Chapter 17 The First Deal, What? They Spent the Night Together Last Night?…

Chapter 17: First Transaction. Did They Spend the Night Together?

The back-alley doctor raised an eyebrow at Yu Xing, a silent "See? I told you so."

Yun Dai continued, "But this isn't some rare medicine. It's just... ordinary. Real high-grade medicines are strictly controlled and wouldn't end up in places like this, especially not in some rundown little—"

She suddenly caught the doctor's pointed gaze and quickly skipped that part, adding, "...and they certainly wouldn't be sold this cheaply."

"..." Yu Xing felt conflicted. So a half-million-credit medicine was considered *cheap*?

"Alright," Yu Xing said, sitting down. "Let me experience this 'cheap' 500,000-credit medicine first."

The doctor treated the unconscious girl first. Half her body was covered in blood, her face ghostly pale, and her breathing extremely faint. But as the medicine was slowly injected into her veins, her condition visibly improved at an incredible rate.

First, her breathing stabilized. Then, color returned to her skin, and even her pained grimace quickly relaxed.

"Done," the back-alley doctor said, checking the monitor readings before cutting open the girl's clothes to examine the penetrating wound on her chest. Yu Xing watched as the gaping wound, already necrotic at the edges, visibly healed before her eyes.

The doctor, wearing gloves, carefully cleaned the wound with a machine.

As the wound was cleaned, the healing sped up noticeably. Noticing this, the doctor suddenly shot a glance at Yu Xing and Yun Dai.

He saw Yun Dai edging closer to Yu Xing, her hands lightly gripping Yu Xing's clothes, her face still showing traces of fear.

Without comment, he turned back and said, "She'll be fine. Once she wakes up after some sleep, she'll be nearly recovered."

*Remarkable…*

Yu Xing, who had witnessed the entire treatment process, was amazed. The technology here was truly advanced. If she could learn these medical techniques and return to Earth one day, wouldn't she make a fortune?

The only problem was figuring out *how* to return to Earth.

After finishing the unconscious girl's treatment, the back-alley doctor had Yu Xing sit on a chair, then crouched down and cut away her blood-soaked pant leg.

Upon seeing the wound, the doctor said while cleaning it, "Your injuries are quite strange. How did you get them?"

Yu Xing thought, *Of course they're strange. How many people get hunted by monsters?*

She didn't dwell on it, but Yun Dai, standing nearby, snapped irritably, "Why ask so many questions? Can't you just focus on your work?"

The doctor's hands hesitated momentarily before he silently continued cleaning the wound. Yu Xing glanced at Yun Dai in surprise, wondering why she was being so aggressive.

Noticing Yu Xing's gaze, Yun Dai immediately gave her a smug, *look-what-I-did* smile.

Yu Xing: "..."

Yu Xing suddenly understood. She looked down at the doctor crouched in front of her, treating her wound, and sighed inwardly. *Yun Dai’s jealous again. She’s even jealous of the doctor. Where will this end?*

Once the wound was cleaned, the doctor injected Yu Xing with the medicine.

As the medicine slowly entered her body, Yu Xing first felt itchy all over, followed by a rise in body temperature. But it wasn't uncomfortable—instead, it felt like soaking in a hot spring, soothing and drowsy.

She managed a glance downward at the wound on her leg. The bloody hole left by the monster’s claw was healing at an incredible speed, and she could even see the flesh inside knitting together.

She yawned, her thoughts growing foggy. Leaning weakly against the chair, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

---

Meanwhile, an unmarked black car drove into District D and eventually stopped beside the wreckage of a bus.

The doors opened, and five people—three men and two women—emerged.

They were dressed differently, but the one leading them was a young man in white casual wear. As soon as he got out, he stood motionless by the car. A woman with dreadlocks beside him scrutinized the bus wreckage and said, "According to the surveillance footage transferred from District C, this is the vehicle."

The young man in white frowned slightly and spoke softly, "I don’t sense any signs of corruption."

A muscular man in a sleeveless vest, his corded arms bare, strode toward the bus. After a moment, he called out, "The door’s already open."

He then swept a flashlight beam inside. "The bus is damaged. No living beings inside, but there’s blood. No signs of a source of corruption."

