Ding ding ding~~~

In the era of spiritual resurgence, education had shifted from focusing on theoretical knowledge to emphasizing practical skills, spiritual energy, and the activation and use of abilities.

Though the latter was far more engaging and practical than the former, it didn’t change the fact that Su Qi was exhausted.

After a morning of classes, he’d spent one half dodging his best friend’s grilling about a novel he didn’t write.

The other half was spent feeling the eerie gaze of An Xiao Ling, the geeky girl in the back row.

Su Qi racked his brain through four classes, unable to figure out how he’d offended that little gremlin.

All in all, this morning’s lessons had drained him mentally and physically.

Normally, the lunch break bell would’ve brought a sigh of relief.

But today, it only made Su Qi more nervous.

The reason? Last night, Lin Xue, the third-year campus beauty, had arranged to meet him at the cafeteria to discuss their collaboration reward.

And up until now, Su Qi still hadn’t come up with a suitable idea.

After all, he barely knew Lin Xue.

Setting a price for his Crisp Wife bentos—too high or too low—was tricky without a clear benchmark.

Still, though he didn’t know how to negotiate, Su Qi wasn’t about to bail. More accurately, he couldn’t bail.

His secret was in her hands, and the leverage wasn’t on his side.

“Mo Yu, you go eat lunch alone today. I’ve got some stuff to take care of.”

Looking at his best friend, who stood up as usual, waiting to head to lunch together, Su Qi felt a pang of guilt as he turned him down.

He knew Mo Yu, still unawakened, idolized Lin Xue for her transformation ability, but the upcoming talk might touch on his secret.

If Mo Yu found out about his Crisp Wife ability, even though Mo Yu himself was a “pretty boy,” it’d still be humiliating.

Plus, Su Qi didn’t want to risk their friendship over this, and he definitely couldn’t handle the shame.

“Alright… fine.”

Hearing Su Qi had plans, Mo Yu’s expectant, delicate face drooped like a wilted eggplant, his expression practically a meme: Abandoned Kitten, Pitiful.JPG.

It was hard not to feel sorry for him.

If Mo Yu had long, flowing hair right now, he’d look exactly like a sulky teenage girl.

Faced with his best friend’s reaction, Su Qi’s already guilty heart sank further.

But, prioritizing the bigger picture, he resisted the urge to invite Mo Yu to lunch.

He decided that after settling the reward with Lin Xue, he’d check out that Radish Reader novel and have a good chat with Mo Yu in the afternoon to make up for it.

Spirit Martial University was one of the few universities in Lin City.

Though the population had dwindled since the spiritual resurgence, the campus was still bustling during lunch break.

To accommodate students, the university had three cafeterias.

Su Qi walked alone toward the third cafeteria, where he’d agreed to meet Lin Xue.

Last night, he hadn’t thought much of it, assuming it’d be a simple discussion.

But now, watching the crowd—especially the boys whose eyes lingered on vibrant, youthful girls—Su Qi felt a headache coming on.

‘Emmmmmmmm, with Lin Xue’s popularity, this talk is bound to draw attention!’

‘I have a bad feeling my school days are about to get rough!’

Lost in thought, Su Qi reached the entrance of the third cafeteria before he knew it.

Stepping into the spacious cafeteria, he scanned the room for Lin Xue. Not spotting her, he let out a small sigh of relief.

His gaze shifted to the dishes displayed behind the transparent glass counter.

Honestly, Spirit Martial University’s cafeteria food was pretty good—visually appealing and fragrant.

Before awakening his ability, eating here was a daily treat for Su Qi.

But now, post-awakening, he wasn’t as impressed.

Cafeteria food, no matter how tasty, was still mass-produced.

Compared to his master-level cooking skills and the warm, stat-boosting buffs from his Crisp Wife ability, the cafeteria’s offerings lacked appeal in both flavor and function.

Joining the lunch line, Su Qi reflected on last night’s earnings. Though he’d made a decent amount, most of it went to Su Lulu’s hospital fees.

He’d kept only 500 yuan for himself, including money for ingredients.

In short, he had to be frugal.

Some might ask: if his bentos sold so well, why not sell them every day?

To that, Su Qi would say the risk was too high.

If more people like Lin Xue showed up and uncovered his secret, he feared he’d spiral into a dark abyss, like a character in some unspeakable manga.

“Auntie, I’ll have one tomato and egg stir-fry, one braised pork, one plate of stir-fried bean sprouts, and two servings of rice, please.”

