Clearly, these were two happy events happening all at once.

Last night, Ye Sheng slept soundly, resting all the way until noon today.

She rang for a nurse to order her meal.

The hospital food was rather ordinary in taste, but still better than what Professor Ye usually made.

While eating, the nurse leaned in with a gossiping expression and chatted about this and that for a while, then asked about her relationship with Li Xingming.

Ye Sheng had intended to say “friends,” but the words caught in her throat as her thoughts shifted.

“He’s my team captain. The one who shoulders my future life.”

“Wow~” The nurse covered her mouth, making a shy sound. “Is this some new romantic phrase young people use these days?”

It did sound sweet.

Nowadays, people’s views on high school students dating are much the same as in the old days. Back then, it was discouraged because of the crucial moment of advancing in education; now, the reasons are more blunt.

Senior year is a pivotal awakening period. Whether or not one awakens determines if they need to spend an additional year in a “fourth year” of high school. The smart drugs and many fate-related supplements are costly, and working-class parents are unwilling to waste money. If a kid spends a fortune but neglects studies to date instead, they’ll surely get reprimanded.

Moreover, Ye Sheng was aiming to become a Star Saintess, a role demanding purity and restraint.

Yet she had eloped for a man—truly pure and restrained indeed.

People seldom sacrifice their own desires to cross barriers, but the nurses admired Ye Sheng’s brave act and left her a few extra tangerines when collecting her tray.

Playing with the sugar oranges, Ye Sheng stared out the window, lost in thought. After a while, she fiddled with her phone, then gazed outside again.

So boring.

On WeChat, Li Xingming left a message saying that after Jiang Qianqian’s awakening test today, he would pick her up at night to have a good meal to celebrate the official formation of their battle team.

According to international tradition, a team consists of three people.

Feeling her health had largely recovered, Ye Sheng took the initiative to see the doctor for a full checkup and was discharged!

She paid using the medical insurance under Professor Ye’s name. Being on the faculty roster of the National Science University, reimbursement rates were high—quite fortunate.

She was curious how Li Xingming had persuaded Professor Ye to quietly return to the capital without making a fuss. Earlier, Ye Sheng had browsed the anti-Ye Sheng forum; it said the situation in the capital had been peacefully resolved as if nothing had happened.

She asked Li Xingming on WeChat, but he refused to say.

Perhaps this matter would remain an unanswered question between them, much like “Who is Robert?”

Damn it.

After completing discharge procedures, Ye Sheng took a taxi to City No. 1 High School and found Li Xingming at the school gate.

---

When she arrived, exams were already underway on campus, and a crowd of parents waited outside for results. Li Xingming stood on a stone block, speaking animatedly:

“If you’re only considering employment, the current music scene in Saiguo mainly divides into three profitable paths:”

“First, powerful vocalists who study bel canto or Western vocal technique, usually destined for the ‘Victory Song’ fate, following the route of institutional singers—relatively stable and secure; second, the elite path, signing with agencies, appearing on music variety shows and festivals to build public reputation—this is called ‘justification by faith,’ a magical mechanism in many music factions: the more fans you have, the stronger the magic effect; third, focusing on self-media platforms, chasing traffic and then switching to product promotion.”

The parents listened with great interest.

“What about rap?” someone asked.

Li Xingming chuckled but didn’t answer.

“Not answering? What’s wrong with rap?”

Then Li Xingming spotted Ye Sheng crossing from the opposite side of the road and jumped down from the stone to greet her.

At that moment, a man in a suit, seemingly a real estate agent, hurried over. Seeing the parents starting to disperse, he quickly put on a professional smile: “Parents, please wait. Sorry for being late; now I’ll give you an introduction to music industry careers…”

“Hey, haven’t we already had an introduction?”

“Huh?”

“That young man just now did a pretty good job. Isn’t he from your company?”

“?”

Li Xingming had already led Ye Sheng to a quiet corner near the arts building. If anything unexpected happened during Jiang Qianqian’s interview, they could rush up to help immediately.

“Last night’s invincible frame dodge to avoid ground damage—what was that spirit called?” Li Xingming asked. He’d known such a thing existed but didn’t know the exact name.

“Who is Robert?” Ye Sheng countered.

“...You say first.”

“Together. Fair exchange.”

“Alright, alright. We’ll each write the answer in a private WeChat chat and send at the same time. How about that?”

“Deal.”

Both pulled out their phones and began typing.

After finishing, Ye Sheng suddenly felt something was wrong. She looked up sharply, only to find Li Xingming sneakily peering over, grinning mischievously.

“Ha, turns out the spirit is called ‘Queen’s Full Moon.’ It can activate once a month, avoiding damage and purifying abnormal statuses while dealing area damage... very suitable for you.”

“Cheater,” Ye Sheng said, twitching at the corner of her mouth. She tried to tap Li Xingming’s head with her phone, but he dodged with a smile.

---

What a shameless fellow!

Still, Li Xingming was consistent; when playing simulation battles, he was just as brazen, boldly declaring, “Knightly spirit means winning by any means necessary.”

But this time, Li Xingming showed some chivalry. Though he had peeked at what he wanted to know, he still sent Ye Sheng the message.

[Robert was the former owner of the granite mechanical hellhound. To follow the spiritual clock tower’s designated path, he abandoned the hellhound, becoming the anchor of its resentment.]

“I see,” Ye Sheng mused. “It seems those formidable supernatural organizations always require their followers to give something up.”

“The path of the supernatural always demands sacrifice.”

“Mm.”

A trace of sorrow passed through Ye Sheng’s eyes as she thought of her mother.

Was her mother particularly harsh? Not really. She mostly felt that Professor Ye was pitiful.

Li Xingming noticed the change in her mood and suddenly took her hand, gently squeezing it.

Ye Sheng gave him a puzzled look. Li Xingming explained, “When you’re upset, your hands get cold. It’s windy today. Next time when the weather’s like this, you should wear gloves.”

“I don’t like wearing gloves.”

“I’ll make you a special pair—guaranteed you’ll want to wear them.”

“Okay.”

At that moment, an abnormal spiritual energy fluctuation erupted in the arts building.

Li Xingming’s lazy gaze instantly turned serious. He released Ye Sheng’s hand and rushed toward the source of the energy.

After a while, Ye Sheng watched Li Xingming walk back from campus, leaning close to Jiang Qianqian. Passersby greeted them as if blessing newlyweds, and Jiang Qianqian’s radiant smile matched that of a bride.

Ye Sheng’s face showed no expression. She glanced at the hand Li Xingming had just squeezed, then gently placed it over her chest.

Why... does it feel a little uncomfortable here?

She had her first close female friend, her first team captain—two joyous things combined. So why did she feel sadness?

She didn’t understand.