Fu Lin held his head in both hands, looking innocent as he replied in frustration, "It was clearly them who wanted to fight, not me!"
Theresa glared at her furiously, gritting her teeth,
"Still trying to argue? If it weren't for you, would they even have come here? Would my academy be in ruins like this?!"
Kiana☆, Mei☆, and Fu Shi glanced at the buildings around them. Seeing the wreckage, they all fell silent.
Well, it really did seem like this battle was caused by them... and the academy was indeed wrecked beyond recognition... Hmm, and one of the culprits had already run away...
--------------------------------------
Kiana☆ scratched her head, her gaze wandering as if she were a bit embarrassed. She slowly reached into her pocket, pulled out a card, and carefully handed it to Theresa with both hands, softly saying,
"Um... Auntie, I still have over three billion here. That should be enough to renovate St. Freya Academy, right?"
Theresa's eyes lit up, the corners of her mouth lifting into an expression of surprise. She quickly reached out and took the card, examining it closely as joy sparkled in her eyes.
Theresa nodded excitedly, her tone full of gratitude, "That much!? That's enough for me to buy… ahem, to renovate St. Freya Academy. I'll gladly accept it then!"
"My other self is actually that rich!"
Kiana on the side was so shocked her jaw almost dropped. She stared wide-eyed at Kiana☆, and the thought of her own financial struggles filled her with envy.
Without thinking, she immediately clung to her, rubbing her hands together with a fawning smile as she said,
"My other self, maybe you could lend me a little..."
Before she could finish, Kiana☆ interrupted her without hesitation, her expression firm, "No."
With that, Kiana☆ turned and wrapped her arms around Fu Lin's, gazing at him tenderly, seemingly avoiding Kiana's gaze on purpose—but maybe not.
Theresa, now in possession of the money, turned her gaze to Mei☆, her eyes carrying a hint of expectation, as if implying she should contribute too.
"And you? You can't expect Kiana☆ to shoulder everything alone, right?"
Facing Theresa's gaze, Mei☆ looked a bit embarrassed. After a long silence, she finally spoke slowly,
"Um... Headmistress, I can write an IOU. Next time I see my father from this world, you can ask him for it."
Mei muttered softly, "That's my father, right...?"
Theresa nodded, understanding Mei☆'s predicament. Then she turned her gaze to the nearby Fu Shi, a trace of confusion flashing through her eyes.
"Why is there another Fu Hua?"
Fu Hua slightly parted her lips and explained, "Headmistress, she is Fu Shi, also the Herrscher of Sentience from another world."
Theresa looked her up and down, skeptical, "...You say she's Fu Shi, or the Herrscher of Sentience?"
Fu Shi immediately returned to her tiny form, arms crossed as she said,
"Theresa, the look you're familiar with is me in my shrunk form. Can't recognize me when I change back?"
Seeing this, Theresa's eyes widened in amazement, and she exclaimed, "Amazing!"
"Heh heh~"
Feeling Theresa's gaze, Fu Shi swayed her head proudly and explained smugly, "As long as I want to, I can do anything."
A sly glint flashed in Kiana☆'s eyes as she suddenly said, "Auntie, all the mess around here was caused by her."
Theresa, who had just been clapping, suddenly stopped upon hearing this. She turned her gaze to Fu Shi and asked, "So have you thought about how to compensate?"
Fu Shi put her hands behind her back, chin slightly raised, looking arrogant, the corners of her mouth lifting in a scornful smile.
She then replied loudly, "No money!"
This answer made Theresa frown. She asked in confusion, "Didn't you make a lot doing fortune-telling at that booth?"
"To put it simply—there's none!"
Fu Shi blinked, her charming face still bearing that arrogant, unrestrained expression. She shrugged and spread her arms wide to show she was completely broke.
As the saying goes, "The higher the level, the greater the devil." Theresa's lips curled into a cunning and sinister smile. Her eyes were sharp as she stared at Fu Shi and said in a tone that brooked no refusal, "In that case, we'll deduct it from Fu Hua's salary."
Hearing this, Fu Hua was instantly filled with question marks.
But before she could protest, Fu Shi hurriedly interjected,
"That won't do! That old antique spent all her money on games. If you want to deduct, do it from Fu Lin's salary!"
Upon hearing this, Theresa pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement,
"Hmm, that works too."
As soon as she said that, Theresa happily turned and walked away, her steps light, humming a cheerful tune as she left, clearly in an excellent mood.
Only Fu Lin was left standing there, eyes wide with shock, staring blankly at Theresa's retreating figure, muttering nonstop, "Wait… you're kidding, right? How can this be…"
Fu Shi slowly turned to look at the stunned Fu Lin, stuck out her tongue slightly, and casually said,
"Fu Lin, your salary was pitiful to begin with. A deduction won't matter. Worst case, I'll take care of you."
With that, she turned her gaze to Kiana☆ and Mei☆, who were still clinging to Fu Lin, and shouted loudly, "Hey! You two done hugging yet? Let go already!"
Just then, Theresa, who had left moments ago, suddenly returned. She scratched her head, trying hard to remember something.
After a while, she smacked her forehead as if suddenly realizing something important and shouted,
"Oh, right! Oh dear, my memory is getting worse—I almost forgot to say something really important... um... Fu Lin, are you and Kiana☆ going to have a wedding?"
Theresa's words were like a stone dropped into a lake, stirring waves of shock. Everyone present was stunned, completely unprepared for such a direct question.
Seeing everyone's astonished expressions, Theresa asked suspiciously,
"What, as Kiana's aunt, can't I show a little concern?"
Upon hearing this, everyone couldn't help swallowing nervously, and their gazes all shifted to Mei☆ and Fu Shi.
At that moment, the air seemed to be filled with a faint, invisible tension, as if an intense showdown was about to erupt.
Meanwhile, Kiana☆, as the beneficiary, had a gleam in her eye and a sweet smile on her face.
In her heart, she silently gave Theresa a thumbs-up, then turned her hopeful gaze to Fu Lin and softly murmured,
"Fu Lin..."
Though her voice was soft, the deep emotion within it sent a shiver through Fu Lin.
At this moment, everyone held their breath, waiting quietly to see how Fu Lin would respond to such a sudden and unexpected question.