After enjoying a pleasant candlelit dinner, Lu Feng wanted to take Zhu Zhuqing with him to make a quick stop at Shrek Academy.
"You didn't actually think we'd have to stand in that long line tomorrow just to wait for an interview, did you?"
Zhu Zhuyun chimed in, "But didn't Manager Wang say that Shrek Academy never changes its rules? They do the same thing every year."
Lu Feng smirked. "Rules exist to be broken. It just depends on whether you're strong enough."
"But you're not some powerhouse," Zhu Zhuyun pointed out. "And from what I've heard, Dean Flender is as stubborn as they come. He doesn't suck up to the strong, and he refuses to bow to nobility. The man has principles."
"True… but I have bought Shrek Academy."
Zhu Zhuyun: "…"
Zhu Zhuqing: "…"
The twin sisters: "…"
Lu Feng's words left everyone speechless.
As someone who knew the story's events, Lu Feng was well aware of Flender's temperament. The dean desperately wanted to build Shrek Academy into something great he just refused to compromise his teaching philosophy under pressure from powerful factions or nobles. He valued his freedom too much to let himself be shackled.
Lu Feng understood Flender perfectly.
In his past life, situations like this were all too common. Once a school gained prestige, influential figures would immediately start pulling strings using connections, special admissions, and backdoor deals to force their people in.
Once that door opened, fairness went out the window. No matter how many resources were poured in afterward, such a school would never become truly world-class.
But Lu Feng wasn't asking Flender to submit to him or restrict his methods. Instead, he proposed a pure capital investment, a concept common in his previous world but revolutionary in this one.
Two years ago, Lu Feng had sought out Flender for a discussion. He made it clear that this was purely financial backing no interference in teaching, administration, or personnel decisions.
Naturally, Flender agreed to such a generous deal, and the two happily signed the contract.
Flender was a brilliant teacher, but his current approach to running the academy was guaranteed to lose money.
Not that it mattered. With so few students, the losses were negligible. Lu Feng could earn back years' worth of deficits in minutes.
Now, Lu Feng held 60% of Shrek Academy's shares.
On top of that, the academy's land had originally been leased. So Lu Feng went straight to the City Lord of Suotuo and bought out the entire area within a hundred-mile radius of Shrek Academy for a million gold spirit coins making it his permanent private property.
Right now, it was just a small village and some wasteland, dirt-cheap. But once Shrek Academy rose to fame in the next Continental Advanced Spirit Master Academy Elite Tournament, this old campus and potential branch locations would skyrocket in value. It might even become the foundation for an entirely new city: Shrek City.
This kind of foresight was something only Lu Feng, with his knowledge of the story's future, could have.
He'd used a similar method to acquire Liu Erlong's Blue Tyrant Academy.
And institutions like the Heaven Water Academy and Plant Academy? Those were already in the works.
Ah, the ruthless ways of capitalist infiltration.
Though the contract granted Flender full freedom and authority, but it also included a clause, Lu Feng had the right to withdraw his investment at any time.
And since the land itself belonged to him, a single order from him could deal a devastating blow to the academy.
Not that he ever would, of course.
Before leaving the Rose Hotel, Manager Wang handed Lu Feng a document, one he made sure Zhu Zhuqing saw as well.
It was Dai Mubai's hotel check-in records.
"This Young Master Dai changes women like clothes," Manager Wang added pointedly. "At his peak, he visited the hotel three times in a single day each time with a different woman."
In the original story, this kind of revelation would have shattered Zhu Zhuqing's heart. But now? She glanced at the records, her emotions as still as an ancient well.
The shadow of Dai Mubai in her heart had long been erased—completely replaced by Lu Feng.
Her heart belonged to him now. Dai Mubai couldn't stir even the slightest ripple in her anymore.
If anything, seeing the records only deepened her disgust. Thank the heavens our engagement was canceled.
Sure, Lu Feng had his flirtatious side. He wasn't exactly a saint when it came to women. But when it came to love, he took it seriously.
She knew there might be other women in his life in the future, but she trusted he would never stoop to Dai Mubai's level constantly cycling through women without a shred of respect.
Lu Feng understood Manager Wang's intentions. This was his way of giving a helpful nudge.
But it wasn't necessary.
...
