Chapter 22: Social Gathering
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: PlumSauce
The little white rabbit’s brain still seemed to be in a completely blank state. There were five people. Besides the three roommates he was more familiar with, the others were His Highness Elvis and Wei Yuanqing. One seemed to want to steal away the little white rabbit to keep as a cute pet at all times—His Highness Elvis—and the other seemed to have mind-reading abilities—Wei Yuanqing.
Yun Yingzhi’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably again, and he stared blankly at the five of them. Suddenly, the small white rabbit’s body trembled, swaying unsteadily, finally realizing that something terrible had happened.
Then… Without even thinking about manners or etiquette, his hand shook, and he immediately ended the call. Staring at the disconnected communication projection, the little white rabbit blinked his big eyes, trying to figure out what had happened during that time.
At that moment, the hovercar was about to arrive at the hotel. Yun Yingzhi didn’t want to face Elvis and the other four at all. Before seeing them, he needed to sort out what had happened earlier. He said, “Zhang Bo, pull over for a moment. I need to collect myself.”
The driver obeyed, lowering the hovercar to the temporary parking spot below. Yun Yingzhi felt dazed and confused, opened the car window, and let the wind hit his face to calm himself. Well… it didn’t calm him down at all.
Recalling the earlier events, he roughly understood what had happened. He had been in the workshop in the afternoon making a source weapon. On the way to the hotel in the hovercar, Yu Feiwen had called him. He had been too tired at the time, and probably… unknowingly, he had fallen asleep.
Yun Yingzhi was fairly confident about himself—his life only had “falling asleep,” not “passing out.” So, most likely, he had just slept. When he woke up, the call was still connected. The number of people on the other end had increased from three to five, and the two new arrivals were the ones he least wanted to face: His Highness Elvis and Senior Wei Yuanqing.
Yun Yingzhi took a deep breath, shifted from his little white rabbit form back to human form, and looked at the driver. Through the rearview mirror, the driver and Yun Yingzhi’s eyes met. He tried to calm himself, but he wasn’t really calm at all. He couldn’t control his emotions.
He frowned and remained silent for a moment before saying, “Zhang Bo, how long was I asleep?”
Zhang Bo’s eyelids twitched. He could sense that Yun Yingzhi’s mental state was a little on the edge and said, “Less than five minutes after you got in the car, you fell asleep.”
Yun Yingzhi thought he had gotten in the car around 7:20 p.m. Now… It was already 8:05 p.m. He was late. His personal terminal beeped—a message from Yu Feiwen. Yun Yingzhi remembered that one of his goals for coming to the social gathering today, besides eating, was to hand over the source weapon to him. He searched around and found the source weapon on the carpet.
His panic slightly eased at the sight of it. It was a source weapon he had made with his own hands. He tucked it into his pocket. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a gift shop through the car window and noticed the giant advertisement projection displaying gift boxes. He blanked for a moment before belatedly realizing that the source weapon he planned to give Yu Feiwen didn’t even have a gift box.
He thought to himself that he had to buy a gift box to make it look classy and high-end. Looking at the gift shop outside the car window, he finally asked the question he hadn’t wanted to face, “Zhang Bo, when I was asleep…” He hesitated, embarrassed to say it.
Zhang Bo looked at him with a loving gaze, understanding what he wanted to ask, and said, “At first, you transformed into your second form.” How cute.
Yun Yingzhi replied, “Oh.” His expression was completely soulless, and his heart was quietly crying. He felt awful. After a moment, he asked, “I didn’t do anything weird… right?”
Like grinding my teeth or snoring… Zhang Bo paused, his expression suddenly complicated. Yun Yingzhi’s gaze grew tense as he stared at Zhang Bo, almost in tears.
Uncle Zhang said, “You rolled around on the seat. Does that count?”
Yun Yingzhi’s expression cracked. How old was he to still be rolling around in his sleep? No, that wasn’t the point. The point was that he had done it in front of five people, practically live-streaming himself rolling in his sleep. He sniffled, his mind a complete mess, but he still bravely asked, “Th-that’s all I did?”
Uncle Zhang paused, pointed at the seat, and said, “From one edge to the other, you rolled all the way over, then rolled back.” He added, “Several times.”
Yun Yingzhi, “…” The corners of his mouth drooped. His mind collapsed. After letting the wind blow on his face to calm down a bit, he asked, “And then?”
