Chapter 197 - 152 Announce Publicly

Chapter 197: Chapter 152 Announce Publicly"You’re not joking, right?" Zhao Manying still couldn’t believe it. Going from an ordinary person to defeating the number one on the ladder in a year and a half, such a rate of improvement in strength, even though she had seen many top geniuses and was an unparalleled human prodigy herself, she still found it to be an incredible tale. "See for yourself." Ji Xinghuo opened his phone, logged into the official website of the Star Realm Department, and opened his data card. It clearly stated that he had passed the physical fitness test on July 1, 2223, and merged with his first Alien Species. Zhao Manying remembered this date very well. It was on this day that she successfully implanted the Star Gland and ascended to being a Super Mutant. "It’s actually true!" Zhao Manying couldn’t help but be dazed, then asked, "So what rank are you now?" "Advanced Mutant." Ji Xinghuo replied. Even though she had guessed it, hearing Ji Xinghuo say it himself still made it feel unbelievable. There were quite a few Advanced Mutants worldwide who could climb the ladder, but an Advanced Mutant like Ji Xinghuo who could defeat the number one on the ladder was just too exaggerated. Zhao Manying was speechless for a long time. She had just called her own brother "mediocre in talent," but compared with Ji Xinghuo, it turned out she was the one with the mediocre talent. "It’s over!" Zhao Manying suddenly looked dejected. Ji Xinghuo didn’t understand, "What’s wrong?" "You’re only an Advanced Mutant now. By the time you ascend to a Super Mutant and merge with even more Alien Species, your strength will definitely be much stronger than it is now, and then I’ll be even less of a match for you." Zhao Manying was usually very confident, but now there was a hint of discouragement in her eyes, "I’ll never be able to overcome my Heart Demon." "Don’t belittle yourself like this." Ji Xinghuo consoled, "I just started late, so my strength increased quickly in the beginning. It won’t always stay this way." Zhao Manying stared at him without speaking, her expression complex. Ji Xinghuo started to feel a bit anxious. The so-called Heart Demon was actually a psychological factor. If she lost confidence in herself, not only would she perform poorly against her Heart Demon, but she would also be hindered against any opponent. "You are a Sword Immortal, a peerless prodigy who appears once every century. How could you be defeated so easily?" Ji Xinghuo hurriedly added, "Whenever you want, you can challenge me. One day you’ll break through your Heart Demon." He was already considering how to take a dive and get defeated without letting Zhao Manying notice. "Really?" Zhao Manying showed hope in her eyes. "Really!" Ji Xinghuo replied decisively. "Pfft! Hahaha..." Zhao Manying suddenly burst into laughter, her laughter so hearty that it was obvious she had been holding back for a long time. Ji Xinghuo’s expression turned to astonishment, then he realized he had been tricked. "You are very strong, the most talented person I have seen, but I’m not weak either. My confidence isn’t so easily shattered." Zhao Manying’s face regained its brightness as she spoke with a smile, "But I’m glad to know that you care so much about me." Ji Xinghuo shook his head helplessly, truly experiencing how unpredictable a woman’s mind can be. He recalled a maxim: the prettier the woman, the better they are at deceiving. "Are you mad?" Zhao Manying leaned forward to ask. "No problem." Ji Xinghuo replied nonchalantly. Zhao Manying’s smile faded. Noticing Ji Xinghuo’s mood wasn’t high, she shifted her gaze and stood up, walking around from the opposite side of the table to sit beside Ji Xinghuo. "I apologize to you." Zhao Manying curled her arm around his, leaned her upper body closer, looked up, and said, "Can you forgive me and not be mad, please?" A faint fragrance entered his nose, and Ji Xinghuo felt her soft body next to him and saw her beautiful face up close, which quickened his heartbeat. He nodded slightly: "I wasn’t mad to begin with." Their eyes locked, the gaze intense. Time seemed to stop. This was Zhao Manying’s first time observing a man so closely. She suddenly felt shy, but the palpitations in her heart urged her to maintain eye contact with Ji Xinghuo without looking away; their faces drew closer. At that moment, Ji Xinghuo certainly wouldn’t hesitate. "Mm..." It started with a gentle touch, very awkward at first, but quickly grew passionate. After a while. Ji Xinghuo and Zhao Manying finally parted, leaving a few strings of glisten. Her face was bright red. She grabbed Ji Xinghuo’s hand that was exploring around her waist and slightly reproached, "Don’t push your luck." "I can’t help it, my hand has a mind of its own." Ji Xinghuo said with a smile, but he still kept his hand on her waist, not going any further. seaʀᴄh thё NôᴠelFirё.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. Zhao Manying sighed in relief. She sat a bit away and asked, "Was that your first kiss too?" Ji Xinghuo nodded. "Oh no, I should have recorded it. Even if we break up later, I could still reminisce." Zhao Manying felt a sweetness in her heart but also regretted not capturing the moment. "What’s there to reminisce about? It’s all barbecue flavor." Ji Xinghuo smacked his lips, thinking that if they did break up and look back, it might only feel nauseating. Zhao Manying gave him a sideways glance, "You really don’t know how to be romantic." She then took out her phone, used kinetic energy to make the phone hover, leaned close to Ji Xinghuo’s shoulder, and both of them looked at the camera, shared a sweet smile, and took a selfie. But that wasn’t enough—her phone hovered around them, capturing dozens of photos in various postures and actions. Ji Xinghuo let her have her way and cooperated well. Women love taking selfies. Ever since the invention of the phone more than two centuries