"Damn it, she got away!"
"Keep searching! Call more people—she can't hide forever in this city!"
"When we catch her, she'll regret this!"
The Balak Academy students had lost Zhu Zhuqing's trail.
Meanwhile, the girl in question was hiding in a narrow alleyway, confident she'd shaken off her pursuers. Escaping was second nature to her—she'd survived life-or-death situations far worse than some lecherous bullies.
Just as she was about to check her surroundings, a voice spoke from above:
"Relax, those trash are long gone."
Zhu Zhuqing instantly tensed, looking up to see... a winged figure?
No—just Xu Yunhan with his tiger-striped wings extended. Sensing his formidable soul power, her guard shot up further, fingers twitching near her spirit ring.
"No need for hostility," Xu Yunhan landed smoothly, retracting his wings. "I witnessed what happened earlier. My curiosity got the better of me."
Zhu Zhuqing remained silent, her golden eyes boring into him with icy suspicion.
Not that Xu Yunhan expected instant trust—even with his Charm skill working subtly in the background, these things took time.
"Your spirit," he continued undeterred, "it reacted with mine. Yours is a spirit cat variant, yes? Mine's feline too."
With that, he summoned his Three-Eyed White Tiger.
Zhu Zhuqing's breath hitched. Her Netherworld Spirit Cat stirred in response, while the tiger's resemblance to the Dai family's signature martial soul sent warning bells ringing.
A mutated Evil Eye White Tiger? Is he...?
Against her better judgment, she spoke for the first time, her voice unexpectedly melodic for someone so cold: "Your name?"
Xu Yunhan blinked. Of all possible first questions... "Xu Yunhan. Thirteen. Student at Shrek Academy. And you?"
Not a Dai... or is he lying?
After a beat, she relented: "Zhu Zhuqing."
"A fitting name." His appreciative gaze lingered just long enough to make her ears burn.
Abruptly, she turned on her heel and strode away—only to pause when no attempt to stop her came.
"We'll meet again, Zhu Zhuqing," floated his voice behind her.
She huffed and vanished around the corner.
So the rumors were true, Xu Yunhan mused. She really did flee Star Luo to find Dai Mubai...
A smirk curled his lips. If that playboy could win her over in the original timeline, this should be child's play.
Not that he planned to rush things. If Zhu Zhuqing was bound for Shrek Academy, he had all the time in the world to... redirect her affections.
That evening at the Rose Hotel:
Dai Mubai swaggered through the lobby with two women on his arms, while Oscar and Ma Hongjun trailed behind with one each—their companions noticeably less glamorous.
"Should we check if Boss Xu is back?" Ma Hongjun hiccuped.
Oscar waved him off. "Don't bother. You know how he is—married to his cultivation."
Their raucous laughter drowned out the faint gasp from a shadowed corner.
Zhu Zhuqing had chosen this upscale hotel precisely to avoid harassment... only to walk straight into her worst nightmare.
That bastard! Her nails bit into her palms as she watched her betrothed fondle strangers. Years of surviving assassination attempts across two empires—for this?
The Dai family's brutal succession customs had driven Dai Mubai to cowardly flee, leaving her to bear their shared punishment. Her own sister Zhu Zhuyun—wed to Dai Mubai's elder brother—had personally overseen her torture.
And now? Here he was, drowning in wine and women while she...
A tear betrayed her before she could crush it.
"Zhu Zhuqing? Fancy meeting you here."
She looked up to find Xu Yunhan looming over her booth, his expression unreadable.
Stalking me? Her glare could've frozen lava.
"Or are you following me?" he teased, sliding into the seat opposite her without invitation.
When she didn't rise to the bait, his gaze dropped to her damp lashes. "Tears? Who do I need to maim?"
Silence.
He waited.
She fumed.
The standoff stretched until Xu Yunhan did the unexpected—he simply sat there, radiating quiet companionship rather than prying.
Zhu Zhuqing shot him a sidelong glance but didn't leave.
Let Dai Mubai have his harem, Xu Yunhan thought as his Charm skill worked its magic. This kitten needs proper taming.