Wang Dong

The next day arrived quickly. Tang Wulin climbed out of bed and stretched languidly.

"Right, I still need to practice the Purple Demon Eyes like Senior Brother said."

Remembering Beibei's reminder, he hurriedly got out of bed, went to the window, and began cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes.

Like forging, this cultivation technique emphasized steady accumulation over time, and perseverance was precisely what Tang Wulin excelled at.

After cultivating the Purple Demon Eyes, Tang Wulin prepared to leave for breakfast at the cafeteria. Unexpectedly, the door happened to open at that moment, and a youth with blue-pink hair walked straight in.

The two froze when they saw each other.

So beautiful...

Tang Wulin could not help thinking to himself.

Though he had always been praised for being cute since childhood, compared to the youth before him, he was utterly outclassed.

After all, although Tang Wulin was still young, he was still a boy and possessed the heroic spirit a boy ought to have.

But the youth before him was different. She looked no different from a peerlessly beautiful young girl. If not for her Adam's apple and the way she had casually walked into Tang Wulin's dormitory, Tang Wulin would certainly have suspected she was a girl.

Tang Wulin raised a hand and greeted her.

"Hello, I'm a student living in this dormitory. My name is Tang Wulin. What's your name?"

"Wang Dong." After answering curtly, Wang Dong asked in puzzlement, "Tang Wulin, right? Have we met before?"

"You feel that way too?"

Tang Wulin's eyes lit up.

The moment he saw Wang Dong, he instinctively felt a sense of familiarity and closeness, as if they had not only met before, but had been very close.

Of course, he knew that was impossible. After all, he came from ten thousand years in the future. There was no one he knew in this era.

Wang Dong sized him up, then suddenly asked an odd question.

"Do you know the Clear Sky Sect?"

Tang Wulin was somewhat baffled by the abrupt question.

"I've heard of it. Why?"

"You've heard of it..." Wang Dong muttered thoughtfully, then shook her head. "Never mind, it's nothing."

After saying that, she looked at Tang Wulin in puzzlement.

"You look so young. How old are you this year?"

Although Shrek's School Rules did not specify a minimum enrollment age, since the rules stated that the Age Limit for enrollment was twelve, everyone generally assumed students enrolled at eleven or twelve.

But judging by Tang Wulin's appearance, he might not even be ten, right?

Sure enough, Tang Wulin said brightly, "I'm nine this year. What about you?"

"Nine..." Wang Dong's mouth twitched. "I'm eleven. Going by age, you should call me Brother."

"Sure. Should I call you Brother Dong or Brother Wang?"

For some reason, Tang Wulin did not resist calling the youth before him Brother at all.

"Forget it. It sounds weird."

Wang Dong shook her head with an odd expression and placed all the luggage she had been carrying onto the bed.

Then, she turned to Tang Wulin and said, "Even though you're young, there are still things you need to do. From now on, we'll split the dorm chores evenly. And don't bring outsiders into the dorm without my permission, or wander around naked. Got it?"

"No problem."

Tang Wulin agreed.

As a member of the dormitory, cleaning it was only natural. Besides, Wang Dong had not said he had to clean it alone, so Tang Wulin had no objections to splitting the work.

And some people were germaphobes. It was perfectly normal for Wang Dong not to like him bringing outsiders back casually or going naked. Though Tang Wulin did not have such habits, he respected other people's privacy.

Seeing him agree to her demands without the slightest hesitation, Wang Dong smiled and asked curiously, "When I came in, you were planning to go out, right? What were you going to do?"

"Get breakfast."

"Perfect, I'm a little hungry too." Wang Dong stretched languidly and smiled at Tang Wulin. "I'll unpack when I get back. Let's go together, shall we?"

"Sure."

Tang Wulin nodded happily.

Having just arrived, it was nice to have someone accompany him.

Besides, he felt an inexplicable closeness toward Wang Dong and was very willing to be friends with her.

The two hit it off immediately, and before long, they arrived at Shrek's cafeteria.

The moment Wang Dong saw the sign at the cafeteria entrance, her expression instantly fell.

