Soft, Sweet Rongrong-Who Wouldn't Like Her?

Lin Chen looked into Ning Rongrong's expectant yet uneasy eyes. He fell silent for two seconds, then smiled.

It was not the polite smile from before, but one that came from the heart, filled with genuine pleasure.

He reached out and gently patted Ning Rongrong's head. "Sure. I'll take you with me."

Ning Rongrong's eyes lit up instantly, like two stars being kindled. "Really?"

"Really."

"You won't think I'm a bother?" Ning Rongrong lowered her head somewhat embarrassedly. "I know I can be a little willful sometimes, and my temper isn't very good. I also like to act spoiled..."

"Who wouldn't like a soft, sweet young lady who knows how to act cute?"

Lin Chen said with a smile, "And you're not the kind of person who makes trouble for no reason. It's just that no one understood you before."

Ning Rongrong's cheeks flushed slightly, and it felt as though a little deer were wildly bumping around in her heart.

She raised her head, looked at Lin Chen, and said seriously, "Then you have to promise me you won't be fierce with me like Flender."

"I won't be fierce with you."

"And you can't force me to run."

"I won't force you to run."

"Then... can I cultivate with you?" Ning Rongrong asked cautiously. "You said the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda could break through its limits. I want to try. Would you teach me?"

Lin Chen looked at her expectant eyes and nodded. "I can."

"Mm!" Ning Rongrong nodded vigorously, a brilliant smile blooming across her face.

Then she seemed to remember something. Tilting her head at Lin Chen, she asked, "Oh, right, you still haven't told me who you are. I only know your name is Lin Chen, but what do you do? Where are you from? Why are you in Suotuo City?"

"I'm a student at Heaven Dou Royal Academy," Lin Chen said. "I recently finished dealing with some matters and wanted to relax, so I flew to Suotuo City."

"Flew to Suotuo City?" Ning Rongrong blinked. "Flew?"

"Mm, flew." Lin Chen said it casually. "I have a flying ability. It took me about one shichen to fly from Heaven Dou City to Suotuo City."

Ning Rongrong's eyes widened. "One shichen? There are over two thousand li between Heaven Dou City and Suotuo City, right? You flew here in one shichen?"

"More or less."

The way Ning Rongrong looked at him became even more admiring.

Although she had grown up in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and had seen countless experts, she had never heard of anyone who could fly two thousand li in two hours using their own abilities.

"You're amazing!" Ning Rongrong praised him sincerely.

"Not bad, I suppose." Lin Chen humbly replied before asking, "What about you? You ran away from Shrek Academy. Did you bring any money? Do you have somewhere to stay?"

Ning Rongrong's expression immediately fell. "N-No... I was in too much of a hurry when I ran away. I didn't bring anything..."

Lin Chen sighed, then smiled. "Come on. I'll take you to get something to eat first, then find you somewhere to stay for the night. Tomorrow morning, I'll take you back to Heaven Dou City."

"Okay!" Ning Rongrong cheerfully agreed, then very naturally reached out and grabbed the corner of Lin Chen's clothes.

Lin Chen lowered his head and glanced at her small, fair hand. He said nothing, merely turned and led her toward the other end of the street.

The two found a restaurant that looked fairly clean and got a private room. Lin Chen ordered a whole table of dishes.

Ning Rongrong stared at the table full of food, her eyes going wide.

"Th-That much?"

"You probably didn't eat lunch either, did you? Eat more."

Ning Rongrong really was hungry.

After Flender scolded her that morning, she had run out without even eating breakfast. She had then spent half the day crying on the streets and was already starving.

She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of ribs, and bit into it. Her eyes instantly lit up. "Delicious!"

"If it's good, eat more."

Ning Rongrong stopped being polite and began eating heartily.

Though she came from an eminent family, she still retained the elegance of a noble young lady while eating. Yet she was not slow at all, taking one bite after another with obvious enjoyment.

Lin Chen sat opposite her. Seeing how happily she was eating, he picked up his own chopsticks as well.

