Chapter 47: Undercurrents

Beep beep!

At the stroke of afternoon, the school bell rang, signaling the end of class. Tian Dao, seated in the back row near the window, was already preparing to slump down for a quick nap.

But just as he leaned forward, a shadow fell across his sunlight.

Tian Dao blinked, confused, and lifted his head—only to be met with the sight of a dozen pairs of bright, sparkling eyes.

The source of the shadow wasn’t some ominous cloud—it was a dozen girls, all fixated on him with unmistakable curiosity.

Before he could process what was happening, they began firing questions at him in rapid succession.

“Tian Dao, you’ve only been here a month—can your exchange program be extended?”

“Tian Dao, is your hair naturally like that? The texture looks amazing.”

“Tian Dao—”

Their eager, overlapping questions left Tian Dao utterly stunned.

Even someone as used to being the center of attention—someone who’d long been the “people magnet”—was thrown off balance by this full-blown fan-like frenzy. He had no experience with anything like this.

Back in Yujin, if anyone had dared swarm him like this, he’d have already knocked them all into the infirmary for a long, hard lesson in personal space.

But thankfully, despite their enthusiasm, the girls stuck to relatively reasonable questions. Nothing too intrusive. So while Tian Dao was flustered, he wasn’t completely embarrassed.

Watching Tian Dao being surrounded like a celebrity, Chen Kong, sitting right behind him, stared with pure admiration.

Same exchange student. Same first day in Class 1. Yet their treatment in the classroom couldn’t be more different.

When Chen Kong had arrived that morning, people had glanced at him out of curiosity—but that was all. No one had shown any real interest in getting close.

But Tian Dao? From the moment he stepped into class that afternoon, he’d instantly become the focus of attention. Several students had glanced back at him during class, stealing surreptitious looks—clearly, they were watching him closely.

Compared to that, Chen Kong’s own arrival had been practically invisible.

Still, Chen Kong wasn’t bitter. He wasn’t even surprised.

Because ever since he’d known Tian Dao, he’d always been the one in the spotlight—the natural star, born to shine under the spotlight.

So even in this entirely unfamiliar setting, Tian Dao remained Tian Dao. And Chen Kong remained Chen Kong.

Everything had changed. And yet… nothing had really changed at all.

But just as Chen Kong was lost in thought, a familiar voice snapped him back to reality.

“Kong, stop zoning out! Come on, help me out here—these girls are asking way too many questions, and I can’t keep up!”

Without waiting for consent, Tian Dao grabbed Chen Kong by the arm and yanked him into the chaos.

To Chen Kong’s surprise, the girls who had barely acknowledged him earlier now swarmed around him with sudden warmth.

“Kong, you and Tian Dao are close, right?”

“Kong, can you tell us what kind of girls Tian Dao likes?”

“Kong, do you know what Tian Dao enjoys doing?”

Facing a barrage of strange, personal questions—none of which he’d ever been asked before—Chen Kong’s ears turned bright red. His voice stammered, his words tangled.

But instead of mocking him, the girls found his shyness endearing. They giggled softly, charmed by his innocence.

The atmosphere was warm, joyful—so different from the cold, indifferent silence he’d experienced that morning.

Chen Kong knew, deep down, that their sudden interest wasn’t really about him. It was all about Tian Dao. They just wanted to learn more about him through Chen Kong.

Still, he couldn’t deny it—he liked this feeling.

For the first time, he wasn’t just “Kong gas,” the invisible background character. He was someone noticed. Someone seen. Someone… important.

But the moment didn’t last.

The brief break ended.

As everyone returned to their seats, Chen Kong remained grinning, rubbing the back of his head—his mood clearly high.

Tian Dao, watching him, leaned back in his chair and rested his elbows on Chen Kong’s desk, smirking.

“Kong,” he said, “you always overthink things.”

“Most people aren’t as complicated as you think. If they’re cold to you, it’s not because they hate you—it’s because they don’t know you.”

“So be confident, Kong. Don’t sell yourself short.”

Chen Kong stared blankly, caught in thought.

After a pause, he asked quietly, “So… is this why you’re always so popular, Tian Dao?”

“Oh, not really,” Tian Dao said, grinning. “It’s because when you look this good, even if you were mute, you’d still be just as popular.”

…

That was not comforting.

Chen Kong stared at Tian Dao’s self-satisfied face, and for the first time in his life, he felt utterly speechless.

So, for once, he blurted out what he truly thought.

“Tian Dao, has Kalolin ever told you… you’re really bad at comforting people?”

Tian Dao didn’t even hesitate. “No way! Whenever Kalolin’s down, I’m the one who lifts her spirits. I’m the one who helps her get over it.”

“…And she never got mad?”

Tian Dao paused, thinking. “Well… I think she didn’t, but I’m not totally sure.”

Chen Kong’s eyes widened.

Case closed.

Tian Dao was just never good at comfort.

After all, he was a genius. How could he possibly understand the feelings of ordinary people like them?

“Alright, enough chit-chat,” Tian Dao said, spotting the teacher entering the classroom. “Time to pretend to pay attention.”

He turned to face the blackboard—but in truth, his hand flicked open a Dimensional Screen, where he was already watching the latest episode of The Prequel of the Stars: Embers, openly and shamelessly skiving.

Meanwhile, the scene shifted away from Tian Dao and Chen Kong, returning to the absent figure of the wealthy student—Dekola.

Inside his dorm room, Dekola sat alone, phone pressed to his ear, whispering into the receiver.

After a few seconds, the call connected.

“Dad,” he said, “I’ve got the results. The transfer student, Chen Kong—he’s definitely suspicious.”

“I used the ‘Stellar Energy Detector’ you gave me. When I got close, it spiked. Strong star energy reading.”

“Based on the data, he’s got at least 100 points of Stellar Energy Value. He’s a true First-Rank Stellar Envoy.”

“And the others?”

“The one called Tian Dao Siming? I ran into him briefly this afternoon, but I couldn’t get a private moment. So I can’t confirm his identity yet. As for Kalolin and Chen Xing…”

Dekola paused, then continued, “They’re in different classes. No good chance to observe them.”

A silence followed on the other end.

Then, a voice spoke, calm and calculating.

“Understood. Go back to class for now. Call me if you find anything new.”

“Don’t worry,” Dekola said. “My move into the Tianhai Group’s decision-making circle is going smoothly. I’ll soon have more shares.”

“In the meantime, keep up your arrogant, domineering persona. Keep provoking those transfer students.”

“Best case? Force them to use their Stellar Source in public. That’ll confirm their identities.”

A cold chuckle echoed through the line.

“Once their status as Stellar Envoys is confirmed, the city’s Stellar Envoy Association will have a legitimate reason to act.”

“Even if they survive the scrutiny, they’ll never be able to return to Terilan so easily. That’ll ruin our plans.”

“So do your best, Dekola. Our family’s future… rests on your shoulders.”

“Understood.”

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end