With a crack of the coachman's whip, the carriage pulled away from the hotel entrance.
Lu Feng's gaze briefly swept over the twin sisters standing at the door, bowing in farewell.
Dressed in maid uniforms now, their entire demeanor had shifted. During dinner, they'd served attentively, their usual coquettishness toned down, replaced by a more restrained elegance.
The two looked identical so much so that telling who was the elder and who was the younger was nearly impossible.
Shrek Academy
The moment word spread of Lu Feng's arrival, Flender rushed to the gates with Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, and the others to greet him.
Flender laughed heartily, extending a hand. "Two years, and you've grown so tall, School Investor!"
Lu Feng shook his hand with a grin. "Flender, you're looking younger than ever. Just call me Xiao Feng, like before."
He exchanged handshakes with Zhao Wuji and Li Yusong as well, the atmosphere warm and relaxed.
True to his word, Lu Feng had never pressured Shrek Academy after signing the contract. Aside from replying to Flender's annual reports with a brief letter, he'd left everything untouched.
What Flender considered a massive investment was, for Lu Feng, little more than pocket change.
Some facility repairs, upgraded equipment, better meals for students, higher salaries for teachers—nothing major. With so few students, there was no need for campus expansion.
And since they'd eventually relocate to Heaven Dou City to merge with Blue Tyrant Academy, heavy investments now were unnecessary.
Besides, going to Heaven Dou City was part of the path of destiny. If he wanted to absorb its fortune, he'd have to pass through eventually.
"Xiao Feng, I really am sorry," Flender said, guilt creeping into his voice. "We haven't recruited many students these past two years. The losses keep piling up…"
With admission standards so strict—only accepting monsters, the rarest of geniuses—how could it be easy?
In the twenty years since Shrek Academy's founding, only forty-two students had ever been accepted.
That averaged out to barely two per year.
When Flender said they "hadn't recruited many students," he was being generous—to himself. The truth was, the past two years had been a complete drought. Zero new students.
Lu Feng, with the experience of two lifetimes, had never seen an academy where the teachers outnumbered the students. And with numbers like these, how could they possibly turn a profit?
Hell, they hadn't even paid last year's rent for the academy grounds.
Most of Shrek Academy's teachers were Spirit Emperors—rank 60 and above. Forget the Commerce Alliance's generous subsidy standards; even the normal stipend for instructors at that level was something Flender couldn't afford.
Luckily, Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, and the others weren't here for money. They shared Flender's vision—to nurture the most outstanding young spirit masters.
But food, supplies, cultivation resources… those still cost money. And the teachers needed at least some allowance to live on.
Especially Zhao Wuji. This guy had pissed off the Spirit Hall so badly that collecting subsidies from them was out of the question. The fact that they weren't actively hunting him down was already a mercy. His only lifeline was whatever meager allowance Flender could scrape together.
Flender was barely keeping his head above water. Between running the academy, he had to operate a junk shop in Suotuo City just to make ends meet.
And here's the kicker, even the merchandise in Flender's shop came from the Pan-Continental Commerce Alliance.
A few months before Lu Feng approached him with the investment offer, he'd secretly given the order: skyrocket Flender's supply prices. Then, he had another shop open right across the street, selling the exact same goods at a permanent discount.
A classic double whammy.
The result? Flender's shop became a ghost town. He couldn't even cover the rent, forcing him to sell the place at a loss.
Instead of making money, he ended up deep in the red.
Now, even tightening his belt wasn't enough.
The academy's landlord started hounding him daily for back payments, refusing any further delays. "Pay up, or we take the land back."
Shrek Academy was on the verge of collapsing years ahead of schedule.
A group of like-minded teachers and students, bound by deep camaraderie, faced disbandment.
And then—enter Lu Feng, the savior.
Just as Flender reached his lowest point, Lu Feng arrived with a lifeline, pulling Shrek Academy back from the brink.
Naturally, the entire academy was overflowing with gratitude toward their young, generous, and unbelievably kind-hearted investor.
The sheer respect and warmth in the eyes of Zhao Wuji, Li Yusong, and Lu Qibin said it all.
Of course, all they knew about Lu Feng was that he was a non-spirit who'd made his fortune through business, shared their educational ideals, and supported them without conditions.