"None?" The dreadlocked woman walked over and peered inside.

The muscular man and two others entered the bus, conducting a thorough search. After a while, the muscular man said, "Confirmed—no source of corruption. There’s blood everywhere, so the source must’ve already been dealt with."

"By whom?" The dreadlocked woman scanned the area impatiently. "I *told* you District D needs more surveillance cameras!"

"Who’s approving the budget?" A lean man in a leather jacket, crouching near the front of the bus, shot back. "Or are *you* sponsoring it?"

As he spoke, he detached a component from the dashboard. "The onboard camera’s broken, but not severely. It can be fixed."

He patted the device. "Might even have some useful footage."

The young man in white walked to the bus’s rear door, took out a handkerchief to cover his nose, and wrinkled his nose. Peering inside, he muttered, "So much blood… There must’ve been many casualties."

"Could they all be dead?" The muscular man, still inside, said, "Witnesses at the crash site said the place was overrun with monsters—no normal people left."

"Not all dead," the young man in white said, looking down at the ground. "Someone was taken away."

The muscular man shone his light on the ground, exposing a trail of bloody footprints. There were two—no, three sets.

Two showed normal walking, while the third had dragging marks.

"Someone was injured?" The dreadlocked woman raised an eyebrow.

She squinted at the footprints. "Judging by the size… both women?"

The young man in white nodded and added, "And both middle school students."

"Huh?" The muscular man was stunned. "Captain, have you leveled up to the point where you can guess someone’s age just by their footprint size?"

The young man in white sighed and pointed at the prints. "This sole pattern is unique to the shoes issued by Seventh Middle School."

The dreadlocked woman looked surprised. "There’s a Divine Chosen at Seventh Middle School? Why didn’t we know?"

---

Yu Xing slept in the clinic for two hours. When she woke up, she felt refreshed and full of energy—so much so that she almost wanted to do a set of jumping jacks on the spot.

Checking the time, she realized daybreak was near. Having been gone all night, her grandmother was likely worried out of her mind. Without another thought, she just wanted to hurry home.

"Where are you going?" Seeing Yu Xing about to leave as soon as she woke up, Yun Dai instinctively grabbed her arm.

Yu Xing hesitated. "I’m going home."

"You’re just going to leave us here?!" Yun Dai stared at her in disbelief, digging her fingers in.

Yu Xing’s breath hitched. Then, one by one, she pried Yun Dai’s fingers loose.

"Don’t be like this," Yu Xing said helplessly. "I already have a boyfriend. There’s no future for us."

The back-alley doctor who was observing the unconscious girl froze mid-motion at these words, then turned to look at Yu Xing and the other girl with an expression of shock mixed with excitement.

At this moment, Yun Dai was facing the biggest crisis she'd ever faced. She felt that staying by Yu Xing's side was the only safe option, so she absolutely couldn't let Yu Xing leave.

"I don't care!" Yun Dai's spoiled heiress attitude wouldn't take no for an answer. "I won't let you go! You have to stay with me!"

The doctor watched this scene with great interest, thinking to himself how kids these days were so playful.

Yu Xing frowned deeply as she looked at the pink pop-up window that had suddenly appeared before her eyes.

"Level 1 Broomstick Star 212/250."

She said, "Let go. Don't touch me."

Yun Dai had no intention of letting go. She gripped even tighter. "What will it take for you not to leave?"

If it were anyone else, Yun Dai would have resorted to threats—with her family background, threatening an ordinary student wouldn't be an issue. But the problem was that Yu Xing wasn't like other people; she didn't respond to such tactics. Moreover, Yu Xing might be a Divine Chosen, and Divine Chosen were protected by the Federation. She could simply ignore Yun Dai and leave.

But Yun Dai was genuinely terrified. This was District D, a place of chaos and danger. If Yu Xing abandoned her here, what if she encountered bad people? What if she faced another dangerous situation like the one on the bus?

"You..." Yun Dai was so anxious she wanted to cry. In utter desperation, she said, "Name your price!"

"Huh?" Yu Xing, who had been trying to peel Yun Dai's fingers off, froze, looking bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"Name your price," Yun Dai said, tossing her head slightly with an air of arrogance. "How much money do you want to stay with me?"

