Chapter 262: Yu Cai: She

Ying Duo's silence and those inorganic, somewhat eerie golden eyes made Meng Kexin feel an inexplicable pang of anxiety; she instinctively clutched the stuffed bear in her arms.

She could sense that Ying Duo exuded a non‑human "blankness"; his golden eyes did not look at a living person, and that feeling sent a chill down her spine.

She gripped Ying Duo's sleeve tighter, as if making up her mind, and spoke in a soft, sweet voice:

"Ying Duo classmate…… what did that phone call you gave me mean?"

Phone?

Ying Duo tilted his head; when had he ever called this NPC?

Although the game had communicators, he still hadn't gotten one, so how could he have called an NPC?

He carefully recalled his few interactions with this vase‑like NPC; apart from giving her the stuffed bear last time, they had hardly communicated at all.

"What phone call?" Ying Duo directly countered.

Meng Kexin blinked, surprise flashing in her eyes.

Could it not be him?

She studied Ying Duo's face closely, but found nothing.

Those golden eyes were too clear, too empty.

They were practically… a non‑human monster.

"Yo, who did I think you were? Blocking the hallway early in the morning, tugging and pulling at someone."

A voice laced with obvious mockery came from beside them.

Both turned their heads; at the far end of the path two people approached.

The girl leading the way was tall, her golden hair tied in a neat ponytail, a few small tool pouches hung at her waist; her brows and eyes were gentle yet retained a heroic spirit.

The boy following her was much more taciturn, keeping his head slightly lowered to diminish his presence.

Yu Cai's gaze swept over Meng Kexin's hand gripping Ying Duo's sleeve, then fell on Meng Kexin's outfit that clashed with the surroundings; the sneer at the corner of her mouth grew more pronounced.

"Isn't this the former young lady of the Zhao Family?"

Yu Cai deliberately stressed the word "former," curling her lip into a markedly sarcastic arc.

"What's up? Chen Mo Zhi just rushed back home to deal with the mess, and you're already scrambling to find a 'backup'? You move fast."

Jiangdu beside her seemed to want to pull her back, but Yu Cai shot him a glare; he could only shrink his neck and pretend to stare at ants on the ground.

Yu Cai continued her barrage, aiming straight at Meng Kexin.

"But your taste… tsk tsk, you know the Chen Family can't protect itself anymore, so you're grasping at straws, finding a… uh, 'special' classmate, hoping he'll solve the Zhao Family's 'little trouble'?"

She sized up Ying Duo, especially his signature Ying Guang Lu hair, having heard a bit of gossip that he had talent but something was off with his mind.

Thus her tone grew sharper.

"Or do you think his 'mental issue' makes him easier for you to exploit against the Zhao Family?"

Wow, this passerby NPC dropped a lot of info.

The Chen Family has run into trouble, and it's serious enough that Chen Mo Zhi had to rush back urgently.

Well, this probably doesn't concern him much; after all, yesterday he was only responsible for blasting the Church's landmark buildings all over the world.

And Meng Kexin seems utterly unaware that the Chen Family is in trouble; from her just‑now asking Ying Duo about that strange phone call, her attention is nowhere near this.

The conversation also reveals that Meng Kexin's relationship with her original Zhao Family has deteriorated to the extreme, to the point where she needs to find someone specially to solve her problems.

Remember, before they went out on a mission, Chen Mo Zhi had specially arranged a place for Meng Kexin to stay?

Meng Kexin's grip on Ying Duo's sleeve tightened unconsciously—not from fear of Yu Cai, but because Yu Cai's words revealed information about the Chen Family.

The Chen Family is in trouble? Chen Mo Zhi went back? Why didn't he tell her?

No, Chen Mo Zhi had no obligation to inform her; it's just that the naive young master's inexplicable sense of responsibility made her think that way.

It looks like whatever happened to the Chen Family is indeed urgent.

Meng Kexin quickly composed herself, released Ying Duo's sleeve, and turned to face Yu Cai.

Her sweet expression eased a little; although her voice remained soft, it now carried a hint of chill.

"Senior Yu Cai, my affairs don't need your worry; I just have a few things to say to Ying Duo classmate."

"Things?" Yu Cai snorted, "What things? Tips on sweet‑talking your new backer? Or how to dump your mess onto someone else?"

"Zhao Kexin—no, wait, you should be called Meng Kexin now? You really think changing your surname erases the past?"

"The Zhao Family raised you for years and treated you well; is this how you repay them? In the Academy, plenty of people dislike you; without Chen Mo Zhi you're nothing!"

Yu Cai doesn't know the details between Meng Kexin and the Zhao Family; originally she didn't want to get involved, but she can't stand the Zhao Family constantly accusing "Meng Kexin" of wrongdoing near the Academy.

And before Meng Kexin latched onto Chen Mo Zhi, she already wore those fancy dresses and went out with her father to various banquets.

From this angle, the Zhao Family hasn't wronged her at all; they've actually indulged her richly, just as they constantly accuse her elsewhere.

Yet this very young lady, pampered by the Zhao Family, after latching onto the Chen Family, turns around and uses the Chen Family's influence to suppress the Zhao Family.

Yu Cai's remark "The Zhao Family raised you for years and treated you well" made Meng Kexin, with her back to Ying Duo, freeze stiff.

Raised? Well treated?

She unconsciously dug her nails into the stuffed bear in her arms, her knuckles whitening slightly.

What outsiders see as proof of "affluent upbringing"—the Zhao Family's claim of having done their utmost for her—is in fact nothing but repeated exploitation of her.

Yu Cai doesn't understand.

She entered Mitra Academy by her own effort and talent; before that, as a commoner, her limitations let her see only the glittering surface.

She has never experienced the sugared‑poison of aristocratic circles, the control and extraction cloaked in the name of "nurturing."

Under the Zhao Family's malicious guidance, blade after blade named "words" has been forged.

"Yu Cai!"

Jiangdu saw Yu Cai growing more agitated and noticed Meng Kexin's odd state, raising his voice.

"We're really going to be late; the first period is Professor Luo De'an's Rune Theory class, and being late will lose all our regular points!"

Jiangdu's voice still carried its usual lack of confidence, but the hand that grabbed Yu Cai's wrist was unusually strong.

Yu Cai, subconsciously trying to shake off the grip, found Jiangdu's hand held on tightly; she couldn't break free at all.

This guy's strength is that great?

Yu Cai muttered to herself, but being interrupted by Jiangdu caused some of the anger she had just directed at Meng Kexin to vent.

Yu Cai glared fiercely at Meng Kexin's back, and finally, with Jiangdu's force, was half‑pulled, half‑dragged toward the teaching building.

"Jiangdu, your guts have gotten fat......... Hey, ease up! Is this how you treat girls?"

Jiangdu strained to pull Yu Cai along quickly; his stride was large, and he forced the reluctant Yu Cai to disappear toward the end of the corridor.

The corridor regained its silence, but the atmosphere was even more stagnant than before.

Meng Kexin faced away from Ying Duo, her shoulders gently rising and falling, as if calming her emotions.

A few seconds later, she finally turned around, her face once again bearing that usual sweet smile, yet the anxiety and coldness in her eyes lingered.

"Sorry, Ying Duo classmate, I made you look foolish."

She said softly, her tone returning to gentle, "That phone call was probably my mistake; I have something urgent, so I'll leave first."