After receiving Maine's response, Xie Sen decisively chose the anonymous "Details" option and typed his reply, vividly describing how Maine and Long Teng came to his aid, and how Rui Luo had taken advantage of the situation to injure Maine with a poisoned dagger.
After entering his reply, he wrote, "I've never met anyone so shameless and ungrateful as to repay kindness with enmity!"
He checked it once, made sure it was correct, and then had Maine review it before sending it without hesitation.
"The description is very detailed, it feels very credible!"
"'Details' are you an eyewitness? According to this description, there are only two teams, Maine's team and Ruiluo's team. Which one are you?"
"Ahhh, Maine is so cool, my heart is beating!"
Xie Sen paused while swiping the screen and turned to look at Maine. Maine's expression did not change, as if he didn't see anything. When he saw him looking at him, he raised his eyebrows: "What's wrong?"
Xie Sen pointed at this sentence and joked with a smile: "You are so charming."
Maine stared at him: "Do you think so too?"
His expression was very focused when he looked at people, and his eyes were very powerful. Xie Sen felt inexplicably flustered and laughed twice: "Of course, handsome and good at fighting, super charming!"
Maine chuckled and moved his eyes to the screen. Xie Sen quickly turned his head and swiped the screen to read the comments below.
"As far as I know, Ruiluo is the master of an A-rank contracted beast, and he is from the combat department, right? This kind of behavior is really a disgrace to the combat department."
"Our department will not accept this kind of trash. Those who fight side by side are brothers. We warriors will only bleed for our brothers, not let our brothers bleed!"
"Doesn't anyone find it strange? Ruiluo is a freshman, how can he participate in the graduation league?"
"This kind of thing is not uncommon. With the last name of Kes, he can still participate even if he wants to, even if he is a student in the kindergarten department."
"But considering how much he is spoiled, there is no reason for him to rush to participate in the competition!"
"The person above is too ignorant. Didn't you hear that Jinpai got a giant lion beast? Maine and Giant Lion Beast have a higher synchronization rate than Ruiluo, but Maine doesn't have enough money, so the head of the Kes family made an agreement that whoever ranks higher in the league will form a contract with Giant Lion Beast."
"Yes, I know about this. Ruiluo wanted to win, and he even spent money to buy people to set obstacles for Maine's team in the league, but now it seems that it's completely useless."
"Now that you say that, I'm more interested in the strength of Maine's team."
"No wonder Ruiluo wants to attack Maine. It turns out he wants to form a contract. Ruiluo's behavior is really despicable. He has been making small moves since the beginning. It's because he knows he can't beat Maine."
"They are both A-level contract beast masters. Ruiluo's growth environment is much better than Maine. Logically, he should be stronger than Maine. The Kes family spent so much energy, didn't they raise a waste!"
"If the Kes family doesn't count Maine, the next generation will be far behind the same powerful families. The Kes family is finished!"
"Suddenly excited, am I going to witness the decline of an ancient powerful family?"
"The person above thinks too much. At most, they will be suppressed by other families. They are much stronger than us ordinary people."
Xie Sen looked at Maine. Maine's expression did not change at all because of the comments. Instead, he nodded in agreement: "The comments are good."
The comments turned to the various powerful families for a while. Later, someone asked a question: "The champion is Maine's team. Ruiluo abstained. So is Maine going to become the youngest A-level contract beast bonder in Star City?" "
Oh, it sounds exciting. Strength and luck are both indispensable!"
"Big news! The Contracted Beast Information Center just released a message: the youngest A-rank Contracted Beast bondholder has appeared! It's Jay Aben."
"???"
A series of question marks were copied and pasted: "How is it related to the Aben family again? Is there another Giant Lionmon?"
"No, there's only been one from beginning to end."
"I don't understand the direction."
"Add one."
"Go to the Gold Medal official website for details." This reply was followed by a link. Xie Sen clicked it and was directly redirected to the Gold Medal website.
Gold Medal: "We hereby solemnly declare that from now on we will no longer do business with Ruiluo Kes. The specific reasons are as follows."
Below was a long explanation, detailing what happened after Giant Lionmon came to Gold Medal, especially focusing on Ruiluo's return to Star City after resigning, his return to Gold Medal after detoxifying himself, and his forced contract with Giant Lionmon.
