Chapter 33: I Want to Eat the Snail Rice Noodles Made by Li Xingming

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Clatter!

The sound of a plate shattering.

To be precise, it was a bone china side plate—the kind of tableware that people in Maple Sugar City insist is only for trash and never for eating... Ye Sheng didn’t mind; her dining habits were quite casual. As long as the food was spicy, it was fine by her.

"Am I too lenient with you, or have you finally hit your rebellious phase?"

"A quick check is all it takes to see what kind of person Li Xingming is. You’ve only just met him, and you’re already bewitched?"

"With an IQ like yours, I think you should just give up on the Path of Stars and go study art instead!"

"Fine, let’s concede for a moment—even if Li Xingming isn’t a bad person, do you think you’re in the right? The selection for next year’s Star Maiden requires an extremely high level of soul purity. If you’re busy dating, do you think the Star Church will be happy about that? I’ve told you countless times: no puppy love. At least wait until you’ve become a Saintess..."

Vicious scolding and painstaking nagging, transitioning seamlessly.

Tsk, this is Professor Ye’s "Way of the Ninja"!

At first, when her mother criticized her, Ye Sheng would feel upset. But after it happened so many times, she built up a thick wall around her heart, letting the words go in one ear and out the other.

Tonight, she would just play dead. Let her scold; Ye Sheng couldn't be bothered to say a single word.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Oh, starting with the stubborn act again, are we? Fine, that’s great. You’re all grown up now, wings are hardening, aren't they?" Professor Ye continued to rattle off the same old clichés—words Ye Sheng could practically recite in her sleep.

When it comes down to it, a mother is a peculiar creature. It’s not that she’s evil, per se, but she loves to impose her own definition of "love" onto her child.

Ye Sheng didn't want to be a Star Maiden. She was only interested in the mysterious, supernatural world itself. But according to her mother, becoming a Saintess of the Star Church was the only path to true happiness.

So, in the end, what even is happiness?

She didn't know.

After enduring more scolding, someone knocked on the door of the small private room, asking if they needed assistance—they had likely heard the plate shatter.

It was a leader from Professor Ye’s faculty, in charge of external relations—essentially a stooge whose job was to drink on behalf of the senior administrators. He was already tipsy but still trying his best to appear sober in front of Professor Ye, who was a leading figure in the academy and had to be kept satisfied.

"It’s nothing. Just a petty squabble with a wayward child."

"Ah, I see..." The leader glanced at Ye Sheng and pursed his lips. *If this is a "wayward child," then what does that make my own kid?*

*Non-recyclable waste?*

*I really don't understand you "tiger parents" in the cultural and educational district...*

"Hiccup, call if you need anything. I’ll leave you to it."

Distracted by the interruption, Professor Ye’s temper cooled slightly. Seeing that Ye Sheng had no appetite left, she was just about to leave the table and take her home when Ye Sheng’s phone, sitting on the table, lit up.

[Li Xingming Official: Want to start a round?]

Professor Ye caught a glimpse of the message on the screen. It instantly reminded her of that shameless advertisement currently trending, and she flew into a rage, lunging to grab the phone.

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Ye Sheng reacted just as quickly. Mother and daughter grabbed the phone almost simultaneously.

A fierce struggle ensued.

Tables and chairs were knocked askew.

Ye Sheng had already broken through to the Second Order; her physical fitness was roughly average for that rank. Professor Ye hadn't reached the Third Order and was physically weaker for various reasons, but she was still at the upper stage of the Second Order.

In the chaos, the phone flew into the air. Professor Ye activated a movement-based magical spirit first, her body floating anti-gravitationally.

Ye Sheng, a split second behind, simply fired a bolt of Shining Stone Gravel, destroying the phone to leave no evidence.

"Oh, oh, why the rush? Dying to keep me from seeing your phone? Is there something unspeakable hidden in your chat logs?!" Having missed her target, Professor Ye was livid, her face flushed red with rage.

"That is my personal privacy."

