Rivals Meet

Shen Hanqiu pulled an invitation letter from his pocket. "This is from Xu Yuan. He asked me to deliver it to you."

Hearing that name, Da Qiao's gaze instantly shifted, and her look toward Shen Hanqiu grew more intrigued. "How is his recovery?"

Shen Hanqiu smiled and took a tentative step closer. Seeing that Da Qiao no longer showed rejection, he strode forward. "This isn't a convenient place to talk. Would you mind stepping into my office for a moment?"

Da Qiao accepted the invitation and opened it. It turned out to be a social gala between Sentinels and Guides, scheduled for a week from now.

The eyes of the surrounding people were more or less drawn to them. Some stole secret glances, some stared openly, and some even took photos.

The murmurs and whispers reached Da Qiao's ears. As long as she wished to listen, she could hear every single sentence with absolute clarity.

"Tsk, I've never seen the Director like this. Could she be his Guide?"

"No way. According to the registration info just now, this Guide only has C-rank spiritual power, while our Director is a peak S-rank Sentinel. How could she perform mental cleansing on him?"

"Could it be the legendary perfect match? A perfect Sentinel-Guide pairing regardless of spiritual power ranks?"

"Heavens! The Director is truly blessed! A perfect match! There's only one in a lifetime, born to save each other!"

Listening to the crowd, Da Qiao finally understood the situation. She helplessly pressed her hand to her forehead, murmuring, "I told you, using spiritual energy to replace spiritual power for mental cleansing is a bad idea..."

"Hmm? What did you say? I didn't hear clearly." Shen Hanqiu only saw Da Qiao's lips move but couldn't make out the words. He instinctively stepped closer, only to be suddenly blocked by an arm.

It was Ling Feng, who had appeared out of nowhere.

This A-rank Sentinel looked furious, shielding Da Qiao like a mother hen protecting her chick, strictly pushing away the hovering eagle.

Ling Feng glared angrily. "As the Director of the Bureau of Order, to bully a Guide right in front of everyone like this—you are going too far!"

Shen Hanqiu, accused of bullying before he could even do anything: ???

Da Qiao, suddenly turned into a victim: "..."

Shen Hanqiu glanced at the clothes Da Qiao was wearing, realizing they were men's clothes, and oversized at that. Previously, he had assumed she just liked this style, but looking at it now, it seemed to belong to Ling Feng.

Why was Da Qiao wearing Ling Feng's clothes?

What on earth had happened between them?

Shen Hanqiu's gaze darkened by several degrees. "Every Sentinel has the right to pursue a Guide."

Ling Feng pulled Da Qiao behind his back. "Can't you see she doesn't want to?"

Shen Hanqiu's gaze looked ready to devour Ling Feng alive. "She is my perfect Guide."

He placed special emphasis on the words "my," gritting his teeth as he spat out each word to declare his ownership.

Shen Hanqiu's obsession with Guides had reached its peak.

Because his 2S-rank spiritual power was too powerful, very few Guides could perform mental cleansing on him perfectly.

Even S-rank Guides could not lower his Riot Index.

Gradually, no Guides wanted to try cleansing him anymore.

Even if someone was willing, once they learned his spiritual power was 2S-rank, they would withdraw in fear.

He had no choice but to alter his profile, lowering his spiritual power to S-rank, hoping more S-rank Guides would dare to try.

But... still, no one dared.

He can only watch helplessly as his Riot Index rose day by day, awaiting his death.

Until one day, amidst a swarm of contaminated creatures, he saw that vibrant splash of color.

That was his salvation.

Shen Hanqiu took a step forward, lowering his voice to Ling Feng. "Even if you are her Sentinel, standing in front to block other Sentinels from approaching is against regulations."

Pausing, Shen Hanqiu continued in a sharp tone, "Moreover, you aren't even her Sentinel, so you have even less right to stop me from pursuing her."

Ling Feng was choked up, freezing in place. "...You!"

Suddenly, his collar was grabbed. Before Ling Feng could react, he was pulled backward.

The tense war of words was cut short by the Guide.

Da Qiao's voice was casual. "That's enough. Making such a scene only makes you a laughingstock."

[Humiliation points +100!