Animal-eared Girl Era: Start by Forming a Contract with an SSS-Class School Belle

The operator's face lit up as he looked at Xiao Ye and said, "Kid, you passed."

"Sorry about all the trouble."

Xiao Ye shrugged, "No big deal."

Mu Qingxue let out a sigh of relief. Good, he passed.

*Huh? Why did I feel happy that Xiao Ye passed? Am I really hoping for that future deep down inside?*

*Mu Qingxue was in mental chaos, on the verge of losing it.*

The head supervisor arrived, an old man with a perpetually sour expression, totally looked like a stubborn relic. After catching up on what happened, his face darkened and he said,

"This guy's realm is too high, you can't let him pass!"

His voice wasn't loud, but everyone present heard him clearly.

Xiao Ye's faint smile faded, and he frowned.

*If they really kept him from passing, he'd have to let Cheng Bingxi go train on her own. Maybe he could enter the Secret Realm, use it as a springboard, and sneak into the underground crystal ore via a link through Bingxi in the mines.*

Cheng Bingxi got anxious and stepped forward to argue, "Xiao Ye and I are both Contractors, my Summoned Beast is at the Grandmaster Realm, we totally meet the requirements for the trial!"

The stubborn old supervisor looked absolutely unconvinced, giving her that "are you kidding me" face, "A Grandmaster Realm Summoned Beast for a Contractor? One's Grandmaster, one's at the Elder Realm? Not possible!"

Cheng Bingxi grabbed Xiao Ye's hand, clearly wanting to transform right there, but Xiao Ye said, "It's fine. If I can't participate, then I can't. You can go solo."

With that, Xiao Ye let go of her little hand and started heading out of the testing area.

The stubborn old supervisor nodded in satisfaction, "Kid, you know what's up. If you can find someone else who fits the requirements, I'll let them go in your place."

Xiao Ye shook his head, "No need."

The tester felt it was a real pity, so many twists and turns, and this good-looking guy still couldn't join the trial.

Cheng Bingxi's pretty face looked desperate, her mind spinning in panic. If Xiao Ye wasn't going, she didn't want to go either.

That's when Xiao Ye secretly used Contractual Power to send her a private message, telling her to go down into the underground crystal ore first. He would put the Secret Realm's halo mark on her, and once she was inside, he'd activate it and open the halo passageway, letting him enter the ore through the Secret Realm.

Getting that secret message, Cheng Bingxi's anxious heart finally calmed down.

Xiao Ye set off, ready to find a spot and enter the Secret Realm, but a loud voice suddenly echoed behind him.

"Stop right there!"

It was Mu Qingxue calling him. Xiao Ye turned around and saw her angry, pretty face.

???

*Xiao Ye was filled with question marks. What the hell, is the City Lord's daughter nuts or just not feeling her meat pie today?*

*I'm leaving, why the hell are you yelling at me? What's it got to do with you?*

Everyone watching turned their eyes on her, just as confused.

Mu Qingxue wore that warm and angry look, her beautiful eyes glaring at the stubborn supervisor as she said,

"As the Young City Lord, I'm telling you: Xiao Ye passed the test!"

When she said that, everyone was shocked.

*Xiao Ye really wondered if Mu Qingxue had a screw loose today—she'd been so out of character, always sticking up for him.*

*Last time he stole the Secret Realm Core from Mu Qingxue, so she should've hated his guts.*

*Jie Gangtai, who'd been excited to see Xiao Ye leave, suddenly froze mid-smile and blurted, "Xue'er, what are you doing?"*

*Since childhood, it was Jie Gangtai's first time seeing Mu Qingxue throwing her weight around, using her Devil City Young Lord status to force people to do things.*

Mu Qingxue shot him a look and said, "Shut up."

Jie Gangtai zipped it immediately. Check+ My Vir*t.u#a#l% L*i.b+ra.r#y! Emp$i&re$ (MV1^LEM!P&1YR)@ for the lates^t up#da#t#es%.%

Cheng Bingxi said, "Thanks for standing up for us, but Xiao Ye's already decided not to do the trial."

Mu Qingxue panicked when she heard this, her eyes wide, "Xiao Ye, you have to participate."

!!!

*Xiao Ye was sure now—Mu Qingxue was definitely plotting something, probably planning to set him up in the underground crystal ore. No way she'd be this nice for no reason.*

*This was an ambush—a setup—no doubt about it!*

*Xiao Ye made up his mind: once he used the halo mark to get into the mines, he would stay far away from Mu Qingxue.*

*That black-haired, straight-up knockout of a woman had a scary level of cunning. Way too deep, way too freaky!*

Her eyes stayed locked on him. Xiao Ye spoke up, "I don't fit the requirements, you can't just force it, can you?"

The old fossil of a supervisor tried to squeeze out a smile and said, "So it's the Young City Lord. Welcome, Young Lord!"

"The Young Lord is always welcome to train with us at the Hong family, but the underground crystal ore belongs to us—it's private property. I don't think you can call the shots on this one."

Mu Qingxue stood firm, "Then I'll call the shots anyway!"

The supervisor's face twisted in conflict, but after a moment he finally said, "All right, how about this—let the Young Master Hong decide?"

He sounded like he was asking, but his hands didn't stop—he was already calling Young Master Hong.

After getting connected, the old supervisor quickly explained the situation, name-dropping Xiao Ye several times and asking Young Master Hong to speak directly with the City Lord's daughter.

When Hong Tao heard the news, his face went dark, and he cursed,

"You fucking dare block Xiao Ye? I'll break your damn legs!"

"Seriously, how thick can you get."

"The Young Lord already gave the order, so what's it to you if that Xiao Ye passes?"

*This guy nearly blew up his own kill plan. Hong Tao was itching to murder him.*

"Uhh!" The old supervisor sounded like he had a frog in his throat, but after that verbal smackdown, he finally got it!

"Understood, Young Master—I'll do exactly as you say!"

He hung up and looked at Mu Qingxue.

Mu Qingxue frowned, "So, what did he say?"

The supervisor smiled, "Xiao Ye meets the trial requirements—he passed the test."

Mu Qingxue breathed easy, a dazzling smile lighting up her face.

*But Xiao Ye thought that smile was damn creepy—hiding some terrifying shit. He took off without even looking back, "Well, gotta go. I think I left the gas on at home. Later!"*

Mu Qingxue's eyes flashed, and in a blur she was right behind Xiao Ye, grabbing him tight and growling,

"You're participating in the trial. If you don't, I'll make your life hell!"

Xiao Ye groaned, "Why the hell are you so hung up on me joining the trial? What, did you fall for me or something?"

Mu Qingxue scoffed, "Fall for you? Not a chance!"

Xiao Ye, "Then let go. I have to go turn off my gas."

"Not letting go!" said Mu Qingxue.

Everyone else: ...

Cheng Bingxi bit her lip, thinking, *Great, Xiao Ye's about to pick up another Beast Girl.*

*Jie Gangtai felt like his dream girl was slipping away. He said, "Xue'er, if that punk's so clueless, just kick him out. He's not worth your trouble."*

Mu Qingxue snapped, "Jie Gangtai, say one more word and I'll sew your mouth shut!"

Jie Gangtai's cheeks drooped, his face twisting, "Fine!"

Xiao Ye said, "Girl, give me one good reason to join the trial."

Mu Qingxue brightened, "If I give you a reason, you'll do it?"

Xiao Ye shook his head, "Nope."