Chapter 47: Meeting again

After watching Lu Xueqi leave, Grey, not feeling the least bit sleepy, decided to take a stroll around the garden.The cool night air and the serenity of the moonlit scenery helped clear his mind.Eventually, he found a comfortable spot in a tree, where he settled in, gazing at the moon while he focused on his system.He was so close to reaching the Golden Core stage that anticipation was starting to wear on him.He knew he had to find a suitable place for the breakthrough, away from the group, to avoid any disturbances.Just as he started mentally planning his escape from the group, Grey felt a surge of Qi directed at him.Snapping out of his daydream, he instinctively leaped down from the tree, landing with a flourish that, in his mind, was way cooler than necessary.Scanning the area, his eyes landed on Bi Yao, standing a few feet away, surrounded by an ominous swirl of angry green Qi."Well, this is gonna be fun," Grey muttered to himself, already piecing together why Bi Yao was upset.Their earlier encounter, where he had casually tossed her back into her seat with his Qi, probably hadn't earned him any friendship points.But hey, she wasn't going to kill him over it… right?"Hey, why are you attacking an innocent bystander?" Grey asked, yawning as if he'd been rudely pulled out of the most comfortable nap of his life.Honestly, he'd rather be fighting a monster right now than dealing with an angry girl surrounded by a storm of green Qi.Monsters were easier to predict—and they didn't hold grudges over being treated like a "sack of rice."Bi Yao's glare alone could have set the entire garden ablaze—and maybe knocked a chunk out of the moon for good measure.Her Qi flared even brighter as she stomped toward him, each step more dramatic than the last, the very ground looking like it might combust under her fury."Innocent? You humiliated me in front of everyone!" she snapped, her voice so sharp it could probably cut through a mountain—and Grey's last nerve.Still not quite processing the level of danger he was in, Grey stretched lazily, like a cat that had just discovered the coziest sunbeam."Come on, I just made sure you didn't cause any trouble. You're not still mad about that, are you?"His voice was way too casual for someone who was moments away from potentially becoming a barbecue.Her Qi crackled violently, as if the storm itself had taken offense to his yawn. "You lifted me like—like a sack of rice!"she practically screamed, her fury so intense it looked like she was ready to hurl the entire storm, the garden, and everything at him.Grey couldn't help it—he snorted, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "Okay, that might be a little offensive," he admitted. "But, to be fair, I wasn't exactly thinking about rice at the time."She glared daggers at him, her annoyance growing by the second.Grey, with his usual talent for digging his own grave, just blinked back at her as if genuinely confused why she was so upset."All I did was stop you from starting a fight," he said, his voice edging on a tone too reasonable for the moment. "You know, not a big deal?""Not a big deal?!" she echoed, her disblief heavy enough to drop a mountain. "You just tossed me aside like I didn't matter!"Grey sighed, long and deep, like a man facing the endless mysteries of the universe."I didn't mean to embarrass you," he said, finally softening his tone. "Honestly. I just didn't want things to get messy. But if I hurt your pride, I'm sorry."The apology caught Bi Yao off guard.Her Qi flickered like a candle in the wind, and Grey could almost hear the gears in her head grinding to a halt. She hadn't expected him to just... apologize.It completely derailed the dramatic revenge she'd planned in her head. Now, continuing her wrath would just make her look petty—and she was not about to let that happen.Her Qi slowly began to subside, but her face remained cold, lips pressed into a thin line.She came ready for battle, but somehow, Grey had turned it into a... negotiation? This was not going the way she had imagined.Grey flashed a lopsided grin, one that practically said, We're cool now, right? "How about we call it even? No hard feelings?"Bi Yao gave him a long, hard look, clearly debating whether to zap him just for fun, but after what felt like an eternity, she huffed dramatically."Fine. But don't think I'll forget this," she muttered, flipping her robe with a flourish that would've made a theater actor jealous.As she walked away, she paused, glancing back at him with narrowed eyes. "And your name?"Grey, smiling like he had just aced a pop quiz he didn't study for, replied, "Well, it's Greyson, but just call me Grey.""Hmph, bastard Grey," she muttered under her breath, though there was a tiny spark of amusement somewhere under the layers of frustration, and with one final huff, she disappeared into the shadows.Grey chuckled to himself as he watched her leave."Women are so hard to understand," he mumbled. "One minute they smile, the next they cry, and then—" He waved vaguely in the air, "—they're ready to roast you with their Qi."As he stood alone in the quiet garden, Grey couldn't help but rethink his life plans. "Maybe I should give up on my harem plan," he sighed, a hint of defeat sneaking into his voice.His grand vision of effortlessly winning over multiple women was quickly unraveling, and honestly, it was crumbling faster than he could patch it up.With a heavy sigh, Grey slouched against a tree, running his hands through his hair in frustration."Seriously, one girl's mad because I called her stupid—although, let's be honest, she kind of is—and the other one... well, she didn't kill me, so I guess that's a win?"He glanced up at the moon, as if it held all the answers to his rapidly imploding life plan. "Nope. Still confused," he muttered, rubbing his temples. The moon offered no sage advice. Typical.After a moment of reflection, a grin tugged at his lips."But nah, I'm in too deep now. Let's see where this goes." He had to admit, there was a certain thrill in the chaos—even if it felt like he was a participant in his own funeral half the time.With that, Grey made up his mind. If his harem dreams were going to burn down in flames, he was at least going to roast some marshmallows while watching them go up in smoke.