189: Are there really people like that?

"Speaking of companies, those two who were signed by Fengxing Technology, they're the ones who truly made it in one step, right?" someone whispered softly.

"Hmph, don't even mention them." The short-haired girl pursed her lips. "How is that any different from a servitude contract? I just saw them being led away by that Vice President named Feng. They looked like they'd lost their souls. They're probably off to some hellish, closed-door training. They have no freedom like us."

"Exactly, exactly! Our Lin Yao is the best; she can do whatever she wants!"

"Come on, come on, let's drink, let's drink!"

The glasses clinked again.

But everyone knew clearly in their hearts.

Starting today, the gap between them had widened infinitely.

Lin Yao was a Mythic Rank, a figure destined to stand above the clouds in the future.

Li Hao was an elite, an ambitious person determined to climb to the top.

Zhang Wei was the majority, the stable and solid cornerstone of this society.

And those two geniuses signed by Fengxing Technology were merely commodities chosen by capital.

They once laughed and played in the same classroom, dreaming about the future.

But now, their futures had diverged onto completely different paths.

The atmosphere, catalyzed by alcohol, became somewhat melancholic and confused.

Just then.

Zhang Wei, who had been relatively silent, once again raised his glass and stood up unsteadily.

This time, he walked directly up to Lin Yao.

The surrounding noise gradually subsided.

Everyone was looking at him.

"Lin Yao..."

Zhang Wei's face was flushed red from drinking, and his tongue felt thick.

"I... I toast you."

Lin Yao paused for a moment but still raised her glass.

"You are... different from us." Zhang Wei's gaze was unfocused as he stared at the swirling liquor in his glass, muttering to himself.

"You are a genius... a Mythic Rank... You will fly very, very high in the future..."

He tilted his head back and gulped down the entire glass of beer.

Then, he wiped his mouth with his sleeve, his eyes red, and stared intently at Lin Yao.

"I just hope..."

Zhang Wei, his eyes red, collapsed suddenly mid-sentence, falling heavily onto the floor with a thud.

The glass smashed on the floor, breaking into several pieces, and the remaining half-cup of beer spilled everywhere.

"..."

The entire room fell silent.

Everyone, who had been immersed in sadness and confusion just a second ago, was completely stunned by this sudden scene.

"Holy crap! Zhang Wei!"

The short-haired girl reacted fastest, screaming and quickly rushing over with several others to help him up in a flurry.

"Has he gone crazy from drinking?!"

"Quick, quick, lend a hand, let's get him onto the sofa to lie down!"

A few people laboriously carried the tall and bulky Zhang Wei onto a nearby booth sofa. He was still incoherently mumbling nonsense about "flying high" and "being different," having completely passed out.

A brewing, potentially extremely awkward confession or perhaps a plea for life guidance thus ended in a comical fashion.

Lin Yao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness.

She truly didn't know how to respond to Zhang Wei's heavy and desperate expectations.

With this interlude, the oppressive atmosphere in the private room dissipated considerably. Everyone looked at the unconscious Zhang Wei lying on the sofa with a mix of amusement and frustration, then returned to their seats.

"That guy really got wasted."

"Alright, alright, forget about him, let him sleep."

The topic shifted back to Lin Yao.

A boy wearing glasses adjusted them and spoke cautiously.

"Um... Lin Yao, what exactly is the nine-star difficulty solo mission like? Is it very different from the one we took?"

This question instantly piqued everyone's curiosity.

That's right.

They only knew that this difficulty rating was ridiculously high, and the mortality rate was equally ridiculous.

But as for its specific format and content, ordinary students like them, who were destined only to participate in low-star team missions, had no way of knowing.

"I don't know either." Lin Yao shook her head, telling the truth.

It wasn't exactly that she didn't know, but rather that she possessed an inexplicable, extreme confidence.

Forget nine stars; if she had the option for the 288-star mission back then, she would have instantly chosen it without hesitation.

She couldn't explain why, but she certainly couldn't just open her mouth and say at a time like this:

"Because I feel awesome."

So she simply pushed the matter onto Lin Yu.

"My brother said the higher the difficulty, the greater the opportunity," she added, her face showing undisguised, absolute trust in Lin Yu.

"Your brother..."

At the mention of Lin Yu, everyone's expressions became complicated again.

The man who created the 288-star myth.

His existence had already exceeded the scope of these students' understanding.

"Your brother certainly has his reasons." Li Hao immediately chimed in, raising his glass toward Lin Yao. "Anyway, we wish you success in advance—the top scorer in the College Entrance Examination!"

"Yes, yes! We wish our Lin Yao success in becoming the top scorer!"

Everyone raised their glasses.

Just then.

The door of the private room was abruptly pushed open from the outside.

A young man dressed in trendy clothes, his hair slicked back and gleaming, with an expression that screamed "I'm the best in the world," swaggered in, flanked by two followers.

He glanced around, finally fixing his gaze on Lin Yao, who was surrounded by the group.

The noise in the private room came to an abrupt halt.

Everyone was slightly bewildered by this uninvited guest.

"Who is that? Did he take a wrong turn?"

"Shh! Quiet down!" Li Hao's expression slightly changed. He lowered his voice and urgently whispered into the ear of the person next to him, "That's Chen Ruiyu from the next class! Don't provoke him!"

Chen Ruiyu?

As soon as that name was mentioned, many people immediately showed expressions of realization mixed with apprehension.

"Is that... Chen Ruiyu whose family owns a factory?"

"Yes! Tianhong Precision Manufacturing! They specialize in making core components for Tianqing Group! It's said they employ over a thousand people, inside and outside the factory!"

"Damn, it's him..."

One of Tianqing Group's suppliers!

These few words, like a golden signboard, instantly gave Chen Ruiyu an dazzling halo.

In this world, wealth and power are often more intimidating than the profession level itself.

Chen Ruiyu's family was rich and powerful, and he was notoriously arrogant and overbearing, making him a well-known figure in the school.

The profession he awakened was only a Rare-grade [Heavy Gunner], which was neither particularly good nor bad, making it quite awkward. But this did not affect his high self-regard, because he knew clearly that he would inherit the family business, becoming a boss who managed people, rather than a grunt fighting desperately on the front lines.

Today, he was also socializing with friends in the next private room when he happened to hear that the beautiful girl who received a Mythical-grade profession this year was at "Time's Embrace." On a whim, he insisted on coming over to take a look.