188: longing at the party

He couldn't even be bothered to expose such exaggerated acting.

He stepped towards the roadside, ready to hail a taxi.

"Wait a moment!"

Wang Qingxuan, however, pulled him back.

She took out her phone, dialed a number, and spoke concisely.

"Bring that Phantom to the entrance of Tianqing Building, within three minutes."

That commanding, unquestionable tone, belonging to the young miss of Heavenly Aegis, had returned.

After hanging up, she immediately reverted to her obedient subordinate demeanor, flashing an ingratiating smile at Lin Yu.

"Boss, take my car, it's faster and more comfortable."

Lin Yu nodded indifferently.

"Alright."

Having a subordinate with money-power certainly saved a lot of trouble.

In less than three minutes, a sleek, all-black "Phantom" silently glided to a stop in front of them.

The driver respectfully opened the door.

Wang Qingxuan stepped ahead, solicitously shielding Lin Yu from the car roof.

Lin Yu bent down and got in.

The interior of the car was spacious, filled with a faint scent of leather mixed with perfume.

Wang Qingxuan followed closely, got in, and closed the door, instantly shutting out all the noise from outside.

She sat up straight, hands on her knees, looking as attentive as a primary school student listening to a lecture.

"Boss, we're going to the library, what kind of information are you looking for? Maybe I can help."

"Just looking around," Lin Yu leaned back in the soft seat and closed his eyes.

Wang Qingxuan hit a soft wall but wasn't discouraged; she simply closed her mouth obediently and sat quietly beside him... at the Shiguangli Music Restaurant.

Lin Yao had just hung up the phone, a sweet smile still lingering on her face.

"Oh!"

The short-haired girl sitting next to her nudged her with an elbow, a mischievous grin on her face.

"Checking up on him? Boyfriend? So strict!"

The few girlfriends around them immediately joined in the teasing, chattering away.

"Spill it! When did you start dating!"

"Exactly! You've been hiding it too well!"

Lin Yao's cheeks flushed, and she playfully glared at the short-haired girl, then puffed out her chest, chin slightly raised, with a hint of barely concealed pride.

"What are you talking about! It's my brother!"

She deliberately emphasized her words.

"My actual brother!"

The noisy booth fell into an eerie silence at that instant.

The air seemed to solidify.

The smiles on the faces of the girls who had just been teasing froze, and they exchanged glances.

Brother.

Actual brother.

That would be... Lin Yu?

That name, like a huge stone, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

The atmosphere, which had just livened up, suddenly became subtle and awkward.

A mix of awe, curiosity, confusion, and even a hint of fear.

Various complex emotions intertwined on these young faces.

"Ahem!"

It was the short-haired girl who reacted the quickest; she raised her beer glass, forcefully breaking the silence.

"Come on, come on! What are we talking about! Today is our graduation party! It's a celebration for our mythical genius, Lin Yao!"

She stood up and announced loudly.

"Waiter! Bring another case of beer!"

"Drink! We're not going home until we're drunk today!"

"Right! Not going home until we're drunk!"

"To our Yaoyao!"

The atmosphere was finally rekindled.

Chilled beer was quickly brought over, and transparent glass cups clinked together, making crisp sounds.

Foam frothed.

After a few rounds of beer, the alcohol began to take effect, and the tense nerves of the young men and women gradually relaxed, their conversations fully opening up.

"Yaoyao, honestly, I still feel like I'm dreaming," a boy sighed, "A mythical-level profession, solo nine-star... You and your brother are really going to soar!"

"Isn't that right!" another girl chimed in, "We were almost scared to death just now, thinking you'd just pick a three-star mission for fun! But you, you went all out!"

"I still think it's too risky," someone offered a different opinion, "A nine-star mission, and solo, the death rate..."

He didn't dare to finish his sentence.

"What's there to be afraid of!" the short-haired girl slammed the table, "Our Yaoyao is mythical-level! And her brother, the 288-star one, instead of worrying about them, you should worry about yourselves!"

"That's true..."

The conversation naturally drifted towards the future.

This word caused the previously lively atmosphere to fall silent for a moment once again.

Graduation, class change, College Entrance Examination.

These three words meant that their carefree school life had officially come to an end.

From now on, mountains and rivers would be long, and their paths in life would diverge.

"Sigh."

A slightly plump boy with an honest face suddenly let out a long sigh.

His name was Zhang Wei, the sports committee member of the class, and his awakened profession was [Shield Guard], a rather good rare-level defensive profession.

However, in the current environment, there was no possibility of him being a key focus for development.

"My life, I guess, will just be like this."

He swirled the beer glass in his hand, and beer foam clung to his lips.

"Find a big security company, start from the bottom, if I do well, I'll be a squad leader in ten years. Then get married, have a child, buy a medium-sized house... My whole life, I can see the end of it."

There wasn't much unwillingness in his words, but rather a sense of resigned regret.

"It's not that I think this kind of life is bad, it's just that I feel... it's a pity."

He drained the beer in his glass in one gulp, smiling bitterly.

"Just being so ordinary, it always feels like something is missing."

Zhang Wei's words resonated with many people.

Most of them were ordinary people.

They had awakened ordinary professions, came from ordinary families, and would head towards an ordinary and certain future.

Stable, comfortable, but also... unremarkable.

"What's there to pity!"

A tall, thin boy sitting opposite suddenly raised his voice.

His name was Li Hao, the study committee member of the class, who had awakened an elite-level mage profession. He had good talent and had always been ambitious.

"Stability is a blessing! How many people pray for it and can't get it! But..."

He changed the subject, a strong sense of confidence on his face.

"I don't want to be so stable! How can one live life without striving for something!"

He stood up, waving his hand spiritedly.

"My goal is Tianqing Group! Or Qingyun Pharmaceutical! I want to get into their core departments, and within ten years, I want to be a director!"

"Go, Hao!"

"Support Hao! Don't forget us old classmates when you make it big!"

Li Hao's grand ambitions immediately drew a chorus of cheers.

"Of course!" Li Hao sat down proudly, then glanced at Lin Yao again, "Of course, I can't compare to a mythical-level genius like our Yaoyao; you're definitely destined to start your own company."

"Starting a company is underestimating her, I think our class monitor Lin might not even develop on Blue Star in the future."

At these words, everyone felt a little dazed.

Yes, mythical-level professionals should go see the wonders that ordinary people cannot see, and fight the monsters that ordinary people dare not even imagine.

To explore the mysteries of professionals, and even lead the progress of society and civilization.

That was Lin Yao's life script.

Though dangerous, how... enchanting it was.