"Hmm..."

Principal Belvedere flipped through the pages of the book in his hand, his gaze seemingly captivated by a particular page, eyebrows slightly raised, showing an expression of interest.

"Diesel is a respectable man. Sacrificing for art has always been his dream," he said leisurely.

"Our world has been tainted by something as foul as the Ascetic Sect, like a stain on a great painting. They have sullied the path we pursue, desecrating this temple of art."

"The Ascetic Sect is indeed the common enemy of both us and the family."

"I will personally provide the family with an explanation for this matter." Belvedere closed the book.

It wasn't a profound or philosophical literary work. "Encyclopedia of Monster Creatures," a popular science book, humorously and interestingly listed hundreds of creatures with various traits.

Popular among young people, it ranked top among the ten confiscated books in classrooms.

"Let's proceed to discuss the amendments to some clauses of the 'Starry Melody,'" Belvedere said.

Yain's expression changed several times, finally falling silent.

...

After the meeting ended, Yain was about to leave when a voice called out to him from behind.

"Yain."

He turned around and found it was Ms. Jian, her serene gaze fixed on him.

"What's the matter?" Yain asked.

"Lancelot is a very good child, kind, honest, and brave. I admire him greatly."

Yain didn't understand why she approached him at this time to say these things.

"I plan to recommend him to become a member of the Starry Gallery, to join the board of directors, and perhaps let him replace Zel in the seat of the Withered Flower Family."

"Are you grooming him to become an elder of the board?" Yain's eyes widened slightly.

"Yes."

Jian's gaze was like flowing water, containing countless complex emotions, finally turning into a soft sigh.

She shook her head, said no more, and quickened her pace to leave.

Yain pondered briefly, then walked in the opposite direction.

In the shadows, a young man observed the scene quietly, brow furrowed. Just as he was about to turn and leave, he happened to collide with a figure emerging from the path.

The young man looked up, and upon recognizing the person before him, his eyes trembled slightly, and his breath involuntarily quickened.

Pale skin, sunken eye sockets, clad in a long robe with black base and red patterns, it was none other than Principal Belvedere.

"You..." the man mused for a moment, "Why are you here at this time?"

Belvedere's dark pupils seemed to want to engulf the young man, taking a step forward.

"Lancelot?"

"Principal, I..."

The young man's blood ran cold, as he strained his mind to think of an explanation, the man suddenly bent over to help him up, brushed the dust off his clothes, glanced at the scattered documents on the ground, and asked with concern:

"Is it related to the student council?"

"But I don't have time now, come to my office later,"

Belvedere said, slowly walking away. Even after the figure disappeared from view, the young man's mind remained blank. After collecting all the documents from the ground, he headed in a direction.

...

"Hey."

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, startling the young man back to reality, only to find a bright-eyed girl with a ponytail waving her hand in front of him, her face full of confusion.

"Huh, what's with you today, looking so jittery? Is this the student council president Lancelot I know?"

Unknowingly, he had walked to the corridor of the teaching building. The first morning class had ended, and many students passed by in the hallway, with light slanting in through the holes above, and the sound of the fountain outside echoing through.

The girl seemed to have just exercised, with sweat trickling down her cheeks, her jacket tied around her waist, and her ponytail accentuating her long neck. Her face was gentle, but her eyes were especially resolute and bright.

Tall and outstanding in temperament, the girl attracted eager glances wherever she went, causing a stir when she walked past him.

"It's the student council president and Lin Yaqing, they look like a good match~"

"I heard they're childhood sweethearts, wonder if it's true."

"Rich, talented, tall, handsome, and a pretty yet powerful girlfriend, tsk tsk, such an enviable life."

"Yaqing, why are you here?" Seeing the girl, Lancelot's tense nerves relaxed considerably, and he said warmly.

"Where have you been? You didn't respond to curtain messages, and just now you seemed lost, of course, I'm worried about you." The girl frowned.

"It's nothing. Let's go."

Lancelot took the girl's hand and quickly left the crowd with her, followed by another round of envious voices.

...

Inside the opera house.

"Are you really planning to leave, Tang Xin?"

A kindly woman held the blue-haired girl's hand, stroking it gently, her expression serious.

"The teaching resources at the Iris Foster Home aren't great. Getting into Starry Arts Academy must have been difficult, right? Perhaps you should reconsider."

"If you're facing any difficulties in life, you can talk to me. I'll try to find a way to help."

Feeling the woman's concerned gaze, Tang Xin seemed to avoid eye contact.

Yes, Star of Art has only Starry Arts Academy as a university. Each year, it admits only two hundred students with the best comprehensive scores from hundreds of foster homes, aiming to nurture top-tier artistic talent.

Less than ten people out of thousands can get into this academy, and the effort and sweat required are imaginable.

Tang Xin wasn't like others blessed with talent, always trailing in the opera program, and her overall scores weren't much better than her roommates'.

Despite this, Ms. Fandony was still so concerned about her.

"I've actually made up my mind..." Tang Xin mustered the courage.

"How about this, I'll arrange a long-term leave for you. Go ahead and bravely try whatever you wish to do. If it doesn't work out, you can always come back to me."

"You'll always be welcome here."

The woman's words caused Tang Xin's nose to tingle with emotion. Seeing the girl with red-rimmed eyes, Fandony smiled kindly, drawing the girl into an embrace and gently patting her back.

All the grievances and hardships surged up at this moment, and Tang Xin was moved to tears as she buried her head in the woman's embrace.

Xu Xiaoyou watched this touching scene from a distance, her lips twitching with emotion, reflecting that it seemed she had inadvertently lured someone away...

Suddenly, her gaze noticed a sneaky figure in the corner.

"Old man?" She raised an eyebrow.

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