Chapter 119
Wen Xingxue, like a gust of wind, vanished from Xing Nuo’s embrace and returned to Central City.
He boarded the dungeon train, for the first time carrying something precious: a small jar.
He looked at it, reluctant to put it away in his spatial storage.
Another player, seeing this, approached the Big Boss and asked:
“Wen-ge, are you also going to the Blizzard Inn dungeon?”
Wen Xingxue looked up and hummed, a faint smile playing on his lips.
“Yes. That dungeon is cold. Perfect for a cup of pear syrup.”
Player: ???
That was a non sequitur.
“Oh, that pear syrup looks good. Where did you get it, Big Boss?”
The player, sensing an opportunity, expertly steered the conversation towards the syrup, showering it with praises.
The coldness in Wen Xingxue’s heart melted away, replaced by a warm, fuzzy feeling.
“It wasn’t bought. Someone gave it to me.”
He wanted everyone to know that Xing Nuo had given him pear syrup!
The player nodded knowingly, and the conversation flowed easily.
Wen Xingxue, usually a lone wolf, found himself enjoying the conversation.
At the Blizzard Inn, his lips curved into a rare smile, his expression not as cold and menacing as usual, and the monster at the front desk didn’t scream in terror.
“Um…five hundred Star Coins for one night,” the monster stammered, looking at the intimidating figure.
A player behind him cursed.
“Are you robbing us?! Five hundred for this dump?!”
The monster clerk, afraid of Wen Xingxue but not the other players, slammed his hand on the counter.
“If you can’t afford it, then leave! That’s the price!”
The player cursed again, then, noticing the star symbol on the wall, tilted his head.
“Why does your inn have that symbol too?”
The monster clerk, taking the Star Coins, his chin held high, said proudly:
“Because we’ve been acquired by Shen Group! We’re the highest-ranked inn under Shen Group now!”
The player frowned, muttering:
“Shen Group is everywhere. And everything they own is ridiculously expensive.”
Wen Xingxue looked up and saw Shen Yan walking down the stairs.
Shen Yan, wearing a thick coat, as if having just come from a meeting, was talking to the inn owner.
Their gazes met briefly.
Wen Xingxue, recognizing him as Xing Nuo’s brother, took out the jar of pear syrup and coughed, his voice hoarse.
Shen Baizhou had mentioned that Xing Nuo had gone to the pharmacy, asking for something sweet for his throat,
and had returned with a jar of pear and loquat syrup.
Shen Yan, his gaze falling on the jar, his expression cold, said:
“Don’t get too cocky, Mr. Wen. You might die in this dungeon.”
Wen Xingxue put the syrup away and discreetly gripped his knife.
“It’s you who should be worried.”
They were different species, on opposing sides.
Shen Yan, his coat wrapped tightly around him, walked out into the snowy night.
Wen Xingxue, watching him go, suddenly said:
“He’s a Shen Group boss.”
The player beside him gasped.
“Holy crap! That heartless capitalist!”
Afraid Shen Yan might hear him, he quickly covered his mouth.
Shen Group’s boss was even more hated by players than other high-level monsters!
It was because of him that prices in the dungeon world were so exorbitant!
But they had never seen him in person before.
“How did you know?” he asked, then, answering his own question, “Well, you’ve cleared so many SSS-rank dungeons, it’s not surprising that you know him.”
No one else besides Wen Xingxue, that lunatic, would bother with such high-level dungeons.
Wen Xingxue, loosening his grip on his knife, went upstairs without looking back.
The wind howled, and snow began to fall.
Xing Nuo, unsure if he had ever seen snow before, looked out the classroom window, his eyes widening as the snowflakes drifted down.
“Snowing!”
The children, excited, rushed outside, ignoring the teacher’s calls.
Xing Nuo also ran out, then, remembering something, turned back and put on his gloves, scarf, and hat.
He had been sick recently, a bad cold from the sudden drop in temperature, and had stayed home for almost two weeks.
His body still weak, he wore more layers than the other children.
He patted his hat and ran outside.
