Chapter 30: The Day Student's Provocation

Leaving the dormitory building, the group followed Wang Sheng towards the cafeteria behind the dorms.

The Notting Academy cafeteria was massive, designed to accommodate all the teachers and students eating at the same time. Its maximum capacity was set at a thousand people. To separate the staff from the students, the cafeteria had two levels.

The first level was for most of the ordinary students, while the second level was reserved for the teachers and some wealthier nobles and merchants' children.

Don't ask why the second level, meant for the teachers, was also made available to the wealthy nobles' kids. After all, it's always about who can pay, right?

As they reached the front of the cafeteria, Lin Ye stood at the entrance, peering inside. The first thing that caught his eye was a bright and spacious hall.

The floor and walls of the hall were covered in grey-white marble tiles, giving the space a clean, bright, and orderly feel. Various decorative pieces and paintings adorned the walls, adding a pleasing aesthetic touch.

At that moment, the hall was bustling with people, with long lines forming throughout. At the end of each line was a counter, behind which stood a white-robed figure who busily scooped food into the trays of the students at the front.

"Lin Ye, see those windows over there? Those are where we get our food, but you have to line up," Wang Sheng explained as he pointed towards the serving windows.

"I got it," Lin Ye responded calmly with a slight nod.

In truth, he had already figured it out before Wang Sheng explained. A quick glance at the layout told him everything he needed to know.

Even though Lin Ye understood that the windows were for food, he wanted to check each one first to see what they were serving before deciding. Just as he was about to head over, a mocking voice suddenly rang out from above.

"Well, well! Isn't that Wang Sheng? What's this, you poor fools dare to eat in the cafeteria? Why don't you grab some buns, eat them with pickles, and crawl back to your dorms?"

Lin Ye looked up towards the source of the voice and saw that the cafeteria had a second floor.

At the railing of the second floor stood a group of well-dressed boys in fine clothes, sneering down at them.

"Hmph! You day students think having money makes you special?!" one of the boys from Dorm Seven shouted, unable to contain his anger.

"Why shouldn't we eat here? We can afford the first floor just fine!" another child added, his voice filled with frustration.

"Of course having money makes us special!" the noble boys on the second floor exchanged amused glances before bursting into laughter.

"You lot probably won't ever set foot on the second floor for the rest of your lives!" one of the day students jeered.

Despite the taunts, Lin Ye's expression remained calm, and Tang San didn't seem to care either. Wang Sheng and the others had clearly grown used to this treatment.

But Xiao Wu wasn't as composed. She clenched her small fists, her cheeks puffing up in anger. "Who says we can't eat on the second floor? It's just the second floor. What's so great about that?"

"Sister Xiao Wu, please don't say that. The second floor really is too expensive for us. They serve à la carte dishes up there. It costs too much money," a boy beside Xiao Wu whispered urgently, trying to calm her down.

"Expensive? How much money are we talking about?" Xiao Wu asked, stunned.

Though she was simple-minded in many ways, even she knew she didn't have any money. While Lin Ye had generously offered to cover her meals, Xiao Wu was still innocent enough not to deliberately choose something overly expensive.

Realizing that the second floor cost a lot, she froze, unsure of what to say next.

"Haha! I knew it! You're all broke!" The day students above laughed even harder, seeing her reaction.

"What a cute little girl, such a pity she's just a work-study student," one of the boys lamented, shaking his head in mock sympathy.

"You...!" Xiao Wu's face flushed with anger. Even though she didn't fully understand his comment, her instincts told her it wasn't a compliment, making her even more furious.

Just as Xiao Wu was about to explode, the boy next to her quickly tugged at her arm. "Sister Xiao Wu, let's just go. We really can't afford the second floor. It's not worth arguing with them!"

Wang Sheng sighed, adding, "Let's go eat. The second floor is just for à la carte dishes anyway. There's no need to get into a fight over something so trivial."

As Lin Ye watched the arrogant day students on the second floor, his brow furrowed slightly. He had been tempted to use these boys as an opportunity to establish his authority. However, he was still new to the academy and unfamiliar with the rules. Besides, they had only insulted them verbally, which wasn't enough reason to act. After some thought, Lin Ye decided to let it go, at least for now.

But just as he was about to turn and head to the food windows, a day student munching on a chicken leg suddenly noticed him.

Unlike most of the other work-study students, Lin Ye's appearance was striking. His natural beauty, enhanced by his innate constitution and cultivation of Nine Yang True Energy, made him stand out. His skin was fair, and his features were so delicate and refined that "eyebrows like painted silk, lips red as cherry blossoms" wouldn't be an exaggeration. Even his simple, worn linen clothes couldn't conceal his natural elegance.

Upon seeing Lin Ye, jealousy flared in the day student's heart. Damn it! I'm a noble, and even I'm not as handsome as him! You're just a work-study student. How dare you look better than me! Out of sheer spite, the boy threw the half-eaten chicken leg in his hand towards Lin Ye.

Hearing the whistle of the incoming object, Lin Ye's body instinctively reacted, dodging the flying chicken leg with ease.

Splat!

The greasy chicken leg missed its mark, hitting the ground with a loud, wet smack.

Although the sound wasn't particularly loud, it was enough to catch the attention of Tang San, Wang Sheng, and the others, who hadn't walked far.

In that brief moment, everyone turned to look. They saw the chicken leg at Lin Ye's feet and the day student on the second floor, still frozen in the act of throwing it.

Time seemed to freeze.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what had just happened.

"Well, now I have to make a move," Lin Ye thought, his mind made up in an instant.

Originally, he had planned to wait for the right moment to assert his dominance. But these day students had practically handed him the perfect opportunity.

Now that he had been publicly attacked, not retaliating would mean losing face as Dorm Seven's leader.

There was no turning back. He had to act.

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