Sean patted the top of her head, gesturing for her to lower it a bit.
His hand still moving, he said gently, "I don't blame you. I am rather despicable."
"However, the people from the Academy won't see it that way. Let me give you some advice: when you go back, don't try to explain yourself. First, readily admit your incompetence and apologize—after all, you did expose quite a few of the Academy's secrets to save your own life."
"Then, hand over all the information you gathered from me. At the same time, accidentally let it slip that I have leverage over you."
At the word "leverage," a blush of humiliation spread across Qiong Ying's face.
Sean didn't care in the slightest. "The most crucial part," he continued, "is making your teacher believe you."
"Of course my teacher will believe me."
Sean's smile widened. "Is that so? You treat the Academy as your faith, so the teacher who raised you from childhood certainly should trust you. But we have to consider a problem: what if your teacher doesn't?"
Qiong Ying looked as if she had suffered a great indignity. "That's impossible!"
"I hope so too."
He chuckled and patted Qiong Ying's rear, making her nearly jump straight up.
Sean laughed. "We have to include this part. After all, who doesn't know my reputation?"
Qiong Ying lowered her head in humiliation, biting her lip tightly.
"Is it fun... to humiliate me?"
Sean solemnly denied it. "This isn't humiliation. It's an act of rationalization."
Savoring the sensation on his hand for a moment, he told Qiong Ying to raise her head.
The young girl's delicate face bore a complex mix of expressions—shame, anger, powerlessness...
He nodded in satisfaction. "Right, exactly that expression. When they ask what I did to you, this is the face you need to show them."
"I'll help you out, too. In the negotiations, you will be my expensive bargaining chip. I won't let you go unless they offer a price that satisfies me."
Qiong Ying's chest heaved violently, a sight that earned a whistle from Sean.
That whistle snapped her out of it, making her realize something was wrong.
"I don't need your help to gain trust! I—I never betrayed the Academy in the first place, nor did I agree to be your spy!"
Sean started clapping. "Yes, yes, exactly that tone."
"You!"
Qiong Ying felt like her lungs were going to explode from sheer fury. After being led in circles by this man, had she somehow become a spy?!
Sean, however, paid it no mind. He narrowed his eyes slightly and leaned his mouth close to her pale, swan-like neck.
"Do you know what I believe in?"
"I believe in intoxicating madness. At the same time, I believe in captivating profit."
He looked at her seriously. "You still haven't seen the true nature of Paradise City. No, more accurately, you haven't even seen yourself clearly."
He closed in on her inch by inch, his pale blue eyes holding a naked intensity that made her want to retreat.
"Where are your glasses?" he suddenly asked.
Qiong Ying grew flustered. When she had changed into this maid outfit in the room earlier, there had been a pair of colored contact lenses on the table.
Subconsciously, she had put them in and taken off the glasses she had worn for so very long.
Sean smiled. Instead of pressing the issue, he reached over and grabbed a mirror.
Qiong Ying couldn't help but look, only to see a completely different version of herself.
Without her glasses, her dark, bright eyes seemed to speak volumes, the shadows of her curled eyelashes trembling over them.
Her long, slightly blue hair, which normally hung down straight and smooth, now had a few strands pulled from the sides and woven into light, short braids.
The slightly dull, studious beauty had transformed into someone lively and charming.
Sean smiled and stood up. "I just braided them casually. It's not about which style suits you better, but rather that it'd be too much of a waste for such a beautiful girl to only ever have one look."
Qiong Ying gradually pressed her lips together and asked in a muffled voice, "How did you know?"
She occasionally fretted over this, feeling like she ought to change her style. After all, she had remained exactly the same for over a decade at the Academy—just like her faith in the Academy.
But that was clearly a thought buried deep in her heart. How had he guessed it?
Sean raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were going to ask me how my handiwork was so good."
Before she could speak again, he waved his hand.
"Staying the same forever is just far too boring."
With that, Sean walked straight into the house, leaving Qiong Ying standing alone, staring blankly into the mirror.
Inside, Sean wore a satisfied smile.
A completely familiar character profile, paired with his Heart of Deceit...
He only needed to make Qiong Ying feel that he was someone she could rely on. Because the impact was small, the price he had to pay for this deception was equally minor.
Once the duration of the deception ended, she would fall into a state of intense suspicion toward him.
But Sean didn't care. If he wasn't suspected by a few hundred people a day, he would feel uncomfortable all over.
And what he needed from Qiong Ying wasn't her beauty or her body. The most important thing was that she was a student of the Academy's Dean.
As long as Qiong Ying could be completely used by him, Sean would have the leverage to make a move against that Dean.
Of course, he didn't expect a few bewitching words to make her obediently bow down in submission. He only needed to plant a unique seed in the deepest part of her heart.
That was enough.
When a person had nothing left, that seed would begin to sprout.
Everything that had happened in Telephone Booth Square spread outward at an unbelievable speed.
The encounter of more than half of the Inspection Bureau's Elites and their Director—representatives of the three major factions' dignity, those so-called champions of justice—became the hottest topic of gossip among the residents of Paradise City.
Naturally, Sean's notorious reputation spread through the city once again.
He had practically turned against the entire Upper City, and his sheer ruthlessness left people clicking their tongues in shock.
His reputation as a lecherous, combative brute—someone with nothing but ruthless cruelty and zero strategic sense—was amplified even further. Many people simply shook their heads in amusement upon hearing Sean's name.
However, it was undeniable that they only dared to belittle him in the shadows. The corpses of the Inspection Bureau members hanging at the entrance of the Gold Ghosts were enough to strike terror into anyone's heart.
Some also felt a sense of helplessness. Crossing swords with a brainless lunatic wielding immense power truly yielded no benefits whatsoever.
The nobles of the Upper City despised this kind of person the most. Smart people were supposed to beat around the bush, exchanging fire in the dark based purely on mutual interests—otherwise, why would a city built on the wasteland start enforcing pre-apocalypse laws?
These nobles, who wore Breathing Masks just to visit the Lower District, constantly prattled on about equality and the rule of law. A lunatic who so flagrantly flouted the rules was truly contemptible!
The peaceful, egalitarian environment of all of Paradise City had suffered a severe blow because of him!
They really just wanted to blow this lunatic to pieces!
Three days later, the Academy issued a public statement.
"In order to better foster the development of Paradise City, the Academy has gifted an Airship to the Gold Ghosts."
"The recent disturbance in Dirty Street was, in fact, a joint charity event organized by the Academy and the Gold Ghosts to provide assistance to the impoverished."
"Unexpectedly, issues with coordination between the two parties led to the disturbance."
"And it was precisely this disturbance that sparked several misunderstandings, resulting in unnecessary conflict."
"We would like to express our deepest apologies to all the citizens of Paradise City. Fortunately, the misunderstanding has been resolved!"
"Taking this opportunity, we have gained both experience and a valuable lesson. We believe that after this incident, the Academy will be even better equipped to lead Paradise City toward the future of our dreams!"