Bai Cha felt a familiar warmth surge from the bottom of her heart as she watched the group of people making a ruckus. It had probably been a long time since she'd experienced such a lively scene. She seemed to have been alone for too long, and the clamor in her room made her feel as if she were in a different era.
The spacious living room now seemed a bit cramped, like a small party. People were packed together, chattering noisily. They had also consciously divided into two factions.
One faction was the boisterous "Erha" group, consisting of Mo Ziye, Michael, Meng Qinghuan, Lang Mo, and Zhi Ying, who, for some reason, was tagging along with Meng Qinghuan. They were all playfully tussling with each other.
Meng Qinghuan, like a comforter, lay directly on the back of the sofa, watching the fun. Mo Ziye and Lang Mo were inexplicably arm-wrestling. Mo Ziye had hooked his arm around Lang Mo's shoulder, and Lang Mo had lifted Mo Ziye up. Even Zhi Ying was involved, locking her arms around Mo Ziye's neck.
Meanwhile, Meng Qinghuan lounged on the sofa back, cheering alongside Michael, creating a chaotic scene.
The other faction comprised mature and steady, less talkative individuals. Led by Bai Cha, they sat on the sofa, quietly sipping tea. Lucifer, with a smile, placed cups of freshly brewed tea on the coffee table one by one. Cang Liu stood a little farther away from everyone else; his mere presence, radiating a chilling aura, kept people at a distance. Adding to them was Yun He, who stood obediently nearby, looking a bit stoic and earnest.
Oh, and there was Baimeng, clinging to Meng Qinghuan like a koala with a cold expression.
"Lang Mo! You lost! I've been holding onto you for twenty seconds!" Mo Ziye exclaimed indignantly, his face flushed, but before he could finish, his throat tightened, and he quickly tucked his chin to defend himself.
"Nonsense! Don't boast!" Although Zhi Ying looked cute, her fierce demeanor was truly astonishing. Standing on Lang Mo's shoulders, she had Mo Ziye in a chokehold and was pulling with all her might, as if trying to twist his head off. She yelled as she strained, "Mo Ziye! I've still got you by the throat!"
Her face, with its baby fat, and her tall twin ponytails made her statement difficult to believe.
"What are you guys arguing about? I haven't even fallen over with both of you on me!" Lang Mo, naturally, refused to be outdone.
Bai Cha shook her head, a slight smile playing on her lips.
A long, long time ago, there seemed to have been a similarly familiar scene: a man and a woman sitting calmly and gently on the sofa, watching three little ones roughhousing not far away.
"Mom! Look at Bai Cha, she's choking me!" a tall, thin little boy complained angrily, leaning on the woman's lap. He added indignantly, "And it's not fair! Why does Bai Jin only help her and not me!"
"You idiot, Bai Ze! Bai Jin is the dog I raised, of course he'll help me!"
"..."
Scene after scene, they were surprisingly similar to the current situation.
"Damn it, I'm gonna die! Old Bai, are you just going to stare? These two brats are ganging up on me!" Lang Mo finally managed to wriggle out of Mo Ziye's arm and darted behind Bai Cha. "Are you even being fair? They're double-teaming me!"
"Of course! Zhi Ying is close to me, not you, so she'll obviously help me!" Mo Ziye smugly huffed. However, he hadn't even enjoyed his smugness for a few minutes before Zhi Ying slapped him on the head.
"Who's close to you!"
"Master," Lucifer suddenly spoke, pausing his tea pouring, his words implying something.
However, Bai Cha made no move. She continued to leisurely sip the second cup of tea Lucifer had just served her and said unhurriedly, "What's the rush? We're still first-year juniors."
Occasionally, one had to let others exert themselves.
Bai Cha smiled disdainfully and looked at the three who were panting on the ground, then lightly clapped her hands. "Alright, you've had your fun. Speak. What did you come here for today?"
"I, I want to go on missions with Little Bai." Hearing Bai Cha speak, Mo Ziye quickly scurried over, his expectant look almost begging to cling to Bai Cha's leg.
Before Bai Cha could refuse, a large hand had already grabbed Mo Ziye by the collar and dragged him aside. Lang Mo, with a dark expression, glared at Mo Ziye resentfully. "Little brat, what are you doing? Have you forgotten your identity? You have to take care of your own people first."
"Why! First come, first served!"
Seeing that the two were about to argue, Meng Qinghuan raised her hand to interrupt their conversation. "Excuse me, but you two probably won't get a turn for a while～～"
"Ah? Why?"
"Why the heck?"
"Because Little Little Bai has already promised to take me on a few missions," Meng Qinghuan said with a slightly smug smile. "So please queue up later～～"
Old Bai, Little Bai, Little Little Bai... What in the world were these names?
Bai Cha was somewhat speechless and clapped her hands again, signaling everyone to quiet down.
"Don't argue. Zhi Ying, what are you here for?" Bai Cha looked at Zhi Ying, sensing that the girl was still afraid of her.
Ever since Zhi Ying entered her room, her eyes had never looked directly at Bai Cha, always consciously avoiding her gaze. Moreover, although Zhi Ying was having a lot of fun with Mo Ziye and the others, she became subdued when talking to Bai Cha, looking like she had something to say but hesitating.
Had this young girl encountered some difficulty?
If there was a problem, Bai Cha wouldn't mind helping. She had a good impression of this girl; her calm command during the carnival had caught Bai Cha's attention.
However, what Bai Cha didn't expect was the earth-shattering, astonishing statement the girl made next.