Uncle Zhang said, “You almost fell off.” He paused, then continued, “But I caught you just in time. Luckily, you didn’t get hurt.” He patted his chest, his gaze filled with even more affection.
Yun Yingzhi, “…” His body shook. Under Zhang Bo’s concerned eyes, he quickly grabbed the car door handle to keep from flopping onto the seat. Right now, he just wanted to smash a huge wall.
Yun Yingzhi thought maybe he shouldn’t attend the social gathering after all. His personal terminal beeped—Yu Feiwen had called him again. At the same time, Yun Yingzhi’s stomach rumbled loudly. He was starving. He thought about how human bodies were honest in their own way; no matter how fragile the mind might be, the body still demanded food and had basic physiological needs.
He also realized that those online rumors claiming he had fallen into despair after a breakup, refusing to eat for days and losing 15-20 pounds, were almost impossible in his case. Even if he broke up with Huai Boshe, he would still eat, still drink, and life would go on. Yun Yingzhi shook his head, pushing aside these depressing thoughts. Right now, what he had to do was… Pretend nothing had happened, go to the social gathering, eat something, hand over the source weapon to Yu Feiwen, and settle the final payment.
He took a deep breath and said, “Zhang Bo, wait here for me. I’m going to buy a gift box.”
Uncle Zhang responded with a simple, “Okay.”
Yun Yingzhi walked to the nearby gift shop. The shop was one frequented by students, selling all kinds of gift boxes. The cheap ones cost just a dozen Imperial credits, and the expensive ones topped out at a couple hundred. The standardized boxes for source weapons in the manufacturing world were white acrylic boxes with velvet interiors, fairly delicate. Depending on the level of the weapon, prices started at 300 Imperial credits and could exceed 1000.
Yun Yingzhi had little concept of this. He had encountered source weapons in two ways: through Alvin’s workshop and through the Source Weapon Manufacturing Department at Fansa Academy. The three source weapons he handed over to the military today had no packaging, which was normal.
Or rather, at Alvin’s workshop, they didn’t worry about packaging at all; someone else handled that. So Yun Yingzhi had never thought that a source weapon needed to look classy. The same was true in the Source Weapon Manufacturing Department. Students in the department would make or modify source weapons for combat students at far below market prices. Everyone knew the routine, so buying packaging was never necessary.
At first, Yun Yingzhi had thought he could just hand over the weapons as they were. Why bother with packaging? But today’s source weapon for Yu Feiwen was his first order taken on his own merit. He wanted his client to have the best experience possible. Even if he didn’t have much money, he would buy the most expensive box, so the weapon could “live comfortably” inside.
He entered the gift shop and started looking at the prices. The cheapest sets cost only a dozen credits, most were 20 or 30, very affordable. He felt only the pricier boxes were worthy of the source weapon he had made. His eyes shifted to a shop assistant.
The assistant had been staring at Yun Yingzhi, captivated by his beauty. It took her a moment to regain focus when Yun Yingzhi called her over. She smiled politely and asked, “How can I help you?”
Yun Yingzhi nodded and said while smiling, “Yes, I’d like you to recommend a gift box.” He paused, then added, “The most expensive one you have in the store.”
The assistant thought, A rich, beautiful client, and asked, “What size gift box do you need?”
Yun Yingzhi gestured to indicate the size. The assistant stepped out from the counter toward the shelves and picked out boxes—one black, one silver—and said, “These are currently very popular among students. They’re 168 each. Which one do you like?”
Yun Yingzhi chose the silver gift box. The assistant smiled and said, “The person receiving this gift will be very happy.” After Yun Yingzhi paid, she asked, “Would you like me to wrap it for you?”
Yun Yingzhi said, “Yes.” He figured a professional would wrap it better than he could.
She asked, “What is the gift?”
Yun Yingzhi pulled out the source weapon he had just completed today and handed it to her for wrapping. The assistant was stunned, staring at Yun Yingzhi in surprise. “A source weapon?”
Yun Yingzhi nodded. “Yes.”
The assistant’s expression grew complicated. Before, she had assumed he was rich and buying an expensive box for a normal gift, but now he was planning to wrap a source weapon worth tens of thousands, maybe more, in it? Curious, she asked, “Is it a Level 1 source weapon?”
Yun Yingzhi thought, If it were only a Level 1, he wouldn’t have splurged 168 credits on a gift box. He shook his head. “It’s a Level 5 source weapon.”
