Douluo Dalu 2: The True God King

Credits: Wilnet Duverne

Su Yu smiled upon hearing this and invited Jiang Nannan into his room, casually closing the door behind her. He guided her to the sofa and made her a cup of tea.

"Sister Nannan, what brings you here in broad daylight? Aren't you worried about the people from Shrek Academy seeing you?" Su Yu leaned back on the opposite sofa with a light smile, his tone teasing.

He wasn't concerned about others finding out—he didn't need to justify his actions to anyone. However, with Jiang Nannan's gentle temperament, getting caught by Shrek Academy might not end well for her.

To his surprise, Jiang Nannan sipped her tea delicately and replied softly, "They're the ones who sent me here."

"Hmm?" Su Yu froze, his expression filled with confusion. "What do you mean?"

Jiang Nannan smiled sweetly and began explaining, recounting the entire sequence of events.

The more Su Yu listened, the more amused his expression became. So, the people at Shrek Academy wanted to recruit him? And they called it "saving him from the abyss" or "bringing him into the light"? How very like them.

In essence, they just coveted his ultimate ice abilities. Why dress it up with such grandiose claims?

Su Yu rolled his eyes. "And so, Sister Nannan, you just agreed to come?" he asked cautiously, concerned that Shrek Academy might have brainwashed her.

After all, Yan Shaozhe's rhetoric could easily sway most people. Just look at Huo Yuhao in the original story—completely moved by a few of Yan Shaozhe's words as if the man were a saint.

But Su Yu knew exactly what kind of person Yan Shaozhe was: a hypocrite akin to Mu En, spineless and opportunistic like Xuan Zi, but lacking the foresight or decisiveness to match. In Su Yu's mind, Yan Shaozhe's actions were laughable.

Trying to poach him without even doing proper background checks? Did they truly think he'd abandon his current position so easily?

While Su Yu silently criticized Yan Shaozhe, Jiang Nannan's gentle voice broke his thoughts. "The academy had already decided to approach you, whether or not I came. I thought it would be better if I came to explain everything to you directly."

"I won't persuade you to join Shrek Academy," she continued. "I know you have your plans. Whatever you decide, I'll support you."

Her words, spoken with such sincerity, caught Su Yu off guard. He scrutinized Jiang Nannan with a trace of admiration in his eyes.

This girl had matured. She was finally thinking independently and considering his perspective—a commendable change.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Jiang Nannan's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink under Su Yu's gaze.

"Nothing. I just think you've grown a lot, Sister Nannan. It's a good thing," Su Yu replied with a warm smile.

"By the way, when does Yan Shaozhe want to meet me?"

"Today at 2 PM, on the rooftop," Jiang Nannan replied. "Are you going to see him?"

"If he's inviting me, why not? I'm curious to see how eloquent he is," Su Yu said with a smirk.

He was genuinely intrigued by how Yan Shaozhe planned to convince him. After all, the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy treated him quite well. Or did Yan Shaozhe think of more... forceful methods?

If so, Hai Bodong might have something to say about that. The old man had recently been complaining about boredom—if Yan Shoazhe wanted to be a punching bag, Hai Bodong would likely oblige.

"Alright then. Be careful. I'll head back now," Jiang Nannan said as she stood up.

"Leaving already?" Su Yu asked with a smile.

"I can't stay long. They're waiting for my report. I need to put their minds at ease."

"Fair enough."

After a few more exchanges, Su Yu saw her out the door. As Jiang Nannan walked away, the scene was coincidentally witnessed by Wang Dong'er.

"Isn't that Jiang Nannan from Shrek Academy? What's she doing in Su Yu's room?" Wang Dong'er's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Her graceful figure, striking looks, and long legs caught Wang Dong'er's attention. Instantly, her thoughts veered off course.

"Could it be... Su Yu is flirting with her?"

"That scumbag! Can't even leave the girls from Shrek alone!" Wang Dong'er gritted her teeth, ready to confront Su Yu.

But upon second thought, she held back. To catch Su Yu red-handed, she'd need solid evidence. Only then could she properly reprimand him.

People shouldn't be this... shameless.

Even Shrek Academy's women? Really, Su Yu?

Pouting, Wang Dong'er slowly retreated, carefully avoiding being seen. She vowed to watch Su Yu closely and catch him in the act.

But little did she know that all her actions were completely within Su Yu's perception.

"This silly little butterfly!"

Su Yu chuckled and shook his head, then turned back to his room.

...

Afternoon, Around 2 PM

After a refreshing nap, Su Yu yawned, walked into the bathroom to wash his face, tidied up, and then opened the door to head out.

In the room next door, Wang Dong'er peeked out, looking sneaky and shifty.

"Acting all suspicious, he must be up to no good!" Wang Dong'er muttered, staring at Su Yu's retreating figure.

"Wang Dong, what are you doing? Where's Yu?"

A delicate voice suddenly rang in her ear, startling her.

She turned her head to see that it was Meng Hongchen, and she let out a sigh of relief.

