First Encounter with Ye Xinglan, Are They from Shrek Academy?
Xu Lizhi descended on the offered dried fish with a single-minded gusto that was both impressive and mildly alarming. He didn't so much eat as inhale it, his chewing noisy and earnest, greasy smears appearing at the corners of his mouth.
A wave of visceral distaste washed over Yao Xuan. He averted his gaze, focusing on the distant arena floor being prepared. Beside him, Gu Yue's reaction was a study in silent, fastidious elegance. Her nose wrinkled almost imperceptibly. Without a word, she took two precise steps backward, putting herself more squarely behind Yao Xuan's shoulder, using him as a partial screen from the unsightly display. Her violet eyes, now cool with dismissal, lifted from the chubby boy and settled on Yao Xuan's profile, a silent exchange of shared sensibility.
Tang Wulin, however, watched with something akin to professional appreciation. The boy's appetite was genuine, vast, and unashamed—a language Tang Wulin spoke fluently. He felt his own stomach rumble in sympathy and pulled out another piece of dried fish, joining Xu Lizhi in a companionable, if noisy, snack.
"So good! We don't get stuff this tasty back home. Thanks, big brother!" Xu Lizhi mumbled around a full mouth, his words thick but his gratitude clear.
The title 'big brother' sparked a flicker of unexpected pleasure in Tang Wulin. Always the little brother to Yao Xuan, it felt novel and strangely satisfying to be on the other end of the address. A small, genuine smile touched his lips.
"I'm Tang Wulin. What's your name? How old are you?" Tang Wulin asked, his tone friendly.
"Xu Lizhi! I'm ten-and-a-half! Everyone calls me Little Foodie. Or Little Fatty," he announced, grinning without a trace of self-consciousness. He wore his nicknames like badges of honor.
"Ten-and-a-half? Me too! Then just call me Wulin. And you're a foodie? What a coincidence!" Tang Wulin's smile widened.
The two fell into an easy, greasy-fingered rapport, discussing local seafood specialties with the fervor of seasoned gourmands. Tang Wulin, playing the knowledgeable local, listed delicacies, and Xu Lizhi's eyes grew round with dreamy anticipation, his earlier hunger momentarily forgotten in the face of future feasts.
"We'll have to go try them all! After the competition, you'll take me, right?" Xu Lizhi pleaded, already envisioning the culinary tour.
"If there's time. Here, my contact number," Tang Wulin said, initiating a swap of soul communicator codes. He then turned to Yao Xuan. "Brother Xuan, you want in?"
Yao Xuan had been listening with strained tolerance. The idea of being a third wheel on a food crawl with the exuberant Xu Lizhi made his skin crawl. "No," he said, his voice carefully level. "I'll be dining with Gu Yue. You two have fun. Just be… mindful." His final word was a subtle warning, laced with his unvoiced concerns.
"Little Fatty! There you are. All you do is eat. We're up soon." A new voice cut through their conversation—clear, melodious, but edged with a frost that seemed to drop the local temperature by a few degrees.
They all turned. Approaching was a girl with twin golden ponytails that swayed with a martial rhythm. Dressed in a simple green tracksuit, she possessed an ethereal, almost elven beauty—porcelain skin, large, striking azure eyes, and a delicate frame. Yet, her aura contradicted her appearance entirely. It was sharp, focused, and cold as a honed blade. She carried herself with a detached intensity that made the space around her feel charged and unwelcoming. Her beauty was undeniable, rivaling Xu Xiaoyan's, but it was the severe, cutting quality of a priceless jewel—beautiful to behold, dangerous to touch.
Xu Lizhi's demeanor transformed instantly. His cheerful gluttony evaporated, replaced by the nervous deference of a puppy caught shredding a slipper. "S-Sister Xinglan! I was just… building up energy! No energy, no good performance, right?" he stammered, shuffling towards her.
Ye Xinglan's gaze swept over their group, lingering for a microsecond on Yao Xuan's guarded stance and Gu Yue's silent observation before returning to Xu Lizhi. "I know exactly what you were doing. You're just greedy. Come on." She grabbed his sleeve with a no-nonsense grip. As she pulled him away, she tossed a final, cautionary remark over her shoulder, her voice crisp. "Don't eat anything strangers give you. The world isn't all friendly faces. You'll get yourself sold and end up counting the money for them."
Tang Wulin's face froze in a comical mix of offense and bewilderment. Do I look like a trafficker? he thought, utterly baffled.
Xu Lizhi managed a last, apologetic glance back at Tang Wulin, miming a 'talk later' gesture with his hands before being led off.
"Wulin, you really do attract all kinds," Xie Xie chuckled, clapping him on the back.
"It's a foodie's gravitational pull," Tang Wulin sighed, shaking his head. "A shame Brother Xuan has to stick with Sister Gu Yue, or the three of us could've had a feast." He sounded genuinely wistful.
Yao Xuan, hearing this, felt a surge of profound gratitude toward Gu Yue. Her presence was his perfect excuse to avoid an evening of forced conviviality with the overly-enthusiastic Xu Lizhi. The mere thought of making polite conversation over a meal with that level of… exuberance… was exhausting.
His thoughts were interrupted by the stadium announcer's amplified voice, ringing out with ceremonial grandeur.
"The exhibition match will now commence! Please welcome our special guests—the seven-person junior team from Shrek Academy—for a sparring match against the reigning Tianhai Alliance youth group seven-person team champions! Combatants, to the stage!"
A roar erupted from the crowd. From the left tunnel, the Tianhai Alliance champions emerged. Dressed in sharp silver uniforms, they moved with polished, synchronized steps, faces alight with competitive fire and the pride of defending their home turf.
Then, from the right tunnel, the Shrek Academy team appeared. Clad in simple, distinctive green, they seemed a year or two older. As the camera swept over them, projecting their images onto the giant screens, a collective gasp of surprise rippled through the Donghai Academy section.
At the rear of the Shrek formation, walking with a subdued, slightly abashed air, was the unmistakable figure of Xu Lizhi. And beside him, her golden ponytails swinging, her expression one of icy focus, was the girl who had just called him away—Xinglan.
A strange, suspended silence fell over Yao Xuan's group. Xie Xie's jaw went slack. Tang Wulin blinked, the piece of dried fish in his hand forgotten. Xu Xiaoyan leaned forward, her eyes wide. Gu Yue's analytical gaze sharpened, locking onto the two figures with renewed, intense interest.
Yao Xuan was the only one who didn't seem shocked. A complex, knowing look passed through his eyes—the burden of foresight. He had known, of course. But seeing it confirmed, seeing the threads of destiny visibly intertwine here on this brightly lit stage, was another matter entirely.
'So it begins,' he thought, the noise of the stadium fading into a background hum. 'The real players are taking the field.'
Except for Yao Xuan, everyone in Class Zero was left with a peculiar, unsettling feeling—as if they had just casually shared snacks with a pair of dragons in disguise.