“Chapter 125.”

"Chapter 125."

"Seeing that no one noticed him, Yan Bubu slowly made his way into the classroom."

"One of the sentinels spotted him first and immediately nudged the person next to him: 'Hey, hey, look.'"

"What is it..." the sentinel turned irritably, falling silent as his gaze landed on Yan Bubu.

"The arm-wrestling sentinels all turned to look at Yan Bubu, their noise diminishing as they stared and whispered among themselves."

"Who is he here to see?"

"...He's my type, and he seems to be looking at me. Is he here for me?"

"How come I've never seen him before? Have any of you?"

"He's a new student. I saw him once in the cornfield fighting sandworms."

……

"Yan Bubu felt uneasy under the intense gaze of a group of sentinels."

"Worried about his appearance, he touched his hair. Finding no issues there, he then used the back of his hand to check his face."

"The sentinels let out a few gasps."

"Hiss... he thinks his face is dirty."

"If we all look at his feet, he might take off his shoes to check. Bet?"

"Hey, hey, stop looking. You're making him walk all out of sync."

"A sentinel chuckled under his breath, 'Turn back, everyone, turn back.'"

"The sentinels' chatter grew louder. Feng Chen, engrossed in his book, looked up and saw Yan Bubu walking down his aisle."

"Feng Chen glanced at the sentinels, then stood up and walked over to Yan Bubu, leading him to his seat."

"Tall and imposing, Feng Chen shielded Yan Bubu from view, his gaze warning the other sentinels."

"...So, he's Feng Chen's guide."

"Let's continue arm-wrestling. Who lost just now?"

"Hey, stop staring. He's got a sentinel, no point in looking."

"Feng Chen let Yan Bubu sit in his seat, then pulled up a chair from a nearby empty desk to sit beside him. Yan Bubu moved his chair closer to Feng Chen's."

"Having just been the focus of an entire class of sentinels, Yan Bubu felt somewhat guilty and asked Feng Chen in a low voice, 'Can you check if my face is dirty, or if my clothes are okay?'"

"'Everything's fine,' Feng Chen replied."

"Yan Bubu, still anxious, said, 'Then why were they staring at me... I was so nervous, afraid I'd embarrass you.'"

"Seeing Yan Bubu's uneasy expression, Feng Chen glanced at his own legs and swallowed his comment about not crowding on one seat in front of others."

"There's nothing inappropriate."

"Hmm, okay..." Yan Bubu nodded, then pondered, "Then they must have been staring because they think I look good."

"You only have twenty minutes for the break. You should stay in the classroom and read or solve a couple of problems," Feng Chen suggested.

"I knew you'd want me to study," Yan Bubu huffed, pulling out a book hidden behind him and slamming it on the desk, "See? I was prepared."

Yan Bubu flipped through the book half-heartedly, then suddenly recalled the image of Feng Chen he had seen at the classroom door, nudging him with his elbow, "Brother, I felt like you were different from usual just now."

"Oh? How am I usually?" Feng Chen asked, his hands on the desk, twirling a pencil in one of them.

Yan Bubu reminisced slowly, "I think you should be lying on a lounge chair, your feet on the bay window, with a pot of hot water beside you. Then after a while, you'd call out: 'Yan Bubu, put on some music. Yan Bubu, have you finished your homework? Come here, do it next to me…'"

Yan Bubu's voice trailed off, and Feng Chen turned to look at him, "Go on."

"To continue... But just now, you looked so different from when you're at home, very... very different. Of course, you also looked very handsome, almost like a different person. It really caught me off guard..."

Feng Chen's eyes, deep and intense, were fixed on Yan Bubu, his gaze serious and focused.

Yan Bubu felt his heart start to beat uncontrollably, his voice growing softer and avoiding Feng Chen's gaze, his eyes darting around.

"Stop looking at me like that." He turned his back, facing the window.

"Why?"

"...Anyway, it's just weird when you do that."

Feng Chen's gaze fell on Yan Bubu's ears, observing the small earlobes turning red, the blush gradually spreading to the surrounding skin, tinting his neck a soft pink.

"I'm weird? How am I weird?" Feng Chen's deep voice, soft as silk, brushed past Yan Bubu's ears.

"Don't talk either."

A hint of amusement appeared in Feng Chen's eyes, "So, I'm not allowed to talk or look at you?"

Yan Bubu continued to face away, "Right, because you're being a bit weird right now."

Feng Chen raised an eyebrow and indeed turned to read his book, neither speaking nor looking at Yan Bubu.

Yan Bubu sat in silence for a few minutes before suddenly remembering why he came, turning back with a soft 'ah': "The last lesson was an obstacle course with the quantum beasts. Binunu and Sasa did great, finishing first and second."

Feng Chen slowly turned a page, eyes on the book, and raised his left thumb in response.

Yan Bubu paused, "You can look and talk to me now."

Feng Chen indeed closed the book and turned to look at him.

Yan Bubu steadied himself and began to vividly describe the events of the class, using gestures to add to his excitement, sometimes even acting out the movements: "Sasa pushed it to the right... and when I shouted 'charge!', Binunu dashed out like flying... It was amazing, really, you would have been overjoyed if you were there..."

