Chapter 523: Extra: Yuan Shiyao - Under the Moon, Before the Stars (1)

Monday.

Inside the student council office, most people hadn’t recovered from the weekend. They were sprawled lazily on their desks, looking completely drained.

Except for one person.

“Oh my god, what’s with the Secretary-General today? He’s being even more vicious than usual.”

A member of the Finance Department emerged from the Secretary-General’s office, looking completely dejected. “I just made one tiny mistake,” he complained to the person next to him, “and he tore into me until I felt worse than dirt… Even my mom has never talked to me like that…”

“He’s probably still upset about Marshal Xie and Chairman Jiang’s wedding,” the other person chimed in.

“Uh, it’s October. He’s still not over it?”

“Then was it because he tried to see Chairman Jiang during the Moon Festival and got warned off by the Prince? And then at the celebration banquet that night, he saw what’s-his-name kiss Chairman Jiang?” the person guessed. “Or was it that photo booth picture Gu Nian posted with Chairman Jiang at the beginning of the semester? Or that ‘family photo’ the paparazzi snapped last month when Professor Yuan brought his cat to visit Chairman Jiang? Or that butler…”

“Stop, stop, stop.” The guy from the Finance Department held up a hand. “Just stop, will you? You’re making our Secretary-General sound like a total loser in love… I almost feel better about getting yelled at. At least my female master likes me best—ah, could it be that I’m showing off our lovey-dovey posts too often, and that’s what’s ticking off the Secretary-General?”

“He’s not that petty. Your report was just a mess.” A jacket draped over a nearby desk stirred, and a fluffy head popped out. “Fix your typos,” a slow voice said.

“Minister Ai!” The two stared, wide-eyed. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

They jumped in fright.

Everyone knew Ai Bin and Yuan Shiyao were close. Of all the rotten luck, they had to be overheard gossiping…

“Relax, I won’t say anything. I’m just here to slack off,” Ai Bin said, his voice muffled as he lay sprawled on the desk.

He’d just gotten over a cold, so Ke An had given him two days off. Out of habit, he’d come here to find a spot to lie down and slack off.

Seeing the two underclassmen breathe a sigh of relief, Ai Bin shifted his position and went back to looking at his terminal.

He had been reading a very popular thread on the forums.

The title was sensational: [A True Story: How I Went from Side Piece to Main Partner and Became My Female Master’s Favorite Beast Husband.]

Although Ai Bin was already with Ke An, she hadn’t mentioned marrying him.

The elders of their two families had once been political rivals. After Qin Yu’s downfall, their families’ views aligned, but there was still frequent friction between them. Because of this, Ai Bin often worried that Ke An was just toying with him, or that she would only ever keep him on the side…

‘Even though being a side piece is common and nothing to be ashamed of these days, Yuan Shiyao’s status as one is already set in stone. Do I have to become one too?! Wouldn’t that make the men in the student council a bit too pathetic?!’

So, the moment Ai Bin saw the post, he clicked on it.

After studying it word by word, Ai Bin stood up, ready to test out the methods described in the thread.

Just as he got up, the head of the Finance Department stopped him.

“Brother Bin…” The department head held out a file, looking at him pitifully. “Could you take this to the Secretary-General for me? Please, I’m too scared to face him…”

Among the student council’s top brass, Ai Bin was the most approachable.

After less than two minutes of pleading, he took the file. “Just this once,” he said, before heading to the Secretary-General’s office.

The door to the Secretary-General’s office was always closed. Ai Bin knocked, and a calm voice from inside said, “Come in.”

Ai Bin pushed the door open and glanced around the room.

The young man with black hair and green eyes sat at the desk, staring at a screen without expression.

On the screen, countless lines of text scrolled by at a frantic pace, looking like a hacker’s interface.

But Ai Bin knew it was just the fan club’s chat. When Yuan Shiyao had nothing better to do, he would occasionally read the group messages.

Ai Bin was in the fan group, too.

That group of toxic solo stans talked about nothing but three things all day long.