"Contracted beasts are our friends and lifelong fighting partners. I strongly condemn those who use means that harm contracted beasts to form contracts. Anyone who harms contracted beasts, the door of Gold Medal will never be opened to you." "
In addition, our company will seek compensation through legal means for the losses caused by Ruiluo Cos."
"I would like to clarify that Maine Cos himself voluntarily gave up the right to form a contract. Our company has contacted the next qualified beast owner, Jay Yaben, in accordance with the procedures. Congratulations on his successful contract."
This official statement quickly received a lot of comments. The top comment was from Jay: "I believe that every contracted beast owner wants to have his own contracted beast. I feel heartbroken for Maine's situation and deeply grateful for Gold Medal's help. Thank you!"
"Gold Medal is awesome and domineering!"
"Riluo simply refreshed my understanding of males. He is incompetent, stingy, scheming, and has vicious means. It's really scary."
There were many replies to this comment: "Don't talk nonsense, we males are not like that!"
"Who the hell is he? He can't represent us males!"
The comments generally fell into three main streams: one praising Jinpai for his daring to stand up to the powerful, one cursing Rui Luo with all sorts of contempt, and the other sympathizing with Maine and praising him.
Xie Sen was both delighted and surprised. He knew the Kes family was very powerful, and it seemed that freedom of expression was still quite common on Brandt Star.
Suddenly, a comment jumped to the top: "Dean Mu has spoken on behalf of the Contracted Beast Research Institute!"
Xie Sen clicked the Dean Mu icon following the comment, which redirected him to the Contracted Beast Research Institute's official website. The top post was from a minute ago.
"I, Mu Lin, am speaking on behalf of the Institute. An investigation has revealed that Rui Luo Kess used unconventional means to coerce high-level contracted beasts into forming bonds, causing the beasts to backfire and go mad, resulting in injuries to four top-tier staff members. These circumstances are egregious. As the representative of the contracted beasts, the Institute will be taking legal action against Rui Luo Kess. We urge all beast owners to protect their contracted beasts. Otherwise, the Institute will not let you off the hook!"
"Only after seeing the last sentence did I believe this was Dean Mu's statement."
"One plus! Dean Mu is so cool, protecting contracted beasts!"
Xie Sen silently praised Mu Lin and also praised all the replies criticizing Rui Luo.
A soft laugh echoed from the side, and Xie Sen's ears flushed slightly. He paused his liking gesture, closed his bracelet, and gloated, "Serves him right! He got a terrible scolding this time."
A cold flash crossed Maine's eyes, and he rubbed the top of his head. "Cheer up! He should still be lying in his hospital bed right now."
As Maine had said, the damage from the backlash of a contracted beast is immense, especially when the one being contracted is an A-rank contracted beast!
Rui Luo lay on a large, exquisite bed, surrounded by a number of medical instruments and four doctors standing beside it.
His face was pale, his hair was wet with sweat, and he kept screaming in pain with his eyes tightly closed.
"He's in so much pain, don't you see?! Don't let him feel any more pain!" A delicate-looking man stood to the left of the bed, his blond, medium-length hair in disarray and a look of distress on his face. He shouted at the doctor.
"I'm sorry, his brain is irritated. We can't use medication. We can only do our best to help him recover."
Even the giant lion beast was driven mad by the backlash, so what about a human?
"Hurry up!" the man urged.
"Soria, calm down," Michael Kes walked in from outside and said with a dark face, "They are all famous doctors in Star City, more professional than you, what's the point of you yelling? I told you to educate him well and not let him do whatever he wants, otherwise this would not happen!"
"Michael!" Soria's voice suddenly rose, and the word "Michael" was broken, "What else can you do besides blaming me? If you couldn't control yourself and had that illegitimate child, how could Rui Luo be like this?"
Michael's face became darker: "Don't bring everything up with this matter, this matter has nothing to do with Maine."
"How can it be unrelated? If it weren't for him, Rui Luo wouldn't need to participate in the league, he could directly form a contract!"
Michael asked in a deep voice: "Then what? You have no skills, you only know some crooked ways, and you get backlashed?"
