A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees lining the roadside, a sound that seemed to echo the Meng Hongchen, rising and falling, growing ever clearer.
She looked at Cao Yu expectantly, her flushed face not so noticeable in the dim light.
Meng Hongchen said softly, " Cao Yu, I like you. Be my boyfriend."
Without saying much, Cao Yu held her in his arms. Meng Hongchen's pretty face was pressed against his chest, and she could clearly hear his heartbeat, which made Meng Hongchen feel a sense of peace.
Cao Yu lowered his head and whispered in her ear, "Okay, girlfriend."
Meng Hongchen stayed quietly in his arms, a happy and content smile on her face.
Then she cupped Cao Yu's face in her hands, stood on tiptoe, and Cao Yu lowered his head upon seeing this.
"Um."
The two kissed, the streetlights shining on them making the room appear less dim.
No one passed by in the corridor, and no one disturbed their embrace.
After a while, they reluctantly parted ways, because the dormitory doors would close soon.
He took her hand and walked towards the girls' dormitory. Meng Hongchen's hand was soft and warm, and he couldn't feel the cold at all.
Meng Hongchen was still very shy, letting him lead her forward. Cao Yu's hands were thick and much bigger than hers, and they were also very warm.
Then she discovered something fun, and her shyness vanished from her mind.
At this moment, Cao Yu led her ahead, and she lagged behind Cao Yu by a step. The light shone on Cao Yu, casting a long shadow on the ground.
She stepped on Cao Yu's shadow without Cao Yu noticing, and soon Meng Hongchen laughed happily.
However, good times are always short-lived, and soon they arrived at the girls' dormitory building.
Meng Hongchen reluctantly stepped out from behind him, and as she left, she took advantage of his inattention to stomp on his shadow with her right foot one last time.
Then she couldn't help but laugh out loud. Seeing her like this, Cao Yu asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Meng Hongchen smiled and shook her head, then waved her hand obediently and said gently, "See you tomorrow, boyfriend."
"See you tomorrow." Cao Yu replied with a smile, and only after watching her slowly walk into the dormitory building did he turn around and leisurely walk away.
But before he could walk five or six meters, he felt someone hug him tightly from behind.
Cao Yu gently grasped the hands that were wrapped around his back from behind. He knew from that familiar feeling that it was Meng Hongchen.
Almost a minute passed before Meng Hongchen finally let go of Cao Yu's hand. Meeting his gaze, she said with a grin, "Alright, I'm really going back now. Bye-bye, hehe."
"Walk slowly, don't fall." He waved and watched her return to the dormitory building. This time, she didn't rush out again.
Not long after, Cao Yu returned to his dormitory room, turned off the light, and lay down on his bed to rest.
The next day, after washing up, Cao Yu prepared to go to the canteen for breakfast.
There weren't many people around early in the morning. He grabbed a few steamed buns and ate them as he walked.
Now that Meng Hongchen's experimental project is complete, he must return to his normal academic life.
As soon as he arrived at the entrance of the Mingde Hall, he ran into Meng Hongchen, who was on her way. Since many students had already passed by, Meng Hongchen simply held his hand and did not hug him as she had the night before.
"Meng, did you miss me last night?" Cao Yu asked with a smile as they walked.
Meng Hongchen looked at him mischievously and said, "No, I didn't."
But Cao Yu persisted, saying, "Meng, you're not being honest. I feel like you're lying."
The two then playfully walked into the Mingde Hall, much to the envy of many passersby.
I was fed dog food first thing in the morning, my luck is unbelievable.
He Caitou saw that the two of them were holding hands and were extremely intimate, chatting and laughing.
He then raised an eyebrow and gave Cao Yu a thumbs-up, to which Cao Yu could only respond with a slight smile.
Meng Hongchen, who was standing nearby, naturally noticed this and said to him somewhat shyly, " Cao Yu, what should we do if someone finds out about us?"
"What's there to be afraid of? Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Cao Yu gently comforted her, then went to the lab table. He wasn't in a hurry to start the experiment today.
Instead, he spent some time cuddling with Meng Hongchen before seriously immersing himself in the experiment.
Meng Hongchen wasn't as shy as usual; she sat directly next to him, the two very close, and they were surprised to find that this teaching method was actually more efficient.
The two, delighted by their unexpected success, seemed even more engrossed in the experiment, and Cao Yu was gradually absorbing the knowledge of Soul Tool taught by Meng Hongchen.
In the afternoon, it was time for the Soul Engineer training camp. Cao Yu's mentor Xuan Ziwen, called him over and instructed him, "This training camp will greatly help improve your Soul Engineer level, so you must take it seriously."
He then took out several metal plates from his Storage Soul Tool and said again, "These are the materials you'll need this time. A higher-level Soul Engineer will guide you. Make the most of the opportunity and absorb as much learning experience as possible."
"Okay, thank you, Teacher Xuan." Holding the several metal plates of rather special material in his hand, they were heavy. Tapping his fingers on them was like sinking a stone into the sea; they didn't make a sound at all.
On the way, he ran into Ye Xiaosheng and his group. They greeted each other, and since this was the first time they had encountered such a situation, everyone was quite curious.
Everyone seemed quite interested in this Soul Engineer training camp. At that moment, Chen Beifeng said, "Teacher Fan Yu said that there might be level eight or Level 9 Soul Engineer guiding us this time. I'm really looking forward to it!"
"Moreover, the metal they provided was unusual; I've never seen it before."
He Caitou said, "This is very likely a newly discovered metallic material; we don't know what its purpose is."
Ye Xiaosheng, who was walking in front, turned around and said to the group, "We'll find out when we go in. I wonder how much useful knowledge we'll learn."
He Caitou sighed, then said with a determined look, "Learn as much as you can, even if it's just a little."
Cao Yu arrived at his training ground, where the experimental tables were much larger than those in the Mingde Hall.
There were also many sophisticated instruments on the table, and the difference was obvious when the two were compared.
At this moment, the old man standing to the side spoke up, "Hello, student. I am your training instructor for this intensive course. You can call me Teacher Liu. My cultivation level is Level 8 Soul Douluo, and I am also Level 8 Soul Engineer. I hope you can learn something from the upcoming lessons."
Cao Yu nodded and said, "Hello, Teacher Liu, I will study hard."
"Okay, then let's begin the next lesson."
(End of this chapter)