Chapter 170: Chapter 170: Who Are You Going to Kill?

The distance between them shrank in an instant.

The boy’s warm breath ghosted past her ear, tickling her skin. He lingered for a few seconds before pulling back slightly.

The stage lights didn’t reach the back row. Long, slender fingers tucked a stray lock of hair from the side of Jiang Qingli’s face.

Yuan Shimo suddenly spoke. "Qingli."

She looked up at the sound of his voice, her expression a little dazed. She blinked her long, curly lashes, and when he didn’t elaborate, she tilted her head in confusion.

’So cute.’

’Like a kitten.’

’An innocent, beautiful kitten who would be adored by all, even without doing a thing.’

Yuan Shimo’s lips curled, and his gaze softened.

Realizing his own reaction was a bit much, he cleared his throat and explained, "Your hair... it was a little messy."

Jiang Qingli thanked him quietly. "The wind must have messed it up on the way here. Next time, you can just tell me."

Being a little intimate at home was one thing, but if someone from the student council or the Melt Star Association who disliked her saw this, they’d probably post on the forums again, accusing her of chasing after males.

Understanding her meaning, Yuan Shimo said, "Alright. I’ll exercise some restraint." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’Does fixing hair require restraint? Could it be that Cat Teacher’s hidden trait is being the supportive type?’

As Jiang Qingli’s mind raced with wild theories, she caught sight of a female upperclassman in charge of auditions walking over from the side of the stage.

Jiang Qingli quickly looked away, sat up straight, and assumed a serious, formal posture.

The upperclassman approached, and Jiang Qingli offered her a polite smile.

The upperclassman smiled back. "Chairman Jiang, we’ve already decided on the main roles, though there are still some supporting parts left. We’re about to have them run through a scene to see how it looks. Would you like to move to the front? You’ll get a clearer view."

Jiang Qingli agreed. She glanced at her watch, then looked at Yuan Shimo. "Do you have lab work later?"

She had a meeting with the student council at three o’clock this afternoon to discuss related matters, so she’d decided to come early to watch some of the casting, and had run into Yuan Shimo.

Although Yuan Shimo wore a look that screamed ’What a coincidence, purely by chance!’, anyone with eyes could see he had been deliberately waiting at the theater entrance for this "coincidence" to happen.

Jiang Qingli, of course, enjoyed his attentiveness, but she didn’t want to take up too much of his time.

Yuan Shimo’s gaze subtly swept over the floor-to-ceiling window on the opposite side of the hall.

The two males who had been clashing earlier were gone.

But he had to be on guard against unscrupulous people like them.

"It’s nothing," Yuan Shimo said, his gaze returning to meet her eyes.

After he spoke, as if afraid she’d turn him down, he pressed his lips together and added, "I finished everything this morning."

The implication was clear: he had cleared his entire afternoon for her.

Jiang Qingli smiled and sat down next to Yuan Shimo in the front row.

The play was called *Miracle*, but the Beast God never appeared directly. Instead, His greatness was conveyed through the actions of His primary followers and various scenes from the mortal world.

Taking the casting sheet, Jiang Qingli scanned it from top to bottom. She then looked up, mentally matching the twenty-odd people on stage to their roles, her brow furrowing ever more tightly.

’Strange... where’s Gu Nian?’

To manage public opinion in the Lower District, the academy would have certainly notified the theater in advance to arrange roles for the special admission students.

The two special admission students on stage—one female, one male—had both received roles with a fair amount of screen time in their respective scenes. The female had even been cast as one of the positive characters.

’Gu Nian has such a great look. How could he not get a part?’

’And he said he’d be at the theater this afternoon. She’s been here for half an hour, so why hasn’t she seen any sign of him?’

A faint sense of unease crept over Jiang Qingli, and she sent a message to Gu Nian.

DING DING DING—

The special contact notification chimed.

But just as he picked up his terminal, a hand swatted it away with a sharp SMACK.

At the same time, an angry voice demanded:

"You bastard, didn’t you hear me talking to you?"

「The men’s restroom in the theater.」

Two males cornered Gu Nian by a stall door, their expressions a mix of savagery and contempt.

Gu Nian glanced at the male who had spoken, recalling the long tirade he’d just delivered.

’This guy... his name is Ling Sheng, I think.’

They had cornered him here and been berating him for half an hour, all because the department belle had chosen him as her partner in lab class, and he had politely declined.

So, these two males had come to defend the belle’s honor, calling him a lowly, unworthy piece of trash. They cursed him for daring to snub her in front of the entire department, calling him a bastard who didn’t know his place.