Soria's chest heaved violently because of him, and he sneered: "Why, is it because the illegitimate child won the championship and looks down on Rui Luo?" He raised his voice, "Are you deliberately finding fault with Rui Luo, and want to take the opportunity to take the illegitimate child back?"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Meier snarled in a low voice. "Why should I look for his faults? Look online for yourself. If you keep pampering Rui Luo and letting him do whatever he wants, he'll eventually be ruined!"
Just then, there was a knock on the door, and the butler entered. "Lieutenant General, Madam, the investigation team is here. The Admiral wants you to go to the living room."
"What case?" Soria was stunned.
Meier glanced at him, his face tense as he walked out the door. When he reached the butler, he asked, "When did father get back?"
"Just now," the butler replied, "arrived with the investigation team."
Meier turned and called to Soria. "Leave Rui Luo to the doctor. You and I will go see father."
Soria glanced at Rui Luo with concern and left the bedroom.
When they reached the living room, Hanzheng Kes, the current head of the Kes family, was sitting on the main sofa. Three members of the investigation team were escorted out by servants.
Han Zheng's face was serious, and he looked at Meyer with sharp eyes: "What a good son you raised! Even the investigation team came to the door, you're really great!"
Soria couldn't help asking: "What happened?"
Han Zheng glanced at him, his tone was not as harsh as to Meyer, and he didn't have any emotion: "You will know if you check it out online."
Soria opened his personal terminal and saw that almost the entire network was scolding Rui Luo. His face became more and more ugly. He said angrily: "They are so bold that they dare to scold Rui Luo. I will ban them all!"
Meyer turned his head and glared at him. Han Zheng curled his lips: "Is this your reaction?"
"Lawless, audacious..." Han Zheng said word by word in a deep voice, looking at Soria and Meyer coldly, "You are the ones who spoiled him."
He stood up: "You are not allowed to interfere in this matter. Rui Luo will be punished according to how the court sentences him."
"How can this be!" Soria said anxiously, "Rui Luo has not woken up yet."
"Why didn't you consider the possibility of failure when you were doing this?" Han Zheng said sternly. "This time, he's damaged the reputation of the Kes family. We're not using family discipline out of consideration for his injury."
He walked towards the study, took two steps, and then stopped. "Don't interfere with the online comments. I'll have someone suppress them. I'll have Maine attend Ruiluo's sixteenth birthday party on the fifteenth. You must teach Ruiluo to behave well in front of him. Only then will the rumors be refuted."
Neither Meier nor Soria dared to refute him. After he entered the study, Soria grabbed Meier's arm. "You really don't care about Ruiluo?"
Meier said, "He's almost sixteen. He needs to learn to pay the price for his mistakes." He warned, "Don't do anything. Father will be angry."
With that, he left the Kes mansion.
Soria glared at him as he left and turned to Ruiluo's room.
In the study, Han Zheng sat on the armchair and ordered, "Let Sokto come."
Soon, a tall man in military uniform was brought to the study by the butler. The man was very handsome and looked a bit like Soria. He saluted Han Zheng and said, "General."
Han Zheng pointed to the seat opposite and said, "Sit down, private matter."
Sokto's jaw tightened unconsciously and he sat down on the stool.
Han Zheng stared at him: "In the beginning, it was you who brought Maine back personally, right?"
"Yes."
Han Zheng said: "Then Ruiluo was born. I didn't like him and was worried that there would be a gap between the two brothers, so I let him go out to live alone. He trusts you very much, so I am very relieved to give you the task of surveillance." Han
Zheng looked at him sarcastically: "Your reply was that he was mediocre in ability, and he was still able to win the league championship despite Ruiluo's disruption. Is this the answer you gave me?" He suddenly emphasized his tone, "What a mediocre ability!"
A layer of sweat broke out on Sokto's forehead: "Admiral, it was my negligence."
"This is not negligence, it was deliberate non-reporting!" Han Zheng said in a deep voice, "You installed a positioning tracker on him. Don't you know that he started going out of the city alone to hunt three years ago?"
The sweat on Sokto's head flowed down and slid to the corners of his eyes. He blinked and didn't dare to reach out to wipe it.
Han Zheng slammed the table: "You are afraid that I will know that he is capable and value him while looking down on Ruiluo, so you deliberately concealed it, right?"
