Chapter 70
Days passed by, and before we knew it, it was mid-March. The air was getting warmer, the willows were sprouting new buds, and the air was filled with the scent of spring.
Just as Chi Jun had almost gotten used to the fox body, the male ghost finally returned.
He looked travel-worn and disheveled, as if he had suffered a lot.
However, the news they brought back was of little value.
"...That's probably what those foxes were saying. It's probably because their spiritual energy was depleted too much at once. They'll recover after some rest."
The male ghost himself felt that this was all nonsense, and after saying it, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
Fortunately, Chi Jun didn't seem to care much, and while playing Tetris, he gave a nonchalant reply.
"knew."
The male ghost breathed a sigh of relief and turned to leave.
Just as it floated to the doorway, it suddenly stopped, as if it had suddenly remembered something.
The male ghost turned to look at Chi Jun, his expression slightly hesitant.
"Brother Jun... do you know about the fox clan in the Qin Mountains area?"
Chi Jun's tail swished leisurely back and forth, while his paws continued to scratch at the phone screen.
"I know, so what?"
Male ghost: "That clan seems to have experienced considerable turmoil; they may be on the verge of being wiped out."
Chi Jun paused for a moment.
He turned to look at the male ghost: "Did you find out from Zishui Bay?"
The male ghost scoffed, seemingly unimpressed.
"There's no need to ask. Zishui Bay is now full of refugees who fled from there."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stared intently at Chi Jun's face, trying to discern something from the other man's expression.
However, Chi Jun didn't react much, only casually saying "Oh," before his gaze fell on a small red, festive tiger doll hanging from his waist, which piqued his interest.
He raised his eyelids slightly:
"Could this be... a gift for me?"
Upon seeing this, the male ghost quickly clutched the small tiger at his waist and stammered:
"No, no... Why would a grown man like you want a little tiger? How childish!"
After saying that, fearing that Chi Jun would drag Xu Qingzhou into the matter again, she quickly turned and ran away.
Chi Jun chuckled, but didn't expose him. He just joked from a distance:
"When will you bring the person here so we can see her?"
The male ghost didn't respond either.
"I'll talk about it after I've won her over!"
But in his heart he was thinking: I'd be crazy to bring her to see you! What if she gets seduce by your foxy face? Would I have to stay single forever?
*
Since he hadn't gotten any useful information from Zishui Bay, Chi Jun could only obediently recuperate and wait for his spiritual energy to accumulate to a critical value so that he could once again take human form.
Leisurely and relaxed days always pass quickly.
As each page of the calendar is torn off, the last trace of winter's chill is dispelled.
People shed their heavy cotton-padded coats and put on light jackets, and students also changed into their spring school uniforms. Walking on the street, their smiling faces radiated youthful energy.
However, this change is limited to students outside of their senior year of high school.
As the countdown to the college entrance examination on the blackboard dwindled to double digits, the atmosphere in the entire senior high school building grew increasingly somber and heavy.
When the bell rang, apart from a few students who went to the toilet or to get water, the rest of the students either continued to work on their problems or took a nap at their desks.
In a large classroom that could hold sixty or seventy students, there was not a sound of the boys and girls chatting and laughing during breaks.
Xu Qingzhou neatly folded the English newspapers he had used in the previous class and placed them on top of a pile of newspapers. He then took out his error notebook from the drawer, preparing to review them thoroughly during the next self-study period.
Just as I got up and picked up my water glass to go outside to get some water and get some fresh air, I turned around and saw our homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhao, standing at the back door looking inside.
When their eyes met, Old Zhao beckoned to her:
"Xu Qingzhou, come here for a moment, and call your deskmate over too."
Xu Qingzhou's deskmate was Zheng Yangshu.
She patted him on the shoulder, signaling to Old Zhao at the back door. Zheng Yangshu put down his pen and walked towards the back door with Xu Qingzhou.
Old Zhao was already standing in the corridor waiting for them.
I thought that at a time like this, the conversation would be about the college entrance examination, or something related to studying. But to my surprise, Lao Zhao brought up the school's plan to film a campus promotional video.
"...Just half a day on Sunday morning, so it won't take up your normal afternoon rest time. It's perfect for relaxing during the busy school week, right?"