To be honest, the incident had happened last week. If these two simps hadn’t come yelling about it, he would have already forgotten.

He had only refused because he didn’t want any contact with females other than his sister; he could do the experiment alone just fine.

He had explained as much to the department belle, and she hadn’t insisted. She’d just asked to borrow his notes.

These two simps hadn’t said a word back then, but now they were here to corner him.

They had probably just failed their auditions and wanted to take it out on him to feel better about themselves.

Gu Nian couldn’t be bothered to deal with them and bent down to pick up his terminal.

Seeing his calm expression, Ling Sheng’s fury only intensified. He spat out a few more vile curses, shoved Gu Nian hard into the stall, and ordered his companion to shut the door.

His companion was hesitant. "Brother Sheng, what if they notice Gu Nian is missing...?"

"So what if they do? He’s just a mutt from the Lower District. Who’s going to care?"

Ling Sheng finished and looked down at Gu Nian condescendingly. "I hear the males from the Lower District are easy. Stop acting all pure in front of the females. God knows how many clients you’ve taken on the side. Now you’re trying to play hard-to-get in the Upper City District? Take a good look at yourself. Do you think you’re even worthy?"

He grew more agitated as he spoke.

Yet Gu Nian remained completely unmoved, as if he’d heard far worse insults before and simply couldn’t be bothered to react to this.

Ling Sheng stared at the boy’s delicate, handsome face. He thought about how the department belle was always impatient with him, yet spoke so softly to this bastard, and a fire of jealousy ignited within him.

He ordered his companion, "Shove his head in the toilet! Give that filthy face of his a good washing!"

Gu Nian watched the two of them with a calm, detached expression.

He appeared unfazed, but he had already, by habit, cased the area when he entered.

The theater was in a remote part of campus. The restroom was an enclosed space with no security cameras. The nearest security booth was five minutes away.

He had learned the backgrounds of every student in his department on the first day of school.

The sidekick came from an average family. Ling Sheng was from a fallen noble house with no real power. The only family member with any influence was his cousin, Ling Qing.

Ling Qing. Jiang Qingli’s former fiancé.

Thinking of that handsome, sharp-featured White Snake Beastman who clearly despised Jiang Qingli, Gu Nian narrowed his eyes. He suddenly had a change of heart.

’Why not... kill them both right here?’

’The scene could be staged as a murder-suicide, with Ling Sheng killing his accomplice by accident before taking his own life.’

’Their relationship was unequal to begin with. Ling Sheng had a violent temper, and plenty of people had seen him beating and cursing his lackey. Not long ago, he’d even publicly challenged an instructor on campus. It wouldn’t be out of character for him to snap.’

’Afterward, he could arrange for a few "eyewitnesses," fan the flames of public opinion, and sow discord between the two families. Ling Qing’s reputation would inevitably take a hit...’

The boy’s gaze roamed over their bodies.

It wasn’t a gaze of fear or timidity, but one filled with a hidden, bloodthirsty excitement, as if he were a butcher calculating how to carve them up and sell the pieces for the highest price.

Being watched like that, Ling Sheng’s Beastman instincts screamed in fear and apprehension.

Ling Sheng spat on the floor. ’The two of us, High Level Beastmen, are supposed to be afraid of this piece of trash?!’

The two exchanged a look and swung at Gu Nian!

The boy dodged with ease, standing a short distance away and watching them with a mocking, derisive glint in his eyes.

Ling Sheng gritted his teeth and charged again, his fist crackling with his Superpower. Just as it was about to smash into Gu Nian, it hit the wall instead.

The wall dented from the impact. Ling Sheng roared, "Bastard! Block him!"

Both of them channeled their Superpowers at once and lunged at Gu Nian.

This time, Gu Nian didn’t dodge. He placed one hand on the small of his back, a thick, dark malevolence swirling in his eyes.

Suddenly, the tip of the boy’s ear twitched.

The killing intent in his eyes vanished in an instant.

He let his hand fall from his back, allowing them to attack him.

BAM—

The boy was sent flying by the brute force of the attack. He slammed hard against the wall before crumpling to the floor, propping himself up weakly.

Ling Sheng strode over to him, stomped on his hand, and ground his shoe into it with force.

He sneered in triumph. "Keep dodging. Why don’t you dodge now?"

"Let me tell you something. You’re going to lick up every drop of this water you splashed on the floor! If you miss a single drop, I’ll fucking end you!"

He wasn’t even finished speaking when the restroom door was suddenly flung open.

A girl’s icy voice rang out—

"Who did you say you were going to end?"