Godkin University had a curfew.
At night, all students were strictly confined to campus grounds and forbidden from venturing outside.
Where there was a rule, however, there was a workaround.
Model students like Luke and Andre had hopped the perimeter wall to go party on more than one occasion.
Not to mention an entirely undefended route straight through the open sky.
As Qi Li descended from above, he deliberately slowed his descent.
As luck would have it, two campus security guards happened to be patrolling past.
Right then, a pair of slender, pale hands came to rest against their necks, and a pleasant female voice purred in their ears.
"You didn't see anything."
Both men spoke with entirely natural expressions.
"Of course. Didn't see a thing."
"Same here."
"Man, this is so boring, Martin. Let's hurry up and finish the round so we can grab a drink."
"Sounds good to me."
The two guards slung their arms over each other's shoulders and sauntered off.
Kate withdrew her hands, crossing them over her chest. Turning gracefully on her heels, she looked at Qi Li as his feet touched the ground.
Her face, hastily made up for the occasion, bloomed into a radiant smile. Yet when she opened her mouth, her crimson lips curled into a smirk, feigning shock.
"My, my. Isn't this Godkin's pride, Bronze of the Super Seven—the one who's been hitting it off so hot and heavy with Starlight lately? Oh no! I need to call my besties right now to come feast their eyes on a living, breathing Bronze! A glory like this isn't something I can keep to myself."
Seeing her act, Qi Li did not waste breath on idle chatter.
He knew exactly what he needed to do.
A flicker of "panic" flashed through Kate's eyes. "Wait! What are you—mmph..."
Everything fell quiet again.
Yet it was only the quiet before a volcanic eruption.
Kate closed her eyes, her lips curving upward as her arms wrapped fiercely around his neck, refusing to let go.
Qi Li had no choice but to carry her all the way across campus and shove open the door to what was still his dorm room.
Maverick was jolted awake instantly. "What? Don't tell me this school actually has burglars?"
He rubbed his bleary eyes, just about to get up and check.
A gorgeous hand pressed against him.
Breathing heavily, Kate rushed out, "Go to Sloan."
Maverick's eyes lit up wildly. "Oh! I fucking love Sloan's lips, Sloan's legs, Sloan's ass! Hell no! I've gotta go find her right now!"
With a sharp bang, the dorm door flew open and slammed shut.
With the third wheel gone, Qi Li and Kate locked eyes, their breathing growing increasingly ragged.
And then...
Qi Li engaged in a far more intricate, significantly more demanding spiral takeoff mode.
***
The following morning.
Inside the dorm room, which was once again in dire need of redecorating, the bright sunlight caused Kate's eyelids to flutter open.
Dizzily, she rolled over, turning her smooth, snow-white back to the piercing glare from the window. Instinctively stretching out an arm, she pulled herself tighter against Qi Li beside her.
Before long, however...
"Oh my God!!"
"It's already eight-fifty!!"
"Fuck! I'm gonna be late..."
Kate's frantic shrieks rang out in rapid succession.
Woken by the commotion, Qi Li opened his eyes to find Kate completely bare, rummaging through the utter wreckage of the room in a panic to find last night's clothes.
Fortunately, he had shown some restraint back then.
In no time, Kate slipped on a crop top, stepped into her high-waisted jeans, and yanked them up.
Turning around to see Qi Li still lounging lazily in bed, she urged him frantically, "Hurry up and get out of bed! Professor Brink's lecture is about to start! He's the strictest professor here! I am not retaking an exam at the end of the semester!"
Having just woken up, Qi Li's head was still swimming. Her words momentarily baffled him.
He looked at Kate, who was beside herself with urgency, and then looked down at himself.
After another brief pause, he blinked, his mind clearing. "Uh... I don't think I need to attend classes anymore, do I?"
Kate had a hair tie clamped between her teeth, her fingers dancing swiftly through her long hair.
With no time to spare, she had planned to throw it into a simple ponytail and call it a day.
Hearing Qi Li's remark, her hands froze instantly. She spat out each syllable with venom: "*Shit!!*"
She had almost forgotten that her boyfriend was already a member of the Super Seven. Why would he ever need to attend class?
At that moment, Kate was utterly, wildly, fiercely envious of the boy who could lie in bed.
Nothing stung quite like a direct contrast.
Watching Kate rush into the bathroom for a frantic wash, Qi Li listened to the hurried footfalls echoing through the hallway and across campus outside, each set faster than the last.
Contrasted with his own idle bliss, he shrugged and offered a heartfelt sigh. "Thank God for Vought."
In the end, Kate leaned down to give Qi Li a sweet kiss before rushing out the door.
The two had agreed to meet for lunch at Vought Tower.
It had to be said, the catering exclusive to the ninety-ninth floor was exceptional.
Qi Li indulged in a satisfying second sleep before leisurely strolling out across the campus. Along the way, he stopped to take photos and sign autographs for classmates who had no morning classes and treated him with unprecedented warmth.
To achieve wealth and glory without returning home was like walking the streets in embroidered robes at night.
The ancients truly did not lie.
Right then, his phone rang.
