Jiang Yue and the others walked out of the school gate, while Mao Doudou kept looking back.
"What are you looking at?" His roommate, Wang Xiawei, draped an arm over his shoulder.
"Where's Old Yu? Isn't he coming?" Mao Doudou asked irritably.
Old Yu's real name was Yu Hongtu. He was another roommate of theirs, and one of the few people he was closest to.
"I didn't see him. Maybe he'll come later. He knows Da Bing Cuisine Restaurant inside out. We'll wait for him after we get there!" Wang Xiawei didn't suspect a thing.
They had walked less than a hundred meters when a series of bicycle-bell chimes rang out behind them.
When they turned around, Han Jingjing was riding a beautiful bicycle behind them.
Screech!
She slammed on the brakes and lifted her proud swanlike neck. "Hmph! Don't you have any manners? You're going out to eat and didn't even wait for your female classmate!"
"Han Jingjing? Weren't you going to a gathering for Awakened people? Would you even be interested in a loser get-together like ours?" Mao Doudou had let his resentment toward Fang Ziyang spill over onto all Awakened people.
Han Jingjing gave him a disdainful smile. "Who told you I was going to the gathering? Did I ever say that?"
Mao Doudou scratched his head. Han Jingjing really hadn't said that. Fang Ziyang had simply announced it on his own. He had been the only one getting excited.
Tong Di, who was standing nearby, instantly started imagining things again. He shyly hid behind Mao Doudou's burly back, looking like a nervous bride afraid to meet her in-laws.
Clearly, he thought Han Jingjing had come after him.
He was both bashful and apprehensive. There are so many people here. Jingjing isn't going to confess to me in front of everyone, is she?
Should I accept her? Or should I accept her?
Even if I accept her, what should I say to seem graceful and impressive?
"Hey! You fat pig, have you grown a sore on your face? Why are you hiding?" Han Jingjing had clearly noticed Tong Di's strange behavior and was utterly baffled.
Tong Di's heart began beating even faster. She had even started using the pet name Feifei. Jingjing, I'm a reserved man. Even if we're going to start a relationship, could you not move so fast?
Mao Doudou suddenly remembered what had happened that morning and broke into a wicked grin.
"Jingjing, I heard you've been sneaking peeks at Feifei lately, making him all shy. Is he hiding because he's afraid you'll confess to him? Tell me, what exactly do you like about him? I'll make him change!"
"What?" Han Jingjing's beautiful eyes widened. "You like Feifei? Do you like him because he's broad-minded and fat, using up so much cloth? Or because he's so greasy he could be rendered for oil? Which vile bastard started this rumor? Aren't they afraid of being struck by lightning? Was I sneaking peeks at him?"
"Then who were you sneaking peeks at?" Mao Doudou asked with a lecherous grin.
"I was sneaking peeks at..." Han Jingjing suddenly stopped. Then she giggled, raised her little face, and shot Mao Doudou a sidelong glance. "What business is it of yours?"
"It's none of my business, but the class monitor's got the right to know, doesn't he?" Mao Doudou's grin grew even more wicked.
Jiang Yue kicked him from behind. "Let's go. Maybe a few beers will plug that filthy mouth of yours."
For a moment, Tong Di was dazed. What does that mean? What happened? Where am I?
How is that possible? Han Jingjing wasn't looking at me after all? She... she's blind!
Love came quickly and left just as quickly.
Three minutes in love, three seconds heartbroken. This was routine for Tong Di and couldn't dampen his enthusiasm for life in the slightest.
There weren't many people at the meal, but they ate with unusual gusto.
Jiang Yue was rarely this generous. They could order whatever dishes they wanted and drink as much as they liked.
Even the young lady Han, who seemed completely out of place in such a small restaurant, drank two bottles of beer.
During the meal, Mao Doudou couldn't help complaining. "Old Yu is no fun! Nothing's even happened yet, and he's already left the group."
They lived in the same dorm and usually ran in the same circle. With the class monitor organizing a dinner at such a sensitive time, Yu Hongtu's absence said something.
"You've still got so many complaints, so I guess you haven't had enough to drink. Bring another dozen." Jiang Yue was actually very open-minded. Although everyone treated him as the core of their circle, he cared less about the circle than Mao Doudou and the others did.
That didn't mean those people didn't matter to him. It was simply that, with Jiang Yue's mentality, he would never hold a grudge over who came or didn't come to something like this.
If they could be brothers, then they would be brothers. If they couldn't, being ordinary classmates was fine too.
After a few drinks, Tong Di began his endless imaginings again. "Old Yu's definitely missing out. There must be a profound meaning behind the class monitor's dinner tonight. This is both a test and a screening for the new circle. Whenever a great powerhouse accomplishes something great, he always has a trusted team around him. That team usually consists of the friends, brothers, and companions he trusts most. I believe that when we look back on tonight's dinner decades from now, we'll recognize it as a great dinner, a victorious dinner, a united dinner, a dinner of milestone significance..."
