Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Although the team name was preliminarily set, Yan Yu didn't plan to make the decision unilaterally, so he posted it in the group to ask for the other teammates' opinions.

[Yun Jin]: This name is quite good. If you're worried that the character "Zhen" might be taboo, "Pinghai" could also work.

[Yi De Fu Ren]: It's not like we're ancient people who are concerned about taboos, it's fine. But "Pinghai Team" does sound pretty good too.

[Yun Jin]: Actually, many ancient military unit names sound very domineering, like "Shenwu," "Dragon Cavalry," "Yingyang," "Cuifeng," "Dingnan," etc.

[Chen Lingyun]: He originally wanted to call it "Strongest Team."

[Yun Jin]: "Strongest Team" is indeed a bit too straightforward. /smile

[Grandma Zhao]: What's wrong with "Strongest Team"? It does sound very domineering.

[Chen Lingyun]: Okay, that's two votes for "Strongest Team" and two votes for "Zhenhai Team." What about Lin Ning?

[Yun Jin]: She's left campus to meet her boyfriend.

............

Yan Yu moved his phone away slightly and revealed a face like that of a "subway elder."

Sister Lin definitely doesn't have a boyfriend… Although it's none of my business whether she does or doesn't, Lin Ning really was a lifelong single in her previous life.

There was a classic joke where her dad was so anxious about it, he first went to the military. The military said, we've arranged dates for her but she didn't like anyone, then her dad, determined, ran off to Mindu to find Southeast TV station, signing his daughter up for a dating show called "Heart Belongs." The program format was such that the female participant would introduce herself on stage.

Then, the male participants' mothers would take turns asking questions, and in the end, the male participants would choose whether to turn off or keep their lights on.

Upon learning about it, Lin Ning took leave from the military and flew directly from Jinling to Mindu by Sword Control, stormed into the TV station to find the director, and forcibly had her name removed from the guest list.

A simple phone call would have solved the issue, but she insisted on flying there personally to settle the matter, which goes to show how desperate Lin Ning was at the time.

Based on Yan Yu's understanding of Lin Ning, Sister Lin had a very innocent view on dating.

Not to mention blind dates, she even opposed mixers, believing the format was too contrived and both sides had ulterior motives—Lin Ning could only accept the kind of relationship depicted in pure romance novels, where the process was "meet, get to know, become close, and fall in love." Consequently, she was stuck at the first step, never meeting a decent man.

[Ningning]: Yun Jin, stop talking nonsense! It's just a former classmate who came to see me!

[Yun Jin]: Oh, a classmate.

[Chen Lingyun]: Is it one person or a group of people?

[Ningning]: If it were a group, I'd tell them to have fun on their own!

[Chen Lingyun]: A boy, coming to Jinling alone to see you, isn't he pursuing you?

[Ningning]: I'll handle it, okay! Don't make wild guesses for me!

[Yi De Fu Ren]: Lin Ning, I'm not interested in your personal affairs, but we have a group training session at four o'clock this afternoon, and you can't miss it.

[Ningning]: What four o'clock? Why didn't you say so earlier?

[Yi De Fu Ren]: I just received the notice from the Chief Commander. Why don't you talk to him and ask him to inform us earlier next time?

[Ningning]: Wait for me! I'm in the coffee shop, I'll be right back!

[Yi De Fu Ren]: The one at the school gate, right? Hurry up, the others have gathered at the training ground!

When everyone arrived at the training ground and had been waiting for about ten minutes, Lin Ning still hadn't returned.

"Why don't you go pick her up?" Chen Lingyun said with a smile.

"Let me ask her what's going on first," Yan Yu was a bit annoyed, "What's up with Lin Ning? Does she think the team isn't important or what?"

[Yi De Fu Ren]: Why aren't you here yet? Did someone kneel in the street to confess to you, and the crowd is chanting for you to accept him and not let you go, right?

[Ningning]: Wuuuuu, Captain, save me!

[Yi De Fu Ren]: Don't tell me I guessed right?

[Yun Jin]: He won't let you go? Call 110!

[Chen Lingyun]: Little Lin Ning is a Cultivator, she must feel embarrassed to leave, right? Otherwise, how could a mere mortal stop her?

[Ningning]: @Yi De Fu Ren Captain! Come and find me, say there's an emergency with the team that requires my return!

[Yi De Fu Ren]: You owe me a favor.

[Ningning]: Owe owe owe!

