Facing her daughter’s relentless barrage, Emily was overwhelmed and unable to retort. If Tico continued , she would lose face completely and become a laughingstock to the two outsiders.
So, Emily cleared her throat and said seriously, "Well, since you are not willing, I won’t talk about how feelings can develop over time. I don’t want to force you. Tico, listen to me, I hope you won’t regret what happened today. It was your choice."
"I will never regret it."
Hearing Tico say this confidently, Yang Yu finally felt a weight lift off his heart.
In fact, his actions just then had involved a bit of a gamble.
If Tico, unable to confirm her true feelings, had half-heartedly accepted, Yang Yu would have had to consider how to dramatically escape a forced marriage under pressure.
Fortunately, Tico had a sudden realization at the end. She not only stood her ground but also exceeded the Task.
Initially, Yang Yu had wanted to prepare a counterattack, but now he saw there was no need for him to beat around the bush trying to convince Emily.
Glancing at the fuming Tico and then at the calm and unaffected Yang Yu, Emily was increasingly impressed by Yang Yu. Sadly, due to the pressure from Tico, she couldn’t take Yang Yu as her son-in-law yet, but that didn’t mean she would give up.
Emily was still very confident in Tico’s charm. As long as they spent more time together, feelings between Yang Yu and Tico would surely develop over time. Then, Emily wouldn’t even need to intervene for things to naturally fall into place.
"Yang Yu, you really are a quite interesting man. To respect my daughter’s wishes and enable both her and me to grow, I sincerely thank you. Of course, verbal thanks aren’t enough to show my gratitude, I do have a job here..."
"Please allow me to decline."
Emily hadn’t finished speaking when Yang Yu straightforwardly refused.
"You reject it outright. You didn’t even hear what the job entails... Although I’m not sure what your purpose in visiting the Library is, one thing I need to remind you is that becoming a Star-level Member as a Monster Tamer is more difficult than you think. Without support, every step is a struggle."
"Thank you for the reminder. But, no need to trouble yourself, ma’am. I will find a way on my own."
Smiling as he refused, Yang Yu took the opportunity to throw out the invitation for tomorrow’s press conference, inviting Emily to attend.
Once again, pressured by the fuming glances from Tico, Emily accepted Yang Yu’s invitation.
The crisis was temporarily averted.
But this did not mean Yang Yu could rest easy. Seeing that Emily was still eager to recruit him, it was clear she was not ready to give up.
So, when Emily invited him to have a meal together, Yang Yu decisively declined.
On one hand, he did not want to develop a relationship with Tico as Emily had envisioned, and on the other, he needed to get to Ying Luo’s home before she returned, and wait at her doorstep.
Ying Luo had a deep misunderstanding about him. If he was even a bit late, she might simply lock the door, rendering his shouts useless, and he would completely face a door shut in his face.
But if he waited outside her villa earlier, the outcome could be different.
To others, it would appear, "Wow, you are waiting here in advance just to not disturb her life." Internally, they might waver and think, "Maybe I should listen to what he has to say," thereby gaining a greater chance to have a conversation.
After bidding farewell to Tico and Emily, Yang Yu had Keke Ai leave her home address and instructed her to attend the press conference on time tomorrow, then he immediately headed for Ying Luo’s villa.
Yang Yu was not afraid that Keke Ai would not come tomorrow. Knowing that Emily would attend, it would be incredibly foolish for Keke Ai not to.
Having roamed the residential area for a few days, Yang Yu easily arrived at Ying Luo’s villa and quietly waited for dusk as usual.
As usual, Ying Luo and the giant wolf Lotcar appeared on the horizon against the setting sun. Seeing Yang Yu, Ying Luo’s tired face was filled with displeasure, and Lotcar kept growling, warning Yang Yu not to come any closer to Ying Luo.
Yang Yu said with a smile, "Good afternoon, Miss Ying Luo."
"Why have you come again? Haven’t I told you not to look for me anymore? I don’t have what you’re looking for."
From the start, her attitude was to keep him at bay, but all of this was still within Yang Yu’s expectations.
"Miss Ying Luo, this is all just a misunderstanding. I’ve found the instigator behind the rumors. Tomorrow, there will be a press conference at Transmission Park. Miss Tico and her mother will both attend to vindicate me. I hope you can be there to see for yourself what kind of person I truly am. If you think this is just a waste of time, I’m willing to pay for your time."
As he spoke, Yang Yu took out his Contribution Card, but Ying Luo pushed his hand back.
"Money can’t solve everything. If what you say is true, I will attend tomorrow. Once I’ve verified the truth and if it proves to be a misunderstanding, I will apologize to you."
After expressing her position, Ying Luo opened the door and entered the villa with Lotcar.
Yang Yu did not continue to say anything, just put away his Contribution Card and resumed walking.
Suddenly, an odd breeze slowly blew past him, as if someone was whispering in his ear. Yang Yu turned his head to look around, but did not see anyone.
"An illusion?" he muttered to himself as he walked back to his dormitory.
At that moment, in a certain spot by a deep-blue lake in the All Things Library, a gray bubble burst forth from the surface of the lake and drifted up into the high sky.
With a "pop," the bubble burst open, releasing a gust of gray wind that swept across the expansive flower field next to the lake. Instantly, the blooming flowers in the field lost their vibrancy and closed their buds.
Another bubble emerged from the surface of the lake, this bubble darker and the gray it diffused even denser than the previous one.
One, two, three... Countless bubbles gradually rose from the center of the lake as if something beneath it was continuously releasing the bubbles.
Then, as though someone had inked the bottom of the lake, a black stream with the bubbles started spreading from the center of the blue lake, gradually tinging the lake with black.
As the spread of black became more extensive, the sparse bubbles at the center of the lake were seemingly manipulated by some mysterious force and stopped bursting. They gathered together to form a massive gray bubble.
This gray bubble floated at the center of the lake, absorbing smaller floating bubbles, allowing its gray to deepen endlessly until the gray vanished, turning into pure black.
When the black could not intensify any further, the bubble reached its limit and exploded like an atomic bomb, lifting an eerie mushroom cloud. The dense black energy accumulated within the bubble poured out at that moment, attacking the flower field.
The blooming flowers withered instantly upon contact with this black energy, leaving only charred branches planted in the ground in despair.