WuxiaWorldEU

CH 64.1

Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya turned their heads sideways once they heard the content of the commotions. Following others’ gaze, their eyes also landed on the big screen.

This group of students from the Empire should have been carefully selected, and their spiritual aptitudes were all minimum at S-level, and the unique Jian, the History major, was even more outstanding – he was actually SS-level! In terms of physique, Jexiu was the best, being S-level; followed by An Tyn, Ning Kong’an and Charmmi, being A-level. Princess An Leen had a B-level physique, while Jian had the lowest, being D-level.

“B-level was basically the lower limit of having a healthy constitution. That Jian guy doesn’t seem to be in good health,” Chu Yan commented. In the distance, he saw the Imperial exchange students coming in with Long Xuyang as their guide. He patted Qiao Zhiya on the shoulder, and said, “Let’s go and avoid them. Erge is still waiting for us, so it’s not good to get entangled with them.”

Qiao Zhiya nodded, turning sideways to avoid them.

But while they wanted to avoid each other, the other party greeted them immediately after seeing them.

“Chu Yan!”

The one who shouted first was the serious-looking Jexiu. He had the same short brown hair as his father, three-dimensional facial features, and brown eyes. At a first glance, he looked rather stern and fierce, not easy to get along with.

His voice was relatively deep and rough. He didn’t have to shout to have his booming voice heard clearly. He easily drew the attention of half of the people in the hall.

Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya stopped in their tracks. Plus, everyone looked over, so it was impossible for them to pretend that they didn’t see Jexiu.

Relying on his height and long legs, Jexiu approached them quickly. He had a serious expression on his face, as if he was here to find fault. Qiao Zhiya frowned, turned slightly to block Chu Yan, and prepared to deal with the most powerful general’s son immediately in case a fight broke out.

Chu Yan noticed his defensive posture. He quickly raised his hand to press his shoulder, and comforted him, “Don’t be nervous, this guy should come to say hello. Plus, there’s so many people around us, he definitely isn’t here to pick a fight.”

He saw Jexiu, who was standing two steps away, and greeted with a smile, “Hello. Is there anything that Mr. Jexiu need from me?”

Chu Yan’s facial features were very good-looking. His smile was very hearty and pleasing, and his attitude was very polite and friendly, making it impossible to find fault. However, Jexiu’s brows actually tightened further. He replied in a firm tone, “Last time during our competition, I know you take it easy on me. Next time, I will beat you fair and square.”

With his declaration, the expressions of Prince An Tyn and his entourage became unsightly

. ——There are so many people in the hall, and yet, Jexiu said in public that Chu Yan went easy on him during the competition. Isn’t this just making the Empire lose dignity?

“Third Young Master Chu, Mr. Qiao Zhiya.”

An Tyn stepped forward with a smile and stopped Jexiu behind him. He directly inserted himself into their conversation, preventing Jexiu from continuing to talk nonsense. He then greeted Chu Yan and Qiao Zhiya, then smoothly changed the topic. “Are you two also here to test your aptitude?”

This was a bit of a useless question. After all, if not for that purpose, what were they doing here?

Chu Yan complained silently in his heart, but still kept a smile on his face, and replied politely, “Yes, it’s a pity that we were delayed by Erge, who insisted on waiting at the academy’s gate, so we came rather late. Otherwise, we could be tested together.”

He directly made it clear that Chu Rong was waiting for them close by. It was also a warning – they better not try to find trouble, and should leave quickly.

An Tyn understood what he meant. Hechanged his mind, smiled more gently and kindly, and said, “That’s just right. My sister An Leen blamed herself for the troubles she caused Marshal Chu and Mr. Qiao. She wanted a chance to invite the two of you to have a meal with her. So, what do you think? Shall we had a lunch together after the test?”

Chu Yan almost lost his temper and cursed out loud.

‘Apologize? Let a lovelorn girl apologize to the person who rejected her for his lover? Isn’t this just pure bullshit? If such a thing happened, everyone will only see that Erge is such a bully to a little girl whom he had rejected.’

“No, it is Chu Rong and I who should apologize to Princess An Leen.”

Qiao Zhiya, who had been silent all this time, suddenly stood up. He took the initiative to walk in front of Princess An Leen and took out a small flower, which was carved from a piece of spar he had. He presented it to her, saying, “Thank you for your blessings before. There’s nothing wrong with loving someone, the only wrong thing is if you let your love make you do bad things. So, you don’t have to blame yourself. I also wished you good luck, I hope that you’ll find someone who loves you back. Here, this is for you.”

He smiled at her, shyly and sincerely.

The dwarf’s excellent craftsmanship and the beauty of the spar made this small flower look extremely enchanting and eye-catching under the light.

