A Single Glance at Su Qing, a Lifetime of Regret

Thinking of her current disheveled state, Xiao Xiao blushed just as she had when they first met, hurriedly lowering her head and daring not to look at him again.

That hateful old hag, making me look this messy. How am I supposed to face anyone now? I hope Su Qing isn't laughing at me...

Seeing her remain silent for so long, Su Qing assumed she was feeling unwell after her run. He immediately walked to her side and scooped her up in his arms. The sudden sensation of weightlessness made Xiao Xiao instinctively wrap her arms around Su Qing's neck, and the realization that she was being carried left her mind completely blank.

"Don't... don't do this. I'm covered in sweat, I'll... I'll get your clothes dirty..."

Seeing her speak, Su Qing lowered his head, his gentle gaze meeting the girl's evasive eyes, and he smiled slightly. "Don't talk for now, I'll take you somewhere cool."

With that, he carried Xiao Xiao away from the playground and toward the shade of a camphor tree. Fearing being recognized by those around them, Xiao Xiao quickly tucked her head into his chest, her voice soft and sweet.

"People will see us."

Hearing this, Su Qing glanced around. The students who had been watching the Freshman Class One running laps had long since dispersed. Aside from those still finishing their laps, everyone else resting on the sidelines had their attention captured by the brilliant butterfly wings of Wang Dong, who was flying in circles with Huo Yuhao.

"Then you'd better hide well; the whole playground is watching us right now."

The sight of the bashful Xiao Xiao in his arms stirred a playful impulse in him. He not only slowed his pace but also deliberately whispered into her ear.

"What?!"

At these words, Xiao Xiao's small hands gripped the back of Su Qing's clothes even tighter, her head burrowing further into his chest.

After gently setting her down under the camphor tree, Su Qing spoke in a soothing tone:

"The whole field was watching that little butterfly martial soul from your class; no one has the spare time to look at you."

Upon realizing she had been teased, Xiao Xiao's cheeks puffed up immediately, just as they had back in the forest.

"Hmph, you jerk!"

With a soft huff, Xiao Xiao turned her head away, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting in a tone that sounded to Su Qing like nothing more than a coquettish act.

"Alright, drink something first."

With that, he smiled and took a juice from his Storage Ring to hand to Xiao Xiao. When Xiao Xiao saw the moon-shaped Storage Ring on his finger, she seemed to remember something. Her body stiffened, and she reached into her own Soul Tool to retrieve a Storage Ring of her own, offering it to Su Qing.

"Hm? What's this for?"

Su Qing was confused; he didn't seem to be lacking in storage devices, and the one Zhang Lexuan had given him already had a capacity of forty cubic meters.

"Hmph, that one was a gift from Senior Sister, this one is from me—it's definitely different!"

Seeing the confusion on Su Qing's face, the anger that had dissipated after Xiao Xiao finished her juice flared up again. Why was it that when Zhang Lexuan gave him a ring, he put it on without a word, but when she gave him one, he asked why? How could he treat them differently?

Hearing Xiao Xiao put it that way, he understood her meaning, though he couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and helplessness. Who uses a Storage Ring as a token of affection? Still, he reached out to take it and immediately put it on another finger.

"Thank you, Xiao Xiao. This ring is beautiful; I will treasure it well."

After saying this, he pinched her puffed-up cheeks. Seeing him accept it, Xiao Xiao's expression instantly cleared from cloudy to sunny. She took hold of the hand where Su Qing wore the ring and examined it, feeling more and more that it was a perfect fit.

Not long after, once the few students who tried to cut corners were expelled, Zhou Yi gathered the students as in the original events, telling them to return to their dorms to change before returning to the classroom for lessons. Xiao Xiao was escorted back to her dorm by Su Qing, and after bidding him farewell, the two parted ways.

Seeing that it was nearly noon, Su Qing headed downstairs toward his own dorm. If nothing went wrong, Chen Yao would be coming to bring him food shortly.

Sure enough, he had barely sat down in his room when he heard a series of knocks at the door.

"Su Qing, may I come in?"

"Come in."

Sitting on his bed, Su Qing responded to the silver-bell-like voice.

The person who walked through the door was a graceful girl wearing a veil. Su Qing suddenly remembered that the Demon Flame had nearly eroded her neck; by now, the area above her chest was likely covered in burn scars. The dim light in her eyes revealed that life had not been easy for her since the injury.

The moment she saw Su Qing, Chen Yao's eyes brightened for a fleeting second before dimming again. She then took the food out from her Soul Tool and placed it on the table one by one.

"Su Qing, I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I packed a bit of everything just like Zhou Qing did. Eat for now, and if you find something you like, you can ask the Senior Sister to tell me, and I'll bring you more next time. I... I'll be going now."

As she spoke, she hurried out the door as if afraid of something.

Su Qing wanted to ask her about it, but realizing the reason, he decided not to speak.

"Sigh, if only everyone were like Senior Brother Zhou Qing."

He shook his head and began to eat, no longer dwelling on other matters.

He spent most of the afternoon cultivating, and it wasn't until evening, when his door was knocked on by Bei Bei, that he snapped out of his meditation.

He had assumed it was Zhang Lexuan, but upon opening the door, he found Bei Bei. Though slightly puzzled, he quickly reasoned that Zhang Lexuan must have been tied up with something and had asked Bei Bei to deliver his meal instead.

"Su Qing, these were made by the chef responsible for Lexuan's meals. You'll definitely like them."

Su Qing nodded and wanted to invite Bei Bei to eat with him, but was told that Bei Bei had already eaten. Bei Bei then hurried off, claiming he had to go help Tang Ya with the barbecue stall she was setting up for Huo Yuhao.

"Good grief, everyone is so busy. Forget it, I'll see if Xiao Xiao is around later and take her to support Huo Yuhao's business..."

Muttering to himself, Su Qing went back to eating. He had to admit, having a dedicated chef made a difference; the ingredients used for Zhang Lexuan's meals were at least from thousand-year soul beasts, and the flavor and texture were far superior to the standard inner court canteen.

"What kind of heavenly life does Lexuan live every day!"

After finishing his meal, he stepped out of his room, only to bump into Xiao Xiao, who was standing in a daze downstairs.

"Xiao Xiao, what are you doing here?"

He walked up to her, confused, and waved a hand in front of her.

"Ah? I was waiting for you. But I didn't know which room was yours, so I could only wait here. After all, you couldn't possibly stay in your room all day, right? No one is that diligent—even the class monitor went to Shrek City this afternoon."

Xiao Xiao, who had been lost in thought, was startled by the sudden appearance of Su Qing. Once she regained her composure, she began to explain why she was waiting there.

"You, you should have just called out from downstairs. What if I had actually been in the middle of diligent cultivation?"

Faced with the persistent young girl, Su Qing's voice softened. How is this little thing so dim-witted? If I hadn't come out just now, was she planning to wait for me until midnight?

"It's fine! If you didn't come out today, you'd have to come out tomorrow eventually. I would have just come back to wait for you first thing in the morning. You can't skip class forever, right? Hehe."

As she spoke, Xiao Xiao even arched her brows at Su Qing as if she thought she were quite clever.

"You really are a little smarty-pants."