Nie Yan walked out of the academic examination room and let out a long sigh of relief. The maximum score on this hour-long exam was 720 points. But the questions were so hard he'd be happy with just 500. There were even a bunch of concepts he knew practically nothing about.
"How'd you do?" Zhai Hao asked. He and Xia Ling had been fretting endlessly this whole time.
"I heard the benchmark for an Ace in both command and interstellar travel is 600 points," Xia Ling added.
"Don't worry about it. If I get in, I get in. If not, so be it." Nie Yan laughed off their worries. Getting into the Top Military Academy was good enough for him. Being selected as an Ace was simply too much to hope for. With the Top Military Academy's admission notice in hand, he could already be considered a part of certain powerful influences. Others would have to think twice before making a move against him, because acting against the academy's students would be provoking the Top Military Academy's prestige. Even if major consortiums had some background, they had to tread carefully around the academy. If they went too far, the academy's alumni could easily take them down!
This was the main reason he wanted to join the Top Military Academy. The identity of a student there would be an extra layer of security for him. His status alone would deter his enemies from using underhanded means to rough him up.
Nie Yan immediately informed his parents about his admission into the Top Military Academy. Father and Mother Nie were both ecstatic, especially his father. One of Father Nie's greatest regrets in life was not getting into the Top Military Academy. So, when he heard his son had succeeded where he had not, he almost burst into tears. At long last, he saw this dream of his fulfilled through his son.
Nie Yan could clearly hear his father's voice quivering on the other side of the call. He thought back to when he got rejected in the previous timeline, and the utter disappointment on his father's face at the time. The contrast between the sad memory back then and the now-reversed situation filled Nie Yan with an indescribable emotion.
This time, he had no regrets.
Nie Yan joined his friends for a celebratory meal. They ate, sang, and drank heartily under the restaurant's red lighting. He and Xie Yao were both pushed into drinking more and more until they got more than a little tipsy.
After the meal, Nie Yan stared at Xie Yao. The alcohol flushed her skin, giving her cheeks an additional redness that only added to her charm. She didn't have an overcoat on, only a white wool jumper that perfectly accentuated her curves. She was like an enchantress who drew men's eyes wherever she went.
Including Tang Yao, there were nine of them there. Tang Yao had to leave early, but the rest of them kept having fun until around one in the afternoon. That was when four more people left, leaving only Nie Yan, Xie Yao, Zhai Hao, and Xia Ling. With just the four of them, the atmosphere suddenly became a lot more intimate.
Zhai Hao looked pointedly at Nie Yan before nudging Xia Ling and whispering, "Let's go. Nie Yan can take Xie Yao home. He's parked just downstairs."
Xia Ling looked meaningfully at Nie Yan and Xie Yao, a knowing grin on her face. "Alright, let's stop bothering these two lovebirds."
Zhai Hao and Xia Ling quickly made themselves scarce.
Nie Yan looked at Xie Yao, who lowered her head in embarrassment and nervously pushed her hair behind her shoulder. The red light bounced off her face, creating a charming halo around her head. As Nie Yan looked at Xie Yao, he thought she couldn't be any less beautiful than the goddess Aphrodite.
"I'll send you home," Nie Yan offered with a courteous bow to his lady.
"Yes," Xie Yao answered, a little too quickly. She could feel Nie Yan's heated gaze on her as she became increasingly aware that the two of them were alone in a fairly small private room. How could she not be nervous?
Nie Yan looked once more at Xie Yao in the dim light, his thoughts clouded by alcohol. His mind suddenly conjured a picture of that night with Yao Yao in the secret chamber under Fenarte. That exquisitely charming figure! Her beautiful jade-white body! Yao Yao's silhouette overlapped with Xie Yao's as he drunkenly entertained the possibility that the two were one and the same. His blood began to boil and an intense heat arose in his lower abdomen. The physical sensation abruptly snapped him back into the present.
"Xie Yao," Nie Yan whispered gently. He quietly slid one arm around her slender waist, holding her within his embrace. He could feel her body instinctively tense, lightly struggling against his touch.
A familiar feeling overwhelmed Nie Yan's drunken senses. It felt so distant, yet so close.
Perhaps it was the wine, but Nie Yan's mind became foggy with nothing but a loud buzzing noise. He hugged Xie Yao even more tightly and pressed her down against the couch. He leaned in toward her and pushed his lips on hers. Instantly, the buzzing fog was replaced with an overload of silky softness.
Nie Yan could think of nothing but that night as a primal desire filled his body.
Xie Yao hadn't known Nie Yan's feelings for her were so strong, and had no way to know how deeply rooted they were.
Everything happened too quickly. Xie Yao hastily tried to shove Nie Yan away with both hands, but she couldn't budge him at all. Nie Yan was far stronger than her in the first place, and her body had become soft and powerless the moment his arm circled around her.
Nie Yan's hand roamed her body, from her tall, perky chest to her thin, taekwondo-trained legs before slipping beneath her jumper and continuing to explore.
Xie Yao could feel Nie Yan's large hand exploring her every curve, but she still jumped when it made contact with her belly. As his hand continued to inch upwards, she began squirming in protest, but it was just a token resistance.
With no idea how far Nie Yan was going to take this, Xie Yao felt her heart race as her emotions bubbled turbulently within her.
