Distant Relatives

People come and go, weaving through the center of the cafeteria. The cafeteria floor always has a greasy, smooth feel, making one think that such a young girl should be sitting in a pavilion by the river and willows in some ancient town, holding a book, just like those young ladies who could live a carefree life a hundred years ago.

"This girl has such a great presence." Yan Qingcheng also looked over. With such outstanding examples as Qin Yanan and Zhu Juntang, Yan Qingcheng was a worldly person, so her focus was on her presence.

Besides, the girl's book was covering her face.

Generally speaking, when someone is praised for their good temperament without mentioning anything else, it's often because they may not be particularly beautiful, or they exude a charm that makes you want to appreciate them more even without seeing their face.

This girl in the lake-green dress was just such a case. Even from a distance, an ordinary person could clearly see her exceptionally delicate skin and silky, clean hair, free of any dust. Yet, one could sense that if the book were removed, her radiant beauty would be revealed.

"I bet you all, she ate stir-fried shredded potatoes, boiled bok choy, and a serving of sweet and sour rice cakes," Liu Chang'an said confidently as they all looked in that direction.

Liu Chang'an's focus was somewhat peculiar; everyone else watched him, but no one made a bet with him.

"I'll bet a bottle of orange juice. If I win, each of you buys me a bottle of orange juice. If I lose, I'll buy you all a bottle of orange juice." Liu Chang'an stated the bet first; betting like this only gets serious when there's a stake involved.

"So, if you win, you get four bottles of orange juice, but if you lose, you only buy one bottle for the four of us?" Yan Qingcheng said uncertainly, because she didn't think anyone would be so blatantly cunning.

Liu Chang'an nodded.

"You're too cunning, who would bet with you?" Qin Zhiqiang shook his head with a smile.

"If you lose, you'd be better off buying each of us a bottle," Sun Shutong said.

"When you came in, did you peek at her plate?" Wei Xuanyi suspected that it might be another beautiful girl that Liu Chang'an knew. It seemed like he knew every beautiful woman... Impossible, his luck with women was too good. Most people would never have the chance to meet a beautiful woman like that in their lifetime. Talking to them was a pleasure. As for Liu Chang'an... Wei Xuanyi thought of the hotel room, and he couldn't help but picture the towel lying on the floor, the messy bed, and other such scenes.

"Actually, it's very fair. If I lose, each of you bears a quarter of the bet, and if I win, you should rightfully only receive a quarter of the bet." Liu Chang'an took a bite of green beans. "Is there anything wrong with that?"

Yan Qingcheng rolled her eyes at Liu Chang'an. "Do you think we're pigs? If the four of us are a team, then the bet is four bottles of orange juice. If you lose, you also have to pay out four bottles of orange juice. Don't try to twist the concept of two quarters."

"Then I won't gamble, the risk is too great." Liu Chang'an was very disappointed that they weren't that stupid.

"Boring."

"That girl has already left," Qin Zhiqiang said.

Liu Chang'an turned his head and could only see a back view. He was immediately certain that this was the somewhat familiar back view he had encountered at the beginning of the semester, and he had also seen it when he took Zhou Dongdong to eat at the buffet.

Life is full of unexpected encounters, so Liu Chang'an didn't chase after him to find out what was going on; they would meet again sooner or later.

After lunch, Wei Xuanyi continued to enthusiastically discuss organizing class activities with Yan Qingcheng, while Liu Chang'an returned to his dormitory to read.

At this moment, he could appreciate Qin Yanan's thoughtfulness and consideration. Many times, a place to lie down can indeed make people feel more relaxed and comfortable. No matter where you want to pass the time, nothing is more satisfying than a bed.

So for most people, since girlfriends are so hard to find and wives are so difficult to get along with, what's wrong with going through the trouble of finding a bed that suits them or something that can enhance their happiness, like a drink holder next to the bed, a storage box full of snacks, or even a patient-style urinal?

With your phone charged, or a large-screen tablet, and a few favorite books on your bedside table, you can read a captivating erotic novel or watch an action movie late at night when it's quiet and undisturbed. What does it matter if you have a girlfriend or not?

This is happiness. Even with the existence of post-coital relaxation, for men, the exhaustion and calmness afterward make it easier to reflect on life and enter a relaxed sleep state. The energetic appearance the next morning also brings satisfaction from the abundance of their vital essence. You know, many men with girlfriends or wives rarely experience this feeling of being full of energy.

"I suddenly feel very empty." Qin Zhiqiang rolled over on the bed opposite Liu Chang'an.

"All done?" Sun Shutong laughed heartily at the computer desk below.

"I just feel that the girls in games will never actually appear in my life." Qin Zhiqiang said with inexplicable sadness.

The reasons why a homebody might feign sorrow and try to write new poems are all quite different.

"Then you're too superficial. This isn't true love. Can't love break through the dimensional barrier? When the new character comes out, you should think about how difficult it was for her to be selected, refined, revised, and tested by countless behind-the-scenes planners before she finally comes to you. She also faced the danger of being erased as scrap data. Now that you can finally feel her loveliness and allure, what reason do you have not to love her because she can't break through the dimensional barrier any further? Keep saving your crystals for gacha pulls." Liu Chang'an said, looking down at his book without looking up.

