Chapter 00055: He Was Too Late
# He Was Too Late
Chapter 55
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 55: He Was Too Late
The enrollment point of the Great Han Yi Academy couldn’t exactly be called bustling.
Compared to other academies, the number of people here was indeed the smallest, with only a few individuals inquiring about admissions.
One thing was certain: over ninety percent of the students who came here were ranked in the bottom hundred.
As a result, the admissions staff had plenty of free time.
They knew that the initial period wasn’t their academy’s peak enrollment time.
Only after other academies had mostly finished recruiting would it finally be their turn.
“Are you Fang Chong and Ai Xi?” The admissions officer of the Great Han Yi Academy stood up in surprise when he saw Fang Chong and Ai Xi approaching.
These two students had ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the four consecutive rounds of assessments.
Based on their results, they should have been heading to the Zhenyu Academy.
Why had they come to the Great Han Yi Academy instead?
“Yes, teacher. We both wish to join the Great Han Yi Academy,” Fang Chong said.
“Ah…” The admissions officer was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. “Of course, of course! A warm welcome to you both. Let me get you the intention forms right away…” He was ecstatic.
When had the Great Han Yi Academy ever managed to recruit students ranked in the top five? Not only had they done so this time, but they had gotten two at once.
If this didn’t earn him a raise or promotion, nothing would.
“Huh? Isn’t that Fang Chong and Ai Xi?” As Fang Chong and Ai Xi sat down to fill out the forms, many students noticed them.
One had ranked fourth in the overall assessment, and the other fifth.
These two were filling out forms at the Great Han Yi Academy, the bottom-ranked of the Blue Star’s top ten academies.
Were they really planning to join? This didn’t make sense.
Immediately, curious onlookers came over to check.
When they confirmed that the two were indeed joining the Great Han Yi Academy, they were stunned.
Did the Great Han Yi Academy have some hidden, profound martial arts techniques? Or had they developed a groundbreaking new gene potion? Neither seemed likely.
The Great Han Yi Academy focused primarily on martial arts, with gene potions as a secondary focus.
This was precisely why its reputation had been declining year after year.
“Do you think Teacher Ding Huan might be going to the Great Han Yi Academy?” someone speculated, feeling as though they had uncovered a secret.
This statement struck like a thunderbolt, awakening everyone to the possibility.
If Teacher Ding Huan wasn’t going to the Great Han Yi Academy, why else would Fang Chong and Ai Xi join?
“Impossible. If Teacher Ding Huan were going there, why would only Fang Chong be enrolling? Where are Lü Zi and Li Wanran?” A more rational voice in the crowd raised the question.
“Heh, have you seen Lü Zi and Li Wanran enrolling here? They might have already been admitted through internal channels.”
The crowd looked around, but indeed, Lü Zi and Li Wanran were nowhere to be seen.
In fact, Qin Qiang and Zeng Yi hadn’t anticipated that taking Li Wanran and Lü Zi away separately would have this effect.
Although a few students had seen Lü Zi and Li Wanran leaving with the two deans, no one was thinking rationally now.
Most had convinced themselves of one thing: Ding Huan was about to make a comeback, and his return would be at the Great Han Yi Academy.
Even though the Gene Alliance was currently hunting Ding Huan, if he became a teacher at the Great Han Yi Academy, the Gene Alliance would no longer have the right to pursue him.
If they dared to continue, it would mean declaring war on the Great Han Yi Academy.
No matter how low its ranking, the Great Han Yi Academy was still one of the Blue Star’s top ten academies.
The Gene Alliance wouldn’t dare take it lightly.
And so, the enrollment hall became a scene of chaos.
Hundreds of students swarmed toward the Great Han Yi Academy’s booth.
The other academies were left dumbfounded.
What was going on? The admissions staff of the Great Han Yi Academy were equally stunned.
What was happening? But they quickly snapped out of it.
Whatever the reason, they needed to seize the opportunity to recruit.
“Zheng Jin? You’re the sixth-ranked student in this assessment?” The Great Han Yi Academy’s admissions officer was hit with another wave of惊喜.
The fourth, fifth, and sixth-ranked students from the Blue Star’s top ten academies’ assessment had all chosen the Great Han Yi Academy.
Then came the tenth, twelfth, fifteenth… In the end, even the ninety-second-ranked student had joined the Great Han Yi Academy.
Not even the Zhenyu Academy, under normal circumstances, could attract such high-quality students.
…
Ding Huan had no idea that a single suggestion he had given Fang Chong had set off a small butterfly effect, allowing the Great Han Yi Academy to reap a windfall.
For any school, strong student recruitment was the foundation for its growth.
The Zhenyu Academy was a prime example.
Because its student quality improved year after year, it had far surpassed the other nine academies in the Blue Star’s top ten.
At this moment, Ding Huan had already arrived in Yiling City.
In Yiling, the Qu family was quite well-known, primarily for their expertise in forging cold weapons.
After the outbreak of gene beasts, cold weapons had become increasingly valued.
