Chapter 34: The End of the Guide Assessment on July 13
Pressing the inexplicably excited vine that kept rubbing against his wrist, Lin Yao was in the waiting area of the training hall, planning to wait for Chen Yan.
After he went to see Ye Heng, he did not look for Chen Yan again. Although he sent a message to Chen Yan to explain the situation, Lin Yao always felt that it would be safer to tell him in person.
Until the bell rang to signal the end of the assessment, the doors of the assessment area of the training hall were opened one after another.
The guides came out in twos and threes, and then Lin Yao saw Chen Yan rushing out of the examination room in a hurry, with a thin layer of sweat on his forehead and the ends of his hair soaked.
"Chen Yan!" Lin Yao waved his hand in a clear voice, indicating that he was here.
Chen Yan caught sight of him at a glance, his eyes lit up instantly, like a ignited spark, and he immediately pushed through the crowd and ran towards him.
His brown hair swayed up and down with his movements, creating a light breeze.
"It's really not easy to see you once!" Chen Yan ran to Lin Yao, bent over and supported his knees, breathing heavily, his chest heaving violently, and it took a while before he caught his breath.
Lin Yao handed him an unopened bottle of water, his eyes falling on his flushed cheeks, and asked softly, "How was it? How did you feel about this assessment? Are you confident you'll pass this year?"
Chen Yan unscrewed the bottle cap and drank half of it. The cold liquid slid down his throat. He wiped the water stains from the corners of his mouth and showed an exceptionally bright smile on his face.
"Don't mention it, I really tried my best in this assessment!" He scratched his head, a little embarrassed in his tone, "Although the process was quite strenuous, and my mental energy was almost exhausted by the end, but fortunately-"
He paused deliberately, raised his chin, his eyes gleaming with joy, and his voice suddenly rose a few notes: "Just barely passed!"
"As long as the upcoming training on the desolate planet can be completed smoothly, we won't have to suffer here again next year!" Chen Yan said, patting Lin Yao's shoulder excitedly. The force was not light, but it was full of uncontrollable joy.
"Then I'll be eligible to join the Legion!"
The light from the training hall fell on the ends of his sweaty hair, reflecting tiny golden rays. His eyes, which always seemed a little lively, were now filled with longing for the future.
He waved his fist vigorously, as if he had already seen the scene of himself successfully completing the mission on the desolate planet and successfully joining the army.
Lin Yao looked at his joyful expression, and the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously: "Then congratulations in advance."
"Congratulations!" Chen Yan smiled even more happily, and the two of them walked out of the training hall.
Chen Yan was still excitedly discussing what equipment to bring for the training on the desolate planet. As Lin Yao listened, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, why do you want to join the Legion?"
Lin Yao knew that most of the guides in the empire wanted to stay in the rear and try not to go to the front-line legions if possible. After all, the front line was too dangerous.
The smile on Chen Yan's face faded instantly, and his pace slowed down.
Lin Yao looked at his profile. The stable stone, a specialty of Jixuan Star, that Chen Yan had taken out before had a fine texture and stable energy. It was not something that an ordinary family could easily possess. It was enough to show that his family must have a foundation in the Northern Territory.
With such a family background, it stands to reason that they would not let a family guide go to the dangerous front-line army. Moreover, from Chen Yan's words, his brother loves him very much, which makes it even more impossible for Shen Yan to go to the front line.
After a moment of silence, Chen Yan raised his head. The excitement on his face was gone, replaced by a solemnity that was inconsistent with his age.
He looked at the road ahead and said word by word: "I want to contribute to the empire."
This sentence is simple, but it carries a heavy power.
Lin Yao looked at his tense jawline and the complex emotions that flashed across his eyes, and knew that there was a lot he hadn't said.
Maybe it is the family's expectation, maybe it is a personal obsession, or maybe it hides an unknown story.
But Chen Yan only said this and did not continue. He just took another step forward, as if deliberately avoiding this topic.
Lin Yao did not continue to ask, he knew that the topic ended here.
There was no conversation between the two for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became heavy. There was only the sound of footsteps on the ground and sporadic laughter coming from afar.
Before Lin Yao could talk about other topics, Chen Yan calmed down and regained his carefree attitude, teasing him:
"I said you were going to meet that 'friend', but why didn't you come back? I waited in the rest area for ages and thought you were kidnapped."
Lin Yao glanced at him helplessly: "We just chatted for a few minutes."
"How can you chat for so long?" Chen Yan winked and deliberately dragged out his tone, "I see, this friend is not very important to you..."
Before Chen Yan could utter the word "like", a cold voice suddenly interrupted him, interrupting him.
"It's so noisy!"
