"Senior Ning, it has been a long time."
Fu Qingyue took the initiative to step forward. She kept the young girl's sentiments perfectly restrained as she began to converse with Ning Yuchen.
"Just hand me your sister's documents."
Ning Yuyuan looked at the girl from the Fu family before her. She had heard that this was her brother’s admirer and the next student council president of Angel Noble Academy. A joyful expression appeared on her face, and she said sweetly, "Thank you, Sister Fu."
Hearing her innocent, charming voice, and witnessing Ning Yuchen’s indulgence and doting expression, Fu Qingyue paused for a moment before handing the documents to Yu Hang. A mechanical voice chimed, "Welcome, Ning Yuyuan of the Mo'an City Ning Family, to the academy!"
Hearing such a specific title, Ye Fenghua, who was standing behind Gong Chiya, straightened up slightly. So, in the end, everything was determined by one's surname. Was it the same for everyone else? He stroked the documents in his palm, feeling uneasy in his heart, and unconsciously wanted to cast his gaze toward Chen Que. However, he discovered that there was no one left beside him.
Had she left?
His expression grew anxious. Ever since he left Jiangtan City by transport and met Chen Que, it felt as though every step he took was guided by her. *Absolutely not*, he thought. *This cannot continue.*
Ning Yuyuan looked at Ye Fenghua behind Gong Chiya and suddenly tugged on her brother’s wrist.
"What is it?"
"Isn't he the boy who was being bullied by Chen Que?"
Fu Qingyue, Yu Hang, and Gong Chiya all turned their heads in unison. Ye Fenghua? Being bullied? And by Chen Que from the Abandoned Planet? The expressions of the three went stiff for a moment, but they all smiled toward Ye Fenghua in unison.
Ning Yuchen saw the strange expressions of the others and the nervousness on Ning Yuyuan’s face. To put his sister at ease, he restrained his internal emotions and gently stroked her hair. "It’s nothing. Go with the auntie to your dormitory first. I’ll arrange everything."
Fu Qingyue followed closely beside Ning Yuchen, already stepping aside to speak privately. The usually proud and aloof Fu Qingyue had straightened her back with a hint of awkwardness.
On the other side, Ning Yuyuan trotted over to Ye Fenghua’s side and extended a hand. A fragrant scent wafted toward him. "Would you like to be my friend?"
Gong Chiya’s original expression of arrogance was instantly replaced by the look of someone watching a show; it seemed Ning Yuyuan of the Ning Family really did enjoy helping the weak. However, looking at this obedient student:
"Hello. I am Ye Fenghua."
Ye Fenghua rubbed his hands together, feeling a bit unnatural, and gently shook the hand of the gentle young lady from the Ning Family. She was truly a kind girl.
Ning Yuyuan maintained her smile. "Let’s go. I’ve chosen Interstellar History and Interstellar Arts. What about you?"
Course selection? Ye Fenghua had no idea. "I haven't chosen yet?"
"Alright, if possible, let's take them together. I can protect you so that you won't be bullied."
He turned his head away, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. But then, he heard mocking voices nearby:
"The young lady of the Ning family is truly a socialite; she’s actually being so nice to a bottom-dweller who just arrived."
"Indeed. If it were us, we wouldn't even bother to associate with them."
"Having such a golden opportunity, it’s like a helper delivered right to her door. She really is flying up to the branches to become a phoenix."
Ye Fenghua clenched his fists and lowered his head. What he wanted to study most upon entering the school was Interstellar Mechanics and Interstellar Purification abilities. Yet, facing the olive branch extended by the girl before him, he hesitated.
Chen Que did not know what was happening on their side because she had been "touched" by a scam. As she walked halfway along the street pushing her cart, a cute little lamb had dashed out.
It bleated, "Evil goat monster, how dare you bully me!"
Seeing that Chen Que could hear its voice, it hurriedly stopped and huddled by her feet. "Help, help! I know you can hear me. Help me defeat that dead goat."