Halfway through the meal, Ning Rongrong suddenly put down her chopsticks, raised her head, and looked seriously at Lin Chen. "Lin Chen, did you know? I've actually heard of you."

Lin Chen raised a brow. "You've heard of me?"

"Mm." Ning Rongrong nodded. "A few days ago, when my father wrote to me, he mentioned you. He said an extraordinary young genius had appeared in Heaven Dou City—twelve years old, a level fifty-six Soul King. You beat up Xue Beng, the fourth prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, and even made the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's clan leader come personally to apologize. He said you would definitely become an influential figure on the continent in the future, and that if I ever had the chance to meet you, I had to become friends with you."

She paused, then smiled a little sheepishly. "At the time, I thought Father was exaggerating. I didn't expect to really meet you today. And you even treated me to a meal and said you'd take me with you."

Lin Chen smiled. "Your father gives me too much credit. I'm not as impressive as he says."

"I think you are." Ning Rongrong looked at him earnestly. "Making the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan's clan leader personally come to apologize is not something just anyone can do. And what you said earlier about auxiliary-system soul masters—my father has never told me anything like that. He only tells me to cultivate properly and listen to my teachers. He never questions whether what the teachers teach is right or wrong."

She lowered her head and fell silent for a while before softly saying, "Actually, I've always felt very lonely. When I was in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, everyone treated me like a little princess and held me in the palm of their hands. No one dared say anything harsh to me. But they also didn't dare get truly close to me, because they were afraid of my father and afraid of offending the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect. I don't have any real friends."

She lifted her head and looked at Lin Chen, her gaze carrying a trace of expectation and unease. "Would... would you be my friend?"

Lin Chen looked into her clear eyes. He was silent for two seconds, then reached out and ruffled her hair. "Aren't we already friends?"

Ning Rongrong froze for a moment, then a smile brighter than sunlight bloomed across her face.

"Mm!"

Sunlight streamed through the window lattice and fell over the two of them, warm and bright.

The food on the table still gave off steam, while the air was filled with the scent of food and the warmth of a newly budding friendship.

That night, Lin Chen booked two superior rooms at the best inn in Suotuo City.

Ning Rongrong hugged her blanket and rolled around on the bed several times, too excited to sleep.

She had never felt so free before.

She did not have to listen to Flender's scolding, endure Dai Mubai's cold looks, or suffer grievances at that shabby Shrek Academy. She was following Lin Chen, someone who made her feel safe and trusted.

Early the next morning, Lin Chen led Ning Rongrong out of the inn. He found an empty alley, then turned to her and said, "Hold on tight."

Ning Rongrong froze. "Huh?"

"I said, hold on tight." Lin Chen smiled. "We're flying back."

Ning Rongrong's eyes immediately lit up. She hurried forward, hesitated for a moment, then stretched out her arms and wrapped them around Lin Chen's waist.

Her movements were a little awkward, and her cheeks flushed faintly, but she could not hide the smile at the corners of her lips.

Lin Chen lowered his gaze to the hands tightly wrapped around his waist, then raised his right hand. A gray mark emerged.

Yin-Yang Force gathered behind him. An ice-blue left wing and a crimson right wing unfurled once more, shimmering brilliantly in the morning light.

Ning Rongrong stared at the enormous pair of energy wings, her mouth falling open in astonishment.

"Ready?" Lin Chen asked.

"Ready!"

With a beat of his wings, Lin Chen shot both of them into the sky.

Ning Rongrong could not help crying out. Instinctively, she hugged Lin Chen even tighter.

The wind howled past her ears. The houses and trees below swiftly shrank away, and Suotuo City became a tiny block in their field of vision.

Ning Rongrong opened her eyes and looked at the mountains and rivers racing beneath them, then at the vast, boundless blue sky above. An unprecedented sense of excitement and freedom surged through her heart.

She raised her head and looked at Lin Chen's profile. Morning light fell across his face, outlining his distinct features. His expression was calm and focused, as if he were doing something utterly ordinary.

She suddenly felt that she had made an incomparably right decision.

By following this person, she would surely see a broader world and reach greater heights.