Chapter 237 - 236: Given Our Relationship, Can I?

Sheng Yue pursed his lips again.

Jian Yu glanced over.

’Who’s he putting on that pouting-bride act for?’

After eating and drinking his fill, Wang Hu sat for a moment. "I can’t, I’m exhausted. My back is killing me. I’m turning in."

He said his goodbyes and ducked into his tent to sleep.

The others followed suit, bidding each other goodnight.

Jian Yu called out, "Teacher Hu."

Teacher Hu paused, taken aback.

His gaze flickered to Sheng Yue, who was standing behind Jian Yu, but his smile didn’t waver. "What is it, Jian Yu?"

Jian Yu mentally reviewed the list Shi Zhao had given her.

She asked tentatively, "Teacher Hu Shishen, are you from the Imperial City?"

"Yes, from the New Imperial City." Hu Shishen raised his eyebrows. "Hearing you say the whole thing, my name does sound a little strange."

Jian Yu froze for a second.

’So it really is him!’

Shi Zhao had said that most of their people were on Emperor Source Star. There were pitifully few on Imperial Capital Star—just a handful of elders who had settled down and started families, and they didn’t keep in close contact.

There was only one person on the list with the surname Hu, but Jian Yu had never paid attention to Teacher Hu’s full name, which was why she was only now realizing something was amiss.

’It was surprising, but it also made a certain kind of sense.’

"Is there something wrong with him?" Sheng Yue didn’t understand why Jian Yu was staring at some middle-aged guy.

Jian Yu gave Sheng Yue a strange look.

’Could it be that Teacher Hu’s human form made Sheng Yue suspicious?’

’He looks perfectly normal, though.’

Jian Yu’s round eyes widened slightly. "What’s wrong? I just thought he was handsome, so I couldn’t resist asking."

Sheng Yue pursed his lips. "..."

He’d just managed to get rid of one little lunatic, and now Teacher Hu was stirring up trouble.

Yin Jiu fumed. [I’m so mad.]

Sheng Yue silently radiated a cold aura.

Meeting Sheng Yue’s resentful gaze, Hu Shishen gave a fawning smile. "Well, if there’s nothing else, President, you two should get some rest."

Teacher Hu zipped his tent shut.

’The little Leader is eating well.’

’The Leader can rest easy now.’

Sheng Yue’s expression was sullen.

Jian Yu asked suspiciously, "Are you angry?"

Sheng Yue averted his gaze, his voice cool. "No."

"Oh." Jian Yu didn’t say whether she believed him.

She pulled Sheng Yue toward her tent.

Before she could even speak, Sheng Yue, having just laid down, spoke up. "Pei Yin and the others are fine."

He lay perfectly straight, staring up at the roof of the tent.

Yin Jiu was nestled between them, its large eyes darting back and forth.

Sheng Yue, wanting to talk more, added, "I contacted them on the outskirts of the Ultimate Eye."

Jian Yu hummed. "That’s good to hear."

After a moment’s thought, she added, "We can ask for the details when we get back. But the Yan Family is definitely involved somehow."

Sheng Yue glanced at Jian Yu out of the corner of his eye.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it again.

Yin Jiu’s fluffy tail swished back and forth. [Master, say the word. Should I help lull the baby to sleep?]

Sheng Yue replied coldly, [Just sleep.]

Jian Yu grabbed Yin Jiu’s twitching tail, her mind starting to wander.

Teacher Hu had lived on Imperial Capital Star for many years, yet at Weis Lan, he was only a mid-level teacher.

Jian Yu’s impression of him was that of a corporate drone who brown-nosed Ling Yanzhi and Xi Yu.

Just an ordinary teacher, spouting pleasantries and sucking up to fight for a better allocation of resources for his class.

He was constantly held down by outside forces, had no connections to help him advance, and his Level wasn’t high. It wasn’t until he became Jian Yu’s advisor that he finally got a promotion and a raise.

Teacher Hu was good to Jian Yu—better than anyone else. When it came to resources or opportunities, he always thought of her first.

Even now, Jian Yu could still picture his expression—simultaneously fawning and regretful—as he advised Ling Yanzhi to properly nurture her talent and not let it go to waste.

