Chapter 182: Opening Dance

Pei Ziying understood the subtext of his words. He set down his fountain pen and looked down from the floor-to-ceiling window; the lights of the high-rise buildings shimmered in reflection, and the traffic flowed like a winding, leaping rainbow, snaking off into the distance. His state of mind underwent a distinct shift: "Junior brother, besides revenge, what is it that you truly want?"

The traffic never ceased, rushing toward the arrival of the dawn.

Ling Wu said: "Senior brother, what I have wanted from beginning to end is very simple."

The night curtain hung low, making the scene appear even more tranquil and mysterious.

Ling Wu's entire person seemed to merge into the profundity of the night, leaving behind a faint silhouette like a lit torch. His voice was resonant and powerful, piercing through the biting cold wind, and the heat from his lips and teeth drifted into the air and dissipated rapidly: "I want justice to be manifest, I want good and evil to have their rewards, I want the guilty to repent, and I want the innocent to be set free!"

He wanted to topple the noble families and establish equal rights.

He wanted the millions upon millions of people whose spines had been crushed by power and profit to stand up.

Pei Ziying naturally could not allow such a self-destructive idea: "You will end up smashed to pieces."

"Junior brother, while the overall situation can still be reversed, I will have Minghui bring you back immediately. The teacher and I will find a way to help you settle the matters in the Empire. I absolutely will not interfere with whoever you want to kill, but on this one thing alone, you must listen to me."

"Can you do that?"

Ling Wu firmly disagreed: "You listen to me, senior brother. I am not a person who acts recklessly. I would never joke with my own life. I have the confidence to fight for this."

"Two months—the final two months. If the situation looks bad, I will leave with you. For so many years I have never been willful; just this once, can you listen to me?"

The person on the other end of the phone went completely silent.

After a long time, Pei Ziying finally said: "Just this once."

"The Federation's undercover agents in the Empire's Intelligence Bureau can be mobilized at will if you contact Minghui. They have been lurking for many years, and they may have the information you want. But junior brother, I hope you understand that this is the greatest concession I can make."

Pei Ziying's tone was a bit sorrowful: "The teacher does not wish for his students, one after another, to die in such a den of tigers and wolves as the Empire."

"He is getting old. Although his health is robust, he cannot withstand such blows."

Ling Wu's mind conjured the image of the Marshal's kind and amiable face, and he agreed: "I understand."

"Don't worry."

But Pei Ziying simply could not stop worrying, as if something were quietly and silently slipping away, yet he could not grasp it no matter what.

Perhaps he should never have let Ling Wu return to the Empire in the first place.

The Chairman, who always had the final say, actually fell into a state of confusion, not knowing if the decision he had made was right.

With Ling Wu's participation in the Jin Family's weapons experiment research, those few thorny projects soon made progress. Jin Liangjin was very gratified and happy, and incidentally took action to suppress the public opinion, but the consequence was that Ling Wu became very busy, to the point that even Jin Shaoyu found it difficult to see him...

After the elective course assessments at Sike Academy were completed, the term ended. Ling Wu achieved quite excellent results, sitting firmly in the top spot. Every time the semester ended, the Academy would hold a gala to draw a perfect conclusion to the term.

The auditorium was decorated in a luxurious and beautiful style, and the three-dimensional reliefs on the walls were lifelike. The young masters and misses of the noble families wore formal attire, looking forward to being chosen as dance partners for the gala's opening dance.

This was a glorious moment for a student of Sike Academy.

"Which young master will it be for this year's opening dance? Could it be Young Master Jing?"

"Young Master Jing is probably impossible. He just got engaged, and that person from the Wei Family is likely watching him closely. If you don't want to become a thorn in their side, it's best not to harbor such thoughts."

"I'm still very curious, does Wei Ranxu actually like Young Master Jing or Ling Wu? The forum is polarized, and they all speak as if they have concrete evidence..."

"Are you crazy! What kind of nonsense are you spouting on an occasion like this? Be careful, or Young Master Jing might hear you and have you thrown to the Student Council for punishment!"

