Chen Que looked at the man sitting side by side with her on the branch. Intricate patterns were wound around his lean, fair arms, inlaid with countless gems.
His impeccably tailored school uniform clung tightly to his frame. With his lithe and fluid movements, Chen Que could hear the jade ornaments clinking softly against each other near his hand and chest.
Fang Xicheng?
Was he also one of the Seven Great Families?
Vigilance stirred in the depths of her heart.
At that moment, Fang Xicheng sat down beside her, his voice gentle like a cool, slender snake gliding through the chest, or a breeze on the verge of the scorching summer heat.
"Why are you crying here?"
Such appropriate concern caused Chen Que to lower her head somewhat unnaturally. Back on Blue Star, everyone she met was either thoroughly good or utterly evil, and rights and wrongs were settled on the spot.
Yet coming here felt like having countless vines wrapped tightly around her chest, suffocating her until she could barely speak.
"If you have any troubles, you can share them with me."
Fang Xicheng leaned back lazily and casually against the tree trunk with his eyes closed.
Gazing at Fang Xicheng resting quietly against the tree, Chen Que simply treated him like a part of the scenery and voiced her confusion.
"I clearly haven't bullied anyone, and I don't even know them. Why is everyone attacking me?"
Chen Que lowered her voice, making no effort to conceal her frustration. Was her existence simply not tolerated in this school?
Fang Xicheng watched her as she remained lost in her own world, a dangerous aura spreading from his palms that could make her vanish at any moment.
Suddenly, Chen Que raised her eyes and looked at him.
A moment later, Fang Xicheng had already withdrawn his hand. "I suppose they haven't experienced those painful times—the time that only you and she shared."
Everything you once did to Ning Yuyuan, the one we so dearly cherish—could that ever be erased just by forgetting? Fang Xicheng watched Chen Que's hand brush against her shoulder and lifted his eyes.
"Did Ning Yuchen lay a hand on you?"
Suppressing the smile at the corner of his mouth, he wore a detached expression.
Chen Que's nod made the light dance within Fang Xicheng's eyes as if a thought had suddenly struck him. Since she was so calculating and eager to climb higher, why not help her along for a ride, only to crush her back into her original form precisely when she felt most triumphant?
He retrieved a necklace from his palm, embedded with a massive blue gem.
"Take it. If you are in danger, you can use it to alert me."
Faced with such rare kindness in this school, Chen Que remained guarded, her fragile mood instantly turning defensive.
If he found out about her origins, he might bolt out the door just like her roommates had a moment ago.
"Thank you."
Seeing her accept it with delight and a spark in her eyes, Chen Que leaned in slightly, though Fang Xicheng did not miss the wariness in the depths of her gaze. "Thank you. You really are as kind as you are beautiful. You're the first genuinely good person I've met since coming to this school."
"I'm Chen Que, from Blue Star. It's nice to meet you."
She extended her hand into mid-air. Fang Xicheng glanced at it, but before he could respond, someone called out to him from below.
"Young Master Fang, the opening ceremony is about to begin. Everyone must be present."
Fang Xicheng gave the back of Chen Que's fingers a light tap. "In this school, you don't need to reach out your hand." No one would ever touch someone groveling at the very bottom of the ladder.
With a single bound, he leapt down. Chen Que's expression returned to calm; she nimbly climbed down the tree, turned, and picked up the spider from earlier.
She had left it on the tree trunk just a moment ago—how could its life force have faded so rapidly?
It was on its last breath, devoid of any will to survive.
Chen Que opened her water bottle and gently let fall a few drops of water.
"I'm sorry. Let me take you away from here."
[Human, I have lived for a very long time. I have lived much longer than my brothers and sisters born at the same time.]
[Those who come to this place cannot survive.]
The spiders Chen Que had encountered on Blue Star did not have such short lifespans. Yet looking at the panting little spider, tears still fell from her eyes. Why was it that coming here meant no one could survive?
[Don't cry. Don't trust humans, and don't shake his hand. Just leave me here.]
As it finished, Chen Que felt its life force slowly dissipate. She gently placed it in the grass and turned to leave. After walking a few steps, she noticed that a hovering robot had already taken aim and cleared away the spider's remains.
"Report: cleanup mission completed."
Chen Que stood frozen in place, only to be snapped back to reality by the chime of a notification.
【The opening ceremony is about to begin. Do not be late.】 The broadcast went out to everyone, with no exceptions.
Chen Que suppressed her emotions, preparing to brush off the debris and dust from her clothes, only to find there was none. She broke into a sprint toward the auditorium.
When she returned, well-drrained teachers were already at their posts, and all the students stood in absolute silence. Although the glances directed at her were hostile, they kept them in check out of respect for the teachers.
After all, the faculty in this academy were people of high standing or noble birth, all rigorously vetted. Anyone who dared to casually challenge a teacher would face severe consequences that could ruin their academic evaluation for the year.
An environment where freedom and strict discipline coexisted—this was the true style of Angel Noble Academy.
Seeing every member standing rigidly in place, she hurriedly searched for her own spot, moving step by step from the back toward the front.
Amidst the crowd, she spotted Zhou Chuang and his gang of lackeys standing near the middle. Gone was their usual slovenly demeanor; they stood with their chests puffed out, exceptionally upright.
And what about Ye Fenghua? Logically speaking, she should have been standing right beside Ye Fenghua.
Suddenly, a tall teacher materialized right in front of her. Chen Que recognized the name tag.
Wen Zongzhen. Another Wen.
The risk factor was extremely high—broad-shouldered, heavily muscled, and towering in stature. If capability and status were anything to go by, could *he* be the one who had taken the White Tiger away?
Wen Zongzhen lowered his gaze to look at this year's anomaly, a creature crawling straight out of an Abandoned Planet. What on earth was this little girl thinking?
She was the same age as Wen Zhengyue and Wen Yuxiao, yet her frame was so frail a gust of wind could blow her away. To be able to crawl out of a crisis-ridden Abandoned Planet, she undoubtedly had some special skill.
"Follow me."
His words were concise. Suddenly, she caught the gloating expressions on the faces of the surrounding students.
Who didn't know Wen Zongzhen? The Wen Family had made their fortune in mercenary hunting before washing their hands clean and becoming teachers at the academy, and their strictness was absolute hell.
Any student targeted by him was bound to be stripped of a layer of skin.
Feigning total ignorance, Chen Que blindly followed him straight to the very front.
Realizing that Ye Fenghua was right beside her, she halted her steps, only to notice that the dangerous-looking man had not left yet and was standing right next to Chen Que.
Yet Ye Fenghua's complexion at that moment looked rather grim as well. For some unknown reason, they had been assigned to the very front row—even further ahead than Ning Yuyuan's position just moments ago.
Sensing a burning gaze, Chen Que looked up. Ning Yuyuan's eyes carried a complex mix of emotions: joy, triumph, guilt, and fear. Chen Que couldn't comprehend how so many conflicting emotions could exist in a single person.
Standing beside her, Ye Fenghua wore a grave expression. The two of them were stationed in the front row, ready to take the stage at any moment.
His face was drained of color.
His clenched fingers were already trembling.
"Chen Que, we're going to be put on display."