The snow was falling steadily, a thin layer quickly covering the ground.
Xing Nuo and the other children ran around, their footsteps crunching the fresh snow, turning it into slush.
Snowflakes clung to his eyelashes, his eyes reflecting the white landscape, his breath misting in the cold air.
Teacher Xiao Song took pictures, capturing the moment.
Seeing Xing Nuo staring at the snow, lost in thought, she snapped a picture.
She posted the pictures of the children in the class group chat and immediately received replies from the parents.
[Teacher, my Zimuo is so dark, don’t take pictures of him. Take more pictures of Xing Nuo.]
[My Little Fatty isn’t very photogenic either. He looks like a ball.]
[Haha, my daughter is just digging in the snow with her butt in the air!]
Shen Wen, tagged several times, finally appeared online a few minutes later and saved Xing Nuo’s picture.
[The other children are also very cute.]
Having lived in the human world for a while, Shen Wen had learned the art of polite lies.
The parents continued chatting, discussing the upcoming final exams.
[Xing Nuo shouldn’t have any problems. He even solved the bonus question in the midterm exam.]
[Ugh, speaking of exams, my child is driving me crazy! We’re about to start elementary school!]
[But after the exams, it’s the school’s end-of-year party. What costumes are your children wearing?]
Shen Wen, remembering Xing Nuo’s excitement when he told him about his costume, smiled.
Children, their minds on fun and games, having dealt with the exams halfheartedly, were eagerly anticipating the costume party.
The teachers had decorated the classroom with colorful streamers and animal-themed props.
The children, dressed in their costumes, arrived one by one.
They looked at each other, giggling, trying to guess each other’s costumes.
Xing Nuo was the last to arrive.
His face painted green, wearing a fluffy, green onesie, he let out a roar as he entered the classroom.
The other children, instead of being scared, just laughed.
“Xing Nuo, are you a little tiger?”
Xing Nuo, wagging his tail, shook his head.
“No. I gween.”
“A green tiger?”
Xing Nuo paused, then went to scare his friends.
Qingqing and Yiyi, after examining him closely, even touching his fluffy tail, still couldn’t guess.
“A green parrot? My grandpa has one!”
Xing Nuo shook his head, wagging his tail more vigorously.
“Crawls on ground…vewy scary!”
He roared again, emphasizing his scariness.
An Zimuo, dressed as a black bunny, thought for a moment, then gasped.
“A snake?”
Xing Nuo nodded eagerly, his eyes shining, his tail swishing back and forth.
“Yes! Yes! Looks like, wight?”
An Zimuo, looking at Xing Nuo’s fluffy green costume and his long, thick tail dragging on the floor, nodded, lying through his teeth.
“Very realistic, haha.”
Xing Nuo, beaming, went to scare the other children in his snake costume.
Although he didn’t manage to scare anyone, he was still happy.
He joined the other children, singing and celebrating the end of the semester.
After winter break, Xing Nuo would be starting elementary school.
He put on a lighter jacket and, holding his dad’s hand, visited a few elementary schools.
In the end, he chose the one closest to their home.
It was just across the street, and Xing Nuo, having grown taller, could walk home by himself now.
When kindergarten finally ended, Qingqing, Yiyi, and An Zimuo hugged Xing Nuo, crying.
Xing Nuo, his nose red, his eyes watery, also sad to leave his friends, went to elementary school with his backpack.
He discovered that Qingqing and Yiyi were in a different class, but An Zimuo was his classmate again.
An Zimuo was overjoyed, his earlier reluctance to go to school completely gone.
With Qingqing, who always monopolized Xing Nuo’s attention, gone, he could finally become Xing Nuo’s best friend!
He was assigned a seat behind Xing Nuo, his mind filled with fantasies of their future adventures together.
But as soon as class ended, Qingqing, like a whirlwind, rushed in from the other classroom and dragged Xing Nuo away.
“Come on, Xing Nuo! Let’s go play!”
An Zimuo, watching this familiar scene, felt his world crumble.
