Di Qiu'er and Gu Yuena moved into a detached villa that the academy had arranged for Huo Yuhao.
This is a three-story European-style building with several ancient trees planted in the spacious courtyard. The floor-to-ceiling windows are as clear as crystal, and when the sunlight shines in, the entire hall is bathed in a warm golden glow.
While it may not have the historical depth of the Sea God Pavilion, it boasts spaciousness and comprehensive facilities—most importantly, it finally frees students from the cramped dormitories of today.
After all, they couldn't let Huo Yuhao sleep on the floor while the two girls had the beds all to themselves, could they? Just imagining that scene made Huo Yuhao's scalp tingle.
The room assignments were quite interesting.
Huo Yuhao's master bedroom was on the second floor, east side, while Di Qiu'er chose the guest room next to his. Although the two had not officially moved in together yet, every night, Qiu'er would sneak into his room with her pillow, acting coquettishly and insisting on sleeping with him.
Whenever this happened, Gu Yuena, who lived next door to Qiu'er, would become particularly irritable—she had intended to keep an eye on Di Qiu'er under the guise of protection, but instead, she ended up being the one left out. Silver Dragon King could only listen to the whispers coming from next door, and toss and turn in bed, feeling depressed.
In fact, Huo Yuhao still had his heart set on that person in the Far North.
Snow Empress.
With his current status, he could easily bring Xue'er and Ice Empress to his side. But the Far North cannot be without a ruler, a thought that made him hesitate for a long time. Until late at night, looking at Qiu'er sleeping soundly in his arms, he finally made up his mind:
"Bring Xue'er here in a few days... and Ice Empress. Let's temporarily entrust the management of the Far North A-Tai. A-Tai can succeed Snow Empress as the overlord of the Far North."
However, plans can never keep up with changes.
The next morning, Huo Yuhao was preparing breakfast in the kitchen when the doorbell suddenly rang.
Through the peephole, he saw Jiang Nannan standing outside the door—this usually gentle and charming senior was now pursing her lips, her eyes filled with an unusual stubbornness. Clearly, Di Qiu'er's appearance yesterday had given her quite a shock.
" Nannan? Is something wrong so early?" Huo Yuhao opened the door, somewhat surprised.
Jiang Nannan took a deep breath, looked up and stared directly into his eyes. "The academy has an event tonight... the Sea God's Fate Matchmaking Convention on Sea God Lake." She paused, her voice soft yet firm, "You'll go, won't you?"
Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her skirt, a detail that betrayed her inner tension.
Huo Yuhao was stunned. He hadn't planned to participate in this kind of event at all—with Qiu'er by his side, why go to a matchmaking event? But now, facing Jiang Nannan's expectant gaze, he couldn't bring himself to refuse...
Seeing Jiang Nannan's slightly reddened eyes and tightly clenched clothes, Huo Yuhao couldn't bear to refuse. He turned to Di Qiu'er, who was arranging vases in the living room, and asked softly, " Qiu'er, would you like to go to the Sea God's Fate?"
Di Qiu'er's rose trembled slightly. She had noticed Jiang Nannan's unusual behavior today—her deliberately straight back and her bright yet determined eyes were all telling her something.
The blonde girl's lips curled into a knowing smile. Di Qiu'er knew from Jiang Nannan's expression that she was issuing a challenge to her. A rival in love—well, not really a rival in love, at least Qiu'er didn't think so.
She was able to accept Jiang Nannan staying by Huo Yuhao's side.
"Okay." She put down the flower branch, walked lightly to Huo Yuhao's side, and affectionately took his arm. "Let me see just how popular our Yuhao is in the academy~"
The words were spoken playfully, but the emphasis was deliberately placed on the phrase "our family." Jiang Nannan's eyelashes trembled slightly.
Huo Yuhao sighed and ruffled Qiu'er's hair.
"However..." Di Qiu'er suddenly leaned close to Huo Yuhao's ear and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "If someone really doesn't want you, I'll 'rescue' you on the spot, you know." Her warm breath brushed against his ear, carrying a faint scent of roses.
Huo Yuhao chuckled, then turned to Jiang Nannan and nodded, "We'll all go."
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, creating a boundary between light and shadow between the three people.
Jiang Nannan glanced deeply at the two people standing hand in hand, and finally gave a polite smile, "Well... see you tonight." As she turned around, her long hair, tied up, drew a resolute arc in the air.
After the door closed, Di Qiu'er suddenly pinched Huo Yuhao's waist. "Idiot, can't you see they came for you?"
"I can see that," Huo Yuhao said, grasping her mischievous hand. "But some things always need to be settled."
In the shadows of the second-floor corridor, Gu Yuena leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, her silver hair concealing a thoughtful expression.
As the last rays of the setting sun gradually sank into the horizon of Sea God Lake, the final golden-red hue of the sky was swallowed by the deep blue night. Huo Yuhao, Di Qiu'er, and Gu Yuena strolled along the academy's paths, the Soul Guidance Lamp around them lighting up one by one, casting a hazy glow over the three of them.
Di Qiu'er linked arms with Huo Yuhao, her golden hair fluttering gently in the evening breeze, occasionally drawing admiring glances from the surrounding students. Gu Yuena, on the other hand, walked quietly on the other side, her silver hair flowing like moonlight, her purple eyes reflecting the shimmering light of the lake.
"Look, isn't that Senior Huo Yuhao?"
"My God, who are those two girls with him? They're so beautiful..."
"I heard one is his girlfriend, and the other..."
Whispers continued to come from all around, but the three of them were already used to such attention and simply walked leisurely toward the direction of Sea God Lake.
As night completely enveloped Sea God Island, a large number of male students from the Inner Court had already gathered on the lakeshore. A thin mist rose from the lake, like a mysterious veil in the darkness, completely concealing the female students' presence.
Suddenly, a dazzling light shone in the center of the lake—it was a magnificently decorated ship, its hull adorned with Soul Guidance Lamp that reflected in the surrounding water like a cascading galaxy. Huo Yuhao's eyes flickered slightly, and his Spirit Eyes Martial Soul was quietly activated. Even through the thick mist, he could clearly see the scene on the ship.
" Dean Yan, Dean Xian Xuan Zi is here?" He raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting that the Sea God's Fate would attract so many high-ranking members of the academy.
Di Qiu'er curiously tiptoed. "Are those the elders you mentioned? They seem quite kind~"
Gu Yuena scoffed, "Human activity is certainly lively."
Just then, seventeen dazzling beams of light suddenly shot up from the bottom of the lake, like rainbows piercing the night sky, instantly illuminating the entire Sea God Lake. The students on the shore gasped in amazement, while a few disgruntled murmurs came from beside Huo Yuhao:
"Isn't that Huo Yuhao? Why is he participating in the Sea God's Fate with such a beautiful female companion?"
"Exactly! Isn't this deliberately trying to embarrass us?!"
"Damn it... Both of those girls are stunning beauties, and he actually tried to steal their chance..."
Di Qiu'er's ears twitched slightly. Instead of being annoyed by these comments, she leaned closer to Huo Yuhao with a smug look on her face and gave the students a provocative smile.
Huo Yuhao pinched the tip of her nose helplessly. "Stop fooling around."
"I wasn't being silly~" Qiu'er blinked, "I just wanted to see how many girls would confess their feelings to you tonight?"
Gu Yuena glanced at the two of them and casually interjected, "Maybe there aren't any."
Huo Yuhao chuckled, about to say something, when suddenly a deep, resonant bell rang out from the large ship in the middle of the lake—
"Clang--"
The Sea God's Fate Matchmaking Convention has officially begun.