Yu Xing: "?"

The doctor: "..."

"Forget about the earlier 500,000," Yun Dai said with steely resolve in her eyes. "I'll give you another 500,000. Stay with me until my family comes to pick me up. How about that?"

The doctor, who had been watching the drama unfold, lost his amused expression. 500,000? How many patients would he have to treat to earn that much? At this moment, he wished he could push Yu Xing aside and agree to Yun Dai's offer himself. He wouldn't just stay with her until her family arrived—he'd even hold her purse if she asked.

Yu Xing's mind divided into two arguing voices, engaged in a fierce internal debate.

One voice said, "Say yes! Say yes! That's 500,000!"

The other countered, "Ask for more! Ask for more!"

Before she could speak, a faint creaking sound came from above. She barely had time to react before the overhead light suddenly fell, landing squarely on Yun Dai's forehead.

Yun Dai collapsed to the ground, motionless.

"..."

Yu Xing was stunned by the scene. After an eerie silence, the doctor hurried over to tend to Yun Dai. As he gave her injections, he said to Yu Xing with an apologetic tone, "Sorry about that. This place is a bit run-down—things are always falling apart here."

Yu Xing's cheek twitched. She didn't blame the building; if anything, it was Yun Dai's fault for clinging to her so stubbornly. Yu Xing had warned her, but she hadn't listened.

Looking at Yun Dai lying unconscious on the ground, Yu Xing grew worried. "She's not dead, is she?"

"No," the doctor said with certainty. "Minor injury. Just out cold."

Relieved, Yu Xing glanced at the time again. If she didn't leave now, it would soon be dawn. "Leave her here with you," she said. "Wait for her family to pick her up. I'm going."

But just leaving like this felt irresponsible, so she added to the doctor, "They're both students from Seventh Middle School. And this one—" She pointed at Yun Dai on the floor. "—comes from a well-connected rich family. If anything happens to her here, you're done for."

The doctor, still crouched on the floor, gave her a weary look. "Got it. I haven't lasted this long on the streets for nothing. I know who not to mess with better than you do."

Yu Xing nodded, turned, and headed for the door.

In the doorway, she stopped abruptly and turned back to the doctor.

Still crouched, the doctor asked, "What? Changed your mind about leaving?"

"No." Yu Xing pulled out her device. "Take off your mask. I'm snapping your picture—that way, you can't run."

"..."

As he tugged off his mask, the doctor said, "So cautious. What if I get my face changed? It's pretty easy these days."

Yu Xing studied his face and was surprised to see how surprisingly youthful he looked—almost boyish, with eyes that curved into crescents when he smiled.

"You have a point," Yu Xing said as she took his picture with her device. "Now give me your government ID and full name."

...

Outside the black-market clinic, the night wind whistled through the rips in Yu Xing's pants, making her shudder.

She had just added Jiang Hui as a friend because she felt she needed a doctor on her friends list. If nothing else, her grandmother's poor health meant she'd be dealing with doctors often in the future.

Her home was still some distance away, so Yu Xing took off running.

People in District D generally had poor physical and mental health, and the streets were nearly empty once the moon came out. Yu Xing encountered only a few individuals on her way back.

Finally home, she stood outside the door, gasping for breath. Once her breathing steadied, she quietly turned the knob.

The house was dark and silent. Yu Xing let out a relieved sigh—she couldn't let her grandmother see her in this state. Slipping inside quietly, she headed straight for the bathroom to clean up.

Her grandmother must have been asleep. Yu Xing shoved her ripped, bloody school uniform into the bedroom trash bin before flopping onto the bed with a long exhale.

Perhaps the effects of the medication lingered, because despite having slept only two hours, Yu Xing felt wide awake. She checked the time—just about forty minutes until she had to get up.

At this point, there was no use trying to sleep.

Yu Xing reached into her pocket and produced a purple orb.

This was what she had taken from the bus—dropped by that monster. Holding the orb in one hand, she poked it with a finger, but it remained inert.

The purple glow reflected in Yu Xing's eyes. This thing must be important, but she had no idea how.

After a moment's thought, she snapped a picture of the orb and uploaded it to the Transmigrator Trade Forum with a post.

"Brothers and sisters! I just went 300 rounds with a monster!"

