Sweet Hunting Ground [GB] - Chapter 7.1

Chapter 7 Made this Silent World Stir for Her…

She turned her head toward Lin. The young man’s expression froze slightly; it was hard to tell if he was truly pleased.

The flying camera’s red light flickered, signaling that it had received a new command. It beeped once more, “Mr. Lin, please follow me.”

“It seems we’ll have to part ways for now,” Ani said first, pressing her fingertips lightly against her lips. She tilted her head, her gaze lingering on his face. “Teacher, don’t you go telling on me.”

Lin rose to his feet, avoiding her eyes.

“It’s you who shouldn’t suddenly get carried away here.”

Ani let out a delighted laugh. She had never appreciated Lin’s choice of words as much as she did now. The more time they spent together, the more their relationship deteriorated. His courtesy and respect were gradually wearing away.

She pointed at her StarNet watch and said, “Well, I’m off. Don’t forget to report your movements to me—”

The only answer she received was the sight of the blue-haired merman’s cold, indifferent back.

The flying camera broke away from the orderly patrol formation and led Lin deeper into the campus, into a towering office building that seemed to pierce the clouds.

He stepped into an office at the very top. The moment he crossed the threshold, the room, which had been shrouded in darkness, instantly flooded with bright light.

A floating communications screen flickered to life, its intense, condensed beam of light exuding a heavy pressure. A familiar figure appeared on it.

It looked less like a communication call and more like an interrogation.

“I thought you had failed so badly you’d never make it back,” the middle-aged merman’s voice rumbled, deep and imposing. “Do you know how long we’ve been looking for you? You are the heir—you’re supposed to be tougher, better, stronger than anyone else. If you died in an accident of this scale, I wouldn’t even know how to face the Alliance media. You don’t have a shred of an heir’s capabilities, can’t even protect yourself. If you can’t even manage that, then your younger brother…”

Lin endured the first half of the tirade, his fingers restlessly rubbing at the wrinkles on his clothes, an uncontrollable nausea rising in his chest.
But when the man mentioned “younger brother,” Lin’s eyelid twitched sharply.

“Don’t bring him up, all right?”

His brows were light-colored, making the stern detachment in his expression even more striking.
Lin said, “I was only ever a nominal heir, nothing but a scapegoat, a whetstone.
You don’t need to pretend to care about me. I know perfectly well that your ideal child is someone else. I’m neither brave nor strong. I can’t help you win hunting profits or realize the Blue Dragon family’s dream of conquering the stars. Just continue seeing me as a disgrace. It’s fine.”

From the suspended screen came the sound of a fist slamming down onto a desk. The water in a glass trembled violently with the impact.

“This is how you talk to your elders?” The man, who usually appeared refined and composed, was so easily provoked by his own bloodline. “You’ve always been this cowardly—always choosing to run away instead of changing anything. No matter what the situation is. Is there no instinct to fight or to seize in you? Why can’t you learn to snatch what you want, to compete for favor, to fight back? Lin, why—why did I ever have a child like you, someone who doesn’t even know how to strike back?!”

The flickering light from the screen fell across Lin’s brow. He raised a hand to press against his throbbing temple, lowering his head as he said, “Yes, why indeed. Your love for me is fickle, but your hatred is endless. I often wonder why, but perhaps it’s just because I am not the child you expected.”

There was a pause. The middle-aged merman was silent for a few seconds before he spoke again.

“Return home immediately. Resign from your post at Blue Ocean University. I will make new arrangements—”

“No.”

The tension in the air reached its peak. His father stared at him coldly, every word carrying the weight of an ultimatum.

“If I don’t see you within three hours, I will freeze all your current funds and revoke your high-level privileges. Don’t even think about relying on the family’s resources. This dull job you insist on clinging to will only bring you endless suffering.”

The screen went dark. The ever-busy head of the family had no time to waste on further arguments.

Lin stared blankly at the suddenly dim room for a moment. When he finally snapped out of his thoughts, he walked out of the office and activated the plain-looking StarNet watch on his wrist, logging into his account.

He only meant to skim through his message history with the principal, but a pink profile icon suddenly popped up and sent him a voice message.

The system automatically converted the audio into the merman language:

“Tea—cher—!”

Lin fell silent.

“What are you doing? Are you complaining about me to your family? I just saw a really handsome merman by the roadside…”

Lin’s silence grew heavier.

“I’ve paid my tuition! But the money you gave me is all gone! Housing here is so—expensive! Can I crash at your place? No? If not, then I guess I’ll just have to—”

“Stop answering your own questions,” he replied. “Behave yourself.”