His expressions were animated, and his tone lively. Even though the specifics of what he said were unclear, the sentinels who were previously arm-wrestling quieted down and turned to watch him.

Feng Chen subtly glanced behind; the sentinels quickly gathered again, "Come on, continue, whose turn is it? Hurry up, you just lost."

"After Yan Bubu finished his animated storytelling, Feng Chen, noting the time for class was approaching, urged him to return to his classroom. Reluctantly, Yan Bubu stood up to leave."

"I'll come to your classroom at noon to pick you up for lunch."

"No need, just wait for me downstairs," Feng Chen said.

"No, I want to come and get you," Yan Bubu insisted, leaning affectionately on his shoulder.

"Alright, alright, then hurry up," Feng Chen said, waving him off like shooing a fly. Yan Bubu then picked up his book and left the classroom.

"Ever since getting the instructor's approval, Binunu and the black lion had been attending classes with Yan Bubu every day. Especially Binunu, who had practically become a student, taking notes seriously with its little paws."

"Yan Bubu was closer to Wang Suizi and Chen Wenchao, and the three of them were always together. Ding Hongsheng and Cai Tao also often joined Feng Chen, forming a small group that hung out together whenever they weren’t in class."

"After dinner, Feng Chen would take Yan Bubu out of the school gates for walks in the nearby area. Although the district was heavily guarded and restricted to outsiders, students were still allowed to move freely."

"The two would stroll towards the left side of the academy, passing by the small buildings of the research institute."

"Under the streetlights, the institute's outer wall was smooth and topped with an additional few meters of electric fencing. Soldiers stood guard outside the tightly closed gates, vigilantly watching Feng Chen and Yan Bubu as they walked by, only relaxing once the pair had moved away from the entrance."

"Let's check out the back of the institute," Feng Chen suggested, leading Yan Bubu to the rear of the building.

"The back was unguarded, and there seemed to be no cameras on the wall. Just as Yan Bubu was about to suggest getting closer, Feng Chen pulled him away."

"What's wrong? Shouldn't we take a longer look, maybe study the layout?" Yan Bubu asked.

"No need to look further," Feng Chen said, putting his arm around Yan Bubu's shoulder. "If a metal wall like this doesn't have visible cameras, it must be fitted with internal sensors like air vibration detectors. To get over the wall, we'd need to locate and disable these sensors first."

"It seems really hard to get in. Maybe we could try digging a tunnel? No, that won't work, there's no soil under our feet, just metal plates underneath the bricks... What to do..." Yan Bubu muttered in worry.

"Don't worry, the right opportunity will come," Feng Chen reassured, glancing back at the institute before shifting the topic to Yan Bubu, "What did you learn today?"

Feng Chen asked about Yan Bubu's academic progress every day. Excited about today's lessons, Yan Bubu said, "We had firearms training today, practicing shooting. I didn't miss the target even once and even hit an eight-ring once."

"Not bad," Feng Chen nodded approvingly, "What about your theory class?"

"…The theory class," Yan Bubu began hesitantly, "was about, I think, the importance of information warfare in modern combat and how guides can effectively use their psychic powers in battle."

"Did you summarize the main points the instructor mentioned? Tell me about them," Feng Chen prompted as they walked leisurely.

Yan Bubu stumbled for a response, "Ah... well, that."

"Did you take notes during the lecture?"

Yan Bubu perked up, his voice growing louder, "Yes, I did. I took notes very seriously. Whatever the instructor asked to note down, I noted."

Feng Chen knew that Yan Bubu was diligent in following the instructor's directions during lessons. He had seen Yan Bubu's notebooks, which included details the instructor might not have specifically asked to be noted, likely copying the entire blackboard.

"But have you understood the content of those notes?" Feng Chen inquired.

Yan Bubu nodded, "I understood."

"Good. Now, tell me, if a sentinel enters a dangerously unbalanced sensory state, or a trance, the guide not only needs to pull them out of that state but also to soothe another sentinel and control a variant species simultaneously. How should a guide appropriately distribute their psychic energy in such a situation?"

"How to distribute it? Well, definitely more to the sentinel already in a trance," Yan Bubu answered confidently.

Feng Chen remained silent. Yan Bubu stole a glance at his expression and, sensing he hadn’t answered correctly, changed his response, "Wait, I think more energy should be allocated to controlling the variant species."

Still without expression, Feng Chen prompted Yan Bubu to rethink. Yan Bubu's eyes flitted about as he reconsidered, "No, let me think again. Maybe it should be more to the other sentinel... No, that’s not right either. It should still be more to the one in a trance, right? After all, they are in a trance, logically and emotionally, they need more."

Feng Chen slowly turned to face Yan Bubu, "In such a situation, the guide should immediately abandon controlling the variant species, allocate three-fifths of their psychic energy to pull out the sentinel in trance, one-fifth to soothe the other sentinel, and keep the remaining one-fifth in reserve for emergency situations."

"That's right, exactly," Yan Bubu said, clearly impressed, "Brother, you're amazing. How do you know all this about guides? I can barely remember it."

