Black Beard sighed, "Child, you don't understand. An Junlie may have a strong background, but that's not the point. What matters is that you consider each other friends, or family under the Silver Talisman. You used to be able to get along without any reservations, and you can still do so now. Don't put pressure on yourself."

Ziye bit her lip, "But... I need to get revenge on Feiya, and I don't want to drag him into it."

Black Beard roared with laughter, "Then are you afraid of dragging me into it?"

Ziye choked instantly.

Why?

She suddenly felt lost.

She had already forgotten the original reason she insisted on keeping her distance.

The only thing she remembered was the look on his face when she stood before him and told him, "My name is Meng Yaya." His expression wasn't sadness, nor pain, nor joy or anger—it wasn't any expression she recognized. Looking at his face was like having every flavor in the world mixed together, utterly indescribable...

Black Beard sighed, "You aren't afraid of dragging me down, but you fear dragging down an alien? That's peculiar. Is it because his family is powerful? The more powerful his family, the easier it should be for him to help you get revenge, don't you think?"

Ziye retorted, "I want revenge myself; I don't want to involve anyone!"

"Does that have anything to do with not wanting to see him? Will just looking at him bring him harm?" Black Beard's questions grew sharper. Seeing she truly couldn't answer, he gently patted her head. "The more you think, the less you accomplish as friends. If you stood before him as openly as you used to, it wouldn't cost him anything. The more you fear implicating him, the more distant your relationship becomes. Tell me, why is that?"

Ziye was speechless.

"Black Beard said meaningfully, "Silly little sister, don't belittle yourself because of your identity. If we were to truly compare backgrounds, yours is no less than his. All of us on Silver Talisman Star are your behind-the-scenes supporters, and you are the founder and sole designer of the Mengya Group."

Ziye looked up, "That has nothing to do with it."

Black Beard raised an eyebrow, "Oh? Could it be that you like him?"

Ziye's face flushed crimson, "Absolutely not!"

Seeing how easily embarrassed she was, Black Beard stopped teasing her, "Actually, the alien isn't bad; he barely qualifies to be with you. His rose jam is especially good; I still crave it. The next time you see him, remember to ask him to make me a jar."

...

After eating, Ziye took the interstellar bus back to school.

She thought it over and felt that Black Beard had a point; she had been too childish before. However, this time, it wasn't that she didn't want to go to the Angel Domain, but that she couldn't.

Tomorrow there would be discussions about the promotional video concept, the day after tomorrow the filming, and the day after that, classes officially begin.

She couldn't ask Lings to postpone filming the promotional video, nor could she skip her first university class. If she really wanted to go to the Angel Domain to pick up Little Sprout, the earliest she could manage would be next weekend.

By then, Little Sprout would probably be back already.

As for An Junlie, she would let herself be an ostrich just this once more.

Regarding the most critical issue of the promotional video, Ziye had absolutely no concept; it was a completely new field for her. Sometimes she felt fortunate to have entered Lings.

It was only by entering Lings that she had the chance to encounter things she would never have encountered otherwise. While people must strive toward their goals, it is these new things in new fields that enrich life and make it colorful.

She finally found a tangible sense of being alive.

Back at the apartment, Ziye quickly tidied herself up and sat on the balcony, searching the light net for university promotional videos. When the search results appeared, Ziye learned something new again.

It turned out that Kaga’s schools produced promotional videos twice a year. Besides Lings, Dongdian, and Albeiz Academy, there were countless other schools, with a dazzling, endless stream of different videos.

Even Kaga produced one series after another of promotional films to attract investment and students. People on the light net had even collected all the yearly videos to specifically study the school's developmental trends.

It could be said that the promotional video was one of Kaga's biggest characteristics.

Ziye watched two Kaga promotional videos, then reviewed Lings' videos from the last three years, concluding one essential feature: displaying Lings' strengths to the maximum extent within a limited time.

The protagonist of the previous semester's promotional video was Li Chunyu.

The shots began at the starting point of the main thoroughfare of the Lings space station. As the maglev car advanced, the footage followed all the way to the Lings University awards auditorium, abruptly stopping at the scene where Li Chunyu received the highest honor in the Mecha Design Competition.

There were no flowers or applause in the video, yet it left viewers with endless room for imagination.

In just two short minutes, viewers followed the maglev car, learning about the unique culture of the main campus thoroughfare, experiencing the most beautiful aspects of campus life, and simultaneously feeling that by traveling this path through the Lings campus, one could ultimately achieve the highest honor!

Concise, refined, leaving one wanting more.

Everyone in the video acted naturally, as if it were one seamless take.

Ziye watched the film back and forth three times, feeling a surge of excitement mixed with apprehension. Could she perform as well as Li Chunyu? Could she be that natural?

With a nervous heart, Ziye opened her email, intending to ask Bran about the filming details, when she unexpectedly saw that the filming plan for the promotional video had already been sent to her inbox.

