Chapter 46

" Xing, Brother Xing, why are you waiting for me again..."

"Just happened to hear your voice when I stepped outside." Fu Shuxing handed Ji Xun a piece of candy, then gently curled his finger in a signaling gesture, "Hand over your schoolbag."

Ji Xun felt hesitant and wary, cautiously handing over the schoolbag containing the Great King, "What are you doing?"

Fu Shuxing hoisted it straight onto his shoulder.

Ji Xun: "..."

Looking at Fu Shuxing, who was dressed exclusively in black and white, wearing his brightly colored schoolbag, Ji Xun was at a loss for words.

No matter how one looked at it, this was utterly discordant!

Fu Shuxing didn't think so.

Even upon entering the Sanctuary, Fu Shuxing did not return the schoolbag hanging from his shoulder to Ji Xun.

It was not until they stood before the Countercurrent Bridge.

That Ji Xun finally retrieved his small schoolbag.

His heart instantly felt much more secure!

Yet the Great King egg inside the schoolbag thrashed about like a maniac, as if it were about to suffocate from holding back.

Ji Xun reached his hand into the schoolbag to stroke it, comforting it: "He who can bear small things can achieve great plans. Great King egg, don't rush, let's see what tricks he has up his sleeve."

The following days were pretty much the same.

Every morning when Ji Xun stepped outside, he would see Fu Shuxing waiting by his door. Fu Shuxing would give him candy, help carry his schoolbag, and then the two of them would go to school together. Every few days, Fu Shuxing would also drop by the Guide Building to deliver some food—snacks, drinks, and all sorts of fruits.

Ji Xun was still completely baffled and had no idea what Fu Shuxing was plotting.

Meanwhile, the other classes in the Guide Building were already buzzing with wild rumors—

"Did you hear that Ji Xun broke up with Zhao Zhanlei?"

"Right, haven't you noticed they haven't been hanging out together lately? Instead, it's Fu Shuxing who comes to the Guide Building every day to bring Ji Xun all kinds of delicious treats."

"No way, is Ji Xun's new partner Fu Shuxing?"

"Isn't it obvious enough?"

"Wow, Fu Shuxing snatching love away by force! Playing the third wheel for love?"

"Zhao Zhanlei and Fu Shuxing seem to have fallen out; I haven't seen them walking together for days."

"Zhao Zhanlei must be heartbroken right now."

"Ji Xun has it so tough. Both Zhao Zhanlei and Fu Shuxing are one-in-a-million sentinels, each with their own merits. Such a choice is troublesome and agonizing—just let me bear it for Ji Xun!!"

"...... Go wash your face and go to bed."

The rumors were rampant.

After spreading back and forth across the entire Guide Building, the gossip finally reached the ears of Ji Xun, who never listened to gossip.

"What???"

Ji Xun couldn't believe it!!

Zhou Xiaoyun shrugged and spread her hands, "That's how it is."

"..." Ji Xun was speechless for a long time before asking with complete incomprehension: "Why have they got such wild imaginations? First they shipped me with Stone, and now they're shipping me with Fu Shuxing. Can't the three of us just be good bros?"

Zhou Xiaoyun said, "Mostly because you two have been way too clingy lately."

"Clingy how??"

"You two come to school together every single day~"

"Wasn't it always like this before? My family only has one flyer, and my dad needs it for work. I've been hitching a ride with Brother Xing ever since I was a kid. If I couldn't catch a ride with him, I'd hitch with Stone, and if neither worked out, I'd take a public flyer. It's been like this for several years."

"Well, Fu Shuxing wasn't this frequent before, bringing you snacks every single day, right?"

That was true.

However, Ji Xun had another explanation: "Ever since we were kids, whatever delicious food there is in Brother Xing's house, I can just take whatever I want. What's a few snacks compared to that?"

Zhou Xiaoyun said, "That's where you don't understand. Is getting things yourself the same as someone else giving them to you?"

Ji Xun: "How is it different?"

"One is you wanting to treat yourself well, and the other is someone else wanting to treat you well."

"..."

Zhou Xiaoyun rubbed her chin and analyzed seriously, "Of course, I just realized that rumors aren't necessarily true, because there's another possibility."

Ji Xun: "?"

Ji Xun: "What is it?"

Zhou Xiaoyun's gaze instantly turned sharp—"The truth is only one: Fu Shuxing wants to chase you, but he hasn't succeeded yet!"

Ji Xun: "..."

This was truly a story more terrifying than a horror story.

Knowing of this horrifying rumor, Ji Xun had no heart for class all day long and bolted out of the instructor's office doors the moment school let out that afternoon!

Directly dodging Fu Shuxing!

As Zhao Zhanlei boarded the flyer, he already heard the familiar breathing sound inside.

He smiled, opened the cabin door, and directly let Jason out.

