Chosen: Beyond Fate

Chapter 27: We Are Innocent!

“Uh...”

Ji Jue hesitated. He wriggled a couple of times in his seat, then swallowed.

Thinking that either way would lead to death, he figured he might as well choose the quicker option. After struggling for a long while, he finally said, “I feel like... it’s passable?”

“It is passable.” Professor Ye nodded, her expression unchanged. “It’s barely upgraded from non-flammable trash to ordinary trash. I have no idea how you had the nerve to submit this. A few days ago when I received it, I even checked the date to see if it was April Fool’s Day. With your level, how long did it take you to write this thing? Five days? Three days?”

“Ah... more or less.” Ji Jue lowered his head, unsure where to go from here. He didn’t dare say it only took him four hours to write this, nor did he try to argue further. He could only take out his medical record book from his pocket and hand it over with both hands. “I was in an incident. I got hit by a car and spent some time in the hospital.”

To be honest, while he knew that what he had turned in was pretty mediocre, it wasn’t actually that bad. With a bit of polishing, it could still pass as a decent graduation project.

However, if Professor Ye only wanted something of that level, why bother looking for him at all? There were plenty of university students out there. Wild ones, free-range ones, even farm-raised ones. All of them are well-fed, juicy, and full of energy. They even brought their own coffee for late-night work. Why not just grab one of them?

Ji Jue placed the medical record book on the desk, but Professor Ye didn’t even look at it. She glanced at Ji Jue, confirmed that he was intact, limbs and all, then pointed at the stack of papers on the desk.

“Other than the framework and data sections, rewrite everything from scratch, especially the arguments and reasoning. Don’t patch things together using the old material. If I see this kind of nonsense again, you might as well pack up and get lost.”

“Ah? Oh, okay!” Ji Jue froze for a moment. He hadn’t expected Professor Ye to show him mercy. The students in her group had often been scolded to the point of tears over even a single symbol or unit mistake.

Coming back to his senses, he quickly took the paper back. However, the thickness of it was unexpected. His original submission wasn’t this long. Flipping it open, he saw dense annotations and questions covering the margins. There were plenty of blunt evaluations like “nonsense,” “garbage,” and “no practical value,” but even more were questions and revision suggestions that made him break out in a cold sweat.

And, most eye-catching of all, was the cover page. Next to the position of second author, a name was circled in red ink, followed by a large question mark that took up nearly half the page.

Ye Chun.

It was obvious that she had seen through Ji Jue’s attempt to drag the senior down with him.

Ji Jue wiped the cold sweat from his brow. “Ah, that was just for fun. I-It was just a joke.”

“I know.” Professor Ye gently blew on her tea leaves and added calmly, “The second author on the trash she submitted was you as well.”

For a moment, Ji Jue really felt like calling the police. Sure enough, every basket of shumai, pan-fried dumpling, and oat bun that fate had “paid” for him as a Chosen One had its price quietly marked in the background... It was one thing to drag someone along to slack off, but dragging them down to share the burden of disaster too?

So that’s why you were being so enthusiastic today. As expected, no good deed goes unpunished!

“Alright, go on. Aren’t you supposed to take your family around Tianmen today?” Professor Ye put down her teacup and waved him off. “Come back this afternoon. There’s something else I need you to handle.”

Ji Jue hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.

Professor Ye looked up at him. “What is it?”

“Professor, this afternoon... I’ve got something to do.”

It wasn’t that he wanted to slack off. It was just that a few days ago, Wen Wen had told him firmly that he had to make sure his schedule was cleared this afternoon, or else she’d teach him a lesson. It seemed to be something very important, and he really couldn’t refuse.

“Hm?” Professor Ye looked at him with her brows lifted slightly, as if surprised. Then, as if she understood, she nodded knowingly. “I see. Are you dating someone?”

“NO NO NO NO NO!!!” Ji Jue nearly jumped out of his chair in panic, frantically waving his hands, afraid that Wen Wen might somehow hear this from hundreds of kilometers away. He even thumped his own chest for emphasis. “It’s just a friend asking me for something! I owe her a big favor, so I really can’t stand her up!”

The professor didn’t probe further. She simply waved her hand one last time.

After packing his paper, Ji Jue ran out, drenched in sweat. Naturally, he couldn’t catch Ye Chun, who had long since escaped. After looking around a few times, he could only send a few messages on his phone as a display of impotent rage.

Ji Jue: Don’t let me run into you on the streets of Tianmen.

And she replied by sending him a dog-head pointing sticker, laughing at him.

After spending the morning taking Lu Ling around half of Tianmen, meeting the advisor and classmates, and eating lunch in the cafeteria, he received a call from Wen Wen.

“Where are you?” came the voice over the phone, along with the roar of a motorcycle. “Are you cleaned up and ready to go? Stop dawdling, hurry up and head out.”

“Where else would I be? I’m at Tianmen.” Ji Jue sighed. “Mrs. Wen, today is my first day of school.”

“Good, perfect. Wait there.” freeωebnovēl.c૦m

The call ended.

Less than ten minutes later, Ji Jue heard the familiar roar of a motorcycle by the roadside. Without a care in the world, it rode straight into the campus. It blazed across the school roads like a streak of orange flame, drawing countless stares.

And before Ji Jue could even sense that something was off and try to run, it stopped right in front of him.

“Do you have to make such a dramatic entrance?” Ji Jue asked, confused. “What exactly is this about?”

“Didn’t I say I had a good opportunity for you? I’ve found a lead!” Wen Wen took off her helmet, her eyes bright with excitement. “The Chosen Ones of other Upper Benevolences can still be left to grow wild and rely on luck, but for the Chosen Ones of Ember, they can’t take a single step forward without a guide or inheritance. Even if you give them a matrix, they wouldn’t know how to use it.

