Seems Like Someone Called Me Big Brother?

Qi Lin felt that Wang Ji had suddenly become a little strange...

Maybe she was being overly sensitive, or maybe he really was a little strange.

Earlier, he had been so aggressive. A young man full of fire, plainly determined to win her over. Whether it was his considerate manner or the cheesy pickup lines he said without any embarrassment, he had indeed put quite a bit of pressure on her.

Although he had saved her life, although he was a hero in her eyes, they had known each other for far too short a time—only a few days.

And altogether, they had spent less than three hours together.

Although he really was handsome and quite likable, she couldn't possibly agree just because he was pursuing her. At the very least, she had to... be a little reserved?

And she needed to make sure whether they were suited for each other—whether she really liked him, or whether he was merely acting on a whim.

Yes, even now, Qi Lin still believed that Wang Ji's feelings for her were probably just a passing impulse. Perhaps it counted as love at first sight, but it was hard to say whether it would last.

He was too young.

Only eighteen.

Eighteen was indeed the age when young love first blossomed, but he might not know what love was. He might not know whether he truly loved her.

What did he like about her?

From their brief interactions, in that short time, Qi Lin could only think that he liked her appearance. She couldn't think of anything else.

Did he understand her? Did he know what she liked and disliked? Did he understand her heart?

Probably not. Maybe he had never considered any of it.

Or perhaps he only wanted to have some fun... Maybe once he got tired of her, he would simply let go.

At his age, would he think about the future? Would he think about whether, when she was nearly thirty in a few years, they ought to walk into the hall of marriage?

He was only eighteen. He probably couldn't possibly think that far ahead.

Although he was her lifesaver, Qi Lin couldn't simply give herself to him because of that...

Nor did she want to give herself to him because of that...

If one day she truly ended up with him, she hoped it would be because they loved each other, because she had truly fallen in love with him, not because she had been swept along by gratitude.

She had thought it through clearly. Although she had felt joy, delight, fantasies, and shyness all day long, she shouldn't rush into things.

There was plenty of time ahead. During their academy life together, perhaps one day they would hold hands, and then...

Ahem~ ahem~ or ahem-hem~

But there was one more thing, a very important thing. She couldn't say she had no worries—this kid had wanted to become an emperor before.

So it was hard for her to predict his true attitude toward love, especially now that he had superpowers, and with this unpredictable world that might lie ahead...

Superpowers plus wanting to become an emperor really did make her wary.

Who could guarantee he wouldn't be unfaithful? Even now, she felt there was a strong chance that he would be... just like an emperor.

An age when one's temperament was unstable, the conditions to attract swarms of admirers, and ambitions already plain to see.

She wanted to wait, naturally wait, and see what his character was truly like.

And whether she would fall in love with him, even if... even if he looked like someone who couldn't put people at ease.

She thought that she would most likely end up with him eventually, and not because she wanted to repay his kindness.

He really was good—good-looking, a superhero, quite gentle, fairly considerate, self-reliant, ambitious, probably kind, patriotic, and smart.

And no matter what, no matter how overly sentimental she might have been, he had saved her. One second before her death, he had descended like a god.

These past few days, she had kept dreaming of him. And she had felt deeply disappointed at his sudden departure without a word, even a little... regretful?

Every second of that night, when he had saved her and held her in his arms, sometimes surfaced in her mind as though playing on repeat.

At night, in her dreams.

Hehe, there was really no helping it... This melodramatic hero saving the beauty was every girl's dream. She was no exception.

Perhaps she wouldn't be able to hold out for much longer either.

So when Wang Ji hadn't clung to her that afternoon, she had felt a little relieved and a little pleasantly surprised. She felt that he was quite attentive, that he could tell he had put some pressure on her and knew to keep some distance.

It showed a bit of maturity, and that made her feel quite good.

But gradually, she felt something was off—why hadn't he come ask her to dinner? He had been so passionate before. Had he become too self-aware?

And it wasn't until nearly eight that he finally appeared in the classroom for assembly. He merely nodded to greet her normally, without the same passionate clinginess as before.

He greeted the others as well, with much the same attitude he showed her.

They sat wherever they pleased, and he did nothing special... He didn't sit close to her either.

