Meanwhile, the scene shifts back to before this morning.
Sunlight streamed into the room, warmly covering half the bed. Birdsong drifted in intermittently from outside the window, and the air still carried the unique coolness of the morning.
Luo Ge was half asleep, dreaming that he was uttering the words, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young man's potential, for he will strive to improve himself."
Just when he was about to defeat the Dragon God, and the Dragon God was about to kneel before him, weeping and begging for mercy, a voice in his ear woke him up.
" Luo Ge?"
"Your teacher has come to see you."
The voice was soft and gentle, carrying a hint of cautious concern, exactly like Teacher Roxy's usual tone.
Luo Ge awoke from his sleep, his eyelids twitched, and he slowly opened his eyes.
In my line of sight was a face very close to mine, with blue hair hanging down.
A gentle gaze was fixed on him, and even the curve of the few strands of bangs sticking up on his forehead was all too familiar.
He paused for a moment, then, as if he had discovered something, squinted and looked closely, his expression quickly shifting from confusion to utter disgust.
"Are you Lara?"
"Huh? This is so boring..."
Lara straightened up, waved her hand, and said helplessly, "Really... I can't fool you even once now."
Luo Ge glared at the demon orb and propped himself up on his arms to sit up in bed.
"Is this some kind of fun? It's so early in the morning, can't you let people get some sleep?"
"Get out of here..."
However, Lara didn't feel annoyed at all. Instead, she moved closer to Luo Ge, plopped down on the edge of the bed, and said slyly, "She's so cute, just like Teacher Roxy... How can you bear to send me away?"
"Roll!"
"Why."
"Sometimes men are like that... they say no, but someone in their heart is really hoping for it."
"Idiot! Can you guarantee you haven't secretly fantasized about your teacher doing something naughty in the dead of night? Or... doing something intimate with your teacher?"
Hearing her lewd words, Luo Ge couldn't hold back any longer and directly smacked her on the head.
The force wasn't heavy, but the sound was crisp.
"Hey, what are you doing!"
Lara cried out, looking angry and aggrieved.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Such a thing has never happened. I only respect teachers. Don't joke about something like this."
"Tsk tsk tsk! What about that hidden sacred object?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Wait a minute! How do you even know this?!"
Seeing Lala's astonished Lara Luo Ge, her expression gradually became amused and strange.
"How did I know? It's a secret..."
Want to know?
"Think..."
I'm not going to tell you!
"..."
Luo Ge suddenly clenched his fist, making a cracking sound.
"Hey, if you want to know... how about we make a bet?"
"Bet?"
"Interesting... what tricks are you up to this time, you little devil?"
Lara thought for a moment, then leaned close to Luo Ge and whispered, "... Let me prove that your teacher, Roxy, has always liked you, secretly liked you, really liked you..."
"Hey, do you like me?"
Does this kind of thing really need proof?
Luo Ge looked completely at ease, even a little amused. "Isn't it normal for a teacher to like a genius like me? When a student performs well, the teacher is proud. What's there to prove?"
Is it possible... you misunderstood me?
"Did you misunderstand?"
Luo Ge was puzzled.
Lara smiled mischievously, leaning closer, her tone intriguing. "The 'like' I'm talking about isn't the kind between ordinary friends, nor the kind of mutual admiration between master and apprentice, but rather the 'like' between adults."
"This is what people often refer to as romantic love between a man and a woman, the mutual attraction between them."
????
Luo Ge was immediately filled with question marks.
Seeing Luo Ge's still distrustful expression, Lara said earnestly, "Really, believe me, no one in the world understands Roxy better than me."
"You understand?"
"Why?"
"Because these eyes of mine have already seen the distant future."
"Hey, do you think you're a prophet? Seeing the distant future? You little devil, trying to pull a fast one!"
Luo Ge waved his hand, glancing at the mischievous Lara with a slight headache. "Well... anyway... although I'm very grateful that you saved me from the Dragon God, I'll find a chance to repay that favor."
"But please don't joke about Teacher Roxy. In my heart, I will always respect my teachers for the rest of my life."
"My relationship with my teacher is very pure, without any of the messy things you're thinking about. We can only be teacher and student, once a teacher and student... for life."
"Yeah?"
"One last time!"
"What, the last time?"
Looking at Luo Ge's puzzled expression, Lara's tone became serious again, "Please grant me one last unreasonable request... cooperate with me in putting on a good show. Speaking of which, didn't you promise to do something for me? Now... it's time for you to repay that debt."
What do you need me to do?
Lara suddenly moved closer to Luo Ge like a little devil, resting her hands on her knees and looking up at him. "Didn't I just say you don't need to do anything... Next... um... you just need to act out a scene with me."
"As for the outcome of this play, you'll find out when the time comes..."
Before Luo Ge could ask any further questions, there was a loud crash.
The outer door was pushed open.
It was Roxy who pushed open the door and entered.
She stood in the doorway, her hand still on the doorknob, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Luo Ge and Lara, clearly pausing for a moment.
Lara saw them arrive and then gave the two of them some space to be alone.
She got up and walked towards the door, not forgetting to give Luo Ge a meaningful look behind her, reminding him not to forget the bet.