"You have been in the army for so many years, but you are as short-sighted as your brother. Haven't you thought about that with Ruiluo's ability, even if the Kes family is handed over to him in the future, will he be able to resist?"
Sokto didn't dare to say a word.
Han Zheng slowed down his tone: "It may be too late to repair the relationship now, but we must try. This time Ruiluo has damaged the reputation of the Kes family. Many things are related to Maine, and we must find an opportunity to restore its reputation. You contact him and make sure he attends Ruiluo's birthday party."
Sokto said: "He knows that I installed a positioning tracker on him, and he may not listen to me."
"You will find a way." Han Zheng said, waving his hand, motioning him to go out.
Xie Sen and Maine went online together to read negative news about Rui Luo. It was almost half past five when Xie Sen stood up. "I'm going to cook. You should have two more potatoes in your backpack. Did you take them out?"
"I put them in the fridge," Maine replied, puzzled. "Are those potatoes too? They seem much larger than the limited-edition ones."
Xie Sen nodded vaguely. "I just ordered them because they tasted pretty good."
Maine glanced at him, smiled, and followed him into the kitchen. "I'll take care of the meat." Just as he finished speaking, his phone rang.
It rang several times but he didn't answer. Xie Sen turned to look at him, his gaze meeting his own. He was puzzled. "Why aren't you picking up?"
Maine lowered his eyes. "I'll go out and answer it."
Hadn't he already considered the worst-case scenario? Even if it turned out the same, there was nothing to be afraid of. He still had his own!
He glanced at Xie Sen and left the kitchen.
Not long after, he reentered the kitchen and said to Xie Sen, "Don't make dinner. I'm going out for a bit."
Xie Sen couldn't help but be curious. This was Maine's first time leaving on short notice. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I'm going to meet someone."
Xie Sen's curiosity only deepened. Didn't Maine have any friends?
"Who?"
"My uncle," Maine asked.
Xie Sen, remembering that the man had placed a tracker on Maine without Maine's knowledge and had given his location to Rui Luo, had a negative impression of him. "Is there any danger?" "
No, I'll be back soon."
After Maine left, Xie Sen tried to recall the plot of the book, trying to find any references to Maine's uncle.
But aside from the characterizations of the protagonist and antagonist, the fragments of the protagonist's leveling process, and the description of Star City being invaded by alien beasts, he could barely recall the specific plot.
He silently sighed, "What a terrible memory!"
Maine walked into a luxuriously decorated restaurant and was led to a private room by a waiter. As he entered, Sokto, who was sitting, immediately stood up and looked at him with concern.
Maine slightly avoided his gaze and sat down.
Sokto said with relief, "I'm so glad you're okay. Seeing your location hasn't changed since last night, I was so worried. If it weren't for the urgent mission, I would have flown to Yuzhu Island to see you in person."
His expression and tone were sincere, his concern for the younger generation's elders etched in his heart.
Maine's expression shifted slightly. "So, you don't deny that you put the tracking device on me?"
Sokto gave an awkward smile. "I'm sorry, but you know, I can't help but worry about you. You live alone, and I was afraid you'd be in danger, so I resorted to this stupid trick."
Maine's cold attitude softened slightly, and after a moment's silence, he asked, "Why did you give your location to Ruiluo?"
"What?" Sokto looked at him in surprise. "Why would I give it to him?"
Maine stared at him in silence, his face grim. "That Ruiluo guy, I was wondering why he was so nice that day, asking about you, and then he said he wanted to see your photo and flipped through my bracelet!"
"He didn't do anything to you, did he?" Sokto asked with concern.
"I'm fine," Maine said calmly.
Sokto sighed and spread his hands. "No wonder you were so cold today. I'm sorry for my behavior, but God knows, I just wanted to make sure you were safe."
He paused, a look of sadness on his face. "I consider you my nephew, and I like you even more than Rilo. Your suspicion really hurts me."
Main pursed his lips. "I know you were disappointed when you installed the tracking device on me."
Sokto leaned forward and stared at him. "Son, I was only concerned about your safety. If I wanted to hurt you, I wouldn't have kept it a secret that you were illegally leaving the city."
"You know, Rilo and his father have always wanted to find something to hold against you. If I told them, they would definitely find a way to escalate the matter and send you to prison."
