NOVEL WEB Chapter 108 - Replacing Personnel
Mai Dongzi “saw” Instructor Fang take Yu Lan outside and give her a thorough reprimanding. He emphasized that Phantom Team members must absolutely obey the team leader’s instructions, and if they disagreed, they could leave the team. If they chose not to leave and caused any trouble in the future, they would face severe consequences.
Instructor Fang was usually strict during training, but his current severity was on another level. Yu Lan’s face turned pale with fear, and she repeatedly promised not to cause any trouble.
In the end, Instructor Fang warned her not to target Zhuang Huiya, noting that Zhuang Huiya’s identity was more complex than they knew.
It seemed that Instructor Fang and the others felt Mai Dongzi would inevitably give Zhuang Huiya special treatment. However, since their relationship could not be made public, they decided to create a mysterious background for Zhuang Huiya, keeping Phantom Team members guessing and preventing them from spreading rumors.
Mai Dongzi suspected that the sudden disappearance of the rumors in recent days might be due to some actions taken by Instructor Fang and his team.
While multitasking, Mai Dongzi only realized what was happening when Chen Xinhe approached her.
Chen Xinhe quietly said to Mai Dongzi, “Uncle Hao told me to follow your instructions carefully. Captain, just let me know what you need me to do. I’m very hardworking.”
Chen Xinhe’s surname combined with “Hao Shu” refers to Chen Hao.
So, Jin Zhongxing’s withdrawal and Chen Xinhe’s entry were arranged by Vice Admiral Chen.
Vice Admiral Chen is Chen Xinhe’s paternal uncle, which means Chen Xinhe is from the Chen family, one of the top ten prominent families.
Chen Xinhe’s admission to the Command Department at Imperial Capital University was due to Vice Admiral Chen’s influence, indicating she is an elite member of the Chen family.
If Chen Xinhe proves to be as capable as she claims, she might become one of Mai Dongzi’s connections in the future.
Mai Dongzi wondered why Vice Admiral Chen, who is Prince Arthur’s chief aide, would suddenly place his niece by her side, especially considering the two pieces of evidence signed personally by Prince Arthur accusing Ericka.
Prince Arthur was so kind to her that it made her uneasy.
Mai Dongzi preferred their relationship to be like it was on Water Blue Star, where she created benefits and in return, received some rewards.
She didn’t want it to be like now, with Prince Arthur actively quelling rumors for her, removing undesirable teammates, and arranging for powerful allies.
Given that Prince Arthur is busy with work and cultivation, it was puzzling why he would spend his time and energy on these matters. Such a person wouldn’t do something meaningless without a reason.
Mai Dongzi’s expression grew serious as she quickly considered a possibility.
This world was set in a blueprint background, with Prince Arthur as the male lead and Lucy as the female lead.
So, after their meeting that day, could Prince Arthur be influenced by the storyline to like her, which would explain why he did so much for her?
Although Mai Dongzi didn’t feel any influence from the storyline, it was likely because she wasn’t the original protagonist, hence lacking such sensations.
Mai Dongzi thought about it and decided that regardless of whether Prince Arthur was influenced by the storyline or not, she would act as if she were unaware of it.
Since she would be staying at Imperial Capital University for several years, and her paths with Prince Arthur would remain separate, if she kept a low profile and avoided drawing his attention, time would likely fade everything away.
When the apocalypse arrives, all romantic entanglements will be shattered by the harsh reality, especially for someone like Prince Arthur, who will likely have no time to think of her.
With a plan in mind, Mai Dongzi no longer had any objections to Chen Xinhe’s presence. She wasn’t foolish; she had no reason to refuse a connection that wasn’t particularly problematic. Accepting it meant Prince Arthur would likely pay less attention to her. Besides, the girl was genuinely her fan.
What Mai Dongzi didn’t know was that while she was lost in thought, Tony, who usually had little presence, observed her with a complex expression for a while before looking away.
…
The moment Tony saw Chen Xinhe, he remembered the message he received the previous night.
He had never expected Prince Arthur to personally send him a message, instructing him to follow and listen to Mai Dongzi.
To ensure Tony could follow Mai Dongzi without concerns, Prince Arthur also provided him with cultivation resources and some connections.
Prince Arthur didn’t force Tony; he merely asked if he was willing.
Since it was Prince Arthur making the request, how could Tony possibly refuse? Being noticed by Prince Arthur was a long-time dream for Tony.
When the opportunity was presented to him, Tony agreed to follow Mai Dongzi without hesitation.
What Tony didn’t expect was that Prince Arthur not only arranged for him to follow Mai Dongzi but also had elite members of the Chen family assigned to her.
This made Tony question Mai Dongzi’s position in Prince Arthur’s eyes.
…
Mai Dongzi had originally worried that the mid-term change of team members in the Phantom Squad might lead to resistance from the old members and cause instability.
She didn’t expect that the five team members would follow her orders so well. The new and old members worked together seamlessly, and their training progress was even faster than before.
Yu Lan had always been obedient to Mai Dongzi; her previous rudeness toward Zhuang Huiya was just an exception. After being warned by Instructor Fang, her attitude quickly changed.
Wang Yiyi was the only one who remained unchanged. From the moment she was recruited by Mai Dongzi, she had genuinely admired Mai Dongzi and had been diligently practicing and studying without causing any trouble.
As for Zhuang Huiya, nothing was surprising. What puzzled Mai Dongzi the most was Tony’s change.
Although Tony was a side member of the royal family, he had the pride of royalty. Previously, he was silent, followed Mai Dongzi’s guidance, practiced diligently, and rarely interacted with anyone other than Zhuang Huiya.
Mai Dongzi had thought that Tony was merely complying with her orders out of necessity, and that he would likely leave without looking back once the team competition was over.
Unexpectedly, with Chen Xinhe joining the team, Tony’s attitude towards Mai Dongzi also changed. He now appeared sincerely dedicated to following her.
Mai Dongzi suspected that if Chen Xinhe hadn’t provoked him, then it must be something Prince Arthur did, since Tony was a member of the royal family.
Chen Xinhe, as she had promised, followed Mai Dongzi’s arrangements and trained very hard.
Though her cultivation level was the lowest among everyone, her combat skills were not much inferior to Jin Zhongxing’s, so she wasn’t a hindrance.
Seeing the team working together, Mai Dongzi felt a mix of happiness and complex emotions.
She was still too weak; finding suitable teammates required others to arrange them for her, rather than attracting others to willingly join her.
Tony occasionally regarded her with a scrutinizing gaze, which Mai Dongzi noticed, but she had never planned to ask about it.
Unexpectedly, on the night before the individual elimination matches were about to begin, after Zhuang Huiya and Wang Yiyi were in the treatment chamber due to Mai Dongzi’s special training, Tony did not leave. Instead, he approached Mai Dongzi to speak:
“Be careful of Bai Zhizhi. Shortly after the Phantom Team was formed, she tried to bribe me, asking me to tell her about you. I didn’t agree.”