Chapter 156 Failed Challenge (Unedited) Have you really quit the game...?

Liang Xun accompanied Qin Miao through the entire out-of-town flower exhibition. She bought a pot of purplish-red Phalaenopsis orchids and also gave Qin Miao a small turtle as a gift.

During the nearly three-hour visit, Liang Jun never saw the stranger who looked so much like Zhu Bieming again in the flower and bird market.

Liang Jun thought she might have made a mistake.

After all, it was a real human body. Putting aside whether the guardian spirit had the ability to completely transform into a normal person, even if the other party could do that, Liang Jun couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't mistake the face that was originally hidden in the mist.

Moreover, the two brothers always appeared together; they were never alone like they were just now.

Liang Jun became even more certain that the probability of her having mistaken someone for someone else was higher.

While she was deep in thought, Qin Miao beside her was having a great time.

The little turtle lay obediently in the cheap glass tank, its stubborn head constantly sticking out, amusing Qin Miao.

The girl turned around with a big smile on her face, "Thank you, Sister Junjun! I love this little turtle so much!"

"Raising dogs and cats is too much trouble, raising a little turtle is just right."

Liang Jun patted her shoulder, "You don't need to worry too much, and it won't interfere with your studies."

Qin Miao chuckled, then carefully placed the glass tank into a handbag, and hugged the whole bag tightly to his chest as if it were a precious treasure.

"When I go to school tomorrow, I'm going to brag about it to all my classmates!" Qin Miao nudged Liang Jun's arm with his shoulder. "Sister Jun played with me for so long today, how about I treat Sister Jun to a meal?"

As Qin Miao spoke, she reached into her pocket with her other hand for her phone, "Let me see what good food is around here..."

Liang Jun decisively stopped her, "How can I let you treat me?"

"Don't worry, Sister Junjun, I have plenty of pocket money!"

Qin Miao thought she was worried about him not having enough money, so he generously pulled up his WeChat Wallet balance and waved it in front of Liang Xun, "I haven't used much of my living expenses this month. Although I can't afford anything too expensive, I can still afford things like conveyor belt hot pot!"

As if she had just remembered something, she straightened her body forward.

"Besides, you even gave me a really cute little turtle! I have to give you something in return!"

"Why return the gift!"

Although Liang Xun looked disgusted, she still smiled and gently pushed Qin Miao's forehead, "It's not like I can't afford to eat, why would I need your money?"

Everything happened so coincidentally that just as Qin Miao was about to defend her position, Liang Xun's phone suddenly beeped with a message notification.

Liang Jun's smile froze on her face. She thought her friend request must have been accepted, and her heart started pounding again.

"Excuse me, let me check my messages first."

When Liang Jun opened WeChat with a slightly anxious expression, she discovered that the message came from none other than her class group. This group was for notifications, so Liang Jun hadn't set it to "Do Not Disturb."

She opened the group chat and found that the class monitor had just sent a notification saying that there would be an impromptu meeting this afternoon to emphasize important points about the graduation project to the students.

Even the smallest, most trivial matter would prompt them to gather everyone together for a short meeting that would last only a few minutes.

Liang Xun couldn't help but roll her eyes, just as Qin Miao happened to look at her.

"Sister Junjun, what's wrong?" she asked curiously.

"I'm so sorry, Qin Miao," Liang Xun said helplessly, showing her the messages in her class group chat. "I just received a notice that we have to go to school for a meeting soon, so I probably won't be able to have lunch with you."

Liang Jun glanced down at the time again and added, "I don't think I can go home with you yet..."

"It's alright, it's alright!"

Qin Miao waved her hand generously, "Sister Junjun, go ahead and get busy! I won't keep you any longer!"

Liang Jun didn't refuse and simply opened the ride-hailing app to try and call a car nearby.

"Then you must be careful on your way home," she casually reminded Qin Miao.

The flower and bird market is not a remote place; it is located in the old city and has a huge flow of people.

Liang Jun waited for less than a minute before hailing a taxi that was only 300 meters away.

Seeing that the other party was rushing towards her, Liang Jun hurriedly said goodbye to Qin Miao, then ran to the pick-up point and successfully met up with the driver.

Liang Jun had to admit that the driver was very skilled and drove steadily the whole way without any sudden braking.

But it was precisely because of this that Leung Yung began to doze off as soon as she got on the bus, until the driver woke her up at their destination.

Liang Jun willingly gave the driver a good review, then readjusted her crooked baseball cap and stepped into the familiar campus once again.

Since the arrival of the rule-based world, Liang Jun has never had the chance to return to her alma mater. She wasn't sure how many of her classmates had survived that life-or-death game, but at least the campus was still vibrant, full of energetic peers.

The thought that everyone was safe and sound made Liang Jun's steps lighter, and even the bad mood from being forced to attend the meeting was swept away.

That orchid was too conspicuous, and Liang Jun couldn't possibly carry it to the meeting in public, so she could only temporarily place the small flowerpot at the classroom door.

The classroom was packed with students.

Because it was a college-level meeting, people didn't take their seats in order of class. Liang Xun stood at the door, looking around blankly for a few moments, before finally slipping into the only empty seat amidst the noisy crowd.

The third row of the public classroom, in the center, directly facing the podium.

A position where you can look the teacher directly in the eye.

A place with excellent feng shui. Liang Yan lowered the brim of her baseball cap.

