"Well, to be honest with you, Zhao Mengxi, she's a friend I get along well with. I don't have any particular opinion about her," Kent said earnestly. "If I do have an opinion, it would be that I admire her."
Upon hearing this, General Zhao raised an eyebrow, thinking this guy might be a bit slow. Didn't I ask clearly enough?
But seeing Kent's serious demeanor, he couldn't quite find fault.
Zhao Mengxi's face flashed a hint of disappointment as she clutched her clothes, looking distracted.
"Then what exactly do you admire about my daughter?" General Zhao pressed on.
"Dad, asking this in front of me is embarrassing," Zhao Mengxi said, visibly uncomfortable.
"It's fine, it's just the three of us here, and besides, don't you want to know the answer?" General Zhao winked and whispered.
"Hmph... this isn't how things work anymore. It's not the old days," Zhao Mengxi bit her lip, clearly annoyed.
Kent wasn't paying much attention to their conversation, as he was still pondering what General Zhao's intentions were.
Admiration is admiration, right? Why ask specifically about what part? With the girl right there, how am I supposed to answer?
After thinking for a moment, he decided to give a straightforward answer: "Zhao Mengxi is very beautiful, she's a great person, and she's really strong. That's why I enjoy spending time with her."
Kent thought this was a pretty good answer—honest, with a compliment mixed in, perfect.
He looked at the father and daughter duo, expecting them to be pleased.
But instead, General Zhao looked at him with a furrowed brow, and Zhao Mengxi's expression was flat.
What? This doesn't make sense.
Kent was confused.
"See? I told you he's clueless, but you didn't believe me. Now you know," Zhao Mengxi sighed.
General Zhao didn't reply immediately, only exhaling deeply. After a long pause, he finally said, "I just remembered that I have something to take care of. You two finish your meal, I'll leave first."
Seeing him rush out, Kent felt a bit relieved. "Well, that was easy. Turns out your dad's not too hard to get along with."
Zhao Mengxi rolled her eyes and gave him a playful glare.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Kent asked nervously.
"You didn't say anything wrong. You're just clueless," Zhao Mengxi replied flatly.
"It's just a meal. Why complicate things with so much thought?" Kent waved his hand dismissively, unconcerned.
The food was quickly brought to the table, and Kent immediately started eating. "You should eat too. After all, your dad's treating. If you don't finish, it'd be a waste."
Zhao Mengxi couldn't help but chuckle bitterly, massaging her temples. What kind of guy is he? How did I end up developing feelings for him?
It must be some sort of mistake, or maybe I was charmed by him.
After finishing the meal, Zhao Mengxi returned home by car, while Kent rubbed his round stomach and went back to his apartment to browse the news.
"Wow, I made the headlines."
Kent was surprised to see that his victory in the second round had sparked a lot of discussions. Saint Stone High also gained some attention, and many of his personal details had been dug up and posted online.
"The university semester starts in a month. Even though I ranked first, I can't just bask in it. I still need to make good use of this month."
Having decided to apply for the Earthstar University's patrol program, Kent was looking forward to his upcoming university life. However, he knew he couldn't afford to slack off during this time.
"Hey, Kent."
Kent dialed Zhou Yun's number. "A Yun, come to the Yitian Club tomorrow at 8 AM."
Zhou Yun stared at his phone after the call ended, deep in thought, a smile gradually spreading across his face.
He knew Kent had made it big now. Kent wasn't lacking money, but he needed people, and maybe Zhou Yun could be of use.
"I have to seize this chance and change my life. Pretending not to care in the past was because it was too hard for a poor family to rise up," Zhou Yun clenched his fist.
…
The next day at 8 AM, Zhou Yun had been waiting outside the Yitian Club for half an hour. When he saw Kent, he immediately jogged over.
"Kent, good morning!" Zhou Yun greeted with a grin.
"Not earlier than me," Kent responded, leading him into the club and up to his private lounge. As a super VIP member, Kent had a personal, small lounge.
They sat down, and a server brought in tea before quietly leaving.
"Have some tea," Kent said. "I called you here to ask about your plans."
Zhou Yun took a sip of the tea and set it down, as though he had expected this question. "Kent, I want to join you."
"Why?" Kent asked.
"I want to have a day where I shine, where I stand out," Zhou Yun said through gritted teeth. "A man's ambition lies in the world. Right now, a big opportunity is in front of me, and if I don't seize it, I might end up living a mediocre life."
Kent clapped his hands. "Good. As my brother, I'm happy to help you. But how far you can go depends on you. Do you understand?"
"I understand. Thank you, Kent," Zhou Yun exhaled, relieved.
"Alright, enough of the formalities. Let me lay out my plan, and if you're good with it, we'll proceed."
Kent raised his eyebrows. "My goal is to apply for Earthstar University's patrol program. I need you to come to Earthstar City and help me with some errands at the start. How does that sound?"
Zhou Yun nodded eagerly. "No problem. I have a younger brother and sister at home, so I can go without worries."
"Good. This is settled then. I'll send you 100,000 credit points as an advance for your four years of university salary. Keep the money at home to reassure your parents."
Kent paused for a moment before continuing. "This month, you'll be training at the club. I'll cover your tuition and living expenses."
"Kent!" Zhou Yun's eyes went red, his voice choked with emotion. "You're too good to me. I'll work hard to become stronger and serve you wholeheartedly."
"Enough, I can't stand seeing men getting all emotional. Now, let's pick a couple of courses for you."
Zhou Yun already knew that the Yitian Club was an advanced training facility, offering various courses, including physical training, combat skills, weapon handling, and mental meditation.
He went to an intelligent terminal and browsed through the courses. Ten minutes later, he made his decision. "Kent, I want to choose combat skills and stealth reconnaissance. The former can be learned here, and the latter is an introduction course."
Kent nodded. "No problem. When you get to Earthstar University, you can join the army and learn advanced reconnaissance techniques."
Soon, Kent paid for Zhou Yun's courses and transferred him the 100,000 credit points to send home.
"From today, we need to train hard and improve our strength," Kent said before heading off to his own training.
During this time, his Dragon's Breath Blade and Spiral Archery techniques hadn't progressed much. He would need to dedicate himself to refining them over the next month to reach a small level of mastery.