Safety Shorts Were Good

Before a flower-adorned door, Jia Xuanxuan told Lu Yuan to wait. Her bedroom was inside, and she didn't want a boy going in, looking around and then gossiping about it at school.

Lu Yuan obediently waited at the door, taking the opportunity to look around Jia Xuanxuan's home. It was spacious and bright, with understated yet luxurious decor.

It was nice to be rich. He wanted his parents and younger sister to live in a big house like this too.

Before long, Jia Xuanxuan came out carrying a stack of materials and led Lu Yuan to the study.

There was a photocopier in the study. As Jia Xuanxuan made copies, he shared some tips.

"There are ways to raise your True Essence, but they require very expensive medicines that aren't sold on the open market. I'm afraid you'd have a hard time buying them."

"But there are some ways to improve your performance during the True Essence test."

"Everyone's True Essence reading actually fluctuates within a certain range. If you find the right way to adjust your physical condition and take the test at a peak, your True Essence can be two or three points higher than if you hadn't prepared at all."

"These materials I'm giving you cover ways to adjust your condition, including diet, sleep, exercise and mental state."

With that, she handed Lu Yuan a set of photocopied materials and looked him in the eye.

"Lu Yuan, I'll be honest with you. Your True Essence of 108 is a little risky. Just do your best.

"Actually, with your grades, even if you don't get into a cultivation university, you can still get into a better university and a better major. Your life afterward can be just as wonderful."

"After all, ordinary people make up the vast majority of the world."

Lu Yuan accepted the materials and thanked him repeatedly.

Jia Xuanxuan was a good person. If the boy had heard those words, he might well have felt that Jia Xuanxuan was looking down on him. But Lu Yuan had the mind of an adult and knew Jia Xuanxuan meant well.

"Thank you, Jia Xuanxuan, and I hope you get into one of the four great universities!" Lu Yuan said sincerely. "Your True Essence is so high, you should have it in the bag."

"The four great universities..."

Jia Xuanxuan's expression dimmed a little.

"The cutoff for consideration at the four great universities is usually over 140 ling. I'm also in a very precarious position." She had been troubled lately and couldn't keep it bottled up. "And besides the college entrance exam, you have to take an additional test to get into one of the four. It's too hard!"

"An additional test?" Lu Yuan asked.

"All right, don't ask. Knowing would only make you worry more. It's getting late. You should hurry home!"

Their business was done, so Jia Xuanxuan had no intention of keeping Lu Yuan there to chat. Things were awkward enough between them already, and there was no use saying more.

Lu Yuan took the hint. After saying goodbye, he turned and left.

As he passed through the living room, Jia Shengnan, who was still chatting, called out to him.

"Oh, young man, won't you stay for a meal? It's almost dinnertime."

Businessmen were often hospitable, but his daughter Jia Xuanxuan wasn't happy about it.

"Dad!" she called from upstairs. "There's an evil cult on the loose, and you still won't let him go home early!"

Jia Shengnan seemed not to catch her meaning and laughed. "The cultists only target prominent figures with names everyone knows. They'd have to have too much time on their hands to bother a student."

"Dad!"

"Thank you, uncle, but I have things to do at home. I'll be going now. Goodbye."

"All right, goodbye. Come visit again sometime."

Jia Shengnan thought he was a polite young man who knew when to advance and when to retreat.

Outside, Lu Yuan pinched his chin in thought:

An evil cult? They only target prominent figures? That seems like useful information. I'll remember it.

It was getting late when he went out. Golden sunset clouds filled the sky, and dusk seemed especially long.

Lu Yuan walked a block, clutching the review materials, then slumped down against a courtyard wall.

Look, he'd meant to ask the class beauty to lend him money, but he'd ended up with a set of review materials.

Plans could never keep up with changes.

Still, he had a lead on raising the money.

At Jia Xuanxuan's house just now, her father had been discussing business expansion with his partner. They seemed to lack dishes that could break into the market.

In his previous life, Lu Yuan had spent many years in the restaurant business and had a few "Chef Lu's secret XXX" recipes up his sleeve. If his cooking happened to be what they needed, he could then explain his family's difficulties.

Borrowing money from a business partner was better than borrowing from a middle school girl. Besides, he'd even written a love letter-how mortifying!

Having thought it through, Lu Yuan decided he needed to check out the quality of the food at Food Flavor Pavilion in preparation for offering his services. Food Flavor Pavilion was the chain of restaurants Jia Xuan's father ran.

Then he thought of his sister's part-time job and frowned deeply. Xiao Bing worked at Food Flavor Pavilion.

He hadn't found time to deal with it all day, and that really wasn't right.

He'd run a food stall and knew the tricks of the restaurant trade. Student workers like Xiao Bing hardly earned anything; managers would only squeeze them for all they were worth.

There had to be something fishy about the eight thousand-odd yuan Food Flavor Pavilion was paying her. Could some middle-aged manager have taken a fancy to his sister?

Xiao Bing was still so young. How could she know how treacherous the world was or how impossible it was to fathom people's hearts?

It was still early. He'd go see what was going on first!

Six in the afternoon, Ning City's food street.

Food Flavor Pavilion was a large local restaurant chain in Ning City, with more than a dozen branches. The one where Xiao Bing worked was located on the city's famous food street.

They were classmates, yet his precious little sister had to work at Jia Xuanxuan's family's restaurant. The gap between people really was too great.

Lu Yuan hoped he could earn lots and lots of money. He wanted Xiao Bing to live like Jia Xuanxuan too, with a bedroom whose door was decorated with flowers.

In this life, he had to work hard!

Xiao Bing was easy to find. In fact, she was the center of attention on the entire street, and Lu Yuan spotted his sister from afar.

A small stage had been set up outside Food Flavor Pavilion's glass wall.

On the stage, Xiao Bing was dancing.

She wore a gorgeous black-and-red stage outfit, with blush on her cheeks and glossy lip color shining on her lips.

Her dancing was clearly unpracticed.

But the girl's body was supple, and her little face was explosively beautiful, like a heavily edited photo of an internet celebrity. That made her somewhat stiff dancing seem light and graceful instead.

As long as the dancer was beautiful enough, it could never look too bad.

Just as hotpot could never taste too bad as long as it was spicy enough.

Xiao Bing looked nothing like the barefaced schoolgirl she was at home. She radiated extraordinary charm, and every eye on the street was fixed on her.

But Lu Yuan only frowned at her short skirt.

A gentle breeze blew as Xiao Bing spun lightly, lifting the hem of her skirt to reveal the white safety shorts beneath.

Safety shorts were good. Lu Yuan nodded.

If not for those, he'd have to give her a proper talking-to when they got home!