Chapter 4: An Invitation from Campus Belle Shen Qingyue

Lin Ye turned toward six figures standing not far away.

Three men and three women, all young, apparently in their early twenties. They stood across the street from the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, their clothes neat but far less showy than those of the Upper City’s young people.

They seemed to have been discussing where to stay, but now all six had stopped and were staring at him in surprise.

The girl at the front had been the one to call out.

She wore a well-tailored black dress, her dark hair falling smoothly over her shoulders. With her delicate features and fair skin, she looked strikingly pristine against the dim, disorderly streets of the Middle City.

Unlike Su Jin’s mature allure, she had a demure manner shaped by a careful upbringing. Even the hand she’d raised instinctively in surprise rested only lightly against her chest.

Her eyes were wide as she looked at Lin Ye, apparently unable to imagine meeting someone who belonged in the Upper City near the Bureau.

The other five were studying him too.

After their initial surprise, two of the young men instinctively straightened their collars. Another girl quietly tugged a companion’s sleeve and whispered a question.

Their previously relaxed postures grew noticeably stiff, and they even lowered their voices, anxious not to leave a bad impression.

The girl looked vaguely familiar to Lin Ye.

He searched the original owner’s memories but couldn’t match her to any face among the receptions, banquets, and women he remembered.

She was certainly beautiful enough that he should have remembered meeting her.

He frowned and asked outright, “You are?”

The delight on her face froze.

Clearly, she hadn’t expected him to have forgotten her entirely. The light in her eyes dimmed a little, but she couldn’t very well show too much disappointment in front of him. Gathering her skirt, she hurried across the street and jogged up to him.

“Young Master Lin, I’m Shen Qingyue.” She looked up at him, a trace of hurt slipping into her voice. As if afraid that might displease him, she quickly added, “Third year, Department of Combat Theory at Skyvault Academy. We’re in the same class. On registration day, I sat to your right, with two seats between us.”

Seeing him still trying to remember, she pressed her lips together and gave him a more detailed reminder. “Someone in class didn’t know who you were and tried to make you give up your seat at the back. The instructor came in person and sent that person to the front. When you left, I spoke to you by the stairs.”

Her voice grew noticeably softer at the last part, and a faint blush rose on her fair cheeks.

At last, a few images surfaced from the original owner’s scattered memories.

Skyvault Academy was the city’s most important institution for training people with supernatural abilities.

For an ordinary person in the Middle City, admission to the academy was the surest way to change their fate.

Students could earn credits through courses, examinations, and missions posted by the Bureau. They could then exchange credits for contribution points and use those to obtain Sequence pathways and the resources needed to advance.

For someone from the Lower City, admission could change an entire family’s future. Every year, countless applicants fought over a pitifully small number of places.

People from the Upper City viewed the academy quite differently.

Upper City families with real influence had safer, more comprehensive ways to train their children.

Even when they sent them to Skyvault Academy, it was usually just another credential for their records. They had no need to complete courses and missions like ordinary students.

The original owner had been one of them.

He’d shown up only on registration day; someone else had naturally handled the remaining paperwork, assessments, and credits. He hadn’t merely skipped classes—he’d never even bothered to check which class he’d been assigned to before returning to the Upper City the next day.

Lin Ye might not remember his classmates, but they couldn’t possibly forget him.

A young man from the Upper City, and the finance director’s only son at that, had suddenly appeared at an academy attended almost entirely by Middle City students. Even half a day there was enough to keep the whole year talking for a long time.

Lin Ye looked at Shen Qingyue again, and the memory became clearer.

She had indeed caused a stir on registration day. Her looks were exceptional, and she was widely acknowledged as one of that year’s campus belles. Even the original owner had glanced at her a few extra times after entering the classroom.

She’d also slipped him a small note when no one was looking.

It contained her name and contact details in neat handwriting, followed by a carefully added sentence saying she hoped she might have the chance to seek his guidance.

The request for guidance was, of course, a rather transparent excuse.

Middle City residents did everything they could to establish ties with the Upper City. For a young woman like Shen Qingyue, simply knowing Lin Ye—even as an ordinary friend—could have transformed her position at the academy.

But the original owner had never lacked beautiful women around him.

Pretty as Shen Qingyue was, she’d only been worth a few extra glances that day. He’d stuffed the note into his pocket and never taken it out again, never even adding the contact details.

Remembering this, Lin Ye felt a little awkward.

“Oh, it’s you.” He didn’t mention the note his predecessor had completely ignored. Instead, he rubbed his nose and offered a reasonably plausible explanation. “There were a lot of people in the classroom that day, and I wasn’t there long. It took me a moment to remember.”

When Shen Qingyue heard that he remembered her, most of her disappointment vanished. She shook her head and readily gave him an excuse. “It’s all right, Young Master Lin. You meet so many people; it’s only natural you wouldn’t remember. I’m happy you recalled me at all.”

The other five hurried over too.

All three young men looked enthusiastic. One smiled from several steps away. “It really is Young Master Lin! When Qingyue said she’d seen you, we could hardly believe it. You’re usually in the Upper City. What brings you to a place like the Middle City?”

The young man beside him immediately took up the conversation, sounding even more courteous. “You should have let the academy know you were coming. If the teachers knew, they’d certainly receive you in person. There are all sorts here, and the surroundings aren’t good. It would be troublesome if someone who didn’t know better offended you.”