Among the five renowned cold weapon brands in China, the Qu family was one of them.
Qu Yi’s residence was in the Xiu Lake Community on Zhenqiong Road in Yiling City, a mixed neighborhood of high-rises and villas.
The Qu family wasn’t poor, but they lived in the front row of villas, which was relatively modest given their wealth.
After entering the community, Ding Huan quickly found Villa No. 5.
…
“Auntie, Yi Yi is gone. Please don’t cry anymore.” Qu Fei, her eyes red and swollen, comforted a middle-aged woman.
This woman was Qu Yi’s mother, Yan Quan.
She deeply regretted allowing Qu Yi to go to Puhai.
If Qu Yi hadn’t gone, none of this would have happened.
“Fei Fei, you said that Ding Huan is from Luohe?” A slightly overweight middle-aged man asked.
He was Qu Yi’s father, Qu Yonghe.
“Yes. His identity is now widely known. His original name was Ding Xiaotu, the young master of the Baiyu Group. Later, he was driven out by Ding Jie, the adopted son of Baiyu Group’s Ding Baishan, and changed his name to Ding Huan.” Qu Fei replied.
She had already sent someone to Luohe to inquire about Ding Huan.
Qu Yonghe fell silent.
Even if they found Ding Huan now, it wouldn’t save Qu Yi.
“Is Qu Yi here?” A sudden voice interrupted, startling everyone in the room.
“Who’s looking for Qu Yi here?” Qu Yonghe stood up.
Could it be the Gene Alliance? If it was, the Qu family might not even be able to keep Qu Yi’s remains.
“I’ll get the door.” Wen Xing, who had been protecting Qu Fei and Qu Yi, hurried to the entrance and opened the door.
Standing at the door was a young man with a blue backpack and a bit of stubble on his face.
“Who are you?” Wen Xing scrutinized the young man, puzzled.
But she quickly realized and exclaimed in惊喜, “Are you Teacher Ding Huan?”
Ding Huan casually wiped the stubble from his face and smiled. “Yes, I’m Ding Huan. I came specifically to see Qu Yi. How is she?”
At the mention of Qu Yi, Wen Xing’s excitement cooled.
No matter how capable Ding Huan was, he couldn’t bring back the dead.
“Teacher Ding?” Qu Fei also heard Wen Xing’s words and rushed out.
When she saw it was indeed Ding Huan, her eyes reddened. “Teacher Ding, I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have doubted you.”
Ding Huan waved his hand. “I need to see Qu Yi.”
Qu Fei shook her head. “It’s too late. Yi Yi is gone.”
Ding Huan had no time for further conversation.
He rushed to Qu Yi’s side.
When Ding Huan saw those eyes again, his nose tingled with酸涩.
Those eyes, once as clear and pure as a spring, were now dull and lifeless, tinged with sorrow and an unshakable layer of gray.
Her unclosed eyes seemed to speak of the filth of the world and the torment of living.
They seemed to say that in the face of overwhelming power, life and dignity were insignificant.
Ding Huan’s entire body trembled slightly.酸涩 blurred his vision, and anger filled his heart.
In his previous life, those untainted eyes had dimmed before giving him their light.
In this life, those clear eyes had dimmed once more.
And he was powerless to change it.
He had thought that by starting over, he could change the things he had regretted for a lifetime.
But now, it seemed he was back at square one.
Perhaps he had changed, but he hadn’t been able to change the fate of the woman who had given him light.
If that was the case, what was the point of starting over? He would never forgive himself for his mistakes.
If Qu Yi’s eyes had merely dimmed, Ding Huan would have willingly given her his own.
But Qu Yi was gone.
What meaning did his words of gratitude in Anhe County hold now? Qu Yi hadn’t needed his thanks.
What she had longed for, he had failed to give her.
“Thud!” Ding Huan fell to his knees, powerless.
He had come too late.
He cradled Qu Yi’s cold, pale hand, trembling.
It wasn’t his body that shook, but his heart.
Qu Yi’s mother, Yan Quan, seeing Ding Huan’s grief, couldn’t hold back her tears.
Her poor Yi Yi.
Qu Yonghe, Qu Fei, and the others watched Ding Huan in shock.
They didn’t know who Ding Huan was to Qu Yi or why her death affected him so deeply.
As they watched Ding Huan hold Qu Yi’s hand, trembling and silently weeping, Qu Fei’s heart ached.
She regretted once again preventing Qu Yi from meeting Ding Huan.
“Did my daughter hide a boyfriend from me?” Qu Yonghe stared blankly at the grieving Ding Huan.
As if sensing Ding Huan’s hands holding hers, a faint trickle of blood seeped from one of Qu Yi’s eyes, and then her eyeball began to dissolve.
“No…” Ding Huan could no longer contain his fear.
He didn’t want Qu Yi’s eyes to disappear.
He didn’t want Qu Yi to vanish.
Because her loss wasn’t just the end of Qu Yi—it was the beginning of the collapse of his own confidence and信念.
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(End of Chapter)