Considering he’d be negotiating with Lin Xue, Su Qi figured he shouldn’t come empty-handed.

So, despite the pinch, he ordered an extra meat dish and a vegetable dish.

After paying, he carried his plastic tray, searching for an empty seat.

It was peak lunch hour, and the cafeteria was packed. Many groups had friends reserving seats, making it hard to find a spot.

Su Qi circled around with no luck.

Just then, a mocking, snide voice rang out through the cafeteria.

“Well, well, isn’t that Su Qi, always hanging with the pretty boy? No seat? Wanna join us? Tsk, tsk, just three dishes? How pathetic.”

Following the voice, Su Qi saw Li Jian, who’d just moved to Class 2 this morning after awakening his ability.

Surrounded by a few Class 18 students, his table was laden with over a dozen dishes and cola, looking every bit the “winner” at life.

Seeing this, Su Qi rolled his eyes helplessly.

‘Emmmmmmmm, I barely interact with Li Jian.’

‘Just because Mo Yu and I aren’t as buff, he looks down on us?’

‘He stirred trouble in class this morning, and now he’s mocking me in the cafeteria?’

Su Qi genuinely didn’t get it.

‘D*mn, is this guy sick? Read too many dumb novels and thinks he’s the protagonist?’

‘Awakening an ability and needing to step on someone for clout?’

‘I don’t get it. Really don’t.’

Feeling more eyes on him, Su Qi had no interest in arguing and turned to leave.

But as he passed Li Jian, a muscular, tanned hand grabbed one end of his tray.

“Su Qi, didn’t you hear me?”

The force on the tray was overwhelming, pulling Su Qi along like an unbridgeable gap.

Just as he was about to give up his lunch and let go, a sound interrupted.

Hiss~

Gasps of surprise came from the surrounding students.

A slender, pale hand appeared in Su Qi’s view, gently resting on the burly, tanned hand.

At the same time, a faint jasmine scent filled the air.

Against the dark hand, the pale one stood out, delicate and refined.

But in the next moment, as the slender hand lightly gripped the wrist of the larger one, something surprising happened.

Though the pale hand looked fragile, with glossy, pink-polished nails, it completely overpowered the tanned hand.

A faint crack of bones and Li Jian’s pained wail echoed through the cafeteria.

“This classmate, bullying is prohibited at school. And fencing? Definitely not allowed.”

As Li Jian’s cries faded from lack of air, a crisp, melodious female voice rang out gently in the third cafeteria.

With her words, a brief silence fell over the room.

Then, a male student tentatively spoke up.

“Senior Lin Xue? You’re the campus beauty, Lin Xue, right?”

Hearing the question, Lin Xue nibbled her lip, hesitating briefly before replying, “If there’s no other Lin Xue, then yeah, that’s me.”

Her response was both charmingly mature and playfully cute.

Faced with the campus beauty’s clever charm, the crowd around Li Jian shifted their attention, bombarding her with questions.

“Senior Lin Xue, is it true you awakened an SS-tier vampire ability and can fly?”

“Senior Lin Xue, is your Cangyou Wildcat Team recruiting? Can I join for a Sacred Ruins expedition?”

“Senior Lin Xue, who’s the elf lady on your team? I’m her fan!”

Amid the flurry of questions, Li Jian, his wrist still gripped by Lin Xue, glared with fury, his eyes practically shooting flames.

He couldn’t understand why Lin Xue, a beautiful and powerful girl, would side with a weakling like Su Qi instead of him, a newly awakened Fitness Master.

This scene felt eerily familiar—like a year ago, when his goddess, Wen Yin, had doted on Su Qi during their freshman year.

Incomprehensible. Utterly incomprehensible.

Confused and enraged, Li Jian yanked his wrist free, ignoring the pain, and pointed at Su Qi, throwing a direct jab.

“Senior Lin Xue, why are you siding with this pretty boy?”

Perhaps Li Jian’s question was too blunt.

From the moment she stepped in, it was clear to everyone that Lin Xue was favoring Su Qi.

All eyes turned to them.

Feeling the stares, Su Qi, usually a nobody, grew nervous.

This was completely unexpected, and he instinctively looked at Lin Xue, curious how she’d respond.

But when he saw the slight curve of her delicate, fair face, a bad feeling hit him.

And sure enough, the next moment confirmed it.

“Why am I siding with Su Qi? That’s easy to explain. I like his scent, so I’m pursuing this junior. Please, everyone, don’t bully him from now on, okay~~~~”

Su Qi: !??

FFF Group: Chopping Knife.JPG