Chapter 21 0021: Deceived?

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Chu Yun slung his bundle over his shoulder as he stepped out of the dormitory, only to see Ye Linglong’s tall figure standing by the door. When she spotted him, she hurried forward and said, “Why did you sign the papers? This is all Fan Zhiming’s doing.”

Chu Yun stood taller than Ye Linglong, who was already over one-seventy in height. Seeing her anxious expression, he replied, “People have complained about me before. If the school hadn’t lost patience with me this time, Fan Zhiming wouldn’t have succeeded. I wasn’t expelled by Fan Zhiming, but by the academy itself. Since that’s the case, why should I shamelessly linger here any longer?”

“But with your talent and aptitude, if you leave here, there might not be any good teachers for you at other academies,” Ye Linglong said, frowning. “If nothing else works, just apologize. I’ll go and plead with the dean.”

“If the dean keeps me here again, I might as well be his son,” Chu Yun quipped. “It’s fine—really. It doesn’t matter to me which school I go to. If I’m not welcome here, there’s always somewhere else for me. I’ll just head over to that second-rate academy across the way.”

“That place is full of lazy good-for-nothings, relying on their family’s wealth to idle away their days,” Ye Linglong retorted. “If you go there, you’ll only be led astray. That academy accepts all kinds of students, even the problematic ones. If you go to a place with no prospects, you’ll just be wasting your own potential!”

“Cultivation is a personal journey,” Chu Yun interrupted. “Don’t talk to me about the environment or external factors. If your heart isn’t strong and resolute, why bother seeking to defy fate itself?”

With that, he walked past her.

Perhaps something occurred to him, for Chu Yun turned back to Ye Linglong and said, “Actually, this might be for the best. If we’re not in the same academy, people won’t gossip about us, and you won’t have to go out of your way to avoid me. Even after we’re married, we’ll only see each other at home.”

Ye Linglong was taken aback. “You… you still want to be a live-in son-in-law?”

Chu Yun replied, “Unless you’re planning to marry into my family instead?”

Ye Linglong shook her head. “No. I have to stay with my family and manage their affairs. If I left, my two brothers would eventually squander everything, and the Ye family would be ruined!”

“Then that settles it,” Chu Yun said.

“But—” Ye Linglong began.

Chu Yun cut her off, “You’re not planning to let me marry into your family anymore?”

“No!” Ye Linglong quickly replied. “It’s just, with your skills and prospects, why would you want to marry into the Ye family? What do you get out of it?”

Chu Yun shrugged, “It’s certainly not because I love you. As for the rest, that’s my own business. We already agreed—even if we get married, it’ll be just like this. We won’t interfere in each other’s lives, and I can’t stand other women bothering me either!”

“Do you dislike women?” Ye Linglong asked.

Chu Yun didn’t answer, but his clear, unwavering gaze toward Ye Linglong was no different from how he looked at any other woman. Having been betrayed by a woman in his past life, he had no intention of trusting easily again. Female friends were fine, but he’d decided not to open his heart—he was simply too tired.

Ye Linglong asked, “Since you dislike women, why marry into my family?”

“If I don’t marry into your family, my mother will force me to take a wife,” Chu Yun replied.

Ye Linglong was momentarily speechless, finding his perfunctory answer somewhat dull. Still, hearing that Chu Yun was willing to become part of the Ye family eased her mind.

As the two exchanged glances, a refined young man standing at the foot of the steps suddenly called out, “Ye Linglong, long time no see.”

Ye Linglong turned toward the voice and saw the gentlemanly Duanmu Ci smiling up at her. “Do you have time? It’s been ages since we last saw each other. I didn’t even know you were at this branch academy. Let’s get a meal together.”

Ye Linglong looked at Chu Yun. For his sake—even though their engagement was a sham—she felt the need to give him some respect in public. She glanced at Chu Yun with a questioning look.

Chu Yun chuckled softly. “Go ahead. It’s not every day someone comes looking for you.”

With that, he turned and walked down the steps with his bundle. Duanmu Ci watched him descend in silence.

Ye Linglong then said to Duanmu Ci, “I’ll have to pass on the meal. I have things to do.”

Duanmu Ci hadn’t expected her refusal, and was a bit surprised.

“Are you upset because I didn’t know you were here and only just reached out?” Duanmu Ci smiled. “Let me apologize then. We’re old classmates—won’t you give me a chance?”

“I really do have something to do,” Ye Linglong said, stepping past him to catch up with Chu Yun. “Have you eaten yet?” she asked.

“I have,” Chu Yun replied with three words, killing the conversation.

All she could do was watch as he walked off into the distance, bundle on his back.

—

In the dean’s office, the arrival of the star student from River City Martial Arts Academy drew a warm welcome. The dean, his face flushed with excitement, personally handled the admissions procedures for Miss Hou.

“Miss Manman, have you decided which class you’d like to join?” the dean asked with a smile.

The steward beside Hou Manman bent down and whispered in her ear. She replied, “Dean, could you check which class the student named Chu Yun is in? I’d like to be in the same class as him.”

“Oh, certainly,” the dean smiled, preparing to use the smart computer’s voice recognition to search. Suddenly, he paused. “What? Chu Yun? Are you sure you mean that Chu Yun? Do you know him, Miss Manman?”

“Not really. I just heard of him and came out of admiration,” Manman replied.

She had, in fact, been persuaded by her mother’s endless praise to come here.

The dean smiled wryly. “He’s certainly well-known—almost ruined our academy’s reputation. I couldn’t stand the pressure. At a meeting, a unanimous vote got him expelled.”

“Expelled?” Manman was stunned. “Did he do something terrible? He’s so talented—how could you just expel him? Doesn’t your school have special policies for exceptional students?”

“Talented?” The dean was taken aback, then looked completely baffled. “Miss Manman, you must be joking. I didn’t recruit him—my predecessor did. If I’d known he’d be stuck at Warrior Level One for eternity, I wouldn’t have accepted him. He’s caused people to question our admission standards and the academy’s credibility.”

“Warrior Level One?” Hou Manman found it even harder to believe.

Her mother had sung the man’s praises, and even elders spoke highly of him. She’d thought he must be an extraordinary talent—but from the dean’s tone, he sounded like a pitiful reject, cast off as useless.

“Are you sure the Chu Yun you’re talking about is the same one I mean?” Hou Manman began to think the dean was mistaken.

“Here, see for yourself. Is this the one?” The dean slid the virtual screen across to her.

Hou Manman recognized the man her mother had mentioned—she’d seen the photo her father Hou Yaodong gave her. Instantly, she felt she’d been duped by her mother.

“Miss Manman, if there’s no problem with this admission form, please sign here. With your enrollment, I’m certain our academy will stand out among all the schools on Hope Continent and make it into the top sixteen!” The dean beamed as he handed over the form.

Hou Manman rose, a little embarrassed. “Dean Long, let me think it over.”

With that, she left the office.