Due to the item's exorbitant value, Li Yu personally came to the school to inspect the goods. Through channels unknown, he managed to quietly take the item out without alerting the Yan family, even going so far as to hire a specialized team of mercenaries for protection. Qi Ze received a fifty million advance from Ouyang Ye, alleviating his urgent need, and finally no longer had to worry about his daily meals.
The next day, he arrived early to the classroom, the seat barely warm under him when he saw Meng Yao and a female classmate enter in a tussle.
"Helena, you're shameless! After damaging my guqin, you're trying to get away with it!"
"Who's really shameless? Since you've already lost all your dignity, why should I give you any face? Everyone, judge this for yourselves. I offered to replace the broken guqin with a new one, but we had to take the old guqin to the antique exchange for authentication. She agreed, and we went to the Li Exchange together. The detection equipment there is the most advanced on Neptune, and there's no way it could have been wrong. Then, do you know what happened?"
"What happened?" The onlooking students looked on with curiosity.
"Her guqin, while an antique, hadn't been maintained by a mental power user for a long time due to the inability to pay the fees. The resonance value dropped from the initial D-class all the way down to G-class. Do you know what G-class means? It means that the guqin is no longer considered an antique. A slight touch could break it, no different than scrap. She deliberately lent it to me. Wasn't she trying to extort money from me? Would you be willing to spend seven million on a piece of junk?"
"Not willing!"
"What a rip-off!" The students echoed their agreement.
Helena took out a stack of papers, distributing them as she continued, "This is the authentication result. You can all take a look. It has the stamp of the exchange and the certification center. It can't be faked. I can compensate Meng Yao for her guqin, but definitely not at the price of an antique. She even said she would sue me. Fine, I'll let her sue. I have evidence in my hands!"
The students scrambled for the photocopies of the authentication certificate, whispering and discussing among themselves.
Meng Yao turned pale with rage, her voice shrill. "You're lying! My guqin was maintained half a year ago, and I have a certificate from the antique maintenance expert. If it really could be broken with just one touch, how could I have performed with it in class? Do you have evidence, and I don't? Alright, you wait. We'll meet in court!"
She shot Helena a venomous look, then directed her poisonous gaze at Qi Ze, who was hiding in a corner, before rushing out.
Yan Junyu cautiously remarked, "That last look of hers was off. Be careful in case she takes her anger out on you."
Qi Ze had his head bowed, seemingly oblivious. But as the class ended, he was cornered by Meng Yao in a corner of the teaching building. "Classmate Qi Ze, you're very good friends with Ouyang Ye, right?" Her smile was forced, as if this was the first time she was speaking politely to a carbon-based being.
"It's... okay, I guess." Qi Ze shrank back timidly.
Meng Yao leaned against the wall to prevent his escape, continuing, "Since you're close to him, can you ask him where to buy an antique guqin? His uncle owns the largest antique exchange on Neptune planet. He should be able to get this information easily, right?"
"But... but my relationship with him isn't worth seven million. He won't ask for me. You should go to him yourself."
Meng Yao's kind face twisted for a moment as she clenched her teeth. "Are you purposefully blocking me with what you said yesterday?" If she could ask Ouyang Ye herself, she would have done so long ago. Why would she have to demean herself to ask a carbon-based being?
"No, I didn't mean to. You should say it yourself. I really don't dare to provoke him. Classmate Meng Yao, please don't make things difficult for me. I have the contact number of the Human Rights Organization. If necessary, I will... I will seek their help." Qi Ze's dark eyes were filled with fear. That last sentence was more a sign of desperation than a threat.
Noticing the growing number of onlookers, Meng Yao was forced to step back, her tone icy. "Fine, since my face isn't big enough, then I'll have Ouyang Duanhua come find you personally."
"What do you mean?" Yan Junyu's voice was colder than hers.
Meng Yao ignored him, pointing at the ashen-faced Qi Ze, glaring at the students nearby who were watching, before hastily leaving.
Qi Ze walked slowly away, hugging the wall. His thin silhouette seemed particularly desolate. Yan Junyu stayed by his side, warning, "Meng Yao appears to be Ouyang Duanhua's fiancée. Ouyang Ye and Ouyang Duanhua have always been at odds. He won't intervene in Meng Yao's affairs, which is why she targeted you. You need to be more careful lately, don't be alone. Ouyang Duanhua is ruthless. He might threaten Ouyang Ye by hurting you."
At this point, his expression faltered, and he said helplessly, "Forget it, I'm just talking to the wind. You're never alone anyway." Only after truly understanding the youth would one realize that he was very independent, hardly opening his heart to anyone. Ouyang Ye, who seemed to be his only friend on the surface, was more like a subordinate.
