The Shy Rose

To Yang Chengzhi, what had happened yesterday would surely be the most humiliating day of his life. As the news spread, more and more people would learn of this disgrace. No matter how great his future achievements, this incident would follow him for the rest of his life.

What humiliated him was not merely losing to Xiaoyaozi. Worse still, he had been barred from participating in this national war, and once he returned to the academy, he would face expulsion.

Cultivators across the Azure Dragon Continent took pride in studying at one of the Seven Great Academies. Yet now, he was about to be expelled from Zhenguan Academy and become the laughingstock of the world.

"Wasn't it just a lost fight? Is it really that serious?" Having been in this world for over a month, Ma Feifei understood how severe expulsion from an academy was.

"Because I went against the academy's will," Yang Chengzhi said.

"Oh?" Ma Feifei was startled. There was clearly more to the matter. But Yang Chengzhi refused to say anything further and only kept drinking.

People were naturally curious about gossip. Ma Feifei suddenly became deeply interested in Yang Chengzhi.

What would happen if I made him the protagonist of a novel? That thought popped into Ma Feifei's mind.

Yang Chengzhi's current situation could be considered utterly miserable. Not only had he been crushed by Xiaoyaozi in terms of strength, but he was also about to be expelled from Zhenguan Academy. In a novel, this would be a classic protagonist-suffering opening!

If Yang Chengzhi, like a protagonist, suddenly experienced a surge in strength, returned to crush Xiaoyaozi, and displayed the bearing of a heaven-blessed genius, wouldn't that be incredibly satisfying?

And even if Zhenguan Academy expelled him then, so what? With the strength to crush Xiaoyaozi, Yang Chengzhi would be welcomed with open arms by other academies.

I just need to polish the story a little. No matter why they actually clashed, I can embellish it and make it so they fell out over a woman. Yang Chengzhi loses, and the woman he loves runs off with Xiaoyaozi. That would make Yang Chengzhi's humiliation explode. Then, once he masters some divine art, he can return and stomp Xiaoyaozi beneath his feet. The woman he once loved would stand nearby, looking at Yang Chengzhi with regret and worship in her eyes, but Yang Chengzhi wouldn't even spare her a glance. He'd look down at Xiaoyaozi beneath his foot and say calmly, 'You're too weak,' before drifting away. Wouldn't that be packed with satisfying moments?

This would absolutely be a hit! Just imagining it made Ma Feifei's heart surge. If he could really write this book, he believed its quality would be at least Blue Quality!

"But the most important thing right now is figuring out how to help Yang Chengzhi improve his strength." After all, for Ma Feifei, who aspired to create Blue Quality books, original works required not only wild imagination but also a basis in reality.

If Yang Chengzhi could truly make a comeback and stomp Xiaoyaozi beneath his feet, then as an observer, Ma Feifei would surely find it easier to write such scenes.

"Maybe I can have him come to my Bookstore and read?" Ma Feifei suddenly thought of his Mysterious Bookstore.

Perfect. Two new books would be put on the shelves soon, giving the Bookstore four system books. Yang Chengzhi should be able to improve his cultivation through them. Besides, Ma Feifei still needed to complete his reading volume and fame missions. If Yang Chengzhi could successfully turn things around, then promote his Bookstore at the right time, would he still need to worry about the fame and reading volume missions?

I'm a damn genius!

With that thought, the way Ma Feifei looked at Yang Chengzhi changed somewhat. This man was practically the key to completing his missions!

"Brother Yang, do you want to wash away your humiliation?" Ma Feifei raised a toast, drank it, then spoke in an apparently casual tone.

"My skills are inferior to his. What can I do?" Yang Chengzhi said with a self-deprecating smile.

He ranked three hundredth on the Dragon Ranking and was a Spirit Master Sixth Stage cultivator. Xiaoyaozi ranked first on the Dragon Ranking and was a Spirit Sect First Stage cultivator. The gap between them was enormous. Even if Yang Chengzhi cultivated for another three years, he might not reach the Spirit Sect realm.

What was more, Xiaoyaozi was a one-in-a-million genius. The reason he was so famous in the Chu Kingdom and hailed as its number one genius was not only because he had entered the Spirit Sect realm. More importantly, he was only eighteen this year!

How old was Yang Chengzhi? Twenty-six! Spirit Master Sixth Stage! He was nearly ten years older than Xiaoyaozi, yet his cultivation was far behind. That alone proved that their talent and aptitude were not on the same level. If he entered the Spirit Sect realm in three years, Xiaoyaozi might already be a Spirit King by then. The gap would only grow wider.

Talent could not represent everything in this world, but when talent and diligence appeared in the same person, all you could do was look up at them.

Rumor had it that Xiaoyaozi was a cultivation maniac. While you cultivated, he cultivated. While you relaxed, he cultivated. While you slept, he cultivated. He even cultivated while using the toilet.

How could anyone catch up to someone like that? Impossible.

So Yang Chengzhi also knew that, theoretically speaking, his chances of washing away this humiliation were basically nonexistent in this lifetime.

"Hehe! Brother Yang, don't lose heart. Where there's a will, there's a way! People should have dreams. What if they come true?" Ma Feifei poured him a bowl of motivational soup.

He had a fairly good impression of Yang Chengzhi. The man was polite, humble, and able to keep his emotions under control. Even after hearing such news, he had not gone looking for trouble with those spreading the rumors. At least in terms of character, he was quite admirable.

As for why Yang Chengzhi and Xiaoyaozi had fought, or which side had been in the wrong, none of that mattered. What Ma Feifei wanted was a protagonist who had been suppressed and humiliated!

