"Hmph, Lin Fu may seem at the height of her fame now, but her good days are coming to an end."
Tang Xuefei comforted the furiously enraged Xia Youyou, "Don’t be fooled by how many people are singing her praises; in fact, even more people hate her in secret."
"You’re right, I just remembered someone who surely hates her even more than we do," Xia Youyou’s eyes flashed with loathing.
"Are you talking about Princess Theresa?"
"Exactly, I overheard the elders talking at home. Because the news wasn’t suppressed, it brought disgrace to the Royal Family. As a consequence, Princess Theresa was questioned once more and won’t even be attending the opening ceremony of the Newcomer Competition."
What they called "not attending" was in reality a euphemism; to be precise, she had been stripped of her eligibility to participate in the opening ceremony.
"That’s perfect. If we could become allies with Princess Theresa, it could bring us unexpected benefits."
The two exchanged glances, each seeing calculation and eager anticipation in the other’s eyes.
Two days flew by, and the much-anticipated hearing opened as scheduled.
At this moment, the grandest hall in Elbert was filled with people, with a large, round, elevated conference table at its center, the wooden chairs around it exuding a sense of historic heft.
Behind the round dais were thirty-seven seats, occupied by the elder statesmen of Elbert. Among them was Xia Zeming, seated prominently.
In the center of the round dais was a red-carpeted area, with a lone chair placed right in the middle.
Below, in the middle, was a broad aisle with long benches positioned on both sides.
At this moment, the benches were already packed with people.
They were the heads of the various military specialties at the school, along with professors, and instructors—the pillars of the institution.
At the very back stood the student representatives, clad in their school uniforms, bodies ramrod straight.
Many familiar faces were clearly in attendance.
This was a hearing not open to the media that would decide Lin Fu’s fate and future, but the implications behind it were far more profound than they appeared on the surface. That’s because just six hours earlier, the Eighth Fleet, after pushing the battlefield 1.2 light-years towards the Free Federation out in the Laniakea Battlefield, had started their return journey to the Capital Star.
Heading towards Capital Star.
No one knew what Major General Fu Xing meant by that; whether he was truly returning as per normal operations as stated in his report, or if he was coming to somebody’s aid.
Thus, many who were in the know believed that this hearing would also determine whether the relationship between Elbert and the Fu Family would become more strained or be eased.
Furthermore, representatives from the Military Court, Royal Family, and Military Department were also present as observers.
All of them were there to exert pressure on Elbert. In their last game of chess with Major General Fu Xing, they had backed down and for the moment couldn’t do much. But they could use Elbert to deal with Lin Fu, which would serve their purpose just the same.
Any accounting with Major General Fu Xing would not come back to haunt them.
With Major General Fu Xing not on Capital Star, this was a golden opportunity.
If Elbert couldn’t withstand the pressure and banned Lin Fu from participating in the Newcomer Competition, they wouldn’t need to wait for the event—they could arrest Lin Fu immediately.
Inside the waiting room, Lin Fu sat quietly in a chair by herself.
All of her communication devices had been taken away.
The room’s door was firmly shut, making the atmosphere feel oppressive.
The vast, empty room allowed one to listen intently and hear the steady footsteps coming from the corridor.
The heavy wooden door was pushed open, and a strange man walked in, handed her an unregistered Light Computer, then turned and left.
She pressed it gently, and Fu Xing’s image popped up on the screen.
Lin Fu chuckled softly, "I knew it was you."
"You still manage to laugh; you’ve got a good attitude," said Fu Xing with a calm tone, just like he would when indulgently handling her usual mischievousness.