Chapter 53
It wasn't until the winter break at Saint-Ya ended and school reopened that the gossip about Feng Ran gradually subsided. Feng Ran had only just finished screening the reaction data of the alien inhibitors a few days before the end of the semester and selected the five most destructive combinations. He was just one of the few things left to do with a live animal for the experiment. He had completely forgotten about the rumors and gossip outside. When he arrived at school, he was surprised to see so many people with bruises and swelling on their faces.
Xing Tong investigated and found out that it was all Basil who did the hitting.
Young Master Basil has always been like this; whatever he has in mind, he does it first and thinks about it later. There seems to be nothing in this world that makes him afraid or restrain himself.
Even though the rumors were dealt with and the people who spoke out of turn were punished, since the incident had already occurred, and Feng Ran had not appeared at all or offered any explanation, it was inevitable that some subtle differences in the atmosphere could still be felt.
Some hesitated to speak, some remained silent, and some merely watched from afar with eyes full of suspicion and inquiry.
This feeling was something she hadn't experienced in a long time, but it wasn't unbearable yet. In fact, the discrimination she faced at the military academy was even more severe, yet she was still able to focus on herself and persevere for a year. If she hadn't encountered that mess with Qiers, she might have even graduated.
Afu ignored the atmosphere around her and even moved a table to sit next to Feng Ran: "Why didn't you invite me when you went on your trip? We could have taken pictures in dresses on Nore Star! We could have ridden horses together on Alm Star! And stew tastes better with more people! You have no idea how bored I was at home during the holidays. I was so jealous when I saw the local specialties and postcards you sent me!"
Feng Ran took out some snacks he bought on a certain food planet and fed them to her: "I thought you would prefer to stay at home. And didn't you say you went to a lot of fan conventions? You even gave me a compilation book that you helped make."
Afu: "That's right! I worked so hard to make it, and you still refused!"
Feng Ran felt that all the doujinshi she painstakingly made would give her a headache if she saw them. She could just casually put the colors and materials through her brain and be done with it. If Shen Shiqian saw them, he would become even more scheming and difficult to deal with, which would be troublesome.
Feng Ran: "I don't have that much of a sense of ritual, and the physical presence of a paper copy is too strong, so it's hard to say. I've carefully downloaded and saved all the digital versions you sent me!"
Afu: "Hmph, that's more like it, but you have to call me next time you go out to play!"
It's quite obvious who will inherit the Feng family's legacy, but compared to Feng Linye, the other four surnames and five clans are more willing to give Feng Ran face, which is quite subtle. Choosing sides is usually a matter of following the crowd, but if Feng Ran wants to leave the Feng family now, then choosing a side again will have to be done carefully to avoid incurring resentment.
However, Feng Ran didn't care about these things. After all, she was always meticulous and open to all kinds of people with such superficial interpersonal relationships. There was no way that someone would become her lackey and rely on her to rise to prominence in the future. The Feng family might really fall in the future, but by then she would have already run away.
After finishing her morning classes, Luo Le messaged Feng Ran, asking her to go to Class S to find him.
It has almost become a school routine for S-class students to finish class half an hour later than regular classes. Their teachers always feel that they are not getting enough training and are afraid that they will be eliminated by students from other schools during the practical skills exam. So, the last class in the morning is at least 10 minutes late and at least half an hour late.
Since it was the first day of school, the teachers didn't schedule any heavy classes. After the physical training, we could go straight to lunch.
Feng Ran waited for a while at the exit on the first floor before Luo Le, the first person to come out, appeared. It seemed that he had gone to great lengths during the holidays, shaving off all his yellowish-brown eyebrows. Now, only a light layer of short downy hair had grown out, which was a bit unusual for him.
He was dressed in a ridiculous outfit when he invited Feng Ran to lunch in the cafeteria. His earnestness and frivolity made him seem out of place.
After ordering their food on the third floor of the cafeteria, Luo Le boasted to Feng Ran about his heroic deeds, "If Feng Linye hadn't pushed that Qin family kid to the front as a human shield and taken the opportunity to run away, I would have knocked out one of his teeth!"
