As the center of the quarrel, Jiang Shengyu stood up to stop the argument between Wang Dong'er and Xiao Hongchen. With a gentle smile, he said to Wang Dong'er:
"Classmate Dong'er, may I call you that?"
"Y-yes… you can!"
Seeing Jiang Shengyu greeting her with such a soft, warm smile, Wang Dong'er froze for a moment, her ears turning an even deeper shade of red.
People are shallow for beauty—this was only natural.
Especially when the one smiling at her was someone as stunningly beautiful, almost androgynous, as Jiang Shengyu. As long as there wasn't any strong prejudice beforehand, no young girl could withstand that kind of gentleness.
Not to mention, at this very moment, Wang Dong'er was subconsciously influenced by the implanted suggestion deep within her soul—pushing her to draw closer to the Jiang siblings.
"Come, sit." Jiang Shengyu gestured for her to take the seat next to him.
Wang Dong'er let out a soft "eh" before obediently sitting down beside him, leaving Xiao Hongchen standing there dumbfounded.
He stared at Jiang Shengyu chatting happily with Wang Dong'er, tilting his head slowly.
What's this supposed to mean?
Seriously, what's this supposed to mean?
Just as Xiao Hongchen took a step forward, Jiang Shengyu cast him a calm, reassuring glance.
Catching that look, Xiao Hongchen raised his brows, glanced between Wang Dong'er and Jiang Shengyu, then suddenly revealed an expression of sudden realization. He hadn't seen a scene like this before. Giving Jiang Shengyu a big thumbs-up, he stepped back.
Standing behind Wang Dong'er, she naturally couldn't see Xiao Hongchen's reaction. Besides, all of her focus was on Jiang Shengyu at the moment.
As for acting? That was child's play for Jiang Shengyu.
Elsewhere, Meng Hongchen had caught up to Jiang Qingtong, who was now standing quietly at the shore of Sea God Lake, the breeze lightly lifting her skirt.
The dark-green Shrek Outer Court uniform wasn't particularly flattering in terms of aesthetics, but Jiang Qingtong's slender, graceful figure and her flawless, snow-white legs weren't diminished by it at all—if anything, they were accentuated.
Between the strands of her silvery hair, her golden eyes revealed a trace of sorrow.
"Qingtong…" Meng Hongchen froze for a second, softly calling out to her.
Jiang Qingtong turned, her silver hair fluttering in the wind.
"Hongchen-jie!"
Meng Hongchen walked up beside her and brought up Beibei:
"That guy… does he really have feelings for you?"
Hearing this, Jiang Qingtong smiled and asked:
"Hongchen-jie, do you believe that?"
Meng Hongchen was puzzled. Seeing Jiang Qingtong's expression, she suddenly asked:
"You mean… he doesn't actually like you?"
"Of course not!"
Jiang Qingtong explained:
"He just wants to keep me at Shrek Academy! That was arranged by his grandmaster—the Ultimate Douluo, Mu En."
"So he actually plans to keep you here by using this kind of trick?" Meng Hongchen's eyes widened in disbelief.
Jiang Qingtong nodded.
"Using emotions as a shackle—that's an old Shrek trick. In the Inner Court, there's Zhang Lexuan. She was once assigned by Mu En as Beibei's 'child bride.'"
"How disgusting." Meng Hongchen frowned, clearly repulsed. Then something struck her, and she blurted out in alarm:
"Then doesn't that mean… they could use the same tactic against Shengyu?"
Seeing her so flustered, Jiang Qingtong tried to calm her down. But when she recalled what Shengyu had just learned from Xiao Hongchen—that Meng Hongchen harbored feelings for him—her own expression grew strange.
After a moment of hesitation, she asked softly:
"Hongchen-jie… don't tell me… you like my brother?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Meng Hongchen's panic was written all over her face. She stammered:
"I—I… no, I just…"
"Oh, come on. Liking my brother isn't something shameful! He's so handsome, I like him too!" Jiang Qingtong patted her shoulder, soothing her nervousness.
Meng Hongchen was utterly stunned by Jiang Qingtong's openness. Staring at her in disbelief, she exclaimed:
"How can you be so… carefree about this? He's your man!"
"My brother is excellent—that's exactly why so many people end up liking him. With someone as outstanding as him, how could I feel anything but happy?" Jiang Qingtong replied cheerfully.
Meng Hongchen looked at her, and then suddenly realized something.
"That's true… with the bond between you and Shengyu, no one else could possibly compare. Even if others liked him, they'd only be setting themselves up for heartbreak."
Her words carried a faint trace of disappointment. Hearing that, Jiang Qingtong gently patted her shoulder and said:
"Hongchen-jie, don't be sad! You can like me too!"
Those words left Meng Hongchen absolutely dumbfounded. She stared at her in shock.
"What did you just say?"
"I just want you to know—feelings can't be suppressed! Don't belittle yourself just because of who you like. No one has the right to judge whether your emotions are 'right' or not. Not even me." Jiang Qingtong shook her head gently.
From what Xiao Hongchen said, Meng Hongchen had liked Jiang Shengyu for quite some time already. And back then, when she saw Jiang Qingtong and Shengyu together in the same room, one could only imagine how she must have felt. Yet even then, she hadn't lashed out—she had put their wellbeing first.
Meng Hongchen was truly too kind.
Hearing Jiang Qingtong's words, Meng Hongchen finally raised her hand and tapped her forehead lightly, sighing in exasperation.
"You little rascal! Who comforts people like this?"
Then she added as a reminder:
"But with the talent you and Shengyu have, you'll definitely stand out in Shrek Academy. That means plenty of people will set their sights on you both. Be careful—you mustn't let Shrek's little tricks of emotional manipulation get to you."
"Mm, don't worry!" Jiang Qingtong nodded earnestly, then linked arms with Meng Hongchen as they headed back toward the Soul-Dueling Zone.
The Outer Court team's match had ended in dramatic fashion, but the real buzz came from Beibei's love entanglements. This time, Thunderbolt Beibei had truly become the center of gossip at Shrek Academy.
Some of the female students had already branded him a scumbag. Meanwhile, a few of the male students envied his ability to be entangled with so many beautiful girls.
It even sparked a thought among many of them: If Beibei could pursue Jiang Qingtong, why couldn't they?
Not only did Jiang Qingtong have extraordinary talent, her beauty alone placed her easily within the top three of Shrek Academy's school flower rankings! To these hot-blooded youths, her charm was irresistible.
Thus, when Jiang Qingtong and Meng Hongchen returned to the Soul-Dueling Zone, countless eyes were drawn to them.
Jiang Qingtong followed Meng Hongchen back to where Jiang Shengyu's group was.
When Meng Hongchen saw Wang Dong'er chatting happily with Jiang Shengyu, her brows knitted together. She immediately dragged Xiao Hongchen to the side to demand an explanation.
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