The two little cubs, snuggled close and chatting intimately, one tall and refined, the other cute and small, exuded an aura of their own private world when they were together, as if no one else could intrude.
A few senior students in the distance let out soft squeals. Ye Mu, who had been maintaining a cold expression, visibly softened the moment he saw Luo Qi.
This pair was simply too pleasing to the eye, weren't they?
And then there were the twin brothers who had come with Ye Mu; they were also handsome, each more so than the other.
The senior students moved aside, whispering amongst themselves, wondering why all the new students this year were such handsome young men.
He Yuan walked over to them with a faint smile, saying smoothly, "Thank you, seniors, for seeing Luo Luo out. We'll be heading back now."
The senior students, after trying their best to resist, couldn't help but reach out and ruffle He Yuan's hair:
"Alright, alright, you boys hurry back. Come find us seniors for candy if you have time."
He Yuan nodded, then pulled the still lingering Ye Mu along, and the two of them left.
On the way back, the two were still muttering about where to eat lunch today.
He Yuan couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth. Luo Qi didn't seem like he was here for school; he was more like he was here on vacation, always looking for the best food or the most fun activities.
Ye Mu was even more interesting, acting like a parent, never refusing anything Luo Qi said.
Then there was his own twin brother, standing beside him, dull-witted and stiff as a piece of wood.
A few senior students watched them leave with affectionate gazes, then pulled out their terminals and posted the cute photos they had secretly taken of the little cubs onto the campus forum.
"There are so many handsome young men and cute little ones among the new students this year! [Image][Image][Image]"
1st Floor: Wow, where is this? I just came out of the gymnasium, why didn't I see them?
2nd Floor: What kind of divine little cuties are these? Come let big sis hug you!
3rd Floor: Give me the information on these little guys immediately! Right now!
4th Floor: To the floor above, I just checked. They are all people who can get on the first ranking list.
5th Floor: What's the first list worth? I'm going to bring a sack tonight and steal the cubs. (Twisted) (Crawling) (Screaming)
...
Some of the cubs, who were unaware of the school forum, had unknowingly become a little popular among the senior students.
There was even a spectator who perfectly recreated a certain cub's "green tea" remarks, and it became a hot topic on the forum overnight.
Fortunately, the person who suffered social death was still unaware of the matter, so he could happily go to the cafeteria to eat.
Luo Qi, sitting in the cafeteria and finally getting a bite of meat that was actually edible, breathed a sigh of relief before telling Ye Mu and the others about meeting Mo Jue.
"You guys don't know, I was almost scared to death. Luckily, I'm quite smart, so I managed to get out so easily!"
Ye Mu said with a cold face, "Heh, the little Highness of our Insect Race is afraid?" Clearly, he was still upset about Luo Qi sneaking out.
Luo Qi pretended not to hear, but he picked up a piece of meat with his chopsticks and placed it on Ye Mu's plate.
They never used serving chopsticks between them, and as Luo Qi expected, Ye Mu didn't bring up the matter again, instead changing the subject.
Mo Jue was third on the ranking list, and clearly had some capabilities. Luo Qi was annoyed to death by his persistent clinging.
As they were talking, everyone's communicators chimed simultaneously.
Luo Qi curiously took his out to glance at it, and his eyes went dark. The school, which had been quiet for days, was finally making its next move.
"Free Challenge Matches?"
Ye Mu raised an eyebrow, "Sounds like someone from the Courage Ranking came up with it."
He Yuan also dropped his smile, "Mo Xuan was right. The rules of this school are no rules.
The so-called Free Challenge Matches mean that if you want to challenge anything, you can. If the challenged party cannot or refuses to accept the challenge, their rankings will be swapped immediately."
Luo Qi looked closely at the document issued by the school on his communicator. He could almost see the principal's seemingly amiable face through the cold text on the screen.
He had a look of enjoying the show.
Just looking at it gave him a headache.
"Doesn't this challenge have any scope? Are things like hopscotch or building mud figures also considered challenge items?"
He Yuan was amused, "Of course not. The scope of all challenge items is focused on what can be used in actual combat."
He pointed to the last line, "For example, assassination, combat, and even more obscure things like hidden weapons are all acceptable."
Luo Qi propped his face on one hand on the table, feeling his future become even dimmer.
Although he had managed to muddle through the stadium earlier with jokes, once this challenge began, many people would surely target him.
He didn't know anything about what He Yuan had just mentioned.
Luo Qi pondered silently. What skills could he use on the battlefield? He could only eat quickly, and hide so well that no one could find him.
He slumped onto the table, burying his face in his arms, feeling depressed.
He Yuan's hand itched, and he pinched Luo Qi's two perky tufts of hair, "It's okay, maybe they'll think you're a pushover and won't bother with you?"
Luo Qi: "..." Thanks, I'm comforted.
"Don't be afraid."
Luo Qi looked up, surprised to find He Ning, who spoke little, say, "If you lose, you will leave."
Luo Qi looked at his communicator in confusion, then carefully reread the troublesome words. It said:
"If a challenger fails their challenge, they will lose their eligibility to enroll."
Luo Qi: Oh.
He Ning spoke word by word, "If you lose, you have to leave. They will be cautious."
Luo Qi found it both funny and exasperating. He thought He Ning was a very simple person. He himself was ranked first; who would dare challenge him?
But he, being last place, was originally expected to be challenged casually, but now everyone would have to go all out QAQ.
Ye Mu saw that this little cub was already scared and dejected before anything had even happened, and he said with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Don't be scared. Not everyone can bear such serious consequences. Let alone those not on the list, even those who are, very few would dare to challenge right now."
He stood up, tidied their plates, and put them in the recycling bin, then pulled Luo Qi up from his chair:
"Let's go. Starting tomorrow, we'll go watch the challenges in the stadium. It should be quite interesting."
Luo Qi's steps were a bit unsteady, "Okay."
Ye Mu smiled, "I told you to train properly earlier, and now you know the consequences?"
"I thought junior school had more academic courses..."
He Yuan smiled and followed behind the two, then suddenly said to He Ning beside him, "They're quite interesting, aren't they?"
"Mm."
"Tsk, I don't want to get another boring roommate."