"I really want to be Young Master Yu's dance partner. God bless, if I could have the honor of being Young Master Yu's partner, I would do anything."

"Dancing with Young Master Yu and the others is no fun; there's too much pressure. If it were with Senior Ling Wu, I might consider it. He is especially gentle and knows how to take care of people. If I were nervous and danced incorrectly, he might even smile and comfort me. Heavens, who understands this kind of warm-hearted boyfriend?"

Yu Shixue and the others entered from the entrance of the palace gate.

Yin Huaiyu was still dressed in a very fashionable and trendy style. Jing Du wore a single-breasted tailcoat with a detached expression. Jin Shaoyu passed by his side and immediately let out a cold snort, quickening his pace to walk ahead, clearly not wanting to walk with him.

Regarding the incident on the cruise ship, the two had not yet reconciled.

Seeing this, Yin Huaiyu stepped forward to pull him, wearing a gentle smile: "Shao Yu, it's already been half a month, and Adu has apologized, so don't be angry anymore."

Jin Shaoyu ignored him.

He walked forward, leaving only the back of his head visible to the group.

Yin Huaiyu shrugged helplessly.

He patted Jing Du on the shoulder: "Adu, you were indeed excessive in this matter."

"Shao Yu treats his brother like a treasure."

Jing Du cast a glance at him; his expression was one of being too lazy to comment on him.

Yin Huaiyu looked at the leaping candlelight and said with a sense of frustration: "Back when this happened, Shixue, you shouldn't have called Shao Yu over. If you had called me, I definitely would have helped you settle it."

"What a pity..."

"A pity."

"Heh." A cold sneer escaped Yu Shixue's throat: "Call you over?"

"Are you worried it wasn't chaotic enough?"

Yin Huaiyu's smile did not reach his eyes: "Shixue, how could you think of me that way? Adu, I am very reliable, aren't I?"

Jing Du's sharp eyes were hidden behind his lenses as he stared at him for a long while: "Too lazy to talk to you."

He dropped that abrupt remark and stepped onto the carpet into the crowd, leaving Yu Shixue and Yin Huaiyu standing there, the atmosphere suddenly becoming subtle.

Yu Shixue: "You knew he was in a bad mood, why did you ask him that?"

"Asking for trouble."

As soon as he finished speaking, he left alone.

Yin Huaiyu: "........"

The elusive Principal, who was never seen, also attended the gala. Even in a suit and leather shoes, he could not hide his big belly. When he stood with his hands behind his back holding the microphone, he looked quite comical, like a roly-poly toy.

After Ling Wu heard the Principal finish his speech, he followed the crowd in applauding him.

Afterwards, a melodious cello symphony began to play. The lights in the auditorium dimmed, and the light emitted by the European-style wall lamps illuminated everyone's faces, making them look delicate and smooth, filled with a romantic atmosphere.

The gala's opening dance had begun.

The young masters and misses with dance partners moved with light steps, their hemlines swaying.

A slender hand appeared before Ling Wu. He looked up and saw Yin Huaiyu bowing slightly, saying to him very gentlemanly: "May I have the honor of inviting you to dance?"

He hesitated.

At this moment, another hand appeared at his side, and Ming Tan said, "Ling Wu, consider me?"

Compared to the temperamental and two-faced Yin Huaiyu, Ming Tan was clearly a much better choice for an ally.

Ling Wu placed his fingertips into his palm and gave Yin Huaiyu an apologetic smile: "Young Master Yin, the timing is very unfortunate; I have a dance partner, definitely next time."

He spoke smoothly, leaving no room for anyone to find fault.

Yin Huaiyu watched Ling Wu walk into the dance floor with Ming Tan, lowered his hand that had stiffened in mid-air, and curled his five distinct knuckles, gradually clenching them into a fist until they turned white; the gentle smile in those peach-blossom eyes also froze, his gaze fixed intently on the direction they left, looking somewhat chilling.

"Ling Wu, why are there always so many people around you who don't know how to value their lives?"