Chapter 3: A Woman’s Heart is Like a Needle in the Sea
“A-Qi, your dark circles are so heavy. Did you stay up late writing novels? I saw you updated five chapters yesterday. I know your sister’s condition is serious and you need money, but you should take care of your health.”
The next day, seven in the morning.
Thanks to Lin Xue, the campus beauty who’d left him with the “reward” dilemma after her late-night visit, Su Qi hadn’t slept well, arriving home close to midnight.
So, when he dragged himself to Spirit Martial University’s second-year Class 18—the bottom of the barrel—his face sported two prominent dark circles.
As soon as he sat down, he received warm concern from his good friend and desk mate, Mo Yu.
Following the voice, Su Qi glanced at Mo Yu, who was wearing a cool black short-sleeved shirt today.
Mo Yu was about 165 cm tall, petite for a boy.
His skin, visible under the black sleeves, was as smooth and fair as porcelain, and his face, delicate even compared to a girl’s, now gazed at Su Qi with big, almond-shaped eyes full of concern.
Looking at his desk mate, Su Qi couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. No wonder Mo Yu had the nickname “Little Pretty Boy.”
Those features, that skin—practically more girlish than a girl.
If Su Qi hadn’t known him since elementary school, even he might’ve mistaken Mo Yu for a girl.
But then again… now that he had the Crisp Wife ability, Su Qi realized he wasn’t much different from Mo Yu in a way.
“A-Qi… A-Qi… snap out of it! Teacher’s not here yet, so let’s talk novels. Those five chapters yesterday were amazing! How do you come up with such ideas—writing a strong older sister overpowering a cute younger girl? Is the older sister based on your sister? Are you secretly a sis-con in real life?”
As Su Qi’s mind wandered, Mo Yu shook his shoulder, pulling him back to reality.
Hearing Mo Yu mention “novels” and their questionable content, Su Qi felt a headache coming on.
In truth, Su Qi didn’t write novels.
The reason he’d told his good friend Mo Yu he was a writer was simple.
One lie often requires another to cover it up.
As childhood friends, Mo Yu knew all about Su Qi’s family situation.
In recent years, keeping Su Lulu—his sister—alive had cost a fortune.
Though a kind neighbor lady occasionally helped out, it was never enough.
Even Su Qi’s tuition for Spirit Martial University was funded by loans.
But his Crisp Wife ability and bento-selling gig? No way he could tell anyone about that.
If Mo Yu found out, it’d be beyond humiliating, and Su Qi worried it might “taint” their friendship.
So, to keep Mo Yu from suspecting anything, Su Qi had invented the persona of a novelist.
Being a writer was hard to verify and easy to fake.
But under Mo Yu’s relentless questioning, Su Qi had once accidentally opened a novel on Radish Reader about cute girls bonding.
He’d thought Mo Yu wouldn’t care for it, and the matter would drop.
To his shock, Mo Yu was already a fan of the book.
Now, hearing Mo Yu want to discuss the latest five chapters, Su Qi’s head throbbed. He hadn’t read the book yesterday.
He had no clue what the latest chapters were about.
And… why did his best friend even like this kind of novel?
Luckily, just as Su Qi was at a loss, a loud noise interrupted.
Bang bang~
Two sharp knocks came from the front of the classroom, followed by a deep, steady voice that drew everyone’s attention.
“Students, I know you’re all excited after the fun of Saturday and Sunday. But it’s Monday now, and we need to focus on studying our abilities.”
The teacher stood at the podium, scanning every student before softening his tone.
“These skills can not only help you awaken your abilities but might also play an unexpected role in critical moments, maybe even save your life. That’s enough chit-chat. Did anyone awaken their ability over the weekend?”
At Teacher Zhang’s question, Class 18 fell silent.
Students glanced at each other, and just then, a burly figure two rows ahead of Su Qi slowly stood up.
Though he didn’t speak as he rose, the slight smirk on his lips and the tilt of his chin showed a hint of pride.
As a fellow student in Class 18, Su Qi recognized him.
His name was Li Jian, a fitness enthusiast with a muscular build.
