Chapter 23: Neither Can You

The victory celebration was held at the Interstellar Grand Hotel, located in the capital center of District 12.

Ji Xun had been here many times since he was a child, but this was the first time he had seen it on such a massive scale. Long before they even arrived, one could see the points of police lights hovering in the airspace in front of the magnificent, towering hotel. There must have been at least several hundred, if not a thousand, aircraft.

Ji Xun thought to himself that this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With so many people around, no one would have the time to pay attention to him. He could just let his parents handle the socializing while he grabbed some food and found a corner to sit in for the night.

Zhao Zhanlei was waiting at the entrance as usual. Sentinels were physically robust, healthy, and trained daily; he was tall and broad-shouldered, looking quite dashing in his suit. Guides were different. Their curriculum involved no sun exposure or sweating, leaving them soft and delicate, like children who hadn't quite grown up yet.

When Zhao Zhanlei saw Ji Xun arrive in a royal blue suit, he laughed and teased, "Wow, look at the little rich boy! So sharp!"

The moment Ji Xun heard "Fu" (which sounded similar to the Chinese word for "rich"), he went on the defensive. "What rich boy? My surname is Zhao, not Fu!"

Zhao Zhanlei was just about to say, "Fine, then you can take my surname," when the host of the evening's banquet overheard and spoke up first.

"Xiao Xun, did Shuhang bully you? Why are you so unwilling to marry into our family now that you've grown up?"

Ji Xun immediately looked over. The speaker was Gao Mingyuan, but as his gaze shifted, he focused on Fu Shuhang standing beside Uncle Gao.

Fu Shuhang was wearing a black tailcoat. His handsome face was cold and expressionless, making him look like a moving iceberg. It was the exact opposite of his father Gao Mingyuan’s friendly and warm demeanor.

Ji Xun took one look and retracted his gaze, greeting Gao Mingyuan obediently: "Hello, Uncle Gao. Thank you and Uncle Fu for helping us drive the enemies away again."

"Hahaha, Xiao Xun is always so well-spoken." Gao Mingyuan laughed, patting Ji Xun’s cheek before turning to embrace Ji’s father and mother. "Brother Ji, sister-in-law, let’s head inside."

The adults walked ahead, and the children followed.

Ji Xun was worried that his earlier outburst might have ruined his "dormancy plan," which had been going so smoothly. He tried to explain to Fu Shuhang: "Brother Hang... I didn't mean it like that. I was just afraid that Stone would misunderstand."

"It's fine," Fu Shuhang glanced at him sideways and said indifferently, "You couldn't have the surname Fu anyway."

"...That's true." Ji Xun kept a smile on his face while secretly grinding his teeth.

The Interstellar Hotel wasn't open exclusively to awakened individuals, so the first floor was strictly controlled. Once they reached the upper floors via elevator, Ji Xun could finally see the mental manifestations.

The banquet was lively and festive. The adults' mental manifestations interacted in a very harmonious way, though if one looked closely, they were mostly just doing their own thing, rarely gathering to play like their socializing owners.

Fu Shuhang was essentially a co-host for the night. After bringing Ji Xun and Zhao Zhanlei to the center of the banquet hall, he was stopped by someone and began to converse. In this setting, Zhao Zhanlei couldn't stay with Ji Xun forever either and was soon called away by his own parents.

Ji Xun tapped his toes and suddenly said, "Brother Hang, I'm going to go sit over there."

Fu Shuhang nodded at him. Once Ji Xun left, the sentinel talking to Fu Shuhang immediately asked, "Who was that little guide?"

"My younger brother," Fu Shuhang replied.

"You have a younger brother?" The sentinel said, interested. "How old is he?"

Fu Shuhang didn't answer, only saying, "Still very young."

Ji Xun turned toward the buffet table to grab a plate. He liked sweets and fried foods that his mother usually forbade him from eating at home. He also liked fish roe, so he ladled two spoonfuls onto his plate, then opened a stainless steel warmer and picked up a piece of freshly seared steak.

Just then, someone asked, "Excuse me, would you like some mayonnaise?"

Ji Xun turned to look. It was a gentlemanly boy, a bit taller than him, with gentle, beautiful turquoise eyes. He was a stranger, wearing the uniform of the Interstellar Sanctuary; he was likely a guide as well.

Ji Xun didn't want to make the other boy feel awkward, so he held out his plate and smiled, showing his dimples. "I was just looking for some, thank you!"

The boy drizzled the mayonnaise next to the steak and said with a hint of reserve, "You're welcome."

Ji Xun noticed the boy had already selected a fair amount of food on his own plate. He briefly considered inviting him to eat in the corner, but remembered he was trying to stay out of the way for the night, so he hesitated for two seconds.

In those two seconds, the boy asked, "Are you from this district?"

Ji Xun nodded. "Yes."

"My name is Bai Huanchen. Could I join you?" The boy was a bit introverted. "I think you're a very nice person."

Earlier, while getting food, Ji Xun had helped three or four children with their cutlery, fetched egg tarts, helped a little girl with the chocolate fountain, and directed two adults. He clearly had a warm and kind personality.

"I suppose you can," Ji Xun said, then added, "But I just want to find a quiet corner to eat tonight. If you want to meet the hosts of the banquet, look, they're right there. The one talking to those three people is Fu Shuhang, the son of Marshal White Bear."

