After just one day of school, I took three days off to recover from my injuries at home.

Heh, I bet I’m the only one in the whole academy who’s done that.

"Hmm~ My hand got sliced in half and still healed. Guess I’m really not ordinary anymore," I muttered to myself as I walked toward the classroom.

"Ah! Bro Xiaobai! You’re finally back!" Fatty Lin greeted me the moment I stepped through the door.

"Huh? Fatty? Did you swallow the wrong pills?" I asked.

"Bro Xiaobai, my admiration for you flows like endless river rapids..." Fatty grinned wickedly, his expression utterly lewd.

"Cut it out! Damn Fatty, speak human!"

"Bro Xiaobai, don’t you know what happened these past few days?"

"Aren’t you stating the obvious? I was on leave!" I shot him a disdainful look and kept walking to my seat.

"All of it’s about you," Fatty grinned slyly.

"Huh?" I turned around in shock.

"Late on your first day. Flirting with the campus queen senior. Beating up seven seniors in one day. And bullying the new female homeroom teacher," Fatty chuckled.

"Holy shit?" This time, I was genuinely scared the crap out of me.

"Xiaobai, you’re the talk of the Art and Education departments now," Zhao Jianwen, the sunny guy beside me, joked with a smile.

"Holy shit!" I spun to Jianwen in disbelief.

"Tsk~ Bro Xiaobai, no need to be so thrilled. Show some expression," Fatty said lecherously.

"I’ll slap that fat face of yours! What do you mean ‘flirting with the campus queen’? Have you all lost your minds? She’s the karate club captain! Flirting with her would get me killed! And what’s this about beating seven seniors in one day? Who the hell counted for me? Half of them were beaten by you guys! And bullying the new teacher? That’s pure slander!" I raged.

"Skipping class on your first day, then ditching for three days—wasn’t that bullying young Teacher Bei Ying?"

"Damn it! You’re the one spreading rumors, Fatty! I had a leave slip. I’ll kill you!"

"Whoa, Bro Xiaobai! Last time, one punch made someone vomit blood. Look at my frail frame—I’d die in one hit. Save your strength. Most guys here, especially Education majors, see you as a father-murdering enemy. And Yeping senior’s fan club? So many hate you!"

"You’re the damn rumor-monger! Frail frame? Your fat armor can take two punches before you die."

"Xiaobai, Fatty, stop messing around. Teacher’s here," Jianwen said with a wry smile. As he spoke, the teacher entered.

"Lucky break, damn Fatty. After class, you’re dead," I pointed at him fiercely.

"Bring it on," Fatty taunted.

*Ding-dong! Ding-dong!* The bell rang.

"Class dismissed, everyone. See you next time," the old professor said, vanishing like a breeze.

He wasn’t the only one who bolted. The moment the bell rang, Fatty Lin shot out the classroom door.

"Fatty, stop! Stand still!" By the time I reacted, he’d vanished. I rushed to chase him.

But after two steps, Fatty walked back in.

"Heh, Fatty, changed your mind to take a beating?" I said with a sly grin.

"Xiaobai, someone’s here for you," Fatty said seriously.

"Nothing stops me from pounding you!"

"Heh, junior Xiaobai, who exactly are you planning to pound?" Yeping suddenly appeared beside Fatty.

"Senior Yeping’s here for you," Fatty repeated, his eyes burning with jealousy.

"Senior Yeping! Where?" Onlooker A shouted.

"The campus queen!" Onlooker B yelled.

"There she is! Ugh, she’s with that guy again. Didn’t he flirt with her?" Xie Pai fumed.

"Calm down, Xie Pai. Easy," Onlookers A and B dragged the furious Xie Pai away.

"Class is over, junior. Walk with me?" Yeping smiled.

"Can I say no—" I started.

"No."

"Fine. I’ll go with you."

As we left the classroom, I sighed. Tomorrow’s rumors would multiply. The Education department would go berserk.

Yeping walked ahead, ignoring me. I followed slowly, step by step.

"Yeping?" I called.

"Call me senior!" she snapped without turning, cool as ice.

"Senior Yeping, we’re already at the school gate. Where are we going?" Sure enough, in this quiet spot, her attitude shifted.

"To the agency now."

"Senior, I have class next!" I whined.

"Heh. Not my problem. I’m free."

"Senior, at this rate, the Education majors will kill me. I might even get expelled," I forced a bitter smile.

"Don’t worry. You need over 200 skipped classes to get expelled," she laughed.

"...’’ So logical, I was speechless.

"Didn’t I tell you to find me right after healing?"

"I took three bullets. My whole hand was sliced in half. Healing in three days feels miraculous!" Now I knew why she’d been so furious.

"How about when I kicked that weirdo in half? Want to try it?"

"Okay, fine. Sorry. My bad." Inside, I was screaming.

"We’re here." She stopped at an apartment building near campus.

"Here?" I followed, glancing around. Identical apartments surrounded us—no sign of any agency. I still had no clue what this "agency" even was.

"This one." She headed up one building.

"Oh." I hurried after her, glancing at the number: "Building 18. Got it."

I trailed behind. She wore tight pants and heels again, but this time with a T-shirt. Her figure was undeniably stunning.

"What are you staring at?" She turned, catching me lost in admiration.

"Nothing. Just checking where this agency is," I said calmly. We’d climbed five or six floors. Was the agency inside an apartment?

"On the roof." She kept walking.

"Oh."

At the rooftop, she unlocked a door and pushed it open gently. Unlike her violent door-kicking at school.

I followed, pushing the half-open door inward.

Inside, a two-story house stood on the Sky Terrace. Smooth tiles covered the entire roof. Potted plants dotted the space, even a small tree. Most striking was a glass corridor—truly artistic.

"This... is a legendary illegal build, right?" I gasped as we approached the house.

"Follow me."

"Shadowless Abode... Agency." A sign lay beside the door, not hung properly.

"Stop gawking. Come in," Yeping called from inside.

"Oh."

Inside, two others waited: a woman and a child.

"Miss, back so soon?" the woman asked.

"Mm."

"Your dad’s inside. I’m heading to buy groceries."

"Xi Wan, go ahead."

"Hm? Who’s this?"

The woman looked about twenty-six. Conservative, elegant clothes. Her hair was neatly pinned. Not stunningly beautiful, but radiating gentle, caring warmth—like a mature wife. A cute little girl hid behind her, peeking at me.

"This is my classmate. Our new partner," Yeping said, pointing at me.

"Hello, I’m Chen Xi Wan. This is Ye Xianer. We’re family now," Xi Wan smiled, gesturing to the girl.

"Hi, hi! Xi Wan, I’m Li Xiaobai. Nice to meet you."

"Xianer, greet him," Xi Wan tugged the girl.

"Hello, big brother," she whispered from behind Xi Wan.

"Hi, hi."

"Xi Wan, you two go. We have business," Yeping said.

"Alright. Grocery run first. Chat later." She led Xianer out of the Sky Terrace.

Watching them leave, I turned to Yeping. "Are they... like us?"

"Xi Wan is a Neo. Xianer is my kind."

"Oh..." Seriously? Such a young girl.