Before long, the noise from the unfamiliar classmates around them gradually subsided.

Curious, Liang Jun slightly raised the brim of her hat and discovered that the academy instructor was already standing on the podium, looking down and flipping through the roster in his hand.

If I continue to hide it, it might attract even more attention from the teacher.

Liang Jun took a deep breath and finally decided to adjust the brim of her hat to normal. However, when she was looking down and playing games, the brim of her hat just touched the table, which actually created the perfect space for Liang Jun to play mobile games.

Of course, Liang Yun wasn't the only one slacking off. After all, the electronic version of the graduation project requirements had already been sent out in the college group chat beforehand. Gathering everyone here today was just a formality, letting the publicity department students take a few photos.

Most students simply laid their computers out on the desktop and began editing their papers as if no one else was around.

The faculty member turned the microphone around, cleared his throat twice, and said, "Dear students, the main reason I called you all here today is to reiterate some important points..."

Liang Jun's hair, hanging down on both sides, fell just beside her ears, forming a natural auditory barrier that made the lousy microphone's sound less harsh.

The teacher just repeated the same old things over and over again, and Liang Jun listened with one ear and let it go out the other.

The match-3 game on her phone had also reached a stalemate. Liang Jun didn't want to watch the ads to get elimination items, so she could only frown slightly and try to find the only matching pair on the dazzling screen.

"In addition, I would like to introduce you to one of your senior students, who will be responsible for the initial review of your theses..."

A series of lighter footsteps sounded on the podium, accompanied by sporadic applause from those around her. Liang Jun vaguely noticed the teacher introducing this senior student.

"He is one of my students, you can just call him 'Senior Zhu'."

Just then, Liang Jun's attempts in the match-3 game were completely reset to zero, resulting in her failure to complete the level.

As if by some strange twist of fate, Liang Xun raised her head and was able to meet the face of the senior student on the stage.

But the next second she suddenly realized that the other person's burning gaze was already shooting straight at her.

Liang Xun's pupils suddenly dilated, and sparse strands of hair fell loosely over her shoulders, mirroring the chaotic state of her mind at that moment—

This is Zhu Shengqing!

Liang Jun threw her phone on the table and rubbed her eyes vigorously.

She was 100% certain that the person in front of her was Zhu Shengqing!

Despite having a tangible physical body, despite wearing academic-style black-rimmed glasses, and despite looking so familiar with his department-level advisor—

But Leung Yung couldn't possibly admit she was wrong!

It sounded like fireworks going off in her ears. In the instant the explosion rang out, all that remained in Liang Xun's world was a buzzing sound.

She wasn't sure how long this "short meeting" actually lasted. By the time Liang Jun came to her senses again, all the classmates who had been chatting and laughing around her had already left.

In the huge classroom, she was the only one left, sitting in the very center.

And there's Senior Zhu on the podium.

As if anticipating Liang Xun's gaze, Zhu Shengqing stopped packing his books.

He took a step away from the podium, and Liang Jun was able to see his full attire. Zhu Shengqing was wearing a very ordinary black work jacket, a loose black and gray plaid shirt underneath, and casually paired beige work pants.

Liang Xun's gaze scanned Zhu Shengqing from head to toe several times, until he walked up to the row in front of her, carrying his black backpack.

Zhu Shengqing placed the backpack steadily on the table in front of her, and Liang Jun clearly felt the tabletop tremble.

"Long time no see, Leung Wan."

People tend to make a lot of movements when they are embarrassed.

Liang Jun suddenly felt flustered; she didn't seem ready to meet her guardian spirit in her everyday environment. She wished she could use a "shaping clay" tool on her hat to make it enormous and then stuff herself completely under the brim.

Liang Jun stammered, her face flushed red, and her breath seemed to be scorching hot.

"What should I call you..." She looked up at the man less than half a meter away, "Zhu... Senior?"

"That's just one of my identities."

Zhu Shengqing chuckled, his black-rimmed glasses making him look even more intellectual. "There's no one else around now, so just call me by my name as usual."

After hesitating for a long time, Liang Xuan could only manage to squeeze out an "Oh".

She couldn't escape her curiosity, and under the other person's gaze, she poked her right index finger at the exposed shirt.

The solid sensation sent a signal back to her brain, further solidifying Liang Jun's belief that "what she was seeing was not an illusion."

She had completely digested the initial panic and confusion. Liang Xun raised her hand and gathered the strands of hair that had exploded due to static electricity behind her back, revealing a puzzled look on her face.

"Why are you here?" Liang Xun subconsciously looked around at him. "Where's Zhu Bieming? Isn't he with you?"

Zhu Shengqing shook his head, a rare occurrence for him. "Our current statuses are different. I am a graduate student now, while he is a temporary employee at the old bookstore."

Liang Jun's eyes sharpened. "You haven't answered my first question yet."

According to what they said before, the guardian spirit will only appear when the host's life is threatened.

Moreover, it hasn't been long since they last expended their spiritual energy, so Liang Jun couldn't believe they wouldn't have some other important reason for reappearing in such a short time.

Despite Liang Jun's tough stance, Zhu Shengqing still had a faint smile on his lips.

But there was not a trace of a smile in his eyes behind his glasses.

"Liang Jun, do you think you've truly detached yourself from the game?"

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Author's note: My rhinitis has flared up again, and I feel dizzy (faints).