The first day of university was decidedly not for formal classes, merely for roll call and registration, so Yang Yi and his group quickly exited Fudan University and settled into the vehicle waiting not far from the main gate.

“Hoo, damn, this is tiring! The first day of university is already this exhausting,” Xu Ming complained, shaking his somewhat stiff neck.

“You’ve been whining the entire morning!” Fatty Lin shot him an irritated glance, then looked at the silent Yang Yi, frowning slightly as he asked, “Brother Yi, what’s wrong?”

Hearing Fatty Lin’s question, the others nearby also turned to Yang Yi, and seeing his furrowed brow, they looked at him with matching expressions of puzzlement.

“Nothing, I just remembered something!” Yang Yi gave the impression he wasn’t intending to share what was on his mind.

At that moment, Feng Shi inquired, “Young Master, where are we headed now…?”

“Let’s go eat first,” Yang Yi replied. He had already made arrangements for Xia Shiyun; the women’s academy required lodging, so he could only dispatch people to protect her. Since classes wouldn’t officially start until tomorrow for their group, taking advantage of the current free time, Yang Yi seemed intent on doing something else.

“Yes!” Feng Shi acknowledged, and the car immediately pulled away.

Everyone inside the car was filled with suspicion, as Yang Yi’s somber expression surely indicated something was bothering him. However, Fatty Lin seemed momentarily clever and asked, “Brother Yi, are you thinking about that person named Xu Bin?”

“Xu Bin?” Ye Xiaohou and Xu Ming both paused, their minds frantically trying to recall that name.

Upon hearing this, Yang Yi merely gave Fatty Lin a faint look, a slight smile playing on his lips. “Why do you bring him up?”

“No reason, I just noticed him staring at you repeatedly today, and I thought I sensed something,” Fatty Lin admitted, momentarily stunned himself. In truth, he had just been guessing; he hadn’t truly discerned what Yang Yi was thinking, so he felt somewhat awkward under Yang Yi’s direct questioning.

“……” Yang Yi was momentarily speechless, yet he felt a slight warmth inside. He glanced at Fatty Lin and chuckled, “Yes, indeed! I am concerned about that person named Xu Bin.”

“What about him?” Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou asked in unison.

“A strikingly handsome and chillingly charismatic youth, yet possessing such a potent smell of blood, and constantly masking his face with an air of cynical indifference—what kind of person do you think that is?” Yang Yi stated calmly.

Truly, in this day and age, showing off required substance. If one lacked strength, posturing too excessively invited disaster. As the saying goes, 'You cannot judge a man by his looks, nor measure the sea with a ladle.' Moreover, Yang Yi’s first impression of Xu Bin was one of cynicism, but his second feeling was one of familiarity—a scent he had savored not long ago, though he couldn't quite place where.

“I paid close attention to him; I think I’ve smelled a certain scent emanating from him somewhere before!” Fatty Lin frowned, saying thoughtfully.

“Damn! Are you an animal, Second Brother, that you have to smell things?” Xu Ming quipped nonsensically, immediately earning glare from the other three, who promptly rolled their eyes at him. “Heh heh, just kidding, just kidding!”

“Have some propriety!” Ye Xiaohou expressed his disdain. “Boss, did something happen last night?”

“Uh!” Yang Yi was taken aback. He glanced at Ye Xiaohou, then at the others, sighing inwardly, They found out after all.

“Brother Yi, those people from last night, if my intuition is right, were assassins, weren't they?”

“Yes, they were assassins!” Yang Yi confirmed when Fatty Lin asked.

“From the Green Gang?”

“No. The Green Gang wouldn’t dare provoke me right now unless they were utterly reliant on the faction backing them. Even if they were completely confident, with the Green Gang’s current precarious situation, they wouldn’t initiate a conflict so rashly.”

“Indeed, in the current climate, no side stands to gain anything by making a move first,” Fatty Lin said, growing even more suspicious upon hearing Yang Yi’s analysis. “But if it wasn’t the Green Gang, then who was it?”

“I don’t know!” Yang Yi stated plainly, then paused before adding, “Fatty, call and have the intelligence network immediately look into the background of that youth named Xu Bin.”

“Okay! I got it.” Fatty Lin complied, pulling out his phone to make the call nearby.

The more Yang Yi pondered, the more suspicious Xu Bin seemed. To be safe, investigating him was the right move. Yet, Yang Yi himself had no idea that this single inquiry would trigger a chain of subsequent events.

In a short while, Feng Shi pulled the car up outside a restaurant. “Young Master, this is a famously delicious restaurant in Shanghai. Shall we go in and try it?”

“En!” Yang Yi generally had no strong requirements for food, as long as it filled his stomach. He only glanced briefly before stepping out of the car.

