After Bernie expressed his dissatisfaction with the person who had slandered them, his eyes shifted, and he finally noticed Ludwig in his peripheral vision.
Previously, Bernie followed Xia Yan’s lead and disliked Ludwig because of his dislike of his roommate. However, their relationship seems to have improved now.
As the Young Master Xia’s most loyal servant, he should have immediately accepted Ludwig and brainwashed him—ah, no! He meant to educate him to become the young master’s subordinate and turn him into a useful pawn in the competition for the throne.
But for some reason, from the very moment he saw Ludwig, Bernie couldn’t shake off a strange, unexplainable sense of aversion.
Why?
He openly sized Ludwig up with his gaze, from his broad shoulders covered by the school uniform to his gem-like blue eyes. What had once been cold, empty pupils were now filled with an unsettling, fiery emotion that made Bernie uneasy.
Their eyes met, and Bernie’s mind went blank for a moment.
By the time he snapped back to reality, Ludwig had already turned his gaze away. He still sat upright, his handsome face as cold as ice, seemingly unchanged from before.
But those subtle glances toward the young master, the instinctive movements of his body drawing closer, the possessiveness revealed in the smallest details… all of it made Bernie extremely angry.
What was he seeing?
A mere commoner, acting as if it were an honor to follow the young master. How dare he… how dare he feel possessive of the young master??
Bernie ground his teeth in frustration, almost wanting to throw him out immediately. However, he glanced at the young man, who neither responded nor resisted, and forcefully suppressed his anger.
If the young master didn’t reject Ludwig, there must be a reason. He couldn’t act impulsively and risk ruining the young master’s plan.
But still… it was so frustrating.
Xia Yan, who had no plans and only wanted to complete his task, was confused. Why did Bernie’s expression keep changing like a color palette?
The young man tilted his head slightly, not understanding why the air suddenly filled with tension.
“Did you hear that Hans Dill almost got expelled?” Ludwig suddenly spoke, and Xia Yan blinked in confusion. It took several seconds for him to realize that Ludwig was speaking to him.
He searched through the original owner’s memories.
Nothing.
It made sense—given his position and status, why would ‘he’ care about a low-ranking, ordinary student with no distinguishing features?
Xia Yan raised an eyebrow, maintaining the original owner’s arrogant persona. “Why would you think I would know about some low-level student’s business?”
“Why did he report you?”
Ludwig didn’t answer his counter-question and instead fell into thought.
As a mere cannon fodder, isn’t being targeted and slapped in the face a normal thing? Xia Yan silently mocked in his mind, completely indifferent to it… Wait?
His intelligent brain had been taken away.
What about the meeting with the protagonist shou tonight?
The young man suddenly realized and instinctively touched his empty wrist, his eyes widening in shock. Three words immediately flashed in his mind.
Mission! Danger!!!
In a “romantic” relationship, if one party suddenly stands up the other, it won’t lead to a breakup, but it definitely causes unhappiness. And if he can’t make Ian Hyde happy, he won’t be able to get the mecha design blueprint.
If he fails to complete Task 3, then Task 4, to defeat Huo Ruihe, will also fail.
All the extra points from completing the missions would be gone.
As a corporate worker, watching his “salary” decrease—this was unbearable! And it was all Hans Dill’s fault. Damn it! Couldn’t he just wait for him to naturally log off?
Xia Yan felt heartbroken and chugged the rest of his drink, holding onto the last shred of hope as he asked, “Does anyone have an intelligent brain ?”
Ludwig: “?”
Gong Chang’an: “Huh?”
Bernie cautiously said, “Young master, the intelligent brain requires real-name registration… and given your current situation, it’s not really suitable for you to… use…” The last two words were said very quietly.
Xia Yan knew this very well.
Huo Shan had taken his intelligent brain with the emperor’s tacit approval. The reason was to prevent him from contacting the Xia family and colluding to frame someone. If he used it now, it would be equivalent to admitting he was cheating.
As a central military academy that cultivates soldiers, it was established with the rule that even princes couldn’t have special privileges.
At least, on the surface, that was the case.
And Duke Xia actually dared to secretly interfere and help his son. What was that about? Did he think he was more powerful than the king?
The Xia family would face unprecedented rumors, and if the king wanted to suppress them, he could use this opportunity to strike against them. Therefore, Xia Yan had to cooperate with the investigation logically and emotionally.
Xia Yan: “…” His points!
The cafeteria’s white lights illuminated everything.
The young man’s long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, his golden pupils filled with disappointment and frustration, his crimson lips pressed into a straight line, silently expressing his displeasure.
He had always been arrogant, self-important, and looked down on everyone.
The few glimpses of vulnerability that were exposed now made him all the more captivating.
Ludwig’s brain, which had been working at full speed, suddenly stopped with a ‘clang’ sound. His original plans and strategies vanished like a flash of white light, leaving only the young man’s beautiful, aggrieved expression.
He wanted to comfort him, but his lack of experience with emotions left him at a loss for words. He could only silently stare at the young man.
It felt like being locked on by a predator, and in a daze, Xia Yan had the illusion that he had become the prey. He suddenly shivered: “Why are you looking at me?”
Ludwig lowered his voice: “…I’ll take care of it…”
Xia Yan was confused: “???”
“…” Whether it was the intelligent brain or Hans Dill, Ludwig would take care of it. However, some things weren’t appropriate to say in public. He picked up his plate and nodded toward Xia Yan: “I have something to do. I’ll leave first. You…”
He paused for three seconds before saying vaguely, “Wait for me to come back.”
Xia Yan watched the man’s retreating figure. A question mark replaced the previous frustration over losing his points, and he asked the system in confusion: [Did you understand what he meant?]
System: […No.]
Xia Yan sighed in relief: [Good, it’s not my comprehension that’s the problem.]
Fifteen minutes later, Xia Yan finished the last bite of his meal, declined Bernie’s offer to accompany him, and walked slowly from the cafeteria to the dormitory.
Since it was dinner time, most people were in the restaurant, leaving only a few scattered students by the roadside.
Xia Yan casually looked at the scenery, when suddenly a flash of bright gold caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks and instinctively ducked behind a flower bed, cautiously peeking over.
Not far away, Ludwig’s golden hair stood out in the twilight. He was talking to Edwin, and behind them, Huo Ruihe, the second gong, was also there??
What the heck? When did the three of them become so close?
Xia Yan curiously perked up his ears.
The spring breeze gently blew, carrying a few scattered words.
“…room…Hans…”
“…rumors…Greg…Bud…”
“…caught…leverage…”
He couldn’t understand any of it!
Even with the original owner’s S-level mental strength, he couldn’t hear it clearly. How frustrating!
Wait! Why was he hiding? Xia Yan snapped out of his daze, and by the time he looked again, the three of them seemed to have finished their conversation and were dispersing.
Damn!!! He was still curious about why Ludwig was hanging out with Huo Ruihe!