She was in the front row, while he was in the second-to-last row in the corner of the classroom, sprawled on the desk asleep in front of a beautiful woman in a black trench coat.

She felt as though something was wrong, yet she couldn't put it into words.

Was it because she had never been in love before?

She couldn't help turning back to look at him. After thinking for a moment, she was about to stand up...

"Hey, hey! Have you all seen this news over the past two days? Do you think those online speculations are true? Are there really aliens?" A boy in a red jacket and jeans sitting nearby suddenly spoke up, looking somewhat nervous.

The news he mentioned was still playing on the television mounted at the front of the classroom, with its popularity showing no signs of fading:

A humanoid creature resembling a crocodile and an unidentified armed force suddenly descended onto Commercial Street in Tianhe City. They were later subdued by the Huaxia Military. Some civilians were injured during the incident, and the military had yet to issue a specific response.

In fact, the news had been everywhere since yesterday, with all sorts of speculation and theories.

Combined with earlier rumors that civilians had supposedly seen a giant robot during the terrorist attack on Airport Road, all kinds of theories had emerged among the public online over the past two days. The most popular view was that these were all aliens.

There were nine people seated throughout the classroom. Probably no one had failed to see or hear about this news.

Before Wang Ji arrived, Qi Lin and the others had been watching the replay of the report. Most of them looked worried and nervous.

A terrorist attack happening in peaceful times, possibly involving monsters and aliens—anyone would feel uneasy, worried that war might break out and endanger them.

And besides...

"And Wang Ji... Wang Ji has superpowers. It seems like all of us have superpowers too. No, I guess I'm the only one who doesn't." Zhao Xin paused as he spoke.

He didn't know whether he had superpowers. Before, he had thought he didn't, but Du Qiangwei had said his Super Gene had already been activated. Yet he hadn't felt anything.

He cautiously pointed toward the person sleeping with his head down in the back, the one who was obviously better-looking than the rest of them. Everyone turned to look, each wearing a different expression.

Some were puzzled, some smiled, and some were wary...

"If superpowers exist, then aliens aren't impossible either, right?" Zhao Xin felt that made perfect sense.

Ge Xiao Lun looked over, then turned to Zhao Xin and said nervously, "I heard Rose say we were called here to fight aliens. Rose also said her comrades handled these incidents... Are we really going to fight aliens?"

"I..." Zhao Xin grew a little guilty and frightened. "I-I, are you kidding me? We really have to fight aliens? Fight what? Can't Wang Ji do it? He's a Dou Wang expert. My Dou Qi hasn't even awakened yet! Wouldn't I just be throwing my life away?"

Du Qiangwei lowered her head and pursed her lips in a smile, remembering what had happened that morning.

Dou Wang... More like Teasing King~

"So I'm here to fight aliens? Me? I'm a mob boss!" At that moment, a rough, booming voice came from the back of the classroom.

Ge Xiao Lun looked back and couldn't help frowning worriedly. He had been watching the news earlier—how had he not noticed that this scumbag named Liu Chuang was here too?

"Why is there someone from the mob here?" Rui Mengmeng asked softly, sounding worried and afraid.

As a former restaurant server and the child of a poor family at the bottom of society, she was most afraid of hooligans, thugs, and mobsters like them. Besides, she was timid by nature.

She hadn't expected there to be a mobster here too. Wasn't this supposed to be some kind of state institution, a military academy or something?

Liu Chuang sat crookedly, swinging his arms and spreading his legs, one hand still fiddling with a chair.

Seeing the group's fearful and worried expressions, a sense of pleasure rose within him. The smug look on his face became even more pronounced.

He liked this feeling of throwing his weight around. He wanted these people to fear him!

"At most, you're an overaged delinquent," Qi Lin said coldly, frowning in irritation.

A leopard couldn't change its spots. Even here, Liu Chuang still acted like a thug, trying to scare others and bark orders.

"What did you say?" Liu Chuang slammed the chair down and said in a cocky tone, "I'm a real mob boss! I've got dozens of brothers outside, you know that?"

A pair of sleepy eyes in the classroom suddenly opened, filled with confusion—had he just heard someone call him big brother?