"Don't do it, Young Master Dai!"
"You can't have all three new junior sisters!"
"You already have those twin sisters."
Oscar pulled Dai Mubai to one side, whispering with his back to the group of five, turning his head every now and then to glance at the three young women, especially Zhu Zhuqing. When his gaze fell on Ning Rongrong, his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
"What nonsense are you spouting?!"
Dai Mubai looked flustered. Fearing someone might overhear, he cast a nervous, sidelong glance at Zhu Zhuqing. The bitter realization that she had already caught him checking into a room with the twins hit him, and he sighed.
"I’m warning you!"
"Don't even think about the girl in black! She’s mine!"
"As for the other one, you can clearly see she’s already taken. That just leaves Ning Rongrong. You'll have to figure that out on your own."
He patted Oscar on the shoulder, then led him back to the group, introducing him with a smile: "Let me introduce you all. This is Oscar. He’s fourteen this year and a level 29 food-system Spirit Master."
Dai Mubai’s introduction genuinely shocked them. Food-system Spirit Masters were widely recognized as the most difficult to cultivate—no exceptions. Ning Rongrong was the most surprised, though it was merely surprise. Rare as genius food-system Spirit Masters were, her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School was wealthy and powerful; what they needed most were combat-type Spirit Masters—like, for instance, Long Jian!
Ning Rongrong merely glanced at Oscar before turning her gaze to Long Jian.
After the introductions were finished, Dai Mubai said to Tang San, "Tang San, you can share a room with Xiao Ao."
Tang San looked at the handsome, dashing Oscar and nodded.
"Oscar, why don’t you take Tang San and... Long Jian to get familiar with the place? I’ll take the girls to their dormitory."
"You got it!" Oscar agreed readily.
A short while later, Oscar brought Long Jian to Ma Hongjun’s room. As soon as the door pushed open, a foul odor rushed out.
"Damn, how long has this fat guy gone without cleaning his room?"
Oscar’s mouth twitched at the sight of the tissues scattered all over the floor. The room was so cluttered there was nowhere to stand. Long Jian stood at the doorway, his sword-like brows knit together, his face showing a trace of disgust.
"Are there no other rooms in the academy?"
Oscar pondered for a moment. "There are, but they’re all over in the girls' dormitory. I don’t know if you’d be allowed to stay there! I doubt it, though. They’re all girls, and the teachers wouldn't approve." Oscar shrugged, feeling helpless. *That fat pig is always out at the brothels; why is his room such a mess?* He was speechless.
Long Jian shook his head and turned to walk elsewhere.
"Junior brother, where are you going?"
"Just looking around!" Long Jian replied with a wave of his hand.
Oscar scratched his head, deciding not to pry. He had important business to attend to. At the thought of Ning Rongrong, he couldn't help but beam.
Long Jian hadn’t gone far before someone stopped him.
"Miss Ning, is something the matter?" Long Jian asked, puzzled, looking at the beaming Ning Rongrong.
"Long Jian, we’re classmates now, just call me Rongrong. 'Miss Ning' sounds so distant, doesn't it?" Ning Rongrong laughed. "Besides, I never hear you adding 'Miss' when you talk to Zhuqing!"
Long Jian paused, then nodded. "Alright, Rongrong."
"That’s better!" Ning Rongrong giggled, leaning a bit closer. "Are you heading out?"
"No, I was looking to see if there’s a place for me to stay. I can't really adapt to the room that Ma Hongjun guy is in," Long Jian said, shaking his head.
"A place to stay?" Ning Rongrong blinked. "I’m sharing a room with Xiao Wu, and Zhuqing has her own room, so there is actually an empty room on the girls' side! Why don't you stay over there?"
Long Jian waved his hands in refusal. "That’s against the rules. Besides, how could I, a guy, live around the girls' dormitory? I’d better look elsewhere."
Seeing that Long Jian was about to leave, Ning Rongrong reached out and grabbed him. "There aren't many rooms in Shrek Academy as it is; it’ll be hard for you to find one. Just come with me and take a look first. Besides, they’re all individual houses, so what’s the harm?"
With that, she linked her arm through Long Jian’s, not acting like a stranger at all, and led him toward the girls' dormitory.
Just then, Zhu Zhuqing, Xiao Wu, Tang San, Oscar, and Dai Mubai came walking toward them. The scene turned awkward immediately. Two heart-shattering sounds echoed simultaneously.
"Long Jian, you... what is this?" Zhu Zhuqing’s cold voice rang out, her expression unreadable.
"I was looking for a room to stay in, and Rongrong said there was one here, so she brought me to take a look," Long Jian explained as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Zhu Zhuqing’s gaze fell on the arm Ning Rongrong was clutching, and she said flatly, "We do have an empty room; it’s right next to mine. I’ll take you there."
With that, under the watchful eyes of everyone, she walked up to Long Jian, took his hand quite naturally, and led him toward the girls' dormitory. Ning Rongrong’s beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she followed closely, refusing to be left behind.
Seeing this, Dai Mubai’s face turned black as he stared in disbelief at Zhu Zhuqing’s retreating back. Any spark of hope Oscar had just felt was instantly extinguished.
"San, what’s wrong with them?" Xiao Wu asked, looking at the ugly expressions on Dai Mubai and Oscar’s faces.
Tang San scratched his head. "I'm not really sure."
...
"Long Jian, how do you like it here?" Ning Rongrong asked, standing at his side with a smile.
"It’s very nice!" Long Jian nodded. Although it was still simple, it was ten times better than Ma Hongjun’s room. Plus, living alone meant he wouldn't have to endure Ma Hongjun’s behavior.
Leaning against the doorframe, Zhu Zhuqing watched Long Jian as he looked around the room, then caught sight of Ning Rongrong. A flash of light passed through her eyes, and she wondered what she was thinking. A rosy flush still lingered on her cheeks; thinking about how she had just taken the initiative to hold Long Jian’s hand, she felt a sudden, shy nervousness.
"If you want, you can just stay here from now on. They’re all individual rooms anyway, I don’t mind you staying."
Hearing her cold voice, Long Jian turned to look at her and nodded gently. "I might be bothering you then, Zhuqing."
"It's no bother at all." Zhu Zhuqing’s cheeks flushed involuntarily, and her eyes darted away.
"I don't mind either!" Ning Rongrong added, refusing to be outdone.
"Haha." Long Jian smiled sheepishly. "I hope the academy teachers agree to it."
Watching his shy demeanor, both Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing felt their hearts skip a beat.