Even Knows How to Compliment People

Tang Wulin tugged at Wang Dong's sleeve and shook her head. "Brother, Linyuan didn't bully me."

"Then your eyes..."

"I'm fine." Tang Wulin pretended to rub her eyes. "I just got some sand in them by accident."

Wang Dong's fierce gaze shifted between Xia Linyuan and Tang Wulin a few times. She snorted. "You'd better be telling the truth."

"Brother, what did you want to see me about?"

"Come with me."

Tang Wulin left with Wang Dong, leaving Xia Linyuan alone in the dormitory.

"You really haven't changed at all. You're just as clueless about romance as ever, deceiving a little girl like that." Gu Yuena's clear, pleasant voice rang out.

A flash of silver light, and Gu Yuena was sitting on Xia Linyuan's bed.

Xia Linyuan seemed a little helpless. "You've been eavesdropping this whole time. Is it really that interesting?"

"Hey! I wasn't eavesdropping. I came to find you and happened to see what was going on."

"What do you want?" Xia Linyuan's expression suddenly turned indifferent. This was what he was really like.

"Why else would I come looking for you?"

"Heh. I'm sure it's nothing good."

"How do you know it won't be?"

"Want to bet?"

"No."

The eastern gate of Shrek City was also the entrance to Shrek Academy.

"Is this the important thing you wanted to do?" Xia Linyuan glanced at Gu Yuena as he looked at the vendors lining both sides of the street.

"Come on, I've only just entered human society. I still have lots of things to buy."

"Couldn't you have come by yourself? Why drag me along?" Xia Linyuan furrowed his brow. "I still have to go to the Soul Guidance Department later."

"I'm out of money." At that, Gu Yuena puffed out her cheeks, her voice turning a little quieter.

She knew the saying: once you'd eaten someone's food and taken their money, you were obliged to help them.

Xia Linyuan frowned. "It hasn't even been four days. Have you already spent all the thousand Gold Soul Coins I gave you?"

"Everything at Shrek is so expensive! A single meal costs me at least a hundred Gold Soul Coins." Gu Yuena's cheeks puffed up in indignation.

Xia Linyuan glanced at her and said coolly, "That's because you eat so much and always pick the most expensive food. Don't you know that you and Tang Wulin clear out half the food in the cafeteria every time you eat?"

"Just think of it as a chance to relax." Gu Yuena didn't answer his question.

"Heh. Whatever you want to buy, hurry up. I'm in a rush."

Gu Yuena's face immediately lit up with delight.

Both sides of the road outside Shrek Academy were lined with vendors selling all kinds of goods. Their wares dazzled the eye, and snack stalls were the most common.

There was a much wider selection here than in Shrek Academy's shops, and the prices were far lower.

Gu Yuena led Xia Linyuan from stall to stall, picking through the goods. She seemed to be in a pretty good mood.

As they walked, a rich fragrance suddenly filled the air.

Gu Yuena's eyes lit up. "That smells amazing."

At the scent, Xia Linyuan immediately thought of Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.

"Let's go take a look."

Following the aroma, Xia Linyuan and Gu Yuena found Huo Yuhao tending to his grilled fish. Quite a few people were already lined up at his stall.

Before Xia Linyuan could say anything, Gu Yuena pulled him into the line behind a female student wearing a yellow uniform.

Gu Yuena said, "I never would've guessed Huo Yuhao had a knack for this. It smells great, so it should taste pretty good too."

Thinking of how the original story had described Huo Yuhao's grilled fish as almost impossibly delicious, Xia Linyuan said coolly, "It's pretty good."

Gu Yuena's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief when she heard Xia Linyuan say that. "You actually know how to compliment people?"

Xia Linyuan didn't want to argue with her, so he simply fell silent.

Gu Yuena realized she was getting nowhere and quietly waited for Huo Yuhao's grilled fish.

As luck would have it, Huo Yuhao was selling only eighteen grilled fish that day, and Xia Linyuan and Gu Yuena were seventeenth and eighteenth in line.

"Linyuan! Gu Yuena! What brings you here?" Huo Yuhao exclaimed, overjoyed to see them.

Xia Linyuan smiled. "We came to buy a few things. Yuhao, I had no idea you had this talent. You've been keeping it to yourself."

Huo Yuhao scratched his head sheepishly. "Linyuan, you're giving me too much credit. I just picked up a few things from my mom. It's nothing special."

At the mention of his mother, a hint of sadness flashed in Huo Yuhao's bright eyes.

Mom...

Just then, a commotion broke out at the entrance to Shrek Academy.

Several female students in purple uniforms came out of the academy. The one leading them looked only fourteen or fifteen. She had a tall, slender figure, long golden hair tumbling down her back in loose waves, skin as fair as snow, and eyes as clear as still water.

The moment Jiang Nannan appeared, she drew countless eyes.

You might wonder: Gu Yuena was even more beautiful and had a more striking presence than Jiang Nannan, so why had no one seemed to notice her this whole time?

That was because Gu Yuena knew exactly how much her looks affected men, and how much trouble she'd cause if she went out unprepared. Even without hiding her face, she'd been doing her best to keep a low profile. Naturally, Jiang Nannan had stolen the spotlight.

Seeing Xia Linyuan glance toward Jiang Nannan just once and never look her way again, Gu Yuena teased, "She's a stunning beauty, at least. Isn't it a little disrespectful not to give her a second look?"

Without even turning his head, Xia Linyuan said, "What good is being beautiful? Can you guarantee she'll never grow old or die? Once she's dead, will she weigh more than five pounds, box and all?"

"Uh..."

That makes way too much sense. I can't even argue with it. But what's this about her weighing less than five pounds, box and all, after she dies?

As expected, Jiang Nannan was also drawn over by the aroma of the grilled fish.

"Junior, how much are you selling the grilled fish for?" Jiang Nannan asked softly.

Huo Yuhao was tending to four fish for Xia Linyuan, Gu Yuena, and Tang Ya. "Five Copper Soul Coins each, senior."

Jiang Nannan furrowed her brow and instinctively started calculating. "Junior, you're charging a bit much. You'd still make a profit if you sold them for three Copper Soul Coins each."

Huo Yuhao froze.

He'd sold sixteen fish so far, and this was the first time a student had tried to haggle with him—and she was a beautiful girl, at that.

Before Huo Yuhao could answer, Xia Linyuan said, "You're right, senior. He'd still make a profit selling them for three Copper Soul Coins. But if I only sold twenty a day—or even fewer—do you think I'd make enough to afford a single meal?"