In the post, she described her encounter with the monster, attached the photo, and asked if anyone knew what the purple orb was.

The forum members seemed to be always online, because responses flooded in the moment she posted.

[ABO's Only Sister: Wow, why are your worlds all so cool?]

[Jiaxin in the Zombie Apocalypse: You said this appeared after killing the monster? I think it's some kind of energy, like the zombie cores in my world. Maybe you can absorb it—why not try?]

[Jiahao of the Spiritual Resurgence: Hey, upstairs, stop giving reckless advice! Every world is different. What if our girl absorbs that thing and turns into a monster too?]

[Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: Give it to me, I'll trade you talismans for it.]

Yu Xing was stunned—this could be traded?

[Wasteland World's Heartthrob: It can be exchanged?]

[ABO's Only Sister: What else did you think? This is the Transmigrator Trade Forum—the word "trade" is key. Check the backend; there's a trade option. Click it, and a trade channel will appear. Just toss the item you want to trade into it.]

It could work like this? Yu Xing felt a rush of excitement. She had read some cultivation novels and knew talismans were valuable.

Just as she was about to agree, someone else jumped in.

[Little Li in the Magical World: Heartthrob, don’t buy it! Talismans are powerful, but not everyone can use them. Using talismans requires mana, and since you’ve never trained, you have none. To you, they’d just be worthless scrap.]

[Little Li in the Magical World: Better give it to me—I’ll trade you a magic wand. A wand doesn’t require magic; you just need to say the magic words.]

[Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: Heartthrob, don’t listen to that Xiao Li! I don’t just have talismans—I also have elixirs. You know elixirs, right? No magic needed; just take them and they work. I have ones to boost your body, live longer, patch you up—whatever you need, I’ve got it.]

[ABO's Only Sister: LOL, they’re going at it again. I love watching them argue.]

Yu Xing was tempted by their offers. She wanted the magic wand, but she also wanted the elixirs.

[Little Li in the Magical World: Heartthrob, think about it—elixirs won’t help if you’re dead. Your world is so dangerous; another monster might show up tomorrow. You need something like a magic wand to level up your power, at least for self-defense.]

That made sense...

[Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: Trade with me, and I’ll even throw in a storage bag. You know what that is, right? Your world definitely doesn’t have it. With a storage bag, everything becomes so much easier.]

Ah, that also made sense. Yu Xing was stuck again.

[Little Li in the Magical World: I’ll also give you a broomstick—a flying broomstick! Wicked cool. Want it?]

Yu Xing: "..."

For a moment, she imagined herself flying on a broomstick through the sky. Xiao Li clearly understood the mindset of daydreaming teens like her—she was totally sold.

A-Yuan wasn’t giving up.

[Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: I have a flying sword.]

[Little Li in the Magical World: Oh please, a flying sword also needs mana to work.]

[Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: ...]

Yu Xing made her decision—she wanted the broomstick... no, the magic wand.

[Wasteland World's Heartthrob: Xiao Li, I’ll trade with you.]

Even though she’d decided, she didn’t want to give up on the other items.

[Wasteland World's Heartthrob: A-Yuan, could you give me a storage bag first? Next time I get something like this, I’ll prioritize you.]

After sending the message, A-Yuan didn’t reply immediately—probably thinking it over.

[Zhang Wei in the Primordial World: I’ll give you a magic gourd storage. Next time, prioritize me.]

[Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: Get lost! Heartthrob, I’ll give you a storage bag—consider it a freebie.]

With the trade settled, Yu Xing exited the chat and went to the backend.

Sure enough, there was a trade option she hadn’t noticed before. Before she could click it, a pop-up appeared.

"Little Li in the Magical World invites you to trade. Accept?"

Yu Xing clicked "Accept" without hesitation, waiting eagerly.

As she confirmed, the pink screen warped in front of her eyes, turning into a dark, spinning whirlpool.

The vortex appeared silently in front of her. Yu Xing instinctively reached out to touch it but felt nothing—it was like an illusion, visible but intangible.

The vortex spun faster, and two objects popped out.

Yu Xing reached out, and they landed in her palms.

In her left hand was a broomstick—plain but sturdy. Honestly, since transmigrating to this world, she hadn’t seen a broomstick; the tech level here didn’t need them.

