Chapter 145: First Meeting—My Name is Zhang Lexuan!

The date of the Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Tournament was fast approaching, and the event would soon begin in earnest.

As a result, Shrek Academy was currently operating with remarkable efficiency.

Under Mu En's directive, Lin Huiqun had already selected the six 100,000-year spirit bones for the exchange that very night and handed them over to Zhang Lexuan.

Yes, the person who would ultimately trade with Lin Yun was still Zhang Lexuan—but this time, it was at her request.

No one, not even Mu En, had discerned Lexuan's true intentions or realized that she had resolved to offer herself as part of the bargain to secure Lin Yun's allegiance.

The day after the Sea God Pavilion meeting, under her new authority as vice-dean, Lexuan summoned Lin Yun to her office.

Why the urgency?

Naturally, it was for Ma Xiaotao's sake.

Once Xiaotao's Evil Fire issue was resolved, she could participate as a core member of this tournament's team. With an Ultimate Fire-ranked Soul Emperor leading the charge, victory was all but assured!

More importantly, Shrek could proudly announce to the entire continent:

"We have another pillar to uphold our legacy! For the next three to five hundred years, the world shall still bow before Shrek!"

"The vice-dean wants to see me?"

Lin Yun raised an eyebrow, puzzled.

The leadership change in Shrek's dean positions was still unknown to him—after all, it had only happened the day before, and aside from the academy's higher-ups, no one was aware of the reshuffling.

At this point, Lin Yun still assumed Cai Mei'er was the vice-dean of Shrek's Martial Soul Department.

'Damn, Old Man Yan didn't come himself—he sent his wife instead?'

Lin Yun was inwardly stunned.

Using his own wife for a honey trap?

Do I really look like some Cao Cao reincarnate with a penchant for other men's wives?

Bastard! To insult me like this—Yan Shao Zhe, you've already courted death!

But then again…

Would this Cai Mei'er still be… well-preserved?

Brimming with questions, Lin Yun arrived at the vice-dean's office and knocked.

"Come in."

A soft, melodious voice answered—so pleasant that Lin Yun's mood instantly lifted.

He'd admit it.

Aside from being a foot connoisseur, he was also a voice connoisseur!

Excluding his beloved prison warden, nothing pleased him more than a captivating voice.

Just hearing it, he could already picture 'Cai Mei'er'—her graceful demeanor, her mature charm. If Yan Shao Zhe really was deploying his wife as a honeypot, this might actually become… problematic.

But why did she sound so young?

Pushing the door open, Lin Yun tilted his head to glance at the figure seated at the desk.

The woman looked up from her paperwork, revealing a face of delicate beauty—gentle as a spring breeze, with eyes like polished obsidian, bright and clear. Her raven-black hair cascaded like a waterfall down her back, its silken strands gleaming.

Beautiful. Truly beautiful.

Hers was the elegance of a Jiangnan maiden—subtle, refined, like osmanthus flowers: fragrant but never cloying.

Even Gu Yuena hadn't evoked this feeling in him. Her appeal had been purely visual—a flawless face that stunned with its perfection.

But this woman?

She struck Lin Yun's preferences in both looks and aura.

'Huh… maybe being a Cao Cao isn't so bad?'

Still unaware, Lin Yun remained convinced that this was Cai Mei'er—and for the first time, the idea of embracing his inner 'Cao Cao' didn't seem so unthinkable.

Zhang Lexuan, too, was momentarily stunned.

Newton's Third Law: Mutual Attraction.

Just as Lexuan had bowled Lin Yun over, he left her equally dazed.

Why?

Because Lin Yun was essentially Bei Bei Pro Max Ultra Supreme Edition.

Beneath his easygoing charm lurked a domineering edge; behind his scholarly gentleness hid a cunning wit. Even his friendly smile carried a roguish glint.

But his specs?

Far beyond Bei Bei's.

Appearance, temperament, martial soul, strength—every aspect eclipsed Bei Bei's. So much so that Lexuan didn't even compare them.

There was no comparison.

In that instant, her heart fluttered.

The attachment she'd severed just yesterday—due to Lin Yun's resemblance to Bei Bei—shifted seamlessly onto him. Without realizing it, the shattered image in her heart began reforming… into his likeness.

"Hello, Lin Yun!"

Lexuan rose from her desk, stepping forward with an outstretched hand, her smile warm as sunlight.

"First time meeting. My name is Zhang Lexuan!"

Her smile was uniquely enchanting.

It began with a slight curve of her willow-leaf brows, then spread to her entire expression—her eyes crinkling into crescents, her lips parting to reveal a faint dimple. It was the kind of smile that made you want to draw closer.

"Oh—uh, hello!"

Lin Yun reflexively shook her hand, only widening his eyes in shock after feeling her soft fingers.

"Wait—Zhang Lexuan?!"

What the hell?

Since when was Shrek's vice-dean Zhang Lexuan instead of Cai Mei'er?!

Timeline-wise, shouldn't she and Han Ruoruo still be inner court students? That's why everyone calls her 'senior sister'!

Damn it!

Shrek's cunning knows no bounds—deploying Zhang Lexuan herself against me! And using the most insidious of the Thirty-Six Stratagems: the Honey Trap!

Absolutely shameless!

'And worst of all… it's working on me!'

Lin Yun gritted his teeth, lamenting his lack of mental fortitude. Tonight, I'm dragging Bing'er into extra 'cultivation sessions'—no way I'm letting myself short-circuit over pretty girls anymore!

[Romance Continent: Excuse me? You're in my world now. You think you can override the core 'love-struck protagonist' coding?]

"You know me?"

Noticing Lin Yun hadn't released her hand, Lexuan didn't mind. She simply smiled.

For some reason, from the moment she saw him, she'd felt no aversion—only an odd sense of familiarity.

Was it because of Bei Bei?

She wasn't sure. But she found she didn't resist this closeness at all.

'I can repay Elder Mu's kindness… without forcing myself to be with someone I dislike. Maybe this isn't such a bad outcome?'

Her mood was inexplicably light.

(End of Chapter)

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