Chapter 67
Zhang Cai sat in the milk tea shop, her cousin Yuan Xiangjia by her side.
Yuan Xiangjia was her maternal uncle’s daughter. When Zhang Cai had been trying to convince her grandmother not to fall for television scams, Yuan Xiangjia had been right there helping out.
“Sis, is your classmate really an Awakener? Can he summon fire or water out of thin air?”
Yuan Xiangjia was sixteen this year, right at the peak of her chuunibyou phase; curiosity was practically oozing out of her.
Zhang Cai told her to behave. “When you meet him later, don’t go prying into everything. It’s rude!”
If Luo Shizhen hadn’t asked if he could bring a few friends along to hang out, she wouldn’t have brought Yuan Xiangjia at all.
Yuan Xiangjia nodded repeatedly. “I got it, I got it!”
She then asked curiously, “Sis, is that classmate of yours handsome? What’s his personality like? I heard Awakeners all have short fuses. Is he a hothead?”
This question made Zhang Cai hesitate.
“I wasn’t that close to him before. We only spoke occasionally. His personality is actually quite good. His looks… how should I put it? He’s actually quite good-looking.”
Even though they had been in the same class for a long time, when Zhang Cai tried to recall Luo Shizhen’s face, she surprisingly couldn’t quite pin it down.
She only remembered that Luo Shizhen always kept his head down, focused on his own tasks. He never joined in on group conversations; he would just silently shrink into a corner without saying a word.
The nickname Zhang Chuan had given him—”Stone”—really suited him. He was like a dull, heavy rock: quiet, rarely participating in group activities, but very strong. He often silently helped his classmates with heavy lifting.
Furthermore, he was always prompt when it came to handing in homework. He never stalled or used the “I left it at home” excuse.
Recalling it now, the only distinct memory Zhang Cai had was once when she was on duty, and Luo Shizhen helped her change the heavy water cooler bottle. When she thanked him, he had scratched his head sheepishly and given a small, awkward smile.
In a class of over fifty people, Luo Shizhen could be described as obscure. Occasionally, boys from other classes would come looking for him to hang out, but he always said he was busy and needed to study.
His temper did seem quite good. Even when he said he was busy and people kept bothering him, he wouldn’t get angry; he would just silently lower his head to his books and pretend he couldn’t hear them.
The Luo Shizhen in Zhang Cai’s memory was either bowing his head to read, buried in revision, or seriously working on exam papers. The number of times she had actually seen his face was practically countable on one hand.
Yet, despite their lack of contact, when she was attacked by that zombie, Luo Shizhen had been quick to jump in and help.
Zhang Cai finally said, “He’s a very good person. When I was bitten by the zombie, he was the first one to come help.”
Yuan Xiangjia nodded. “But from what you’re saying, Sis, this classmate sounds like a total nerd. If he loves studying that much, is he a top student? Are his grades amazing?”
Zhang Cai: “…Stop prying into people’s private business. Whatever you do, don’t ask about grades later.”
Speaking of grades made her think of Chu Xiao.
Zhang Cai figured that the “friend” Luo Shizhen mentioned bringing was probably Chu Xiao.
To be honest, Zhang Cai was a bit intimidated by Chu Xiao.
Whenever she ran into Chu Xiao and Luo Shizhen walking together outside and said hello, she always felt like the look in Chu Xiao’s eyes was freezing.
He was polite enough when he spoke to her, but she could always sense a faint, underlying feeling of exclusion.
Zhang Cai felt that people shouldn’t be spreading rumors about Qin Yinian’s mysophobia regarding women; Chu Xiao seemed more like the one with the germaphobia.
But then again, maybe not. Chu Xiao was quite normal with Luo Shizhen. She sometimes saw Chu Xiao resting a hand on Luo Shizhen’s shoulder or pulling him along.
Yuan Xiangjia was getting bored waiting. “What time are they coming?”
Zhang Cai looked down at her phone. “Soon. We agreed on the hour. Five minutes left.”
Just as she answered, her arm was suddenly poked frantically by her cousin several times. Zhang Cai: “What?”
She looked up, and her eyes immediately lit up.
Walking into the milk tea shop were several tall, long-legged handsome men who were a head taller than everyone else. Their looks each had their own unique charm, but their “handsome” levels were almost maxed out.