"Brother Yang, I opened a Bookstore two li outside North Town. It's called the Mysterious Bookstore. If you truly want to wash away your humiliation, you might as well go take a look." Ma Feifei raised one final toast to Yang Chengzhi. After saying that, he did not wait for an answer. Instead, he put on the air of an unfathomable master, rose to his feet, and left.

Yang Chengzhi stared in astonishment at Ma Feifei's departing back. From what Ma Feifei had said, did he intend to help Yang Chengzhi wash away his humiliation and defeat Xiaoyaozi? Cultivation in this world required more than talent and diligence. There was also something called opportunity! Had he encountered it today?

Ma Feifei's cultivation, which Yang Chengzhi could not see through, had left a deep impression on him. But a Bookstore? What could he do at a Bookstore?

But that little brother doesn't seem to have paid! Yang Chengzhi looked at the plates of food Ma Feifei had completely cleaned out and could not help laughing.

The weekend passed, and on Monday, Ma Feifei opened the shop as usual.

Before long, Zhou Zhuling arrived at the Bookstore, bringing something for Ma Feifei.

"Shopkeeper, I made some pastries. Please try them." Zhou Zhuling took the food box from her maid and personally handed it to Ma Feifei.

Zhou Zhuling's health had improved considerably. Though her illness had not been cured, it had been successfully suppressed. She was no longer as frail as before, and her movements posed no real problem. Especially after reading Half a Mu of Flower Fields, her illness had not flared up again.

With nothing to do that weekend, she had personally made some pastries. Afraid that she was out of practice, Zhou Zhuling had made quite a lot.

Naturally, the portion she gave Ma Feifei was the most delicious one.

To be honest, this was the first gift Ma Feifei had received since coming to this world, and he was a little surprised.

"Thank you." Even someone as thick-skinned as Ma Feifei felt a little embarrassed at that moment. Still, he did not refuse. He had heard that rejecting a girl's gift was a very bad thing to do. Besides, it was not anything valuable. They were just pastries. What was the big deal?

Well, actually, Ma Feifei simply enjoyed the feeling of receiving a gift, especially from a stunning girl like Zhou Zhuling.

Ma Feifei took the food box and opened it. It had three layers, each holding a plate of pastries. There were nine pastries on the top layer. They were square, white, and soft, seemingly made of glutinous rice, somewhat like ruyi cakes.

Ma Feifei picked one up with his fingers and put it into his mouth. After chewing twice, he found that the pastry was cool and chewy upon entering his mouth. Beneath its sweetness was a faint fragrance. It was extremely delicious.

"Mmm, this is really good." Ma Feifei could not help picking up another one and eating it.

He had no habit of eating breakfast, so his stomach was usually empty in the morning. These ruyi cake-like pastries immediately whetted his appetite.

Seeing that Ma Feifei's expression as he ate was completely genuine and that he was stuffing himself with the pastries she had made, Zhou Zhuling was filled with delight.

"Miss Zhou, you should eat some too!" Seeing Zhou Zhuling looking at him, Ma Feifei instinctively felt it was not right for him to eat alone. He picked up a pastry and held it out to her.

Zhou Zhuling froze.

The moment Ma Feifei saw her expression, he realized what he had done.

That gesture could be considered intimate! Although relations between men and women in this world were not as strict as in the ancient times of his previous life, it was not something just anyone could do!

But just as Ma Feifei was about to withdraw his hand, Zhou Zhuling actually leaned closer, wrapped her little mouth around the pastry, and took a bite.

However, her little face had already turned bright red.

Oh my god, I'm done for, I'm done for. Ma Feifei suddenly could not take it anymore. His heart pounded wildly, and even the hand holding the pastry trembled slightly.

Heaven knew, he had only meant to offer Zhou Zhuling the pastry so she could take it with her hand! Who would have thought she would use her mouth directly?

Ma Feifei swore that he had really not been trying to flirt with her!

Absolutely not!

Ma Feifei was extremely nervous. He nervously withdrew his hand, nervously ate the pastry in it, nervously closed the food box and set it aside. Even his tone was nervous. "Um, I need to start working now. Make yourself at home."

"Mhm."

When Zhou Zhuling saw that Ma Feifei had actually eaten the pastry she had bitten, her face turned even redder. She lowered her head and answered absentmindedly, twisting the white handkerchief clutched in both hands. Her little feet, clad in white embroidered shoes, seemed to stop obeying her as she stood there, lightly drawing circles on the ground with her toes.

"Miss." The maid, who had been standing behind her all along, finally could not bear to watch anymore. She stepped forward and quietly reminded her.

"Ah!" Only then did Zhou Zhuling come back to herself. She glanced at Ma Feifei, who had already lowered his head and begun writing, then touched her burning cheeks. Covering her face in embarrassment, she hurried away without even reading a book.

Phew... Watching Zhou Zhuling flee in disarray, Ma Feifei, who had been writing with his head lowered, finally let out a breath. Looking at the meaningless scribbles on his paper, he could not help thinking, Is this what it feels like to have your heart stirred?

In his twenty-two years of life, Ma Feifei's social circle had been pitifully small. He had been rather withdrawn since childhood. After graduating from high school, he had entered a furniture factory. In a place like that, there were basically no young girls. The women Ma Feifei dealt with all year round were practically a generation older than him.

Thus, poor Ma Feifei had never had any experience getting along with girls his own age, let alone been in a relationship.

After what had just happened, he was truly both frightened and excited.

Before he knew it, Ma Feifei had drifted off. His mind was filled with Zhou Zhuling's shy appearance.