Main moved his fingers, his tone softening. "Thank you."
It was precisely because of this doubt that he had been willing to come out to Sokto. Hearing the answer he had hoped for but dared not even think about, he had to admit that he was happy.
The rest of the meal was lively. Sokto was a great conversationalist, and Main only needed to listen and nod occasionally, and he alone could liven up the atmosphere.
After dinner, the two said their goodbyes. Main returned home and received a message from Sokto: "Oh, you didn't tell me you won the league championship! I should have bought you a gift. Next time you have something to celebrate, be sure to tell me."
A smile flickered in Main's eyes. He glanced at Xie Sen, who was sitting on the sofa browsing the internet, and replied, "Okay."
Xie Sen was surprised by Main's relaxed demeanor. He had assumed that, even if he didn't fight, he and the uncle who was monitoring him would at least part ways on bad terms.
"What good news?" Xie Sen asked.
Main smiled and recounted the meeting. His tone was light and cheerful, his good mood evident. He finished, saying, "I misunderstood my uncle and assumed too much."
Xie Sen was happy for him. He knew Main didn't care about many people, and each one held a great deal of importance in his heart.
However, he remained somewhat concerned. Even though Sokto's reasons were sound, it still seemed unreliable that a military officer could so easily allow Rui Luo to copy his location from his wristband.
Perhaps it was because he was caught off guard, and while Rui Luo's combat abilities were weak, he was still quite capable in other areas.
Seeing Maine happy, Xie Sen smiled and tried to think positively.
After all, Maine was no longer tracked. The two chatted for a while before returning to their rooms. Xie Sen summoned a chili tree and a potato for training. Two hours later, he washed up and went to bed.
The next day, they both went out together: Maine went hunting, and Xie Sen went to the office.
After two days of settling in, Xie Sen's colleagues rarely teased him and Maine, and Xie Sen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
He was becoming increasingly familiar with the work at the gold medal and had good relationships with his colleagues. He became known as a helpful person in the maintenance department, always willing to help out whenever he was free.
Around ten o'clock in the morning, Xie Sen received a congratulatory text from the school, noting that, considering the graduates were still in their internship period, the awards ceremony would be held the following day, Saturday morning.
So there was still an awards ceremony, Xie Sen sighed to himself. He turned off his wristband and decided to go back that evening to ask Maine for details.
Several couples won gold medals that day, and Xie Sen's energy acquisition rate increased significantly. He collected nearly thirty energy points throughout the day.
He returned home in a good mood. Over dinner, he asked Maine about the awards ceremony details: "How long will it take? I can ask for leave."
He had already used his weekend off for the competition.
"It'll be over in the morning," Maine frowned, looking at him worriedly. "After the awards ceremony, there will be a competition. You can admit defeat, but you can't refuse."
Xie Sen, holding the championship trophy, stood on the makeshift podium—the competition platform. He listened to the school leader explain the rules Maine had explained to him last night, and silently curled his lips.
After saying "you can't refuse," the leader continued, "The league champion represents the highest level of this graduating class. Students who want to challenge, seize the opportunity! Go to the competition section of the school forum and click to register. In one minute, a student will be randomly selected to take the stage."
After this, the leader handed the microphone to the host.
Xie Sen glanced at the audience below the competition platform. Almost everyone had their wristbands activated.
Long Teng was ecstatic. His trophy had already been placed in his space backpack, and he waved his empty hands: "Pick me, pick me!"
Bai Jiao, arms folded across his chest, leaned leisurely against the sparring arena fence: "No male would challenge a female, so I definitely don't have to play. Go for it, everyone."
Maine reached out to Xie Sen: "I'll hold the trophy for you."
Xie Sen handed the trophy over, Maine took it, and the next moment it disappeared from his hands.
Xie Sen helplessly spread his hands at Bai Jiao: "I have a bad feeling. You and I are probably at opposite ends of the spectrum. Long Teng and Maine are so popular, there won't be many who dare to challenge them."
Bai Jiao looked at Maine. "Not necessarily. Maine's been trending online lately. If you want to become famous, challenging him is the best option."
Maine said, "If you don't want to fight, just admit defeat. It's fine."