Chen Yue and her followers were standing not far from them without them knowing when.
She looked at them gloomily, the stinger moth spirit on her wrist flapped its wings impatiently, and purple scales floated in the air in tiny arcs.
Chen Yue's eyes swept over Chen Yan, like a knife tempered with ice: "A person who has only just brushed past the edge, do you think you are qualified to make such a fuss here?"
The smile on Chen Yan's face instantly evaporated, and his brows knitted tightly: "Who do you say is wrong?"
Although he barely passed the counseling assessment, no one could tolerate being humiliated in public like this.
"Isn't it?" Chen Yue sneered, the contempt in her tone undisguised. "You just passed the test, and you have the nerve to show off here? If I were you, I would have found a hole in the ground to crawl into."
"You!" Chen Yan was so angry that he was about to step forward to argue, but was pulled back by Lin Yao.
Lin Yao took a step forward, standing in front of Shen Yan. He looked at Chen Yue calmly, his voice not loud, but full of unquestionable power:
"If I were you, I would just leave after the exam with my tail between my legs, instead of waiting here to be embarrassed."
Lin Yao's words pierced Chen Yue's heart. Her face suddenly froze, she clutched her clothes tightly, and subconsciously turned around and wanted to leave.
As long as she slipped away now, she could always find an excuse to cheat, but Lin Yao obviously didn't intend to give her this opportunity.
"Wait!" Lin Yao's voice was very gentle, but that didn't mean there was no power in his words. "You don't really think you can get away now, do you?"
When Chen Yue heard this, he staggered and quickened his pace to escape.
Lin Yao sneered, and the Shasha sword slipped out from his sleeve, blocking Chen Yue and her followers directly.
The weak and slender ice-blue vines did nothing. They were only thirty centimeters away from Chen Yue and the others, but they still scared them back a big step.
This spirit body looks fragile, but who would forget that in the last assessment, it was this ice-blue vine that broke through the dead end pattern that had not been broken for a hundred years?
Chen Yue and his group felt a chill on the back of their necks just by looking at the ice-blue leaves.
Chen Yue could only turn around abruptly, his chest heaving violently, and asked in a shrill voice: "What on earth do you want to do?!"
Her voice was very loud, but the tail end was as shaky as a candle in the wind. Anyone with a discerning eye could tell that she was bluffing.
Lin Yao looked at her with a half-smile, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes, "Isn't it time to fulfill the bet you made with me even if you blocked me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the candidates who were originally just watching around immediately became excited.
Some people tiptoed forward, while others who had already walked far away turned back when they heard the noise, and soon formed a circle around the two people.
The news that Chen Yue had forced Lin Yao to make a bet had spread like wildfire, and everyone was waiting to see the result!
Everyone knew that Lin Yao won, but after the first test, no one saw Lin Yao looking for trouble with Chen Yue, so everyone thought the matter was over.
Who could have thought that Lin Yao would suddenly attack after all the practical assessments were completed!
"Oh my god, is Lin Yao serious about this?"
"Chen Yue was so cowardly just now, it's obvious that he wants to shirk his responsibility!"
"Serves her right! Wasn't she quite arrogant this morning when she was blocking people and making threats?"
The discussions came like a tide, and Chen Yue's face instantly turned the color of liver, then from red to blue, and twisted like a piece of crumpled waste paper.
She gritted her teeth: "How...how dare you!"
She, Chen Yue, was from the family of Lin Yao's second aunt. Relying on this relationship, she had always been cold and hostile to Lin Yao. She never thought that Lin Yao would dare to really ask her to fulfill the bet.
"Why not?" Lin Yao took a step forward, his tone calm but every word clear, "It's only natural to accept defeat."
Chen Yue was trembling all over, pointing at Lin Yao, but couldn't say a word.
Lin Yao's words hit the nail on the head and were well-reasoned; she had no way of refutating them.
The stinger moth spirit on the wrist flapped its wings anxiously, and purple scales fell all over the ground, but it didn't even have the courage to get close to the killer vines.
"You're being too aggressive!" A henchman suddenly jumped out, pointing at Lin Yao and shouting, "Ayue is a girl, do you really have to embarrass her in public? You're so ungentlemanly!"
Lin Yao has always been too lazy to talk to clowns, but if this grasshopper is too noisy.
Lin Yao didn't even glance at him, his eyes were always locked on Chen Yue's face, but his tone became three points colder: "If I lose, will she let me go?"
He paused, glancing at the flushed faces of his followers. "If it were me who was supposed to fulfill the bet today, would you be so hypocritical and polite as you are now? I'm afraid you would have blocked me and forced me to kneel down to fulfill my punishment! Huh?"