ago, this has never changed. However, his mood also brightened. Zhao Manying had taken enough photos, and the two continued eating meat side by side, chatting about their respective situations and deepening their understanding. "So you grew up in a public family?" "I’m from a nuclear family, just my mother, my brother, and me. My dad passed away in an accident eight years ago." "Fengming Language University, I’ve never heard of this university before." "Next season, my goal is to win the domestic professional league three times in a row. The club supports me fully, and we’ve strengthened the team during this offseason, so it’s very possible." "How did you dare to enter the Star Realm when you had just become a Mutant?" "Wow, you’ve actually been to Yunxiao City!" Ji Xinghuo briefly talked about his experiences in the Star Realm, mentioned a few teammates, and of course when he mentioned Ren Mian, he omitted many details; hearing that she was the team captain with strong abilities, but it sounded quite ordinary, and he didn’t mention her mystique and looks. Zhao Manying didn’t notice anything unusual. She also spoke a lot about her own life, the club’s operations, and the team members, many insider facts that outsiders wouldn’t know. The two shared their lives, got to know each other, and their relationship quickly warmed up. "By the way, what’s your social media account?" Zhao Manying asked, "I’ll follow you." Ji Xinghuo’s expression froze. He remembered the content he had posted online and suddenly regretted it; why hadn’t he deleted it earlier? "I don’t really use social media." Ji Xinghuo thought about stalling to delete some content before telling her, however, Zhao Manying smiled and said, "I found it. Xinghuo Xinghuo Xinghuo Xinghuo Xinghuo, this is you, right?" Her hands moved very fast on the phone, not like ordinary people, but with spiritual energy forming an invisible kinetic hand swiping swiftly on the screen. She could see an overwhelming amount of content in the blink of an eye, which normal people couldn’t even make out. Because he had been in the news before, Ji Xinghuo’s social media account had been unearthed long ago and was easy to search for. He couldn’t stop her in time. Zhao Manying opened Ji Xinghuo’s account homepage, and displayed on the first page were the last few posts he had made when he was eighteen. Her eyes paused, then with a quirky smile, she read aloud, word by word: "If Zhao Manying asks me to be her boyfriend, although I’m not interested in women, considering her beauty and strength, I might consider it." "Hahaha..." Zhao Manying couldn’t help but laugh loudly. Ji Xinghuo, covering his forehead with his hand, wished he could find a hole to crawl into, embarrassedly said, "I was only eighteen then, didn’t understand anything, and just posted whatever came to mind." "I think you understood quite a bit." Zhao Manying, with a smile on her face, continued to browse through the content, with the first few posts all praising her beauty, a gleam of desire in his eyes. Looking at Ji Xinghuo, she said, "So you’ve been coveting my beauty all along. Earlier, when I asked you to be my boyfriend, you hesitated and resisted. It turns out it was all an act, huh..." Ji Xinghuo was speechless. Zhao Manying scrolled back to the last post, curious, she asked, "Now that I’m really your girlfriend, what do you feel?" "Quite surprised, and very happy," Ji Xinghuo supplemented in his heart: very smooth. "Is that all?" Zhao Manying was not quite satisfied with the answer. Just then, she came across some hostile comments, suddenly feeling a bit annoyed, "These people speak too harshly." "They are your fans," Ji Xinghuo replied. Zhao Manying knew the online atmosphere well and was well aware of the high percentage of "husband fans" among her fans. She usually ignored it and didn’t pay much attention to online opinions, leaving that to her assistant team, rarely intervening herself. But today was different. Suddenly feeling impulsive, she said, "How about I share this post and publicly announce our relationship?" This would be a strong rebuke to those people and a way to vent for Ji Xinghuo, and it would also clear away irrational fans, and she didn’t care if they turned into haters. Ji Xinghuo was, however, taken aback. "Please, don’t." If they officially announced the relationship, he would be put on the hot seat. Although there was a Personal Privacy Protection Law, this law was limited within the Asia-Pacific Community Country and was hardly effective in stopping the massive global fanbase and the pervasive paparazzi. He was almost certain to be "unboxed," which would not only affect him but would bother his family, classmates, and friends as well. Moreover, he was now a Chi Xiao Knight of the Sword Bureau; his identity was sensitive, and it was not suitable for him to be too exposed. Most importantly, Ren would find out! "Why?" Zhao Manying’s eyes filled with confusion, putting herself in his shoes, a man who got together with a global goddess would want to notify the whole world. "I don’t want to be too high-profile," Ji Xinghuo could only reveal part of the real reason, speaking softly, "Actually, I am a Swordsman of the Sword Bureau." The Sword Bureau had confidentiality principles, but Chi Xiao Knights had a high degree of autonomy. In unavoidable circumstances, telling close friends and family that he was a Swordsman did not violate the Sword Bureau’s regulations. "No wonder you don’t want the title of number one on the ladders," Zhao Manying, surprised, then nodded in understanding, "Then I won’t share it." She then got another idea, "You can’t announce it publicly, but I can." She took Ji Xinghuo’s hand, snapped a photo of their intertwined fingers, and posted it on her social media account with the text: First love is sweet! A red heart-shaped symbol followed the text. Less than five seconds after the post went live, Zhao Manying’s phone started going crazy.