"What? No tables or chairs, so we have to eat standing up? And we can't even take the food out of the cafeteria? What kind of crappy rule is that?!"

Tang Wulin asked curiously, "Is that really so unusual?"

To him, the era from ten thousand years ago was completely unknown. It was like a city dweller visiting the countryside—no matter how backward the conditions seemed, he would not find them strange.

However, Wang Dong misunderstood him.

She looked at Tang Wulin with a gaze that mixed shock with pity.

"Of course it's unusual! What kind of life did you used to live?!"

"Uh, it was alright."

His previous life had been far more comfortable than this.

Although Tang Wulin's family had not been particularly wealthy, he had never been so broke that he had to borrow meal money from Beibei.

He needed to find a way to make money and pay Beibei back as soon as possible. He wondered whether there were forging commissions ten thousand years ago.

Come to think of it, Huo Yutong was an orphan too. How was she planning to earn money and support herself?

Tang Wulin subconsciously swept his gaze across the cafeteria, but he did not spot Huo Yutong.

For some reason, he felt a little empty inside.

He had a very good impression of Huo Yutong. When she had first met him in the forest, she had been willing to lead him out, and had even specially made Grilled Fish to fill his stomach. Over the past few days, she had also displayed an almost crazed level of diligence, making Tang Wulin feel ashamed of himself.

Hardworking and kind people deserved to be rewarded. If Huo Yutong could not earn money, Tang Wulin would not mind sharing part of what he earned with her.

Though given Huo Yutong's personality, she probably would not accept it.

Wang Dong sighed.

"Forget it. I don't know what kind of life you used to have, but since you're my roommate now, you're under my protection. I'll treat you to this meal, so eat as much as you want."

"Really?!"

Tang Wulin abruptly turned to look at Wang Dong.

Wang Dong was slightly startled at first, but seeing Tang Wulin's excited expression, she began to feel rather pleased with herself.

"Mm, really. Eat whatever you want in this cafeteria. There's nothing Young Master Wang can't afford."

"Thank you, Wang Dong. Thank you so much."

Tang Wulin spoke with utmost sincerity.

The money he had on hand had all been borrowed from Beibei. While it was not a small amount, with his appetite, it would not last long.

Now that Wang Dong was willing to treat him, he needed to seize this chance to eat more.

His earnest attitude made Wang Dong feel a little embarrassed.

"Alright, it's just a small favor. What do you want to eat? Hurry up and choose."

"Alright."

Tang Wulin nodded, then headed toward the cheapest counter.

Wang Dong hurriedly grabbed him.

"Hey, wait."

"?"

Meeting Tang Wulin's puzzled gaze, Wang Dong said unhappily, "Wulin, what do you mean by this? I already said you could choose whatever you wanted, so why are you picking the cheapest food? Do you know you're looking down on me?"

Tang Wulin did not know whether to laugh or cry.

"Wang Dong, I have a pretty big appetite. I'm afraid I'll eat you into bankruptcy."

"You?" Wang Dong sized up Tang Wulin's slender frame from head to toe and shook her head disdainfully. "You're underestimating me too much. With your appetite, eat as much as you like."

Tang Wulin was not even as tall as her yet. How much could he possibly eat?

"I..."

"Alright, since I'm treating you, come eat this."

Wang Dong did not give Tang Wulin a chance to explain. She dragged him over to the most expensive counter, planted her hands on her hips, and declared proudly, "Since I promised to treat you, I definitely won't go back on my word. Just eat as much as you want."

Tang Wulin was somewhat helpless. He confirmed with Wang Dong, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure!"

Wang Dong nodded heavily.

"Sigh, alright then. You said it."

Tang Wulin sighed, walked up to the counter, and said:

"Start me off with ten Set Meal Ones."

No one knew exactly how much Tang Wulin ate that day. They only saw that when Wang Dong came out of the cafeteria, her expression was incredibly stiff.

An Aside

When Wang Dong first entered, she had intended to state those demands. But the moment she heard that Tang Wulin was only nine years old, she gave up.

She still had some pride. She couldn't bring herself to bully a child like that. Besides, coupled with that instinctive sense of closeness, she wisely chose not to court death.