"In order not to affect her assessment, I deliberately waited until the very end to settle the accounts. If it were you, would you have such patience?"
Lin Yao's voice suddenly rose, hushing the surrounding discussions. "You're telling me about gentlemanly manners now? It's too late!"
The follower was speechless and hid back with his face flushed.
The candidates around him nodded:
"Lin Yao is right! The harsh words Chen Yue said this morning were much harsher than this!"
"Exactly. You wanted to make a bet, and after losing, you tried to cheat, and you still have the nerve to accuse others of being aggressive?"
"Hurry up and fulfill the bet! Stop embarrassing yourself here!"
Chen Yue listened to the discussions around her and felt that everyone's gazes were like needles piercing her, making her wish she could find a hole in the ground to crawl into.
She bit her lower lip tightly, tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Lin Yao looked at her tense profile and said in a calm tone that carried an irresistible command: "Repeat three times, saying you are a 'good-for-nothing who only knows how to talk big.'"
As soon as these words were spoken, Chen Yue's psychological defenses completely collapsed. Tears burst out of her eyes like beads with broken strings, rolled down her cheeks, and hit her clothes, leaving a small wet mark.
Seeing this scene, some of the onlookers felt soft-hearted and began to persuade them to reconcile in a low voice.
"Why not just forget it? She's already crying. It's okay."
"That's right, girls are thin-skinned, and it's embarrassing to do this in public."
"Lin Yao, stop while you're ahead. Don't take things too far."
But Lin Yao's voice followed, clear and cold: "Your tears now are the cheapest things. They won't help you fulfill the bet, and they won't move me either!"
He swept his eyes across the crowd, his gaze unwavering:
"When she forced me to make the bet, no one thought she was being excessive or spoke up for me! Why is she acting as a protector now? Is she trying to be lenient?"
Those people around who had just tried to mediate were left speechless by Lin Yao's words, and they also realized that when Chen Yue was aggressive, no one had spoken for Lin Yao.
Chen Yue had to swallow the bitter fruit she had created herself.
After saying that, Lin Yao looked back at Chen Yue, whose face was covered in tears, and his tone did not soften at all: "Now that you've cried enough, let's start!"
Chen Yue’s crying stopped, and she looked at Lin Yao with tearful eyes, her eyes full of resentment and despair.
She didn't expect Lin Yao to be so unkind and even disdain her tears.
Chen Yue knew she couldn't escape this day. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve. Her lips trembled as she finally spoke with difficulty under everyone's gaze: "I'm a useless person who only knows how to show off with my mouth..."
"I didn't hear you!" Chen Yan shouted from the side, "Louder!"
"I'm a loser who can only talk big!" Chen Yue closed her eyes tightly and almost shouted, with a strong cry in her voice, "I'm a loser who can only talk big! I'm a loser who can only talk big!"
After shouting, she could no longer bear the embarrassing scene, so she covered her face and turned around and ran. Her followers hurriedly chased after her and soon disappeared at the end of the road.
There was a burst of laughter all around, which then turned into discussions. Some said that Lin Yao was unkind, while others said it felt good to get slapped in the face.
Another thing is that if Chen Yue had known that scolding Chen Yan would have such a result, if time could go back to the past, would she have run away right after the exam?
Shasha returned to Lin Yao's wrist. He looked in the direction where Chen Yue disappeared, with no emotion in his eyes.
Chen Yan patted his shoulder and smiled brightly: "Well done! Thank you for helping me out. I have disliked her for a long time!"
Lin Yao nodded lightly and glanced at the crowd that was gradually dispersing around him.
Seeing that there was nothing exciting to see, the candidates who had been watching just now left in twos and threes, and the discussions faded away as the crowd dispersed.
The two walked out of the Guide Academy side by side, the setting sun stretching their shadows very long.
After walking out of the college gate, Chen Yan stopped and pointed to the left, "The hotel I booked is in that direction, which way are you going?"
Lin Yao paused and pointed to the right: "I'll go this way!"
Chen Yan nodded to show that he understood: "There is still some time before we go to the desolate planet for the assessment. Let's contact each other tomorrow and find a place to have fun."
"Okay." Lin Yao responded, "We'll contact you through the optical brain when the time comes."
"Okay, I'll be leaving first. See you tomorrow!" Chen Yan waved his hand and turned to the left.
-
Lin Yao watched his back disappear around the corner before he withdrew his gaze and walked to the right along the road.
At the right corner, a low-key black aircraft was parked on the side of the road, with the window lowered, revealing Ye Heng's well-defined profile.
"Get in the car." Ye Heng's voice came, and he opened the car door for Lin Yao.
Lin Yao opened the car door and got in. The aircraft took off smoothly and there was silence in the cabin. There was no longer the warmth between the two of them as there was in the lounge before, but instead a bit of stiffness.
