Li Qian walked out of Chu Xiran’s office, feeling a bit frustrated.

He still couldn’t figure out why she had said what she did.

’Was it all because Elder Tie started that rumor about us?’

’Even so, there’s no need to make such a big deal out of it.’

’After all, it was just a joke.’

’What kind of idiot would take it seriously?’

’Uh... it seems there really is one such idiot...’

Still frustrated, Li Qian left Chu Xiran’s office and headed straight for the school’s main cafeteria.

The school had three cafeterias, but only the first one was known as the "main cafeteria."

The reason was simple: it could accommodate the most students at one time.

Today was the last day of school for all the third-year seniors.

To celebrate their successful graduation and the different paths they would take in life, the food selection today was exceptionally lavish.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it hotel-quality.

Furthermore, it was a buffet with an unlimited supply of food.

Most importantly, lunch today was free!

"Qianzi, get over here! I saved you some big crabs and a lobster!" The moment Li Qian entered, his eyes still scanning the room, he saw Fatty An waving and calling out to him.

Li Qian’s face darkened with exasperation as he walked over. "Dude, with your family’s money, do you really need to fight over some crabs and lobster?"

"Shouldn’t you be able to pick and choose any delicacy you want?"

Fatty An shook his head. "Not at all, not at all. The stuff at home costs money. The stuff here is free."

"As they say, free food is the best food."

Li Qian was speechless. He didn’t sit down, instead asking, "Where did you get them?"

Fatty An pointed in a certain direction. "Why?"

"Going to get some more," Li Qian said as he walked off.

Fatty An: "..."

After grabbing some steak, more crab, and a large lobster, Li Qian started walking back slowly. Just then, he noticed a familiar figure sitting across from Fatty An.

"What, am I not welcome to sit here?" Tu Jiaojiao asked with a smile, looking at Li Qian.

"Of course not," Li Qian said with an awkward smile. "It’s not like I own the cafeteria..."

Sitting down without a second thought, Li Qian casually started a conversation. "Our stingy school is finally being generous for once."

"I heard it’s because our educational achievements were outstanding this year, so the province allocated a special education fund," Fatty An whispered conspiratorially.

A look of understanding dawned on Li Qian’s face. "I see."

Tu Jiaojiao chimed in, "It’s all thanks to you, really."

After saying that, she took a mouthful of rice and continued, "I heard you were specially admitted to Shazhou Beast Taming University."

"I’m surprised you know about that too," Li Qian chuckled.

Tu Jiaojiao didn’t respond. After a moment of silence, she suddenly said, "I’m so jealous. You can get into Shazhou Beast Taming University so easily, and you even got to negotiate terms with them. Unlike us, who have to work hard just to pass the entrance exams."

"Your grades are so good, you could apply to any..." Li Qian began to console her, but he stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing something was off. "Wait, what did you just say..."

He looked at Tu Jiaojiao in surprise. As Fatty An watched on, confused, Li Qian asked for confirmation, "If I heard you right, did you just say that you’re also applying to Shazhou Beast Taming University?"

Before Tu Jiaojiao could say anything in response to Li Qian’s question, Fatty An was the first to show an expression of utter disbelief.

His eyes widened as he stared at Tu Jiaojiao, as if he were seeing his classmate for the very first time.

After staring for a moment, he turned his glare on Li Qian.

Seeing this, Li Qian’s mouth twitched.

’He knew why Fatty An was glaring at him.’

’But what the hell did this have to do with him?’

’No, wait...’

’He recalled what his teacher, Chu Xiran, had just told him.’

Li Qian had a feeling that this might actually have something to do with him after all.

’Could Tu Jiaojiao be the person she was talking about with that whole "if you don’t love her, please don’t hurt her" line...?’

’This was getting more and more ridiculous.’

He clicked his tongue and asked, "You’re not kidding, are you?"

Tu Jiaojiao picked up some vegetables with her chopsticks and put them in her mouth. "Choosing a Beast Taming University is a major decision about my future. Why would I joke about it?"

Hearing this, Li Qian really wanted to retort bluntly.

’If you know it’s such a major decision, why would you choose Shazhou Beast Taming University?’

After some thought, he phrased it more tactfully. "That’s a surprising choice. I don’t quite understand why you’d apply to Shazhou Beast Taming University."

Afraid of causing an unnecessary misunderstanding, Li Qian quickly added, "Not that Shazhou Beast Taming University is bad, it’s just that it’s a bit far."

"Then why did you choose Shazhou Beast Taming University?" Tu Jiaojiao asked, looking at Li Qian.

Li Qian shrugged, not bothering to hide the truth. "Because they offered me the most!"

Tu Jiaojiao smiled. "My reason is the same as yours. Among all the Beast Taming Universities, Shazhou offers the most generous scholarships after enrollment."

Li Qian: "..."

’Could that answer be any more half-assed?’

’Scholarships? What the hell?’

’With her family’s wealth, would she really care about some scholarship money?’

’Could that little bit of scholarship money even compare to the terms of my special admission?’

’That’s not a real reason to choose Shazhou Beast Taming University, okay?’

If Shazhou Beast Taming University had dared to offer him terms like that, he guaranteed he would have tossed the offer aside like a pair of old shoes.

Tu Jiaojiao wasn’t telling the truth, but Li Qian couldn’t really say anything about it.

After all, they weren’t related or particularly close friends on a normal day.

Speaking too frankly with someone you barely know was never a good idea.

"Qianzi, how about I just apply to Shazhou Beast Taming University too?" Fatty An suddenly piped up.

Li Qian shot him a look and mercilessly shot him down. "If you could actually get in, forget Shazhou Beast Taming University—I’d wholeheartedly support you applying to Zhonghai Beast Taming University!"

’Is this even a matter of choice for you?’

’You have no choice at all!’

Fatty An was indignant. "My score might be a little low, but I can get my dad to donate some money to Shazhou Beast Taming University."

Li Qian: "..."

’Is this something money can solve?’

’Would Shazhou Beast Taming University really be short on the little bit of money your family could donate?’

Li Qian felt bad shooting him down again, so he just remained silent.

Fatty An was lost in his own fantasy. "Maybe there’s really a chance. Isn’t Elder Tie a senior from Shazhou Beast Taming University? He praised me before, said I was a real talent."

Li Qian really didn’t know what to say to that.

’This guy was completely clueless about his own limitations.’

He decided to just stop trying to persuade him. Anyway, with his old man to fall back on, the guy wouldn’t be short of a Beast Taming University to attend, no matter how bad his grades were.

Besides, he had already awakened his Beast Taming Space and contracted a Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon. His Beast Taming Talent was also an upper-mid tier "Strong Attack," which could boost his Pet Beast’s attack power for a short time. Maybe there really was a sliver of hope for him.