Arriving at the teacher's office, Lin Zixuan immediately sat down in his chair. The room was relatively quiet, as most of the teachers were either in class or in the cafeteria. He fixed Wei Yan and Ning Shuang with a sharp gaze, trying to rebuild his cracked wall of authority.
"On your first day, you're already showing off your affection? Holding hands in class, whispering... What's wrong with you?" Lin Zixuan slammed his palm on the desk, making several pens vibrate. "You're in the top class! Do you know you'll set a bad example for the other students?"
Wei Yan stood calmly, his face innocent but his eyes gleaming with intelligence. "What do you mean, ma'am? I'm studying hard here."
"Studying what?!" Lin Zixuan stood, his chest heaving with suppressed emotion. "I see you're not paying attention to the blackboard at all!"
"I'm studying economics and agriculture, Mrs. Lin," Wei Yan replied flatly.
Lin Zixuan frowned, confused by the incoherent answer. "Economics? Agriculture? Why did you mention that? Oh, it seems you want to change the subject so I don't punish you?"
"No, I'm just being blunt," Wei Yan took a step forward, causing Lin Zixuan to instinctively lean back in his chair. "In economics, there's something called long-term investment. Something we buy now to sell when it's bullish. And when it comes to agriculture..." Wei Yan paused, his voice dropping to a seductive baritone. "...You don't need to know that much, do you? Mrs.... Lin... Zi... Xuan?"
Lin Zixuan flinched. The way Wei Yan spelled his name sounded like a claim, not just a nickname. His mature face suddenly heated up. "Y-y-y-y-you... how dare you say that!"
Wei Yan shrugged casually, turning to Ning Shuang, who simply smiled meaningfully. "If that's all you want to talk about, it seems your emotional literacy is far below the standards of a top-tier class teacher. You're too easily distracted by small things, Ms. Lin."
"Y-y-y... get out!" Lin Zixuan finally gave up. Her usually sharp mind suddenly dulled when faced with Wei Yan's mentally demanding rhetoric. She felt exhausted, not from physical exertion, but from the assault of an invisible aura.
As Lin Zixuan rested her head on the table, gasping for breath, Wei Yan closed her eyes for a moment. Through the power of the Chaos Physique, he released a wave of subtle energy imperceptible to human senses. He isolated Lin Zixuan's path to destiny, cutting off any potential entanglements from other men—especially from the protagonist Ye Fan—while planting a seed of "fatal attraction" deep within the teacher's subconscious.
"Let's go, Shuang-er. Our teacher needs time to... reflect on her lesson," Wei Yan invited.
They exited the teacher's office in complete victory. Lin Zixuan could only stare at their backs with a mixture of hatred, confusion, and a sudden desire to see Wei Yan again.
"To the cafeteria?" Ning Shuang asked as they reached the corridor.
"Yes, my stomach needs energy before the next 'show' begins," Wei Yan replied.
As they walked toward the bustling cafeteria, Wei Yan glanced briefly through the reflection of the glass window. A sneer played on his lips.
"Four little fish are following us," he whispered to Ning Shuang.
Ning Shuang glanced out of the corner of her eye and saw Leng Yixue and the three other women holding destiny fragments walking at a safe distance behind them. They appeared to be feigning conversation, but their gazes betrayed their true colors.
"Let them be," Wei Yan said calmly. "Those fish are just looking for bait. And I am the ocean that will swallow them all."
----
The Yonghe National High School cafeteria during first break was a miniature representation of the real-world social hierarchy. However, today, that hierarchy crumbled as Wei Yan and Ning Shuang stepped inside. The noise of hundreds of students lining up for food suddenly died down, replaced by sharp whispers that spread like wildfire through dry straw.
"Look at that... the couple from class XI-A," whispered a female student, nudging her friend. "How can there be such a handsome guy in our school? He looks like a prince from a lost dynasty."
"But I heard they were just called into Mrs. Lin's office," a male student chimed in with a hint of envy. "It must be a disciplinary problem. Being good-looking isn't enough if you get expelled on the first day."
Wei Yan and Ning Shuang ignored the stares. They walked with a calm stride, exuding an air of authority that made the crowd of students in front of the food stalls involuntarily make way. After selecting a few simple side dishes, they sat down at a table in a somewhat open corner.
Ning Shuang took a spoonful of rice, chewed slowly, and then frowned slightly. "It tastes decent by school cafeteria standards, but... honestly, it's not very satisfying," she whispered to Wei Yan.
Wei Yan chuckled softly, still looking elegant despite only eating cafeteria food. "It's natural for your taste buds to feel a little underwhelmed, Shuang-er. The ingredients we cook in the pagoda world possess heavenly qualities of energy and freshness. Food in the outside world tastes bland because it lacks 'spirit'."
"Why worry?" Ning Shuang asked back, feigning innocence.