“I’ll introduce you to one of the very few top-tier alchemy masters in all of Cliff City. Recently, they’ve announced they’re planning to take on an apprentice. There are already so many people scrambling to get in line that they can’t even get a meeting, let alone see the person. This meeting today took me a lot of effort to arrange. When we meet later, be respectful. Whether this works out or not depends on you!”

“...Huh?” Ji Jue froze. His paper had just been sent back to him for revision, and now Wen Wen was signing him up for some kind of extracurricular Chosen One tutoring class. He instinctively tried to decline. “My paper still isn’t done...”

“You can write it at night. Let’s go!” Wen Wen tossed him a helmet and pointed at the back seat. “Hurry up and get on!”

With a single pull, Ji Jue was forced onto the motorcycle. He fumbled to put on the helmet, even failing to notice the familiar scent of perfume inside it, as the bike rumbled into motion.

He could only instinctively hold on tight. “Where are we going?”

“Nearby! Just around the corner.”

The motorcycle circled the lakeside, merged onto the main road, then climbed a slope, surrounded by lush greenery on both sides. The further they went, the more uneasy Ji Jue felt. A chill ran down his spine.

This direction...

As he followed Wen Wen into the building’s elevator, Ji Jue tried to stop her. “Wait, Mrs. Wen.”

“Hey, don’t be scared. Leave it to me,” Wen Wen said with a raised eyebrow and a confident smile.

“No, I—”

“Relax.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Just wait for my good news!”

With that, she strode forward with her head held high, marching down the corridor. Under Ji Jue’s horrified gaze, she pushed open the door to Professor Ye’s office.

Ji Jue froze in place, and his mind went blank.

Wait... Can I still run now?

Still in shock and disbelief, he listened through the slightly ajar door, and heard a voice inside, one that felt painfully familiar.

“Ms. Wen, I’m sorry to have troubled you with this trip. To be honest, I’ve already decided on an apprentice. While the choice is only passable, I don’t intend to change it for the time being.”

“Ah, Master Ye, there’s no harm in taking a look. I’ve already brought him here, he’s a very sharp and capable young man. He’s exceptionally talented, and he’s hardworking and willing to take on any task. Just as hardworking as an ox. Tie him to the grindstone and he’ll work like a beast. Why not take a look?”

Saying this, as if afraid she might change her mind, Wen Wen pushed the door open and grabbed Ji Jue, who was trying to flee in panic, before dragging him inside. She shoved him right in front of Professor Ye’s desk and gave his shoulder a firm pat.

“Here he is. What do you think? Ji Jue, go on, introduce yourself.”

Come on, do something to impress her! Damn it! I have to run away! I’ll ignore everything.

“Ah... uh... mm...” Ji Jue struggled to say something for a long time, not daring to lift his head, let alone perform any sort of backflip. He could only weakly greet her. “...Hello, Professor Ye.”

Wen Wen couldn’t help herself and secretly kicked him under the table.

Why’s such a fine young man freezing up now? Where’s all that smooth-talking flair you usually have?

If his gaze could convey his words, Ji Jue could have handed her a fifty-thousand-word essay in return. He was perfectly capable of saying flirtatious nonsense, but he didn’t dare to, especially with Professor Ye’s gaze gradually shifting from surprise to something more amused.

She looked at Ji Jue, then at Wen Wen beside him, and asked, “So... this is the ‘something I had to deal with this afternoon?’”

“Yes.” Ji Jue nodded, his face practically buried in his chest.

“...So you’re not dating her?” Professor Ye asked again.

Ji Jue shook his head frantically. “Absolutely not! Our relationship is as clear as the sky, as pure as water!”

Professor Ye said nothing more.

Or rather, having lived for over forty years, even she wasn’t quite sure how to handle such an absurd and awkward situation. Her already-arranged “research subject” had simply gone out for a stroll under some excuse and was brought back by someone else, as if he was an exported good that still ended up being sold domestically.

Soon, Wen Wen, with her usual slow reactions, finally sensed something was off and looked at the two of them in confusion.

“You two are...?”

After a brief silence, Professor Ye coughed twice. Her usually stern expression twitched slightly as she tried to remain composed.

“Ms. Wen, let me introduce you... The person beside you is a research member of my new combustive energy structure project at Tianmen University, and also a prospective apprentice for my workshop, Ji Jue.”

Wen Wen slowly turned her head, looked at Ji Jue, then at Professor Ye. You could almost hear her brain struggling to process the new information.

“In other words...”

“That’s right. You brought my apprentice here... to become my apprentice. I must say, your judgment is quite good.” Professor Ye said plainly.

A long silence fell. In that deathly awkward atmosphere, Ji Jue stared at the dust slowly drifting down from the corner of the room, desperately trying to minimize his presence until he couldn’t be perceived anymore.

It almost felt like he could hear, somewhere under the office floor, the sound of constructing a three-bedroom apartment, then expanding it into a six-hundred-square-meter backyard, complete with a football field and a stadium, all to accommodate Ji Jue’s overwhelming embarrassment and suicidal urge... and, eventually, his grave.

“...Sorry for bothering you.” Wen Wen lowered her head and politely slipped out through the crack in the ground she had metaphorically dug.

A moment later, she pushed the door open again, grabbed Ji Jue, and, after nodding politely to Professor Ye, said her goodbyes. “Sorry about that, I need to talk to him for a moment.”

Professor Ye turned her head away, ignoring Ji Jue’s pleading gaze, and looked out the window instead. “Remember to close the door.”

The weather was clear and cloudless. The day was getting more and more interesting. She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and then couldn’t hold it in anymore. She burst out laughing.