Chapter 43: The public is private

Outside the office of the Autonomous Council, Kela and Wu Di, both with bruised faces, along with several of Ma Tan's followers, were lined up downstairs under the watch of a dozen council members, waiting to be punished.

Inside the office were five people: Wang Feng, who led the trouble, Ma Tan, Fantasia, the event planner Rachel, and Luo Lan, the vice president of the Autonomous Council.

Rachel had already given Luo Lan a general rundown of the incident when she first approached him. The chaos began when beasts appeared at the party, leading to a brawl between two groups.

Such brawls happen frequently in the academy, and the Autonomous Council is well-versed in handling them. Normally, Luo Lan could have dealt with both groups on the spot, regardless of their reasons. Fighting is always wrong, and the standard punishment includes demerit points, fines, disciplinary records, and community service. He wouldn't bother determining who was responsible.

But today, it involved Ma Tan, his deputy team leader, who he still needed for important tasks. It wasn't worth punishing him over such a minor issue. However, he couldn't directly punish Wang Feng either, as that would appear too biased. In situations involving close associates, one must act impartially to maintain credibility. Thus, he needed to make a fair judgment that everyone would accept.

"Tell me what happened," said Luo Lan, his voice calm but his expression stern, creating psychological pressure.

"Captain, it's like this—"

"Call me President here. This is the Autonomous Council, where only rules matter, not personal relationships. If you were at fault, don't blame me for being impartial," Luo Lan said, mostly focusing his gaze on Wang Feng.

Wang Feng was covered in soot from electric shocks, yet he showed no signs of panic despite being brought before the council. Instead, he lazily picked his nose.

Luo Lan's lips curled slightly upward.

"Yes, President Luo Lan. His name is Wang Feng. He sneaked in two disguised beasts into our party!" Ma Tan said through gritted teeth. Since entering the Rose Holy Sanctuary, he had never faced such humiliation. Now that he had recovered, if not for fearing accusations of favoritism, he would have torn apart the person who beat him up.

"He let those vile creatures drink the same wine and eat the same food as us, even openly encouraging them to seduce our male students. This is an utter disgrace to everyone who attended the party tonight! I had to stand up against such behavior and demand an apology, but I didn't expect—"

"Sneak in? Was there a need?" Old Wang interrupted lazily. "This event was organized by President Luo Lan, and Fantasia paid for it. Our team entered openly. You, on the other hand, neither contributed money nor effort, yet you came to enjoy the benefits of President Luo Lan and our team. Not only did you not show gratitude, but you also tried to kick us out? Who gave you the courage? We paid a thousand lire, Rachel, right?"

"Fantasia," Rachel ignored Wang Feng and turned to Fantasia. "I did discuss sponsorship with you, but was it voluntary? Did I force you to give a thousand lire?"

"Yes, yes, it was voluntary..." Fantasia's face was still swollen, and he dared not meet Rachel's eyes. "Rachel, A-Feng didn't mean it..."

"As long as it was voluntary, please ask your friend not to bring up the money again. This was just a voluntary sponsorship and doesn't give you control over the event. If you regret it, I can return the money; I don't need your charity!" Rachel remained composed, looking slightly aggrieved, making the boys present feel it wasn't her fault.

"No, no!" Fantasia waved his hands hurriedly. He wanted to support Old Wang but couldn't betray Lei Lei. "I absolutely don't want the money back, Rachel. Please listen to me..."

"Good, then let's move on from the sponsorship." Rachel cut him off. "Wang Feng, I did give Fantasia some VIP tickets, but I didn't say beasts were allowed, did I?"

Old Wang smiled at Fantasia, giving him a chance to be a man.

Under Old Wang's gaze, Fantasia hesitated. "But, Rachel, you didn't tell me beasts weren't allowed either..."

After saying this, he buried his face in his chest, unable to meet Rachel's eyes, torn between friendship and romance.

"Fantasia, I trusted you, but I was mistaken." Rachel said coldly. "Isn't this common sense?"

Fantasia hung his head, feeling crushed by Rachel's words.

Luo Lan smiled slightly. "Fantasia, do you have anything else to say?"

Fantasia glanced at the angry Rachel. "No."

Luo Lan turned to Wang Feng, who still looked impatient. "Wang Feng, witnesses say you started the fight?"

In such fights, who initiated it is crucial for judgment.

Wang Feng smiled and waved his hand. "Yes, it was definitely me."

Everyone was stunned, expecting him to deny it. Ma Tan's expression turned grim. "It's too late to regret now!"

"Regret? The word 'regret' isn't in my dictionary. Beating you up is nothing, even killing you wouldn't matter!" Wang Feng's attitude was extremely arrogant.

Bang!

"Wang Feng, you're too lawless. According to the Rose Holy Sanctuary's rules, I must punish you severely!" Luo Lan couldn't contain his anger anymore.

"Vice President Luo Lan, according to the Rose Holy Sanctuary's rules, you should expel Ma Tan!" Wang Feng said calmly.

Luo Lan hadn't encountered such stubbornness before and laughed angrily. "Who do you think you are? Do you think the Rose Holy Sanctuary is yours to run?"

