Bonus Chapter. Enjoy!
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Inside one of the rooms at Shrek Academy, warm yellow light spilled over a neat table, which was covered with a variety of small snacks: crispy potato chips, sweet candied fruit, savory jerky, and several plates of exquisitely shaped pastries, alongside several pots of steaming drinks, filling the air with the aroma of food.
Xie Xie sat on one side of the table with his legs casually crossed, one hand resting on the edge of the table while the other pinched a piece of jerky and shoved it into his mouth, chewing as he spoke vaguely.
"Why hasn't the boss come over yet? We clearly agreed today is the day for our East Sea F4 reunion, could he have forgotten?"
Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan sitting opposite him couldn't help but smile, reaching out to pick up a pastry, taking a leisurely bite, and then speaking.
"Probably not, Wulin isn't the type to stand people up, he probably got held up by something, otherwise he definitely would have come over long ago."
After chewing up the jerky in his mouth, Xie Xie picked up a piece of potato chip, crunching down on it, then as if thinking of something, his eyes lit up and he said.
"Hey, you say... could he be thinking of swiping some food from the cafeteria?"
"Although we have quite a few snacks here, for a big eater like him, it's probably not even enough as an appetizer."
Hearing this, Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but burst into a chuckle, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she nodded and said.
"Now that you mention it... it really does seem possible, given Wulin's appetite, our little stash here really isn't enough to fill the gaps between his teeth."
Gu Yue sat quietly on a chair to the side, with a steaming drink beside her hand, its color a pale amber, exuding a faint fragrance.
Gu Yue quietly listened to the two people's conversation, a faint trace of a smile flashing within those glass-like purple eyes.
Xie Xie was still babbling there, guessing what Tang Wulin was actually doing, and right at that moment, the room door was pushed open from the outside.
Tang Wulin's figure appeared at the doorway, slightly bent over, one hand still resting on the doorknob while the other somewhat sheepishly scratched the back of his head, a somewhat apologetic smile on his face.
"Sorry, sorry, I'm late, I got held up by a little something."
As he spoke, he strode in, conveniently pulling the door shut behind him, then walked over to the table and sat down in the empty seat next to Gu Yue.
Xie Xie looked Tang Wulin up and down, then asked with a hint of suspicion.
"Boss, honestly confess, did you go to the cafeteria to swipe some food?"
"Your Storage Soul Tool has over ten thousand cubic meters, even moving out all the food in the entire cafeteria would be more than enough... Don't go hogging it all by yourself."
Hearing this, Tang Wulin couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, then shook his head with a wry smile and spoke.
"How is that possible! Am I that kind of person?"
"The dean called me over for a trip and had me draw some blood."
Hearing the two words drawing blood, Xie Xie's eyebrows slightly twitched, a flash of confusion passing through his eyes.
"The dean called you to draw blood? What's it for?"
Tang Wulin gave him a speechless look, then spread his hands and said.
"I don't know either, the dean didn't say, and I didn't ask much, anyway it shouldn't be anything bad."
Seeing that Tang Wulin truly had a clueless expression, Xie Xie didn't continue pressing, instead waving his hand and speaking.
"Fine, fine, fine, too lazy to care, anyway the dean definitely has his reasons for doing things, and we wouldn't be able to guess it anyway."
"Come, come, come, forget about all that for now, sit down quickly! Our East Sea F4 reunion event officially begins!"
As Xie Xie spoke, he quite exaggeratedly reached out a hand, making a victory sign, the smile on his face carrying a bit of smugness and excitement.
Xu Xiaoyan beside him quite cooperatively played the role of the mood setter, gently clapping her hands, crisp applause ringing out in the room.
"Great! Welcome our classmate Tang Wulin back to his position!"
Watching the two clowns' antics, Tang Wulin couldn't help but shake his head with a smile, then turned his head to look at Gu Yue sitting beside him.
His gaze fell upon those glass-like purple eyes, a soft smile in his voice as he spoke.
"Gu Yue, you've finally come."
Gu Yue nodded gently, those purple eyes meeting Tang Wulin's for a split second, then the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile.
"Mhm, I'm back."
"This time's Five Extremes Grand Competition, I will also participate representing the Spirit Pagoda side."
Hearing this, Tang Wulin couldn't help but be slightly stunned, then a flash of amusement crossed his eyes and he nodded.
"That's pretty good, by then we can have a good sparring match."
As he spoke, his gaze couldn't help but linger on Gu Yue's face for an extra moment, suddenly noticing that Gu Yue's expression now was somewhat different from before.
In the past when getting along with her, a heavy expression would occasionally surface on her face, the kind carrying concerns and burdens, as if feeling pressed down by something.
Although she usually concealed it very well, Tang Wulin could still occasionally capture that fleeting heaviness.
Yet the current Gu Yue, sitting beside him, holding that steaming drink with a faint smile at the corners of her mouth, looked as though she had put down some kind of baggage, appearing much more relaxed.
Tang Wulin didn't know what had happened to her, but he felt that Gu Yue like this was pretty good.
Hearing Gu Yue's words, Xie Xie abruptly puffed out his chest, a hint of smugness on his face as he laughed and said.
"Right, Gu Yue, let me tell you, you've arrived late! The boss and I came to the academy very early, and we even went out for trials for a long time, you have no idea how strong I am now!"
As he spoke, he even stretched out a finger to gesture in the air.
"The current me is no longer the Xie Xie of before, I'm telling you, I can easily defeat you now!"
Hearing this, Gu Yue's glass-like purple eyes narrowed slightly, her gaze falling onto Xie Xie with a hint of danger, yet the smile at the corners of her mouth still hadn't vanished, except that within that smile there was an extra hint of something that made one's spine chill.
"Oh? Really? Then do you want to try it right now?"
Her voice was very soft, and there was even a smile at the corners of her mouth, but Xie Xie felt as though he had been targeted by a fierce beast, a layer of cold sweat instantly breaking out across his back.
He hurriedly waved his hands, shaking his head repeatedly.
"Don't, don't, don't! I was just joking! With the four of us finally reunited with such difficulty, fighting and killing hurts harmony so much! No, no, no!"
"Right, Xiaoyan?"
Watching Xie Xie's cowardly look, Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help covering her mouth and laughing, then spoke with a hint of teasing.
"It doesn't matter, when the Five Extremes Grand Competition arrives, in case you and Sister Gu Yue get assigned to the same match, it won't be too late for you to properly display your 'formidable strength' then."
Xie Xie: "..."
The expression on his face froze for a split second, then he silently shrank his neck, picked up the cup in front of him, took a large gulp of the drink, and pretended he hadn't heard anything.
Watching this lively scene, Tang Wulin couldn't help shaking his head with a smile, then raised the cup in front of him.
"Alright, alright, regardless of everything else, being able to gather together again the four of us today is a matter worth rejoicing over."
"Come, to celebrate our reunion, cheers!"
Hearing this, Xie Xie hastily picked up his cup, Xu Xiaoyan also smiled and raised her cup, and Gu Yue paused slightly before picking up the drink in front of her as well.
Four cups gently collided in mid-air, producing a crisp and pleasant sound.
"Cheers!!"
Wei Xiaofeng: "???? We're all from East Sea, how come I'm not included? I can't fit in here, and over there everyone else from the same class is a Titled Douluo except me? How come none of you are bringing me along to play?"
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A/N:
5 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
1 Review = 1 Bonus Chapter
I hope all of you are enjoying this story so far. I would appreciate some Power Stones if you can spare any. Leave a review if you like the story. Thank you.