SS - 19

Chapter 19 Ning Rongrong

Zhao Wuji moved his body but still felt something was off. Tang San stepped forward and offered, "Teacher Zhao, let me help you remove the Dragon Beard Needles."

Zhao Wuji nodded, and Tang San carefully used his Mysterious Jade Hand and Controlling Crane, Capturing Dragon technique to extract the needles from more than a dozen acupuncture points on Zhao Wuji's body.

At that moment, Su Xiao walked over with a sly smile. "Teacher Zhao, I guess this means we're all admitted?"

Though Zhao Wuji felt annoyed at Su Xiao's tone, he couldn't deny that Su Xiao had been the most impressive among the new students. With a muffled grunt, he nodded.

"Mm."

Everyone broke into smiles upon hearing the confirmation.

"Dai Mubai, Oscar, you two handle the arrangements for the new students. As for the poisoned weapons from Su Xiao and Tang San, make sure they clean up after themselves," Zhao Wuji ordered gruffly before walking away.

Tang San, most concerned about Xiao Wu, helped her settle into her new residence before attending to other matters. Meanwhile, Ning Rongrong and Zhu Zhuqing smoothly moved into their respective lodgings.

Su Xiao, on the other hand, found an open space within Shrek Academy before nightfall. He worked to construct a simple den for Xiao Bai and began planning to build a house for himself nearby.

Just as he finished, a soft, shy voice called out from outside Xiao Bai's nest. "Su Xiao..."

Su Xiao, leaning against Xiao Bai, stood up and saw Ning Rongrong approaching. She was dressed in a pristine white gown—clearly out of place for the environment where Su Xiao had been doing manual work.

"Did you need something?" Su Xiao asked casually.

Ning Rongrong clasped her hands behind her back, her head slightly lowered. She occasionally peeked at Su Xiao as she said, "Well... Tang San has been busy taking care of Xiao Wu, and I got bored. So, I decided to take a walk."

Su Xiao scratched the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward. 'Is she interested in me?' he thought. However, Su Xiao had no intention of interfering with the original pairing. Despite his twelve-year-old appearance, his actual age was closer to thirty due to his reincarnated soul. His preference leaned more toward mature women, with Zhu Zhuqing being the only one in Shrek's group who caught his attention.

"Is it called Xiao Bai?" Ning Rongrong asked, breaking his thoughts.

Su Xiao gestured to Xiao Bai, who lazily walked over.

"Yes, this is Xiao Bai," Su Xiao said, introducing them. "Xiao Bai, this is Ning Rongrong. She's my friend."

Xiao Bai, highly intelligent, made a friendly sound and extended his rhinoceros horn toward Ning Rongrong, inviting her to touch it.

"Can I?" Ning Rongrong looked at Su Xiao with hopeful eyes.

"Xiao Bai is very smart and has his own preferences," Su Xiao explained. "Only those he considers close can touch his horn. Go ahead."

Encouraged, Ning Rongrong stretched out her soft hand, gently touching Xiao Bai's horn and stroking his fur. She giggled as she felt the unexpected texture, which was nothing like what she had imagined.

"Do you always live with Xiao Bai?" Ning Rongrong asked curiously.

Su Xiao pointed to an empty patch of land nearby. "No, I used to have my house next to him. I'm planning to build a new one right there."

Just then, Xiao Bai nudged Ning Rongrong gently, signaling for her to enter his nest. She hesitated, eyeing the weeds on the ground, but Su Xiao reached out a hand to help her.

Startled but reassured, Ning Rongrong took Su Xiao's hand and allowed him to guide her into Xiao Bai's nest. The area where Xiao Bai rested was smooth and clean. Xiao Bai lay down lazily, and Su Xiao sat beside him, leaning against his warm side.

"Come, sit here," Su Xiao invited.

After a brief hesitation, Ning Rongrong sat down next to Su Xiao, imitating his posture by leaning against Xiao Bai.

As night fell, the two began chatting under the starlit sky. Their conversation gradually lulled them into drowsiness. Su Xiao vaguely heard Ning Rongrong murmuring as sleep overtook her.

"The stars are so beautiful tonight..."

"I wish I had a brother like Tang San to protect me..."

"Su Xiao, could you be my brother?"

"...Brother Su Xiao..."

When morning arrived, the first rays of sunlight illuminated the scene. Su Xiao woke up to find Ning Rongrong clinging to his arm. The morning air was chilly, and mist still lingered. Seeing Ning Rongrong curled up for warmth, Su Xiao removed his coat and gently draped it over her.

"Eh? What's a soul beast doing here? Could it be that the dean brought it for me to eat?" A sneaky voice interrupted from nearby.

Su Xiao looked up and spotted none other than Ma Hongjun, the academy's little troublemaker.

"Don't even think about it," Su Xiao said coldly, his tone firm.

Ma Hongjun grinned mischievously. "You think you can stop me? I'm already mad because someone ruined my date earlier. Now I see you getting cozy with her, and it's making me even angrier! Come on, let me teach you a lesson, junior!"

Su Xiao's expression darkened as Ma Hongjun advanced, clearly spoiling for a fight.