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    Chapter 200: The Betting Begins

    After finishing their meal hidden behind the wooden vines, Wen Ying withdrew his magic.

    It was almost time for the opening ceremony, and the number of people in the cafeteria had significantly decreased. Many seats were now empty, allowing Wen Ying to spot some classmates.

    Essence approached from behind, her affectionate pink eyes filled with teasing amusement. "I never expected you two to openly acknowledge your relationship right away. Now, humans seem to think that the relationships between magical races are different from what they read in their textbooks."

    The news of Poros dating a demon from the Realm of Devils had left the devils themselves questioning reality, let alone the humans.

    Upon hearing this, Wen Ying skillfully opened the cluttered messaging app and tapped on the trending page. As expected, it was there.

    He looked up at Essence with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "The speed is so fast that I suspect someone bought the trending spot."

    "If not for the need..." Poros' tone dropped, and an eerie feeling lingered in his unfinished words.

    Wen Ying lowered his gaze, hiding any peculiarities in his eyes.

    "Muershi has set up a bet on who will be the first to lose their temper," Essence said with her arms crossed and a smile on her face. "Poros, don't give me that terrifying look. It's not just a few bets; we're betting on who in our entire class will fail first."

    Essence lowered his voice, the natural charm of a demon's voice becoming even more captivating when whispered. "Who do you think will be the worst actor~?"

    Beros' gaze darkened, an icy aura emanating from his straight posture, like frost on a sword blade, accompanied by a scorching heat that threatened to pierce one's soul.

    Essence took a step back, toning down his teasing. "I'm just passing on the message, not the initiator, Beros. Your temper is a bit dangerous."

    The meaning of "dangerous" was ambiguous—whether it referred to Beros' temper being perilous to Essence or revealing itself as a risk. Essence didn't clarify, instead raising his hands in surrender before turning to leave the cafeteria.

    "Hey."

    "Wen... Wen Jing."

    Beros reached out to rouse Wen Ying, who snapped out of his reverie, focusing his gaze to see Beros' face.

    "What's up? Did Essence leave?" Wen Ying looked around, unaware of when Essence had departed.

    A hint of confusion flickered in Beros' eyes. "What were you thinking about so intensely?"

    "Nothing much," Wen Ying evaded, changing the subject. "Come on, we're almost out of time for the opening ceremony."

    Lu Qingyuan and Wen Xinxin appeared at the doorway.

    "Mirrorean, over here," Lu Qingyuan called out.

    Wen Xinxin also waved at Beros.

    "Let's go," Wen Ying patted Beros' arm gently.

    There's definitely something off about this guy, changing his name and wearing a mask. So absorbed in his thoughts that he's oblivious to his surroundings, Beros' eyes narrowed as they reflected the image of the demon standing before him.

    He didn't ponder whether Muershi was aware of Wen Ying's existence, for such thoughts would only exacerbate his temper today.

    In any case, he absolutely couldn't be the first demon to reveal his true nature - he staked his pride as a Cerberus on this!

    Wen Ying followed Lu Qingyuan, with Bellerophon and Wen Xinxin trailing behind. He could sense Wen Xinxin's gaze lingering on him, yet pretended not to notice.

    After much hesitation, Lu Qingyuan still approached Wen Ying and whispered, "Are you really sure about that?"

    "I'm not worried, so why should you be?" Wen Ying found the exorcist's concern amusing. "Just relax."

    Just as Lu Qingyuan was about to relax, he suddenly sensed an ominous presence closing in beside him. His body instinctively reacted to the danger, and a feeling of weightlessness surged within him as something landed on his shoulder, driven by fear.

    "What's 'that'?"

    Boros's crimson eyes seemed even more vibrant, and the brighter the hue, the more perilous the creature. Lu Qingyuan stammered, "What do you mean by 'that'?"

    The hand on his shoulder exerted more pressure, causing Lu Qingyuan to feel as if his shoulder bone was about to shatter. He turned his head pleadingly towards Wen Ying for help.

    Wen Ying raised his hand to pry Boros's hand away. "There are surveillance cameras everywhere here. Don't you want to avoid being the first one caught?"

    Suppressing his inner irritation and anger, Boros lowered his voice. "Why does he, a human, know something that I don't? Muershi must know too, right?"

    Why did Wen Ying claim to like him but not share anything with him? It was even more infuriating that Wen Ying would rather tell a human than him!

    Confused, Wen Ying couldn't decipher the mix of anger and hurt in Boros's words. After a moment of thought, he clarified, "Muershi doesn't know about this."

    "It's a long story," Wen Ying pulled Boros away from Lu Qingyuan, "I'll explain back in the dormitory. There are too many people around here."

    Wen Ying reassured the bewildered Wen Xinxin, "He's just being jealous. There's no need to be afraid."

    Wen Xinxin was even more confused.

    Then, Wen Ying comforted Lu Qingyuan, "Bellerophon is my new boyfriend. He's usually not like this. He just got angry because he was afraid I would dump him. He misunderstood our previous conversation and thought there was a third party involved."

    Lu Qingyuan gasped. He actually dared to think about dumping a hellhound.

    In his confusion, Lu Qingyuan asked instinctively, "Why aren't you worried that he might dump you?"

    Wen Xinxin's eyes widened in surprise. She hadn't expected Lu Qingyuan to be so brave. Bellerophon's anger had made her tremble, making her realize what a demon truly was.

    No matter how handsome a demon might be, their essence was still demonic – an extremely dangerous creature.

