83: You're dreaming.

In the scorching heat of summer, the constant chirping of cicadas in the trees was irritating.

The usually bustling pedestrian street was nearly deserted, but outside Lingnan Academy, thousands of people were packed together.

Today was the enrollment day for Lingnan Academy. Among the thousands waiting for the gates to open, about 70% were students and 30% were parents or other bystanders.

Though the square was crowded, there was a clear divide; those in simple clothing naturally huddled together, while those in glamorous attire instinctively distanced themselves from the common crowd. The gap between rich and poor was starkly evident, even in this chaotic square.

If anyone was crossing this invisible boundary and moving freely through the crowd, it wasn't the teachers of Lingnan Academy or opportunistic vendors, but people from other schools.

A group of people wearing "Lingbei Academy" uniforms or faculty attire were weaving through the crowd.

"Truly, don't look down on us just because we're from Lingbei Academy. Our strength is no less than Lingnan Academy's. In the most recent national competition, our Lingbei Academy even achieved the highest score in all of Lingnan City, which is much better than Lingnan Academy."

"...Yes, exactly, our bus is right there. You must be his father, right? You two look like you were cast from the same mold. Oh? Uncle Wang? No problem, no problem. Let's go, let's go together. I guarantee you won't be disappointed."

"North of Lingnan, the most beautiful place in the world! We have the best faculty, the most Secret Realms, and even the most beautiful senior sisters and handsome senior brothers to accompany you through your three years of college. What are you waiting for? Enrollment spots are limited, don't miss out!"

From time to time, one could see hesitant students and parents being poached by the people from Lingbei Academy.

Chen Lian was a student in the Advanced class at Lingbei Academy. Although his name was a bit feminine, he was indeed a male. Relying on his 'pretty boy' looks, he had successfully hoodwinked over a dozen students in less than an hour today, leading them to follow him onto the bus. Even though a few of them were boys, he didn't care; once they reached the school, his bonus would be secured.

Having succeeded in a dozen consecutive cases, he couldn't help but feel a bit high and mighty, even tilting his head up when looking at people.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the crowd.

"Look at those three Girls, they're so beautiful..."

"And they all have different styles. Are we going to spend the next three years with these three beauties? That sounds pretty good..."

"Haha~ Those idiots just now were fooled by a few words. If they knew Lingnan Academy had such excellent resources, they'd be dying of regret."

"You're right!"

Chen Lian, currently in high spirits, turned his head and saw the three beauties nearby, and his heart immediately skipped a beat.

Could today be my lucky day?

If I can bring them to the academy, there will be plenty of opportunities to build a good relationship.

I have to seize this chance.

He gave a light cough, squeezed through the crowd, flipped his hair, and straightened his slightly messy clothes. He flashed what he thought was a charming smile. In his experience, the three Girls would look over, blush as they quietly sized him up, whisper among themselves, and finally come forward to ask for his contact information.

However, the three Girls acted as if they didn't even see him and walked right past. The shorter one, wearing a JK uniform, was even muttering and cursing things like 'Qi the Skinner', 'Qi Shiren', and 'Qi the Henpecked'.

Huh?

Chen Lian's expression froze for two seconds, followed by a look of utter disbelief.

Seeing the three Girls about to walk away, he quickly stepped forward again, flashing an even more coquettish smile—overdoing it so much that wrinkles appeared at the corners of his eyes.

"Beautiful ladies, you just passed by me. You might have been too focused to notice me."

The three Girls looked at him with furrowed brows. The JK uniform Girl, who was in a terrible mood, snapped back: "What? Looking for trouble?"

This remark drew a burst of laughter from the crowd. Chen Lian's face turned red with embarrassment and sweat broke out on his nose. He couldn't help but point at his own face and shout at the top of his lungs: "Me? Looking for trouble? Look closely! Me? Are you blind? Can't you see a handsome guy?"

The students: "..."

The three Girls: "..."

A few seconds later, the crowd erupted into even louder laughter, and even the three Girls couldn't help but laugh.

The Girl in the JK uniform tilted her head and said coolly: "You?"

"True handsomeness should be in one's actions; handsomeness that comes from makeup is at most just a mask," the Girl next to her, wearing a hooded dress and thick glasses, said flatly.

The JK uniform Girl snapped her fingers: "Bingo! Compared to classmate Xie Ning who is late, you're at most just a big rooster that fell into a dye vat."

"You!" Chen Lian was now fuming with embarrassment and anger, but thinking of his commission, he suppressed his temper and said with a smile:

"I was being abrupt just now. Let me introduce myself, I am Chen Lian, an Advanced class student at Lingbei Academy. You ladies look like you're about to enroll. Why not visit our place? We have the best faculty, the most handsome senior brothers and mentors, and we guarantee they can teach you skills personally."

The JK uniform Girl tilted her head again, looked at him for two seconds, and said: "You're dreaming."

"Furthermore, according to public data, Lingnan Academy has one King, three Diamond, and seven Platinum rankers, while Lingbei Academy only has two Diamonds and three Platinums. Regarding Secret Realms, Lingnan Academy has over a hundred, while you only have twenty-odd. In all competitions, Lingnan Academy has a chance to enter the top ten, while you are perennially outside the top hundred."

The Girl with glasses pushed up her spectacles. "As for the 'higher scores than Lingnan Academy in the national competition' mentioned in your promotion just now, that was because Lingnan Academy didn't even participate in the year 597 of the Demon Tamers Beast Era."

As soon as these words were spoken, the listeners broke into an uproar, looking at the people from Lingbei Academy with faces full of disdain.

Poaching people at someone else's doorstep was despicable enough, but to make their performance sound so good while smearing others was just too shameless!

Lingnan Academy was also strange for not coming out to drive them away!

At this moment, Chen Lian no longer looked high and mighty. Seeing the crowd pointing and looking at him with disdain, he was so angry that smoke almost came out of his nostrils. Looking at the three Girls in front of him, his shame turned into rage. In a fit of heat-headedness, he suddenly raised his hand and swung a slap down.

The sudden scene left everyone unable to react. The three Girls were even more stunned; they didn't expect the other party to dare to strike with so many people present.

The first thought in the JK uniform Girl's mind was:

It's over, my face is going to be ruined... But the slap didn't land. It was caught by a large hand that reached across. Compared to his, the hand that stopped him was a whole size thicker and looked powerful just by sight.

"I'm not late, am I?"

The three Girls looked over and were instantly overjoyed when they saw the newcomer's face.

"Wow! The missing person has finally returned! Domineering! Beautiful!" The JK uniform Girl was even more ecstatic and jumped up.

These three Girls were, of course, Lu Bingyun, Xiao Ya, and Lan Yu. The owner of that large hand was none other than Xie Ning. Behind him, the playful Mo Yu also poked her head out and stuck her tongue out at the three Girls.