"Indeed, the next moment, Yan Ruxue's voice rang out. She said, 'Thank you, Bingbing sister.'"
"Sister Ruxue, you are too kind. It's just a small matter. I'll be back shortly." Chen Bingbing opened the door and instructed a young attendant by the entrance. The attendant hurried off to fulfill her request.
In the memories of the original owner, Yan Jiaojiao, Chen Bingbing was exceptionally beautiful, appearing as pure and chaste as her name suggested. However, her personality was one of great deference and flattery, especially towards Yan Ruxue. Consequently, Yan Ruxue was more affectionate towards her than her own sister, Yan Ruoliu.
Chen Bingbing had not been mentioned as being eligible for the selection into Genan Academy before. It was likely that with Yan Ruoliu's injury and Yan Jiaojiao's refusal to substitute and her subsequent rebellion against the Yan family, Chen Bingbing was brought in.
Yan Jiaojiao's mind raced. She quietly cast a soundproofing barrier in her private room, lest the two in the adjacent room detect her presence.
At this moment, Chen Bingbing returned to the private room and was heard saying, "Sister Ruxue, I've heard that Wen Jinshu of Genan City is rather arrogant. Do you think she will deign to accept our invitation to a banquet?"
"She will. My father once fought alongside the head of the Wen family," Yan Ruxue replied. "Besides, she is also participating in the Genan Academy selection this time, and she will need an ally in this assessment."
Chen Bingbing paused for a moment before saying, "Genan Academy is only recruiting ten students this time. Wen Jinshu is the daughter of the Lord of Genan City. If she is indeed willing to ally with us, our admission will be practically guaranteed."
Yan Ruxue nodded and remained silent, gazing out at the bustling crowd.
Seeing her preoccupied, Chen Bingbing asked, "Sister Ruxue, are you still worried about Yan Jiaojiao? Actually, it doesn't matter that the Yan family guards couldn't capture her. Her inner dantian is destroyed anyway, so even if she participates in the Genan Academy selection, she won't pass."
"Her summoned beast is strange. It was able to rescue a maid with no cultivation from the Yan family's tight security. I am truly worried."
"Although I haven't seen her summoned beast, the selection explicitly prohibits the use of summoned beasts for cheating. Even if she possesses this skill, it will be useless," Chen Bingbing said with a slight smile. "Moreover, the selection is a matter of survival of the fittest, where the weak are prey to the strong. Without her summoned beast, Yan Jiaojiao is a cripple. Will we not be able to do whatever we please with her then?"
A flicker passed through Yan Ruxue's eyes. "You are right. As long as Yan Jiaojiao dares to appear at Genan Academy..."
Yan Ruxue did not finish her sentence, but Yan Jiaojiao understood by this point. Her heart sank. They intended to harm her on the grounds of the Genan Academy examination!
Indeed, there had been unfortunate accidents in past Genan Academy assessments. Since a waiver of liability for death had been signed before the assessments, no one had ever found it problematic.
And Yan Ruxue had no intention of letting her go.
Yan Jiaojiao took a deep breath. It seemed the assessment in two days would once again be a perilous undertaking.
At this moment, a soft knock sounded at the door. Yan Jiaojiao's dishes were being served. The attendant, carrying the food, opened the door and entered.
As the private room door opened and closed, Yan Jiaojiao caught sight of a young woman in pink ascending the stairs. She appeared to be fifteen or sixteen, with a beautiful face and a graceful figure. She wore a delicate pink outfit that was nonetheless very capable. A touch of innocent arrogance emanated from her brows, clearly indicating a wealthy and pampered upbringing. Such confidence was not something ordinary families could cultivate.
Although Yan Jiaojiao saw her for the first time, the name "Wen Jinshu" from earlier immediately came to mind.
As expected, the young woman entered Yan Ruxue's private room. She was indeed Wen Jinshu, the daughter of the Lord of Genan City!
"Are you from the Yan family?" Wen Jinshu asked as soon as she entered.
The sound of chairs scraping could be heard. Yan Ruxue and Chen Bingbing both rose to their feet. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the three were seated.
Yan Ruxue then asked with a smile, "Jinshu, do you feel confident about this Genan Academy selection?"
Wen Jinshu replied nonchalantly, "The assessment is full of unpredictable changes. I will simply do my best and not overthink other matters."
This was a subtle rebuff to Yan Ruxue, who fell silent for a moment. Chen Bingbing directly asked, "We were just asking casually. We heard that the assessment can be done individually or in groups. Do you have any thoughts on this, Jinshu?"
Wen Jinshu smiled and said, "So, you invited me out for the purpose of forming a team. Then you are too late. Someone has already spoken to me beforehand. You should find someone else."
"Ah? Who was it?" Chen Bingbing's disappointment was evident as she asked a string of questions. "How did you form a team so quickly? Can you still add the two of us?"
"Too many people can make actions inconvenient. Perhaps this banquet should be cancelled. I will take my leave now." Wen Jinshu said, preparing to stand. She did not wish to team up with the two Yan sisters and did not care about attending the meal.
Yan Ruxue quickly said, "There's no need for that. Since you're already here, let's still have the banquet together. Consider it making a friend. It's not necessary to form a team for the assessment."
Chen Bingbing also recovered and stepped forward to persuade her, "Yes, yes. The moment I saw Jinshu, I felt we were kindred spirits, which is why I hoped we could participate in the assessment together. It's a shame we missed the timing, but there's nothing we can do. However, you must stay for this meal before you leave."
Wen Jinshu, being from an official family and accustomed to various social situations since childhood, was quite astute. She knew that refusing to even dine at this point would be quite rude. Thus, she sat back down. However, the subsequent conversation no longer touched upon the Genan Academy assessment.
Yan Jiaojiao listened to their idle chatter while nonchalantly eating. Unknowingly, the meal concluded.
After he had eaten his fill, Dongfang Xu yawned and asked Yan Jiaojiao when they would leave. Yan Jiaojiao, however, was worried about encountering the people from the adjacent room and coaxed him to watch the flower boats on the river outside.
Having been confined since childhood, Dongfang Xu had naturally never seen such beautiful painted boats. He pressed himself against the window, gazing with great interest, though he couldn't help but yawn.
Fortunately, not long after, the meal in the other private room also came to an end. The three of them stood up and left. Yan Jiaojiao waited quietly for a moment, and after hearing someone descend the stairs, she got up to open her door.
Unexpectedly, Wen Jinshu was standing right outside her private room door!
Yan Jiaojiao was startled. Her gaze swept swiftly, confirming that Yan Ruxue and Chen Bingbing were nowhere in sight, before returning her attention to Wen Jinshu.
Wen Jinshu had waited there intentionally. When she saw Yan Jiaojiao, she was somewhat surprised and asked, "You... are you Yan Jiaojiao?"
"You know me?" Yan Jiaojiao asked defensively.
She did not know why Wen Jinshu was there and naturally chose to be cautious.
Wen Jinshu nodded, then shook her head. "I've seen your portrait. I've investigated all the formidable rivals for this Genan Academy assessment. The rumored 'genius girl Yan Jiaojiao,' of course, I had to understand her thoroughly."
Wen Jinshu then looked Yan Jiaojiao up and down. "I didn't expect it would be you eavesdropping here."