Chapter 28

The Imperial Military Academy hasn’t faced such a humiliating incident in many years; it’s said to have directly alarmed the neighboring president. On the other hand, at Silver Star, this is the first time in recent years that they’ve overshadowed their neighbors. The forum is buzzing with excitement, and the Academy’s president, Ming Jia, immediately tasked his subordinate, Meng Mingcheng, to deliver commendations.

Before Meng Mingcheng left, he gave a thumbs up to Yuan Hanshuang: “Junior, I knew I didn’t misjudge you!”

A brawl between the freshmen of the two major academies is a big deal; at the very least, the resulting punishments won’t be light.

The forums of both academies exploded due to this incident, and many alumni returned to the forums to watch the excitement.

Silver Star freshmen were punished by standing at the entrance of the Imperial Military Academy, and Imperial Military Academy freshmen were punished by standing at the entrance of Silver Star. The entire afternoon was spent with students from both schools coming and going, watching and commenting.

Unlike the embarrassed and indignant expressions of the military academy students, every Silver Star freshman stood tall and proud at the entrance of the opposing military academy. It looked like a row of roosters waiting for commendation. In the middle of it, they were caught by an instructor for not being serious, resulting in an additional hour of punishment.

They stood there until the stars were sparse, then they were subjected to another round of training by the instructor before being allowed to disband.

Bian Yu, furious to the point of half-death, personally led the students back from the entrance of Silver Star. Upon entering the Imperial Military Academy’s territory, he immediately began lecturing, “What’s the matter with you guys? On the first day of school, seniors warned you that private brawls within the two academies are prohibited. Once caught, first-time severe punishment, second-time deduction of credits, and third-time immediate expulsion. Did you all turn a deaf ear?”

While minor conflicts had occurred between the two schools before, most were either verbal disputes or resolved on the spot during joint public classes. This large-scale brawl was the first of its kind in recent years.

The military academy students were indignant, “It was Silver Star who started it!”

“Yeah, those Silver Star people are shameless. If they can’t win a fight, they resort to ganging up. We couldn’t use manifestations, and their seniors pinned us down and attacked. They easily resorted to despicable tactics, even their freshmen engaged in gang fights!”

“Don’t you feel aggrieved?” Bian Yu took a deep breath. “Regardless of the circumstances, you all lost today.”

“Regardless of how this incident happened today, no one will care. Everyone will only know that our Imperial Military Academy lost. It’s our academy’s face that we’ve lost, the empire’s military academy that, for these years, hasn’t lost a single public class. Today, all the hard work our predecessors put in has been ruined by these troublesome freshmen!”

The military academy students stood in rows, heads hanging low, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

“The Chairman already knows about this. Deal with it yourselves.”

As the chief of the close combat division, Bian Yu shouldn’t have been responsible for this matter. He rubbed his temples. “The third legion is in charge of this training session. Your actions determine the third legion’s impression of the Imperial Military Academy. Behave yourselves from now on, don’t stir up trouble.”

Unlike the Imperial Military Academy students who were scolded immediately after the punishment, the Silver Star students, on their way back to the academy after the punishment, received numerous warm greetings from senior students.

“Heard you guys took on those show-offs today? Well done, freshmen! Well done!”

“Never thought our academy, after so many years of grievances, would find vindication in you all.”

“Get rid of that bad mood, let it all out.”

“This batch of freshmen is finally not the worst. Seems like there’s some benefit to the school leaders being caught; their power knows no bounds!”

Silver Star has always been eager for excitement and wouldn’t mind a big fuss. They almost wanted to carry these freshmen back on stretchers.

The freshmen were extremely proud, wearing the colors on their faces as a badge of honor.

Leaving aside other matters, the atmosphere within Silver Star is indeed quite good, very united.

Yuan Hanshuang was thinking as she walked.

Just now, Xia Mengrou specifically came to find her. “Hey!”

“Well, the thing you gave me yesterday is indeed useful. After using it as a cushion, running isn’t as tiring.” The young lady looked everywhere but at her. “Anyway, thanks.”

It was evident that the young lady doesn’t usually express gratitude to others; otherwise, she wouldn’t stutter even when saying a simple thank you.

“As for the dinner, I won’t be going. I’ve sweated a lot today, feeling uncomfortable; I need to hurry back for a shower.” With that, Xia Mengrou blushed and left in a hurry.

The rest of the Silver Star freshmen marched toward a cafeteria.

The cafeteria, known as “One Cafeteria,” is the most expensive restaurant. It sells cooked food and rare-flavored nutrient solutions. Typically, only students with well-off family backgrounds or nobility come here. Students with limited living expenses generally don’t set foot in this place.

The little prince declared that he would treat, essentially reserving the entire venue.

When it comes to being a playboy in the empire, Xuan Yuansheng clearly knows what he’s doing. “It’s rare to have a celebration. Tonight, the entire bill at One Cafeteria is on this prince. Have a good time, everyone.”

Everyone clapped their hands, and a procession of waiters and waitresses in tailcoats and black-and-white lace maid dresses entered in an orderly fashion, forcefully transforming the normal cafeteria layout into a buffet style.

Champagne towers, fragrant roast chicken, mountains of candy, rich cream soup, a particularly appetizing tomato-braised egg, cheese layer cake, and nutrient solutions in rare and vibrant flavors not commonly found in the market.

“Wow, the royal family is really wealthy!” The financially strapped Wu Haoxuan admired with tears streaming down his face. “The entire dinner reservation must cost at least tens of thousands of star coins.”

“I reckon it’s more than that.” Ke Junda shook his head. “It’s hard to wrap up today without several hundred thousand star coins.”

Following their gaze, Wu Haoxuan saw the figure of the big shot exuding joy.

Wu Haoxuan choked up. “Th-that’s true.”

Yuan Hanshuang, known for her restrained appetite, was discreetly trying to gather information.

She usually didn’t fleece people unless someone willingly handed themselves over for her to fleece.

Much like now.

” Classmate Xuan, reserving the venue shouldn’t be cheap, right?”

“It’s fine.”

Xuan Yuansheng held a swaying glass of red wine. “This amount of money is not enough to buy a new Light Brain for me.”

Upon receiving this response, Yuan Hanshuang felt relieved.

Being a big spender isn’t called fleecing; it’s called boosting the empire’s GDP.

She confidently approached the nutrient solution counter, intending to fully indulge and eat to her heart’s content.

Wu Haoxuan and Ke Junda held their plates, exchanging a glance of helplessness at the fact that they couldn’t contribute much.

They belonged to the lower-income class, and it’s not often that someone treats them to a feast of cooked food, so they naturally had to make the most of it.

With Ke Junda’s stature, his appetite was naturally substantial. In contrast, Wu Haoxuan, who appeared small and fair-skinned, surprisingly had an appetite no less than that of his roommate. The lobster shells they peeled piled up on the table like a small mountain.

Midway through their meal, someone surreptitiously approached, holding a plate, and struck up a conversation.

“Oh, I see you two are both distinguished individuals, A-class talents among the students. How about we chat and get to know each other better?”

“You’ve got it wrong; I’m only B-class,” Ke Junda said, discarding a chicken bone. “And I remember you; you’re that useless senior who’s been trying to mooch off the big shot for ten years, still hasn’t graduated, hoping to gain some credits during the freshman military training.”

Xiao Hua revealed an awkward yet polite smile. “Haha, this student, your summarizing skills are quite impressive.”

Apparently, the senior, ten years their senior, who had enjoyed a decade’s worth of meals, had evolved into a slick character. His skin was thicker than city walls, and he completely ignored this harsh critique, remaining unabashed.