Bai Huanchen looked over. His gaze lingered on Fu Shuhang for five or six seconds before he looked back at Ji Xun. "I'll follow you."

Thinking the boy had changed his mind, Ji Xun agreed readily. "Alright, follow me!"

Ji Xun was familiar with the banquet hall. After weaving through several turns, he led Bai Huanchen to a secluded booth with a great view of the night scenery.

"I'm Ji Xun," he said. "Where are you from?"

"Star Navigation District 10."

"No wonder! Your Sanctuary uniform looks really good!"

Bai Huanchen smiled, looking a bit embarrassed. "Thank you."

In a private setting like this, if people had formal wear, they wouldn't wear their Sanctuary uniforms. But the little guide before him was straightforward and meant no mockery.

Ji Xun put down his plate, took off his royal blue blazer, placed it aside, and rolled up his white shirt sleeves. "In this kind of situation, we guides just need to eat. It's different for sentinels; they have to stay busy expanding their social circles."

Bai Huanchen froze for a split second, then lowered his head without a word.

"By the way, which 'Bai' is your surname?"

"Wood-Bai."

"Oh, nice! My name is Ji Xun—'Xun' as in 'respectful and cautious,' with the heart radical."

Bai Huanchen said, "Your name is very nice too."

"Thanks!" Ji Xun smiled brightly, picked up his knife and fork to cut the steak, dipped a small piece in sauce, and popped it into his mouth. With his jacket off, he could eat freely.

Halfway through, a small Persian cat mental manifestation trotted over to Ji Xun’s feet, rubbing against him and meowing.

Ji Xun looked down and asked Bai Huanchen across from him, "Is that your mental manifestation?"

"No."

Ji Xun didn't recognize it either. He looked around but didn't see its owner, so he poked half a piece of broccoli from his plate and offered it. "Can you eat this, little guy?"

The Persian cat sniffed the green broccoli, didn't eat it, and continued to meow at Ji Xun, flicking its fluffy tail.

Ji Xun set down his chopsticks, picked it up, and let it choose from his plate. "What do you want?"

Just then, a little girl ran over, her face flushed. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't keep an eye on Xiao Bo and let it run off."

"It's okay," Ji Xun smiled, handing the cat back to her. "I thought it was hungry, but luckily it's not like the General—that one will eat anything."

The girl blushed and asked after taking the cat, "Who is the General?"

"A Bengal white tiger, also a mental manifestation."

"But mental manifestations don't need to eat!"

Ji Xun laughed, "Who knows? That one just loves to eat and act cute. It's nothing like its owner."

The girl giggled, thanked Ji Xun softly, and left. Ji Xun thought to himself that many mental manifestations were felines; they were truly cute.

He picked up his cutlery again.

Bai Huanchen suddenly asked, "What is your mental manifestation?"

"Huh?" Ji Xun hadn't expected the other boy to ask that when they were almost finished, but he had no intention of hiding it. "I don't have one yet."

Bai Huanchen was stunned. "If I may ask, how old are you?"

"Twelve." Ji Xun didn't care at all. "I know it's strange not to have one at this age, but do you know the saying? 'When heaven is about to confer a great office on a man, it first disciplines his mind...' anyway, it means someone has to go through many hardships and tests before they get a difficult task."

Watching him struggle to recite the quote, Bai Huanchen couldn't help but smile gently.

"What are you laughing at!" Ji Xun misunderstood his intent and immediately said, "I'm not bragging! I'm about to undergo my second awakening. When that happens, I'll have a very powerful mental manifestation, and no one will be able to look down on me!"

"Do your friends look down on you?"

"One does." Ji Xun narrowed his eyes dangerously when mentioning Fu Shuhang. "So once I have my mental manifestation, the first thing I'm going to do is shark him!"

Bai Huanchen was taken aback. The words were fierce, but the youthful spirit in the little guide's eyes made him look even more adorable. It wasn't frightening at all; instead, it made one feel a sense of affection.

Bai Huanchen said, "If it's just one, that's fine. If everyone looked down on you, you would be very sad."

"Sad? Why!" Ji Xun pouted, acting as if he didn't care at all, and said with great ambition, "If they ignore me now, I'll make sure they can't afford to reach me later! None of them will be my match! I’m going to be the strongest guide!"

Bai Huanchen smiled, not explaining that the "sadness" he meant wasn't about mood.

The new friend laughed, his eyes reflecting a vast, clear blue sky. Ji Xun looked into those eyes and felt, rather slowly, that he had said too much. He reined himself in a bit, acting reserved, and politely asked, "What about your mental manifestation? What is it?"

Bai Huanchen’s expression dimmed slightly, but he quickly replied, "I don't have one yet either."

"Wow!" Ji Xun, who had just promised to be reserved, couldn't hold back at all. Excitedly, he asked, "For real? You don't have one? How old are you?"

"I'm almost eleven."

"Oh..." Ji Xun scratched his forehead. "You're so young, but you look a bit older than me."

Bai Huanchen moved his lips as if to explain, but held back. He smiled and said, "Maybe I'm just a bit precocious."

"I guess." Ji Xun didn't seem to care much and laughed, his dimples deepening. "That's great, at least we're in the same boat! Let's exchange contact info. When I get my mental manifestation, I'll be sure to tell you, and you do the same!"