Qin Chuan clearly hadn't expected Hu Liena to ask that. He froze for a moment before replying, "Tomorrow... Tomorrow's the weekend, and the shop's closed. I should... have some free time."
Next door, Qian Renxue's heart skipped a beat. There was more to come!
"That's great!" Hu Liena's voice immediately perked up again. "Then let's go on a date tomorrow!"
Qin Chuan: "..."
Qian Renxue: "..."
"Nana, listen to me. We..."
"I don't care!" Hu Liena cut him off, her tone carrying a hint of domineering insistence. "I treated you to dinner today, so tomorrow you have to keep me company! Those are the rules!"
Qin Chuan seemed so bewildered by her twisted logic that he didn't say a word for a long while.
"Then... where do you want to go?" he finally gave in, his voice full of helplessness.
"Hmm..." Hu Liena pondered for a moment. "I haven't decided yet. Is there anywhere you'd like to go?"
Qin Chuan thought for a bit and said, "I... I don't really have anywhere I want to go. It's just... I tried that spirit fish you ordered today, and it was especially delicious. I was thinking that if I could catch one myself and roast it, it'd probably taste even better."
As he spoke, his voice brimmed with longing, like a child who'd never tasted candy imagining what it might be like.
Next door, Qian Renxue frowned as she listened. Fishing?
This man's thought process really was nothing like a normal person's.
Hu Liena, on the other hand, looked as if she'd discovered a whole new world. "Fishing? That sounds great! I know a place with loads of plump fish, and the scenery is gorgeous!"
"Really? Where?" Qin Chuan's interest was immediately piqued.
"The Star Dou Forest!" Hu Liena blurted out.
"The Star Dou Forest?" Qin Chuan seemed to have heard of the place too, and his voice held some hesitation. "I heard it's... dangerous there."
"Oh, don't worry!" Hu Liena assured him, thumping her chest. "You've got me! I'm a level seventy-nine Soul Saint. Protecting an ordinary person like you will be a piece of cake. We won't go deep into the forest. We'll fish by a lake on the outskirts. It'll be absolutely safe!"
She paused, then added, "Besides, the seven-colored spirit fish on the outskirts of the Star Dou Forest is the tastiest fish on the whole continent. Its meat is tender, and it contains pure Soul Power that's good for your health."
Qin Chuan seemed swayed by the words "tastiest fish" and "good for your health."
"Then... all right." In the end, he couldn't resist the temptation of good food. "It's settled, then. We'll go fishing in the Star Dou Forest tomorrow."
"Yay!" Hu Liena let out a cheer. "Then let's meet at the Academy gate at nine tomorrow morning! I'll lead the way!"
"Sure, no problem," Qin Chuan readily agreed.
"By the way, what about fishing gear?" Hu Liena asked.
"Don't worry about that. I'll go buy everything first thing tomorrow morning. Fishing rods, line, a tent, a grill, seasonings... I'll get it all ready." Qin Chuan had thought of everything.
"Wow, Brother Chuan, you're so considerate!" Hu Liena praised him again and again.
Next door, Qian Renxue was already numb.
She had only one thought now: tomorrow, she absolutely had to tag along and see what happened.
She wanted to see just how Hu Liena planned to protect this ordinary man.
Even more, she wanted to see what kind of magic this man named Qin Chuan possessed, that could make Hu Liena go to such lengths for him.
The dinner next door finally drew to a close with the cheerful decision to go "fishing."
Qian Renxue heard them settle the bill and leave.
She didn't go out right away, instead sitting in the private room for a while longer, until everything next door had fallen completely silent.
She pushed open the door and stepped into the corridor.
The air still held the rich aroma of Flame Rose, along with a trace of the alluring fragrance unique to Hu Liena.
Qian Renxue took a deep breath. Her head was starting to hurt.
What had happened tonight had shaken her too deeply.
She felt as if she'd stumbled upon some earth-shattering secret, but the truth was wrapped in layer upon layer of fog, leaving her unable to make it out.
