“Yan Zhen?”
“Little Brother Yan Zhen?”
Yan Ruyu and Mi Xue’er both stared at him in a daze before their faces lit up with delight.
“You’re finally back!”
“We missed you so much!”
Mi Xue’er threw all restraint aside and hugged him with her free arm, wrapping it around Yan Zhen’s neck as she bounced up and down. Her well-developed C+ cups rubbed against his chest.
Fortunately, Yan Zhen had gotten past that hypersensitive “one-touch wonder” phase from before, or things would have turned embarrassing fast.
But compared to some mere C+ cups, he was far more concerned about the situation at hand.
“Senior Sister Xue’er, hold on a second. You still haven’t told me what’s going on.”
Yan Ruyu explained, “Nothing serious. Xue’er and I both took first place in the year-end test, so we’re dueling to settle who’s better.”
Ah…
“I see.” Yan Zhen gave an awkward sweat. “I thought you two had gotten into a fight while I was away. By the way, did I just ruin your duel?”
He looked up and found everyone staring at him with odd expressions, as if to say, What the heck are you doing, kid? He immediately felt embarrassed.
“In that case, I’ll head down. Heh, you two carry on.”
“Wait! We’re done fighting, right, Ruyu?”
“Y-Yeah.”
Mi Xue’er gleefully hooked her arm through Yan Zhen’s. Yan Ruyu wasn’t quite bold enough for such public intimacy, but she pressed close to his side anyway. The three of them walked down from the arena together.
“Cousin!”
The moment they stepped off the platform, Yan Meng’er threw herself at him. Her petite frame collided with Yan Zhen’s chest, and her hefty 36D pressed firmly against him. Even through her winter uniform, the softness was unmistakable.
Yan Zhen naturally patted his cousin’s head and smiled. “I’m back, Meng’er. Sorry to make you worry.”
Yan Meng’er buried her face in the crook of his neck and shoulder, shaking her head with muffled sobs. “As long as Cousin comes back, Meng’er will wait no matter how long it takes!”
“Silly girl.”
As he soothed his cousin, Yan Zhen turned his gaze to Mentor Yu Xuan standing before him.
The mentor watched him with her usual gentle, serene eyes. Beyond a teacher’s affection for her student, faint threads of romantic longing wove through her gaze.
“Sorry, Mentor. I took such a long vacation…”
“It’s fine. You’re back safe—that’s what matters.” Mentor Yu Xuan’s voice was soft. “Welcome home, Yan Zhen~”
“Yeah, I’m back. Thank you, Mentor.”
Xiao Xinyan, standing nearby, parted her lips as if to speak but hesitated.
“Senior Sister Xinyan, it’s been months. You’ve gotten even prettier.”
“Eh? R-Really?” Xiao Xinyan’s cheeks flushed pink. She touched her face with a small hand, shy yet delighted. “You’ve gotten handsomer too~”
Mi Xue’er felt a twinge of jealousy. She shook Yan Zhen’s arm. “Little Brother Yan Zhen, what about me? Have I gotten prettier?”
She blinked her big eyes expectantly, clearly fishing for compliments.
Yan Zhen glanced sideways at her and smiled. “You’re already gorgeous.”
“Cousin, what about Meng’er?”
“You’re gorgeous too—the most gorgeous of all.”
“Cousin, you tease~”
Yan Meng’er beamed with joy and clung to Yan Zhen, refusing to let go.
“Alright, alright.” Mentor Yu Xuan clapped her hands lightly. “Let’s head home first. We’re in everyone’s way here.”
“Yeah, let’s go home!”
Mi Xue’er and Yan Meng’er each claimed one of Yan Zhen’s arms, sandwiching him as they headed out. Xiao Xinyan and Yan Ruyu hurried after them. Mentor Yu Xuan said a few words to the referee mentor before joining the group.
Inside the arena, students and mentors alike watched their retreating figures in stunned silence.
“That Yan Zhen has all the luck with the ladies!”
“Even Mi Xue’er is all over him like that—I can’t stand it!”
“Damn, I’m so jealous!”
Most of the boys thumped their chests in a mix of envy and frustration. A few near-graduates, however, noticed something else entirely.
“Xiao Mie, did you catch how Yan Zhen made his entrance?”
“He flew right in.”
The two exchanged glances, both finding it hard to believe.
“Not only did he fly in—he neutralized their Mystic techniques on landing, and those were master mystic techniques!”
“I can’t read his aura anymore. Where the hell’s that kid been these past three months? He’s clearly gotten a lot stronger!”
Their own gains over the three months had been impressive. Xiao Mie especially—he’d suppressed his cultivation for so long that once he broke through, his progress was explosive, jumping two stars in that time.
They’d figured they’d left Yan Zhen in the dust. Now? He only seemed more terrifying.
The graduation ceremony was still a ways off, so the pair turned and left, intent on holing up for some serious closed-door cultivation.
Unaware of the pressure he’d inadvertently put on his classmates, Yan Zhen accompanied the five girls to the market. They bought heaps of ingredients before returning to the familiar residence.
With Mentor Yu Xuan taking the lead, the girls dove into the kitchen to whip up a welcome feast for him, shooing him off to his room to wait patiently.
Yan Zhen had no complaints.
His familiar side room was immaculate, without a speck of dust.
Clearly, they’d been cleaning it daily in his absence.
“Probably Meng’er and Cousin…” Yan Zhen smiled to himself.
Feeling sweaty from the day, he decided to take a bath.
He opened the wardrobe and pulled out a set of academy winter uniforms. As he shut the door, he spotted two unfamiliar pink packages tucked beneath the clothes.
Yan Zhen crouched down, picked them up, and hesitated before unwrapping one.
“Wh-What the…?”
He jolted in shock, hastily rewrapping it. He glanced guiltily around the room to confirm he was alone before peeking inside again.
There lay a fluffy cat costume and a matching dog costume: ears, tail, paw mittens, a bell-collared choker, and even coordinating bras and thong panties. These were straight-up erotic toys, not some innocent cosplay gear!
“Where did these come from?”
He’d only ever seen such bras and thongs on Good Big Sister. Back when he was treating her, she’d changed styles daily just so he could help her out of them.
It was an “idea” she’d picked up from him in one of her precognitive dreams. She had no plans to mass-produce them—only she wore any.
Yan Zhen was baffled.
A closer look revealed the outfits were amateurishly made, with stray threads everywhere—definitely handmade.
Did Meng’er make these?
A suspicion began to form in Yan Zhen’s mind. He stowed the packages away, closed the wardrobe, and headed to the bathroom with his uniform. He showered thoroughly, then soaked in the steaming tub while meditating.
Half an hour later, he emerged from cultivation, dried off, changed, and left the bathroom.
By the time he reached the dining hall, the table groaned under a mountain of dishes. The four girls kept ferrying out more until every inch was covered.
“Mentor Yu Xuan’s cooking has leveled up again…”
Yan Zhen ate his fill and then some, washing it down with plenty of wine. By the end, his handsome face was nicely flushed.
As he started to rise and head back to his room, Yan Meng’er sidled up to his ear and whispered, “Cousin, Meng’er and Sis prepared a surprise for you. Don’t lock your door tonight after dark, okay~”
