Douluo Continent: The Purple Dragon's Roar, the End of the Dark Abyss

Xiao Xiao shook her head, her ponytail drawing a stubborn arc in the air, as if trying to shake off the emptiness in her heart.

She looked up at the end of the corridor, where Ye Linyi was no longer there, only empty sunlight remained.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, but her heart was racing uncontrollably.

She recalled Ye Linyi's smug smile, the way he deliberately slowed his pace and turned around, and the way her heart raced when she secretly glanced at his back... These moments flooded her mind like a tide, making her almost forget her "sane" state just now.

"No way!" She suddenly stomped her foot, her voice filled with a defiant determination. "I won't let him manipulate me!"

But after she finished speaking, she couldn't help but steal a glance in the direction of the classroom, and that empty feeling in her heart seemed to quietly return.

As soon as Ye Linyi stepped into the classroom of Class 1, he was surrounded by a group of girls. Their eyes were filled with curiosity and anticipation, and they chattered around him like a flock of sparrows.

"Um... Ye Linyi, can I treat you to lunch this afternoon?" A girl with pigtails asked softly, blushing.

She kept her head down, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes incessantly, her voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.

Ye Linyi paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head: "No, I have an appointment."

"Okay," the girl with pigtails said dejectedly, then lowered her head and returned to her seat.

Just as Ye Linyi finished answering a girl's question, a short-haired girl next to him skipped over like a little deer, her eyes sparkling as she stared at him: "Ye Linyi, do you have a girlfriend?"

Ye Linyi raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, and deliberately dragged out his words: "Yes."

The short-haired girl's smile froze instantly, her face turning ashen like a wilted eggplant. She muttered softly, "Who...who is it?"

The girls surrounding him were stunned for a moment, then, like punctured balloons, they all dejectedly returned to their seats.

Only the short-haired girl remained around Ye Linyi, trying to find out who his girlfriend was.

Ye Linyi raised an eyebrow, a smile playing on his lips. Just as he was about to make up a random excuse, the classroom door was suddenly pushed open.

Xiao Xiao walked in, her green hair in pigtails gleaming in the sunlight, like a kitten whose fur had just been ruffled but quickly returned to calm. She looked up and glanced around, her gaze landing on Ye Linyi and the short-haired girl.

Ye Linyi's eyes lit up, like a fox that had discovered a treasure. He deliberately raised his voice, with a hint of boasting, "Xiao Xiao is my girlfriend!"

Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment, then her face flushed red, like a ripe apple. She widened her eyes and stomped her foot angrily: "Who, who is your girlfriend! You are my girlfriend!" After saying that, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The short-haired girl was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized, and muttered to herself, "Oh, it's her..."

Looking at Xiao Xiao's shy yet adorable appearance, and then at Ye Linyi's smug expression, she suddenly felt a strange sense of loss.

Ye Linyi looked at Xiao Xiao, his eyes full of laughter. He deliberately leaned closer, his voice tinged with mockery, and said, "Xiao Xiao, look, everyone knows now, and you still won't admit it?"

Ye Linyi reached out and gently pinched Xiao Xiao's cheek. "However, I like the way you admit it."

Xiao Xiao's face flushed even more. She tried to pull her hand back, but Ye Linyi grabbed her wrist again. Her eyes widened, and she whispered, "You...you let go of me!"

Ye Linyi let go of his hand and obediently walked towards "Wang's" seat—the right side of the classroom by the window, where sunlight streamed through the glass and shone on him, as if he were gilded.

After Xiao Xiao finished speaking, Ye Linyi let go of her hand. She couldn't help but steal a glance at Ye Linyi, and the empty feeling in her heart seemed to have quietly returned.

Seeing that Xiao Xiao was still standing there motionless, like a kitten frozen in place, Ye Linyi patted his forehead and waved to her helplessly, "Come here, come here."

Xiao Xiao blinked in confusion, then slowly walked to Ye Linyi's side and whispered, "What?"

Ye Linyi's lips curled into a sly smile. He patted the seat to his right and said in a teasing tone, "Sit."

Xiao Xiao waved her hand, her face slightly flushed, and said softly, "I have a seat, so I won't sit here."

Ye Linyi raised an eyebrow, deliberately drawing out his words with a hint of displeasure in his voice: "You're my girlfriend, if you're not sitting next to me, where are you going to sit? Are you... going to sit on my lap?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xiao's face flushed red, like a ripe apple. A blush also crept onto her fair neck, and steam seemed to rise from the top of her head. She muttered softly, "I...sit."

After saying that, she quickly lowered her head, her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes incessantly, but her heart felt as sweet as if she had eaten honey.

Seeing Xiao Xiao's expression, Ye Linyi smiled helplessly and said, "Why are you still standing? Sit down!"

Xiao Xiao gave a soft "oh" and sat down next to Ye Linyi.

Looking at Xiao Xiao's shy appearance, Ye Linyi felt that Xiao Xiao was not as lively as he had described in the novel.

Xiao Xiao: So, why don't you take a look for yourself? How can you be lively when your crush keeps teasing you?

Before long, the students from Class 1 of the freshmen arrived one after another, with Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong being the last to arrive.

Ye Linyi was carefully examining the SSR fragment of Wang Dong—Wang was slender and had a refined and scholarly appearance. He wore a blue uniform, had short blue hair, and exuded a spirited and handsome demeanor.

Ye Linyi exclaimed, "No wonder she's the daughter of the God King; she's so handsome even when dressed as a man."

Wang Dong, on the other hand, was also sizing up Ye Linyi, the 12-year-old Soul Master. He was very handsome and powerful, and there was nothing wrong with him. But she just couldn't accept Ye Linyi. She firmly believed that if she worked hard to cultivate, she could also reach the level of Soul Master at the age of 12.

After looking each other over, Wang Dong and Huo Yuhao looked away and returned to their original seats.

Ye Linyi shifted his gaze from Wang Dong to Xiao Xiao, who was standing to the side in a daze.

Xiao Xiao was resting her chin on her hand, staring out the window like a lost kitten, and didn't even respond when Ye Linyi called her.

Ye Linyi tapped the table lightly, his voice tinged with a hint of teasing: "Xiao Xiao."

Xiao Xiao snapped out of her daze, rubbed her eyes, and looked at Ye Linyi with a puzzled expression: "What's wrong?" Her voice was soft, like a little rabbit that had just woken up.

Ye Linyi raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile playing on his lips: "What's the new teacher's name? Don't tell me you don't even know that."

Xiao Xiao blushed slightly upon hearing this, and muttered softly, "Who doesn't know! It's Teacher Yuxi."

After Xiao Xiao finished speaking, she secretly glanced at Ye Linyi and found that he was staring at her. She quickly lowered her head and kept twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers.

Looking at her shy yet adorable appearance, Ye Linyi suddenly felt a strange sensation welling up inside him.

...............