believe it and didn't continue the topic.
Seeing this, the fat man breathed a long sigh of relief, marveling at how wise and shrewd his ancestor was, managing to get away with it in this joking way.
Halfway through the meal, the projection screen hanging in the cafeteria began broadcasting major news from the past two days.
"Just yesterday, Lan Shengxue, a freshman at Qingwu, broke through to the Early-Stage Second Rank! This caused a huge sensation. Just three months ago, she was only at the Mid-Stage First Rank. In just three months, she broke through to the Early-Stage Second Rank. She can be called a true genius girl!"
Jiang Fan had already stopped eating and looked up at the report on the screen.
How did she break through so quickly?
Of course, he made breakthroughs very quickly, but he had a system; in other words, he was cheating.
But how did Lan Shengxue manage to break through to the Early-Stage Second Rank in such a short time?
Just as Jiang Fan was lost in thought, the fat man asked, " Brother Fan, you and Lan Shengxue seem to be in the same special training class, right?"
"Mm." Jiang Fan nodded.
"Wow! I'm so envious! If I could take classes with such a beautiful girl every day, I'd be even more motivated to cultivate!"
As they were talking, the fat man seemed to remember something and immediately asked gossipily, " Brother Fan, you're so handsome and so talented, didn't anything happen between you and Lan Shengxue?"
Jiang Fan rolled her eyes at him. "She and I are just classmates; we're probably not even friends."
At this point, he recalled the scene of fighting side by side with Lan Shengxue during the beast tide, and after thinking for a moment, he changed his words, saying, "We should be considered friends."
Upon hearing this, the fat man's eyes revealed deep disappointment.
"I thought that with such handsome men and beautiful women in the same class, there would be some gossip, but I didn't expect you to be so down-to-earth."
The news broadcast continued overhead, "Now, let's have our reporter interview this legendary young woman up close."
The scene shifts, and a reporter approaches Lan Shengxue.
"Hello Lan Shengxue, the whole of Huaxia is amazed by your rapid growth. Could you share your feelings with us right now?"
"Wow! Lan Shengxue! I didn't expect there to be a live interview with her. No wonder she's the goddess who beat up Qingwu original school beauty as soon as she entered Qingwu. She's so beautiful!"
Not only was the fat guy excited, the whole cafeteria was in an uproar.
Without exception, all the boys stopped eating and admired the stunningly beautiful face on the screen.
"I heard Lan Shengxue isn't very photogenic, wow! If she's this beautiful even when she's not photogenic, then in real life she must be as beautiful as a fairy descended from heaven!"
"I really regret it. If I had known, I wouldn't have come to Yuanwu. I should have gone to Qingwu instead. That way, I could have seen so many beautiful things every day."
"Heh heh, you talk as if you can get into Qingwu."
"Exactly, if you can get into Qingwu, who would be crazy enough to Yuanwu?"
"Shh! Are you looking for trouble? That lunatic is right behind you, okay?"
The fat guy immediately complained, " Brother Fan, they say you're mentally ill."
Jiang Fan ignored the fat man's words and continued to look up at the screen.
On the screen, Lan Shengxue's face remained as cold and aloof as ever, without the slightest extra expression.
"I'm not in any particular mood."
reporter:???
The atmosphere suddenly turned cold.
"Hehe... hehehe..." The reporter chuckled twice, then continued, displaying her high emotional intelligence, "Student Lan is really... really modest. I remember your martial arts exam score was Mid-Stage First Rank, and in just three months you've already jumped two ranks, one of which was a major leap from the first First Rank to the Second Rank! Yet you say you don't feel anything special. You're truly humble and unassuming."
Lan Shengxue frowned slightly; anyone could see that she was getting impatient.
The reporter, of course, sensed this and immediately changed the subject.
"I just overheard some classmates talking about how you signed up for the upcoming Five-School League and even managed to secure a spot on the bench. Is that true?"
"Hmm." Lan Shengxue replied with a single word, her expression remaining indifferent.
Jiang Fan was shocked. He knew that Qingwu's overall strength was much stronger than Yuanwu's, so even the substitutes were extremely powerful.
Lan Shengxue had only just broken through to the Early-Stage Second Rank, yet today she's already on the bench for the Five-School League. How did she manage that?
Reporter: "But as far as I know, Qingwu had already decided on the participants for the Five-School League. How did you end up on the bench?"
Lan Shengxue: "Challenge them, defeat them."
These eight short words convey a tremendous amount of information!
This means that Lan Shengxue defeated Qingwu's substitute after just advancing to the Early-Stage Second Rank!
This woman's skill level in actual combat is terrifyingly high!
"Lan is truly a peerless genius among her peers!" the reporter couldn't help but exclaim.
Lan Shengxue frowned, looked at her with a deep gaze, and parted her red lips slightly.
Jiang Fan.
"Huh?" The reporter was taken aback.
Jiang Fan was also taken aback.
Inside the cafeteria, everyone paused for a moment, then all eyes turned to Jiang Fan.
Including the shocked fat man.
And then there's Wang Yao, with her raised eyebrows and gossipy smile in her eyes.
Lan Shengxue emphasized, "He is truly the undisputed peerless genius among his generation."
The reporter, regaining his composure, chuckled twice more.
"Hehe... hehehe... Jiang Fan is indeed quite amazing. It's said that he got some incredible opportunity by sheer luck, which is why he broke through so quickly. I just wonder how far that opportunity will take him."
Upon hearing this, a cold glint appeared on Lan Shengxue's usually expressionless face.
"He's not just impressive, he's incredibly impressive, and—his success wasn't just luck!"
hiss--
The reporter felt like she was turning into an ice sculpture. She wasn't sure if it was just her imagination, but she felt that Lan Shengxue seemed a little angry.
"Tsk tsk tsk--" Wang Yao looked at Jiang Fan with a smile and teased, "She's protecting you, saying you two aren't very close and are just ordinary friends. Would an ordinary friend publicly confess their feelings to you in an interview?"