As he spoke, Old Zhao unscrewed the thermos and took another sip of goji berry water, gazing into the distance and sighing:
"Wow, these three years have really flown by. It'll be over in the blink of an eye. This promotional video will be uploaded to the official website. It'll be a nice contribution from you two, the good-looking ones, to the school before graduation, haha."
After a pause, Old Zhao asked, "Is everything alright?"
He was looking at Xu Qingzhou when he said this.
After all, Zheng Yangshu, as the class monitor, has always been enthusiastic and loves to participate in school activities. It's just that Xu Qingzhou, a girl, is usually quiet and introverted at school, probably because of her physical disability.
The idea of filming a promotional video might actually make the young girl a little embarrassed.
In fact, Xu Qingzhou was indeed a little embarrassed.
But since the homeroom teacher has already come knocking, and besides, she had the experience of taking wedding photos with Chi Jun before, shooting a promotional video shouldn't be too much of a problem...
In the end, Xu Qingzhou nodded in agreement.
When they got home that evening, Xu Qingzhou mentioned to Chi Jun during dinner the promotional video shoot that Sunday morning.
Chi Jun stuffed a beef ball into his mouth and joked:
"Hey, is our Zhouzhou about to become famous?"
Xu Qingzhou: "..."
[It's just posted on the school's official website; not many people see it.]
It'll probably only be seen by prospective students browsing the school and current students; it won't have that wide audience.
Chi Jun smiled but didn't say anything.
After a while, he remembered something and asked, "Do you need me to ask a friend to help you with your makeup?"
The size of the video will also be displayed on the school's official website, Chi Jun thought, girls always want to look prettier.
Xu Qingzhou shook his head.
No need, our homeroom teacher said a makeup artist will do our makeup, so we need to arrive early that morning.
Chi Jun said "Oh": "Besides you, is it someone else?"
Xu Qingzhou: [Zheng Yangshu is with me]
Chi Jun suddenly stopped eating.
"Why is he here too?"
Xu Qingzhou thought for a moment and said seriously:
[It's probably because he has good grades and is good-looking.]
Chi Jun: "..."
Chi Jun didn't say another word during the rest of the meal.
Because of the hair on his face, Xu Qingzhou didn't notice the change in his expression. He finished his meal as usual, cleared the dishes, and went to the corridor to wash them.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and it was Sunday.
Xu Qingzhou got up very early that day. After busying herself with a flurry of activity, she didn't even have time to sit down and eat breakfast with Chi Jun. She grabbed a steamed bun, slung her schoolbag over her shoulder, and headed out.
I'm leaving now. Zheng Yangshu is waiting for me downstairs.
The door slammed shut with a loud bang.
Chi Jun squatted in front of the dining table, staring alone at a bowl of porridge and a plate of steamed buns. After a long while, he let out a cold sneer:
"It's just filming a promotional video together, is it really necessary to come here so early in the morning to pick someone up and go to school together?"
Xu Qingzhou has already left.
Chi Jun was just making a rant, not expecting anyone to respond.
No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice rang out from behind, seemingly enjoying the spectacle:
"How could it not be? If I were that handsome young man, I wouldn't just pick up the pretty girl from school early; I'd practically drag her out for rehearsals days in advance, using the excuse of finding the best shooting angles and poses to have some crazy intimate interactions with her."
Chi Jun knew that this rabbit always favored Zheng Yangshu.
He took a bite of his bun, turned around, jumped to the rabbit cage, and sneered:
"Unfortunately, no matter what he is like, Zhouzhou will not like him."
Rabbit: "Oh...you knew that too?"
"Of course, he might have a chance against other guys, but he just happened to meet me—"
Chi Jun confidently pointed to himself with his paw.
Perhaps intimidated by him, the rabbit suddenly fell silent.
After staring at him intently for a while, the rabbit nodded:
"That's true. Which guy offers better value for money than you? You get a boyfriend and a pet as a bonus."
Chi Jun: "..."
*
Although senior high school students were still studying at school in the morning, the campus was relatively empty and quiet because students in other grades had already gone on weekend break.
At 6:30 a.m., Zheng Yangshu and Xu Qingzhou arrived at classroom 202 on the first floor of the school's main building on time.