"Ha! Privacy! You came out of my own womb—don't you talk to me about privacy! Spare me the nonsense. Tell me, what are you and Li Xingming talking about? What does 'start a round' mean?"

"Answer me!!"

Seeing her mother becoming increasingly frantic, Ye Sheng’s own temper flared. She lifted her sluggish, burning gaze, the corners of her mouth curling into a mocking smile.

"Fine, Mother. You guessed it. I am involved with Li Xingming. We did it. Are you satisfied now?"

...

The heat of the moment feels great, but the aftermath is a funeral pyre.

Ye Sheng said those spiteful words to vent, and the consequence was a solid slap across the face from Professor Ye.

In truth, it wasn't a major event. Professor Ye would hit when she got anxious, but it was usually just a small strike.

And she regretted it almost immediately.

"Sheng-sheng, please forgive Mother... I shouldn't have hit you. I was just blinded by anger. I only... I only want so much for you to succeed..."

Back home, Ye Sheng was taken into a special room—a combination of a study and a bedroom, even featuring a small, integrated bathroom.

Professor Ye’s residence was a three-story detached villa in the North Fourth Ring. This room was specially designed, with runes engraved into the walls and floor to suppress spiritual power, effective against any supernatural being below the Third Order.

Now, Ye Sheng sat on the edge of the bed while Professor Ye held her hand, weeping and nagging.

Tears streaming down her face.

She was almost at the point of kneeling.

Typical. This was very "Professor Ye."

Going crazy and then showing her tender side—alternating between hyper-aggression and depression, as if she had hyperthyroidism.

Ye Sheng glanced at her mother: "Whether I forgive you or not, you’re going to ground me anyway."

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"Mother is doing this for your own good," Professor Ye reiterated her main point. "In your current situation, there are definitely people looking to cause you trouble. Many are eyeing the position of Star Maiden. Although you are far ahead in terms of cultivation, if you fall behind in daily self-cultivation and character, the outcome is uncertain."

"Oh."

Watching Ye Sheng’s "I’ve given up" expression, Professor Ye knew the conversation couldn't be pushed any further. Her daughter was like this: precocious and extreme in her thinking. Adolescent girls were bound to be difficult.

Once she grew up a bit more, she would understand her mother’s good intentions. What decent, ambitious girl would hang out with a little master from the streets?

While Ye Sheng and Li Xingming hadn't known each other long and their feelings weren't deep, it was best to cut it off early.

"Stay at home for a few days to avoid the spotlight. Internet trends come and go; it’ll pass soon." Professor Ye caressed her daughter’s hand, murmuring, "Everything we do is so that you can become a Third Order successfully and as soon as possible... 'Below the Third Order, one is merely a pawn.' Only a Third Order supernatural being has the chance to become a player... Once you reach the Third Order, your life will be complete... You will definitely find happiness. Hehe, you must advance, Sheng-sheng. Mother is your strongest backing..."

The wisps of sorrow and the obsessions from Professor Ye’s past wrapped around Ye Sheng like soft yet unyielding vines, making it hard for her to breathe.

She moved her lips but, in the end, did not argue back.

Those remnants of the past came from her mother’s youth.

It seemed to have something to do with her father, she didn't know.

She didn't want to know, either.

"You didn't eat well tonight, did you? Tell Mother what you want for a late-night snack."

"I want Luosifen noodles. Made by Li Xingming."

"..."

Professor Ye rolled her eyes in fury, said nothing more, and slammed the door as she left.

Once her mother had gone, Ye Sheng began to ponder a rather pressing question.

She would likely use her authority to go and cause trouble for Li Xingming.

Sigh.

How annoying.

The conflict between mother and daughter was like a dull knife cutting flesh. Once isn't painful, but after enough times, it accumulates to a threshold—a threshold of explosion.

Ye Sheng felt as if she were about to explode right now.

Just thinking about her mother having a breakdown and going after Li Xingming made her scalp tingle.

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