This time, Wen Xiancheng did not stop Cui Qianqian. He simply let her leave.
As he walked away himself, he shook his head and said loudly, "Forget it. Just a useless waste with no prospects whatsoever! Your sister was right about someone like you-becoming the next Liu Lanzhi is a fool's dream."
Cui Qianqian stopped in her tracks, then abruptly turned and demanded, "You know my sister?"
The corners of Wen Xiancheng's mouth lifted slightly. He looked back and said, "No, I know you. I've been paying attention to you all along, so I know how your sister treats you."
"You've been paying attention to me?" Cui Qianqian bit her lip, clearly somewhat skeptical.
Wen Xiancheng asked, "Yes, I've been paying attention to you. Is there a problem with that?"
"Every morning, you're the first person in your dorm to get up."
"Once you're up, you head straight for the cafeteria. You don't waste the time on the way, either. You keep practicing what Professor Liu Lanzhi taught in class."
"After you enter the cafeteria, you buy a few small rolls first and tuck them into your backpack to eat when you get hungry later in the morning. Only then do you order breakfast and soy milk, sit in a corner, and eat alone."
Wen Xiancheng quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
This was the advantage of having the Mouse Clone.
He knew Cui Qianqian's every move.
Still, this approach would not work on other people.
If he recited every move someone like Xue Ruigao made, he would probably be branded a stalker and then beaten black and blue.
But Cui Qianqian was different.
Cui Qianqian had no friends.
She seemed icy on the surface, but that was really just an expression of her loneliness.
With him showing such concern for everything about her, she would not think he was a stalker.
On the contrary, she might feel a little warmth in her heart.
This was psychological compensation.
The lonelier someone was, the more she actually hoped someone would truly care about her and understand her.
Sure enough, Cui Qianqian's expression softened a little. "I'm hungry. Are you really treating me?"
Wen Xiancheng was ecstatic inside.
Halfway to success!
But I need to look a little more composed.
Girls liked men who were steady and composed; it made them more willing to trust them.
A man who was too flighty gave the impression of being unreliable.
Wen Xiancheng forced himself to remain calm and said with a faint smile, "No problem."
The two entered the cafeteria.
Wen Xiancheng had Cui Qianqian sit in a corner while he went to get their food.
Watching Wen Xiancheng's retreating figure, Cui Qianqian felt a trace of sweetness and longing.
If only I had a boyfriend like him, someone just as thoughtful and attentive. How wonderful that would be!
Unfortunately-
Cui Qianqian looked at her chubby hands, a self-mocking smile crossing her face as she murmured, "A fool's dream!"
Wen Xiancheng returned with two portions of food and placed one in front of Cui Qianqian. "I don't know whether this will suit your tastes."
Cui Qianqian gave a quiet "Mm."
As he ate, Wen Xiancheng said, "Let's continue our earlier conversation. Cui Qianqian, you're actually very talented, and you have the potential to become the next Liu Lanzhi. You just haven't shown that potential yet, so nobody believes in you."
"How do I show it?" Cui Qianqian raised her head and looked at Wen Xiancheng.
"It's very simple." Wen Xiancheng smiled slightly. "First, you need to work hard at your cultivation. I have complete faith in you on that point. You'll have absolutely no trouble."
Cui Qianqian glanced at Wen Xiancheng, a shy blush passing over her face.
In all her years, this was the first time someone of the opposite sex had praised her like this.
Wen Xiancheng said, "Second, start building your brand."
"Building my brand? What does that mean?" Cui Qianqian asked.
Wen Xiancheng said, "It means you need to start getting your name out there now."
Cui Qianqian shook her head and said with no shortage of self-mockery, "Who would care to know someone as fat and ugly as me? Stop joking."
Wen Xiancheng wagged his right index finger. "I've always known that your beauty isn't in your appearance, but in your heart and your abilities. As far as I'm concerned, very few people can surpass you in either."
Wen Xiancheng's words nearly made Cui Qianqian spit out her food.
A beautiful heart and abilities?
Did anyone really believe in that sort of thing?
Wasn't everyone obsessed with looks these days?
Even she would take an extra look whenever she passed a handsome young man or a beautiful woman on the street!
And yet-
Cui Qianqian said, "But your belief doesn't help. Most people won't believe it."
"Sometimes, things aren't quite the way you think." Wen Xiancheng smiled slightly. "How about this? Let me help you. I don't have any other demands. You just need to do as I say. Can you do that?"
Cui Qianqian raised her head in puzzlement. "What do you want me to do? I still have classes every day. I don't have much time."
Wen Xiancheng said with a cheerful smile, "Don't worry. You won't have to go anywhere. Just keep following your usual routine. All you need to do is set aside a little time to complete the tasks I give you, and within two years, your name will ring far and wide!"
Cui Qianqian looked at Wen Xiancheng in even greater bewilderment.
Wen Xiancheng patted his chest. "Trust me! I'll come find you again after your classes this afternoon. You'll understand then."
Cui Qianqian said, "You said it yourself-you won't disrupt my schedule!"
Wen Xiancheng replied confidently, "I did!"
After lunch, Wen Xiancheng walked Cui Qianqian to the girls' dormitory before leaving.
He went straight back to his rented room and took out the remaining forty children's books.
Then he ran to a school for aristocratic children and bought a hundred exercise books outside it.
Back in his rented room, he wrote the name "Cui Qianqian" on the covers of all the books.
Once that was done, he resumed practicing Illusion Arts.
He practiced until six that evening, then carried the books on his back and headed into the Royal Academy.
After her classes ended, Cui Qianqian deliberately went to a corner of the school sports field instead of the cafeteria.
At lunchtime, that boy named Wen Xiancheng had described her daily routine.
It was still possible that he had asked other people about her.
She wanted to see whether he really paid attention to her all the time.
She had not given him her contact information. If he could find her even here, she would believe him.
The Mouse Clone hid in the shadows in a corner of the sports field, watching Cui Qianqian without moving.
Before long, Wen Xiancheng came looking for her.
Seeing that Wen Xiancheng really had found her, Cui Qianqian felt sweetness fill her heart.
He really does pay attention to me!
Otherwise, how could he possibly have found me so quickly?
Studying Wen Xiancheng from a distance as he approached, Cui Qianqian silently marveled, He's quite a good-looking boy, too.
Wen Xiancheng came up to Cui Qianqian, opened his bag, and handed her a book for young children. "Wouldn't it be very simple for you to recreate this with Illusion Arts, the way you make your notes?"
Cui Qianqian nodded. "It's all the most basic Illusion Arts."
Suddenly remembering Wen Xiancheng's words, "the way you make your notes," Cui Qianqian felt her face burn. She stammered, "Y-you... when did you look through my notebook?"
Wen Xiancheng's heart lurched, and he hurried to explain. "Well, I'm sorry. I pay so much attention to you that sometimes I go too far. From now on, I-I absolutely won't do it again. I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
Cui Qianqian gave a quiet "Mm," then said, "Next time, d-don't secretly go through my things. If you want to look, tell me. I can lend them to you."
After a pause, Cui Qianqian asked somewhat nervously, "What did you think of my notes?"
Wen Xiancheng praised her. "They were gorgeous! Honestly, I've never seen anyone make notes as beautiful as yours! It was precisely because I saw your notes that I believed you had the potential to become the next Liu Lanzhi!"
(End of chapter)
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