046
Wen Ruolin leaned closer curiously: "You and He Yuqing seem to have a good relationship."
Jiang Huali turned to look at her and smiled faintly, "Have you finished your math test?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Ruolin put his right hand to his forehead and wailed, "You didn't tell me, fine, but you even forced me to write a test!"
"Utterly depraved!"
Jiang Huali: "It's not that serious, is it?"
"Speaking of which," Wen Ruolin thought of the comics she had been reading recently, "I also wish a handsome guy would bring me milk."
Good-looking people always attract more attention, but although He Yuqing seems gentle on the surface, he is actually not easy to approach, so people only discuss him in private.
Finally, a conclusion was reached.
He Yuqing is someone you can only admire from afar.
Wen Ruolin and He Yuqing were in the same class when she was in the first year of high school. This was the first time she had seen He Yuqing be so close to a girl.
"You were won over by just a bottle of milk?"
"Of course not!" Wen Ruolin shook her head, cupping her face in her hands. "But who could resist a cool, aloof academic genius who's actually gentle and considerate in private..."
Jiang Huali got goosebumps from what she said, and several black lines almost slid down her forehead. "What do you usually watch?"
Wen Ruolin held up his fingers and read them to her one by one: "Innocent Girl with a Fiery Heart, The Domineering School Prince Falls in Love with Me, The Iceberg Childhood Sweetheart's Unrequited Love Diary..."
"..."
"Amazing, absolutely amazing!" Jiang Huali gave her a thumbs up.
As Wen Ruolin spoke, he couldn't help but laugh himself.
When school ended in the afternoon, Jiang Huali didn't eat in the school cafeteria, but went to the pet store after leaving the school.
Last night we agreed to buy the system a new home. She has to work at a bubble tea shop at noon, and it will be too late after self-study in the evening, so she can only buy it now.
Actually...it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy it this weekend.
The system hesitated.
Who was it that muttered to me for half an hour before I went to sleep last night?
Jiang Huali twitched the corners of her mouth and ruthlessly revealed.
but……
Why are you following me?
He Yuqing walked beside her, "I'm not hungry yet, I'll keep you company."
"You'd even buy a doghouse for me."
When Jiang Huali told Wen Ruolin after school that she wasn't going to eat in the cafeteria, He Yuqing overheard them somehow.
Jiang Huali explained that she wanted to buy a house for the newly found puppy, and that's how it ended up like this.
The system suddenly turned into a puppy: [...]
There was a pet store near the school. Jiang Huali let the system pick out a pet bed she liked, and then looked at toys on the side.
Hmm... this seems pretty good, this...
How about this one?
He Yuqing picked up a small white bear.
"puff--"
Jiang Huali looked at the little white bear and was reminded of Xiao Hei's appearance, which resembled a black bear spirit. She took it and said, "It's not bad, I'll take this one."
Jiang Huali's gaze returned to the wolf ear headband she had just seen, and she took it off.
This row of shelves is filled with all sorts of headbands, including rabbit ears, cat ears, panda ears, fox ears...
She held up the headband to He Yuqing's head and said, "It seems to suit you quite well."
He Yuqing was stunned for a moment, looking at the headband in front of him, with two tufts of clever fur growing on the gray-white wolf ears.
He didn't mind Jiang Huali's teasing, took the headband and put it on, tilting his head at her, "Like this?"
"..."
Jiang Huali raised her hand to cover her nose. She had to admit that it really suited He Yuqing.
He Yuqing's appearance is not as gentle as his personality usually suggests; on the contrary, he can be quite sharp at times.
When you put on this wolf ear headband, you really do look like a wolf boy from a story, wild and untamed.
Seeing Jiang Huali cover her nose, a smile flashed in He Yuqing's eyes.
Jiang Huali quickly reached out and took the headband off his head, released her hand from her nose, and said somewhat awkwardly, "Okay, okay, let's go pay the bill."
If she keeps watching, she might actually get a nosebleed.
When it came time to pay, He Yuqing paid first. He looked at Jiang Huali and smiled, saying, "Consider it a gift from me to the puppy."
"Then I'll pay for this," Jiang Huali said, holding up the wolf ear headband. "Consider it a gift for you."
The cashier at the front desk looked at them and smiled secretly.
Ah, youth is truly wonderful.
He came to the pet store to buy things for his dog. The system was one thing, since it wasn't an organic being, but why did it also buy things for He Yuqing?