The point was, these guys weren’t just handsome; they each had a distinct aura. There was an exquisite and beautiful one, a refined scholarly one, a powerful-looking one, a noble-looking one, and a sunshine-type.
Usually, seeing even one person with this kind of look on the street was a stroke of incredible luck.
Not to mention, they all appeared together, instantly drawing every gaze in the shop.
Zhang Cai could hear her cousin whispering in a squeezed voice, “They’re so handsome it’s like 2D characters came to life.”
Zhang Cai didn’t speak, but in her heart, she couldn’t agree more!
The handsome men seemed to be looking for someone. Their eyes scanned the shop a few times and soon landed on Zhang Cai and Yuan Xiangjia.
Her cousin got even more excited.
Zhang Cai, however, felt a sense of familiarity in their gazes.
Once she saw Chu Xiao, she knew where that familiarity came from.
Wasn’t that exactly how Chu Xiao looked at people?
But since Chu Xiao was among them, where was Luo Shizhen?
Then, the handsome men moved aside to open up a path. Their gazes, which had been somewhat aloof and distant, suddenly softened. Two of the men even reached out to hold open the shop’s door curtain.
Luo Shizhen walked in from between them.
He was still muttering, “Why did you guys walk so fast?”
He was the one coming to see Zhang Cai; shouldn’t he have been the first to enter?
But as soon as they reached the shop and Luo Shizhen lifted his foot, Chu Xiao and the others had surged in ahead of him.
He also scanned the shop, but compared to his companions’ aggressive presence, Luo Shizhen’s gaze was far more harmless. He quickly spotted Zhang Cai and the others and immediately waved happily.
“Zhang Cai, we’re here!”
Zhang Cai was shocked to find that Luo Shizhen was completely different from the boy in her memory.
His hair was soft and smooth, clearly well-groomed. The clothes on his body were no longer the school uniform that seemed permanently fixed to him; instead, he wore a simple white shirt, neatly buttoned up to reveal a section of his beautifully curved collarbone.
His features weren’t hidden away with a lowered head like before, but were shown openly. His smile was much less shy, and his eyes were bright and clear.
His groomed hairstyle revealed his gentle eyes, and Zhang Cai finally realized that Luo Shizhen’s features were actually much better-looking than she remembered. His physique was the same; once the baggy school uniform was removed, his excellent and superior frame was revealed without inhibition.
The whole person was like a simple, dull stone that had been gradually polished to reveal the translucent jade within.
Zhang Cai was stunned for a moment, finally feeling that Luo Shizhen was now truly from a different world.
Before, when they chatted online, Luo Shizhen still spoke in such a timid and kind manner, so it didn’t feel real.
Now that she saw such a massive change in him, she finally understood what people meant on the internet when they said Awakeners and ordinary people were as different as heaven and earth.
Zhang Cai felt a momentary wave of emotion before quickly greeting them:
“You’re here! Come, sit down. This is my cousin, Yuan Xiangjia. I’m staying at my grandma’s house this time, so I brought her along.”
Luo Shizhen sat down and introduced his friends to them as well.
“You know Chu Xiao. This is Xiao Shan, the brother I told you about. These are Lu Qiujin, Rong Nian, Cheng Yunshao, and Wen Hu.”
“They haven’t been out to play in a long time, so they followed me out for a stroll.”
As Luo Shizhen introduced his friends, he became increasingly happy.
When he was a child, he had once longed for a scene like this: being able to introduce a bunch of his friends to others.
As he grew up, he gradually stopped thinking about it. He didn’t expect that today, he would actually achieve it.
The group all greeted them politely and sat down to order milk tea.
None of them particularly liked drinking milk tea, but Luo Shizhen held his with a sense of novelty.
To his former self, milk tea was very expensive. But sometimes seeing his classmates drink it, the food-loving Luo Shizhen had actually really wanted to try it. Later, when he got his salary and had money, there were no milk tea shops at the Awakener school, and his classmates didn’t drink it either, so Luo Shizhen had forgotten.
Strictly speaking, this was actually the first cup of milk tea he had ever drunk.
It was sweet and delicious; no wonder so many people liked it.
