That night, the two of them walked close together by the lake. In perfect unspoken understanding, neither said a word; they simply kept each other company in silence. Though they didn't speak, Zhang Lexuan always felt inexplicably at ease walking beside this little rascal, even though she had grown up at Shrek.
It was strange. Zhang Lexuan had grown up at Shrek, yet it was only when she was with Su Qing that she felt safe, that she felt needed. It was exactly what she had always dreamed of. She seemed to suddenly understand what Mu En meant when he told her to live for herself.
That night, everyone slept soundly—except Wang Dong, who spent the whole night freezing outside the dormitory door.
"Damn Huo Yuhao! He stinks up the dormitory like this, and I'll never forgive him!!!"
In the days that followed, aside from attending class and cultivating as usual, Su Qing rarely left the dormitory. After all, someone took care of all three meals, and he didn't even need to go to the cafeteria. Most of the time, Zhang Lexuan simply had Bei Bei bring him food.
It was clear that, as the Inner Court Senior Sister, she really was busy. Add cultivation to that, and he saw Zhang Lexuan only a handful of times during this period. But that was fine. He'd been a corporate drone himself, so he could understand her perfectly.
With the freshman assessment coming up, Xiao Xiao rarely came to hang out with him either. Even when she did, it was usually after training with Huo Yuhao and the others. Almost every time, she was exhausted, barging straight into Su Qing's dormitory and claiming his bed as soon as she walked in. She'd sprawl across the soft bedding, fragrant with Qiluo Pill, and chat with Su Qing.
She'd noticed long ago that Su Qing carried a fragrance that could ease fatigue. But she felt too embarrassed to burrow into his arms every day; that would be far too mortifying. So taking over his bed became the next best thing.
As for whether barging into Su Qing's dormitory would get people gossiping, Xiao Xiao's answer was: no, absolutely not. Inner Court senior students came and went every day, and the freshmen who didn't know the truth even thought it was a place they'd specially chosen for meetings.
"The class monitor said he's taking Wang Dong and me to Sea God Lake for some grilled fish. Want to come?"
That day, Xiao Xiao, as usual, barged into the dormitory, took two quick steps over to Su Qing, and gazed at him expectantly.
"Such a good deal?!"
At the mention of grilled fish, Su Qing's eyes lit up. It wasn't that the Inner Court cafeteria served food inferior to Huo Gua's; it was just that after too many delicacies from the mountains and seas, it was hard to turn down the occasional rustic barbecue.
What's more, barring any surprises, today was probably the day they ran into the Flame Maniac, Ma Xiaotao. Even if he didn't go, Huo Yuhao and the others wouldn't come to harm, but he could practically picture Xiao Xiao clutching his leg afterward, sobbing and sniffling as she complained that she'd almost been burned to death.
Besides, he couldn't let his guard down just because he knew how things were supposed to turn out. The moment he became involved in the cause and effect, everything in the future became uncertain. The original story could only be a reference, not a definitive answer. If something really happened to Xiao Xiao, it would be no use regretting it afterward.
"Yay! I want ten!"
The moment Su Qing agreed, Xiao Xiao jumped up excitedly. Before she even landed, she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. Then, in the blink of an eye, she dashed ten meters away.
"That girl..."
Feeling the faint dampness on his cheek, Su Qing smiled helplessly. Sometimes, he really didn't know what to do with Xiao Xiao. He wasn't the only one who felt that way. Even Zhang Lexuan, whenever she saw Xiao Xiao's adorably clueless look, would unconsciously forget that she was a romantic rival.
"Xiao Xiao, why are you running so fast?"
Wang Dong, who was helping Huo Yuhao set up the grill by Sea God Lake, looked puzzled. When Huo Yuhao had said they were going to grill fish, Xiao Xiao had vanished in the blink of an eye. Now she'd come hurrying back. What on earth had she been doing?
"Huff... I... I just went to call Xiao Qing."
Panting from her all-out sprint, Xiao Xiao explained to Wang Dong. Wang Dong, who had heard of Su Qing but never met him, immediately looked curious.
"Is that the Su Qing who gave Yuhao the Mystic Water Pill? You two... don't have something going on, do you? Hehe!"
"Ahem. If there is."
At that, Xiao Xiao perked right up, letting slip a new phrase she'd learned from Su Qing.
"?"
Seeing Wang Dong's confusion, Xiao Xiao explained further:
"I learned it from Xiao Qing. It basically means responding to something that might happen in the future, but hasn't really gone anywhere yet."
"Oh! That's amazing. Two words can express so much!"
Xiao Xiao's perfectly serious explanation had successfully fooled Wang Dong. In truth, Su Qing had never explained what the phrase meant. She'd figured it out herself from the context at the time, and she'd always thought that was something worth feeling proud of.
"Who taught you to explain it like that?"
Before she could come down from her proud mood, Su Qing, who had happened to hear Xiao Xiao's explanation, raised a hand to his forehead.
"Ahem, I figured it out all by myself, of course. Aren't I clever?"
As she spoke, she confidently patted her chest, waiting for Su Qing to praise her.
"You certainly are clever, but normal people don't go around studying these ambiguous expressions."
"What? Are you saying I'm not normal?"
"No. I'm saying you're special."
"Hehe, Xiao Qing's the best~"
Wang Dong listened to their flirtatious-sounding exchange from the side, momentarily at a loss for words.
"Big Brother Su, stop chatting with Xiao Xiao, or Wang Dong won't be able to eat any grilled fish later."
Huo Yuhao had returned with several fish from who-knew-where. Seeing Wang Dong beside him, toes curled in embarrassment, he felt a pang of sympathy—of course, out of pity for his good bro, who'd been forced to endure such torture.
"Yuhao, you're finally here! You have no idea what I've been through while they were chatting!"
At last, Huo Yuhao had arrived. Wang Dong immediately went to meet him.
"Xiao Qing, listen, I think there's something going on between Wang Dong and Yuhao. They even hold hands when they walk..."
Seeing how Wang Dong's attitude had changed so drastically, Xiao Xiao seemed to confirm her suspicions. She leaned close to Su Qing's ear and whispered.
"Shh. Don't say things that'll undermine unity."
Su Qing replied in a voice only the two of them could hear.
He knew Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong's situation all too well. For one thing, Wang Dong was a girl; and they held hands because the Power of Haodong could speed up their cultivation. That said, Wang Dong's inexplicable habit of disguising herself as a boy did have something to do with it.
As they talked, Huo Yuhao had already expertly begun grilling the fish. Honestly, if he didn't have to consider Huo Yuhao's own wishes, Su Qing would have wanted to give him a nickname. He might as well have called him the Grilled Fish Douluo.
"Ah! That smells amazing! I want the first one!"