"Oh, Vice President Luo Lan, you're joking. The Rose Holy Sanctuary was founded by the wise and beautiful Principal Karida. Her main goal this year is to attract beast talents and promote the Supreme Saint's principles of equality and integration. Kela and Wu Di are pioneers and heroes, equal to anyone in the Datura Empire. Yet, Ma Tan dared to oppose Principal Karida publicly. Why shouldn't I beat him? Every member of the Rose Holy Sanctuary should deal with him, and even killing him would be justified. Or do you think Ma Tan was right?" Wang Feng continued, "Or did you instruct him, and now you're trying to protect him?"

Luo Lan broke into a cold sweat. This guy was attacking him personally. Everyone knew how much opposition the introduction of beasts faced. How could beasts be compared to the Eight Tribes?

However, as the vice president of the Autonomous Council, he had to follow the principal's lead. Karida wasn't known for being lenient.

Suddenly, Luo Lan smiled. "Wang Feng, impressive. No wonder Principal Karida wanted to specially admit you into the Rune Academy. The Rose Holy Sanctuary needs courageous talents like you. Ma Tan, do you acknowledge your mistake?"

Ma Tan stared at Luo Lan, about to speak, but Luo Lan interrupted him. "This was your fault. I know you find it hard to accept beasts, but this has been ingrained for centuries. As a member and elite of the Rose Holy Sanctuary, you must do better than others. This is your first offense. Go apologize to the two beast students outside, and that will be the end of it!"

Wang Feng glanced at Luo Lan, finding his words clever. While he stood on moral high ground, the punishment was light and resolved his crisis.

"Captain, I—"

"Aren't you satisfied?" Luo Lan looked at Ma Tan coolly.

Ma Tan clenched his teeth, glaring at Wang Feng, sealing their enmity.

Back in the dormitory, four injured students gathered. Wu Di, who had taken the worst beating, kept laughing uncontrollably, probably due to the trauma.

Ma Tan's apology was half-hearted, but Wu Di had never experienced such support. He saw his captain as a god.

Even Kela, though outwardly calm, felt a surge of emotion inside. She had to admit, it took real courage.

"Thank you."

"It's nothing." Old Wang said casually. "I told you, Principal Karida values me most among all the students. If I say one, who would dare say two? Making him apologize was light. If not for his somewhat sincere attitude, I'd have beaten him up again."

"Don't beat him again." Fantasia cried, hugging his knees, his body curled into a ball. "I think Lei Lei won't forgive me this time. The way she looked at me in the office... I... sniffle..."

Shedding that green tea girl is truly a pleasant surprise. Old Wang is quite relieved and pats his shoulder: "Alright, alright, if you don't forgive her, then you don’t forgive her. This matter had nothing to do with you in the first place. Don’t blame yourself too much. As they say, there’s grass everywhere under the heavens..."

At this point, it’s clearly not appropriate to badmouth that green tea girl anymore. They’ve already burned their bridges, and that’s a done deal.

"Right, you said it had nothing to do with me!" Fantasia suddenly clings to this like a lifeline, wiping away his tears and gripping Wang Feng's hand excitedly.

"Cough... yes, it has nothing to do with you..."

"Yes, yes, yes, it’s just a misunderstanding. What does it have to do with me? Ah Feng, do you think I might be overthinking it? Maybe Lei Lei doesn’t really blame me? Sigh, Lei Lei must be so sad right now. I offered her the money, yet it seems like she was tricking me. How humiliating for her! Ah Feng, you shouldn’t have blamed Lei Lei either. Did you notice her tone? I think she was about to cry!"

Fantasia rambles on, leaving Wu Di and Kela bewildered, while Old Wang stands there speechless.

Damn, even at this point, this guy still hasn’t given up?

Fantasia gets more and more agitated, and after thinking for a while, he suddenly perks up: "Yes! That’s exactly it. I need to explain everything to her tomorrow!"

He frantically rummages through his wallet, muttering: "I won’t wait for her birthday. Although I can’t afford an H8, I’ll buy a six-shot revolver tomorrow! And get two bouquets of flowers. If I apologize sincerely, Lei Lei will definitely forgive me; she’s so kind..."

Old Wang is thoroughly exasperated. This guy is truly beyond help, especially since that money is our capital for making magic potions. With just the deposit from Yin Fu, it won’t be enough to make thirty potions.

Wang Feng quickly grabs Fantasia’s hand. Reasoning won’t work at this moment.

"Aegyo!" Old Wang says sternly: "Didn’t we already discuss this last time? A six-shot revolver won’t cut it; it doesn’t suit Rachel’s status! Your love isn’t that cheap. If you’re going to give something, it has to be an H8! Let me tell you, in this world, there’s nothing an H8 can’t solve. If one won’t do, then two will make a pair... ahem!"

"I don’t have enough money."

"Then hurry up and earn some." Old Wang speaks earnestly: "Tomorrow, go and secure the remaining herbs and the lab. Don’t worry, as long as you have the money, I guarantee she’ll forgive you!"

"Ah Feng, don’t say that. Rachel isn’t the type of girl you think she is. She values sincerity! Really, trust me, I know her!"