While drinking his milk tea, Luo Shizhen asked Zhang Cai how her recovery was going.
“I’ve recovered very well. The doctor said I was really lucky. If I hadn’t been saved in time, I would have been in big trouble if my artery was bitten. I really have to thank you. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be done for.”
As Zhang Cai spoke, her eyes drifted to these long-legged handsome men.
Even though she was the one speaking, why did she feel like all of their attention was focused on Luo Shizhen?
But thinking that these people were Luo Shizhen’s friends, it was understandable.
Over the next day, the group visited the museum, the aquarium, and even went to an amusement park.
Luo Shizhen had a blast.
This was his first time at a large-scale amusement park. Last time he went, it was to catch Voodoo insects.
He was very enthusiastic about every ride, maintaining a state of high excitement throughout.
In the eyes of the others, this state was something else entirely.
Zhang Cai felt satisfied, thinking she had played the host very well.
Chu Xiao and the others grew increasingly gloomy, their steps getting heavier.
They lagged behind, watching Luo Shizhen chatting and laughing with Zhang Cai and her cousin.
Chu Xiao and Lu Qiujin walked together. Lu Qiujin stared fixedly ahead. “Aren’t you going to stop them?”
Chu Xiao glanced at him. “Why don’t you go stop them?”
Lu Qiujin: “So we’re just going to watch?”
Chu Xiao swept a glance over him, not wanting to talk, but he was afraid Lu Qiujin would do something rash that might actually prompt Luo Shizhen to start thinking about romance.
“Shizhen only views Zhang Cai as a classmate. If we stay out of it, he won’t think twice about it. But if you remind him, it might actually give him other ideas.”
Lu Qiujin was still unwilling. “But those two are getting along better and better. If this continues, who knows what will happen.”
Was Chu Xiao unaware? He knew perfectly well.
But it was precisely because of this that he didn’t dare to act.
“You don’t understand Shizhen. He has his own plans for his life. Now that he’s decided to be a Guardian, missions carry risks. Before he steps down as a Guardian, Shizhen won’t date.”
Chu Xiao watched the way Luo Shizhen smiled while talking to Zhang Cai, his eyes complex:
“That’s just how he is. He has a sense of responsibility and he has a plan. Once he decides to do something, no one can change his mind.”
Just then, his phone chimed. It was a message from Zhang Chuan.
Chu Xiao looked down. “Zhang Cai plans to apply for the Art Academy, but studying art is expensive. She’s still discussing it with her family.”
“If she can take the exam, she’ll go to the Capital. She’ll likely stay in the Capital to develop her career.”
The Capital was more than just a little distance away from Luoxia City.
Lu Qiujin looked thoughtful. He glanced ahead and stepped aside to make a phone call.
Zhang Cai, who had walked to the front of an ice cream shop, suddenly had her phone ring.
She answered the call. “Mom? What is it?”
“What?! Something like that happened? Okay, okay, I understand!”
Luo Shizhen was eating ice cream and looked at her in confusion. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Zhang Cai looked dazed, like she had won the lottery, yet also like she was in a dream.
“My mom said we have a distant relative—like, really distant—who heard I wanted to apply for the Art Academy. They thought I was being ambitious and suddenly called saying they’re willing to sponsor me.”
The cousin nearby heard this and immediately got excited. “Sis!! That’s amazing!! It’s like a meat pie falling from the sky!!”
Zhang Cai was still in a daze. “It’s so sudden. It feels like I hit the jackpot.”
Luo Shizhen was also happy for her. “That’s wonderful! Congratulations!”
Zhang Cai said half-consciously, “Thanks. Oh my god, is this real? Luo Shizhen! You’re really a lucky star! You saved me last time, and now I come out to meet you and I get good news!”
Luo Shizhen was hearing this for the first time and immediately followed suit:
“If that’s the case, then let me share a bit of my luck with you so you can pass your exams.”
He held out his hand. “Here, rub some luck off me!”
This was inspiration he had gained from rubbing off Chu Xiao’s “top student” aura.
Zhang Cai thanked him repeatedly and reached out, touching the back of his hand with genuine sincerity.
“I’ll definitely treat you to a meal once I pass!”
Lu Qiujin walked back from behind, and just as he tucked his phone away, he saw this scene.
He: “…”
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