Fu Jianzhi was silent for a moment, the rare smile on his face gradually disappeared, and he became serious. He looked at Ruan Chen and said, "You can keep this thought to yourself, but no matter what, don't bring it up again."
Ruan Chen remained silent, indicating that he understood.
She became lifeless again, leaning against the window frame, looking down at the wild grass growing at the base of the wall outside. She stretched out half her body, broke off a stalk, and pinched it bit by bit with her fingernails.
"She's perfectly fine, why are you pulling on her?" Fu Jianzhi pulled her hand back from the window. "Let me tell you the truth, your identity verification has been approved. I'm here to ask you if you'd like to stay in Crescent Bay?"
"If you don't want to, will you kill me?" Ruan Chen seemed a little numb, unsure of how much emotional turmoil she had suffered earlier. Even when she said "kill me," her tone was very calm.
Fu Jianzhi was startled and waved his hands repeatedly, "What are you talking about? We are a legitimate international organization. If you don't want to stay, someone will erase your memories of Crescent Bay and send you back to the secular world."
Ruan Chen said "Oh," and then asked, "Could you also erase my memories from the previous twenty-odd years?"
She said this without much emotional fluctuation.
Fu Jianzhi frowned.
He guessed that Ruan Chen must have experienced a major change, but he didn't expect that she would hate her previous twenty-odd years of life.
He didn't press Ruan Chen about what had happened to her, but instead asked, "So you're not planning to stay?"
If she wants to leave, I can arrange for the Fu family to protect her.
Since I picked them up myself, they're still my people even if I release them.
"I'll stay," Ruan Chen said softly, then walked to the table, opened the mirror, and tilted her head slightly to comb her long hair.
Fu Jianzhi looked at her back and thought to himself, "It's really strange. When I picked up Ruan Chen at the entrance of Crescent Bay, I felt uncomfortable even through our clothes because her bones were so hard. But it seems like all the nutrients in her body went into her hair, making it black and shiny."
Since Ruan Chen chose to stay, Fu Jianzhi's attitude towards her changed, becoming serious. "Ruan Chen, since you've chosen to stay, you're a new student in this year's class at Crescent Bay. There are some things I need to explain to you."
Ruan Chen didn't know whether she heard it or not.
"You're truly remarkable for finding this place on your own; you could even be described as exceptionally outstanding."
“But you are already twenty-six years old this year. You have missed the best age for training—not only in terms of mental strength, but also in terms of your character. You may not be as good as many students who are younger than you.”
"The first round of training at Crescent Bay is a trial. I won't lie to you, people die there every year. I came here four years ago. Of the 103 people in my batch, seven died, 13 were crippled, and 62 were eliminated. Only if you survive the first round will you have a brighter future."
"But if you can overcome this, your future... is something I can't even imagine."
"It's not too late to back out now. Are you sure you want to stay?"
Fu Jianzhi wanted to tease her, "You're so beautiful, it would be such a pity to die here or be disfigured. If you regret it now, I'll arrange for you to go back. Even in the secular world, my power can protect you from being bullied."
As he spoke his last words, he seemed to remember something, and he enunciated each word heavily, "Sister...Sister."
He called her that when he first picked Ruan Chen up.
Ruan Chen ignored his wicked sense of humor, combed her hair, and looked at Fu Jianzhi through the reflection in the mirror, "Then can you kill them all?"
Fu Jianzhi shrugged, gritting his teeth, "Little Miss, didn't we agree not to mention it again?"
Ruan Chen stubbornly asked again, "Is it possible?"
Fu Jianzhi: "...Fine, I lose to you. No way."
Ruan Chen wasn't disappointed and said, "So you're not that capable after all. I'll handle it myself if I have the chance later."
She signed the documents Fu Jianzhi handed her, then walked barefoot to the bedside, lay down, and covered her head to sleep.
She was woken up early the next morning. The people who came were wearing Crescent Bay uniforms. Ruan Chen didn't quite understand the hierarchy here, so she just let them take her to complete various procedures and change clothes.
Next, the rules were read aloud in an open space.
Ruan Chen looked around at the people around her. According to Fu Jianzhi, these were all new students in this cohort.
Everyone was wearing the same yellow coat, with name tags on their arms that included a number and some basic personal information.
Ruan Chen struggled to look at the nameplate, only able to make out that she was number thirteen; she couldn't make out any of the other miscellaneous information.
“That’s your blood type, allergies, and stuff,” a voluptuous woman walked up to Ruan Chen, chewing gum, and casually hooked her arm around Ruan Chen’s shoulder. “It’s for emergency use. How come you don’t even know that? How did you pass the screening?”
Ruan Chen glanced at her; this beautiful woman's nameplate read number twenty-eight. She didn't say anything, but instead tugged at her sleeve to look.
"Mute?" The woman frowned. "Number Thirteen, right? You'll come with me when the trial begins. You're very pretty; you'll probably be their target from the start."
The woman reached out and gently but firmly turned Ruan Chen's face towards the group of people standing not far away. "See them? They're already discussing how to hunt. They'll be very ruthless in order to pass the first round of trials."
Ruan Chen remained silent. She didn't know what to say. She was completely unfamiliar with the rules here and was afraid that saying too much would only lead to more mistakes.
"I'm number twenty-eight, my name is Yan Qian. After we get out... never mind, let's talk about it when you're alive to get out, you little mute." Yan Qian took out a small mirror from her pocket, then took out a lipstick and carefully touched up her makeup.
She had a head of fiery red waves and painted her lips a bright red, making her very eye-catching and alluring.
Although Ruan Chen was also beautiful, compared to this Yan Qian, she suddenly appeared delicate and clean-cut.
The instructor in charge of the first round of trials came over with a booklet and began to read out the rules.
"Welcome to the Crescent Bay Training Base. Before the formal training begins, you will need to undergo a trial."
"The white building behind you is the venue for your first round of trials. There are a total of 76 people participating in this trial, which will last for three months."
"Three months later, only those who can stand up and walk out of that building will be qualified to become formal students of Crescent Bay."
"This trial has no rules and no restrictions. The base will provide supplies once a week. All means are allowed for survival."
"Good luck to you."
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