"Meng Hongchen, what are you trying to do? Scare someone to death?" Wang Dong'er complained.

Meng Hongchen looked at her suspiciously. "What are you doing? Have you seen Yu?"

It turned out that by this time, Su Yu had already turned a corner into the corridor, so Meng Hongchen hadn't seen him.

Wang Dong'er replied irritably, "Yu, Yu, Yu. You only care about Su Yu. Your precious Yu is off sneaking around, while you're still in the dark!"

Meng Hongchen's beautiful eyes widened as she glared at her angrily. "Don't you dare speak ill of Yu! He would never do such a thing!"

"Ha! Do you know him? That flirt of a man is no saint." Wang Dong'er rolled her eyes. She still remembered Su Yu openly declaring his ambition to have women in both arms. The guy had plans.

Meng Hongchen's expression turned stern. "Wang Dong, if you slander Su Yu one more time, I'll be upset!"

Wang Dong'er: "..."

Seeing the angry look on Meng Hongchen's face, Wang Dong'er felt a little speechless.

How did Su Yu pull this off? Meng Hongchen trusted him so much.

"This girl... is she just too naive?"

"Anyway, where did Yu go?" Meng Hongchen pressed on.

Wang Dong'er shrugged. "I already told you—he went to do something sneaky. But you refuse to believe it."

"Hmph! You're just slandering him. And to think Yu is so good to you."

Wang Dong'er: "..."

Su Yu was nice to her. Otherwise, why would she even care this much? But Su Yu being a flirt wasn't some baseless claim!

"Fine, you're just being stubborn. If you won't believe it, let's follow him and see for ourselves."

Wang Dong'er sighed. She would've followed Su Yu already if not for Meng Hongchen stopping her.

"Follow Yu? If he finds out, he'll be upset," Meng Hongchen said hesitantly, her eyebrows furrowing.

Wang Dong'er: "()"

"Are you coming or not? I'm going with or without you."

Meng Hongchen hesitated for a moment, then eventually followed. She wasn't suspicious of Su Yu but wanted to prove Wang Dong'er wrong.

...

On the Rooftop

Su Yu arrived at the rooftop and immediately noticed Jiang Nan'nan.

Even in Shrek Academy's odd-looking uniform, she exuded an indescribable charm. Some people just looked stunning no matter what they wore.

Seeing Su Yu, Jiang Nan'nan blinked her beautiful eyes in greeting. Su Yu smiled and stepped onto the rooftop.

There, two figures awaited him—one in a white robe, the other in fiery red clothing.

The white-robed figure had his back to Su Yu, while the fiery-dressed girl met Su Yu's gaze directly.

She looked about eighteen or nineteen, with a delicate oval face and striking pink eyes. Her fiery red hair made her resemble a blazing flame.

But her figure was the real showstopper—voluptuous and alluring, the epitome of a seductive, fiery beauty.

Compared to Zhang Lexuan's gentle charm, this woman exuded wild, untamed energy.

While Su Yu sized her up, Ma Xiaotao was also assessing him, her bright eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of challenge.

The white-robed man finally turned around, revealing a middle-aged face that still retained traces of youthful handsomeness. His demeanor was refined and scholarly.

"Su Yu, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Yan Shaozhe," Yan Shaozhe introduced himself warmly.

"Pleasure? How much pleasure?" Su Yu raised an eyebrow, his tone playful as he examined the Dean of Shrek Academy's inner court.

Caught off guard by the unusual response, Yan Shaozhe chuckled awkwardly before regaining his composure. "Very pleased, of course."

Su Yu smiled faintly.

"This is my disciple, Ma Xiaotao, captain of Shrek Academy's representative team. I assume you're familiar with her?" Yan Shaozhe gestured to the red-haired girl.

"Of course, I've heard of Ma Xiaotao's reputation. Meeting her in person today, she's truly as bold and striking as the rumors say."

Yan Shaozhe laughed. "You flatter her, but she still has much to learn."

"Su Yu, as they say, 'When three people walk together, one can always learn from another.' You and Ma Xiaotao are both outstanding young talents—interacting more could benefit you both."

Su Yu smiled lightly. "Dean Yan, you must be joking. I'm from the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineering Academy. How could I get too close to Ma Xiatao?"

"Why don't you just state your purpose for inviting me here today? After all, you had Nan'nan personally ask me to come. Surely it wasn't just to exchange pleasantries?"

Yan Shaozhe didn't seem offended and kept smiling. "This meeting is mainly to get to know you better and perhaps build a friendship."

"Watching your matches, Su Yu, I've been impressed. To break the Star Guardian Formation and freeze five Soul Kings in an instant at your age—truly remarkable!"

Though Yan Shaozhe was praising him, Su Yu's expression remained calm. "Compared to Ma Xiaotao and others from your academy, my skills are merely parlor tricks—nothing worth mentioning."

"You're too modest, Su Yu. Such feats are anything but ordinary."