"Little Star, Ren Naiser's live stream has started!"
While blow-drying her hair, Ren Xingi heard her roommate Huang Xuehui's excited voice and responded without turning back, "If it's started, it's started... Wait, is it still 'Door of Truth'?"
"It's 'Door of Truth'!"
"Didn't the Gatekeeper already fight the world's strongest Taoist, You Jiu, and Angel Zack last ti?" Ren Xingi raised her eyebrows slightly. "Who is he challenging this ti?"
"So unknown people... it seems like they are all from our Mysterious Country," said Huang Xuehui. "They are all wearing masks: one with a Smiley Face, one with an Angry Face, one with a Joy Face, and one with a Sorrowful Face... Oh! I rember this Sorrowful Face! It's that mysterious person who once assaulted Angel Zack. His na is, uh..."
"The Black Coffin Demon King. The Gatekeeper ntioned him once," Ren Xingi put down the hairdryer and couldn't help but laugh. "He just fought Angel Zack. If you say he assaulted him, that would be too tragic for Angel Zack..."
Huang Xuehui giggled, lying on her bed holding a tablet. "Sorry, sorry. I just read a sweet fanfic about an angel and a demon king today, and I haven't switched gears yet."
Ren Xingi's mouth twitched. "Can they even be shipped together?"
"Of course, why not? They battled it out all night long! Before their fight moved to Tokyo, heaven knows how much tangled love and hate transpired between them," Huang Xuehui said, full of longing. "But I'm not really into Angel-Demon King pairings. Taoist-Angel is my favorite, followed by the Ice Prince and your brother's sweet stories..."
Ren Xingi, who was combing her hair, nearly snapped the strands, feeling both annoyed and amused. "The Ice Prince and my brother?"
"That's Teacher Bai and your brother!"
Huang Xuehui, holding the tablet, excitedly sat down on Ren Xingi's bed. "There's also a Teacher Bai and Teacher Zhao ship, but I don't really like Teacher Zhao's aggressive, wolfish style. Instead, Teacher Bai, the stoic handso man, paired with your brother's fresh, 'little milk dog' persona—a school teacher with a healing physician, a pop idol with an ordinary cultivator—it's like fries with ketchup, an absolutely golden combination! The sweetness practically sticks to your teeth. It's amazing! Want to see? I've collected several!"
Ren Xingi asked, "Don't you have a boyfriend?"
"What does this have to do with my boyfriend?" Huang Xuehui said matter-of-factly. "Even when my boyfriend and I are cuddling, I still fantasize about Teacher Bai ravaging your brother..."
"I can't believe you'd say sothing like that in front of his sister," Ren Xingi huffed, quietly distancing herself from this perverted female student who fantasized about her brother.
"Ah, don't talk about like that; I get shy too," Huang Xuehui said, lying down next to Ren Xingi. "This fight is so intense! These four new Transcendents look even stronger than Zack and You Jiu!"
"There's one controlling moonlight, one who can teleport, and another casting Dark Spells..."
Ren Xingi glanced at the screen. "Are there any who can control ti?"
"I don't know, I can't tell," Huang Xuehui suddenly chuckled. "Hahaha, this panda-person with built-in emoticons is killing ."
"That person's panda pajamas are pretty cute," Ren Xingi remarked.
"Buy! Buy! Buy!"
"How do you know they're for sale?"
"They probably weren't before, but now that Ren Naiser has advertised them, manufacturers will definitely start making them."
"That makes sense..." Ren Xingi did believe in this celebrity effect. Considering the impact of advertisents, Ren Naiser's video ads were likely number one globally, boasting the highest viewership and an influence that could overshadow all other TV stations.
Since Ren Naiser's videos were mostly from the Mysterious Country, Chinese language learning institutions abroad had sprung up like bamboo shoots after rain over the past year. A Truth Seeker once wore a set of trendy clothes from Taobao in Ren Naiser's videos, which then beca a global trend, with even foreign female stars wearing them. The frequently ntioned Eastern Han Ren Family had turned into a hot major IP, advancing simultaneously in films, animations, TV dramas, and gas. It was expected to break out of Asia and go global, with Ren Han becoming one of the most famous historical figures.