Xie Sen looked at his system's energy bar, which was over forty, and the four unused potatoes he'd exchanged for, and smiled, shaking his head. "I'll give it a try."
He trained daily, but had no real combat experience. This was a good opportunity to give it a try. Besides, he didn't want to be called a loser, relying on his teammates to win the championship.
As he spoke, the first challenger chosen took the sparring stage. A tall, dark-skinned boy, he boomed, "I want to challenge Xie Sen!"
The host asked, "Can you tell me why?"
"I'm curious about his abilities. I want to know if he won the championship on his own merit."
The host invited Xie Sen to the center of the sparring stage, and he stepped aside.
The dark-skinned boy made a preparatory move, "Please," and rushed toward Xie Sen.
Xie Sen quickly summoned his potatoes and took a few steps back. The dark-skinned boy barely took two steps when two potatoes struck his knees. He flung himself forward, twisting his body to steady himself. Halfway through the twist
, his forehead facing upward, a potato plummeted from the sky, striking him in the face. He cried out in pain and fell flat on his back, a large bump forming on his forehead.
He clutched his forehead and shook his head, his vision swollen and dazed. He was stunned for a moment.
Startled, Xie Sen summoned the potatoes, quickly crouching down and asking, "Are you okay?"
A single potato wasn't heavy, but the higher it fell, the greater the force. Xie Sen knew this, which was why he used this attack.
However, he wasn't sure how high a person could withstand the force of a falling potato, so he didn't let it reach too high.
But it seemed a bit high.
"No, it's fine." The dark-skinned man shook his head. Xie Sen reached out to help him, but he pushed Xie Sen away and began to dry heave.
Xie Sen quickly called the school doctor on standby. After examining him, the doctor calmly said, "It's fine, a concussion. Just rest for a few days."
The audience erupted in astonishment at this conclusion.
"What happened? He clearly didn't move!"
"He looks completely bewildered. I've seen him play twice and I have no idea."
"Did his mimic just imitate another plant? Can anyone identify it?"
"Can someone from the plant department explain?"
"Huh? You'd even ask a plant department at a time like this?" the man scoffed, then jumped up and shouted, "Xie Sen is awesome!"
Long Teng also leaped up on the stage, shouting, "That's amazing!"
The dark-skinned man was carried off by the school doctor, and Xie Sen returned to the preparation area where Maine and the others were standing.
Long Teng put his arm around his shoulders, his eyes gleaming with a startling light. "Your contracted beast is amazing! Want to fight me?" he asked, shaking Xie Sen's shoulders.
Xie Sen shook his head, flatly refusing, "No."
Before he understood the damage caused by different heights, he hesitated to use his previous move against Long Teng, fearing an accident. Without that move, his current offensive power wasn't enough, making him a potential match for Long Teng.
Long Teng pouted, and Maine reached out and pulled him off Xie Sen. "I'll fight you sometime."
"Really?" Long Teng looked at him in surprise.
Maine nodded. After his second awakening, his physique had undergone subtle changes, and he needed someone to practice with.
Long Teng smiled brightly, "I'm moving in with Grandpa for a while, so I can fight you every day."
At this moment, the second challenger was chosen, challenging Maine.
Maine glanced at the man, stepped into the middle, and in less than two minutes, the fight was over.
"Oh my god, that was too fast! I didn't even see his moves clearly."
"I'm convinced. Both fights were over within three minutes. No wonder their team won the championship."
Afterwards, a dozen more challengers were chosen, and Xie Sen's team won them all beautifully. However, there was a minor problem in Xie Sen's last fight.
Xie Sen lowered the height of the potato he was throwing at the opponent. When it hit his opponent's head, the man cried out in pain, but he didn't fall to the ground. Instead, he reacted extremely quickly and grabbed the potato that had hit his head and pulled it off by the roots.
Xie Sen felt a sudden pain in his flesh, and raised the height of the potato to hit him again. The man looked at the potato in his hand stupidly, didn't dodge, and was hit so hard that he saw stars and fell to the ground, still clutching the potato tightly.
Xie Sen quickly ran over: "Give it back to me!"
"No!" The man stuffed the potato into his clothes, one hand covering his chest and the other covering his head, and shouted to the school nurse, "Hurry, take me to the infirmary."