"This is a big deal! His academic career could be ruined!" Leng Yixue exclaimed.
"They should be the ones worried, not Wei Yan," Ning Shuang replied, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes narrowed mysteriously.
The four of them, confused, looked at each other. "What's going on? Does he have a background greater than the school owner?" Yan Ran asked curiously.
"You shouldn't know too much right now," Ning Shuang replied. She then looked at the four of them in turn, her gaze as if reading the purple fragments of destiny above their heads. "By the way... it seems like you four are very interested in my boyfriend?"
Thud!
The question hit them like a bolt from the blue. Leng Yixue, Tang Qing, Su Meiling, and Yan Ran gasped. They tried to look away, but Wei Yan's subtle aphrodisiac made their heartbeats betray them. Their faces flushed bright red, spreading down to their necks.
"W-what do you mean? We're just classmates..." Tang Qing stammered, trying to find an excuse.
"Don't misunderstand, we only care about Class XI-A's reputation," Su Meiling added, her voice trembling slightly.
Ning Shuang sighed resignedly, giving Wei Yan a look of "look what you've done." "It's indeed hard to keep him. He's too handsome and too magnetic. Wherever he goes, fish always want to jump into his net."
The atmosphere became awkward. The four women began to stammer out clarifications to avoid any embarrassing misunderstandings. However, before they could finish their sentence, Ning Shuang dropped a bombshell that stopped time in the cafeteria.
"Then... why don't you four just date him?"
Silence.
The four women's bodies stiffened instantly. Their eyes widened, their breaths caught in their throats. In a normal, real world, that question would be an insult or a hint of madness. However, under the influence of Wei Yan's aura, it sounded like an invitation to the sovereignty they subconsciously desired.
They slowly turned to Wei Yan. The Chaos Emperor had finished his meal. He wiped his lips with a tissue, then propped his face up in his hand, looking at the four of them with a knowing smile—a smile that held the promise of power and pleasure beyond human comprehension.
Wei Yan glanced at Ning Shuang with pride; his young wife truly knew how to expedite the process of gathering the fragments of destiny.
"Ning Shuang is right," Wei Yan said, his voice low and authoritative, cutting through any lingering doubts in their hearts. "I am no ordinary man, and I have no room for ordinary relationships. If you feel called by my presence... it is no coincidence."
Wei Yan rose from his chair, exerting a final mental pressure that made the four women feel as if the world around them had vanished, leaving only Wei Yan behind.
"I await your answers," Wei Yan continued. "Think carefully. Do you wish to remain spectators on the sidelines, or do you wish to become part of the destiny I am writing?"
Wei Yan turned and began walking away, followed by Ning Shuang, who gave the four of them a friendly wink.
Leng Yixue, Tang Qing, Su Meiling, and Yan Ran remained frozen in their seats. Shame, anticipation, and inexplicable excitement mingled together. They looked at each other, seeing the same blush on each other's faces, realizing that from this moment on, their lives at Yonghe National High School would never be the same again.
In the distance, in a dark corner of the cafeteria, Ye Fan—the protagonist of Rainbow Fragment—clenched his fists until they bled. He saw everything. He sensed that the four women who were supposed to be part of his "ascension" journey had now been captivated by a figure he hated.
"Wei Yan..." Ye Fan hissed. "You will pay for this."
But Wei Yan didn't look back. For a ruler, barking dogs on the side of the road would never stop him from ascending to the throne.
----
The final bell at Yonghe National High School signaled the end of the hustle and bustle of the tense first day. The previously crowded corridors slowly began to empty as students trickled towards the gates or dormitories. Wei Yan walked at a leisurely pace, escorting Ning Shuang and her two roommates, Xiao Rou and Mei Ling, along the lush path to the girls' dormitory area.
Wei Yan's presence among them still attracted the attention of passing students, but he appeared completely indifferent, focused solely on the small talk within his group.
"Wei Yan, Ning Shuang, since it's still afternoon, why don't we go for a bite to eat at the egg noodle shop near the dormitory intersection?" Xiao Rou suggested, her face full of anticipation. "They say the noodles there are the best in the district, and the portions are huge!"
Mei Ling nodded in agreement. "Yes, consider it a celebration because we made it through our first day in the honors class without fainting over your handsome boyfriend, Ning Shuang."
Wei Yan smiled faintly, a polite but firm shake of the head accompanying his response. "Sorry, Xiao Rou, Mei Ling. Looks like I'll have to skip the egg noodles this time. I have urgent business with my adoptive mother. She said she wants to discuss the planning for a development project in the resort area tonight."
Ning Shuang turned around, a flash of understanding in her eyes. She knew the "project" Wei Yan was referring to was much bigger than just a luxury resort. "Be careful while waiting for Aunt Yuantong," Ning Shuang whispered softly.