This 'Ren Naiser Economy' beca the most unique economic phenonon of the age, analyzed by countless experts. If Ren Naiser were willing to do a sponsored video, she could significantly boost the stock value of any company.
"Speaking of which, is your brother free this Saturday?" Huang Xuehui suddenly asked.
"What are you up to?" Ren Xingi glanced at her.
"The fairy from the next dorm, Fang Yuan, is kind of interested," Huang Xuehui said. "She doesn't know you well, so she asked to see if you could arrange for your brother to hang out with her... Wait, your brother doesn't have a girlfriend, right?"
Ren Xingi raised her eyebrows and said, "He does."
"Who is she?" Huang Xuehui perked up again. "Which teacher? Or is it a student?"
"You're so nosy," Ren Xingi snorted twice, then said, "His girlfriend is his childhood sweetheart."
"A childhood sweetheart, huh? Looks like Fairy Fang Yuan doesn't stand a chance," Huang Xuehui leaned against the wall, looking at her tablet. "But that makes sense. Your brother's such a catch; so smart girl must have snagged him early on..."
BEEP, BEEP—
The washing machine on the balcony made an "I'm done" noise. Ren Xingi got out of bed, saying, "What's so great about my brother? He's just alright."
"Oh, Little Star, you're his sister. Of course you wouldn't think much of it."
Ren Xingi walked to the balcony to hang the clothes. Hearing this, she couldn't help but laugh. "Then tell . Let hear about my brother's good points."
Just as she reached the balcony, she caught a glimpse of soone standing there out of the corner of her eye!
The person stood in a shadowy corner, untouched by the moonlight. It was impossible to tell how long he had been there. Ren Xingi's heart leaped in surprise, and she imdiately activated Ti Expansion!
During Ti Expansion, ti would slow down, Ren Xingi's physical condition would be greatly enhanced, and she could interact with reality!
Ren Xingi fortified herself with Gauze Clothing and threw a fierce punch! Although Gauze Clothing was a Defensive Magic, when applied to the body, it was like turning the body into steel, making it incredibly destructive!
However, Ren Xingi's punch was not only blocked but her arm was also violently pulled!
On this ti scale, my reactions are nearly instantaneous. How could this uninvited guest, striking after , manage to block first!?
Ren Xingi attempted to change her move, but her opponent also changed tactics. Their reaction speeds were almost identical!
Ren Xingi could clearly feel that the opponent also bore the marks of ti. Their tilines seed to overlap, existing independently of real ti, intertwining in so unknowable way.
Their shared monts were engraved upon the bond called Ti.
The instant Ren Xingi realized who had arrived, she deactivated Ti Expansion and was pulled into an embrace.
Only then did Huang Xuehui's voice continue from the room:
"For instance, your brother is upright and straightforward. When he's healing girls, his gaze doesn't dart around; he's comfortable and natural, much better than those sneaky little virgins who peek at girls."
Ren Xingi hugged Ren Suo tightly. Seeing her older brother look shy when praised, she couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, he's very upright and straightforward."
Then Huang Xuehui continued, "And for instance, your brother is a real gentleman. During healing, he doesn't make unnecessary physical contact. He avoids touching a girl's body if possible, and everyone has an excellent impression of him."
Ren Xingi glanced at Ren Suo's hand around her waist and chuckled. "Yeah, he's a real gentleman."
Huang Xuehui went on, "Also, your brother looks like the type who really dotes on his girlfriend. He has a soft nature, seems easy to bully, and he's been getting more handso recently. So, Little Star, now you understand why your brother is perfect to be a sweet, submissive boy…"
Ti Roaming!
Ti Roaming!
This was their own unique, romantic thod.
Huang Xuehui was lying on Ren Xingi's bed, swinging her legs and humming a song while watching the live stream of the Gatekeeper battling the group of Emotions, when she suddenly noticed Ren Xingi had returned.
"Done hanging the clothes?" Huang Xuehui asked curiously.
"A bit tired." Ren Xingi lay down beside her to watch the live stream. "I'll hang them later."