The two other girls joined Shen Qingyue. One glanced curiously at the Bureau behind Lin Ye but didn’t dare ask about it directly. Instead, she smiled. “We used to hear Qingyue mention you all the time. But you never came back to the academy after registration. What a coincidence, running into you here today.”

The blush on Shen Qingyue’s cheeks deepened. She turned and glared at her friend, but with Lin Ye right there she didn’t dare argue outright. “I only mentioned him twice,” she said quietly. “Not all the time.”

Lin Ye wasn’t surprised by their excessive enthusiasm.

The gap between the Upper and Middle Cities was far more than a difference in where people lived. For ordinary Skyvault Academy students, a connection with an Upper City young master was worth more than completing a dozen academy missions through hard work.

He had no interest in enjoying their flattery, so he casually brought the conversation back. “What are you doing here?”

Shen Qingyue smiled at once, pleased that he’d asked.

Her voice brightened. “The Bureau has a very high-level mission tomorrow, and we’re taking part. It starts early, and we might be late coming from the academy, so we came to find somewhere nearby to stay tonight.”

One of the young men added, “We were just discussing which inn to choose. Looks like Qingyue’s luck is good today. She talks about you quite a bit at the academy.”

The tips of Shen Qingyue’s ears went red. She stole a glance at Lin Ye, and only when she saw no sign of impatience did she suppress her embarrassment and protest, “Don’t make things up. Young Master Lin is in our class. I only asked the teachers now and then when he’d come back to lessons.”

“The White Stone Town mission?” Lin Ye paid no attention to their teasing. Her words had caught him by surprise.

Shen Qingyue froze too. Her shyness gave way to astonishment. “How do you know about it, Young Master Lin? Hasn’t the mission been kept off the public board? We only heard in advance from an academy teacher.”

Rather than answer immediately, Lin Ye took another look at the six of them.

They were physically stronger than ordinary people, and he could see simple protective gear beneath their clothes, but none gave off the pressure of a high-Sequence supernatural.

They might have been outstanding among ordinary students, but they were nowhere near ready to join an investigation where even a Sequence 7 had disappeared without a trace.

“Just the six of you?” His gaze passed over their luggage, suspicion creeping into his voice. “Do you know what happened at White Stone Town?”

The young men who’d been trying so hard to impress him looked awkward.

One cleared his throat. “The academy only said we’d assist the Bureau with an investigation outside the city. The details are confidential for now. But a lot of people are taking part, and we should be fine as long as we stay with the main group.”

Another, who clearly knew more, hurriedly smiled and explained, “Don’t worry, Young Master Lin. We won’t actually enter the danger zone. The academy mainly wants us to broaden our horizons. If we’re going to become supernaturals, we can’t go our whole lives without seeing something like this.”

Seeing that their explanations only made them sound guiltier, Shen Qingyue stuck out her tongue slightly. She lowered her voice and admitted honestly, “Actually, we used connections to get onto the team.”

She watched Lin Ye’s reaction and, seeing no mockery, continued, “Our teacher told us the mission is very dangerous. The Bureau will handle the real investigation. Once we’re there, we’ll stay on the outer perimeter and watch from a distance. When the allotted time is up, we’ll return immediately.”

“To put it plainly, we’re going to get an assistance credit on our records. After the mission, we can exchange that achievement for contribution points at the academy. Doing ordinary missions might take us a long time to earn as many.”

Lin Ye understood at once.

Most Skyvault Academy students were still ordinary people. Only after accumulating enough contribution points could they obtain a Sequence pathway from the academy.

They wouldn’t be much use to the actual investigators, but for the academy, a major mission like this was a good opportunity to pad the records and contribution points of students with connections.

As long as they stayed away from White Stone Town, theoretically nothing should go wrong.

“I see.” Lin Ye nodded without commenting on how they’d used their connections. “I’m taking part in the mission tomorrow too.”

All six fell silent at once.

Shen Qingyue looked startled, then, as though confirming she hadn’t misheard, her eyes quickly filled with delight. “You’re going to White Stone Town too, Young Master Lin?”

She instinctively edged half a step closer, her voice much gentler. “What a coincidence! It’s our first mission of this level, and we were a little nervous. Since you’ll be there too, we can look after one another on the way.”

The other five were even more direct.

The young men who’d been uneasy about the mission immediately perked up. One hurriedly said, “With you along, the trip will be much safer. We can save you a place at the assembly tomorrow morning, and you can leave your luggage to us.”

Another smiled in agreement. “We’re classmates, so it makes perfect sense to travel together. It’s your first joint academy and Bureau operation. If there’s anything you need to prepare, just tell us. We don’t know much, but we can certainly run errands.”

Lin Ye glanced at them without explaining that he wasn’t joining as an academy student.

Shen Qingyue seemed concerned that her friends’ flattery might annoy him. She quickly took over, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Her gaze lingered on his face before shifting shyly toward the street.

“Young Master Lin, have you found a place to stay tonight?”

Without waiting for him to finish answering, she continued, “We’ve booked a place nearby. There’s a courtyard behind it that we can use. We bought some food and were planning to have a barbecue together tonight.”

By now her cheeks were completely flushed.

Her fingers tightened on her skirt, though she tried to keep her voice natural. “If you haven’t made plans, why don’t you come with us? We’re leaving together tomorrow anyway, so we could get to know one another beforehand.”

She looked up, watching his expression carefully, anticipation in her voice mixed with nervous fear of rejection.

“Would you like to, Young Master Lin?”