Volume One, Chapter One Hundred Sixteen: The Ning Siblings

Mo De suddenly felt a tickle in his nose and turned away to sneeze. He wondered which person was plotting against him in the shadows again. He cast a sidelong glance at Mu Qing; it had to be her cooking up some devious scheme.

Mu Qing, having received a disdainful look for no reason, felt utterly bewildered. However, with everyone watching, she decided to be the bigger person and not settle the score with Mo De just yet. A gentleman’s revenge is never too late, but for Mu Qing, she would settle this grudge shortly.

After seeing the two students from Tianshui and Chen Yue back to their rooms, Mu Qing returned to her own door. She looked left and right to ensure the corridor was empty, then pulled out a spare key card. She slipped into Mo De’s room, swiping the card, entering, and closing the door in one fluid motion, without making a single sound.

Once the door was shut, she immediately abandoned all caution and called out to Mo De, "Where did you put the scabbard?"

"Shh! Keep it down!" Mo De, startled by her sudden intrusion, held up a finger to signal silence.

"Don't worry, the soundproofing in these rooms is excellent. Even if you held a karaoke party in here, the girl next door wouldn't be woken up." Mu Qing pushed Mo De aside on the sofa and grabbed the remote to turn on the television.

"Did anyone see you when you came over?" Mo De asked as he handed the Void Stone scabbard to Mu Qing, who was now sprawled across the sofa.

"You know you can trust me; nobody saw a thing." Mu Qing took the scabbard, pulled her stuffed bear toy from it, and produced the snacks she had swiped from the Pingtian Hotel.

As an unofficial teaching assistant, Mu Qing did not need to attend the staff meetings; she only had to follow the group. When Hua Ziyou had discussed the arrangements with the Extraordinary University Management Committee, he had suggested that Mu Qing be responsible for the safety of the forty-person delegation, but the committee had politely declined. In the eyes of the person in charge, Mu Qing was merely a pampered scion of the Mu family sent to pad her resume; naturally, they could not entrust the safety of the entire group to a young girl. Since the North China region winter camp was being personally escorted by Tu Tian and Ms. Chu, there would be no lapses in security. Thus, for Mu Qing, this trip was purely a sightseeing tour.

"Do you want to go for a walk after dinner? The winter camp doesn't officially start until tomorrow." Mu Qing had not explored the Third Extraordinary University much, even though she had visited the East China region quite often.

"I don't mind a stroll," Mo De agreed after a moment's thought. After all, this was his first time inside an extraordinary university.

For dinner, the forty-person delegation ate at the South Campus cafeteria next to the reception apartments. Each member was issued a "temporary campus wristband." With the embedded smart information card, they were granted the status of visitors, allowing them to order meals freely. The wristband also served as an access card, so the faculty repeatedly instructed the students to keep them safe.

Ivanoti and Yu Jiuchuan chose not to eat in the cafeteria; they packed three sets of meals to take back to the apartment, as Su Ziwen was still resting in her room. They decided to eat with her. Mo De did not join the two girls, choosing instead to eat at the cafeteria. Knowing that class monitor Su was fine, he decided to let her rest.

Just as he sat down with his roast duck rice bowl, several figures approached. Leading them was Xuanyuan Kong, who had been interested in him for some time, followed closely by a taciturn woman. Behind them were Du Haiwei and Yan Ruoting, and even An Rongbei from Jinmen City had tagged along. The quiet table was suddenly packed.

"Student Mo, about that girl from Tianshui High..." After setting down his tray, Xuanyuan Kong asked about Su Ziwen’s condition. Her motion sickness had caused quite a stir, alerting the delegation leader, Ms. Chu, and alarming the other students.

"Thank you all for your concern. Teacher Chen Yue has stabilized her, and she is no longer in any danger," Mo De explained with a smile.

More students began to sit nearby, seemingly treating Xuanyuan Kong as the trendsetter for the winter camp. However, two people chose to sit further away. One of them cast a cold glare at Xuanyuan Kong and let out a disdainful snort. When the person shifted their gaze to Mo De, they looked at him with clear contempt.

"Tianshui from Qin City? Some backwater school I've never even heard of—how do they deserve four spots?!" The person grew angrier the more they thought about it, stabbing a piece of chicken katsu and chewing it fiercely.

"Have you ever considered that it might not be their school that's unknown, but rather our own ignorance?" a plump, good-natured boy across from them remarked slowly while savoring his grilled fish.

"Ning Chengfeng, whose side are you on?" the woman demanded, slamming the table.

"I’m the younger brother of Ning Muyu, a senior at Tianhai City’s Yutian High School," Ning Chengfeng replied with a smile, picking up his chopsticks to eat some greens alongside his fish. A balanced diet was key.

"A mere high school taking four spots! The first two might have gotten in on merit, but what in the world is that 'special invitee'?" Ning Muyu complained, eating faster.

"Eating too fast will make you gain weight," Ning Chengfeng reminded her gently.

"You fat lump, you have the nerve to lecture me... *cough, cough!*" Ning Muyu, enraged by her round brother, choked on her food.

"I eat a lot, but I have a good metabolism. You're trying to manage your figure, so you need to watch these details. As a dinner choice, the calorie count of that chicken katsu rice is a bit high," Ning Chengfeng said, handing her a bowl of seaweed soup to help her catch her breath.

After two sips of the hot soup, Ning Muyu patted her chest, finally recovering. She handed the bowl back, still fuming. "Why does Tianshui High get a special invitee? I asked Father several times, and he refused me point-blank!" Ning Muyu had lost her appetite; she pushed her tray toward her brother.

*Well,* Ning Chengfeng thought, *waste is shameful,* and he resigned himself to eating the extra portion. He decided to postpone his diet plan and avoid the scale for a while. Regardless of the calories, more food meant more weight.