She downloaded it and read it through from beginning to end. Only three words remained in her mind: Must draw...

Ziye nearly cried.

Draw?

She had zero artistic talent!

Asking her to draw was worse than asking her to die!

Ziye clutched her head in pain. Why make things so difficult for her? They picked the one thing she was worst at. She genuinely worried that she would create the worst promotional video in history!

The other main character in the video was Tang Wen.

If she disgraced Tang Wen...

Oh my god, could she back out now?

If Little Sprout were here, she could at least cheat. Now she didn't even have a cheating tool. Was Heaven trying to destroy her? Ziye composed herself, picked up the most primitive paper and pen, and started drawing...

It was an incredibly agonizing night. Ziye felt more unsettled than she had the night before leaving Silver Talisman, even dreaming about drawing.

The next day, Ziye prepared to confess her inability to the person in charge of the video with a feeling of impending doom.

The Lings University promotional team was professional, small in number—only ten people—handling everything from the initial concept to post-production and ad placement. The director, who was also the person in charge, was a top advertising graduate from Lings six years prior, with ash-gray hair tied at the nape of his neck, the ends hidden inside his shirt, paired with combat boots and ripped skinny jeans—a distinctly non-mainstream look.

When he saw Ziye, he smiled, "You've tanned evenly. Military training is great, isn't it? Such a joyous period of youth."

The entire speech Ziye had rehearsed suddenly died in her throat.

Bran was also present and nodded at Ziye, "A little lighter than I expected."

Ziye couldn't help but shoot him a sidelong glance. Was that something a human would say? She used to be extremely fair-skinned; the gamma baseline on Silver Talisman could drive a person crazy from exposure, but it certainly couldn't tan them.

The sudden, intense exposure during military training had turned the Ziye in the mirror into someone she barely recognized, and now she was being so heartlessly teased by him. She couldn't tolerate it any longer!

Seeing Ziye’s expression of indignation, the director smoothed things over with a laugh, "This is perfect. It has the vitality of youth, fitting your role in the promotional video. Of course, the makeup artist and post-production will handle the rest."

Seeing his kind demeanor, Ziye finally breathed a sigh of relief. He then continued, "Alright, let's start now. We'll outline the route. Bran, Mr. Tang Wen is unavailable today. Please relay this to him so he can get into the right mindset quickly tomorrow."

Ziye had already noticed Tang Wen wasn't there, but then realized that a master designer would naturally be busier than others, which was normal. She turned to look at Bran, who happened to be looking back. They exchanged a glance, and Bran gave a very polite and respectful nod.

The director was highly professional. He explained the complex plan so clearly that all the steps became distinct, as if the finished promotional video was already visible before their eyes.

Listening to his eloquent explanation, Ziye felt uneasy. Several times she wanted to tell him that her drawing skills were terrible, but she never found an opening. Finally, she gave up, thinking that if her drawing was bad, it was bad; such a professional team could surely adjust whatever she produced.

After giving his instructions, the director drove off in the maglev car with a swoosh.

Ziye watched his retreating back, then turned to see Bran still standing there. Just as she was about to speak, Bran said, "I'll treat you to dinner." Ziye was momentarily stunned, trying to detect any hint of joking in his expression, but found none.

In the end, the two of them sat in a private room at the campus restaurant, separated by silence.

Bran wasn't a man of many words, and Ziye didn't know what he was planning, so she remained quiet. After ordering their meals, during the "long" wait, Bran finally spoke, "Ziye, Mr. Tang Wen is quite busy; I hope you don't mind."

Seeing his serious expression, Ziye waved her hand, "It's fine, I don't mind at all, really."

Bran nodded, "Thank you. Mr. Tang Wen is your mentor, and according to protocol, he should be around school frequently, but that seems difficult for him. Mr. Tang Wen has a packed schedule tomorrow; filming will likely conclude around eleven in the morning, as he needs to leave for the Doina system in the afternoon and won't be able to attend the mentorship meeting on time. Fortunately, you are his only student. After filming concludes in the morning, he will have lunch with you as a formal meeting. What do you think?"

Ziye was astonished. Tang Wen was practically a celebrity, so busy! This also implied that Tang Wen wouldn't have much time to attend to her in the future?

Bran seemed to read her thoughts and quickly added, "Don't worry. Mr. Tang Wen is just particularly busy this month. After this month, things will ease up considerably. Lings has regulations requiring mentors and students to meet at least once a week and attend one class session. I already have your class schedule and will arrange meetings around it; please don't worry. Furthermore, during the semester, there is a month of required off-site study with the mentor; he won't abandon you then either."

Hearing his tone, Ziye felt something was off, and she asked suspiciously, "Since Teacher Tang Wen is so busy, why did he still make time to take me on as a student?"