"You were only on the balcony for less than thirty seconds, and you're tired already?" Huang Xuehui shook her head. "Little sis, this won't do."
Ren Xingi smiled without speaking, then suddenly asked, "What's the longest you and your boyfriend have ever kissed?"
"Four or five minutes, maybe," Huang Xuehui glanced at her. "Why ask this all of a sudden? Has my Little Star finally had an awakening?"
"Three hundred seconds, huh..." Ren Xingi gently wiped her lips, an amused smile playing on them. "It's nothing."
「 」
Coincidentally, Lin Xianyu was also lying in bed, watching the live stream on her phone.
The dormitory lights were off. Gu Yueyan was highly self-disciplined and insisted on sleeping after 11:30 PM. Lin Xianyu was watching with headphones. Even when she saw the catastrophic battle between the Gatekeeper and the group of Emotions, and however excited she felt, she held back from shouting.
KNOCK.
The sound of a door lock turning broke the silence. Lin Xianyu, startled, poked her head out to look toward the balcony door.
The balcony door slowly opened from the outside. A tall figure, clearly not a girl, was cast by the moonlight into a long shadow that fell across the dorm floor.
A thief!
Lin Xianyu imdiately got excited. Her Qi Cyclone activated, and she prepared to jump out of bed and apprehend this petty thief.
If the news of staying up late to catch a thief gets out, I can then have a valid reason to stay up late, and even the Class Monitor will have to comnd ! Plus, everyone else has at least so small success, while I'm always left out and feeling jealous. I'm almost at my wit's end, but now there's finally a tutorial-level monster appearing! Co on, little thief! Your petty misdeeds will serve to highlight my glory! My Gale Strike is already itching for action!
Just then, a hand reached into the dormitory!
Under the bright moonlight, Lin Xianyu could clearly see the hand was holding a beautifully packaged box of snacks!
It's... it's white chocolate cookies! Shiroi Koibito! These are delicious! Super delicious! So delicious I'm starting to salivate!
Then Lin Xianyu saw a familiar figure walk in. He seed to have anticipated that she wasn't asleep and respectfully handed the Shiroi Koibito to her on the bed.
Lin Xianyu stared at him. After taking the Shiroi Koibito, she shook her head and whispered, "Class Monitor, you are my good sister!"
Ren Suo clasped his hands, pleading earnestly, "Please, this is really important to ."
Lin Xianyu looked at him for a while, then beckoned him closer.
"It'll cost extra," she whispered.
Ren Suo clicked his tongue and said resignedly, "I didn't bring my wallet."
Lin Xianyu showed him a mobile paynt QR code.
"Alipay and WeChat are accepted, thank you."
Ren Suo, looking utterly defeated after being "robbed" by the "road bully" Lin Xianyu, was startled when the dorm lights suddenly ca on.
"What are you two doing?" Gu Yueyan sat up from her bed, giving them both a strange look.
Before Ren Suo could speak, Lin Xianyu held up the box of White Lovers and declared loudly, "Class Monitor, Big Brother Ren wants to make a shady deal with ! I'm reporting him!"
Gu Yueyan didn't attend to Ren Suo first but curiously asked Lin Xianyu, "Why didn't you shoo him away?"
Just two hours ago, Lin Xianyu was denouncing Ren Suo as if he were her father's killer. How could they have reverted to their usual foolishly congenial relationship so quickly?
"Big Brother Ren knew his mistake and made ands. He even brought a box of White Lovers to apologize, so I forgave him," Lin Xianyu said nonchalantly.
Ren Suo said with a pained expression, "That wasn't for apologizing..."
"So, they were a free gift for ? Thank you," Lin Xianyu stated decisively, waving her hand. "Now that the Class Monitor is awake, you two go ahead and do whatever. Don't mind ."
"What 'do whatever'?" Gu Yueyan said, sowhat angrily, hands on her hips. Her tone was stiff as she looked at Ren Suo. "Mr. Suo, why did you sneak over here so late? This is a female students' dormitory."
Lin Xianyu giggled foolishly, watching Ren Suo walk to Gu Yueyan's bedside to whisper an explanation. A wave of relief washed over her.
