Only after escaping with his life and putting a considerable distance between himself and the Outer Court dormitory building did Gao Ren stop and gulp down great lungfuls of air.
Even as he panted, he kept looking behind him and up at the sky, terrified that Wang Dong might flap her great Light Goddess Butterfly wings and suddenly deliver justice from above.
Wang Dong: I don't even know which way you ran! How am I supposed to chase you?! Fly around and search all of Shrek? I'm not some butterfly in an insect exhibit. Why should I put myself on display for everyone?
Once his breathing slowly returned to normal, Gao Ren finally let his heart settle back into his chest... only then was he completely certain that Wang Dong hadn't followed him.
"A-Ren, why were you running?"
The sudden voice gave Gao Ren a fright.
Turning around, he found Mu En looking at him with a puzzled expression.
Gao Ren had no idea how to explain this to Mu En. He could only slowly squeeze out a few words.
"That was terrifying..."
Hearing this, Mu En carefully considered what had just happened.
As Gao Ren's elder, he was quite curious about how Gao Ren would get along with his roommate.
Thus, ever since Gao Ren arrived at the dormitory building, Mu En had been using his spiritual power to observe him and the situation inside Room 110.
Mu En had perceived Wang Dong's resentful expression, as well as her subsequent hurt and fury, with perfect clarity.
"You mean your roommate?" Mu En couldn't help laughing. "She certainly looked angry. Her cheeks were puffed up with it."
Shortly afterward, Mu En spoke again, a teasing note in his voice. "A-Ren, why are you afraid of her?
"Even if you're a Food System Soul Master, you've still absorbed a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, and your soul power is nearly at rank forty.
"Your roommate is only a Soul Grandmaster... I never imagined you'd actually be scared off by a Soul Grandmaster."
Gao Ren: ?
Is dat an ordinary Soul Grandmaster?! Dat's a super thunderous dog leash disguised as a Soul Grandmaster!
Tang God-King, wearing Kizaru's expression: Have you ever been chased by a dog leash?
Gao Ren: You bet I have!
Gao Ren couldn't tell Mu En the actual truth. He could only follow the older man's line of reasoning and defend himself.
"Granduncle-Master, you know that even after absorbing a Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring, I'm still just a Food System Soul Master.
"The late Mr. Flender, Shrek Academy's founding dean, once said that knowing how to run away is an essential quality for a support-type Soul Master. A support-type Soul Master who doesn't know how to run away isn't a good Soul Master.
"The reason I instinctively ran away just now was precisely because I took those words to heart."
Seeing Gao Ren wave the banner of Shrek Academy's founding dean, Mu En was amused. "All right, let's say that's what happened.
"But you opened the door, closed it without saying a word, then ran off without a trace.
"To be frank, as your granduncle-master, I must say that was rather inappropriate."
Gao Ren nodded. Now that he'd recovered his composure, he felt that his treatment of Wang Dong had been a little rude.
For someone like Wang Dong, who was exceptionally good-looking and confident in herself, being treated that way by Gao Ren probably wouldn't evoke anything other than anger.
If his roommate had been ugly and well aware of it, having Gao Ren open the door, take one look, and silently close it again would probably have dealt a serious blow to their self-esteem.
"That child is your roommate. You'll be seeing each other day in and day out," Mu En said earnestly. "Go back and clear up this misunderstanding. It'll be better for both you and her."
"You're right, Granduncle-Master. I'll go back right now." Gao Ren nodded.
Gao Ren: Thinking it over, I really did seem to overreact just now... until the Qiankun Asking Love Valley, there's actually no need to fear Wang Dong at all, much less treat her like I've run into something unclean when she doesn't know anything yet.
After saying goodbye to Mu En, Gao Ren immediately headed back the way he'd come.
He returned much more slowly than he'd fled.
Besides working out how to start a conversation with Wang Dong, he was also considering another very important question.
This world's ol' Huo is Little Huo Girl, so what is this world's ol' Dong?
Is she Princess Tang, imported straight from the Divine Realm in her original packaging, or did her actual sex change along with Little Huo Girl's, making her a genuine bro from birth?
If she really was a bro, Gao Ren wouldn't have to worry too much about her putting him on a dog leash.
Someone as feudal-minded as Tang God-King certainly wouldn't approve of the passion of the cut sleeve.
In that case, Gao Ren would, at most, have happened to fill ol' Huo's original niche and "coincidentally" become ol' Dong's roommate.
After turning it over in his mind, Gao Ren decided it would still be best to keep a little distance from her.
Returning to the door of Room 110, he raised his hand and knocked lightly.
"Knock, knock."
Two knocks sounded, but there was no response from inside.
"Knock, knock."
Gao Ren knocked twice more, but still received no response.
"Could Wang Dong be out?"
With that thought, he tentatively turned the handle and pushed the dormitory door open.
Gao Ren scanned the room from left to right but saw no sign of Wang Dong.
The only thing belonging to Wang Dong was the quilt she'd left on her bed.
Finding her absent, Gao Ren couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.
"I'll sit inside and wait for her to come back... she really is careless, leaving the dorm without even locking the door."
Once Gao Ren stepped fully into Room 110, he suddenly caught an extremely faint sound.
The sound had come from!
The ceiling!
Gao Ren instinctively looked up. A pair of large pinkish-blue eyes was staring fixedly at him.
Gao Ren: I'm doomed!
It looked as though Gao Ren was doing push-ups on the floor with Wang Dong as his added weight.
Wang Dong's voice sounded beside Gao Ren's ear, unmistakably displeased and mocking. "Oh, so you finally deigned to come back. I thought you were planning to hide outside for the rest of your life.
"My! Dear! Room! Mate!"
"Um... could you get off me first?"
Before Gao Ren could finish that sentence, Wang Dong interrupted him.
"Hmph! Get off you?! If I actually did that, you'd probably vanish again the very next second!"
While Gao Ren was away from the dormitory building, Wang Dong hadn't simply sat there sulking. Instead, she'd considered how to catch him and give that hateful fellow a thorough beating.
After careful deliberation, she chose to wait by the stump for her rabbit right there in the dormitory.
Though clumsy, this was a very effective method... as long as Gao Ren was her roommate, he would inevitably return to the dorm!
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