"Oscar! You're finally back! You don't know how much I've missed you!" Ma Hongjun darted forward to stand before Oscar and Dugu Yan, throwing himself straight into Oscar's arms.
Oscar pushed Ma Hongjun's handsome face away with a look of disgust. "You're ten years old now, not a little kid any more still acting so childish!"
Only then did Ma Hongjun release him and turn to look at Dugu Yan. Her beauty and figure spoke for themselves, instantly making Ma Hongjun's eyes light up.
No wonder she could make Oscar fall head over heels, he thought. That aura, that figure, that face… If it were him, he'd probably fawn over her even more than Oscar.
The reason Ma Hongjun was like this went back to something that happened between him and Dai Mubai half a year ago, but right now he wasn't thinking of that at all his eyes were on his "sister in law."
"This is sister in law, right?" Ma Hongjun looked at Dugu Yan with admiration. After all, she was the woman who had managed to win over his "big bro" Oscar.
"Sister in law, hello! I'm Ma Hongjun, Oscar's loyal little brother."
Seeing this handsome boy so enamored with Oscar, Dugu Yan's expression shifted slightly, but she still smiled. "Hello. I've often heard Oscar talk about you he says you have great talent and will surely be his right hand man in the future."
Hearing this, the 1.7 meter tall Ma Hongjun excitedly threw an arm around Oscar's shoulder with a proud grin. "Boss, did you really say that? Ah, forget it! Whether you did or not, since it came from sister in law's mouth, you can't take it back!"
Seeing Ma Hongjun so smug, Oscar could only shake his head helplessly. "Of course I said it. From now on, just stick with me I'll make sure to introduce you to a wife as beautiful as your sister in law!"
If Oscar hadn't dodged in time, Ma Hongjun would've planted a kiss on his face. "Boss, I love you to death!"
Oscar quickly pushed him away and hid behind Dugu Yan. "No thanksI already have my sister in law's love, and that's enough."
Watching their closeness, Dugu Yan could easily imagine the excitement Oscar had felt when telling her about the things he and Ma Hongjun had been through.
This was something Dugu Yan actually envied Oscar had grown up with such a close friend, something she, and probably many others, might never have in a lifetime.
Oscar then took Dugu Yan's hand and led her to Zhao Wuji. "Teacher Zhao, this is my girlfriend, Dugu Yan. You should have heard about her already."
The moment Zhao Wuji saw Dugu Yan, he began studying her, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became. Even if she hadn't been the granddaughter of Dugu Bo, he would still approve of her as Oscar's girlfriend.
From her bearing alone, it was clear she was a young lady from a distinguished family.
"Dugu Yan, not bad. I truly wish you and Oscar happiness," Zhao Wuji said.
"Thank you, Teacher Zhao. I've also often heard Oscar speak of you. If it weren't for your guidance all this time, I might never have met such a wonderful person." Dugu Yan replied sincerely.
Hearing this, Zhao Wuji felt deeply gratified. Such high praise was enough to make a teacher happy for a lifetime.
And she wasn't wrong before Ge Yue arrived, aside from practicing staff techniques with Teacher Li Yusong, Oscar's combat training had relied mainly on Zhao Wuji.
It was thanks to Zhao Wuji's gravity control training that Oscar's physical abilities had improved so drastically in just a few years.
"Hahaha! Our Shrek welcomes you. But you'd better be prepared my standards are strict. I won't go easy on you just because you're a girl," Zhao Wuji laughed.
Dugu Yan nodded. "Oscar already told me, and I've been training with him for several months now. I can handle it."
Oscar then turned to Dai Mubai and introduced him to Dugu Yan. "This is Dai Mubai. Although I only spent half a day with him before leaving the academy, he left a deep impression on me.
"During the assessment back then, Hongjun actually broke his hand, but he didn't make a sound and stuck it out until the very end. He's a real man."
Hearing this, Dugu Yan also looked at Dai Mubai in a new light. She had to admit, Shrek Academy might only have three students right now, but all three were handsome and talented.
"Hello, I'm Dugu Yan," she greeted him.
Dai Mubai gave a small smile. "Dai Mubai. Welcome to Shrek, sister in law."
The smile was genuine, the welcome was genuine, and so was the "sister in law."
Originally, he had some doubts about Oscar being worthy of being Ma Hongjun's big brother, and calling him "Boss" or "Big Bro" was something he found hard to do.
After all, even though he was a newcomer and not as strong as Ma Hongjun, he was born into royalty, raised with a silver spoon. Calling someone else "big brother" didn't come naturally to him.
But in his year at Shrek, Ma Hongjun had completely beaten him into submission literally.
Before taking the Phoenix Nirvana Pill, Ma Hongjun's soul power had been equal to his own, yet Dai Mubai had never beaten him not even once.
That didn't crush his pride; instead, it only fueled his fighting spirit, and he came to truly admire Ma Hongjun's talent and strength.
Even though Hongjun was three years younger, in strength driven Shrek Academy, he was still willing to be the "third brother."
Out of respect for Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai naturally developed a sense of reverence for the Shrek "big boss" he had only met for half a day Oscar.
After all, in both Hongjun's eyes and those of the other teachers, Oscar was practically a living legend.
Even when Hongjun took the Phoenix Nirvana Pill and his strength skyrocketed in a short time, Oscar remained Shrek Academy's legend one who was still enrolled.
So Dai Mubai's "sister in law" came from the heart.
Though he had yet to witness Oscar's true strength himself, hearing it from everyone made him certain it must be real.
Hearing him, Dugu Yan smiled. "Thank you. From now on we're classmates, so no need to be so formal. If you're not comfortable calling me sister in law, just use my name."
Though elegant in demeanor, Dugu Yan wasn't overbearing. Thanks to Oscar, she was quite easygoing.
Dai Mubai chuckled. "I'm used to it. Since Hongjun calls him 'Boss,' and I'm not even as good as Hongjun, calling you sister in law is something I'm happy to do."
Hearing this, Oscar, Dugu Yan, and Ma Hongjun didn't say anything, but inside they were all secretly delighted.
That was Dai Mubai's way with people. Over the past year, he had learned that there's always someone stronger out there. Especially with geniuses like Ma Hongjun and Oscar only sincerity could win their friendship.
And if you added a bit of emotional intelligence to that sincerity, the bond could deepen further and that might just become his trump card in the future struggle for power.
Though Oscar had been away for a year, Dai Mubai had changed a great deal. Just in these few sentences, Oscar could already feel it.
He didn't know what Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun had been through together in the past year to make this royal prince willingly call him "Big Bro" and Dugu Yan "sister in law."
But one thing was certain Oscar didn't dislike this version of Dai Mubai. In fact, he liked him more. After all, who wouldn't want a talented, well connected, and socially adept friend or even a brother?
The only thing he wasn't sure about was whether Dai Mubai had been frequenting brothels like in the original story.
But judging from things, probably not otherwise, Hongjun wouldn't be this close to him.
Oscar might not know Dai Mubai well, but he understood Ma Hongjun.
With his prior influence and guidance, Ma Hongjun might long for romance, but he would never debase himself by seeking prostitutes.
And naturally, without that, he wouldn't be indulging in a life of debauchery.
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