As Lala brushed past Roxy, Lara slowed her pace and whispered something to her.
Roxy's expression changed slightly; clearly, before she could react, Lara had already slipped out.
Roxy glanced back at Lara's retreating figure, then turned back to look at Luo Ge, her face filled with confusion.
What happened next was pretty much exactly as predicted.
To repay the favor, Luo Ge went to Lake Gran in Milcion as Lara had suggested.
It's quite windy by the lake.
The water's surface was rippling with tiny waves, which shimmered in the sunlight.
Luo Ge found a flat spot, spread out the cloth Lara had given him, and began arranging the food items from the basket one by one, finding the whole thing increasingly absurd.
"... So, all this trouble and effort, just to get me to cooperate in your act... and you think this will repay your favor? Isn't that a bit too frivolous?"
"Yes, what you consider meaningless is actually of great significance to me. Sometimes, a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a tornado that sweeps across the entire continent. Ancient destiny has guided me here..."
"Wait a moment!"
"This is getting increasingly mystical; let's stop here."
"It's a promise, do as I say today, understand?"
"Okay, okay."
"... Will Ms. Roxy definitely come? What if she has something to do today? What if she doesn't want to go out?"
Lara didn't even look up, her tone filled with unwavering confidence. "Don't worry, she'll definitely come."
Luo Ge didn't know what she wanted to do, but her confident demeanor, as if she could see the future with her own eyes, made him feel uneasy.
Who exactly is Lara?
What exactly does she want to do?
Luo Ge arranged the last item with some skepticism.
Following Lara's instructions, we sat side by side by the lake, gazing into the distance... deliberately pretending to be a couple deeply in love.
"Try to be natural, don't look so serious."
Lara nudged him with her elbow.
"I'm already used to it."
"You call that natural? Your smile looks uglier than a grimace."
Lara gave him a disdainful look, then smiled, her eyes crinkling as if to demonstrate, "Like me, turn the corners of your mouth up, don't look like someone owes you money."
Even if it involves kissing, hugging, and taking advantage of each other, I wouldn't mind.
"... You have so many demands."
"You're repaying a favor, so be nicer to me, you idiot!"
Lara perfectly justified.
"All right!"
Luo Ge shrugged helplessly.
And what happened next was exactly as Lara had predicted: Roxy arrived in the afternoon.
Almost always on time.
When Luo Ge saw the figure carrying the pot appear on the lakeside path in the distance, his heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously glanced at Lara.
Lara raised an eyebrow at him, her expression clearly saying, "See? I told you so."
Roxy stood at a distance, her pace noticeably slowing down. Finally, she stopped there, holding the pot and staring at it for a long while.
Luo Ge felt a little uneasy under her gaze and tried to stand up, but Lara grabbed his arm and pressed it down.
"Don't move."
Lara leaned close to his ear, her voice extremely low, "Don't let her see through your act, smile."
Luo Ge had no choice but to bite the bullet and laugh along, taking turns acting with Lara.
The two appeared to be chatting and laughing, but in reality, they almost got into a fight, choking each other.
He caught a glimpse of Roxy standing there for a long time before slowly turning around and walking back step by step.
After cooperating with everything, and seeing Roxy's departing figure disappear at the end of the road, Lara stuck out her tongue and gave Luo Ge a wink.
"Whee!"
"Idiot! I won again this time."
"... Could it be that you can really see the future?"
Luo Ge frowned at her, his tone tinged with skepticism.
Despite this, Luo Ge was becoming increasingly curious about Lara.
Her origins are mysterious, her methods are bizarre, not only was she able to save herself from the Dragon God, but she also managed to predict Teacher Roxy's reaction so accurately.
This is beyond what ordinary mimicry magic can achieve.
However, Luo Ge couldn't figure out her purpose for the time being.
That said, what exactly does doing this mean to her?
... Going to such lengths to put on this whole show, just to test your teacher?
"Next... do as I say..."
Lara put away her playful smile and revealed a rare serious expression.
Although he didn't know what she was going to do, Luo Ge cooperated and packed his things, heading towards the hotel.
After walking a few steps, he looked back and saw Lara still standing by the lake, waving at him.
Watching Luo Ge walk away, Lara stood by the lake, a slight smile playing on her lips, her eyes revealing a calmness beyond her outward appearance.
She's getting closer and closer to her goal.
With his own help and assistance, this time even the foolish old man will surely see the light and avoid many detours.
"Stupid dad, slow-witted mom..." Lara rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache. Then she thought that if her young mother were stimulated by this outsider, she would probably feel a sense of crisis and work even harder, right?
Neither of them was willing to speak first; they were both incredibly good at holding back. Without a push, who knows how long they would have dragged their feet.
In order to defy fate and escape that damned, heavy destiny, I wanted to be born earlier.
Lara really is Greyrat's only genius, what a clever little devil!
Lara's lips curled into a sly smile.
A breeze blew by the lake, making her blue hair flutter.
She stretched and walked back with light steps, humming a tuneless little tune, in a mood as good as if she had just eaten a whole box of desserts.
"The sense of crisis has been successfully created..."
"Next, we'll see how Mom reacts."
"Please don't let me down."