Chen Shu shrugged. As far as he was concerned, Xie Sunan was complimenting him.
Sure, he hadn't paid for this meal, but at least he'd earned it through performance. That counted for something.
Right as Nanjiang Second High's Special Training Class was settling into dinner, a young man strolled calmly through the restaurant entrance.
It was Xia Yan -- the one they'd seen that afternoon at the Spirit Fighting Arena.
Every pair of eyes swiveled toward him. An S-rank contract spirit was simply that rare -- the kind of thing you couldn't help but stare at.
Xia Yan's expression was flat, utterly indifferent to the attention.
"Hm?"
His gaze swept the room, and something caught his eye -- like he'd spotted someone he knew.
He stood and sauntered over to the Special Training Class's tables, locking onto a single girl.
"You see me and don't even say hello?"
A strange smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Still as weak as ever, sister."
Every head in the class turned toward Xia Bing.
She sat with her head lowered, expression cold, as though she hadn't heard a word.
Siblings?!
Curiosity bloomed across every face. But the relationship between these two seemed... stiff, to put it mildly.
Xia Yan let out a cold laugh. "With your talent, you never should've become a Beast Tamer. You've already dragged the family down, haven't you? Father was right to abandon you -- it was the smart choice."
The color drained from Xia Bing's face. Her fists clenched so tight her knuckles went white.
The two really were blood siblings. Unfortunately, one had an S-rank contract spirit, and the other had a B-rank.
The massive gap in talent meant completely different treatment.
Ninety percent of the family's resources had gone to Xia Yan, and even that wasn't enough for him. In his eyes, Xia Bing shouldn't have become a Beast Tamer at all -- her existence only meant siphoning resources that rightfully belonged to him.
Their father had always viewed Xia Yan as his pride. Their mother favored Xia Bing. The rift between the parents grew wider and wider.
In the end, their father abandoned the mother and daughter entirely -- all to give Xia Yan a better environment.
What had once been a harmonious family became a house of enemies.
"Who the hell even are you?! Stop bothering us while we're eating!"
Xu Xiaoyu spoke up. She and Xia Bing shared a dorm room -- no way she was going to sit there and watch her friend get bullied.
"A special training class that even Xia Bing can get into... truly has no standards whatsoever."
Xia Yan shook his head and turned to leave.
In that instant, a figure appeared directly in front of him.
Shen Wushuang's face was perfectly calm, but his eyes held a glacial chill. If they hadn't been in a restaurant right now, he probably would've buried the kid on the spot.
"What? Gonna bully a minor?"
Xia Yan didn't flinch. The man in front of him was a Black Iron-rank Beast Tamer, sure, but they were in full public view.
He might've been arrogant, but he wasn't stupid. He was betting the other man wouldn't dare touch him.
"Watch yourself when you're alone."
Shen Wushuang patted Xia Yan's shoulder and spoke in a tone that could've frozen the air between them.
"Hmph." Xia Yan brushed past him without a care.
Then his gaze landed on Chen Shu's table.
A grin spread across his face. "Oh, the sucker's here too? Rotten fish and sour shrimp, all in one pile."
Back when Ouyang Bao had been brimming with confidence and challenged him, the result had been a humiliating defeat -- and a loss of five million Huaxia yuan.
Chen Shu was about to open his mouth when a set of options materialized before his eyes.
Ding!
[Option 1: Flatter Xia Yan and build a good relationship. Reward: Three Basic-tier Beast Taming Pearls.]
[Option 2: Ignore him. Head down and eat! Reward: Level 2 Jumping Fruit.]
[Option 3: Insulting the class is one thing -- but insulting the Nanjiang Bandit? Not happening! Strike back directly! Reward: Large amount of Beast Taming Power.]
Chen Shu blinked. He'd just been fretting about the System not triggering any options, and now someone had walked straight into the cannon's mouth.
His expression stayed perfectly composed. He flicked his eyes toward Xie Sunan and gave a subtle signal.
Xie Sunan nodded. Instant comprehension.
Without a sound, he summoned his contract spirit.