The assistant went momentarily speechless. Seeing her expression, Yun Yingzhi asked, “Is there a problem?”
The assistant quickly shook her head. “No, no problem. Just—are you sure you want to use this box?”
Yun Yingzhi noticed her odd attitude, glanced at the cheaper boxes in the store, and realized the one he picked was indeed pricey. He winced slightly but felt it perfectly matched the source weapon he had made. He nodded. “I’m sure. Thank you for your help.”
The assistant twitched her lips, paused, then said, “It’s my job.” She had never wrapped anything so expensive in her part-time life. Her skill was impressive; in under a minute, she wrapped the box with paper and tied a large bow, placing it neatly in a gift bag.
Yun Yingzhi thanked her and left. He carried the gift bag back to the hovercar. His terminal beeped again. Yu Feiwen contacted him, but this time it was a voice message rather than a video call. He answered and quickly apologized for being late.
Yu Feiwen said, “Yingzhi, Ji Xiaobo and I are heading to the underground garage to pick you up.”
Yun Yingzhi replied, “Okay.”
Soon, the hovercar entered the hotel’s underground parking lot. A staff member came forward to greet him, and Yu Feiwen and Ji Xiaobo arrived as well. Seeing each other, Yun Yingzhi felt a bit proud. After all, he had spent 168 credits on the packaging! With that thought, he handed the gift bag to Yu Feiwen.
Yu Feiwen froze, his heart racing. In front of Ji Xiaobo’s envious gaze, he accepted the gift bag. Yu Feiwen felt nervous—was Yun Yingzhi confessing to him? In front of Ji Xiaobo? Ji Xiaobo frowned, glaring at Yu Feiwen with burning eyes.
The staff member guiding them glanced at Yun Yingzhi, then at Yu Feiwen, and then at the gift bag being handed over. He thought, Anyone who can frequent this hotel is usually rich or noble. From what he knew, everyone here today was a military school student—but he hadn’t expected military students to like giving such gifts.
The staff member had a younger sister in her early teens who often swooned over things. Recently, the same gift box sets were on sale for half-off, including buy ten get three free. She had borrowed money to buy ten sets, and after including the free ones, she still had many at home. He knew the prices clearly… They were quite cheap. Up until this moment, everyone except Yun Yingzhi felt complicated.
Yu Feiwen looked at Yun Yingzhi expectantly. Compared to boys, he actually liked girls more—but if it was a little cute rabbit…
Then they heard Yun Yingzhi say seriously, “Feiwen, this source weapon was custom-made for you by the craftsman I know, based on your situation.”
Yu Feiwen, “?” A giant question mark slowly formed in his mind. Ji Xiaobo and the staff member gawked, their minds shocked, staring incredulously at the modest gift bag. Yu Feiwen’s eyelids twitched. His face stiffened as he slowly lowered his head, staring blankly at the gift bag in his hands.
Yu Feiwen, “?” Huh? Huh huh??
Yun Yingzhi didn’t notice the three of them acting strangely at all. He continued earnestly, “The source weapon craftsman really took it seriously. He designed the blueprints for a long time based on your situation, Feiwen, then used the best materials, didn’t sleep, and stayed up late for hours just to make this source weapon.”
Yu Feiwen, “…”
Ji Xiaobo, “…”
Both of them thought, Stayed up late for hours? It’s only been a few days since we last snuck off to the Yaoming Battle Arena with Wei Yuanqing. How long could “hours” really be?
The staff member looked at Yu Feiwen and Ji Xiaobo in confusion, sensing that something weird was going on. Their expressions were painfully stiff. Yun Yingzhi’s cheeks turned slightly red. He had lied. Using the best materials was true. Staying up late was also true—but it had been yesterday, and making the source weapon had actually only taken a few hours.
It didn’t really matter. What mattered was that he believed the source weapon was of excellent quality. He lifted his chin slightly and continued, “The source weapon craftsman said that this weapon, carefully made, will match you perfectly.” He paused, then added, “Also, take a look at this packaging!”
The two roommates and the hotel staff member all looked at the gift bag in unison. Yun Yingzhi paused and silently took the silver gift box from the bag. Currently, gift boxes commonly used by middle and high school students weren’t cheap, but weren’t expensive either.
Yun Yingzhi said solemnly, “The source weapon craftsman said he bought the most expensive gift box to match the source weapon he made!”