Feng Ran: "Didn't we go a bit too far? Your dad will probably be very angry, won't he?"
After all, a holiday has passed and more than a dozen young masters from the Kenpaen family have been beaten up for no reason. Although they are not as prestigious as young master Sleica, it is still a troublesome matter to completely settle things. Even if Fernand does not lower his face, he will still have to offer material compensation.
Basil: "What's there to be afraid of? I paid someone to beat them up, I didn't do it myself. If they come to my door and have no evidence, I'll just deny it to the death. As for my dad? He has plenty of money, he can pay whoever he wants, I don't care."
"Ranran, how was your trip? I wish we could go somewhere outside of Qilia sometime."
Feng Ran: "Most of the time it's quite fun, but the interstellar flight takes too long, and it's easy to get tired on the way. Afu also said she wants to go out and play with me. If there's a chance, we can go together."
Basil curled her lip: "Why bother getting involved with that guy? The two of us are enough."
After all, his impression of Afu was limited to Olivia and the fact that she was Feng Ran's friend; he had no positive feelings about her. He was happily working on his research project at home during the holiday when she insisted on dragging him to the princess's birthday party to make up the numbers. And once they went, she actually left him aside and went off to flirt with that Bai family kid.
Of course, Basil didn't let her off the hook either. She called in her "personal bodyguard" to be the lucky one who would gossip before the box was randomly opened at the banquet. This kind of thing isn't a big deal if it gets out, but it was Afu who brought this living devil here after all. She could only try to suppress the situation at the banquet. So, she and Basil were inexplicably rumored to be a pair of bullies who prey on men and women.
Basil glanced around furtively, then operated the terminal, sending a command file to Feng Ran.
Command files usually contain permission authorizations. Feng Ran glanced at the attached storage value and judged that the permissions were probably quite high, so he solemnly asked him, "What is this?"
Basil: "Don't you need live alien specimens to experiment with inhibitors? This is the border patrol permission I managed to get from Joey. Although the number of planets we can patrol is limited, there's still a chance that new alien life forms will emerge if the new mineral planets haven't been fully mined yet."
It's hard to say whether the type produced is too weak and will be crushed by the mining team. However, inspection authority is far too valuable for Roller, who has no official position. Joey Bruce has not officially entered the council, and no matter how much he cares about old friendships, he would not grant him such authority. His family has always been opportunistic. It is hard to imagine how Roller persuaded Joey Bruce and convinced Speaker Klarov above him.
Feng Ran didn't accept it immediately: "This is too valuable, I can't accept it. Besides, I definitely won't go to the border to find alien creatures myself. If I entrust it to someone else and they turn out to be unreliable, it would be even worse if it implicates you."
Feng Ran doesn't need this kind of formal authorization at all. Not only would it leave a usage record, but she might also inadvertently follow Hilde and her group to raid her base. The simplest way for her to get people into the mining planet and hack into the team's access gates is to sneak in.
But I was still very touched by Basil's kindness.
Basil wasn't happy that she refused: "But don't you need this right now? Besides, I can't help you with the research you're doing right now, and it would be very frustrating for me if I couldn't do it well."
Feng Ran looked at him sincerely: "I don't want you to owe others favors because of me. You know how hard it is to repay favors in this industry. Although the experiment is very important to me, you are also very important to me. I have my own ways, so I can't accept this permission no matter what."
Basil looked a little dejected: "But this is the only thing I can do to help you. To be honest, I could only barely understand the data you showed me before, and it was even more difficult to process. Ranran, you are so amazing and smart. I feel like I'm being left behind by you and can't do anything. I'm very uneasy."
Although half of his unease stemmed from Shen Shiqian, who shamelessly abandoned his work to travel with Feng Ran, and whether he would actually get what he wanted from being so close to him was anyone's guess, he was extremely worried about Shen Shiqian's character and feared that he might force himself on Feng Ran.