"It's okay, honey. You know how strong I am, right?" Wei Yan replied in a low, ambiguous tone, sending shivers down Ning Shuang's spine.
Ning Shuang's face immediately turned red, reaching up to her ears. She remembered how Wei Yan's "physical" strength had been at work last night at their residence. "Ugh, don't start in public!" she whispered, embarrassed.
"Then I'll go first," Wei Yan said. Ignoring Xiao Rou and Mei Ling's envious stares, he gently lifted Ning Shuang's chin and planted a warm kiss on her forehead. "Get some rest in the dorm."
"B-bye... Wei Yan," Ning Shuang muttered softly, waving a small goodbye, her face still flushed. She stood frozen for a moment, staring at Wei Yan's retreating back with steady steps, before being pulled away by Xiao Rou and Mei Ling, who were constantly teasing her about the forehead kiss.
----
Wei Yan continued walking, his hands tucked into the pockets of his uniform pants. His pace was relaxed, but every inch of his senses remained alert, mapping every vibration of energy in the school environment, now dimmed by the evening shadows. He didn't immediately head to the pickup point for Li Yuantong's Alphard. Something caught his attention—a fluctuation of fate that felt all too familiar, yet filled with the static vibration of misfortune.
He turned into a narrow alley flanked by the high walls of the old gymnasium and the school's equipment warehouse. There, behind a pile of discarded wooden chairs, a familiar sight reappeared.
There, he saw Lin Fan, again
The young man was in the same condition as before: slumped on the dusty ground. Three large, 12th-grade students surrounded him. One of them stepped on the back of Lin Fan's hand, while the others laughed and spat on Lin Fan's torn backpack.
"Look at this rat! How dare you end up in the top class of Class XI-A just because of a lucky scholarship," snarled one of the bullies, a member of the school's basketball team. "Remember your position, Lin Fan! In this school, trash is still trash, no matter how hard you try to climb up!"
Lin Fan didn't reply. His face was buried in the dust, but from the corner of Wei Yan's sharp eyes, he could see the young man's eyes glinting with the fading light of the Rainbow Fragment, yet still harboring a deep seed of resentment. He was gathering strength from this humiliation, a classic pattern of a protagonist "accumulating" emotions before the explosion of power.
"Poor cliché," Wei Yan muttered from behind the shadow of the wall. He shook his head slowly, bored with this repetitive scheme. "Humiliated, oppressed, then rising up with mysterious powers... this scenario is too bland for my sovereignty. Lin Fan, you truly are a boring anomaly if you just keep being fate's punching bag."
Wei Yan lost interest in intervening or even stomping on Lin Fan any further. To him, Lin Fan was now nothing but an insect going through its bitter cycle. He was about to turn to leave, but just as he shifted his position, a very dense, cold, and elegant energy frequency suddenly touched his sensory nerves.
This wasn't Lin Fan's unstable rainbow energy. This was something much darker, more mature, and exuding a beautiful aura of danger.
Wei Yan turned his head toward the main road across the school wall. In front of a luxurious art gallery, a woman had just exited.
The woman appeared to be around 24 years old. She wore a navy blue silk dress that hugged her body with a perfection that would leave any man breathless. Her face possessed a supreme level of beauty—at least a point or two beyond Lin Zixuan's. If Lin Zixuan was a seductive flame, this woman was the moon on a winter night: beautiful, haughty, and fragile all at once.
However, what made Wei Yan's pupils constrict and his sovereign's heart beat faster was the color of the fragment glowing above the woman's head.
Not purple, not gold, but a Black Destiny Fragment.
A color that symbolizes absolute misfortune, a destiny doomed to become a major antagonist destined for tragic destruction, or a figure who brings disaster to everyone around him.
"Black...?" Wei Yan thought, his eyes gleaming with an interest he'd never felt before. "How interesting. In Lin Fan's dull, rainbow-colored world, the presence of such a pure black destiny is a truly exotic anomaly. She's not just a beautiful woman; she's a walking disaster."
The woman walked toward the silver luxury sedan with graceful yet slightly hurried steps, as if she were being pursued by something invisible to the naked eye. There was an aura of profound sadness beneath her cold, stoic face, a striking contrast for someone with a Chaos Physique like Wei Yan.
In a fit of curiosity—the curiosity of an emperor toward a difficult puzzle—Wei Yan decided to change his plans for tonight. The resort project with Li Yuantong could wait a while.
He adopted a silent pace, blending into the shadows of the trees and the thin crowds on the afternoon sidewalk. With movements that left no trace, he began following the woman with the black destiny from a distance, maintaining his distance so as not to trigger her alertness.
"Let's see what secrets this black destiny hides," Wei Yan whispered into the gusting afternoon wind, leaving Lin Fan still struggling in the dust of the narrow alley. "Your destiny is far more worthy of my harvest than a mere protagonist thirsting for recognition."