First, praising how amazing Jiang Qingli was, how capable, how she was utterly peerless.

Second, bashing her Beast Husbands for being tactless, having no taste, and being unworthy of her, while simultaneously trying to dig up what her type was and how they could win her over.

And third, attacking any man outside her circle who tried to seduce her…

Of those men, Yuan Shiyao, being right here at the academy, was their number one target.

It wasn’t just because he visited Jiang Qingli as often as if it were his own home, but also because he had once liked over a dozen posts praising what a good match he and Jiang Qingli would be.

Liking them was one thing, but a few hours later, Yuan Shiyao unliked them all and leisurely posted an update: “Sorry, my cat was playing with my terminal and liked those posts.”

And that did it. Now, even people who hadn’t known before were aware of it, sparking a media frenzy speculating whether the Yuan Family was planning to marry off their second son.

Similar rumors had surfaced back when Jiang Qingli had first been decorated. At the time, Du Yushan had vehemently declared it was impossible. Absolutely impossible!

The rumors eventually died down, but each subsequent denial grew weaker. Last month, a reporter cornered Du Yushan to ask about it. His face flushed beet-red before he finally managed to say, “The innocent need no defense!”

The entire internet went wild mocking him.

The academy’s fan club, in particular, mocked Yuan Shiyao relentlessly, giving him the nickname “Yuan Ziqing”—a pun on his name and Du Yushan’s flustered declaration that “the innocent need no defense.”

But Yuan Shiyao never banned the accounts that flamed him; sometimes, he would even read the comments and suddenly crack a smile.

‘Some people actually enjoy getting flamed.’

Ai Bin couldn’t understand it.

‘Then again,’ Ai Bin thought, ‘Yuan Shiyao probably doesn’t need anyone’s understanding. He’s just addicted to chasing after his sister-in-law. It’s a habit he can’t break.’

In the few seconds Ai Bin stood there in silence, Yuan Shiyao had already closed his terminal and stood up.

He walked over, and seeing Ai Bin still standing there in a daze, he frowned. “What is it?”

“Just delivering this file for Li.”

Ai Bin snapped out of it and handed over the file. He watched Yuan Shiyao adjust his collar. ‘Where’s he going?’ he wondered. ‘The day’s almost over.’

Just as he was about to ask, he noticed a black cat brooch on the pocket of Yuan Shiyao’s uniform. It had a little patch of white on its chest and looked exceptionally cute.

Ai Bin complimented it. “Where’d you get the brooch? It’s pretty cute. Got a link?”

“Nope.” Yuan Shiyao took the file and flipped it open. After scanning it and marking a few problems, he walked past Ai Bin toward the door, a hint of delight in his voice. “She gave it to me.”

Ai Bin was speechless.

Ke An returned just then, and seeing Yuan Shiyao on his way out, she asked Ai Bin, “Where is he going?”

Ai Bin replied, “He’s off to prove his innocence.”

–

「The Melt Star Association.」

Jiang Qingli sat at her desk, listening to Qiao Lan’s endless report.

Since the beginning of the semester, she had been spending most of her time on political affairs in the First District, only coming to the academy twice a week to handle matters for the Melt Star Association. Fortunately, Qiao Lan was methodical, and the Association’s new recruits were more than capable, so there hadn’t been any major issues.

After finishing the report and discussing a few issues, Qiao Lan took her leave.

Once the door was closed, Jiang Qingli rolled her shoulders.

‘I’m a little tired…’

‘Maybe I’ll ask Qiao Lan if she wants to grab a drink later?’

Just as she was thinking this, there were a few knocks at the door.

Assuming it was Qiao Lan coming back for something, Jiang Qingli went to the door and opened it. “What is it now, my dear secretary-general?” she teased.

She opened the door a crack, only to be met with a pair of green eyes.

“Nothing.”

The black-haired young man’s eyes were downcast, like a co-conspirator. His voice was hushed, his breath held, as the words slipped through the crack in the door.

“I just… wanted to see you.”