No matter how smart Feng Ran is, how could she possibly outmaneuver him? She's physically weak, riddled with illnesses, and has a mild and patient temper. Even that idiot Feng Linye has managed to suppress her for so many years, so he has to come up with some solutions.
Feng Ran: "Aren't you setting your expectations too high? Aren't you the top student in Class S, determined to get into the Capital Military Academy? Why do you have to understand my pharmaceutical research data? Helping others should be done within one's ability, right? You're making it seem like I'm forcing you to do something unreasonable."
Luo Le remained silent. In truth, he was already somewhat regretting joining Class S. Not only did he spend all his time doing those tedious training exercises, which disrupted the activities of other classes, but if he were to actually pass the closed training management exam, wouldn't his chances of seeing Feng Ran be even fewer? Moreover, what if he was required to serve in the military after graduation, and Shen Shiqian became his superior, wouldn't he make things difficult for him?
Basil: "Okay, I won't force you if you don't want it. Our direct-entry class will be conducting internal selection next month. I plan to first get a guaranteed spot in the Capital Military Academy, and then go to Chengming Star's electronic technology design training camp."
Feng Ran was a beat slow to react, and for a moment felt a chill. "Why would you think of participating in the training camp?"
As a sacred place for academic exchange and a gathering center for prestigious universities, Chengming Star holds various training camps every year to help students participate in competitions. Both the training camp rankings and competition awards are highly prestigious, and students with outstanding competition results may be admitted to universities without taking the entrance examination.
Basil grinned and smiled brightly again: "Of course, it's so I can help you. You need to work hard to improve yourself. There are many PhDs and professors over there. You can research and improve the non-contact connector. Maybe if you succeed, you can officially launch it on the market."
Looking at his smile, Feng Ran felt a little worried. In her previous life, Luo Le had also gone to this training camp, but because of a little accident, she had to come back before the camp ended. After the camp ended, Luo Le planned to give up her guaranteed admission spot and instead prepare to take the medical school entrance exam.
But it's just a training camp. She won't marry into the Sleica family and nothing unexpected will happen. Feng Ran comforted herself. She and Shen Shiqian are already so entangled. It's impossible that only Luo Le is still trapped in the fate of her past life.
Basil took her hand: "Ranran, are you alright? You look a little pale, and your hands are cold. Have you been too tired lately? Why don't we find a place to rest this afternoon?"
Feng Ran couldn't suppress her anxiety and irritability no matter what she did, and her smile in response to Luo Le was particularly pale: "Maybe a little. I'll ask for leave to go home this afternoon. But do your best in the training camp, and remember to bring me some local specialties from Chengming Star."
Basil: "Of course! I'll only bring it for you! But there's an internal selection process before that, so you probably won't make it to the cultural festival. But I can still celebrate your birthday. Where do you want to have your birthday party?"
If they hold the ceremony at the Feng family's house, it would be very awkward since they hadn't given Feng Linye any face before. But if they hold it at Shen Shiqian's house, it would be tantamount to revealing their relationship, and you can imagine how sensational it would be. But they can't not hold it at all, otherwise people will gossip about how miserable Feng Ran's current situation is, which is really annoying.
Do you have any thoughts?
"Ha! How about we chip in and book the entire Yilin venue? We can invite whoever we want, and if we don't want to see anyone, we can have security throw them out!"
DoubleTree Inn is the most expensive hotel in Kempinski, bar none. It's also a landmark building with 392-meter twin towers. Without proof of assets and identity, they might even refuse entry to ordinary guests – their extravagance is outrageous. Even the wealthiest families rarely spend a fortune to book it, unless it's for a particularly significant event like a 100th birthday celebration. Otherwise, they can squander half their fortune in a single day, making it unbearable for anyone to come.
Being able to book the entire venue would instantly boost one's prestige. After all, if the doorman's tip is too low, people will gossip behind his back. If you only care about your own face, who cares about Feng Ran and the Feng family? After all, even the Feng family didn't dare to stand up for Feng Linye and book the entire venue.
Feng Ran smiled sweetly: "Okay."
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