"I want to change the family registry," Zhi Ying said firmly and crisply. "I want to change to yours."
Everyone: "?"
"Pfft!"
Meng Qinghuan unceremoniously spat out a mouthful of water. Fortunately, Baimeng reacted quickly and used Meng Qinghuan's monk robe to cover himself, catching all the tea himself. Otherwise, her hair would likely have been affected.
Not only Meng Qinghuan, but Bai Cha's hand holding the teacup also paused. Fortunately, she hadn't swallowed the sip yet; if it had gotten stuck in her throat, she would have choked.
Mo Ziye immediately bristled. He was the young master of the leading figure of the Guangming faction, and now someone from the Guangming faction wanted to change to the Yingying faction right in front of him. This was almost equivalent to slapping him in the face.
"Change... family registry?"
It took Bai Cha quite some effort to digest the immense amount of information. This was the first time anyone had made such a request to her. Bai Cha raised her hand to stop Mo Ziye's interrogation and asked hesitantly,
"Give me a reason." Bai Cha leaned back on the sofa, her expression somewhat peculiar. "The greatest benefit of the Guangming faction is that there's no danger. When you truly delve into the shadows, you won't know if there's a path ahead."
"I know," Zhi Ying glanced at Mo Ziye, who looked confused and angry, and glared back defiantly. "What are you looking at? Can't you, a well-protected young master, stop lecturing others with a righteous air every day? Having the best resources, the best protection, the best education, all of it so superior, you have no right to criticize others."
Mo Ziye, of course, was unconvinced and immediately retorted, "How do I not have the right to criticize others? Although I have many resources and good protection, I've never been spoiled. I work hard at everything I learn, and I'm not arrogant or conceited, okay?"
"Not arrogant or conceited, but you can lecture others? When did the standard for lecturing become so low?" Zhi Ying turned her head away, her brown twin ponytails bouncing in the sunlight, flashing with a beautiful luster, as if also expressing her unwillingness. "I know what you want to say. You want to say that the Guangming faction has been so good to me, why should I betray them? To put it harshly, ungrateful, right!
Let me tell you why. Because you are the eldest young master of the Mo family, the only son of the Mo family. And I am just a concubine's daughter! You are a boy, born into the noblest family, possessing outstanding talent, so of course you think where you are is good. You were pushed to the top of the pyramid in a stroller from birth!"
"And me! My father is the youngest in the family, the one with the least say and little ability. He worked diligently his entire life, only to be mediocre." As Zhi Ying spoke, her emotions became a bit agitated, and her eyes welled up. "The best resources were for my older siblings, and I had to learn to read people's expressions and avoid displeasing those of higher status like you from a young age.
They possess immense power but are blinded by greed and insatiable desires. Anyone who slightly obstructs them will be ruthlessly eliminated, just like my father. He was dismissed and suspended for merely showing a little talent in other areas, and even had to wait in line for surgery!"
"And you, Mo Ziye, I know that incident had nothing to do with you, but before, because I envied you and looked at you a few extra times, I was pushed down under a wine table and had alcohol spilled all over me." After saying a lot, Zhi Ying realized her失态 (loss of composure) and quickly adjusted her emotions. "You're all glorious because of your resonance with the Holy Dragon. If I hadn't gotten into Jun Yao through my own efforts and then had a teacher help me find a C-class dragon, I probably would have been serving dishes for your family."
The last sentence was clearly a taunt from Zhi Ying, but it caught Bai Cha's attention.
Jun Yao was the Dragon Knight Academy, and there were other ways to get admitted. Physical fitness, reaction speed, command ability, combat ability, endurance, physical strength... and a series of strict assessments. As long as one could pass, they could enter Jun Yao.
Therefore, although the various Dragon Knight academies were prepared for Dragon Knights, they were actually prepared for the strong.
Without resonating with a dragon, one wouldn't possess the power of dragon blood to modify the body. This was a level of strength that was difficult for ordinary people to achieve. And according to Zhi Ying, she only resonated after being admitted to Jun Yao?
"I went to the laboratory in the capital three times without resonance, and I was almost exiled to do menial tasks," Zhi Ying pursed her lips tightly. "My parents did their best to keep me here, but when the evil dragon suddenly appeared in our area, no one saved us. Why didn't you save me!"
"Hmm?" Bai Cha was startled, noticing something amiss. "Are you that little girl from C2 district?"
Bai Cha finally realized what was wrong. She thought Zhi Ying looked somewhat familiar, and indeed, she was the little girl she had casually saved a long time ago when killing an evil dragon.
"Yes," Zhi Ying nodded. "I want to become stronger, I want revenge. Those who bullied me, I want them to regret it."
Silence fell over the living room. Zhi Ying's speech was indeed passionate. Given the nature of those old figures, Bai Cha knew they were capable of such things.
However, it was a shame.
"I refuse," Bai Cha said, shaking her head faintly.
Zhi Ying's body trembled, and she looked up in disbelief, then became anxious. "Why! Why don't you accept me! I'm not useless, my physical test scores are all A, whether it's combat ability or command ability, I..."
"I think you've misunderstood, Miss Zhi Ying. I don't deny your excellence, but I cannot let you join us." Bai Cha looked at Zhi Ying's anxious and helpless expression, shaking her head silently, then sighed. "If you want to become stronger, if you want them to regret it, I can certainly help you, but you've clearly found the wrong direction.
On the contrary, it is precisely because you have these reasons that I cannot let you join."