Thinking about it, he had gone 3v3, winning three matches in a row, and the team prize was only 600 Imperial credits. After splitting, each person got 200 credits—barely enough to buy a single gift box. That showed just how pricey this packaging really was.
Yu Feiwen’s eyelid twitched. The three of them stared at Yun Yingzhi with very complicated expressions.
Yu Feiwen paused and asked, “A Level 5 source weapon? The packaging matches a Level 5 source weapon?”
The staff member thought, Is there really a Level 5 source weapon inside?
Yun Yingzhi said, “Yes, exactly!”
Yu Feiwen, Ji Xiaobo, and the staff member examined the box again. Oh—confirmed. The cheapest packaging in the source weapon world. They were so shocked they couldn’t even speak. Wait, as a source weapon craftsman, shouldn’t he know what normal packaging looks like? Suddenly, they suspected Yun Yingzhi might have been fooled by the craftsman he knew.
Yun Yingzhi looked at Yu Feiwen and smiled, “Feiwen, because making source weapons is difficult and uses a lot of materials, the normal price should be 3 million,”—three times the market price—”but because you’re my friend, 2 million will do!”
Because of his lower expenses and manageable losses, he could still make a 50% profit at this price. A win-win. Yu Feiwen was stunned. This price wasn’t actually high—he had waited half a year in line to buy his current source weapon for around 3 million. But at this moment, he really wanted to warn Yun Yingzhi that he might be dealing with a scammer.
Yu Feiwen exhaled lightly and transferred the final payment to Yun Yingzhi. Yun Yingzhi’s body seemed to sprout little happy flowers. He had earned money—he was ecstatic! Considering that the money would be used to make a source weapon for Yun Yinghui, he decided to give his brother a little pocket money—100 credits—to let him share in the joy. He immediately transferred 100 credits to Yun Yinghui.
Yun Yinghui was probably busy and didn’t contact Yun Yingzhi. Yun Yingzhi looked at Ji Xiaobo and said, “Xiaobo, don’t worry. The source weapon craftsman is very serious. Just wait a few days, and your source weapon will be ready.”
Ji Xiaobo’s eyelid twitched. He hoped Yun Yingzhi would realize he had been scammed before then and cancel the order himself. “I’m not in a hurry, Yingzhi.”
Yun Yingzhi, “Huh?”
Ji Xiaobo smiled, “I really am not in a hurry. If the craftsman is busy, he can make it for others first.” Yun Yingzhi wanted to say something, but Ji Xiaobo added, “Also, I need to think if there are any special requirements.”
Yun Yingzhi thought for a moment. “Then let me know once you’ve decided.” He could use this time to refine the source weapon imprints for space abilities.
Ji Xiaobo nodded. As if remembering something, Ji Xiaobo said, “By the way, Yingzhi, did your friend have the source weapon for Feiwen authenticated?”
Yun Yingzhi immediately said, “No.”
The two roommates thought, Of course! The staff member thought, A Level 5 source weapon worth 1.5 million at half price hasn’t even been authenticated?
Yun Yingzhi explained, “Sending it to the Source Weapon Association for authentication costs a fee. We’re military school students—we can authenticate it ourselves. No need to waste the money, right?” He added, smiling sweetly, “Better to spend it on a fancier box, right?”
Everyone thought the source weapon craftsman was really stingy—no wonder why he could prepare such an expensive weapon with such cheap packaging.
Yu Feiwen exchanged a glance with Ji Xiaobo. “But if it had an authentication certificate, we could show it off and post it online.”
Yun Yingzhi thought that made sense. But it had nothing to do with the craftsman now. He looked at Yu Feiwen eagerly and agreed, “Makes sense!” Before they could reply, Yun Yingzhi added, “Feiwen, once you authenticate it, make sure you show me the results.” It could be used as a reference for future clients.
Yu Feiwen’s heart skipped a beat; he was momentarily speechless. They thought Yun Yingzhi deeply trusted that source weapon craftsman—but from their perspective, he had definitely been scammed. No rush.
Yu Feiwen thought since the weapon was in his hands now; he could authenticate it at his convenience and then let Yun Yingzhi find out.
Led by the staff member, the group took the elevator from the underground garage to the banquet hall. Soon, the elevator stopped. The moment it opened, a crowd surged forward, splitting Yun Yingzhi apart from the others, surrounding him from all sides.
