Night settled over Shrek Academy like a heavy cloak.
The ramshackle buildings creaked softly in the wind, lanterns casting weak yellow light across the courtyard. Most of the new students had already retreated to their rooms, exhaustion weighing heavily after the entrance test.
Lin Chen sat alone on the roof of a wooden dormitory, legs dangling over the edge, gaze fixed on the moon.
Shrek… a crossroads, he thought.Too many eyes. Too many threads of fate.
The system interface remained quiet—for once.
A faint sound reached his ears.
Soft. Controlled.
Footsteps.
Lin Chen didn't turn.
"You're good at hiding," he said calmly. "But not from me."
The footsteps stopped.
After a moment, a figure emerged from the shadows below and leapt lightly onto the roof, landing without a sound.
Zhu Zhuqing.
Her black outfit blended perfectly with the night, her sharp eyes reflecting moonlight like a stalking panther's. She stood a few steps away, posture guarded, ready to flee or strike at a moment's notice.
"You noticed," she said coolly.
"I invited you," Lin Chen replied.
Zhu Zhuqing frowned slightly. "You didn't."
Lin Chen finally turned his head, meeting her gaze.
"If I didn't want you here," he said, "you wouldn't be."
The air went still.
Zhu Zhuqing's pupils contracted.
Arrogant…But he's not wrong.
She took a breath. "You humiliated Dai Mubai today."
Lin Chen raised an eyebrow. "I didn't touch him."
"You didn't need to," she shot back. "He felt it."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Zhu Zhuqing spoke again, more quietly.
"What are you?"
The question wasn't hostile.
It was desperate.
Lin Chen studied her carefully—the tension in her shoulders, the coiled anger, the fear she refused to acknowledge.
Star Luo royalty.Raised to fight, to replace, or to die.
"I'm someone who doesn't accept cages," Lin Chen said finally.
Zhu Zhuqing's fingers tightened.
"…Neither do I."
For the first time, her guard slipped—just a little.
"You looked at me today," she said, eyes narrowing. "Not like the others."
"How do others look at you?" Lin Chen asked.
"As a tool," she replied instantly. "Or prey."
Lin Chen shook his head. "I look at you as a blade."
Her breath caught.
"A blade sharp enough to kill fate," he continued. "If someone gives you the freedom to swing."
The night wind howled softly between them.
Zhu Zhuqing stared at him for several seconds.
Then she stepped closer.
"If I follow you," she said slowly, "I don't kneel."
Lin Chen smiled faintly.
"I don't accept kneeling."
The system chimed softly, unheard by anyone else.
[Bond Candidate Confirmed][Zhu Zhuqing — Compatibility: Extreme][Combat Synergy Path: Shadow–Dragon Convergence]
Zhu Zhuqing stopped an arm's length away.
"Dai Mubai is strong," she said. "But he'll never escape the throne."
"And you will?" Lin Chen asked.
Her eyes burned.
"I want to."
Lin Chen stood, towering slightly over her despite their similar age.
"Then walk beside me," he said. "Not behind."
For a long moment, Zhu Zhuqing didn't move.
Then she nodded—once.
Not submissive.
Resolved.
Behind them, unseen, Tang San watched quietly from a distance, expression thoughtful.
He doesn't gather people, Tang San realized.He changes their trajectories.
Above Shrek Academy, clouds drifted across the moon.
And another thread of fate—
Had just shifted direction.