Chapter 149

Chapter Seventeen: Clues That Came Knocking

　At Tianhai University’s Southeast Gate Security Room, the security guard pressed the electronic lock and re-locked the gate.

　“Because of that third-year girl recently, there are always people trying to sneak in. The school leaders told us to strictly guard it,” a nearby colleague said, implying something.

　“Hm,” the security guard nodded, “It’s necessary.”

　The colleague couldn’t help but ask, “Then why did you let someone unfamiliar in just now? You didn’t let them in because they were pretty, did you?”

　Not far away, a woman in her twenties was slowly walking toward the deeper part of the campus with a small black backpack hugged in her arms.

　The security guard rolled his eyes, “I follow procedures; she had work credentials which I verified. What’s the problem?”

　As he spoke, he turned the computer screen slightly so the colleague could see the information on it.

　“Fang Hui, Psychology Teacher? How come I’ve never seen her before? Isn’t it possible her ID is fake?”

　Facing the colleague’s doubts, the security guard pointed at the verification info, “Registered three years ago, not a new one.”

　“Oh, I see…”

　…………

　Tianhai University’s layout was interesting. To showcase Tianhai City’s cultural scenery, the campus design mirrored some geographical features of Tianhai City.

　The high ground and artificial hills are in the east campus, simulating the mountainous area in the eastern part of Tianhai City. There are boys’ dormitories, playgrounds, libraries, and scenic areas there.

　In the west campus, there’s a beautiful artificial lake located northwest of the girls’ dormitory area. On days without class, many people like to stroll around here.

　Bai Ling sat on the stone steps beside the artificial lake, watching a pair of white, long, slightly plump thighs swinging back and forth. It was Yuan Xiaoling pacing around.

　“Mom, listen to me, I was in class earlier. It wasn’t intentional that I didn’t answer.”

　“You can’t fool me. A classmate from your school just told me you weren’t in class.” Qu Wan’s voice came through the phone.

　Yuan Xiaoling wiped the cold sweat off her forehead quietly.

　She even checked forums online before calling, clearly prepared.

　“Mom, listen to me,” Yuan Xiaoling started, “Those things online aren’t objective. Many are taken out of context, and they love pairing people up…”

　“You don’t have to be stubborn anymore. Your dad has already confessed.”

　Yuan Xiaoling twitched her mouth.

　What situation is this, Yuan Weicheng buddy? Already giving up?

　At that moment, in a house in Chunhai City, a man on the balcony knelt on a mechanical keyboard, looking extremely painful but with a hint of smugness in his eyes.

　Good thing it was red switches; that’s the wisdom of old-school esports players.

　Since Dad had already given up, Yuan Xiaoling had no choice but to admit.

　“So, last time when you brought her home, it wasn’t just bringing a classmate over to play, but meeting the parents, right?” Qu Wan said.

　“Ah? Oh, um…”

　Yuan Xiaoling opened her little mouth but only managed to utter a few sounds.

　To be fair, it’s true she’s dating, but last time when she brought Bai Ling home, it really was just to play around, while also completing weekly tasks.

　But under the current situation where everyone thinks this way, telling the truth would just make her look stubborn.

　Sigh, the Mandela Effect.

　The golden-haired maiden sighed and said, “Mom, listen to me. In this era, my situation is normal. And we have various means, including science and superpowers, to deal with future children’s issues…”

　Lingling being so calm actually threw Qu Wan off.

　“Wait, wait! Why do you think I called you? Don’t you understand?”

　Yuan Xiaoling paused slightly, “Because I came out of the closet?”

　“Because you didn’t tell me! And you kept it from me alone!”

　Qu Wan’s voice carried anger, “I just found out that your dad, your uncle, your grandpa, even your siblings and relatives all knew except for me! I just want to know why you didn’t tell me.”

　Yuan Xiaoling’s lips quivered, “Isn’t it… because I was afraid you wouldn’t agree?”

　Actually, it was more about intimidating Bai Ling so she wouldn’t move when getting teased.

　“Would it matter if I didn’t agree? Your classmates all say you two often skip classes and don’t return to the dorm. When asked, you’re always at hotels. Some hotel staff even said you’ve checked every hotel in the entire city.”

　This rice has already been cooked into fried rice; does it even matter if you agree or not?

　“Wrong, wrong. From now on, definitely tell you everything.”

　“Yeah right, your little mouth says whatever it wants,” Qu Wan understood her daughter well, “I’d rather ask Bai Ling.”

　With that, she hung up.

