"I didn't expect you to be a work-study student too," Yue Zhengyu said with a chuckle.
"Your greasy hair isn't working, man. What brand are you using?" Gu You glanced at him.
"What do you mean 'not working'?! This is premium Sea Silk Hair Oil! A bottle costs 100,000!" Yue Zhengyu snapped, clearly irritated. Say what you want about him, but his "beautiful" hair was off-limits.
"Alright, alright, we know each other now, so chill. Right, Mr. Prince Charming?" Gu You teased.
"Of course! How could someone like me possibly bother with a country bumpkin like you?" Yue Zhengyu scoffed.
Six!
Gu You silently threw a mental "six" at him and walked off. He heard faint footsteps behind him, and Yue Zhengyu glanced at Gu You's back with a slight smile.
Yuanen stopped in her tracks and met Yue Zhengyu's gaze with cold, unwavering eyes.
"Have you seen a girl with red hair? Or is there anyone with red hair in the work-study dorms?" Yue Zhengyu stared at Gu You, his gaze sharp and intense.
Hmph! Before Gu You could respond, Yuanen stepped forward coldly. "No. Don't know. Never seen one." She walked past Yue Zhengyu without a care, her presence pushing back against his imposing aura.
A flicker of light flashed in Yue Zhengyu's eyes. "I've been waiting here for half a day. You're work-study students—how could you not know? And with your hair color, I have reason to suspect you are her." He raised a hand, about to press it against Yuanen's chest.
Yuanen's eyes flashed, and a terrifying aura burst forth. She shifted her body, slamming her shoulder toward Yue Zhengyu.
Yue Zhengyu was momentarily surprised. Though he was an outer court student, he hadn't spent much time in the outer court. If not for his family's requirements, he would have been training in the inner court long ago. After entering Shrek, he had gone into seclusion in his family's secret land, only returning after his martial soul fully awakened and his Angel was complete. Upon his return, he had been assigned as a work-study student, starting from the second year. But he could have easily opted out of being a work-study student—his path to the inner court was already guaranteed.
Right now, his position was essentially that of a "reserved inner court student." He could claim whatever title he wanted outside, and he had absolute confidence in both his martial soul and his strength. But to his surprise, the first person he provoked here was actually on par with him.
Shrek Academy was truly full of talent!
The ever-arrogant Yue Zhengyu was forced to take this more seriously.
Facing Yuanen's impact, he didn't back down. He lowered his shoulder, colliding directly with her.
Roar!
Yue Zhengyu was sent flying.
A deep, beast-like growl echoed as he tumbled through the air.
Until—a golden light flashed, and pristine white wings spread from his back. He managed to stabilize himself mid-air, but his right shoulder was visibly trembling.
"You!" Yue Zhengyu was both furious and shocked as he looked at Yuanen.
Yuanen coldly stated, "This is the work-study students' area. Please leave. You know the consequences of private fights in the academy, don't you?"
Yue Zhengyu's eyes flickered. "It's true that private fights are forbidden, but sparring is encouraged. If you've got the guts, fight me in the official dueling arena! And besides, I'm practically a work-study student myself."
"Boring," Yuanen replied flatly, leaving behind only that single word before completely ignoring Yue Zhengyu.
"I'll find a way to expose that evil soul master," Yue Zhengyu muttered, eyes glinting as he flew off.
Gu You, watching the whole scene, wasn't particularly entertained.
Back in the dormitory, Gu Yue and the others were nowhere to be seen. With nothing else to do, Gu You simply meditated and cultivated.
He was close—just a bit more, and his soul power would reach Rank 65.
The next morning, as expected (or rather, unexpectedly), Yue Zhengyu had officially been approved as a work-study student.
The work-study dormitory was about to get much livelier.
From the moment he learned about it, Xie Xie hadn't given Yue Zhengyu a single pleasant look. After all, anyone who could pull such creepy antics in broad daylight wasn't exactly someone you'd want to befriend.
"Today, we will be electing class officers," Shen Yi announced.
She was still the one in charge of the lecture, while Wu Zhangkong stood not far from the podium, his gaze cold as ever.
However, his expression today was a little unusual—he was silently watching a student in the back row.
Tang Wulin.
Xie Xie nudged Gu You with his elbow, signaling him to look back.
Gu You had already noticed—Tang Wulin was here.
"In Shrek, strength is paramount," Shen Yi continued. "Your personalities have all been assessed, so the academy believes that any of you can perform well as class officers. Because of this, we will determine your class leaders through direct competition. The winners will be assigned leadership roles, while outstanding performers will be appointed to other positions based on recommendations from myself and Wu Zhangkong.
"The class officers include: one class president, two vice presidents..."
Seven positions in total!
Even secondary professions had their own designated officer roles.
"First, I believe that when it comes to the forging committee position, there is only one suitable candidate—Gu You."
Gu You stood up and gave a slight bow.
The class consisted of 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls, all of whom reacted differently.
Most of the girls had friendly expressions—for one simple reason: he was handsome.
The boys, however, were less welcoming. After all, everyone who had made it into Shrek Academy was a prodigy in their own right. Many carried a natural sense of pride and arrogance.
"Teacher!"
A male student sitting toward the back raised his hand.
"Speak," Shen Yi said calmly.
"Why does he get the forging committee position without competition?" The boy stood up. He wasn't even fifteen, yet he was already over 1.9 meters tall—taller than many adults. His voice was deep and rough, and his physique was impressively strong.
"Yang Nianxia, correct?" Shen Yi replied. "The reason the forging committee role isn't up for contest is because no one in this class can match him in forging. I'll give you a harsh truth—based on pure strength, Gu You is fully capable of being the class president.
"I know many of you are dissatisfied, but once we begin the actual competitions, you'll understand what true suppression looks like. Some of you who browse the internet may already know—just how famous he once was."
The class instantly erupted into murmurs.
"It really is him!"
"He had a 100,000-year soul ring at such a young age!"
"I thought it wasn't him at first because of the different hair color, but now it makes sense."
Yang Nianxia's expression darkened. He had objected because he had some forging skill himself.
"Anyone else have any objections?" Shen Yi glanced around.
Seeing no further protests, she smiled. "Good, it's decided then. The other positions will require competition. Shortly, we'll begin the matches to determine the class president and vice presidents..."
(End of Chapter)