Cannon fodder in the Interstellar

When Sheila Shahin said that Tamaki Kazia would also follow her, Ruo Manni wasn’t too surprised.

Tamaki Kazia’s family is in business, and while they have made a large fortune, their wealth began with his father’s generation, so they lack a deep foundation and connections in the military.

An elite youth like him is actually someone that the big noble families would love to recruit.

Ruo Manni had initially thought that the Shahin family would leverage Sheila’s connections to bring this powerful rising star into their family. Who knew they would be so foolish as to not only fail to recruit him but also force him away, thereby losing two significant allies.

“I wholeheartedly welcome you and Tamaki’s decision to follow me. Once you and Tamaki have discussed and decided, let me know the procedures, and I’ll take care of it for you,” Ruo Manni said generously, now that she was wealthy and had a capable team.

Sheila glanced at Ruo Manni. As someone who knew her very well, she could tell that Ruo Manni now had a different kind of confidence. Thinking it through, she understood what was going on.

Sheila smiled happily, “It seems that the Hua De family treats you very well. I really didn’t misjudge you.”

“Indeed, it’s quite good—just like Hua Deli’s treatment,” Romani replied with a slight smirk.

No comparison, no harm; conversely, without comparison, one would not know their own worth. Compared to the Shahin family, the Hua De family treated her, their recently recognized disciple, far better than she could have imagined.

No wonder the Hua De family and the Shahin family have both been in a state of having no successors for the past 180 years. Despite this, the Hua De family has still managed to maintain its status and eventually produced three outstanding rising stars that helped the family out of its predicament.

In contrast, the Shahin family’s current head is lacking in vision and capability, resulting in the family’s strength and status declining repeatedly.

Now, after so much effort, the family has finally produced a rising star, and it is likely that they will bring in another. Yet the head of the Shahin family not only fails to make an effort to keep them but also wants to drive them away. Truly, it is a foolish and hopeless family.

“You have to wonder if your family head’s brain is made of glue. How can someone with such a mindset be the head of a family? It can’t be that everyone in the Shahin family is worse than him,” Ruo Manni said, genuinely puzzled.

“His father was the previous head, and he has the highest cultivation level, so no one can suppress him. He might not be this foolish with others, but the family head’s wife and my stepmother are cousins. My father is often away, so they have the final say in everything,” Sheila Shahin replied flatly.

Moreover, with a stepmother comes a stepfather, and Sheila’s father indeed does not value his daughter. Otherwise, the family head’s wife would not dare to treat Sheila so dismissively. Ruo Manni silently filled in the gaps in Sheila’s statement in her mind.

“Soft-hearted and shortsighted—if you don’t get a good family head, it seems that your Shahin family will continue to decline,” Ruo Manni sneered.

They can ensure that Sheila’s half-brother will succeed. Even if his cultivation potential is slightly better than Sheila’s, he still needs to grow and develop, while Sheila has already matured.

Moreover, how could he be so lucky as to not only associate with the elite descendants of the three major families—the Hua De, Atchison, and Olli families—but also be classmates with a prince?

“The Hua De family truly lives up to its name. Even someone like you, who returned partway through, can receive treatment equivalent to that of an elite descendant. My instincts were right; I feel like following you will lead to greater achievements,” Sheila said with a smile, her brows no longer shadowed by gloom.

“As long as you’re mentally prepared for the change in identity, that is a must,” Ruo Manni warned in advance.

With her, Sheila cannot act like a big shot; the big shot must be Ruo Manni.

Smart people don’t need to name names, and Sheila immediately understood Ruo Manni’s meaning. Instead of responding with a smirk, she stood up and performed a very standard military salute: “Yes, Commander, we have already made the mental preparation.”

Indeed, she is a woman who can be both flexible and resilient. Ruo Manni was quite satisfied and pulled her back to sit beside her: “Rest assured, if I eat meat, you will surely get the soup.”

Although Hebrew Adam is highly capable, his companions are no pushovers, especially Dean Atchison, who attacked him relentlessly as if he had taken stimulants. However, Adam couldn’t hit too hard. As a result, in a one-versus-four match, they fought for over two hours, ultimately reaching a draw. Everyone stopped because they were exhausted.

Hebrew Adam spent the whole day either being interrupted by Hua Deli or Dean Atchison, leaving him with no chance to talk to Ruo Manni alone. He had originally hoped to see what Ruo Manni was doing and if he could have a chat with her.

However, after leaving the training room, he saw the two girls chatting happily and realized they hadn’t even gone to train.

When Hebrew Adam heard Ruo Manni mention Topaz Star, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Even though she had returned to the Hua De family and he had expressed his feelings, it still hadn’t changed her mind about staying on the Imperial Capital Star.

Yet his girl had never been one to crave vanity, willing to give up everything for status and power. Her heart had always been pure, unwavering in her ideals.

“What are you two talking about that’s so amusing?” Dean Atchison, who followed Hebrew Adam out, was the first to ask.

Although Dean Atchison felt quite tired, he was also happy. The carefree sparring they had just done had been exhilarating, and the new cultivation technique seemed promising. He needed to quickly raise his mental energy level.

Hebrew Adam watched as Dean Atchison deliberately positioned himself next to Ruo Manni, blocking his way over to her, and the corner of his mouth twitched. It was clear that Dean was openly guarding against him.

But what difference did it make? They were still in school, with surveillance cameras everywhere. He had no intention of doing anything inappropriate; he just wanted to have a conversation with Ruo Manni.

Given the grave mistakes made by his mother and Ruo Manni’s strong defenses, Hebrew Adam had been patient during their previous alone time together, waiting to slowly win his way into her heart. He certainly still had that patience now.

If it weren’t for Ruo Manni wanting to go to the remote Topaz Star, and for his brother’s plans that would keep him tied up for at least three years without being able to seek her out, he wouldn’t be so eager to clarify his feelings now to prevent any other man from stepping in.

Now that his feelings were already clear to the heads of both families, and after Ruo Manni had come to understand his intentions, he found that instead of the rejection he had feared, she was slowly accepting him. Thus, he decided not to rush things any further. He knew that he had to be careful with her; he was afraid that pushing her too hard might lead to resistance and cause trouble.

That night, everyone still rested in the training hall. Dean Atchison’s personal lounge was right next to Ruo Manni’s, and the protective setup garnered admiring glances from the other teammates directed at Dean.

Ruo Manni, however, was quite happy about this arrangement because it meant she wouldn’t have to face Hebrew Adam alone. Although she had never been in a relationship in either of her lives, the influence of movies had left its mark on her. In the past, she hadn’t been straightforward about Hebrew Adam’s self-restraint, but now she wasn’t so sure anymore.

Ruo Manni felt that Hebrew Adam’s gaze toward her now carried a sense of suppressed longing, which made her feel anxious.