By the time she returned to her detached villa, it was already late at night.
The villa was empty, and the only sound was her footsteps echoing through it.
She didn't turn on the lights. She walked straight to the floor-to-ceiling window and gazed at the cold, clear moon outside.
Her mind was filled with images of Hu Liena and Qin Chuan.
Hu Liena's revealing outfit, her humble confession, her desperate attempts to please him...
Qin Chuan's utterly ordinary face, his lie riddled with holes, his self-righteous rejection...
It all played over and over in front of her like some absurd drama.
"Hu Liena, Hu Liena..." Qian Renxue murmured to herself. "What on earth are you up to?"
She couldn't figure it out.
Yet vaguely, she also felt that Hu Liena's "fall from grace" might be a good thing for her.
A woman obsessed with men, a woman who'd throw caution to the wind for an ordinary person—how far could her future possibly take her?
The Student Council president's seat seemed destined to fall into her hands.
At the thought, Qian Renxue's mood inexplicably improved.
Hmph, I'd like to see how you get yourself out of this tomorrow. She decided she'd head to the Star Dou Forest first thing in the morning, find a good spot, and "enjoy" Hu Liena's performance.
When Hu Liena returned to her dormitory, her steps were a little unsteady.
It certainly wasn't because she'd had a few glasses of Flame Rose. With her Soul Saint cultivation, she could drink a whole jug of that fruit wine without any trouble.
She was simply excited, because that meal had earned her nine experience points.
Her experience was now [9/10]. She was just one point away from upgrading her membership!
The thought of going on a "date" with Qin Chuan in the Star Dou Forest tomorrow made her heart feel like it held a little rabbit, thumping wildly.
Of course, she wasn't excited about the "date" itself. What excited her was how much membership experience the act of "dating" could earn her.
[Helping the Shopkeeper with chores or earning the Shopkeeper's favor can increase experience.]
Treating him to dinner counted as "earning the Shopkeeper's favor," right?
And taking him fishing tomorrow, helping him fulfill his wish—that surely counted as an even deeper "favor," didn't it? Maybe she could get seven or eight points!
And while they were fishing, she could wait on him hand and foot, help him bait the hook, and reel in the line for him. Would that count as "helping the Shopkeeper"?
The more Hu Liena thought about it, the more she felt that this fishing trip was practically an experience-farming dungeon made just for her!
At the thought, a sly smile curled Hu Liena's lips.
A walking "treasure chest," and one without a will of his own, to boot.
As long as she kept him happy and made him "favor" her, wouldn't a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring and a Thousand-Year Soul Bone be hers for the taking?
Hu Liena placed the little fox beside her pillow and lay down.
She closed her eyes and began planning tomorrow's itinerary.
Should she dress a little more seductively?
Should she "accidentally" fall into his arms while they were fishing?
Should she... feed him by hand while he ate the grilled fish?
One bold, shameful thought after another surfaced in her mind, leaving her too excited to sleep.
That night, some people were excited, some couldn't sleep, and some were plotting.
The entire Spirit Academy was shrouded in an eerie, tense atmosphere.
But Qin Chuan, the instigator behind it all, slept more soundly than anyone.
He dreamed he caught a seven-colored spirit fish bigger than a person, its scales glittering in the sunlight.
He roasted it, and its aroma wafted ten miles.
He ate until grease coated his mouth, feeling as if his body had grown much lighter.
The next morning, he woke to the birds chirping outside the window.
Sunlight streamed through the window and fell warmly across his face.
Qin Chuan stretched and climbed out of bed.
He glanced at the clock on the wall. It was seven in the morning.
He still had two hours before his meeting with Hu Liena.
Humming a little tune, he finished washing up, grabbed his money, and set out to buy the gear for their "date."
He was going to buy the best fishing rod, the strongest fishing line, the most comfortable tent, and all the seasonings he needed.
Today, he was going to turn the big fish from his dream into reality!