　The golden-haired maiden finally stopped her beautiful legs. Bai Ling saw her stop pacing and knew she was done with the call, asking, “What did Auntie say?”

　Before Yuan Xiaoling could respond, Bai Ling’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She picked it up and her expression changed slightly.

　“…Hello?”

　The call had already come through.

　Yuan Xiaoling was curious what they talked about, but Bai Ling barely replied much, standing there occasionally humming.

　“Um,” “Yes,” “That’s correct,” “Not yet,” “Later”… stuff like that.

　A few minutes later, she finally put down her phone too.

　“How was it?” Yuan Xiaoling immediately approached and asked, “What did she tell you?”

　“Nothing much, routine questions. Also…”

　Bai Ling suddenly had a stern look, “Auntie Qu seems to not find this kind of thing hard to accept.”

　“Ah? Yeah, isn’t that great?” Yuan Xiaoling rubbed her little hands, pretending to be dumb, “Our mom is so open-minded.”

　“That certain someone once told me, it absolutely mustn’t be discovered…”

　“Hey, how was I supposed to know back then? I’m a water element manipulator, not a prophet. Even you didn’t know, so how could you expect me to?”

　Before Bai Ling could react, Yuan Xiaoling lifted her big white leg and walked off, “Alright, alright, teacher and classmates are posting messages about me skipping class online. Let’s go to the classroom, we’re still model students after all.”

　Her big white legs moved faster and faster until she broke into a jog, disappearing quickly.

　Bai Ling gritted her teeth.

　She couldn’t chase after her since ahead was the broadcasting department’s territory. Privately visiting the dorms was fine, but rushing into classrooms during class hours would end up being recorded as another historic event alongside Lingling’s four consecutive championships.

　“Little liar…”

　This girl knows nothing but deception, there will be a reckoning eventually!

　…………

　It turns out, Yuan Xiaoling underestimated the impact of her identity being exposed.

　When she went to class, the moment she entered, the whole class stopped what they were doing to look at her, even the teacher took the opportunity to rest and sip tea.

　Sitting in the back row, any slight movement on her part drew the whole class’s attention again — first the people on either side turned to look, then those in front heard and turned around, their movements catching the attention of even more people in front, creating a domino effect until the whole class looked.

　They watched when she flipped pages, spun pens, yawned, placed Dabeitu on the table… the last one especially caught their gaze for a long time.

　Placing her chest on the table, Yuan Xiaoling tried to meet the eyes of the girl sitting next to her on the left. She clearly saw words written in the other girl’s eyes:

　Miss Water Dragon must have her reasons, but what are they?

　“To relieve some pressure on my shoulders.” So Yuan Xiaoling answered.

　“Ah? Wow!”

　The girl was slightly startled, understanding a moment later, her face turning slightly red, filled with admiration and envy in her eyes.

　But this isn’t good. The students’ curiosity is too strong now, always wanting to discover something from her.

　Yuan Xiaoling thought for a moment and decided to take action.

　Thus, the old principal sitting in the office received a message from a broadcasting department teacher.

　“What? A preview live stream?”

　Half an hour later, in the middle of the campus, the student council and some clubs, along with senior students from civil engineering and architecture departments, were busy setting up a stage using the best equipment and tools from the entire school.

　The media was composed of students from broadcasting and media departments, mimicking professional setups, holding various cameras and microphones, sitting properly in the “press seats” below the stage like real journalists.

　They had to sit; it wouldn’t be professional otherwise.

　The reason they acted so formally was mainly because this so-called preview was being watched across the web. Yuan Xiaoling casually waved her hand, indicating the live stream would include preview redemption codes.

　[Just arrived, has the code been sent?]

　[Codes can be redeemed anytime, but Miss Water Dragon’s live streams aren’t available anytime.]

　[Yuan Xiaoling, ding dong dong! Yuan Xiaoling, ding dong dong!]

　[Tianhai University students, anyone know how many girlfriends Miss Water Dragon has?]

　Under such circumstances, the interview team obviously couldn’t ask questions like in the chat. Before coming, teachers and leaders reminded them to display the image of Tianhai University and maintain serious professionalism.

　“Miss Yuan Xiaoling, regarding the ghost incidents happening in Tianhai City, what countermeasures do you have?”

　“There are fixed teams stationed in certain areas, and several mobile units. For emergencies, the process is to assess the enemy’s strength level nearby first, then arrange appropriate teams to handle it.”