Lin Yao felt that Ye Heng seemed a little angry, so he stretched out a leaf, sensed it, and confirmed his thoughts.
Lin Yao sighed in his heart. Before he called Chen Yue to ask her to apologize, Ye Heng had already arrived nearby, so Ye Heng heard the whole thing. When Chen Yue just said the first sentence, Lin Yao sensed the fluctuation of Ye Heng's mental power and left.
Lin Yao couldn't describe how he felt right now. He felt a little suffocated, but he felt he was not wrong.
I told myself countless times in my heart: He is just a marriage partner, why should I care so much about his opinion!
Can....
After a long while, Lin Yao looked at the clouds outside the window before speaking, with a hint of uncertainty in his tone:
"Do you think it's too much for me to force a girl to fulfill a bet?"
His self-suggestion was useless, he still wanted to know what Ye Heng thought.
Ye Heng turned his head and saw only a round back of the head, but he still stared at it and said seriously: "No."
These three words were like a stone thrown into the center of a lake, instantly causing ripples in Lin Yao's heart and igniting a little excitement.
He turned his head quickly and happened to meet those dark green eyes, which seemed to be filled with the deep night and hid emotions that he could not understand.
Ye Heng continued, "When facing the enemy, be neither humble nor arrogant, and argue with reason. This is not excessive; it is a way to protect yourself."
Lin Yao looked into Ye Heng's deep eyes, which contained no trace of blame, only frank recognition.
The anxiety in my heart calmed down instantly.
Lin Yao paused, but couldn't help asking, "So, were you... angry just now?"
Ye Heng looked at him deeply, without saying a word, but just snorted through his nose, then turned his head and looked at the operating table in front of him, with the lines on his profile tense.
Ye Mang, who was piloting the aircraft in the front row, couldn't help but speak cautiously, "Mr. Lin, the Marshal is not angry with you for forcing Miss Chen Yue."
Ye Heng glared at Ye Mang suddenly, his eyes seemed to say "you're talking too much".
Ye Mang shrank his neck, but still continued speaking:
"It's because during the first exam, Area 43, you knew how dangerous that place was, but you still plunged in, not taking your life seriously at all... The Marshal is worried about you."
Ye Heng originally didn't intend to talk about this matter in front of his subordinates, but now that Ye Mang has revealed it, he can only acquiesce.
He turned back and looked at Lin Yao, his tone still a little stiff: "Everyone knows the dangers of Area 43. Are you so sure you can escape unscathed?"
Lin Yao was stunned. He had never thought that Ye Heng was angry because of this.
Why did Ye Heng say that he had to tell her now after he finished the first exam? He thought that it was his behavior towards Chen Yue that made him feel inappropriate.
"Because I was worried about someone's next assessment, I waited until now to make a fuss!" Ye Heng's cold voice fluctuated slightly, with a hint of anger hidden in it.
Lin Yao suddenly felt that these words seemed familiar?
Faced with Ye Heng's concern, Lin Yao began to explain that he didn't think much about it at the time, he just wanted to complete the assessment and get the certificate.
"You can still sign up and take the exam again next year!" Ye Heng expressed his opinion after hearing his explanation.
"It's different!" Lin Yao answered immediately, then he looked at the white clouds outside the window again, repeating in a low voice, "It's different!"
The more Lin Yao spoke, the softer his voice became. When he got the 43rd area, he knew how dangerous it was and that it could even cost his life.
But he was reluctant to give up, and he couldn't give up, because this was the name the original owner had signed up for, and it was the original owner's obsession, and the only thing he could do was to help him complete it.
If we wait until next year, that will be him, not the original owner.
Ye Heng understood Lin Yao's words in a short while, and he was also familiar with Lin Yao's past.
Therefore, for Lin Yao, this assessment has never been a simple qualification certification, but a ceremony to put an end to his past self after being reborn.
Ye Heng looked at his thick hair, his Adam's apple rolling for a moment, before he slowly spoke, his tone filled with undisguised cherishment: "From now on... before doing anything, think more."
He paused, his eyes falling on Lin Yao's neck, which was as white as when they first met, rising and falling gently with his breathing, which made his heart flutter.
"Think more about the consequences, and also think..." Ye Heng's voice lowered, with a barely perceptible sigh, "Someone will worry."
Lin Yao's movements suddenly paused, and his heart seemed to be hit lightly by something, and missed a beat.
He looked at the clouds outside the window and didn't see Ye Heng's deep eyes looking at him. The emotions in them were too complicated, including worry, understanding, and heavy tenderness.
Lin Yao said softly: "I understand! Thank you!"
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