Su Qi, with his below-average physique, only 170 cm tall and frail, had always sat next to the “pretty boy” Mo Yu. Perhaps due to their physical differences, there was a sense of distance or bias.
After standing, Li Jian cast a mocking glance toward Su Qi and Mo Yu before meeting Teacher Zhang’s gaze.
“Teacher Zhang, I awakened my ability over the weekend. It’s Fitness Master.”
As he spoke, Li Jian effortlessly lifted his desk with one hand.
With a flex, his biceps bulged menacingly under his short sleeves, veins popping on his forearm.
The metal desk groaned under his grip, creaking and deforming from the force.
Though Li Jian’s stunt damaged the desk, Teacher Zhang didn’t scold him. Instead, he spoke with a hint of approval.
“Li Jian, congratulations on awakening your ability through your hard work. A physical enhancement ability is rare and has great potential. I’ll take you to Class 2 now. The rest of you, study on your own.”
With that, Teacher Zhang led Li Jian out of Class 18.
As they left, the remaining twenty or so students in the “unawakened” Class 18 erupted into hushed discussions.
“Holy sh*t, Li Jian got so lucky! Awakening a rare ability and jumping straight to Class 2. He’ll have his pick of jobs after graduation.”
“Jobs? With that ability, he’s a natural fighter. He might get scouted by Junfang for the special forces or form an expedition team to raid the Sacred Ruins and make a fortune.”
“Ugh, I’m so jealous! When will I awaken my ability and get out of this dead-end Class 18?”
Listening to the chatter of his classmates in Class 18—the “unawakened” bottom-tier class—Su Qi’s mood grew complicated.
He recalled Li Jian, holding the wrecked desk and throwing him a smug look before leaving with Teacher Zhang.
‘Emmmmmmmm, I awakened my ability a month ago, okay?’
‘It’s just too embarrassing to admit.’
‘What’s this guy acting all superior for?’
‘And what’s with him looking down on me and Mo Yu? Did we eat his food or something?’
‘What a jerk!’
As Su Qi grumbled internally, he felt a tug at his shirt hem.
Looking over, he saw Mo Yu, sitting beside him, gently pulling at his clothes.
His overly delicate face was full of worry, his doe-like eyes soft with concern.
“A-Qi, don’t mind Li Jian. Not awakening an ability is just a matter of time. Don’t lose hope… we’ll awaken someday. The future’s bright!”
Hearing his best friend’s earnest comfort, delivered with a clenched fist and a girlish demeanor, Su Qi felt both touched and conflicted.
‘Emmmmmmmm, with Mo Yu’s vibe, this posture, this gentleness—if my Crisp Wife ability were on him, it’d fit perfectly!’
‘No matter how you look at it, my best friend is the real Crisp Wife.’
‘Not only did the heavens mess up Mo Yu’s gender, but they gave me his ability!’
‘Fate is such a cruel prank!’
Just as Su Qi was about to respond to his childhood friend with, “It’s fine, I don’t care, don’t overthink it,” a sensation interrupted him.
Thud~
A painless but firm tap hit his foot.
Looking down, Su Qi saw a distinct small black footprint on his well-worn, slightly faded white sneakers.
The owner of the dainty foot responsible was staring at him with zero remorse or apology.
“I was going to get water and didn’t see your foot. Sorry, Su… Qi… classmate!”
The girl, An Xiao Ling, emphasized his name with a gritted-teeth tone.
Lifting his gaze, Su Qi saw her cute, doll-like face, devoid of any sincerity, arms crossed over her barely-there chest, chin tilted up in a smug, “Yeah, I did it on purpose, what’re you gonna do about it?” expression.
At that moment, a giant question mark popped into Su Qi’s head.
‘What’s going on?’
‘I barely interact with An Xiao Ling, this kinda geeky classmate.’
‘Why’d she suddenly kick me?’
‘This makes no sense!’
‘Women’s hearts are truly an ocean’s depth.’
‘Compared to Li Jian’s hostility, An Xiao Ling feels even harder to deal with!’