What If...

The dormitory was a very peculiar place. The girls' dormitory was forbidden ground for boys; any boy who dared cross the line would face the death penalty.

But to girls, the boys' dormitory was like their own vegetable garden—they could enter and leave as they pleased. So when Song Shuhang brought a girl to the dormitory, he encountered no obstruction at all.

Besides, it was Sunday. Most of the students in the dormitory building had gone out to relax and have fun, or were holed up in their rooms playing games. When Shuhang returned with Soft Feather, he didn't attract much attention.

Shuhang's dormitory was on the second floor, and the building had an elevator. However, the people in their dormitory usually took the stairs. Since it was only the first floor, taking the stairs was much faster than taking the elevator.

"Do you need me to help you carry your suitcase?" Shuhang looked at the large suitcase Soft Feather was pulling. As a man, helping a lady carry her luggage and bags was something he couldn't refuse.

"Sorry for the trouble, Senior." Soft Feather smiled shyly and pushed the large suitcase toward Song Shuhang.

Along the way, Shuhang had seen Soft Feather pulling the large suitcase behind her. When they passed over uneven ground, she had even lifted the suitcase and carried it across, looking completely relaxed.

So subconsciously, he assumed that the large suitcase wasn't full and shouldn't weigh too much.

When his hand grasped the suitcase handle and he exerted force to lift it, his face instantly flushed red!

He summoned all his strength just to raise the suitcase a little. You've got to be kidding me—this thing weighs at least fifty or sixty kilograms, nearly as much as an adult man!

He stared wide-eyed at Soft Feather, at her slender hands as soft as boneless jade. Could this girl be a hidden tomboy? She'd been pulling and carrying a hundred and twenty or thirty pounds as she strode along without even getting out of breath?

And I'd actually naively thought she was easy to abduct? With that kind of strength, anyone who tried to kidnap her would have to prepare a coffin first.

"Senior?" Soft Feather looked at him in confusion.

"Ahem! Let's take the elevator." Song Shuhang quickly made up his mind. He could carry the suitcase upstairs, but it would be exhausting.

"Oh." Soft Feather nodded as if she understood. As mentioned before, she was a good girl and wouldn't ask about things she shouldn't. Besides, as a guest, she wouldn't interfere with her host's decision. When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

The elevator slowly rose. Hardly anyone used the elevator at this time, so they didn't have to wait long.

The dormitory was completely empty.

His roommates usually didn't come over until three or four in the afternoon. Sometimes, they wouldn't return until evening.

The dormitory wasn't very large and housed four people. Though the sparrow was small, it had all five vital organs. It had a bathroom, a balcony, a washboard, and a small kitchen.

"Have a seat for a while. What would you like to drink?" Song Shuhang turned on the computer and asked Soft Feather to sit down.

Soft Feather obediently sat down and replied, "Spirit-Vein Jade Tea."

"?" Song Shuhang was puzzled.

Spirit-Vein Jade Tea? What the heck is that? Some newly released beverage? How come I've never heard of it?

He was stunned for a moment before quickly recalling the identity of the long-legged beauty before him. Although she looks young and beautiful, she's actually a hardcore chuunibyou patient obsessed with xianxia!

The so-called Spirit-Vein Jade Tea should be something the chuunibyou patients in the group made up in their imaginations, right?

Song Shuhang felt his liver begin to ache faintly again.

"I don't have any of those things here for now, but I do have orange juice, purified water, cola, and milk. Pick one." Song Shuhang went straight to a multiple-choice question. He was afraid Soft Feather would ask him to serve something terrifying like "Mighty Dragon Blood Tea" or "Phoenix Essence."

Soft Feather froze. Senior doesn't even have Spirit-Vein Jade Tea?

One had to know that Spirit-Vein Jade Tea was the spirit tea most commonly used by cultivators to entertain guests.

It contained very little spiritual energy, but its tea fragrance overflowed in all directions, and its rich flavor lingered for a long time. It was the spirit tea with the best cost-performance ratio for entertaining guests. Moreover, drinking it occasionally could slightly strengthen one's constitution. Although it couldn't compare with the marvels of pills, Spirit-Vein Jade Tea was countless times cheaper than pills. As long as one was a cultivator, this should be a must-have, right?

Wait, I know!

Senior is living in seclusion—the great hermit hides in the city, living like an ordinary person. It was said that some seniors, in order to temper their state of mind, would hide among ordinary people every hundred and fifty years or so and live like true ordinary people. This was called "Red-Dust Tempering"! Although it couldn't increase their strength, it could strengthen their resolve and make their minds even clearer!

