38: Chapter 38 If I give my first kiss to someone else, you'd better not regret it.
The guild was deathly quiet after hours.
In the Talent Appraisal Room, Ling Lifeng looked at the data on the instrument in astonishment.
"You brat, did you really raise Little Yuan's talent to Heaven Rank Middle Grade?"
This was already Teacher Su's third appraisal, and during the process, Ling Lifeng had even tested it himself to confirm the instrument wasn't broken.
Raising the talent of a War Princess was simply too absurd; it completely exceeded his understanding.
Yun Zhuo smiled and said, "Maternal Uncle, this is nothing. If the conditions are met, I can even raise Little Yuan's talent to Heaven Rank High Grade."
To raise it to Heaven Rank High Grade, based on the current situation, he only needed to open one more slot.
Teacher Su still had two hidden slots. What Yun Zhuo didn't know now was whether Heaven Rank High Grade required all slots to be opened, or if there was a grade above Heaven Rank High Grade.
He didn't want to overpromise and appear frivolous or unreliable.
Especially in front of Teacher Su's family; this was his first time meeting her family, and first impressions were very important.
It was fine to be wild or arrogant; after all, he was a young man, and that actually made him seem energetic.
But being frivolous and unreliable would really make him look like a punk.
"What conditions do you need?"
Ling Lifeng scrutinized Yun Zhuo.
Yun Zhuo held up two fingers: "Two hundred million corrosion crystals."
"Are you sure?"
"I never make 100% guarantees, but how will we know if we don't try?"
"That's true. Chen Kun hired a Grandmaster to teach his son the 'Twin Creation Technique,' and it cost five billion in just seven days. If I can't even bear to part with a mere two hundred million, wouldn't that mean Chen Kun looks down on me? Two hundred million, right? I'll give it to you right now."
"Right now!" Yun Zhuo's eyes widened. It seemed Teacher Su's Maternal Uncle's family was truly unusually wealthy; they could just give away two hundred million corrosion crystals like that.
"What's wrong? Are you afraid of being exposed as soon as you hear about testing?"
"Maternal Uncle, you're overthinking it. Two hundred million isn't a small amount. I didn't expect you to be so generous and just hand it over."
Then, Yun Zhuo changed the subject: "You know, I was originally planning to kidnap Chen Bo and extort the Chen family. Now, Maternal Uncle is taking me straight to the top."
"Extort the Chen family?" Ling Lifeng nodded. "That's a good idea."
"Maternal Uncle, do you also have a grudge against the Chen family? No, wait, do you know which Chen family I'm talking about?"
Ling Lifeng gave a cold smile: "To be honest, I heard that because of you, my Little Yuan was targeted by the Chen family, which is why I came here today. I didn't expect you to actually be able to surprise me."
"Then about that two hundred million in corrosion crystals?" Yun Zhuo rubbed his hands together like a fly.
"corrosion crystals? What corrosion crystals? You're not without your own connections, so why are you still eyeing my little bit of corrosion crystals?"
"No, Maternal Uncle, you can't do this."
"Who is your Maternal Uncle? It's getting late. If you two don't leave now, you won't even be able to catch the bus."
Yun Zhuo really wanted to slap his own foul mouth. Why did he have to bring up the Chen family? Now the cooked duck had flown away.
"Um, Maternal Uncle, if I may ask, what is your relationship with the Chen family?"
"We are both wolves that eat meat. What do you think our relationship is?"
"Understood. Then, what about me and Little Yuan?"
Ling Lifeng patted Yun Zhuo on the shoulder and said in a deep voice, "If you can really extort two hundred million from the Chen family, I can pretend I don't know about you two."
"Then what if I hadn't mentioned the Chen family just now?"
"I was giving you a chance to prove yourself. Don't be ungrateful."
Understood. At Ling Lifeng's level, judging a person's potential was no longer limited to just the quality of their talent.
No matter how good the talent, it only indicated a high growth ceiling; it didn't mean one actually had capability.
They prioritized a comprehensive assessment that included talent, such as Heart-Nature, courage, insight, strategy, and so on.