...making him act like a puppy.
Jiang Huali heard the receptionist's barely concealed laughter and felt increasingly puzzled.
After leaving the pet store, Jiang Huali touched her ear and said to He Yuqing, "I'm going to eat, do you want to come with me?"
"Um."
He Yuqing looked at her slightly reddened earlobes and answered.
They found a noodle shop near the school. The shop had a nice atmosphere and the noodles were quite delicious. Many students would come here.
Jiang Huali had been here a few times before. She ordered a bowl of beef noodles and then looked at He Yuqing.
He Yuqing had never been here before. He said, "I'm the same as you."
"Boss, two bowls of beef noodles."
"Okay!"
After finding a seat in the corner, Jiang Huali asked him, "You've never been here before?"
"No."
"I thought you had been here before."
Jiang Huali took a tissue from the side and wiped the table.
He Yuqing: "Why do you think that?"
Jiang Huali recalled, "The first time I saw you, wasn't it in front of the milk tea shop?"
At that time, Lu Zhou was still drinking lemon tea that cost a few yuan a cup.
“I was looking for Lu Zhou at that time; they would go there often.”
He Yuqing usually doesn't eat around the school, not because of the low prices or anything else, but simply because he has little interest in it.
Jiang Huali nodded in sudden realization.
The beef noodles were served quickly, both bowls topped with scallions and cilantro. Jiang Huali paused for a moment.
At that moment, all she could think about was He Yuqing wearing the wolf ear headband, and she forgot to tell the shop owner she didn't want scallions or cilantro.
He Yuqing noticed her movement and asked, "What's wrong?"
Jiang Huali: "It's nothing."
She took out another tissue and picked out the scallions and cilantro from the noodles, placing them on the tissue.
Small problem, small problem.
Just pick them out.
Jiang Huali only started eating after she had picked out most of the pears.
During this time, she noticed that He Yuqing's gaze was fixed on her, and he hadn't touched his chopsticks. She couldn't help but ask, "Why are you looking at me like that?"
He Yuqing was pulled back from his daze and shook his head.
"You don't like scallions and cilantro?"
"Hmm, they taste a bit strange."
He Yuqing lowered his head and took a bite of noodles. "The noodles taste good."
Jiang Huali picked up a piece of beef and put it in her mouth, agreeing, "The boss said she's been working here for ten years."
And it has been recognized by countless students as one of the must-eat spots in the food street around the school.
After finishing their noodles, the two returned to school. Upon entering, they separated, one heading towards the first group and the other towards the last group.
When Jiang Huali got home that evening, as soon as she opened the door, Xiao Hei pounced on her and climbed onto her trouser leg.
He even bit her shoelaces.
Just as the shoelaces were about to be bitten open, Jiang Huali picked up Xiao Hei and grabbed its two front paws.
Jiang Huali sat down on the sofa, put down the bag containing the system nest and the little white bear, took out the little bear, and shook it in front of Xiao Hei.
Little Black suddenly became excited, kicking forward with its hind paws as if it couldn't wait.
Jiang Huali smiled, put Xiao Hei on the ground, and placed the toys in front of it.
"Woof—"
Little Black let out a soft cry, pounced on the little white bear, and started playing by itself.
One is a black bear spirit, and the other is a white bear spirit.
Jiang Huali couldn't help but laugh again, and suddenly the image of He Yuqing wearing a wolf ear headband popped into her mind.
I really want to rub it.
Thinking this, she lowered her hand and rubbed Xiao Hei's ears.
"..."
Little Black looked up at her, then dropped the toy it had just gotten from its mouth and started licking her hand.
Jiang Huali handed the little white bear to it and said gently, "Keep playing."
Little Black lowered his head again and continued playing with his new toy.
Jiang Huali actually likes small animals, especially dogs.
Sprite was adorable in the first mission world.
But if it were her from the first mission world, she might not have kept Xiao Hei by her side.
Because she always understood that establishing a connection with anyone, whether human or animal, always comes with an investment.
But as you give, you are also receiving.
...
Two days later, Lu Zhou returned to school.
When he returned, he was still as carefree and irresponsible as ever.
But when he saw Jiang Huali, a clear blush flashed across his face.
He fell into the water that day, and it was thanks to her that he didn't sink completely.
He was desperately trying to pull her out of the water, almost pulling her down with him.
Moreover, the whole thing started when he knocked her into the water.
