Chapter 23: Everyone Has a Few Secrets

At dawn, Cao Mang was catching up on sleep when Qiu Yurou rushed in, grabbed his neck, and squeezed hard.
“Let Bufan go, or I’ll strangle you…”
Her strength was barely enough to scratch an itch; Cao Mang opened his cold, emotionless eyes.
He understood perfectly well—it meant Qiu Zhentu had already left home, and Qiu Yurou...
The hem of his shirt was tucked neatly into his waistband, fastened with an ordinary black leather belt, instantly accentuating the golden proportions of his figure. Below, he wore straight black trousers, nothing remarkable, save for how they fit his frame, unreservedly displaying his long legs and shapely hips.
King Zhou, understanding his exhaustion, ordered someone to let him rest first and opened the envelope himself.
“There are still people bold enough to touch the Jing family?” Gu Jinxi’s gaze swept across the crowd, its sharp brilliance compelling everyone watching to lower their heads in unison.
A perfectly good celebration had devolved into chaos, and Old Master Ye felt his reputation had suffered. Fortunately, the guest of honor today was Feng Xihua. With him present, the situation ought to remain under control.
Thinking the man should be at odds with Huang Shihai in Jihua Province, Zhang Jialiang found it amusing. If he really took this man under his wing, he wondered what expression Huang Shihai might wear.
After telling her parents not to be too formal, Li Jiayu, dressed in casual home clothes as if she were merely heading out for a stroll or a simple meal, entered the restaurant with them, only to find Duan Weiqi waiting in full attire, his skin smooth and hair slicked, looking every bit like someone attending a proper matchmaking meeting.
Over a dozen shadowy figures slashed and thrust, as if a dozen blue-dyed warriors were simultaneously launching an assault on Wu Yue. The icy killing intent condensed on their sword tips was so palpable, even the reapers a hundred meters away could sense it clearly.
He couldn’t afford to worry about anything else—tonight, if he didn’t go say goodbye to Tian Xiner, he wouldn’t sleep well for the next two weeks.
Lu Meng involuntarily shuffled his feet, trying to put a couple more millimeters between himself and this dangerous person. Zhuge Liang felt his ribs vibrating.
Elder Di’s voice rang out slowly, and as he spoke, some students were already pulling out brick-thick academy regulations to browse. Sure enough, the rule was found at number two thousand.
A sharp slap echoed. Feng Qinglang’s hair was knocked loose, a lock of long hair falling across her cheek.
After agonizing over what to give Sana, he finally decided to compose a song for her himself.
Receiving Tokizaki’s reply, Mina burrowed under her blanket and hugged her pillow, rolling around the bed for a long time before finally poking her head out from beneath the covers.
Of course not—she had inherited the Wei family pharmacy and had much to do; but such words could never be spoken to Wei Jingchen.
She muttered quietly to herself, then followed the prompt, “Click to collect the falling sunlight!” and gathered the rays as they dropped from the sky.
In the end, the two settled on the customary standard of playing the demo a day earlier than planned.
“Tsk, we haven’t seen each other in so long, and Mom, your first words are about this?” Mu Luo’s tone was well controlled, at least sounding as if she wasn’t angry.
“Teacher? What are you doing here?” Ye Yuanhe forced a laugh, scratching his head to cover the awkward moment just past.
Eunuch Rong was indeed the emperor’s trusted aide, but what was about to be discussed was not for his ears.
Su Nanyuan closed his mouth, being a general who seldom chose his words carefully, while Su Nanzhi, always clever, could easily sense anything amiss.
Seeing Bai Susu’s unexpected bravery, Delis was secretly astonished—she hadn’t expected Bai Susu to withstand her brother’s attacks without showing any sign of defeat.
“I’m not really a Saint Domain Knight now—I’ve removed my mask, so there’s no need to fall in love with him, right?” Sharna felt a bit conflicted inside. In truth, she wasn’t alone; even Marin, outwardly calm, was just as unsettled as Sharna.