As Zhao Ming surveyed the scene, he saw the group of candidates who had passed the initial examination now gathering for the retest. Among them was an elder who was hunched over, recording information. However, from what Zhao Ming remembered of the original story, most of these candidates wouldn't pass.
In the original tale, only the Shrek Seven Monsters made it through.
Looking around more closely, Zhao Ming quickly spotted familiar faces from the Shrek group.
He easily recognized Ning Rongrong.
The boy with the mustache was most likely Oscar.
And then his gaze landed on... Zhu Zhuqing?
There, sitting by herself, was a cold and aloof girl with striking features. She was stunningly beautiful, her appearance both delicate and sharp.
Today, Zhu Zhuqing was dressed in a form-fitting black leather outfit, accentuating her well-proportioned, curvaceous figure. The material clung to her in all the right places, making her long, smooth legs look impossibly graceful.
At a glance, it seemed like she had a D-cup!
But despite her fiery body, her aura was ice cold. Her eyes, deep and black, held no life, reflecting an inner sadness, hopelessness, and pain.
Seeing her in this state, Zhao Ming couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
His original thoughts of simply admiring her beauty faded, replaced with a strong desire to protect her.
He knew a little about the situation between the Dai and Zhu families. Due to the powerful martial fusion technique that both families possessed, the two were deeply intertwined, with the Dai family being part of the Star Luo Empire's royal lineage and the Zhu family serving as dukes for generations.
Moreover, the Star Luo Empire's queen always came from the Zhu family, a brutal tradition where members of both families competed to become the next emperor and empress. From birth, Dai Mubai and Zhu Zhuqing, like their counterparts Davis and Zhu Zhuyun, were destined to be enemies.
Growing up in such a harsh environment, it wasn't surprising that Zhu Zhuqing turned out this way. She had likely suffered immensely at the hands of Zhu Zhuyun and her mother.
Seeing her in this state, Zhao Ming cursed Dai Mubai in his heart.
What kind of man abandons someone like Zhu Zhuqing? Fleeing to Shrek Academy to indulge in a life of debauchery, while leaving her to come find him?
Disgusting!
Dai Mubai was unworthy of Zhu Zhuqing. He didn't deserve her!
"Ah! That hurts!" Zhao Ming suddenly felt a sharp pain in his waist. He turned to find Xiao Wu glaring at him angrily.
"What are you staring at? Just because they're bigger?" Xiao Wu grumbled as she pinched Zhao Ming's waist and sized up Zhu Zhuqing with some dissatisfaction.
Zhao Ming couldn't help but smirk. Bigger? That was putting it mildly. They were much bigger!
But of course, Zhao Ming wouldn't dare say that out loud, especially not in front of Xiao Wu. Otherwise, she'd throw a tantrum for sure.
Seeing that Zhao Ming wasn't responding, Xiao Wu continued her line of questioning.
"Zhao Ming, do you guys only like... bigger ones?" She tilted her head, looking at Zhao Ming with curiosity.
"Who told you that? I like all kinds," Zhao Ming replied, patting her head.
"Then why do you keep staring at Sister Bi Ji and Sister Yanling's chests and never look at mine?" Xiao Wu pouted, clearly dissatisfied with his answer.
"You're still young, Xiao Wu. You shouldn't worry about such... deep things," Zhao Ming replied seriously, trying to maintain a straight face.
"Come on, let's go say hello. They might be our classmates soon," Zhao Ming said quickly, steering the conversation away from dangerous territory.
He then led Xiao Wu toward Ning Rongrong and the others.
"Hello, I'm Zhao Ming," he said as he approached.
Ning Rongrong had already noticed Zhao Ming approaching. Seeing his smiling face, she couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration. She wanted to punch him—punch him so hard he'd cry.
The image of Zhao Ming sitting in a corner drawing circles on the ground and wailing made her giggle despite herself.
"What's so funny?" Zhao Ming asked, frowning in confusion. It was obvious she was imagining something mischievous.
Her giggling stopped abruptly at his words. "You're the one with a problem!" she snapped, but then, an idea crossed her mind, and she smiled sweetly, extending her hand. "I'm Ning Rongrong."
"I'm Xiao Wu, like in 'dancing,'" Xiao Wu said with a friendly smile.
"I'm Zhu Zhuqing," said the cold girl, catching Zhao Ming's gaze. She extended her right hand, and Zhao Ming shook it. Compared to Ning Rongrong's soft, delicate hand, Zhu Zhuqing's hand was larger, with longer fingers. Despite her icy demeanor, her hand felt warm.
"Selling sausages, get your fresh sausages! Tasty and filling! Just five copper coins for one! Oscar's Sausage is the best! Hey, little brother, wanna try one?" Oscar's voice interrupted the conversation as he waved toward Zhao Ming, clearly feeling jealous of how well Zhao Ming was getting along with the new girls.
Oscar's shout broke the connection between Zhao Ming and Zhu Zhuqing, who quickly withdrew her hand.
"Old man, go peddle your wares elsewhere. We're not interested," Zhao Ming quipped with a grin.
"Pfft," both Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing couldn't help but laugh. Having been at Shrek Academy for a while, they knew all about Oscar. Hearing Zhao Ming call him "old man" was hilarious to them. Even the usually cold Zhu Zhuqing couldn't hold back a small smile.
"You're the old man! I'm only fourteen!" Oscar protested, feeling embarrassed as he glanced at Zhao Ming with annoyance.
"Fourteen? Doesn't seem like it."
"I am! Ask anyone here. I just... matured early," Oscar grumbled, pointing to his thick mustache.
"Oh, I see. My mistake," Zhao Ming said, feigning realization. "But brother, you should probably do something about that beard. Looks like you haven't shaved in a while."
As expected, at Zhao Ming's comment, the girls—Zhu Zhuqing, Ning Rongrong, and even Xiao Wu—looked at Oscar with a hint of disdain. Before Zhao Ming pointed it out, they hadn't really noticed, but now that he mentioned it, the mustache was a bit much.
Seeing the disdainful looks from his female peers, Oscar's heart sank.
In this remote place, Shrek Academy, he had never expected so many beautiful girls to show up. He hadn't even thought to tidy up his appearance that morning, figuring there was no need. Now, thanks to Zhao Ming, he had lost their favor.
Watching Oscar's pitiful expression, Zhao Ming couldn't help but feel triumphant.
Serves you right for interrupting my moment with Zhu Zhuqing. Today, I'll make sure you're dateless for the next three years!
---
𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮. 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙗𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚!
𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼:
• 𝘽𝙤𝙜𝙙𝙖𝙣 𝙋𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪
• 𝙅𝙘𝟭𝟮𝟬𝟮
• 𝘼𝙝𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙟𝙖𝙝
• 𝗝𝗮𝗰𝗼𝗯 𝗠𝗼𝗲𝗲
𝗔𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘂𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸:
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝙂𝙚𝙩 𝟴𝟱+ 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚.
• 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁-𝗢𝘂𝘁: 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙨 𝙖 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩!
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝘀 𝗺𝗲 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆. 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂'𝗿𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗲𝘁, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝘀!
👉 𝙅𝙤𝙞𝙣 𝙣𝙤𝙬: 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝙂𝙤𝙙𝙊𝙛𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