Ziye froze mid-step. She had not expected An Junlie to appear before her in this manner, rather than going to see the twins.

Tang Wen stood conspicuously at the main gate, while he positioned himself five meters behind, just to the rear; Tang Wen was a crane among chickens in the crowd, making everyone else fade into the background, whereas An Junlie gave the impression that everyone around him was his subordinate—he belonged there, effortlessly the king of the throng. An Junlie, eternally the sovereign of any assembly.

She desperately wanted to rush forward, throw herself into his arms, complain to him about the nauseating competition, but the moment her foot lifted, she caught Tang Wen’s gaze. Still filled with pure haughtiness, but beneath the arrogance, she discerned a hidden expectation layered with sorrow.

Ziye’s feet refused to move. She felt certain that if she walked toward An Junlie, she would inevitably wound Tang Wen.

Tang Wen had promised her long ago that he would attend her final match; now that he was finally here, could she just abandon him? She suspected that if she went to An Junlie, Tang Wen might never appear before her again.

With a forced hardening of her resolve, Ziye did not move toward An Junlie. When she came back to herself, Tang Wen was standing before her, a faint smile on his face, and An Junlie had already vanished into the throng, nowhere to be seen.

Ziye sighed inwardly, rubbing her cheeks with both hands, and looked up with a pout. “Teacher, why are you only arriving now?” Tang Wen smiled faintly, resting a hand on her shoulder, and turned to walk outward.

“I’ve been here for quite a while.” He was tall and long-limbed, whereas Ziye had barely grown three centimeters in two years—her height was perfectly suited for Tang Wen to rest his hand upon, a fit so effortless. Ziye huffed internally, miserably fiddling with Little Sprout.

“Sprout, if you goof off again, I’ll chop your hands off.” Little Sprout had no hands, so Ziye’s meaning was perfectly clear. Tang Wen chose to pretend not to understand.

He reached out with his other hand, snatched Little Sprout away, and glared at the little sprout menacingly. “You must never be playful again, understood?” In the past, Little Sprout might have shown a bit of deference in his grasp, but now, nestled beside Ziye, it could afford no such restraint.

It instantly shrunk its body and, with a soft swoosh, wriggled free from his control, bouncing into Ziye’s embrace. “Mama Ziye, Big Demon Tang is bullying me.” Ziye shot Tang Wen a look of blazing indignation.

Tang Wen gazed distantly at a vessel passing overhead in the vast sky—he hadn’t seen a thing, hadn’t noticed a thing. Li Chunyu, who had been walking with Ziye, saw the interaction between her and Tang Wen.

Knowing he couldn't wedge himself in, he stepped back a few paces and whispered to Blan, who was following Tang Wen not too far behind, “I have something I need to take care of first. Tell Ziye later.” Blan glanced at the two figures ahead, both clearly ruffled, and nodded warmly.

“Be careful on your way.” Li Chunyu squeezed through the crowd and departed. After a few steps, he glanced back at Tang Wen, clenching his fist.

—Even if Tang Wen never spared him a glance, he would still make Tang Wen his target, striving to surpass him! At this moment, Ziye was quite cross with Tang Wen, slapping his hand away and moving his arm.

“Touch that again, and I’ll chop your hand off.” Tang Wen turned his head, seeing her small face flushed red with anger, and suddenly felt the urge to pinch her cheeks like dough. Blan, who had been by his side for years, instantly understood his intention.

He formed his hand into a fist and gave a soft cough, conveying: In public, mind your decorum. Tang Wen pouted, reluctantly withdrawing his hand.

Ziye shot him a sideways glance and strode toward the exit. Outside the doors, the crowd was even denser.

After one match, most recognized Ziye, and as soon as they saw her, they surged forward. But the moment they spotted Tang Wen standing behind her, they recoiled like a rapid tide, pulling back to create distance.

Ziye stared at them in astonishment. They were pushing back nearly a meter, clearing a path for them to pass through.

This was utterly excessive!! Ziye’s eyes nearly shot out like bullets.

Tang Wen, just how potent is your disruptive field? The entire Kaga population is deferring to you!

Tang Wen was entirely accustomed to this sort of reception; he walked through the opening they made with a practiced smile, his gaze steady and direct. Ziye, clutching Little Sprout protectively, followed resolutely.

Blan consciously positioned himself as Tang Wen’s backdrop, falling to the very rear. As soon as the trio passed, the crowd instantly reconvened, murmuring amongst themselves.

“It’s been ages since we saw Teacher Tang Wen; he seems even more striking than before!” “I truly hope he teaches again next semester; school is meaningless without him!” “Comparing people is infuriating—why does that Ziye get to stand next to Teacher Tang Wen?” … The faint sounds drifted into Ziye’s ears. She longed to shout: I agree, comparing people is infuriating!

Back when she and Li Chunyu were stuck in the crowd, they couldn't get out for ages. But Tang Wen?

Wherever he went, the path opened up. If she had known, why bother struggling through the crowd earlier?

She should have just used an Omni-Comm to summon Tang Wen to clear a path! The students of Kaga held an almost reverent respect for Tang Wen.

After parting the way, they didn’t disperse; instead, they maintained a respectful meter’s distance. “Greetings, Teacher!” while simultaneously activating their Omni-Comms to snap photos of Tang Wen from every angle.

Ziye tried to keep herself half a step behind, carefully avoiding Tang Wen’s camera lens. Otherwise, those girls would spend hours painstakingly editing her out later—such a hassle.

She noticed Little Sprout facing the cameras with an expression of pure enjoyment. She quickly hid it in her embrace.

This thing, having spent so long beside Tang Wen, had begun to see itself as a model—contagion was indeed terrifying! They safely exited the Kaga competition main arena.

Blan went to the landing platform and brought over the airship to collect the two. Once aboard the airship, Tang Wen smiled lightly.

“Little Yezi, shall we go mooch a meal off An Junlie?” What? Ziye nearly stumbled and pitched forward.

“Why?” An alarm bell blared in her mind. Was this guy planning to flaunt his presence in front of An Junlie?

She felt she had already betrayed An Junlie enough; did Tang Wen have to twist the knife? He was truly infuriating.

Ziye made no attempt to hide her anger. Tang Wen merely smiled.

Whatever she might have been thinking then, the fact remained that she had chosen to stand with him. Therefore, the mood of Tang the Bastard was exceptionally cheerful.

He continued slowly, “He needs to eat, and so do we. Why not together?

I heard you were quite unhappy about the last time he broke an appointment. I’ll treat this time?” Ziye sneered.

“You even acknowledge breaking appointments? How rare.” Tang Wen gave Ziye an innocent look, remaining silent.

Little Sprout was about to chime in, but Ziye, worried that prolonged exposure to Tang Wen might sway its allegiance, quickly clamped a hand over its mouth. “I’m exhausted from the finals these past few days.

You go apologize to him; I’m going back to sleep.” Tang Wen subtly lowered his brow; he was displeased. Ziye ignored him and turned to Blan.

“Teacher Blan, please take me home.” Blan looked genuinely troubled. —Only he truly understood how desperately Tang Wen wanted to see Ziye.

If he sent her home now, Tang Wen would probably throttle him. Tang Wen was silent for a long moment, then said, “A hot spring soak will cure the fatigue.” If he hadn't brought it up, it wouldn't have been so bad, but the mention of the hot spring immediately reminded Ziye of being abandoned at the spa hotel.

Her face instantly fell. “I!

Am! Not!

Going!” -RS