　“Miss Yuan Xiaoling, the game mentions that ghosts are products of a dark energy explosion. Why is it called dark energy? Does it have a dark attribute?”

　“No, it’s called dark because it stands against us.”

　“Miss Yuan Xiaoling…”

　In a certain area below the stage, the old principal and several school leaders nodded satisfactorily, smiling.

　These were proper questions for interviews, concise and clear, closely related to everyone. Most importantly, the students had high emotional intelligence, avoiding low-EQ questions under repeated reminders from their teachers.

　Such as whether accidents can be handled in time, how to deal with casualties, what to do about damage caused during battles with ghosts, and some questions involving public authority.

　Although many wanted to ask the last question, like the old principal and others who wondered if the school would offer special courses in the future. But don’t ask, whoever asks first will offend people.

　This media conference attracted many spectators besides the delegation, with more people on the playground than during the sports meet.

　Bai Ling had just returned to the dormitory and came back to see Yuan Xiaoling sitting on the stage talking confidently.

　The upright posture of the young lady made Dabeitu appear very imposing, and every word spoken seemed indisputable under this aura.

　Bai Ling smirked.

　Little liar, female brat, skilled at saying half-truths to deceive people.

　She remembered the phone call from Qu Wan earlier.

　‘You two were already together, starting dating during school?’

　‘Um.’

　‘That explains it, sigh. Little Ling, Auntie noticed early on that you’re a strong-willed girl, but following Ningning… you must have endured a lot.’

　‘Not really.’

　‘By the way, do you have plans for a wedding? In Tianhai City or back in Chunhai?’

　‘…Not yet.’

　Calling Bai Ling a liar herself, she lied too. The wedding was already planned, to be held locally after resolving the foundation stone issue in Tianhai.

　But thinking during the call, if Auntie Qu knew, she’d surely insist they hold it in Chunhai first, so it’s better to keep it secret for now.

　Still the same sentence, as Auntie Qu herself said, cook the rice into fried rice first.

　But upon reflection, Bai Ling had a curious spot: Saying her character, following Ningning was truly tough… what did that mean?

　The white-haired maiden tilted her head, thinking, then her mouth twitched.

　No way, Auntie Qu also thought she was henpecked?

　Considering her recent intense internet activity, she could only sigh.

　Internet stereotypes are harmful.

　Might as well read The Bride’s 24 Manual instead. She just went back to the dorm to grab this.

　…………

　Fang Hui was carefully walking around the campus.

　Of course, she wasn’t a specially hired psychologist; her credentials were helped by Sifang Academy years ago.

　With the help of the map route on the streetlights, she finally reached the perimeter of the playground, able to see the dazzling blonde beauty surrounded by people on the stage.

　Miss Water Dragon was so radiant, surrounded by a sea of people. At this time, it should be hard to see her, let alone talk privately.

　Should she find a place to wait until later for an opportunity?

　On the other hand, can finding Miss Water Dragon really get her the information she needs? Though she looks approachable and down-to-earth, giving popular science lessons to ordinary people, for some real secrets, she hides them well, keeping silent.

　While hesitating, Fang Hui suddenly spotted a small white head in the corner. Upon closer inspection, it was the white-haired girl supposedly Miss Water Dragon’s girlfriend online.

　Compared to Miss Water Dragon’s impressive Dabeitu, the white-haired girl appeared more delicate and petite.

　Online, it was said this Bai Ling girl was Miss Water Dragon Yuan Xiaoling’s junior, with a personality like a little wife. In that case, she should be easy to talk to, right?

　So she approached.

　“Hello, are you Bai Ling?”

　Bai Ling looked up, seeing a woman in her mid-twenties with a polite smile on her face.

　“And you are?”

　“I’m a psychological counselor at the school, though just part-time, working fewer hours,” Fang Hui showed her credentials, “I saw some information you posted, and I have some questions. Can we exchange thoughts?”

　Bai Ling glanced at the credentials and gestured towards the stage, “Teacher Fang, if you have questions, you should ask Yuan Xiaoling directly.”

　Why ask her? She’s merely a henpecked wife, haha.

　“Asking either of you is the same,” Fang Hui hesitated a bit and said, “I have a friend whose family member used to work at Sifang Academy. They’ve been asking me to inquire about news for a year.”

　A family member of Sifang Academy?

　Bai Ling snapped her book shut, her wine-red eyes gleaming with gem-like brilliance, the self-abandoning atmosphere instantly vanishing.

　“I indeed know a lot of information, but we need to find a place to discuss it in detail. Also, I want to meet this family member.”