In her right hand was a slender magic wand, about a meter long, entirely gold with sectioned designs and intricate engravings.

Another pink pop-up appeared.

"Little Li in the Magical World requests a DM."

"Little Li in the Magical World: Before using the wand or broomstick, put a drop of blood on them to bind them to you. No one else can take them."

"Little Li in the Magical World: The wand has two spells—regular and super. The super spell has a cooldown; only once an hour. The spells are..."

"Little Li in the Magical World: Hurry up and give me the orb!!"

Yu Xing put the stuff down and tossed the purple orb into the vortex.

As the orb vanished, the vortex gradually disappeared too.

Was the trade complete?

Yu Xing gripped the broomstick, stroking it excitedly, dying to try it out in the sky.

Then another pop-up appeared.

"Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm invites you to trade. Accept?"

She clicked "Accept" without hesitation, and soon a small silver ring flew out of the vortex.

"Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm requests a DM."

"Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: A storage bag might look weird in your world. A storage ring is more convenient. Just drip blood to claim it."

"Cultivator A-Yuan in the Immortal Realm: Aren’t I the best? Next time you get a purple orb, remember me!"

Yu Xing replied happily.

"Wasteland World's Heartthrob: Deal. You’re first next time."

Looking at the simple silver ring, Yu Xing grinned to herself. Typical—her charm worked even across worlds.

She yanked open a drawer—inside was a bloody razor blade.

This was the blade the original owner had used to cut her skin and draw blood on the day Yu Xing first arrived. Holding the blade in one hand, she made a light cut on her finger.

Crimson blood immediately welled up from the thin wound. She quickly pressed her bleeding finger against the broomstick, then squeezed out two more drops of blood and smeared them onto the magic wand and the storage ring.

Once the storage ring recognized its owner, Yu Xing suddenly saw its internal space—a cubical space about the size of a small room.

Wasn’t that a bit small? She remembered reading novels where the protagonist’s storage bag could even fit entire mountains inside.

But considering it was free, she was quite satisfied.

With a thought, the magic wand and broomstick beside her suddenly vanished. At the same time, she saw the two items appear inside the square space.

This was incredibly convenient. Without the storage ring, Yu Xing would need to carry the broomstick everywhere she went.

Excited, she kept practicing storing and retrieving items, having great fun, when suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Xingxing, time to wake up."

"Oh!" Yu Xing quickly responded, hurriedly got dressed, and pushed the door open.

Outside, her grandmother stood hunched nearby, looking at her and asking, "When did you get back last night? I didn’t even notice."

"Oh." Yu Xing blurted out an excuse. "A classmate treated me to dinner, so I came back late."

"Is that so?" Her grandmother smiled warmly. "Seems like our Yu Xing is quite popular."

"Of course." Yu Xing thought of her suitors and suddenly felt a headache forming. "Maybe a little too popular."

With the nutritional drink her grandmother handed her, Yu Xing shouldered her bag and headed out.

Gazing at the endless sky outside, she yearned to fly through the skies on her broomstick. But this world was full of surveillance—if she dared try, the Federal Government would probably be after her soon.

Reluctantly, she dragged herself to the bus stop and began her wait.

Whether it was because she had left early or because of the recent bus accident, the wait felt unusually long.

Out of boredom, Yu Xing took out her terminal and started messaging Gu Ya.

After the scare she'd had yesterday, she craved comfort from her boyfriend.

*Beep!*

*Beep!*

"..."

In an opulently furnished, retro-styled room, Gu Ya knelt stiffly on an expensive rug. The constant beeping of incoming messages made sweat drip from his forehead in large beads.

Before him stood an antique wooden chair from the Old Era, upon which sat a man in a gray suit. His face appeared young-looking, yet his bearing exuded maturity, making his age hard to discern.

The man sat with his gray slacks stretched taut over his muscular thighs, one hand holding a whip while the other brushed back his ash-blond hair.

Hearing the notifications, the man’s gaze settled on Gu Ya.

Tensing further, Gu Ya watched as the man extended a hand and ordered, "Hand it over."

After a brief hesitation, Gu Ya placed his terminal into the man’s palm.