Feng Chen stopped and said coolly, "Because that's the exact question and answer you wrote in your notebook yesterday. I recited it to you word for word."

"Really? Did I write it in my notebook?" Yan Bubu was astonished, "Impossible, how could I forget?"

Feng Chen smiled warmly, "You wrote it down yesterday, two pages, right in the middle of the first page."

"Haha, so that's how it is. I don't remember it at all."

Yan Bubu laughed along until he noticed Feng Chen's face had darkened, and he too stopped laughing, holding his breath nervously.

"Yan Bubu, your brain is filled with nothing but tofu dregs, the kind that never spoils in ten years!" Feng Chen suddenly shouted, startling Yan Bubu into trembling, "Go back and memorize it right now. Tonight, you'll recite three pages of your notebook to me."

"...Three pages?"

Feng Chen sneered, "Not enough? Then make it five pages. I'll check before you sleep, and you're not allowed to go to bed until you've memorized them."

Yan Bubu fell silent, turning his head away to glare resentfully at a flower bed by the road.

"Do you realize you have an exam coming up, Yan Bubu? I'm not expecting much, but can you at least score higher than Zhao Cui?"

Yan Bubu finally burst out, incredulously, "But Sister Cui is the last in our class!"

"So what?" Feng Chen looked down at him, "That's my expectation of you, just to do better than Cui."

The black lion, who had been carrying Binunu on a wild run along the empty sidewalk, had just returned to their side. Binunu, hearing their conversation, looked tense.

When they got home, Yan Bubu didn't go upstairs. He sat on the sofa, memorizing the contents of his notebook. Binunu also took out its notebook covered in dark circles to study. The black lion lay behind it, serving as a pillow.

Feng Chen looked down from the stairs to see both Yan Bubu and the quantum beast studying seriously, a hint of satisfaction on his face.

The next day, during the long break, Yan Bubu stood up immediately upon hearing the bell, ready to go upstairs to find Feng Chen. But he hesitated upon seeing Zhao Cui diligently drawing lines with a pen and ruler on her book.

"Remembering Feng Chen's words that he just needed to outperform Sister Cui, Yan Bubu sat back down upon seeing her diligence, and silently started reviewing his notebook."

"Hey, why so serious all of a sudden?" Wang Suizi asked, turning around.

Yan Bubu replied with a hint of distress, "I'm afraid my brother will be angry if I perform poorly."

"How bad can it be? Anyway, I'm here to prop up the bottom, don't worry," Zhao Cui's voice chimed in from nearby.

Yan Bubu turned to her, "But Sister Cui, you're always doing exercises after class. That makes me nervous."

"Exercises? What exercises?" Zhao Cui took out a pair of scissors and started snipping away at a book, "I finally found a discarded book nobody wanted. I'm making a shoe insole pattern. Those combat boots make my feet sweaty, and an insole will make them more comfortable."

"I don't need theoretical knowledge for a military rank. I don't understand what the instructor teaches anyway. As long as I know how to soothe a sentinel's mental domain during combat and help control the situation, being a good soldier is all that matters," Zhao Cui said.

Yan Bubu tested her, "Sister Cui, let me ask you: if a sentinel enters a trance, and you need to pull them out, soothe another sentinel, and control a variant species at the same time, how would you distribute your psychic energy?"

"If they're in a trance, why worry about the variant species? Just pull them out first, then soothe the other sentinel, and keep some energy in reserve, right?" Zhao Cui answered nonchalantly, biting off a thread.

Yan Bubu, hoping to regain some confidence in his studies, was stunned by her answer, murmuring after a long pause, "...I'm really going to be last."

Zhao Cui glanced at him and reassured, "No, you won't. I'm still here."

"If I do poorly, my brother will definitely call me illiterate," Yan Bubu reflected, "I want to study well, but what if I can't absorb the material? I memorized stuff last night and now I can't remember any of it... and I don't feel like studying anymore."

Zhao Cui advised, "Then you should review it a few more times. You're not motivated enough right now."

"How can I get enough motivation to study?" Yan Bubu earnestly asked for advice.

Putting down her scissors, Zhao Cui replied, "Aren't you afraid of your brother scolding you? There's your motivation."

"Not really scared... I just have to endure his scolding, and worst case, do some extra exercises as punishment."

Zhao Cui coaxed him gently, "Wouldn't you like to turn the tables on your brother? Wouldn't you want to call him illiterate and slam the exercises down in front of him for him to do?"

With each word from Zhao Cui, Yan Bubu's eyes lit up a bit more, eventually staring intently at his book, his expression a mix of joy and anticipation.

Zhao Cui picked up her scissors again, asking with a meaningful look, "Is that enough motivation for you now?"

Yan Bubu turned abruptly, earnestly saying, "Thank you, Sister Cui. I'll go over it five more times today. I won't believe it if I can't remember it."

"Good, then get to it," Zhao Cui said with a smile, shaking her head as she picked up her needle and thread.

A moment later, she sighed softly, "Ah, wonder how long we can keep living days like these..."