Only through a comprehensive evaluation of these factors could one judge if a person truly had capability or the potential for development.
Ling Lifeng left without taking Teacher Su away; this was a good sign.
Although he hadn't immediately gotten the two hundred million, he had gained an opportunity—a chance to have Teacher Su's family acknowledge him.
"You brat, you kept calling her 'Little Yuan' just now; you sure rolled that off the tongue easily, didn't you?"
On the way home, Teacher Su pinched Yun Zhuo's waist.
She deliberately raised her eyebrows high and pursed her lips into a straight line, but the hidden smile in her eyes had already spilled over into a soft glow. When she glared at him, the corners of her eyes even curled slightly.
The force of her pinch on his waist wasn't heavy; she looked like she was brimming with Life Qi, but it was more like she was acting coquettish.
Yun Zhuo glanced at his waist: "Teacher Su, are you flirting with me? Don't forget, I'm your student."
Teacher Su let go as if electrocuted: "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? Who's flirting with you? If you talk nonsense again, believe it or not, I'll tear your mouth off."
"Tear my mouth off? Then what will you kiss in the future? My eyes? No, Teacher Su, that's dirty."
"Pah, I wouldn't kiss you." Teacher Su's mind was clearly not on that; otherwise, as a veteran driver of a teacher, she wouldn't have failed to understand.
Then, she immediately changed the subject, her tone filled with worry: "Kidnapping Chen Bo, are you serious?"
"You'll help me, right?"
"Mm, do you have a plan? Tell me, and I'll help you figure it out."
Yun Zhuo naturally placed his hand on her waist.
Just as Teacher Su looked at his wandering hand, she heard him say: "I don't even know where he is right now, so how can I make a plan?"
"Then how will you kidnap him?"
"Don't worry, after we leave the city at dawn, someone will naturally lead us to him."
Teacher Su thought for a moment and looked at Yun Zhuo. Seeing him look over, she hurriedly shifted her gaze away in panic, then deliberately raised her voice and adjusted her tone: "You just lost two hundred million instantly; aren't you very sad?"
Watching her evasive gaze, the strength in Yun Zhuo's arm suddenly tightened, pulling them closer together.
Before she could scream, Yun Zhuo dropped his usual playful demeanor and said seriously: "I will definitely keep the promise I made to you."
"Wh... what?"
"One day, I will take you and prove to everyone that we are not 'trash' that can be looked down upon."
Yun Zhuo's gaze was firm, and his words resonated with conviction.
Hearing this, it felt like a powerful hot spring flowing into Teacher Su's heart.
Her eyes couldn't help but warm up. She placed her hands on Yun Zhuo's shoulders, her fingertips tightening unconsciously, as if she wanted to firmly grasp this sense of stability.
She looked at him, her eyes misting over with moisture but shining intensely.
"Hey, Teacher Su, the atmosphere is already set; wouldn't it be a disservice to the audience if we didn't kiss?"
Teacher Su hurriedly looked around; there was no one on the path under the streetlights.
This brat was teasing her again. While feeling relieved, she pushed Yun Zhuo away and said shyly: "You brat, you only know how to bully me."
After saying that, she walked forward quickly without looking back.
"You won't kiss me? Fine, fine, fine. If I give my first kiss to someone else in the future, don't you regret it."
"Tch, as if no one else has a first kiss."
As she said that, Yun Zhuo's words left her feeling like she had a fishbone stuck in her throat; she could neither swallow it nor spit it out.
She simply stopped walking.
Yun Zhuo caught up and smiled: "Regretting it now?"
Teacher Su scanned her surroundings, then suddenly steeled herself. She grabbed Yun Zhuo's lapel and dragged him into the shadow of a streetlight.
"What are you doing?"
"Shut up, and close your eyes." Teacher Su's voice was very low, but the end of it was quietly taut. It was clearly a commanding tone, but the tips of her ears were already turning red.
Yun Zhuo smiled with understanding and obediently closed his eyes.
The next second, he felt a warmth cover his lips, light as a feather, but with a hint of panicked trembling.
A moment later, she suddenly pushed Yun Zhuo away and hurriedly turned around: "Who told you to open your eyes?"