The melon-eating students who were secretly paying attention here were all attracted by this flower. While marveling in their hearts that the Chu family was really rich, they also marvel at how gentle and generous Marshal Chu’s fiancé is. Even if his rival in love pursued so frantically and was hit by many unsavory rumors, he managed to comfort her and sent her gifts – of which, many students knew that they wouldn’t be able to do this.

Seeing this, the smile on Chu Yan’s face deepened, and he was relieved. ‘Qiao looks innocent, but he is still very powerful at critical moments!’

An Leen looked at the flowers that Qiao Zhiya handed over, coupled by his pure and sincere eyes. She could feel that his simple blessings really did come from his heart. The reserved mask on her face almost cracked — she obviously wasn’t very “sad” or “heartbroken”. Moreover, she should consider him as her “enemy”.

But for some reason, once he said something about “someone who loves you back”, her eyes almost shed a tear.

‘Probably because he’s too non-aggressive…’ She made excuses for her sudden weakness, and blinked vigorously by bowing her head to catch the flower. She knew that Qiao Zhiya could detect her trembling fingers. But so what? Now she was a “heartbroken girl”, it’s normal to have trembling fingers, right?

“Thank you.”

The flower was cold and hard, like a beautiful and strong shell that every princess must have.

In the royal family, how can one simply look for a lover who can truly love them back? A “Princess” must be beautiful, but she must also be invincible. In the face of the power of her father and brother, what is the love to a “Princess”?

“Thank you,” She subconsciously repeated again, this time in a breathless voice. She looked up at Qiao Zhiya and showed a perfect smile that a princess should have. She pulled up the hem of her skirt and saluted him, and whispered, “I hope your relationship will be blessed.”

This time, her words were sincere. She really appreciated an honest and powerful man like Chu Rong, but she understood that her feelings weren’t pure love, but rather her desire to pursue someone in a position of power. That’s why her behavior was rather unhinged and irrational.

At this moment, she was grateful, grateful to this young man who seems to be weaker than herself. At this moment, he did not use a victor’s attitude to show mercy to her, but gave her a genuine, comforting blessing.

She didn’t like that she lost, but she allowed herself not to be jealous and hate him for now.

Qiao Zhiya could feel the softening of her aura, and he was a little puzzled. ‘Why is she not as rude or annoying as during the auction?’

He hesitated for a moment, then took another doll made in the shape of a rabbit. She handed it to her and said seriously, “Girls… uhm… girls are much more liked when they smile.”

‘–so please stop being so rude, or you will be hated by many people’ is what Qiao Zhiya really meant.

“I know, thank you.”

An Leen took the little rabbit and held it in her hand. She smiled at him again, then walked to An Tyn’s side and took his arm. She showed her spoiled attitude to him. “Ge, I’m tired… Let’s go back and rest.”

An Tyn looked at her thinner and haggard face. His “princely” facade melted, and he lowered his gaze in silence for a few seconds. Then, he stroked her head and nodded. He nodded at Chu Yan politely, then took her away.

Jexiu and the others looked at each other and followed him.

Long Xuyang, who was on the sidelines, watched Qiao Zhiya skillfully defuse the invisible gunpowder. Thinking of his sister who was driven to another planet by his father, his mood became mixed for a moment. He nodded to the two of them, turned, and followed An Tyn’s footsteps.

“The craftsmanship of the carving is good.”

Jian praised Qiao Zhiya in a low voice when passing by Qiao Zhiya. The cute Charmmi beside him also gave him a friendly smile, while Ning Kong’an, who was walking on the far side, nodded at Qiao Zhiya, then shifted his gaze to Chu Yan.

A brief greeting ended after passing each other. Chu Yan walked up to Qiao Zhiya, took him to the testing hall, and helped him cover the sight of gossiping students around him. He whispered, trying to dampen his excitement. “Qiao, you are amazing, this counterattack is great!”

Qiao Zhiya looked up at him in confusion. “Counterattack? They didn’t attack us.”

“…Yes, they didn’t attack us, they just said hello,” Chu Yan raised his hand and wiped his face, feeling that he probably made up some superfluous things in his brain. But then, he suddenly frowned. “After this incident, the Imperial Twins’ attitude have changed a little bit. They used to be so high-profile and radical, but now… and that Ning Kong’an… he feels a little strange to me.”

Qiao Zhiya didn’t pay much attention to the mixed-race boy with blond hair and black pupils, but only vaguely remembered that he was good-looking, a typical elegant and noble boy. He really inherited his father, Prince An Xei’s, appearance. He asked curiously, “What’s so strange about him?”

“It’s just… a feeling, I can’t really verbalize it.” After digging in his mind for a long time, Chu Yan couldn’t find a suitable adjective, so he waved his hands to dismiss this train of thoughts. “Anyway, let’s finish the test first. Erge is still waiting for us.”

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