"So, she's even more precious than a real girl being conceived." Qin Zhiqiang seemed to realize something and regained his senses. He immediately sat up, picked up his phone, and continued playing. Actually, it was just because he had saved 5600 diamonds and couldn't resist doing a ten-pull to test the waters. The result was just a low-tier guaranteed pull... Every unlucky player felt a similar emptiness and loss at this moment, like after the deed was done.

Liu Chang'an smiled. The pages that slipped through his fingers seemed to flow like time itself. The adorable girl in the virtual world would eventually leave behind her image, voice, and personality. As for those who had passed away, all that remained were images in other people's memories. And wasn't the storage of these images just data?

Humanity will probably eventually break free from the constraints of the physical body and become clumps of data. Will "humanity" still exist then?

Liu Chang'an thought to himself that perhaps he would become the last human on Earth. After all, he had lived for so long, and it seemed that humanity's liberation from the shackles of the physical body was just around the corner... In this foreseeable future, he was unlikely to die, so what would his life be like when all of humanity had entered the data server?

He didn't want to leave his body and live on the data server; it made him feel too insecure.

This vision of the future inevitably reminded Liu Chang'an of the period before human civilization opened the door to the modern world.

At that time, early scientists were not called scientists, and the word "science" did not even exist. They drifted between two worlds: the Middle Ages in which they were born and raised, and a new world that they could only glimpse. These intelligent, ambitious people, full of confusion and contradictions, believed in angels, alchemy, and the devil on the one hand, and in the other hand, they believed that the universe followed mathematical laws.

Liu Chang'an thought that we'd reached a point where, on one hand, humanity couldn't solve the problem of aging, and on the other hand, human spirit, soul, and memory were being digitized and preserved. What worried him was that if human consciousness were digitized, they could be forever immersed in data time, constructing endless and wondrous universes and worlds. Would they still be interested in the outside natural world?

Liu Chang'an, however, was someone who was extremely interested in the natural world.

"In 1699, the Royal Society held a meeting to debate the health benefits of drinking about a pint of cow urine." Liu Chang'an glanced at the time, put down his book, and said, "Luckily, I didn't drink it."

"Why are you suddenly bringing up such a strange topic?" Qin Zhiqiang asked.

"I remembered something, something that left a deep impression on me." Liu Chang'an said casually, "Let's go, time for military training."

The three of them walked out of the dormitory and saw a helicopter flying high and far away in the corridor.

Like a shadow casting a chilling shadow, Sun Shutong's expression changed. "Zhu Juntang's helicopter."

Zhu Juntang's helicopter is definitely not the kind used for ordinary purposes such as spraying pesticides, observing hydrology and transportation, or sightseeing. Its enormous size makes one feel that there might be a royal palace inside.

Sure enough, as the group passed the place where Sun Shutong had such shameful and indignant memories, Zhu Juntang walked out of the building surrounded by Lush Forest, her smile impeccably elegant, and her whole body exuding a sweet, candy-like, alluring fragrance.

Sun Shutong ignored Liu Chang'an and Qin Zhiqiang, and simply pretended not to see Zhu Juntang before leaving.

Zhu Juntang, of course, did not see Sun Shutong either. She may have felt that someone reflected light in her eyes, forming an image that activated her brain's memory, but she consciously did not try to determine who that person was.

This is what it means to turn a blind eye.

"Classmate." Feeling Qin Zhiqiang stiffen beside him, Liu Chang'an patted him, reminding him that he was just a classmate, not some anime girl who had broken through the dimensional barrier and come to reality.

"Zhu... Zhu... Zhu Juntang, hello." Qin Zhiqiang mustered up his courage to greet him.

"Hello! Come over to my house for a dry pot sometime!" Zhu Juntang warmly invited again.

"Okay... okay, I'll be going now." Qin Zhiqiang still knew how to distinguish between politeness and etiquette. He nodded, then nervously clenched his fists and ran off.

"What are you doing at school again? Didn't Qin Yanan tell you to come to school less often? It's one thing to abuse your privileges, but you should at least keep a low profile," Liu Chang'an reminded Zhu Juntang.

"I had a good sleep, and then Zhong Qing reminded me that I have a distant cousin from Shanghai, someone from the Su Family before Liberation who studied at our school, and that I should come and meet her," Zhu Juntang said listlessly. "I hate these kinds of distant relatives the most. They just want to get a job in our family. They don't even know us, but they keep calling us 'sister,' 'aunt,' 'grandmother,' it's so annoying."

"If the Su Family hadn't been so numerous and widespread, and hadn't banded together for self-preservation, you would have been wiped out during the Jiangnan case. How would you, a fairy descending to earth, have had the chance?" Liu Chang'an waved his hand. "Go on, don't loiter around the military training area, or I'll expel you again."

Zhu Juntang stared wide-eyed at Liu Chang'an's retreating figure. Why was her position so unstable? Why didn't he fire Qin Yanan? How annoying!

After cursing Liu Chang'an a few times in Southern Fujian, Zhu Juntang went to find a distant relative.

Hi everyone, is there anyone kind enough to give me some recommendation tickets or monthly tickets?