After lunch, the two continued to class. The students were still discussing the lawsuit between Meng Yao and Helena, their faces revealing schadenfreude. Qi Ze found it boring and began to pack his things to skip class. After all, he was the least noticeable presence in the classroom. The mentors would intentionally skip over him during attendance, yet when they needed someone to be the foil, he would be the first one called upon.
This kind of class wasn't worth attending.
Qi Ze slipped out the back door, ducking low. Passing by the restroom, he took a quick bathroom break. Yan Junyu waited outside the door, listening to the sound of water flowing into the toilet in a completely natural manner. At first, he was indeed somewhat embarrassed, but now he was long accustomed to this inseparable life. His body was clearly hidden in Ouyang Ye's Interspatial Button, but he preferred to follow Qi Ze, perhaps because exploring the secrets within him brought him unprecedented joy.
He had tried to stay by Ouyang Ye's side, but he rarely lasted ten minutes. Ouyang Ye spent most of his time practicing physical combat, kicking and punching the sandbag continuously. It was too dull. However, he seemed to have forgotten that when he was still alive, he also spent each day in a similar manner.
As he pondered, a group of tall and sturdy young men slowly approached. Leading them was Ouyang Ye's half-brother, Ouyang Duanhua, also the current young clan chief of the Ouyang family. He clearly knew of Qi Ze's whereabouts and kicked open the partition door, lifting the scrawny youth out.
"Tell Ouyang Ye that he can go against me, as long as he's not afraid of my retribution. The Ouyang family will be mine in the future. He doesn't want to be chased out like a stray dog, so he'd better learn to rein in his temper. The Li family is no longer the Li family of old. Li Yu won't be able to protect him for long." Lifting him with one hand and slamming him against the wall, Ouyang Duanhua laughed coldly, continuing, "Everything Ouyang Ye cares about will be destroyed one by one by me. Just like his mother, just like his inheritance rights, just like you... There's one thing I need you to convey to him for me: weak species have no right to survival."
With each word he uttered, a chill would emanate from his palm. The cold formed into a ghastly white frost, crawling up Qi Ze's neck, onto his cheeks and hair, then slowly extending downward, quickly freezing him solid.
Someone nearby reminded, "Second Young Master, he's a carbon-based being. Go easy on him, or you might accidentally kill him."
"So what if I kill him? Is Ouyang Ye going to turn against me for him?" Ouyang Duanhua's tone was disdainful.
His companions didn't say more, simply grinning.
Yan Junyu watched as Qi Ze's face gradually lost its color and his eyes slowly closed, a powerful surge of anger erupting in his chest. He tried to stop Ouyang Duanhua, but to no avail, his spiritual body contorting in frustration. The law of the jungle, survival of the fittest, was a constant rule, one he had followed since his early days. But now, with Qi Ze as the target, he felt a deep discomfort.
"Ouyang Duanhua, I order you to stop immediately!" He attempted to attack with his spiritual power, but it was ineffective. The spiritual body of a dead person, no matter how powerful, could never surpass that of a living person.
As Qi Ze was about to lose consciousness, the bathroom door was kicked open. A tall, handsome young man walked in, wordlessly firing a ball of fire that grazed Ouyang Duanhua's nose before hitting the opposite wall, igniting countless sizzling sparks.
"Wang Xuan, mind your own business!" Ouyang Duanhua's grip loosened slightly.
"Let him go, or I don't mind giving you a beating." Wang Xuan raised a fist engulfed in raging flames, instantly warming the sub-zero bathroom.
Ouyang Duanhua seemed to fear the arrival, spitting viciously before dropping the youth in his hand and sauntering out. As they passed each other, he whispered, "Yan Junyu is dying. Without his recommendation, you'll have to win first place in the mecha tournament to enter the Imperial Military Academy. With that outdated mecha of yours, even making it through the preliminaries is questionable. Wang Xuan, you won't be smug for long."
"So? I'll meet you in the arena." Wang Xuan paid no attention to him, striding quickly to Qi Ze's side, using his ability to thaw him out.
Qi Ze struggled to open his eyes, weakly saying, "Thank you, senior. I live in apartment 102. Can you take me back? My roommate will help call a doctor." He recognized the young man, the only one who had gained Yan Junyu's favor and was to be recommended to the Imperial Military Academy, currently studying in the mecha department.
Yan Junyu's assessment had indeed been accurate. Wang Xuan was an exemplary student with excellent character and grades, only unfortunately, his luck seemed to be against him. Before the recommendation letter could be approved, such an unexpected incident occurred.
Wang Xuan comforted the youth while lifting him up, rushing toward the dormitory area. Yan Junyu followed behind the two, his expression abnormally cold. After what had just happened, he yearned even more to come back to life. Watching helplessly as the youth was bullied and tormented, he had no means other than shouting.
He had never felt so useless, or so defeated. He had relied on the youth's strength to survive up until now, but at this critical moment, he couldn't even extend a helping hand.
He wanted to live, with an unprecedented urgency.