Compared to Lin Yichen's composure, the surrounding students at Hushi No. 1 High School were far from calm.
"Oh my god! I'm in love!!"
"Who was that girl just now?! I want all her information within three minutes!"
"A fairy! She is way too gorgeous! Does anyone know who she is?"
"You guys are pathetic! Did you see how shy she looked when she was talking to President Lin just now? Do you really think you still have a chance?"
As soon as those words were said, the students who had just been immersed in Xu Shiyue's beauty instantly lost their fighting spirit, drooping like defeated roosters.
"Sob, sob! Mom! My heart is broken!!!"
"Ugh! I refuse to accept this! But what can I do when I can't even beat my love rival!"
"Sigh! The pretty girls are always someone else's! What the hell!"
Just as everyone was immersed in the sorrow of "heartbreak," one of them piped up:
"Did anyone catch what President Lin called that beauty just now?"
"I heard it. It sounded like he called her Xu Shiyue!"
"Xu Shiyue?!"
Hearing the name Xu Shiyue, everyone wore expressions of disbelief. One of them immediately blurted out:
"How could it be that ugly Xu Shiyue—"
That person stopped abruptly mid-sentence, casting a cautious glance at Lin Yichen not far away. Everyone at Hushi No. 1 High School knew that Xu Shiyue was under Lin Yichen's protection. While Lin Yichen was usually gentle and kind to everyone, if anyone crossed his bottom line, the consequences would be utterly miserable.
And now, speaking ill of Xu Shiyue right in front of him—wasn't that like lighting a lantern in an outhouse? Pure courting death!
Sure enough, the moment this brave soul looked over at Lin Yichen, he met Lin Yichen's slightly chilling gaze, scaring him into immediately lowering his head and muttering an apology.
The people around them hurriedly shifted away, terrified that blood might splatter on them in a moment.
Seeing this, Lin Yichen shook his head. People would say what they wanted, and he couldn't police everyone's mouths. Besides, given Xu Shiyue's current appearance, he believed her reputation at school would soon undergo a complete one-eighty-degree turnaround.
Ignoring them, Lin Yichen immediately walked toward the classroom.
As soon as he reached the classroom door, he saw a group of girls chattering away around Xu Shiyue.
"Xu Shiyue, where did you go this past month? How did you get so pretty?!"
"Yeah, yeah! Xu Shiyue, you look amazing now!"
"The birthmark on your face is gone, your acne is gone too, and your skin looks so smooth. Wow, I'm so jealous!"
Faced with the barrage of questions from the girls around her, Xu Shiyue didn't show the shyness she had displayed earlier in front of Lin Yichen; she just sat there expressionlessly, not saying a word.
An observer might think she was being impolite, but that wasn't the case at all. The truth was that the current Xu Shiyue desperately wanted to answer them, but she simply didn't know what to say.
Her life had always been a straight line between two points—school and home—with zero communication with others, and she had no idea how to converse. This was precisely one of the main reasons for her reclusive nature.
Seeing her awkward predicament, Lin Yichen knocked on the wooden door in front of him.
"Ahem! Everyone back to your seats, morning self-study is about to start."
At these words, the crowd instantly dispersed, hurrying back to their respective seats. However, their gazes still drifted back every now and then to steal a glance at Xu Shiyue's ethereal, angelic face.
This level of visual impact transcended gender boundaries.
Lin Yichen walked over and sat down beside Xu Shiyue. In the past, to make it easier to look after this reclusive classmate, he had specially switched to the seat next to hers.
"Have you had breakfast?" Lin Yichen asked with a smile.
Hearing Lin Yichen's voice, Xu Shiyue hurriedly raised her head. After catching a glimpse of his gentle gaze, she immediately lowered her head again, stammering incoherently:
"Ah? N-no, wait, yes, I've eaten!"
Seeing her flustered shyness, Lin Yichen thought that introversion certainly couldn't be cured overnight; it had to be tackled step by step.
Noticing her slightly pale face and lips—a dead giveaway that she hadn't eaten breakfast—he immediately pulled out a large steamed bun and placed it into Xu Shiyue's small hand.
"Eat up, or you won't be in top shape for cultivation later. You wouldn't want a small thing like this to hold back your progress, right?"
"Okay..."
Xu Shiyue took the bun, her face flushed red as she whispered the word "okay," then picked up the large meat bun and began taking tiny, delicate bites. A faint, blissful smile crept onto the corner of her mouth.
Seeing this little girl obediently starting her breakfast, Lin Yichen nodded with satisfaction. He then stopped paying attention to her and began previewing some important study materials.
The college entrance examination wasn't just about the martial arts practical exam; there was also a written test. Although the written test only accounted for ten percent of the score, at a critical moment, those few points could be the difference between getting into one's dream Martial Dao university.
Of course, it was pretty much useless for Lin Yichen. As a Level 5 Martial Artist, he had already met the standards for the four top Martial Dao universities.
Granted, he had only met the minimum requirement, but cultivation was far from over—there was still a month left before the college entrance exams. By then, given his current trajectory, to say nothing of anything higher, he would definitely break through to become a Martial Master. When that time came, wouldn't he be able to pick and choose any Martial Dao university he wanted?
Even though he didn't strictly need to study, a little extra knowledge never hurt. Before long, the entire classroom was filled with nothing but the rustling sound of turning pages. With the exams fast approaching, everyone was pushing themselves harder, unwilling to waste a single precious moment.
"Great God Lin! Someone's looking for you outside!"
After an unknown length of time, a boy sitting by the window called out to Lin Yichen, a look of gossip plastered across his face.
Lin Yichen turned his head and saw an exceptionally pretty, tall girl standing outside the window, waving at him.
Looking at the unfamiliar young girl outside, Lin Yichen didn't recognize her, but he still stood up and walked toward the door.
Meanwhile, Xu Shiyue, who had been stealing occasional glances at Lin Yichen, saw a pretty girl coming to see him, and her expression instantly tightened. Her grip on her pen turned her knuckles slightly pale.
Her entire mind seemed to follow Lin Yichen right out of the classroom.
At that moment, looking at the delicate and pretty girl before him, Lin Yichen asked in puzzlement:
"Hello, is there something you need?"
Hearing this, the delicate girl directly bowed to Lin Yichen, startling him into stepping aside.
"Hello, President Lin. My name is Leng Qingning. I don't know if you remember me."
At that, Lin Yichen instantly remembered her. Given how much her mother had paid, it would have been hard *not* to remember.
"Oh, it's you. I remember, I remember. Is something the matter?"
As he spoke, Lin Yichen quietly took a step back. After all, he had taken the money, so the farther he stayed from her, the better! He had his professional ethics to maintain.
As if completely oblivious to Lin Yichen's evasive behavior, Leng Qingning said apologetically:
"It's nothing much. I just wanted to apologize to you for my mother's behavior the day before yesterday. My mother was only acting out of concern for me; she didn't mean any harm."
Lin Yichen was momentarily stunned, then waved his hand dismissively with a smile:
"Oh! Is that all? It's fine, it's fine, I didn't take it to heart."