The clean clothes swayed gently on the balcony's drying rack, droplets falling from their hems like time slipping away.
It was nearing dusk.
Su Ling woke up and gave his head a shake, dispelling the slight grogginess in his mind.
He pulled on his new student uniform, ran his fingers through his hair twice, and ended up with a perfect wolf-tail mullet.
Hearing the rustling, Wang Dong exited her cultivation and opened her eyes.
"Are you going out?"
"Yeah, to get something to eat."
"Perfect, I'm hungry too. Let's go together."
Su Ling straightened his collar, then glanced at the shoulder of his uniform and chuckled. "You scrubbed it nice and clean. Come on, my treat. Consider it a reward."
"Woohoo! I'm having two servings!"
Looking at Su Ling's sharply defined profile, Wang Dong felt pleased as could be. She tidied herself up a little and followed him out.
They arrived at the cafeteria entrance.
The doors were shut, and a notice was posted beside them.
Wang Dong walked over for a closer look, then rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Seriously? Why's the academy cafeteria undergoing renovations now?"
"Forget it, Su Ling. Let's go outside the academy. I heard there's a food street out there."
Wang Dong returned to Su Ling's side, looking a little resigned. All her classes that day had been running, and she really didn't want to walk any farther.
"Sure." Su Ling nodded.
The two of them walked side by side toward the academy gates.
Along the way, Wang Dong kept on grumbling.
"Su Ling, you have no idea how twisted that old hag Zhou Yi is. The very first class was running drills—an entire hundred laps! And in the afternoon, we had to run with weighted iron vests on. I'm exhausted."
"And that crazy old hag expels students at the drop of a hat. She doesn't even give them a chance! She kicks them out without letting them explain!"
"What about Yuhao?" Su Ling asked.
These days, Huo Yuhao and Wang Dong couldn't stand each other, so there was no chance of Wang Dong helping him like she had in the original story.
Su Ling was curious: without Wang Dong's help, could Huo Yuhao rely on his own efforts to stay at Shrek Academy?
"Him? He's got a backbone, I'll give him that. He ignored his body's limits and forced himself to finish every lap. He fell down covered in injuries. If that old demon Zhou hadn't called over a teacher from the healing department, that idiot would probably have been crippled."
At that, Su Ling smiled. "Yuhao might have mediocre talent, but he's strong-willed and incredibly persistent. Even I can't match him in that regard."
He was telling the truth. Although Huo Yuhao was the protagonist blessed by fortune in the original story, with countless cheats and lucky encounters, his later achievements also came from his own hard work.
Su Ling respected his persistence.
"Tch. So what if he's persistent? He only has eleven levels of Soul Power. Maybe he won't even pass the freshman assessment three months from now."
Wang Dong scoffed. She figured Su Ling was only praising Huo Yuhao because he was his little brother. In her eyes, that idiot wasn't fit to carry one of Su Ling's hairs.
Thinking of that, she looked him up and down, her voice a little sour.
"Wow, speaking of which, someone sure is charming. On the very first day of class, two pretty girls came specifically to ask me about you. One of them even transferred from the neighboring class."
Hearing Wang Dong's sarcastic tone, Su Ling laughed and waved a hand, making no effort to be modest.
"Of course. It goes without saying."
Su Ling already had a handsome face, and with the passive boost from his Charm Aura, it was only natural that he attracted the opposite sex. He was born with a favorability buff.
"Tch, conceited..."
Wang Dong rolled her eyes and pouted.
But she had to admit, whether it was his looks or his personal charm, she couldn't find a single flaw in Su Ling. And that was before even considering the girls of Douluo Continent.
Su Ling was basically a walking male succubus!
"No way. I saw Su Ling first! Someone this outstanding is definitely going to have a whole flock of admiring girls around him! I'm the daughter of a God King. How could I share a husband with other women?"
Watching Su Ling's sleeves flutter as he strode along, Wang Dong's powder-blue eyes flickered, and the corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
Shrek Academy's east gate.
Su Ling and Wang Dong arrived side by side.
The savory scent of cumin and cooking smoke drifted toward them. Su Ling looked out and saw vendors crowding both sides of the road beyond the east gate, their calls ringing out without pause.
"Wow, that smells amazing!"
Wang Dong's eyes lit up. Leaving Su Ling behind, she hurried toward a stall selling skewers and immediately started calling the shots.
Seeing this, Su Ling took a few Gold Soul Coins out of his Sumeru Ring and walked over to Wang Dong.
"Here. Get whatever you like. Buy yourself something to eat. I'll take a look around first."
"Mm-hmm, go on, go on."
After parting from Wang Dong,
Su Ling strolled at his leisure, occasionally glancing over the stalls on either side as if choosing something.
When the vendors saw his gaze fall on them, they immediately called out excitedly, doing their utmost to promote their food.
To them, Su Ling was wearing a Shrek Academy uniform, handsome and well-mannered. He clearly looked like someone with money to spare!
A few Shrek seniors running their own stalls even offered him food for free, incredibly eager to get acquainted.
Su Ling smiled and politely declined. He didn't like owing people favors, even something as small as this.
Besides, Huo Yuhao was selling grilled fish right now, and in the original story, Jiang Nannan would show up too.
He wanted to see this so-called beauty of the Outer Court for himself, and, more importantly, taste Huo Yuhao's grilled fish, famed for ten thousand years to come.
Before long, Su Ling found Huo Yuhao.
Huo Yuhao was diligently grilling fish, while Tang Ya stood beside him, happily eating a fish and calling out to customers. A long line had formed in front of the stall.
Seeing this, Su Ling joined the queue like a civilized person.
The rich aroma wafted through the air, tantalizing everyone's taste buds. Even from where he stood in line, Su Ling could occasionally hear people nearby swallowing hungrily.
As expected, Huo Yuhao's grilled fish lived up to its reputation.
People kept coming, drawn by the smell, and among them were plenty of repeat customers who came back to line up again after finishing their food.
The line quickly reached Su Ling.
"Yuhao, two grilled fish, please."
Huo Yuhao had been grilling with his head down. At the familiar voice, his hand paused, and he abruptly looked up.
"Big Brother Su Ling!"
Huo Yuhao cried out in delighted surprise. Tang Ya, who had been enjoying her food, turned at the sound too.
"Junior Brother Su! It really is you!" Tang Ya's face lit up as well, and she hurried over to pull Su Ling aside.
"With our relationship, you don't have to line up to get grilled fish! Isn't that right, Little Yuhao?"
"Mm-hmm." Huo Yuhao nodded repeatedly, feeling a pang of regret. How had he not noticed sooner?
He had actually let Big Brother Su Ling wait in line at his grilled-fish stall. Huo Yuhao really was unforgivable!
"Heh, there's no need for that. This is a business, so I shouldn't cut in just because we know each other. That wouldn't be fair to the other customers. Yuhao, two grilled fish, please."
Su Ling smiled and held out two Gold Soul Coins.
"No need, Big Brother Su Ling. It's on me. You've helped me so much—how could I take your money?" Huo Yuhao waved both hands.
"One thing at a time. If you don't accept payment, I won't feel comfortable coming to your stall again." Su Ling pretended to be displeased.
"But, Big Brother Su Ling, each grilled fish costs five copper coins. Two Gold Soul Coins is way too much."
"It's fine. Keep the change. Just charge me for however many I eat. Take it."
Seeing that he couldn't talk Su Ling out of it, Huo Yuhao reluctantly accepted the coins, a glimmer of gratitude rising in his heart.
He lowered his head and began grilling, his expression intent. He was going to make the most delicious grilled fish for Big Brother Su Ling!