The Winged Caterpillar's body was small enough to hide inside his puffer jacket, completely out of sight.
Two dots of green light flickered to life on Xie Sunan's chest -- but his back was turned to Xia Yan, so the other boy noticed nothing.
The long-sealed divine skill was about to shine once more!
LOVE IS A RAY OF LIGHT!!
Xia Yan had just sat down at his own table when a flash of green light descended from above.
What? Did the restaurant install green lights?
He was confused, but every single person around him had turned to stare -- faces full of disbelief.
Then they started desperately holding back laughter, pointing and whispering.
"Come on -- give me a smile!"
Chen Shu whipped out his phone and started snapping photos with the flash on, one after another.
Realization hit Xia Yan like a truck. He looked up.
A massive green hat hovered directly above his head, its dazzling emerald glow searing into his eyes.
The radiance of love blazed across the entire restaurant, making every other light go pale by comparison.
"Who the FUCK did that?!"
Xia Yan's face turned iron-dark. Rage erupted inside him like a geyser, shooting straight to his skull, a buzzing roar filling his ears.
He scanned the room frantically, and his gaze locked onto Nanjiang Second High's Special Training Class.
All twenty-four students had their phones out, cameras clicking nonstop.
At some point, Chen Shu had flipped the restaurant's light switches off. In an instant, the only illumination left in the entire building was that eye-scorching green glow.
"Wuhu! Bro, you're gonna go viral!"[1]
Chen Shu stood off to the side, grinning with pure schadenfreude, shoving his phone in Xia Yan's face for close-up after close-up.
"You fucking -- you're DEAD!"
Xia Yan had nearly lost all reason. He lunged for Chen Shu's phone.
Too slow. Chen Shu dodged with zero effort.
Chen Shu flashed a shit-eating grin. "If you want life to go smoothly, gotta wear a little green on your head!"[2]
"I'm reporting all of you to the Spirit Suppression Bureau! Just you wait!"
Xia Yan spat the words out. He felt like an absolute clown -- like he was walking naked down the middle of a busy street.
Nobody could've anticipated a skill this devastatingly underhanded.
"Report away. We didn't lay a finger on you."
Chen Shu shrugged, not the slightest bit concerned.
If a contract spirit had injured someone, the Spirit Suppression Bureau would absolutely get involved.
But nobody had actually harmed Xia Yan. On top of that, Xie Sunan's execution had been flawlessly covert -- good luck investigating that. The Bureau wasn't going to make a federal case out of it.
Under Beast Taming Law, psychological damage didn't count as damage...
Xia Yan immediately dialed the Spirit Suppression Bureau's number. When the other end asked what had happened --
He froze. He had absolutely no idea how to describe it.
It's not like I can tell them someone put a green hat on me...
"I'll fucking remember this!"
Xia Yan hung up and fled the restaurant, utterly humiliated.
In all his years of life, this was his single most mortifying moment. A skill this inhumane shouldn't even exist!
Nearby, Xia Bing covered her mouth, laughter spilling through her fingers. She looked over at Chen Shu's table, and her eyes shone with unmistakable gratitude.
The entire class knew it was Xie Sunan's doing, but not a single person was going to snitch. Even Tang Lie and his crew felt immensely satisfied.
Look, Chen Shu having an F-rank Golden Slime and still being this cocky? That was at least somewhat understandable.
You're just some nobody with an S-rank and you think you can strut around like that?
"Huh? No reward?"
Chen Shu raised an eyebrow. Apparently the System had counted the green hat as Xie Sunan's counterattack, not his own.
He quietly grabbed his backpack and headed for the restaurant exit.
"Go easy!"
Shen Wushuang clapped him on the shoulder and said in a low voice: "No bombs!"
"..."
Chen Shu nodded and walked out.
Every pair of eyes in the class watched him go, brimming with anticipation.
The moment Chen Shu made his move, they could already predict Xia Yan's fate.
Whether you're a dragon or a tiger, the moment you come face-to-face with the urea bag, just shut up and take your beating.