The Picnic Incident

Xilin had finally gotten Mo Heng's approval to leave the hospital. To earn it, he'd also written a heartfelt, incisive, ten-thousand-word self-criticism. But in that entire essay, there wasn't a single line like "I won't do it again" or anything else Mo Heng actually wanted to read.

In Mo Heng's words, it was like a machine missing its most important component. In a word: trash!

Still, as trashy as the essay was, Mo Heng had it framed and hung in his office. Whenever Xilin went in to hand in an assignment, Mo Heng would point to the essay on the wall and go on and on. But that's a story for another time.

When Xilin returned to the dorm after leaving the hospital, the door clicked shut behind him as soon as he stepped inside. Three people sat in three chairs in the living room, arranged like judges at a trial. All three, who were usually too busy to make it back to the dorm, were there.

Ci Jincheng toyed with the controller in his hand. If Xilin tried to run now, he'd probably get attacked by some unknown substance. Knight rolled his wrists, cracking his knuckles, while Long grinned wickedly from the side.

"Confess and get leniency, or resist and run around naked. Pick one!"

Xilin looked at the three of them, calmly dragged over a chair, and sat down facing them. "I pick C."

"You little—!"

The three rushed him, pinning him down and choking him.

"Hurry up! What's your relationship with Sha Meiren?!"

"Sha Meiren's admirers have come looking for you. Look, they even threw rotten eggs!" Long pointed accusingly at a yellow stain by the window.

Bullshit. Who in Qiyao would dare bully you guys? That was obviously from when you tried to fry an egg and flung it out the window. There's oil on it, too. Don't think I didn't notice!

"Go easy! Keep choking me and my neck's going to snap. I'll talk, all right?"

After finally getting his neck free, Xilin caught his breath and explained the "whole story."

After a long pause, Knight asked suspiciously, "So she only found out who you were because of Professor Mo and Professor Lin?"

"If you don't believe me, go ask her."

Long looked thoughtful. "So you had the home-field advantage and got to her first? The timing, the location, everything was perfect. If you still can't win her over, you're hopeless."

Knight leaned in with a mysterious look. "Those five minutes. You two... did anything?"

"We talked."

"What else?"

"We talked some more."

After studying Xilin's expression carefully, the three said in disappointment, "What a talent!"

When the students on the Qiyao Forum dug up Xilin's identity and background, quite a few people did back off.

As for looks, Xilin was definitely good-looking, and that air about him was enough to make anyone's eyes light up. As for his background, he was from the Daongs Family, and his father, Aifulan, was on a roll lately. He was already close to becoming the heir, which would make him the young master of the Daongs Family. Apart from certain powers in the ABC Three Star Zones, there weren't many who could outdo the Daongs Family. As for talent, he was a student of Mo Heng, Old Master Mo. You wouldn't become one of Old Master Mo's students without having some ability. And as for strength, well, there was no need to say more. He'd wielded a gun and wiped out rats, and ranked among the top five in the Training Department's individual combat rankings. How could anyone compete?

So most people were content to watch the show and gossip.

The next day, Xilin picked up his Flying Skateboard and prepared to leave.

The other three looked up from breakfast at the same time. "It's the weekend. You don't have classes."

"I'm taking Teresa out to eat today," Xilin said with complete candor.

"Damn!"

"Hell!"

"You beast!"

As soon as Xilin left the dorm, the three of them brought out a pile of equipment.

"Signal reception is normal."

"Calibrate the satellite surveillance."

"This time, let's see how that guy Xilin manages to woo the beauty."

Xilin knew the three losers in his dorm wouldn't sit still, but he didn't plan to avoid them. After buying a few things on the way, he headed to a wooded area outside the Teaching Zone and went to the spot he'd arranged to meet Teresa. She was already waiting there, dressed in her usual understated elegance. Against the surrounding scenery, she looked especially at home.

"Sorry for the wait." Xilin put away his Flying Skateboard and took out the food he'd just bought.

"It's fine. I came early on purpose."

It surprised plenty of people that they'd gone for a picnic in the woods instead of eating at a restaurant.

Why "plenty of people"? Besides the three guys from Xilin's dorm, there were even more people tracking Teresa. But whether they watched by satellite or from a distance through binoculars, the dense woods were their biggest obstacle. Even a thermal imaging device couldn't give them a clear view. All they could see was the two of them sitting there by the stream, watching the water flow and eating their picnic. They seemed to be having a good time...

