Yarlin was not afraid at all when he heard that Finch was going to report him. “Brother-in-law, you probably don’t know, but today the governor appointed by Caesar will be visiting the school undercover. The school’s regulations are already unpopular, and if this matter escalates, I will face no punishment.”
Xiazo’s eyes brightened. “Right! Brother, you shouldn’t report it; it wouldn’t help.”
Finch, unable to threaten, switched to an emotional appeal. “Shaen, I’ve cared for you for twenty years, and now, you’re going against me for some poor kid. That really hurts me.” He was worried about Xiazo, so he had a few informants at school. They reported that Xiazo had been frequently visiting the Coconut Grove lately, with suspicious behavior suggesting he might be in a relationship. Finch couldn’t remain seated upon hearing this and rushed to the school’s Coconut Grove for investigation, only to see a poor kid who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere. When the kid introduced himself as Yarlin, Finch was reminded of the memory from a year ago—this Yarlin was the one Xiazo had online-dated and whom Finch had blacklisted!
He was like a persistent shadow.
In an outburst of anger, Finch confronted Yarlin.
“Just now, Yarlin hit me, and do you really want to be with someone like this?” Finch’s eyes were filled with sorrow.
Xiazo didn’t know about this incident. Worried that Finch might misunderstand, Yarlin quickly explained, “Brother-in-law suddenly attacked me, and I was just defending myself. I didn’t lay a hand on him; if you don’t believe me, I can swear to the Minos Beast God.”
Finch was furious; while Yarlin hadn’t hit him, he had nearly dropped himself onto the ground!
Finch didn’t want Xiazo to know about such an embarrassing incident at all!
Seeing that Finch didn’t rebut, Xiazo probably understood what was happening. “Brother, you should go home now. When summer vacation starts next week, I’ll bring Yarlin back to meet Dad and Mom.”
Finch wanted to say something, but Xiazo frowned. “If you keep this up, I really might not like you anymore.”
Finch’s heart shattered into eight pieces; Xiazo actually said he wouldn’t like him anymore. Boo hoo, Finch immediately lost all motivation and walked out of the Beastman Academy in a daze, heading home.
With the troublesome brother-in-law gone, Yarlin finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Is your brother-in-law always this strict? Didn’t you have any interaction with male beastmen when you were a kid?”
Xiazo replied, “When I was little, my dad and mom were quite busy, and it was mainly my brother and the nanny who took care of me. I think my brother treated me like his son, afraid that I’d be bullied by male beastmen, so he didn’t allow them to approach me. He’s really good to me, but sometimes he restricts me a bit too much. I wish he would focus on his love life instead; all of his previous boyfriends broke up with him due to jealousy over how well he treats me.”
So many ex-boyfriends… Your brother-in-law really is impressive.
“What does your brother-in-law do?” Finch looked like he was only around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.
Xiazo thought for a moment and realized he wasn’t quite sure either. He remembered that during the New Year, some relatives had asked, and he recalled his brother mentioning once, “…I think he runs a company, supplying materials to the military.”
No wonder he doesn’t lack boyfriends. “Your brother-in-law is indeed impressive; I need to work harder.”
Just thinking about how the military would recruit people after summer break filled Yarlin with infinite anticipation.
As they left the Coconut Grove, Yarlin and Xiazo held a book each, pretending to discuss their studies as they walked to prevent any unexpected incidents.
Upon reaching the playground, they discovered a crowd gathered around the lush green lawn, and it was loud and chaotic, with people arguing about something.
Yarlin patted a familiar beastman on the shoulder and asked, “Jack, what’s going on?”
Jack saw them and cleared a path through the crowd. “Just go see for yourself; your good buddy is inside.”
Everyone at school knew that Yarlin was closest to Adonis.
Yarlin felt a surge of joy. Xiazo asked, “Is the Anchiro there too?”
Jack chuckled, “Of course, their love is just as strong as last year.”
Yarlin protected Xiazo as they squeezed their way in, and finally spotted Adonis and Anchiro.
For some reason, Adonis seemed to have shed the harshness and killing intent associated with the military. Instead, he exuded a regal aura. His manner of speaking and gestures carried a sense of superiority that made one involuntarily want to bow down at his feet.
Before Yarlin could even call out, a malicious voice rang out, “Adonis, you weren’t kicked out of the military, were you? Did you wet yourself in the beast tide and fail to kill even a single beastman?”
Yarlin focused on the source of the voice and found the Eden brothers standing in front of Adonis, with Eden being the one who had mockingly spoken.
Everyone at the Beastman Academy knew that Eden was fond of Anchiro, and when Anchiro ultimately chose Adonis—who had a much lesser background and qualifications—it became a source of resentment for Eden.
Seeing his rival Adonis and his partner by coincidence in school stirred emotions within Eden. He called out impulsively and couldn’t help but taunt, quickly drawing a crowd of onlookers.
Eden pointed at the taciturn Adonis and said to Anchiro, “You really like such a loser? I’m now a nine-star male beastman, Anchiro. It’s not that I’m not good enough, but rather, you lack vision.”
Eli chimed in, “What are you doing here, kicked out of the military? Looking to continue your studies? I’ll tell you, that’s impossible!”
“Oh? Why is it impossible?” A flicker of dark light flashed in Adonis’s eyes.
“Exactly, you’re not the principal, so how can you be so sure Adonis won’t be allowed back?” someone protested.
Eden scoffed, a smirk on his face. “Don’t provoke my brother, or we won’t say anything. Try it if you don’t believe us.”
Eden’s certainty led others to speculate whether he had relatives at the school, possibly holding a significant position, which could explain his audacity.
With status comes a broader perspective; neither Adonis nor Anchiro cared about the taunts from the Eden brothers. It was as if an elephant looked down at ants scurrying near its feet, cursing as it went in circles; the elephant could effortlessly crush the ants with a single lift of its foot but couldn’t be bothered to lift its foot for such insignificant creatures. It was pointless.
As governors, their presence heightened interest in the Eden brothers’ blustering remarks.