Being forced to grow like a pig? But I'm immune to the consequences!

"Baby, when are we going out for some alone time?" He whispered in Ning Yi's ear, his tone suggestive.

"What are you thinking about?" Ning Yi playfully nudged him. "We've only known each other for a short time!"

"Honey, is time an issue?" Ellis deliberately put on a stern face, her tone tinged with displeasure. "Have I never held any place in your heart?"

"Oh dear—" Ning Yi drawled out, her voice sweet and coquettish, "It's just that I wasn't ready yet..."

"When will it be ready?" Ellis's tone was no longer as considerate as before, but rather more urging.

On the surface, he presents himself as a seemingly perfect young nobleman, but in reality, he's more pragmatic than anyone else. Ning Yi may be beautiful, but what use is she if she can't satisfy his needs in certain areas? She's not even worth a vase.

Ning Yi keenly noticed the change in his tone.

She felt a chill run down her spine.

If it were Xu Fei and his gang, they would never treat her like this. Those guys all coveted her, but dared not show it. They could only fawn over her like dogs, coming and going at her beck and call.

But Ellis is clearly different.

However, it is precisely because they are different that it shows the difference between Iris and those guys like Xu Fei, isn't it?

However, she must find the right balance.

As a woman, Ning Yi has always had a keen eye for people, or rather, she has her own set of standards for judgment. In her opinion, Xu Fei and his friends, while decent, are just average, and their future achievements are unlikely to be very high. Therefore, Ning Yi never intended to have a deep relationship with Xu Fei and his friends. If she were to find someone, she would find a man who could truly elevate her to a higher social status.

So Ning Yi adopted a shy and coquettish demeanor, nestling herself against Iris's chest and gently tapping his chest with her slender fingers. The tickling motion, like a kitten's paws, made Iris's heart itch.

"If you can also rank in the top four in the next assessment—" She raised her head, her eyes sparkling, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated, "then I'll give you a reward."

She didn't specify what the reward was, but just winked meaningfully.

Even so, it was enough to make Ellis very happy.

He wrapped his arm around Ning Yi's waist, leaned close to her ear, and breathed hot air onto her earlobe: "Alright, baby, you have to keep your word."

As he spoke, his hand slid down subtly and gave Ning Yi's pert buttocks a firm squeeze.

That posture was quite different from his usual demeanor.

Ning Yi's body trembled slightly, but she did not dodge. Instead, she buried her head in his chest, a faint smile playing on her lips.

For a time, the two were each harboring their own thoughts and seeking what they needed.

Xu Fei and the others witnessed all of this.

They were anxious, but powerless to stop it, and could only watch helplessly as Ning Yi drifted further and further away from them. It was as if an invisible wall had separated them, and their relationship could never return to what it once was.

"I never realized Ning Yi was such a flirt," Zhou Wei muttered behind her back. He no longer even called her "Brother Yi."

"Exactly, how could she be such a piece of trash?" Xu Fei echoed, looking displeased.

"You can know a person's face but not their heart," Shen Zitong sighed.

They would never have said such a thing before.

But now—a woman they can't have, so all they can do is slander her.

To portray the other person as unworthy, so that it's not that you're unworthy, but that the other person isn't.

However, slander should be tailored to the person offering it. It can be done openly or covertly.

Now that Ning Yi has latched onto Iris, they dare not say anything openly, only muttering a few words behind her back to vent their frustrations.

Hearing what Xu Fei and the other two said, a sneer flashed across Liu Zhi's round face.

He didn't dare say anything—after all, Xu Fei and his group weren't exactly easy to mess with.

If it were Yan Liang, Liu Zhi would definitely jump out and righteously declare, "What business is it of yours what other people do? You're just sour grapes!"

But Xu Fei and the others were not Yan Liang after all.

However, he did not agree with Xu Fei and the other two.

In the past, he would definitely have agreed. But now, he felt that Xu Fei and his ilk were no longer of much value. Or rather, associating with them would no longer allow him to gain a higher status on the training field.

Therefore, he has no need to share their hatred of the enemy.

For people like them, social circles are something they can change at any time.

No matter how well you get along in a certain circle, or how much you call each other brothers on the surface—once there's no longer any mutual benefit, you can break up at any time, and it doesn't matter if you turn against each other.

This was already clearly demonstrated a few days ago when Xu Fei and Ning Yi went out to eat without them.

Liu Zhi's gaze passed over Xu Fei and landed on the circle of Iris and Liu Zhen, and he began to make new plans.

……

Xu Fei hadn't forgotten one thing these past few days—to go find his brother and tell him about Wu Sheng's situation.

……

Xu Fei hadn't forgotten one thing these past few days—to go find his brother and tell him about Wu Sheng's situation.

That day, he left the martial arts academy and arrived at a rather magnificent manor.

The manor was built in a magnificent style. Through the fence, one could see that the buildings inside had oval golden domes, which had a religious feel to them and were very impressive.

There were guards standing watch at the entrance.

Xu Fei walked up to the guard, whispered a few words to him, and then waited outside.

A short while later, Xu Wenbo came out of the manor.

He wore a loose white robe, of good quality, but the style resembled a servant's uniform, not at all fancy.

"What is it?" Xu Wenbo asked, getting straight to the point.

"Brother, that Wu Sheng..." Xu Fei recounted Wu Sheng's performance on the training field, emphasizing that he achieved a top-four ranking in the first assessment.

Xu Wenbo frowned involuntarily.

He never expected that someone who could have been easily dealt with would have developed so well at the martial arts academy in just a few days.

Didn't he already pay someone to teach that kid a lesson?

"Okay, I understand." Xu Wenbo pondered for a moment, "If I'm not mistaken, that kid surnamed Wu probably took too many potential-enhancing drugs to achieve such results."

In his view, Wu Sheng, someone who climbed in from the outer city, even if he had some talent, couldn't possibly have progressed so quickly. The only explanation was that he had overdosed on potential-enhancing drugs.

As for martial arts—Xu Fei also said that he only made it into the top four in the third round because of good luck.

Even so, Xu Wenbo still felt a sense of unease. No one wants to watch their enemy grow stronger step by step.

"How have you been lately?" Xu Wenbo asked again about Xu Fei's cultivation progress.

"Not bad, almost breaking through to the fifth level of Body Tempering," Xu Fei replied.

"That's good." Xu Wenbo nodded. "Work hard during this time and try to get good results by the end of the training period. Then I'll put in some effort to get you a good job in the inner city."