Chen Que looked at this weak, screaming lamb that kept poking her with its little head. She grabbed it with one hand. "You’re actually raising a lamb in such a massive academy?"
Sure enough, someone dashed out from afar. He appeared to have goat horns on his head and wore a white coat; his skeletal, skinny body looked just like an old goat. The familiar students scattered immediately.
"Professor Yang is terrifying. Why did our school start this bloody animal course? It's simply awful."
"I heard he eats cute animal cubs raw to maintain his frail body."
Listening to the discussions of the people in the distance, Chen Que placed the lamb she had captured into his arms.
"Human, I’m going to eat you!" Before the lamb could continue screaming, the Desert Kitty stood atop Chen Que’s head and hissed loudly. The lamb was so frightened it didn't dare make a sound.
Professor Yang squinted, his eerie gaze fixed on the young girl before him. Pushing up his sliding glasses, he thought that compared to that group of students, this little girl looked quite capable. She even came with a good companion.
"Freshman?"
Hearing Professor Yang’s raspy voice, it made one’s skin crawl. Chen Que felt an icy atmosphere. "Nya-nya-nya, coward," the lamb, having burrowed into Professor Yang’s clothes, mocked Chen Que. Seeing the Desert Kitty ready to strike at any moment, it quickly shut its mouth.
"Yes, teacher. I am Chen Que."
She introduced herself voluntarily, preparing to leave. However, Professor Yang’s expression suddenly turned unreadable. *Chen Que*—that name. He remembered a test paper he had audited. He asked proactively, "Among interstellar animals, which one do you think will go extinct next?"
Such a grand question made Chen Que stop in her tracks. She turned around. "There are currently five major categories of surviving interstellar animals: the Reptilia class, such as vipers and lizards; the Felidae class, such as desert cats and tigers; the Canidae class, such as jackals and hounds; the Aves class, such as eagles and albatrosses; and the Insecta class, such as ants and mantises. All five surviving classes are the result of human intervention. At the same time, this indicates human needs—which is also the space I’ve discovered since stepping into this academy, corresponding to the choices of the nobles."
She was contemplating the question in earnest, preparing to answer comprehensively. Professor Yang, however, looked at the young beginner before him, his eyes showing a touch of nostalgia. They were just like the others—know-nothings.
"They correspond to apex predators, control and calculation, exploration and prediction, communication carriers, and engineering construction."
"But among these five categories, there exist two others that symbolize the most primitive genes: the Ocean class and the Plant type, which together entwine the entire planet."
Chen Que’s voice grew clearer, but then, "The oceans on the Abandoned Planet have vanished, and the plant seeds have been plundered. So, if no one intervenes and others continue to handle it as they please, the first to go extinct will be insects."
Her eyes grew brighter, as if she had found the answer. "Corresponding to the school’s space..."
Before she could finish her thought, she was interrupted by Professor Yang.
"Nattering on! I ask you two questions and you answer me with seven or eight. Are you crazy? A rigid fool, exactly like those old fogies."
Seeing his sudden irritability and lack of emotional control, Chen Que fell silent. The lamb nudged him closely, which seemed to soothe him. Seeing that he was about to leave, she added a final remark:
"The lamb is uncomfortable because there are nettles."
Professor Yang glared at her, and the lamb let out a soft bleat, which served as a response.
"Remember, just act like the idiot you were a moment ago while in this school. Don't be too conspicuous; be careful that the beasts in this school don't eat you alive."
Chen Que thought about the class disparity in this academy; it was exactly like the hierarchical oppression in the animal world. The noble academy of the upper class could exploit the lower class as it pleased, and upper-level planets could dispose of lower-level planets at will. When prey bit back, it would be devoured by a stronger predator.
She stood in a school that occupied a third of Mo'an City, tiny and fragile.
"I just want to live."
Chen Que pushed her luggage cart with a burst of effort, accelerating rapidly until she returned to her dormitory. The moment she lay down, the dormitory door was pushed open with a bang.