The man scanned through the messages, then curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"*Ya, I miss you so much*," he read in a mocking tone.

Gu Ya shuddered—only Yu Xing ever called him that. Unable to contain himself, he looked up sharply. "Father, please don’t—"

The man, who shared his ash-blond hair and blue eyes, merely gave him a cold glance before continuing, "*Wahh, I was so scared last night, I almost died. I really need you to hold me and comfort me.*"

Gu Ya trembled, forcing out words despite his fear. "She’s just a lunatic! There’s no need to read her messages!"

"Is that so?" The man’s tone was deceptively calm. "So you’re telling me you can’t even handle a District D lunatic—a lowborn commoner?"

Gu Ya froze, his face contorting, but no words came out.

"Son." The man’s voice took on a milder tone. "Before you were born, I never imagined I’d have such a useless child."

His sincerity only made the blow harsher.

"I don’t understand." The man sounded baffled. "Your mother was exceptional, and I am no lesser than others. So why are you like this?"

"You shame me." Straightening, the man closed his eyes and sighed. "Do you know? Now even my defeated rivals can humiliate me using *you*."

His anger flared, and with a flick of his wrist, the whip lashed across Gu Ya’s face, leaving a livid welt on his pale skin.

Gu Ya flinched, his expression showing anger rather than shame. "I’ll get rid of Yu Xing! Just give me time!"

The man opened his eyes, exhaustion in his gaze. "Even if you dispose of that commoner, it won’t erase your disgrace."

"You’ve disappointed me deeply." The man’s voice was heavy. "Had your mother not insisted, I would never have allowed your birth."

Gu Ya stiffened, staring at him in shocked disbelief.

The man massaged his forehead in frustration. "But she was stubborn… Now that you exist, I have no choice but to accept you as my son."

Gu Ya’s emotions were a chaotic whirl, but before he could process them, his father added, "Honestly, if you *were* dating that commoner, it wouldn’t matter. I expect nothing from you. Just don’t make mistakes or embarrass me further—then you can do as you please."

Just as Gu Ya was on the verge of exploding, another notification chimed.

*Beep!*

The man glanced at it and smirked. "She wants to have lunch with you."

Gu Ya snapped. "She’s insane! A complete psycho!"

"Really?" Flipping the terminal back, the man said coolly, "Heaven doesn't bless madwomen. Surely you’re not foolish enough to be made a fool of without realizing it?"

...

"Good morning, Student Yu Xing!" The school entrance greeted her warmly.

At the sound, nearby students stopped to look.

Yu Xing walked through the crowd with her bag, hands in her pockets, face set in a scowl. She hated being the center of attention.

"Yu Xing!"

A familiar voice shouted from behind.

She stopped and turned, with a sigh. "What?"

It was Yun Dai—who, instead of resting, had come to school like her.

The onlookers around them all wore excited expressions—here it comes, the love triangle showdown is about to unfold again! They wouldn’t be bored today!

"Why did you abandon me?!" Yun Dai strode toward Yu Xing, shuddering with lingering fear as she recalled waking up in that back-alley clinic with only a strange doctor by her side. She had even offered to pay Yu Xing to stay with her until her family arrived, but Yu Xing had left while she was unconscious.

She had just ditched her there, abandoned her to some suspicious, clearly unprofessional doctor!

She reached out to grab Yu Xing’s collar, but Yu Xing sidestepped, dodging her.

Yun Dai snapped. "You left me alone in District D! Weren’t you worried something might happen to me?!"

Yu Xing thought to herself that she had made every precaution—Yun Dai would have been perfectly safe in that clinic. But she wasn’t in the mood to explain in front of so many people, so she just shrugged and said, "But you’re fine, aren’t you?"

The people in the crowd immediately widened their eyes, exchanging excited glances. What did that mean? From Yun Dai’s words, had she gone to District D yesterday? Someone as proud as her actually went to District D?

Rumors said District D was extremely dangerous—had Yun Dai braved it for love?

Hearing Yu Xing’s indifferent tone, Yun Dai felt both furious and wronged.

"You’re so irresponsible!" Yun Dai accused, her eyes reddening. "How could you just leave while I was unconscious? Do you have any idea how scared I was when I woke up? The bed was so filthy… I spent the whole night there… I was about to lose it. I even said I’d pay you, so why did you still leave?"