After downing large amounts of alcohol and meat, Tong Di's face glistened with grease. He waved his arms and became hopelessly immersed in his habitual fantasies.
Seeing how invested he was, even Jiang Yue couldn't bear to interrupt him.
Han Jingjing blinked her large eyes and stared blankly at Tong Di, who was spraying spittle everywhere. She looked utterly confused by his performance.
Then she turned to Jiang Yue with an inquiring look. The meaning was obvious: This Tong Feifei hasn't gotten water in his brain, has he?
Jiang Yue only smiled without saying anything.
Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they finally dispersed.
Taking advantage of her tipsy state, Han Jingjing clung to Jiang Yue and insisted that he escort her.
Jiang Yue still had that much courtesy. He called Mao Doudou and the others aside and reminded them to be extremely careful lately. They should avoid going out at night if possible, and if they had to go out, they should go in groups.
Jiang Yue got on Han Jingjing's bicycle, and Han Jingjing hopped onto the back seat, naturally wrapping both arms around his waist.
"Slow down. Slower!"
Every time Jiang Yue pushed hard on the pedals, Han Jingjing pinched the soft flesh around his waist. The distance wasn't long to begin with, and at that speed, they arrived in no time.
Han Jingjing didn't want their time together to pass so hastily.
However slowly they went, they still had to reach home eventually.
"Jingjing, go upstairs."
"No. I want you to stay and look at the stars with me."
"There aren't any stars tonight."
"Then we can look at the moon."
"There's no moon either."
"Then look at me instead, okay?" Han Jingjing pouted.
"..."
"Jiang Yue, you're a bad person!"
"What did I do?"
"That day during the Physical Test, you didn't give it your all, did you? You hid your strength and played the fool while keeping your claws concealed!"
Jiang Yue was both amused and exasperated. Had he caught Tong Di's imagining disease after eating one meal with him?
"Fang Ziyang's Physical Test results would only rank in the middle among the five of us. You gave him a light push and sent him flying that far. Do you dare say you weren't hiding your strength?"
"Maybe he was pretending on purpose?" Jiang Yue said with a bitter smile. "I swear to heaven, I performed normally during the Physical Test. Maybe the machine was biased against me?"
"Hmph! Anyway, I know you were hiding your strength! I, Han Jingjing, never misjudge people. The apocalypse is here, and you're the man who's supposed to protect me. How could you be a weakling?"
Jiang Yue really hadn't hidden his strength during the Physical Test. The test had taken place two days earlier. His physical improvement of fifty percent had only been completed after he eliminated that wraith early this morning.
No wonder Han Jingjing had misunderstood. By normal logic, anyone with even a little sense would inevitably make the same connection.
"Jingjing, just how excellent were your Physical Test results?"
Han Jingjing made a mischievous face. "Want to know?"
"Tell me. Let this country bumpkin broaden his horizons."
"If you agree to do one thing for me, I'll tell you."
"What thing?"
"I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you once I've thought of something."
Then Han Jingjing stopped teasing him and began speaking in a mysterious tone.
"Actually, the blood draw is to see whether there have been any obvious mutations in everyone's genes. The results aren't out yet. I heard the blood tests are especially strict this time. Apparently, quite a few supernatural incidents have occurred around the world. There's plenty of evidence that species which never existed before have appeared on Gaia Planet, and some of them have already become a threat to humanity. So..."
"Jingjing, who told you this?"
"I only heard it from my family at lunchtime today."
"So the blood draw isn't just a medical examination. It's also a screening, to see whether any abnormal creatures have infiltrated human society?"
"You could put it that way." Han Jingjing looked troubled. "I heard Star City has had many rape-murder cases these past few days, all targeting young girls. Jiang Yue, is the apocalypse really coming? Are people losing more and more respect for the law?"
As expected of the daughter of a high-ranking Star City official, this inside information was astonishing compared with that of most of their clueless classmates.
"Jiang Yue, why don't you walk me all the way to my door?"
"Fine." After she had put it that way, if Jiang Yue refused to escort her, Han Jingjing would definitely start acting pitiful and miserable. He was very familiar with that trick.
When they reached her door, Han Jingjing leaned against it, a coquettish smile on her face.
"You don't have your key? Knock."
"My parents definitely aren't home right now. These days, what night do they come back before midnight after working overtime? Why don't you come in and keep me company for a while? Don't you feel sorry for me being home alone? There are so many perverts around now. What if one of them sneaks into my house and rapes and kills me..."
"There are guests at home today, and I'm already late getting back. If I don't return soon, my sister really will hunt me down across the entire world!"
"Oh? Our top scholar is actually afraid of his sister?" Han Jingjing was an only child and had never understood the matters between siblings.
"All right, I know you brought your key. Go inside. Lock the door..."
Jiang Yue hadn't finished speaking when the supposedly empty home of Han Jingjing suddenly creaked. The security door was pushed open from inside.
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