Lu Zhou was arguing with Lu Xuan at the time. Lu Xuan's mother was the other woman, but in recent years, his father not only brought the mother and son back to his side, but also became increasingly perfunctory in his attitude towards his mother.
It was almost an open declaration of the mistress's status.
But Lu Zhou never expected that Lu Xuan would push him into the water in front of everyone.
During the break, Lu Zhou apologized to Jiang Huali. Jiang Huali didn't mind, but ever since she fell into the water, she has been having some bizarre and fantastical dreams.
It was just a dream.
I don't know if it's a lingering effect from falling into the water.
In her dream, she was bound by iron chains and placed in a dark and cramped water dungeon.
The icy water reached her chest, bringing waves of suffocation.
It was cold, damp, and eerily quiet.
In her hazy state of consciousness, only one thought remained in her mind.
I can't die, I can't die, I can't...
die.
escape……
Escape.
She still had things to do...
"!"
Jiang Huali was awakened by a nightmare once again, her forehead covered in a fine layer of cold sweat, and her hands and feet felt weak.
She felt the lingering restraint of the chains on her body. She wiped away her cold sweat and turned on the bedside lamp.
The system was still fast asleep in its nest. Jiang Huali took a deep breath and calmed herself down.
She had a headache.
Did she have a similar dream?
Yes, I've been having recurring dreams these past few days about being tortured in a pitch-black, boundless water dungeon.
Is that all?
I can't remember.
My head hurts.
In despair, she wondered, could it be that just one fall into the water had caused her such indelible psychological trauma?!
But she's perfectly healthy during the day.
Jiang Huali finally managed to fall asleep again, as if her innermost thoughts had been heard.
The scene in the dream changed; it was no longer a damp and dark water prison.
This time she had a different dream.
...
The Misty Forest is teeming with miasma and wild beasts.
At night, the temperature drops sharply, and a thick fog spreads, making it impossible to see anything more than three feet away.
At the edge of the forest, a faint light could be seen.
It smelled like roasted meat.
"What's this?"
Jiang Huali took a bite of the roasted meat, but frowned at the unfamiliar taste that filled her mouth.
She glanced at the unidentified green substance sprinkled on the roasted meat in her hand, then looked at the man in black sitting by the fire.
"The family I stayed with yesterday gave it to me. They said it's called 'coriander' and can remove the fishy smell of raw meat."
The man in black wore a half-mask covering his left cheek.
When he looked over, a slightly bewildered expression appeared on the intact half of his face.
Don't you like it?
"This is my first time grilling meat, it might not be to the girl's taste—"
"alright."
Jiang Huali interrupted him, wanting to throw the skewer of grilled meat aside. In the past, she always used the simplest methods to grill food, as long as it didn't kill her.
Compared to her, the meat skewers grilled by the man in black did taste better.
But the coriander tastes really strange.
"girl."
Seeing that she was about to throw away the meat skewers in her hand, the man in black suddenly spoke up: "...If you don't like them, you can give them to me."
Jiang Huali glanced at the roasted meat she had taken a bite out of, and hesitated.
"Need not……"
Before he could finish speaking, the skewer in his hand was taken away, and a new skewer of grilled meat was stuffed into his hand.
There is no coriander.
He finished the kebab from the spot where Jiang Huali had bitten.
Jiang Huali had a blank expression, the words she hadn't finished saying stuck in her chest, and she silently lowered her head to eat the new kebab.
The flickering firelight cast swaying shadows on his face. Jiang Huali looked at the half-mask he wore and asked without hesitation, "Is half of your face ruined?"
"……Um."
"Did I scare the girl? I'll wear a more secure mask when we go to town tomorrow."
The man in black smiled at her, his eyes crinkling.
Jiang Huali shifted her gaze from his undamaged half of his face and said earnestly, "No, you are very handsome, more handsome than Shen Guiting."
She poked at the fire with the stick in her hand, and a muffled voice came from behind her: "You don't seem to have told me your name."
"I don't have a name. If you don't mind, you can call me by the name Young Master Shen."
Jiang Huali threw away the stick in her hand and stood up straight.
She walked to a tree to the side, sat down again, hugged her arms, and closed her eyes.
After a while, a somewhat unclear voice came from the thick fog.
"...Don't you find it disgusting?"
Even though the voice was very soft, the man in black still heard it clearly.
He lowered his head and chuckled, his dark eyes holding an unreadable meaning.
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