Initially, Jian Yu had also assumed that Teacher Hu had only managed to make a name for himself at school by catching Ling Yanzhi’s attention.

But later, Jian Yu realized that every year they went to the Ultimate Eye, Teacher Hu was always one of the chaperoning teachers, regardless of who the top student was.

’So Teacher Hu was just being low-key. He didn’t actually care about some so-called promotion. Was that just part of his persona? Or even a smokescreen?’

’Primordial Beast, one of their people, a low-key sycophant.’

’It was hard to connect the dots.’

Jian Yu recalled the first time she’d been possessed by the Soul Ghost Body, and the strange, excited look in Teacher Hu’s eyes.

His expression made it clear he knew she had been the one to devour the Soul Ghost Body, yet he’d deliberately shifted the focus to Shen Gu.

He gave the credit to Shen Gu and even covered for her in front of Duan Feiye.

’So Teacher Hu was one of them, too. No wonder Shi Zhao had insisted on tagging along when he learned her identity, claiming he was worried about her safety. But then he’d started appearing and disappearing unpredictably, often nowhere to be found.’

Jian Yu reined in her thoughts.

She turned her head and squeezed Sheng Yue’s palm. "Tell me about the Heavy Python."

A silence so thick it was almost tangible hung in the air.

Yin Jiu rolled over and began to snore softly.

Sheng Yue picked Yin Jiu up. He considered it for a moment—’it’s just a baby,’ he thought—and instead of tossing it aside, he recalled it into his body.

He shifted, his arm "unintentionally" brushing against Jian Yu’s. "I’m not entirely sure."

The Heavy Python isn’t a common Alien Beast. They’re even rarer than 3S Awakeners.

Jian Yu looked up. "Before the Alliance reclassified the Levels, S-Class Alien Beasts were considered Primordial Beasts, right?"

Originally, the highest Exotic Beast Level was A. Primordial Beasts were the ones classified as S, Level 2S, and Level 3S.

Sheng Yue’s thin lips tightened. "The Heavy Python is different."

The Heavy Python was always Level 3S, but no one ever considered it a Primordial Beast.

Jian Yu raised an eyebrow. "The Heavy Python that showed up today—do you think you could beat it?"

Sheng Yue inhaled the light Yulan Tea Fragrance that clung to the air around her, his blue eyes narrowing. "No. But it was injured."

Jian Yu leaned in closer. "So, you’re saying that normally you couldn’t win, but because it was injured, you might’ve had a chance if you went all out?"

Sheng Yue glanced at her from the side without moving his body. "Not necessarily. I couldn’t be sure."

Their eyes met. Jian Yu was about to look away, but Sheng Yue, the tips of his ears turning red, averted his gaze first.

But what kind of person was Jian Yu?

If someone advanced, she would retreat. But if they retreated, she would absolutely press forward.

Besides, the Jian Yu of today was not the same person she had been yesterday.

She leaned in, so close she could count his trembling eyelashes.

"President, your skin is amazing."

Her voice held a probing note as she leaned over him, her fingers brushing against his cheek.

His face grew hot and red, the temperature rising so quickly that her own fingertips seemed to absorb the heat.

Jian Yu slowly lifted her gaze.

Sheng Yue pressed his lips together, eyes closed and eyelashes trembling, as if offering himself up to her.

His warm breath ghosted across her neck, light as a feather, yet it stirred a strange, perverse impulse within her.

His blue and white uniform was buttoned all the way up to his chin, encasing his body.

Jian Yu reached out and undid the top two buttons, revealing his fair, slender neck.

Sheng Yue’s breath hitched.

He opened his eyes and caught her hand.

The corners of Jian Yu’s mouth turned down. She looked slightly hurt, but also a little distant.

Sheng Yue’s hand froze in midair, his fingertips trembling.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to touch her, but then primly retracted his hand.

Finally, his arm hovered hesitantly by her waist, his fingers so restrained he didn’t even dare to curl them.

Jian Yu leaned down, a glint of mischief in her large eyes. "Such a good boy, President."

She sized him up with a brazen stare.

His fair face was flushed, a faint blush spreading to the corners of his eyes. His lips were pressed together, as if he’d just been biting them.

’He looks so easy to bully.’

Jian Yu opened her eyes wide, feigning innocence. "President... given our relationship, can I kiss you?"