Excusing himself from the surrounding students, Qi Li headed to the president's office and made himself right at home in his usual seat.
Indira Shetty was dressed in her customary sharp, elite women's suit.
Deftly pouring chilled cola into a wine goblet, she offered it to Qi Li with a smile. "Congratulations to our stunningly unveiled, youngest-ever member of the Super Seven."
Qi Li took the glass and replied casually, "No need to repeat what you've already said."
"Nonsense."
With an amused gleam in her eyes, Shetty took the seat opposite him and shook her head gently. "A phone call is one thing; in person is entirely different. Besides, you didn't just break the historical record for the Super Seven—you set a brand-new milestone for Godkin University. The board and I had originally planned to push you into the Seven during your senior year. And yet... you were chosen in your very first year. An achievement like that may never be matched again.
"On top of that, I owe you my thanks. Thanks to you, as president, I received a handsome bonus from Vought."
At this, Shetty gave Qi Li a knowing wink and raised her glass.
"Well, you certainly do owe me for that," Qi Li said with a grin, raising his own glass and pointing at her playfully.
In all fairness, the administration led by Shetty had done a great deal for him.
If Shetty had not pulled strings—first handing him the Shining Light late-night show in New York that should have rightfully gone to Deep Sea, and later assigning him the classified mission to capture Sam Riordan, which brought him squarely into the CEO's sightlines—he would never have joined the Super Seven so quickly.
He had saved Shetty's life, and now his fame was feeding back into Godkin University's prestige while polishing Shetty's resume to secure her hold on the presidency.
It was a textbook mutual benefit.
Naturally, their personal rapport remained quite solid.
Shetty then turned to official business. "Vought's position is to maintain your enrolled student status. According to their market research, your identity as a Godkin student has caused your approval ratings among college students to skyrocket, while middle and high schoolers feel an immense sense of kinship with you as a fellow student. They've become the driving force behind your merchandise sales."
*The driving force?*
Qi Li recalled how wildly the adult novelty version of the Starlight Bronze Sword had been selling—even the Suffering and Redemption team had bought some, and used them extensively just last night. His mouth twitched slightly.
He could only hope the students who idolized him knew what they were doing.
Offering a silent prayer for them, Qi Li nodded. "I'm completely fine with staying enrolled. There's just one thing: I won't have time to attend classes, so don't go failing me. I hear Professor Brink is notoriously strict about that."
Who wasn't young once?
The adult world was far too complicated.
As an eighteen-year-old, wasn't it only natural for him to keep one foot inside the ivory tower?
Hearing that, Shetty looked genuinely surprised. "Professor Brink? He was the most vocal supporter of keeping your enrollment! He outright said to just give you passing marks across the board. The school shouldn't be eating into your crime-fighting schedule. At most, you'll just need to swing by Godkin once a month to keep up appearances."
Qi Li chuckled, recalling how Kate had bolted out the door in a panic, terrified of being late for Brink's lecture.
The difference in treatment between people was truly something else.
Afterward, Qi Li and Shetty chatted for a while longer.
Near the end of the conversation, something crossed his mind, and his tone turned solemn. "I've already spoken with Kate. Moving forward, she will gradually taper off the medication you've been giving her."
He had been swamped before, but now that he had downtime, it was time to put this matter on the agenda.
At those words, the warm, approachable smile on Shetty's mature face froze.
She took a quick sip of her drink to mask her reaction. After a few seconds of rapid calculation, she set the glass down. "Kate's superpower is heavily influenced by emotional swings. If she stops the medication..."
"That was then," Qi Li cut her off firmly, shaking his head. "She's grown a lot. She's ready to come off it. You know as well as I do that channeling is better than suppressing."
Qi Li studied Shetty intently, then offered a faint smile. "Shetty, you hold a doctorate and specialize in superhuman research. But there is one thing you can never truly feel: a superpower is never a burden. It is the emblem of a superhuman's potential. Does it make any sense for someone to constantly suppress and fear their own potential instead of developing it?
"Superpowers define superhumans. Without powers, what is a superhuman?
"A hero? No! No matter how loudly the world sings praises of ordinary, everyday heroes, no one will ever look at a depowered superhuman and consider them a hero."
Looking straight at Shetty, Qi Li drove each word home. "Shetty, to a superhuman, powers are everything."
Shetty fell silent.
A moment later, she spoke in an even voice. "At Red River Orphanage, there are plenty of superhuman orphans who were abandoned by their parents because their powers were utterly useless—or outright grotesque."
Qi Li was momentarily speechless.
Soon, however, he found his angle of attack. Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Shetty, are you afraid?"
Her composure did not waver. "Afraid?"
Qi Li gazed deeply at the poised, elegant woman across from him. "You seem... afraid of Kate no longer suppressing her superpowers."
Shetty lifted her glass and smiled faintly. "Psychic powers carry the most uncontrollable risks. I am an ordinary human. Unlike you, Qi Li."
It was a reality she had subconsciously pushed aside.
Or rather, one she had deliberately avoided.
Qi Li... or more accurately, Bronze.
You are a superhuman too.
Chapter 94