Several people were already waiting in the classroom, and next to them was a bunch of equipment that Xu Qingzhou didn't recognize; they were obviously the people who were helping them film the promotional video today.
According to the homeroom teacher, Mr. Zhao, the people responsible for filming the promotional video were a studio team jointly established by alumni from previous years.
This team is said to be very professional and efficient.
It is also said that the team is very united and friendly, and everyone gets along very well.
The claim of "high professional efficiency" is debatable, but Xu Qingzhou truly felt the sense of "getting along well" from the moment he entered the room.
They really fought it all!
In the empty and quiet classroom, the senior students were arguing heatedly for some unknown reason. One of them, a red-haired man, had a very loud voice and became increasingly agitated as he spoke, even pointing his finger at the other person.
The man with the buzz cut across from him was annoyed by being pointed at, and warned repeatedly, "You fucking try pointing at me again," while approaching him with a gloomy expression.
Just as they were about to start fighting, another person suddenly rushed in and stopped them.
"Alright! Xiao Bei didn't do a good job here, but she's already found another makeup artist, hasn't she? Let's wait a little longer."
The redhead kicked away a piece of chalk on the ground beside him and said angrily:
"Is the focus now on whether or not there's a makeup artist? How many times has Lin Xiaobei done this? Damn, she's getting her period three times a month, right? Anyone else would have bled to death by now!"
"Zhong Siyun, watch your mouth! Xiao Bei really isn't lying to you this time!"
"Oh... I see, that simp went to deliver breakfast to someone's door early this morning, right? That's why he knows so much."
"you--"
The two were about to fight again.
Fortunately, the person who had tried to break up the fight earlier shouted again, "That's enough! The younger students are coming over, aren't you two ashamed?"
The group glanced at the doorway, then fell silent, each turning their gaze elsewhere.
In this situation, Xu Qingzhou and Zheng Yangshu felt rather awkward.
The two greeted each other silently, found a desk against the wall and sat down. They took out their test papers from their bags and pretended to study, both feeling that this farce was unlikely to end easily.
Sure enough, after less than a minute of silence, the red-haired man began to complain again in a low voice.
First, she complained that Lin Xiaobei always messed up at crucial moments when she was in school. Not long after, she started talking nonsense again, convinced that the makeup artist she recommended was also unreliable.
The voices, growing louder and louder, echoed through the classroom, making Xu Qingzhou's ears uncomfortable.
She sighed, and was about to say to Zheng Yangshu that it looked like it would be a while before they went back to class to study for a bit, when suddenly, the classroom fell silent as if a pause button had been pressed.
Xu Qingzhou instinctively felt that the makeup artist had arrived, and looked up outside.
Sure enough, a red figure swept past the classroom window and walked straight in through the front door.
The woman was in her early twenties, wearing a red dress that swayed as she walked, hugging her graceful figure. Her long hair was styled in soft waves and hung down her back, and her features were exquisitely beautiful.
But what is most striking at first glance is that she is very white, so white that she seems to reflect light.
Therefore, she seemed to be surrounded by a layer of soft mist, gently yet clearly isolating her from everything around her, making people hesitant to approach her easily and break through this barrier.
Clearly, those senior students were all shocked.
The red-haired man, who had been shouting so loudly before, now had a blank look in his eyes, and his mouth looked like it had been stuffed with an egg.
It wasn't until the pretty young lady spoke first: "Hello, I'm Xuan Li, sorry to have kept you waiting."
The group snapped out of their daze and greeted him. The red-haired man even bent down and shook hands with him, immediately replying—
"Not long, not long at all, it should be!"
The stark contrast made Xu Qingzhou want to laugh.
She lowered her head and gently pulled down the corners of her mouth.
She only looked up again when she had almost completely suppressed her smile.
Unexpectedly, my gaze was suddenly drawn to those upturned, feminine eyes—
The woman seemed very interested in her. She smiled and stared at her intently for a while before walking over to her, tilting her head, and brazenly examining her face.
After a long pause, the woman smiled slightly at Xu Qingzhou, seemingly lost in thought, and couldn't help but sigh:
"They really are a good match."
The language and attitude were nonsensical, abrupt, and somewhat strange.
Xu Qingzhou was stunned for a moment.
The others looked at each other, their faces filled with confusion.
These two... know each other?
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