Yu Xing couldn’t take it anymore. She turned and ran, shouting over her shoulder, "My family’s strict! I can’t stay out overnight!"

Yun Dai immediately gave chase. "Stop right there!"

Watching the two rapidly disappear into the distance, the onlookers were buzzing with excitement, launching into heated discussions.

"What does that mean? What were they just talking about?"

"Yun Dai spent the night in District D?"

"Did she stay overnight with Yu Xing?"

"No, it sounded like Yu Xing ran off first!"

"What did Yun Dai mean by Yu Xing leaving while she was unconscious? Why was Yun Dai unconscious?"

"And what’s with the ‘filthy bed’?"

"WTF, I’m kinda getting it… or am I?"

"Yun Dai offered to pay Yu Xing? Now *that’s* juicy…"

"I really want to know if Gu Ya will come to school today."

"Did anyone record that? Post it on the forum quick…"

Yu Xing rushed into the classroom, her entrance so loud that everyone inside turned to look. She strode to her seat, where Mei Hexuan shot her an annoyed glance from nearby.

Compared to her first day at school, today her desk was covered in even more slurs and threats. Alongside the usual insults calling her a "lowborn" and telling her to get lost, there were threats—saying she wasn’t good enough for Gu Ya or Yun Dai, warning her to disappear quietly or else they’d make her disappear.

Not only were there insults scrawled across the desk, but also various doodles, and it was piled high with trash.

Yu Xing silently shoved the garbage onto the floor and cleaned the desk. Just as she finished, several unfamiliar boys hurried into the classroom—not Yun Dai, who had been chasing her, but a group of hulking guys.

They strode straight toward Yu Xing, their aggressive demeanor making her think they were either here to pick a fight or declare their undying love.

Sure enough, the leader of the group stopped in front of her and slammed his hand heavily on her shoulder.

"*First-class* Broomstick Star, 213/250."

"..." Yu Xing silently stared at him.

"We heard you’re dating Gu Ya?" The boy glared at her darkly. "That’s fine. But if we find out you’ve been meeting Yun Dai in private again, taking her to District D for overnight stays, we have plenty of ways to make sure you can’t stay in *Seven Cities*."

Oho, the threat wasn’t just limited to Seventh Middle School anymore—it had expanded to the entire *Seven Cities*.

Just as Yu Xing was about to respond, Yun Dai’s furious shout came from the classroom entrance. "What are you doing?!"

Her fiery red hair flaming like a torch, Yun Dai glared at the boys. "Who gave you permission to bother her?"

No matter what, if not for Yu Xing, she would have died on that bus yesterday. Yun Dai believed in settling debts—she wouldn’t let anyone bully the person who had saved her life right in front of him.

The leader turned to Yun Dai, his eyes filled with infatuation. "Yun Dai, you’re defending her? She’s just a lowborn—ah!"

Before he could finish, Yun Dai shoved him. Normally, with his physique, a push from her wouldn’t have done much—he’d have just taken a few steps back.

But the floor was littered with the trash Yu Xing had just swept off her desk. As he stepped back, his foot landed on a soda can, sending him stumbling backward. His friends grabbed at his clothes, but it wasn’t enough to stop his fall—he tilted sideways and landed right on Mei Hexuan’s desk.

Mei Hexuan was reading when suddenly, a human projectile landed. His desk had been holding a cup of energy drink, which was now entirely dedicated to soaking the intruder’s pants.

Mei Hexuan looked up with a look of murder in his eyes.

"Ah!" The boy immediately sprang up, twisting to check his backside.

Yu Xing glanced over and remarked seriously, "Looks like someone pissed themselves."

"..." The boy froze for a second before exploding in rage. "I’ll kill you!"

"Enough!" Yun Dai screamed, losing it. "All of you, get out!"

The boy tried to argue, but Yun Dai pointed at his nose. "If you don’t want me snitching to your mom about your behavior at school, you’ll leave right now!"

Bang!

Another loud noise—Mei Hexuan stood up from his seat, his pristine uniform now splattered with drink.

He glanced at Yun Dai, then turned to Yu Xing. "We need to talk. Come with me."