Quite a few photos had already appeared on the Qiyao Forum. Though the two people sitting by the stream were partly hidden by leaves, the sight was enough to set people's imaginations running wild.

Back in Xilin's dorm, Long complained nonstop. "That guy Xilin's really sneaky. He actually went somewhere that remote!"

"The leaves are blocking the footage."

"We should've put a wiretap on him."

Of course, Long was only saying it. They knew there were limits, and Ci Jincheng had openly put the tracker in Xilin's bag. Xilin hadn't said anything, which proved he wasn't trying to hide where he was going.

"They must be talking about the beauty of life and their romantic future," plenty of people thought. In reality, Xilin and Teresa's topic had nothing to do with romance.

"The attack dealt a major blow to our opponents, so Mr. Daongs Aifulan paid triple the fee. I don't think he'll be stingy over the next two months, either," Teresa said.

"Did my mentor, Professor Mo, get involved?"

"Not just her. Your three roommates got involved too. The military, business, government, and Academic World all applied some pressure. I heard that assassin organization has been put on the wanted list as well. Lately, they've been thinking about taking revenge on the person who hired them."

Xilin smiled at that but said nothing.

"Pressure from several sides should make them hold back a little. But Mr. Aifulan asked me to pass on a warning: some people in the Daongs Family's main branch might take the opportunity to act, then pin the blame on those unlucky fools. So keep your guard up for now. Though I think Mr. Aifulan's worrying too much. With your ability, you should have no trouble dealing with people like that."

"You really think a lot of me." Xilin turned his head to look at the stream.

Unlike the completely artificial streams on Brown Earth Star, this one had a kind of natural beauty. There was even a crab beneath one of the rocks. When he was little, he'd often gone with Hena to play by the streams farther from the slums. But those streams had nothing but rocks and water. Hena used to say they were lifeless, and that if they ever got to see a lively stream full of little fish, shrimp, and crabs like the ones on TV, they'd be so happy.

Xilin touched the pendant hanging against his chest beneath his clothes. Can you see it, Hena? There are crabs in here. This stream is alive. We'll see even more streams full of life someday.

"Who are you thinking about?" Teresa asked. For a moment, the tenderness in Xilin's eyes had seemed almost enough to draw someone in.

"Crabs." Xilin stretched. "Anything else?"

"No. I'll tell you when I get any news."

"Just remember the fee."

"I definitely won't shortchange you. Let's call it a day. You look like you're getting impatient. Before you go, how about a goodbye kiss?" Teresa said, leaning toward Xilin.

On the screens of countless Qiyao students, Sha Meiren leaned toward Xilin. The two of them drew closer and closer, and then...

Damn! The leaves blocked the view!

Pointing angrily at the leaves obscuring the scene, Long shouted, "I'll give a hundred million to whoever cuts down that damn tree!"

Meanwhile, in another dorm, Linglong crushed her fifth Microcomputer of the day.

Everyone knew the two had kissed. Had they really? They had—but only on the cheek. Teresa had kissed Xilin's cheek, but the leaves had led everyone to jump to conclusions.

Teresa knew exactly where the cameras were and chose her angle perfectly.

After gathering up the things on the ground, Xilin brought out his Flying Skateboard. Teresa pressed the button on her key, and a car rose into the air in the distance. Its color changed from green to white; it had been using camouflage.

"Want a ride?" Teresa asked from inside the car.

"No. It was a pleasure working with you. Remember the fee."

"Likewise."

They went their separate ways. Xilin flew along the stream for a while, but by then, not many people were paying attention to him. Knight and the others had opened the forum to read the posts, and the Qiyao Forum was full of hot threads about Xilin and Teresa, with pictures as "proof."

As soon as Xilin entered the dorm, Knight and Long tossed aside their Microcomputers and rushed over.

"Hurry up and tell us what happened during the important part today—whoa, crabs! Where'd you get these? They're fresh!" Knight and Long completely forgot about the picnic-kiss incident and crowded around a big bag of crabs, rubbing their hands together.

Ci Jincheng: "..." These two gluttons!

That night, while everyone else in Qiyao was busy venting on the forum, the four people in Xilin's dorm were happily feasting on crabs around the table.

The next incident is coming soon. Friends, please show your support!