Getting the Class Monitor to leave Ren Suo was a desperate last resort for . I noticed a change in Ren Suo's feelings and naturally couldn't just watch Gu Yueyan continue to fall into a trap. Otherwise, Gu Yueyan would certainly end up unhappy later on. Now, the familiar Big Brother Ren had finally returned! The mont he used White Lovers to pave the way, even before I saw him, I had a strong intuition—that man was back! Such a devious bribery tactic! Such low intelligence to be so easily scamd! Such an easily bullied, straightforward male personality! And that lazy deanor that couldn't be hidden no matter how serious he tried to be! My kind had been resurrected! The current Big Brother Ren might not necessarily bring happiness to the Class Monitor. Based on my own example, even if Big Brother Ren couldn't bring happiness, he could at least bring comfort.
However, Lin Xianyu still sensed a strange atmosphere.
Though Ren Suo's feelings had greatly improved, there was still sothing faintly off about them. It was like stinky tofu: though still sowhat slly, it was at least edible—whether one liked it or not depended on personal taste. Where exactly was it off...
At that mont, Ren Suo opened his arms towards Gu Yueyan and asked, "Want to co down?"
Gu Yueyan shook her head. "Now is my sleep ti. Say what you need to say now, or let's talk tomorrow."
Ren Suo then asked, "Can I co up? I'll take off my shoes."
The dormitory rooms all had a lofted-bed-over-desk layout.
Gu Yueyan glanced at Lin Xianyu, who was watching. Lin Xianyu quickly turned her head to look at her phone, but Gu Yueyan still shook her head. "No. I've already bent the rules by not kicking you out. I can't let you on a girl's bed in a female students' dormitory; it's a serious violation of the dormitory managent regulations, and you'd be subject to disciplinary action."
Ren Suo thought for a mont, looked around, moved Lin Xianyu's chair over, and then stood up on it.
"Hey—" Lin Xianyu started.
"The White Lovers, and a hundred yuan for snacks," Ren Suo offered quickly.
Lin Xianyu sulkily closed her mouth.
Ren Suo waved at Gu Yueyan. "Co closer, I have sothing to tell you."
At his words, Gu Yueyan sat down at the edge of the bed. Ren Suo extended his arm around Gu Yueyan's slender waist but suddenly found himself in an awkward position. He wasn't very tall. Even standing on the chair, his head couldn't reach Gu Yueyan's neck. To make a move, he'd have to wait for her to lean in and kiss him...
Gu Yueyan's ears turned red imdiately. She stole a glance at Lin Xianyu who, of course, was pretending to look at her phone.
Facing her lover's affectionate behavior, Gu Yueyan's heart softened. She hugged Ren Suo's head, gently stroking his hair, and asked tenderly, "What is it?"
"I found my stationery, so I can continue the romance exam with you," Ren Suo nuzzled against her, saying, "So I ca over imdiately to do the questions with you."
"You'll lose points for this, you know." Gu Yueyan pursed her lips, her eyes twinkling with laughter.
She finally understood Lin Xianyu's words. The previous Ren Suo had seed all right and definitely matched her aesthetic: diligent, elegant, composed, calm... But compared to the current Ren Suo, the previous one lacked the most important thing: that reckless, headstrong love. Sneaking into the female dormitory late at night, bribing her roommate... all to co and confess his love to . I hide a rebellious heart under a stern facade, and this expression of love from Ren Suo is what I actually love the most. Elegance, diligence, composure, calmness—I can slowly correct these in Ren Suo in the future. But the one thing I can't teach him is this love; it's a quality I lack and therefore long for.
Gu Yueyan lowered her head, a cascade of black hair concealing both their faces.
Lin Xianyu, watching covertly, humd a tune: "♪ Lemons on the lemon tree, oh so tart for ~ ♪ You and him beneath the tree, not , you see~ ♪ Down this glass of lemonade, so bitterly~ ♪ But life just goes on, sa as can be! ♪"
Her roommate's teasing was too much, and Gu Yueyan felt embarrassed. "You should go back. We can talk tomorrow if there's anything."