Yan Yu reluctantly left the training ground, exited the school, and headed straight to the coffee shop where he had met with Su's parents last time. Sure enough, he saw Lin Ning and an unfamiliar young man sitting at a window seat, drinking coffee and chatting.

You actually have time for coffee… Wait, don't rush it.

Yan Yu, experienced as a two-time human being, didn't hurry into the coffee shop. Instead, he quietly took out his phone and sent a private message to [Ningning].

[Yi De Fu Ren]: I'm at the entrance of the shop.

[Ningning]: Hurry up and come in, you don't need to say anything, just turn left as soon as you walk through the door and head my way!

[Yi De Fu Ren]: Wait a moment, are you planning to wait for me to come in, then tell that guy, "I'm sorry, my boyfriend came to find me" and slip away, hinting at him to give up pursuing you while also saving face for him?

Ten seconds passed.

[Ningning]: No, why would you think that?

[Yi De Fu Ren]: If he were just an acquaintance with whom you weren't on great terms, you could just excuse yourself and leave, right? The main reason you can't comfortably get away is that you don't want to damage the relationship between you, yet you can't accept his feelings. Since you're out of ideas, you're resorting to this "fake boyfriend" tactic to get him to back off on his own, right?

[Ningning]: Your brain is the one that's slow! Big stupid pig Yan Yu!

[Yi De Fu Ren]: Be clear on something, you're the one asking a favor of me. What's in it for me to be your fake boyfriend? What if that guy loses his cool and decides to hit me, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?

[Ningning]: You're a cultivator! How could you not be able to beat him? And he wouldn't hit you, I promise!

[Yi De Fu Ren]: But I shouldn't have to take that risk, right?

[Ningning]: Then what do you want, huh!

Inside the coffee shop, Lin Ning was furiously typing on her phone. The boy sitting across the table noticed her behavior, and asked nonchalantly:

"What's wrong? Did you have a fight with your boyfriend?"

"It's not..." Lin Ning hesitated to continue.

If she were a mature master of tea arts, she would have unhesitatingly admitted it to prevent further entanglement. But Lin Ning, after all, was inexperienced, and she instinctively said "It's not" before realizing:

Maybe I should have said "Yes" just now?

"Oh." The boy chuckled, "I remember now. Your dad has been pushing you to find a boyfriend."

"Yes, it's driving me nuts," Lin Ning sighed. "Please don't tell me he spoke to your dad about it too."

"He really did," the boy said while holding his paper cup leisurely, "I'm also a bit annoyed because my dad has started to urge me as well."

Lin Ning looked out of the window, speechless.

This boy wasn't just any friend; he was the "childhood friend" who had lived next door to her family since they were young. The two families often visited each other, and their parents had jointly invested in a seafood company, making them very close—Lin Ning remembered tagging along after the boy during her childhood.

They had been classmates in elementary school, but went to different schools after junior high and gradually lost contact.

Lin Ning was sure she didn't harbor any romantic feelings for him, yet she didn't want to destroy the precious friendship that had been built since childhood.

If he really just wanted to hang out and had no intentions of confessing his feelings, it could be extremely awkward if she were to clarify things prematurely. But it wasn't a solution to drag things out either...

All the commander's fault!

Lin Ning grew more and more agitated, wishing she could rush out of the shop and give Yan Yu a good beating.
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Then she saw Yan Yu push the door open and walk her way.

The captain finally deigned to come in!

Lin Ning's spirits immediately lifted, but then she remembered her own unwitting admission, denying ever "having a boyfriend," and felt disheartened again.

Forget it, forget it; the captain must be wanting me to come back soon anyway. Let's see what he can do...

"Sorry to interrupt," Yan Yu approached the table without looking at Lin Ning, and instead said to the boy opposite, "You guys can reschedule your meeting, but she needs to come back with me for training."

"Who are you?" the boy asked, surprised.

"My surname is Yan, and I'm the captain of her team," Yan Yu explained curtly, "You know she's in a military academy, right?"

"I'm aware, she's told me," the boy calmly said, "But she's already applied for leave in advance. Surely the training doesn't require dragging someone back who's on leave?"

Yan Yu looked at his expression, then turned to Lin Ning:

"Get in."

Lin Ning obediently shifted in her seat to make space for him.

"How may I address you?" Yan Yu asked as he sat down.

"Qiao Ming," the boy replied.

"Qiao Ming," Yan Yu got straight to the point, "Are you here to confess your feelings to Comrade Lin Ning and attempt to establish a romantic relationship with her?"

"Yan Yu!" Lin Ning exclaimed in frustration.