Xie Sen watched speechlessly as the man was carried away. Back in the lounge, Long Teng grabbed his arm, his eyes sparkling, and said, "That's how the wall turned, right?"
Bai Jiao held his forehead in his hand. "You've seen so many shows, and you only know now?"
Although the potatoes were different in size, the leaves and roots connecting them were the same.
"Wow! What a loss!" Long Teng rolled up his sleeves. "That guy just took one, I'm going to get it back."
Xie Sen grabbed him with amusement, "Don't go."
Maine's eyes were filled with worry. "Is this okay?"
Xie Sen shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Unless I keep quiet, someone will find out. Besides, my contracted beast is a mimic, and camouflaging plants is my specialty."
The man had held the potato with a look of shock, but he didn't cry out. Instead, he hid it, obviously not going to advertise it.
But his attitude gave Xie Sen a bad feeling.
Xie Sen's premonition was correct. After the awards ceremony, the four members of the team had lunch together. He returned to the company for a break before heading back to work. After work, he encountered the man who had taken the potatoes in the parking lot again.
The man was tall and strong, and his eyes lit up at the sight of Xie Sen. "Go ahead and hit me!"
Xie Sen's mouth twitched, and he stepped around him. The man stopped him again, "How about a sparring match?"
"No fight, no sparring match! If you keep pestering me, I'll call security!" Xie Sen warned.
The man watched him leave, aggrieved.
Xie Sen returned to his apartment and received an invitation from Jie. He was hosting a bond-bonding ceremony the following night and had invited him to attend.
After reading the message, Xie Sen, with a troubled look on his face, flipped open his notebook. There were scores of names written there, all ideas he had thought of for Giant Lion Beast before bed or during his free time at work, but he never felt they were good enough.
He remained in deep thought until Maine returned. Maine was curious: "What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about what to name the giant lion beast." He held up his chin. "Tuan Tuan? Maomao? Very cute, but it doesn't seem to have much momentum."
Maine smiled and thought for a moment: "He has golden mane and he's in the gold medal. Why not have a surname of Jin?"
Xie Sen's eyes lit up: "That's good. His nickname is Jinzi, and his full name is - Jin Yao?"
"Yao, sunny and healthy," Maine said with a smile. "Not bad."
Xie Sen happily typed the name down and sent it to Jie, who quickly replied, "Thank you. It and I both like it. Please be sure to attend the party tomorrow night."
"By the way, Jie also invited me to the engagement party tomorrow night. Are you going?" he asked, tilting his head.
Maine said, "I'll go if you do."
Xie Sen replied, "I will. Jin Yao is my friend, and this is his day, so I have to go."
The two decided to attend the party. After dinner, they rented two suits online. It was Xie Sen's idea to rent them; they didn't wear them regularly, and buying them wouldn't be worth it.
The next day, after work, Xie Sen returned to the apartment to shower and change into suits. Maine also returned earlier than usual, and the two arrived at the Yaben family residence on time before seven o'clock.
They both wore blue suits, the same style, Xie Sen's in light blue and Maine's in peacock blue. Standing together, they were particularly eye-catching.
Jie, dressed in a sharp black suit, greeted the guests. Seeing them, he smiled. "Welcome! Jin Yao is in the backyard. You can go see him."
Xie Sen, knowing he was busy, said nothing and followed the servant to the backyard. On the way, after Maine explained, Xie Sen learned that if a contracted beast was injured, staying in a space wouldn't help it recover.
He smiled, "Jie's quite considerate."
Maine looked at him and said gently, "You can rest assured."
Xie Sen nodded. Jin Yao gave him the right to choose the beast's master. He had always been uneasy, worried that Jin Yao wouldn't be doing well. Now, he was grateful that Jie was such a good beast's master.
The Yaben family mansion was vast, like a castle. The backyard was a vast green lawn. Jin Yao lay in the middle, wagging his tail lazily. Many guests were watching him, their voices full of envy.
"Jie is so lucky! Jin Yao is absolutely perfect."
"Yes, what a powerful body! What strong muscles! Look, no one dares approach it. I really want a contracted beast like that."
"Don't dream! Jie is just lucky too. The internal strife in the Kes family has benefited him. Alas, it's a pity that Jin Yao hasn't recovered yet and is repelling anyone who comes near, otherwise I really want to pet it."