"Senior, please give me some orange juice. Thank you." Soft Feather revealed a sweet smile.

"All right. Just a moment."

A moment later, Song Shuhang poured a large glass of orange juice from the refrigerator in the kitchen and handed it over.

Soft Feather accepted the orange juice. "Thank you, Senior."

"You're welcome," Song Shuhang said. She's a good girl, with a good personality and good manners. It's just a pity she's a little chuunibyou. He sat down in front of the computer and connected to the Internet.

He skillfully opened Baidu Maps and entered J City and Luoxin District.

Soon, the map marked the location of Luoxin District in J City.

"I checked. This place is a little far from Luoxin District in J City," Song Shuhang said.

Originally, taking a taxi from the airport in the Jiangnan Region to Luoxin District in J City would have taken around five hours. But Soft Feather had gone to the wrong destination. Fortunately, Jiangnan University Town bordered J City, so she hadn't gone completely in the opposite direction; she had merely taken another road halfway there.

Now, departing from Jiangnan University Town and driving to Luoxin District in J City would take three and a half hours, and that was without considering traffic conditions. In fact, the traffic on this route was terrible, and the actual journey would take around five hours.

Soft Feather leaned over. After seeing how long the distance was, she secretly stuck out her tongue. "Senior, can a taxi even make it there?"

"It can, but I'm afraid very few drivers would be willing to make the trip," Song Shuhang said.

Then he explained it to Soft Feather.

A five-hour drive was rather far. Although taxis in several cities near the Jiangnan Region could operate across city boundaries, most taxis had shift changes.

Besides, it would take five hours to get there and another five hours to return—a journey of more than ten hours. Wouldn't that require several drivers? Even with money, it wasn't easy to arrange.

"Then what should we do?" Soft Feather asked.

"Take the high-speed train. There's a station called Black Elephant Station not far from Luoxin District in J City, and there's also a station near our university town. The high-speed train is faster than a taxi, too. We can arrive in at most two hours," Song Shuhang explained.

"When should we leave?" Soft Feather's eyes shone brightly.

"Don't rush. You can book same-day tickets online now. I took a look. The train departing from University Town Station for Black Elephant Station leaves at four in the afternoon, so we only need to enter the station after having our tickets checked at three-thirty."

Huh? Wait!

When should we leave? We?

Could this girl think I'm going to accompany her to Luoxin District in J City?

I still have class tomorrow! I'm still a student, not someone who can just leave whenever he wants!

"Then, Senior, let's hurry and book the tickets online. Do you need my ID card?" Soft Feather said happily. She felt that it was wonderful to have met such a helpful senior as Senior Song.

"Ahem, ahem. We?" Song Shuhang's cold-induced cough returned. "You mean book two tickets? One for you and one for me?"

"Huh? Senior, aren't you coming with me?" Soft Feather froze, then immediately flushed crimson.

She really had been too excited just now. She had subconsciously assumed that Song Shuhang would accompany her to J City without even asking for his opinion. How utterly rude of her.

"Senior, I was too rude just now. I actually made a decision on my own without asking your opinion. Senior, could you please accompany me to Luoxin District in J City? I really... have a poor sense of direction, and I'm afraid I won't be able to find Ghost Lantern Temple." Soft Feather pleaded with him.

Song Shuhang sighed and refused her. "Although I'd really like to help you, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."

The train at four would arrive after six-thirty in the evening. He didn't know what Soft Feather wanted to do there, nor when she would finish. But one thing was certain: he definitely wouldn't make it back by noon tomorrow.

And he still had class tomorrow afternoon!

Soft Feather instantly became utterly dejected. She was the sort of girl whose emotions were written all over her face. "Senior, is it because you don't have time?"

"Yes. I have class tomorrow afternoon," Song Shuhang replied.

Seeing Soft Feather's dejected expression, as though she was about to drop to her knees, he suddenly felt that perhaps he had refused too harshly. Maybe he had hurt the girl's fragile heart.

Thinking of this, he added, "If... I mean, if you're not in too much of a hurry, Soft Feather, I would have time to accompany you to J City next Friday. I'm a student right now, so I only have Saturdays and Sundays off."

Next Friday? Soft Feather was still very disappointed. She wouldn't mind waiting a day or two, but five days was a little too long. Her father liked playing tricks on people, but clearly he wouldn't be staying at Mad Saber Three Waves' place for ten days or half a month.

But then she suddenly thought of something, and her eyes lit up. She asked seriously, "Senior Song, if you didn't have class tomorrow afternoon... I'm just making a hypothetical assumption here—could you accompany me to J City?"