Yu Feiwen and Ji Xiaobo tried to rush to rescue Yun Yingzhi, but the crowd kept them separated. More and more people kept coming… Yun Yingzhi was trapped at the very center, his face flushed—partly from embarrassment, partly from the heat. What broke him even more was that a female student pinched his cheek hard.
Yun Yingzhi had never tolerated pain well. This pinch filled his eyes with tears, making him look pitifully cute.
Someone in the crowd exclaimed in awe, “No wonder he’s Fansa Academy’s top school flower!1 Even though he’s a boy, he looks better than Eiffel Academy’s top school flower.”
Eiffel Academy—an all-girls school. Yun Yingzhi was internally crushed. Being told he looked better than a girl academy’s top beauty didn’t make him happy at all. Suddenly, someone touched his cheek again.
Exhausted, hungry, sleepy, and trapped by so many people, he couldn’t leave. His terminal beeped, but he couldn’t see it. He was angry, but completely helpless. Really… helpless?
At that moment, a familiar voice came from nearby. “What are you all doing?”
Many heads turned toward the voice. It was Wei Yuanqing. Wei Yuanqing—the Wei family, the richest in the Loos Empire, consistently ranked first on the wealth list. As the only heir, he instantly drew everyone’s attention. Some people looked at Wei Yuanqing, while others instinctively moved toward him.
Seizing the moment amid the chaos, Yun Yingzhi transformed into his second form. His small body weaved through the ground. Though he always disliked his second form a bit, it was extremely useful in certain situations. First, his small size allowed him to slip away in most situations. Second… It was the long-dreamed-of chance to stow away…
Suddenly, he remembered something mischievous he had heard about before, something Yun Yinghui had told him. When he was little, Yun Yinghui had been incredibly clingy and couldn’t bear not seeing Yun Yingzhi for an entire month. So he had secretly hidden in Yun Yingzhi’s backpack or pockets to sneak into Fansa Academy with him.
Back then, Yun Yingzhi had really been tiny—a palm-sized little thing. At that age, he didn’t really remember much. Still, it was… quite wonderful. Yun Yingzhi’s eyelid twitched as a bad premonition suddenly washed over him. Someone in the crowd asked, “Where did Fansa Academy’s school flower run off to?”
Then a familiar, cold, and clear voice rang out, “Yingzhi is here?” It was Yun Yingyao.
At the same time, Yun Yingzhi felt something reaching toward him. The previously noisy hall instantly went silent. Yun Yingzhi’s body hairs stood on end as the pressure hit him. Just as he thought about leaping to escape, a large hand scooped him off the ground before he could move. Then, that same hand roughly squished and patted the little white rabbit.
Yun Yingzhi, in his small rabbit form, was kneaded and pressed until his entire face turned into a why-am-I-alive little rabbit expression. He sniffed and caught a familiar scent. He had smelled it just recently. It was Elvis.
Almost at that very moment, when Elvis—emanating cold energy—had appeared in everyone’s view, the hall had gone quiet. But when Elvis held the little white rabbit in his arms, the intimidating aura softened with a hint of gentleness.
The previously frozen air seemed to warm again. The crowd gathered once more, respectfully calling out to “His Highness, Elvis.” Elvis didn’t break eye contact, holding the little white rabbit steadily as he headed straight toward the banquet hall.
Yun Yingzhi tried to observe the surroundings while being squished in Elvis’s large hand. He noticed a bounty of delicious food. So hungry! He could finally eat! As soon as he found the right opportunity, he could eat. Yun Yingzhi wriggled, thinking about how to escape from Elvis’s grasp.
A female student approached Elvis, attempting to make small talk, but was ignored entirely.
Someone in the crowd asked again, “Where did Yun Yingzhi run off to? I heard his second form is a little white rabbit. Could the rabbit His Highness is holding be Yun Yingzhi himself?”
Hearing that, many eyes turned toward Yun Yingzhi. His tiny body stiffened. Elvis’s hand holding the rabbit stilled for a moment. Then Elvis slowly rotated the little rabbit’s face toward his own chest, so the rabbit could only snuggle against him.
The overwhelming presence emanating from Elvis made Yun Yingzhi feel uneasy—and deeply embarrassed. Suddenly, Elvis shifted the little rabbit slightly in another direction, took a glass of juice from a nearby waiter’s tray, and brought it to Yun Yingzhi’s lips.
Yun Yingzhi blinked his large, black eyes and tentatively licked the juice that was sent to his lips.
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