Soulmate : This world of ours

Chapter 1.5: Year 103 (After the Great War)

Previously........

Liu Feng proved equal to the challenge and had passed the first step of acceptance. Now for the second and final test.

Survive a meeting with Shen Yu.

Now....

To most people, hearing the shortest child in the room be proclaimed as the final test, it tends to make them underestimate and lower their guard. They have no way of knowing that appearances can be deceiving, practically for Shen Yu. He is the living embodiment of that statement. But Shen Yu won't correct them. After all, it is to his benefit to get them to lower their guard. And that is when he strikes.

Shen Yu was born and brought up in the Institute like everyone else. However, that's where the similarities between him and the other kids ended. He was scarily brilliant and had a way of speaking that made him able to run circles around his opponent and leave them dizzy or disoriented. Or sometimes, both. Shen Yu loved it when he could do that. It was his only form of entertainment.

By the time he was 6, Shen Yu had practically taken over the Institute. Each and everyone person of the Institute, apart from the Director and the board of executives(by virtue of not being in-person at the Institute for the latter), were under his influence. He was the ruler of the Institute in all but name.

Newcomers at the Institute were warned that they had to survive a meeting with the unofficial ruler, even before their first job. Shen Yu took good care of his empire and he would not let idiots touch what was his. In previous instances, he even had people fired if they were not up to his standards. However, he was not yet able to get rid of the Director. Keyword being 'yet'. He had plans.

But back to the topic at hand, Shen Yu looked at their newest sibling carefully. The boy looked as if he could be trustworthy, but only time would reveal his true personality. But for now, time to play.

"So you are our newest offering."

"..... My name is Liu Feng, I'm not an offering."

"Bold too, I think you'll fit right into the kids. A-Ming, be a good elder and take care of your newest duckling."

The afore-mentioned A-Ming was, in fact, a young woman working as a caretaker in the Institute. Officially, it was her duty to welcome all new arrivals and get them settled. But even she was under Shen Yu's rule.

"Right away, A-Yu. Come on A-Feng, let's get you sorted out. You may call me Ming-jiejie, or just Jiejie."

Liu Feng only nodded and followed behind the woman. He had heard from the man who had brought him to the Institute that it was beneficial to be on the Shen kid's side. Before passing him off to the director, the man, "Just call me San-ge", had warned the young boy about the hierarchy of the Institute.

"Now you may think that there is only one power in the Institute, but that's not true. If you displease the Shadow King, not even the Director can stop you from being thrown out. The Shadow King is a boy named Shen. After the official introduction to the kids by the Director, you'll be meeting this boy. Try to get into his good graces, otherwise you'll suffer."

At the time, young Liu had ignored the advice as San-ge playing a prank on him. But now he was not so sure. Seeing the way an eight-year-old boy had ordered around a twenty-something young woman was making him regret not asking for more details from San-ge.