The group stood by the entrance, taking in the restaurant, and inwardly agreed it was impressive. Shanghai truly was a cosmopolitan metropolis; even an ordinary eatery emphasized style. Yang Yi rubbed his mouth and directly led the group inside, found a table, ordered a few dishes, and that was that.

The atmosphere was silent, and rightly so; everyone seated at the table felt a degree of gloom. Yang Yi was lost in his thoughts, undoubtedly concerning Xu Bin and, more importantly, the reason those dozen or so assassins had come the previous night.

Sensing that his preoccupation had cast a pall over the group, Yang Yi looked at them and smiled lightly, “Heh heh, what’s wrong with everyone?”

“Uh! Nothing, heh heh!” Fatty Lin blinked in surprise, realizing Yang Yi was clearly trying to lighten the mood. He seized the opening: “Alright, alright, let’s stop thinking about it now and eat first! Damn, we were standing for over an hour today, and then moping around in class. I’m starving.”

“Tch, why are you moping, you idiot? Isn’t it just because that beauty didn’t sit next to you?” Xu Ming sneered at him.

“Damn you, you little punk! I totally despise you!” Fatty Lin feigned contempt, looking even more scornful when he saw the look of shock on Xu Ming’s face. “You have a girlfriend, but we don’t, so we certainly can’t pass up a chance with a beautiful girl.”

“Exactly, I’m starting to suspect Third Brother is actually sick!” Ye Xiaohou sounded like he couldn't stand Xu Ming’s remark either.

But Xu Ming suddenly looked confused, pausing mid-thought to ask, “Fourth Brother, how am I sick?”

“Damn, I don't mean physically sick; I mean you’re neurologically disordered!” Ye Xiaohou retorted.

“Scram!” Xu Ming broke out in a cold sweat. He hadn't expected Ye Xiaohou to pull a fast one on him, but then he seemed to recall something important and turned to Yang Yi, who was smiling widely, asking, “Boss, that Dongfang Mei’er who sat next to you—could she be from the Dongfang Family?”

“Slap!” Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin slapped their thighs simultaneously, exclaiming, “Right! In Huaxia, very few people have the double-barrelled surname Dongfang. That Dongfang Mei’er must be connected to the Dongfang Family.”

“Heh heh, don’t jump to conclusions so quickly!” Yang Yi picked up his chopsticks, gesturing toward Li Qian and Feng Shi nearby, inviting them to start eating. “As for that Dongfang Mei’er, I’m not actually concerned about her double surname!”

“You’re concerned about her beauty, perhaps!” Li Qian suddenly set down the food near her mouth and sprayed the words at Yang Yi with an ice-cold expression.

“No… I think Young Master is concerned about something else. Because of the Innate Charm Physique (Tian Sheng Mei Gu), she is certainly extraordinary!” Feng Shi interjected at this point.

“Yanran, you saw it?” Yang Yi sounded surprised.

“Yes, I noticed her following behind you and Young Master just now. When I heard others call her Dongfang Mei’er, I paid special attention to her,” Feng Shi smiled calmly at Yang Yi.

“Innate Charm Physique? What is that?” Ye Xiaohou and Xu Ming seemed utterly clueless, as they knew nothing about the lore of the Mystic Arts. However, Fatty Lin asked unexpectedly, “In ancient times, Empress Wu Zetian had the Innate Charm Physique, and now Dongfang Mei’er has the Innate Charm Physique. Brother Yi, could this mean…?”

“Heh heh, precisely so.” Yang Yi knew what Fatty Lin was about to say. Seeing the bewildered expressions of Xu Ming and Ye Xiaohou, he shook his head slightly and stated, “Although it sounds rather esoteric, anyone possessing this constitution, male or female, is absolutely no ordinary person.”

“Yes… if that’s true, it’s truly extraordinary,” Fatty Lin responded solemnly.

Ye Xiaohou and Xu Ming hadn’t understood what Yang Yi and the others were discussing from start to finish, but upon hearing Yang Yi’s final sentence, they grasped something significant in that instant, though their brows tightened nonetheless.

“Boss, if that person becomes your enemy…?” Ye Xiaohou asked.

“Uh, why are you suddenly asking that?” Yang Yi didn’t understand why Xu Ming suddenly posed that question.

“Nothing, maybe it’s because I’m sitting a bit further away, but I kept seeing her staring at you. Perhaps…”

Before Xu Ming could finish, he was immediately met with looks of contemptuous scorn from Ye Xiaohou and Fatty Lin, who exclaimed, “Third Brother is so shameless!”

“Uh!” Xu Ming was momentarily stunned by their strong reaction.