I Was Planning to Kidnap You

Lu Yuan knew exactly what was going on at the dinner table.

Jia Shengnan had only pretended to ask for help. What he really wanted was to take Lu Yuan's parents in and worship them like Buddhas.

But Lu Yuan had no desire to stop him. His parents worked hard, and he hoped they could enjoy a few days of leisure.

They would never accept money for nothing, though. Jia Shengnan really knew how to handle people!

"Then our two families should visit each other more often from now on," Jia Shengnan said.

"Of course, of course!" Lu Wenkai and his wife nodded in agreement.

"The younger generation should spend more time together too." Jia Shengnan finally unrolled the map to reveal the dagger.

Lu Yuan covered his forehead. Here we go again!

Jia Xuanxuan glared at her father. She had been eating the whole time without saying a word.

Just then, Xiao Bing suddenly stood up.

"Dad, Mom, Brother, I have some news for everyone too."

"Some people from the cultural bureau came to school today. They wanted to invite me to be Ning City's ambassador."

"I accepted."

The whole family knew Xiao Bing had recently become popular online. Several talent agencies had approached her, but Lu Wenkai had politely turned them all down because it would interfere with her studies.

But an invitation from the Ning City authorities was different. For an ordinary family, this was an exceptionally rare honor.

"Wonderful! Our family's good news just keeps coming!"

Jia Shengnan clapped his hands. "Brother, your son and daughter really are a dragon and phoenix among people!"

Xiao Bing beamed as she accepted everyone's congratulations, but when she looked at Jia Xuanxuan, she gave a "Hmph" and turned her head away.

Jia Xuanxuan nearly bit through her chopsticks.

"I'm going out for a bit!"

With that, she left the table without looking back.

"That child has no manners!" Jia Shengnan complained behind her. Even a businessman would have had trouble noticing the open and hidden battles between the girls.

Lu Yuan shook his head helplessly and pressed Xiao Bing back into her chair.

"I'll go check on Jia Xuanxuan."

After going downstairs, Lu Yuan saw Jia Xuanxuan walking ahead. He caught up to her but said nothing, and the two walked side by side along the evening street.

At a bend, Jia Xuanxuan stopped. Lu Yuan suddenly remembered that this was where Jia Xuanxuan had caught him following her more than a month ago.

With her back to Lu Yuan, Jia Xuanxuan spoke.

"More than a month ago, right here, I told you there was no way anything could ever happen between us."

"I looked down on you back then."

"Over the past month, the company has made so, so much money because of you. Every shareholder has been praising you."

"Now my dad is doing everything he can to curry favor with you. He wishes I'd marry you right away."

"Aren't I ridiculous? If you want to laugh, go ahead!"

Jia Xuanxuan was less angry at Lu Yuan than at her father, who was always trying to sell her off, whether he had a reason or not.

To her surprise, Lu Yuan actually burst out laughing. Jia Xuanxuan turned around angrily, tears glistening in her eyes.

"Sorry, I'm not laughing at you. I just remembered something funny," Lu Yuan hurriedly explained.

"Do you know why I was following you that day?"

"Wasn't it to ask about the Cultivation University exam?" Jia Xuanxuan was puzzled.

She had taken Lu Yuan home that day and even lent him some review materials.

"No. You caught me following you, so I came up with that excuse on the spot."

"I followed you that day because I was planning to kidnap you and demand a ransom from your dad," Lu Yuan said, making it up as he went.

"Back then, my mom needed over a million in medical fees. I was at my wit's end, so I planned to go down the path of crime. Luckily, you caught me in time, and my crime didn't succeed."

At that point, Lu Yuan couldn't help laughing again.

Jia Xuanxuan's eyes went wide. "You're not joking, are you?"

"Absolutely not!"

Jia Xuanxuan's expression was strange. She felt she should be angry, but for some reason, she too burst out laughing along with Lu Yuan.

The small rift between them vanished without a trace, and they continued their walk side by side.

"Then why didn't you kidnap me in the end?"

"I overestimated my skills and underestimated my conscience."

"Then if you'd succeeded, where were you planning to keep me?"

"I'd find a room to rent, tie you up, and tape your mouth shut."

"Then how would I eat?"

"I'd feed you."

"Then how would I go to the bathroom?"

"..." Lu Yuan froze awkwardly.

"Pervert. I knew you were up to no good."

"Come on, this is a kidnapping. Don't get the wrong idea."

"You're the one who didn't plan it properly in the first place."

Jia Xuanxuan was full of curiosity about Lu Yuan's kidnapping plan and kept asking questions, even though she herself was the target.

They walked and talked, and before long they arrived at Jia Xuanxuan's home.

As they were saying goodbye, Jia Xuanxuan asked, "Lu Yuan, which Cultivation University do you want to apply to?"

"I have to go to New Capital Cultivation University."

Based on what Ji Yin had said and the information Lu Yuan had recently learned, Professor Yu Zheng at New Capital Cultivation University was probably the only one who had a way to completely cure Twilight Syndrome.

"Oh." A trace of disappointment flashed in Jia Xuanxuan's eyes. "I have a reason I have to go to Azure Nascent Soul too."

"Then good luck on the True Essence test!"

"You too! Good luck!"

June 9, Ningcheng First Middle School.

Today was the day of the True Essence test. Of Ningcheng First Middle School's more than eight hundred graduating students, over forty had ultimately registered for the Cultivation University exam.

Exam-grade True Essence testing equipment was expensive and scarce, and it also required a cultivator to maintain and operate it. As a result, the Jiangzhou Region had set up only one testing site, in Jiangzhou City.

Thus, all of First Middle School's Cultivation University candidates had to travel to Jiangzhou for the test.

Ningcheng First Middle School had rented two buses to take the candidates there and back, with the fat principal leading the group. As soon as Lu Yuan boarded, Zhou Xiyun pulled him over.

"Boss, you finally showed up! I really thought you were dead!"

Zhou Xiyun complained loudly. He and Lu Yuan were close friends, and when Lu Yuan disappeared some time ago, Zhou Xiyun had helped look for him for a long time.

Now that Lu Yuan had turned up safe and sound, Zhou Xiyun was indignant. Were they brothers or not? Lu Yuan hadn't even called him.

"I really did almost die!"

It was Lu Yuan's fault for not calling to say he was safe after he got back, and he had to own up to it. Besides, school hadn't held any classes since the written exam, so they hadn't had a chance to meet.

Chen Shihe leaned over with a vicious grin. "Zhou Xiyun, don't listen to Lu Yuan. He definitely sneaked off to an intensive cram course because he was afraid we'd find out."

There were rumors among the students of a terrifying kind of devilish improvement course that could raise grades dramatically in a short time through a devilish study schedule.

"Lu Yuan, is it true?"

Zhou Xiyun and Chen Shihe pinned Lu Yuan down from either side, and Lu Yuan cried out that he was innocent.

"I really didn't! I was fucking locked in a cell and studied on my own for a whole month! There wasn't even a toilet, just a chamber pot. Can you believe it?"

Zhou Xiyun and Chen Shihe exchanged a glance and nodded.

"So it really was a devilish improvement course! You went to cram classes behind our backs!"

"Lu Yuan, you traitor! We agreed we'd fail together!"

After the three of them fooled around for quite a while, Zhou Xiyun said with a smile:

"In the end, all three of us signed up for Cultivation University."

"We had to give it a shot. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to let it go." Chen Shihe sounded a little wistful too.

Just then, someone who shouldn't have been there boarded through the front door of the bus.