Ren Suo, thoroughly satisfied, nodded and said, "Bye, see you tomorrow."
When Ren Suo walked to the balcony, Gu Yueyan suddenly rembered sothing and kindly asked, "What about Teacher Dong and Little Star?"
"Don't worry." Ren Suo waved his hand and jumped off the balcony, leaving behind a lingering echo— "I've already been to see them."
Ren Suo ran off.
Gu Yueyan's face darkened.
Lin Xianyu tried to hold in her laughter. She couldn't. She wouldn't!
With a snort, she burst into laughter. "So, Class Monitor, that ans you're the third one, huh!"
Lin Xianyu finally confird it. What she had sensed earlier was definitely Ren Suo's scumbag aura!
「 」
But so people could sleep, like Dong Chengling.
After Ren Suo left, Dong Chengling went back to sleep, only to be woken again from her light slumber.
She felt the "Luxury Premium Lock Version · Spiritual Energy Space Coordinates" vibrating. Puzzled but without hesitation, she cast a Space Spell right there in her bedroom!
When Ren Suo teleported in, he found himself in Dong Chengling's bedroom. He hesitated for a mont, then naturally sat on the bed and hugged her. "Where's the light switch?"
Dong Chengling didn't answer. Instead, she hugged him, pulled him onto the bed, looked into his eyes, and countered, "Suo, why are you back?"
"I'm back to find you, Cheng Ling," Ren Suo blinked and cuddled up to Dong Chengling like a puppy seeking affection.
Dong Chengling, with no experience in romance, was quite susceptible to Ren Suo's instinctive charm. But he actively used Spatial Coordinates to teleport here, so there must be sothing urgent, she thought, then asked, "Do you have sothing else you need to do?"
"Mm," Ren Suo nodded. "There's sothing I absolutely need you to help with, Cheng Ling."
Dong Chengling's heart skipped a beat. "Is it urgent?"
"Very urgent. It must be now."
Dong Chengling felt a little shy. Though she was prepared, it was her first ti, after all. She felt a mix of anticipation and resistance, especially since Ren Suo had just said sothing like, "You're one of my masters." Even though I know this is the absolute truth, I can't help but feel annoyed.
While Dong Chengling's mind was in turmoil, Ren Suo said sincerely, "Only you can do this, Cheng Ling. I can only ask you."
Only ... it can only be .
All resistance silently crumbled inside her, and Dong Chengling felt as if she couldn't muster any strength. She softly and tenderly responded, "Okay."
"Thank you!" Ren Suo exclaid. "Then, please teleport to Young Master Mu!"
"...Mm? Xiao Qiao?"
"Yes, yes," Ren Suo nodded eagerly, like a chick pecking at grain. "I just rembered she lives so far away in the downtown area. Since it's already late at night and there's no transportation going downtown, I have to rely on you to teleport there."
With all transportation options unavailable at night and the downtown area being so far, indeed, only Dong Chengling could help, especially since Qiao Muyi also had Dong Chengling's Spirit Energy Coordinates.
As for why he needed to visit Qiao Muyi, Dong Chengling knew the answer without asking.
A perfectly reasonable request. Ren Suo certainly had it all planned out beautifully, Dong Chengling thought with a hint of sarcasm.
After three seconds, Ren Suo noticed Dong Chengling hadn't reacted. He blinked and asked coaxingly, "Cheng Ling, are you mad?"
Dong Chengling didn't respond.
"Actually, if you don't want to, you don't have to teleport there."
Dong Chengling finally spoke. "Really?"
"Really, really!" Ren Suo hurriedly assured. "I wouldn't force you, Cheng Ling!"
Just as Dong Chengling's opinion of him was slightly improving, Ren Suo continued, "If you don't mind, you could also teleport Young Master Mu here to Heavenly Lotus Academy! Either way is fine with !"
At that mont, Lin Xianyu, who was playing with her phone, suddenly shivered.
There seed to be an evil presence spreading in the air, so intense that Lin Xianyu felt a bit frightened.
I'd better eat so White Lovers to calm my nerves.
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