Xie Sen's eyes lit up when he saw Jin Yao, and without a second thought, he ran towards the center of the lawn.
The servants guarding the backyard were extremely worried. Ever since the guests arrived at six o'clock, some had tried to get close to Jin Yao, despite their warnings. Three guests had already been frightened and cried, and one had been scratched.
"Don't go! It's dangerous!" The nearest servant shouted at Xie Sen's actions. "
Oh no! I'll have to trouble Master Yaben to come and rescue them again!"
He raised his hand, about to contact the servants in the front yard to pass on the message, but he was stunned by the scene in the lawn.
The expected roar was gone, and there was no pounce.
Jin Yao, who was known for his ferocity towards everyone except his master, now wagged his tail even more merrily. He lowered his head, allowing the approaching person to rub him, occasionally tilting his head to rub against him.
"Who is he?" many people wondered.
The servants were also puzzled. Someone who had been to Jin Pai recognized him: "He's Jin Pai's caregiver."
"No wonder!"
Xie Sen, oblivious to the discussion, stood on tiptoe to examine the wound on Jin Yao's forehead, noticing it had already scarred. He smiled and stroked his chin: "Excellent! It'll heal soon." Jin Yao rubbed his hand.
Not long after, Jie arrived. He smiled and rubbed Jin Yao's neck: "I have to take him out to meet the guests. You two should go to the front to watch the ceremony!"
Xie Sen and Maine followed Jie to the front yard. As they were walking, Xie Sen noticed Maine's steps stiffen slightly. Following Maine's gaze, he saw Meier standing not far away, accompanied by a delicate-looking man.
He pulled Maine's arm and said, "We'll leave after the ceremony."
Maine looked down at him and said, "It's okay."
The two of them found an empty place to stand. Xie Sen looked around and suddenly felt that this The setting resembled a wedding, with a wide carpet in the center, a platform for taking vows at the front, and guests standing on either side.
Except the carpet was gold instead of red, and several times wider than the one used for weddings, it was practically identical to the wedding setting.
He felt strangely embarrassed and touched, as this demonstrated the significance and sacredness of forming a bond.
"Did you see that? Only the Lieutenant General and his wife from the Kes family came to watch the ceremony. Young Master Ruiluo didn't come!"
"You are so uninformed. Ruiluo was sued by Dean Mu. After a thorough investigation, he was put in a detention center for hurting his contracted beast."
"Dean Mu is really a ruthless person, but I remember Ruiluo is not yet sixteen years old. With the ability of the Kes family, how could he be locked up?"
"The Kes family did not take any action. I heard that it was Admiral Kes who gave the order to deal with it fairly."
"Tsk, it's said to be fair, but who would dare to really do that? It's just three days in prison."
"Not bad. I heard that Ruiluo was attacked by the backlash and was captured before his illness was cured."
"In that case, the giant lion beast he forced was Jie's contracted beast. It is said that the contracted beast has not fully recovered. Even if he was not locked up, he would not have the face to come to watch the ceremony!"
Xie Sen listened to the whispered discussions around him, thinking that gossip was everywhere. Knowing that Ruiluo was locked up with injuries, he couldn't help but curled up the corners of his mouth.
As the music started, Jie and Jin Yao walked side by side from the entrance. There were many whispers around, all praising Jin Yao, which made Xie Sen very happy.
Jie walked to the swearing-in platform and formally announced to the guests: "My contracted beast - Jin Yao."
Jin Yao raised his head, opened his mouth and roared loudly. The roar was deafening, with a strong murderous aura, and a powerful momentum came over him.
The viewing hall was silent for a moment, and then there were voices calling Jin Yao one after another.
Xie Sen looked at Jin Yao and suddenly felt a strong emotion. This emotion had not dissipated when he returned to the apartment.
Maine put his hand on his shoulder: "You have to watch my contract ceremony too."
Xie Sen smiled: "Of course!"
Two days later, Xie Sen returned to the apartment after work and was surprised to find that Maine had returned earlier than him and was sitting on the sofa with a frown.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Maine whispered: "My uncle asked me to go to Kes Mansion tomorrow to attend Rui Luo's sixteenth birthday party."