    When Bellerophon shot a glance at him, Lu Qingyuan quickly closed his mouth and turned away, pretending as if he hadn't asked anything.

    The atmosphere grew tense. The students passing by whispered and murmured to each other.

    An older exorcist teacher approached them, probably summoned by the staff in the monitoring room who noticed something amiss from the cameras and called for a nearby teacher to investigate.

    "Have you had a disagreement?" The teacher who approached them seemed to be a kind-hearted middle-aged woman, and her words were gentle, without any condescending interrogation, but rather with a willingness to listen on equal footing.

    Wen Ying took the lead to explain, "Beros thinks I'm going to dump him for another demon."

    Middle-aged woman: "??!" Confusion was written all over her face. She had imagined many scenarios, but this one had not crossed her mind.

    Through the surveillance equipment on Wen Ying's body, his voice reached the security department, leaving them equally bewildered.

    Someone commented dryly, "They're actually in a romantic relationship."

    After dealing with the middle-aged woman, the two humans and two demons headed towards the square where they had live-streamed yesterday.

    Lu Qingyuan led the way, followed by Wen Xinxin, then Wen Ying and Beros brought up the rear.

    "Were you upset that I kept things from you?" Wen Ying whispered close to Beros's arm, "Even family has their secrets." As he spoke, he glanced at Wen Xinxin ahead of them.

    Beros walked silently forward.

    Suppressing emotions for too long could indeed lead to problems. In the Demon Realm, he wouldn't have acted so impulsively just now, and there were no hunting grounds in the Human Realm. He didn't know when the Demon King's plan would come to an end...

    Boros didn't resist Wen Ying's arm around him.

    Wen Ying looked up at Boros' resistant and stern expression, letting out a long sigh. "Alright, alright, this matter is a bit complicated. I haven't told anyone, so there's nothing of the sort you're imagining."

    "Why do you care so much whether Muershi knows or not?"

    Boros' expression turned even sterner, his tense demeanor revealing a frustrated anger.

    Who cared whether Muershi knew or not!

    Wen Ying sighed inwardly, stealing glances at Boros' ears – these ears were what allowed him to tolerate Boros' temper.

    After gazing at them for a while, Wen Ying whispered soothingly, "Don't be angry anymore."

    Boros' ears twitched, and Wen Ying's lips quirked. This guy was just as much of a child as Lan Jiaying – one craved his father's praise, while the other loved being coddled by his boyfriend.

    Tsk.

    As they spoke, they had already arrived at the square.

    The square was situated right in the center of the path after entering the academy, with two grand statues standing behind it.

    Wen Ying had no idea who the statues represented; they stood back to back, one facing the entrance and the other the academy. Both were males, dressed in ancient attire.

    The scene of the Mirror Demon intimately leaning against Cerberus's arm confirmed last night's rumors, causing the students on the square to buzz with excitement.

    "Tsk tsk, it's actually true. I thought it was just a rumor."

    "Isn't that Mirror Demon scared? Just looking at Cerberus gives me the creeps."

    "I heard that the Mirror Demon wants to break up with Cerberus."

    "That must be a rumor. Look at how they interact – the Mirror Demon is always trying to please Cerberus."

    Lu Qingyuan halted her steps. "We'll have to part ways here. We're not in the same class. According to the academy rules, you'll be placed in the same class as your contractor."

    Wen Ying's eyebrows lifted slightly. This method of the Exorcist Academy was rather clever. By separating them, it would encourage them to actively engage in communication with humans around them.

    After all, when a group of demons were together, they would naturally prefer to communicate with their demonic peers.

    Boros, whose mood had just been reconciled by Wen Ying, turned gloomy again as he watched Wen Ying leave without looking back, accompanied by that human. Wen Xinxin's eyelids twitched wildly, sensing the low-pressure aura surrounding Boros.

    The opening ceremony of the Exorcist Academy followed the same format as a typical university's, even though there shouldn't have been one this semester. However, due to the significant events at the end of the year and the presence of new students, both demons and humans from ordinary backgrounds, they held an opening ceremony.

    Yesterday's acquaintance, Mu Jingnian, the eldest son of the main Mu family, was the outstanding student representative giving a speech on stage.

    The speeches by several leaders alleviated the tediousness of the long ceremony. Standing beside Lu Qingyuan, Wen Ying observed those leaders, who were from both the Church and the Association. They were honorary professors of the academy, holding titles but not actually teaching.

    "..."

    "Welcome our new human and demon students!"

    A round of enthusiastic applause erupted, soon dwindling into scattered clapping.

    Wen Ying whispered to Lu Qingyuan, "Today, find a chance to take me off this island and to the mainland."

    "Huh?"

    "I have something to attend to."

    "That's simple. Just say you want to explore the tourist city," Lu Qingyuan suggested. "But the security team might follow you."

    "Use the restroom as an excuse."

    Lu Qingyuan: "..."

    Restrooms were almost becoming their secret hideout.

    After the opening ceremony, the academic counselors began to locate the demons they were in charge of, discussing matters related to studies and classes.

    Taking this opportunity, Lu Qingyuan approached his counselor about taking Wen Ying out for a stroll. The counselor was taken aback. "I'll ask." She walked away to make a phone call.

    After a while, she returned.

    "The higher-ups have agreed, but they hope you can keep a low profile," the counselor said. "We don't mean to restrict you, but given your unique status, it's best that you..."

    Wen Ying smiled. "I understand. My classmates and I will be discreet."

    "Your... classmates?" The counselor's expression twisted. He had only mentioned himself just now.

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