The moment Nie Yan reached behind her smooth shoulder and touched the clasp of her bra, Xie Yao's struggles suddenly gained strength. Although her heart already belonged solely to Nie Yan, she wasn't quite ready to take the next step yet. It was just too soon.
The frenzied protest snapped Nie Yan out of his drunken haze. He instantly realized he had gone too far. Sitting up, he shook his head to try and clear it. Still somewhat dizzy, he looked at Xie Yao. Her clothes were a mess and her snow-white belly was still exposed.
Xie Yao hurriedly sat up as well and hastily straightened out her clothes. She felt extremely shy about what just happened. When she thought further to what might have been, she was too embarrassed to even look in Nie Yan's direction.
"...I'm sorry," Nie Yan sincerely apologized. The thought that Yao Yao and Xie Yao might be the same person really had too big of an impact on him. If today's events offended Xie Yao and caused her to have a bad impression of him, he would never forgive his own stupidity!
With her face burning red, Xie Yao looked at him mutely for a bit before quietly saying, "Drive me home, please." She had been rather upset by Nie Yan's audacity, but she couldn't stay angry at him after seeing the sincere look on his face. Her discontent vanished completely after hearing his heartfelt apology.
"Okay." Nie Yan stood up.
Xie Yao fussed with her clothes one last time before standing up as well. As she stood, she felt a sudden weakness in her knees and almost collapsed back onto the couch.
Nie Yan immediately put his arm behind her to keep her from falling.
"I think I drank a little too much," Xie Yao said awkwardly. She couldn't muster up even an ounce of strength.
"Don't worry. I'll carry you to my car. I keep sobriety pills in the glove compartment," Nie Yan said. Once they took sobriety pills, the alcohol's effect would be gone in no time.
"No!" Xie Yao vehemently shook her head. It was the middle of the day, so there were bound to be people out and about. A strong guy carrying a drunk girl to his car in broad daylight would surely cause a large commotion.
Nie Yan twisted his neck to look at her swaying figure. After a moment, he smiled brightly at her before turning around to lift her into a piggyback ride.
Xie Yao let out a startled yelp when she felt herself rising into the air. Her heart raced in panic before quickly settling down again. For some reason, being supported by Nie Yan's sturdy back made her feel safe.
Nie Yan carried Xie Yao to his car. After both of them took a sobriety pill, they felt much better.
The two of them sat wordlessly in the car, creating a tranquil silence as they tried to avoid thinking about the embarrassing events inside the restaurant.
"Let's go," Xie Yao said softly. Even now, she had no idea how she could face Nie Yan ever again.
Nie Yan started his car and drove out of the parking lot. "Where do you live?"
"Cloudwater District."
Cloudwater District? Nie Yan jumped in his seat. Wasn't that where he lived? However, it made sense. Built around the lake with excellent view and refreshing air, Cloudwater was ranked the number one neighbourhood in Huahai. It had the largest concentration of wealthy elites in all of the city. Given Xie Yao's background, it was no surprise her family lived there.
However, Cloudwater was huge. Since Nie Yan had never bumped into her in the previous timeline, he figured she probably didn't live very close to him; otherwise, he would have definitely seen her at one point or another.
The congregation of wealthy families was the main reason Father Nie decided to settle in the Cloudwater District. He subscribed to the famous saying, "Live near wealth, be near wealth." In fact, Cloudwater residents would often hold events exclusively for their neighbours. Being invited to these banquets was an incredible opportunity for the Nie Family because it opened the door to influential connections and wealthy contacts.
"Oh wow! I also live in Cloudwater."
"Really?" Xie Yao asked in surprise.
"You should stop by my house to take a look sometime."
"Alright. It'll be a good chance to meet your parents as well."
As Nie Yan and Xie Yao continued to chat, the car sped toward the address Xie Yao provided. It was just as Nie Yan had thought: she lived pretty far away from him. They lived on different sides of the lake, and even used different entrances to the neighborhood. Since one family used the South Gate and the other used the West Gate, it was no wonder they never came across each other.
Nie Yan stopped the car in front of Xie Yao's house and watched her enter the front door before finally heading home.
When Nie Yan got home, he walked into his surprise party. His parents had invited friends and family for this grand occasion. They watched happily as everyone praised their son, proudly basking in his glory.
The lively festivities continued for two hours before the guests left.
Father Nie, still exuberant about Nie Yan's acceptance, began talking about company matters with his son. As the Tuoba Family and Century Financial Group fought each other and both sides took hit after hit, he took the opportunity to use a large amount of capital to buy as many of Tuoba Hongye's shares as he could. By now, Father Nie's total capital was staggeringly massive, almost enough to be alarming.
Nie Yan thought it over. His father's actions against Tuoba Hongye would also indirectly help Tuoba Time. It seemed as if the Tuoba Family's problems were far from over.
"Say, son, what do you think we should do next?" Father Nie looked at Nie Yan and asked. He wanted to see if his son had any thoughts about the situation.
"The Tuoba Family suffered huge losses, but the Century Financial Group didn't get off easy either. They've sponsored quite a few guilds in Conviction, and will probably be a major competitor in the near future. Why don't we take this chance to grab some of their shares too? Perhaps, it'll come in handy one day."
Father Nie thought about it for a while before slowly nodding in agreement. Nie Yan's words made sense, but the specifics still required careful research and planning.