Jason appeared out of thin air and instantly pounced onto Ji Xun!

"Ouch!" Quick to react, Ji Xun caught Jason just in time, stroking the leopard's sleek and beautiful spotted fur while pinching the muscles on its slender limbs, "Wow! Jason, you really change every single day! Haven't seen you in a few days and you've gotten this big!"

The leopard enthusiastically licked him.

"..." Ji Xun raised his arm to wipe the leopard's saliva off his face.

At that moment, Zhao Zhanlei asked, "How come you weren't with Brother Xing today?"

Hearing that name triggered a slight stress response in Ji Xun, and he immediately turned to ask Zhao Zhanlei: "Stone, have you ever heard of a certain saying?"

Zhao Zhanlei closed the cabin door, sat down, unscrewed his water bottle, and asked, "What?"

Ji Xun: "They say you're my boyfriend."

"Pfft—!" Zhao Zhanlei spat out the water he had just swallowed and choked, coughing repeatedly, "Xunxun! That is not something you can just listen to blindly!"

This had been spreading for ages already!!

Ji Xun said, "Don't get excited yet, there's something even more outrageous. Don't drink water right now."

Zhao Zhanlei retorted, "Even more outrageous? They say you're carrying my child?"

"No, they said Fu Shuxing has been pursuing me these past few days."

Zhao Zhanlei: "..."

"How is that even possible!!" Ji Xun frowned, saying angrily, "They have no idea what kind of malicious person Fu Shuxing is deep down; they've just been deceived by his exterior. Fu Shuxing is the guy who cursed me as a loser twice!! Hell would freeze over before he'd ever chase me!!!"

Seeing that Ji Xun was still dwelling on that remark, Zhao Zhanlei decided to tactfully mediate, "Brother Xing actually has a sharp tongue and a soft heart."

Ji Xun: "He has a sharp tongue and an axe for a heart!"

Unable to follow up, Zhao Zhanlei said: "..."

Ji Xun urged Zhao Zhanlei again: "Aren't you guys in the same class? Haven't you noticed anything at all?"

"I just feel that Brother Xing's mood has been quite good these days," Zhao Zhanlei spoke objectively. "Although in the past, Brother Xing's expression in simulation classes and actual combat classes never differed, recently... it's just a bit different."

Upon hearing this, Ji Xun said unhappily, "Of course he's happy since his plan to sabotage me is progressing so smoothly!"

Zhao Zhanlei didn't speak, secretly observing Ji Xun's expression.

Ji Xun said, "I haven't slept well for two days straight. Fu Shuxing comes to catch me every morning, and in the evening he calls me over to his place to let General hatch the Great King egg. I literally have no spare time to study! I suspect he's doing this precisely to stop me from becoming the strongest guide!"

He asked Zhao Zhanlei: "Don't you think so??"

Zhao Zhanlei immediately nodded in agreement, "It's possible!"

He asked again: "Aside from these, has Brother Xing done anything else to you?"

Ji Xun: "No."

Zhao Zhanlei said, "Alright then, I'll sound out Brother Xing for you later."

Ji Xun: "Don't wait for 'later', let's do it today. Later when I go to your house, you can call him right in front of me."

Zhao Zhanlei paused for half a second, "Xunxun, are you afraid I'll collude with Brother Xing?"

"Huh? I didn't think like that." Ji Xun looked blank for a second, then realization dawned as he retorted to Zhao Zhanlei: "If I thought you two were colluding, would I even come and ask you?"

Zhao Zhanlei: "Right, right, right, right."

"Alright then, that's settled."

The doors of the Zhao residence were tightly shut, meaning the parents clearly hadn't returned yet.

Zhao Zhanlei led Ji Xun to his bedroom.

Ji Xun took the Great King egg out of his schoolbag to let it get some air.

Curious, Jason immediately trotted over to sniff at it.

Seeing this, Ji Xun nudged the Great King egg aside, "Jason, this is my spiritual body, you are definitely not allowed to bite it."

Jason: "Meow!"

Zhao Zhanlei laughed out loud, "Who would bite it with their mouth."

"General."

Zhao Zhanlei stopped instantly and fell silent.

"Make the call already!" Ji Xun urged.

Zhao Zhanlei dialed Fu Shuxing's communication number.

After a moment, the call connected.

Zhao Zhanlei asked first, "Brother Xing, have you reached home yet?"

"I have."

Zhao Zhanlei glanced at Ji Xun and, as they had previously agreed, asked, "Brother Xing, I heard a very strange rumor at the Sanctuary recently, saying that you're pursuing Ji Xun. I laughed out loud when I heard it, hahaha, how could that possibly be!"

Fu Shuxing gave an ambiguous response: "Mn."

Zhao Zhanlei immediately made facial gestures at Ji Xun: Fu Shuxing already said it's impossible.

Are you satisfied with this answer?

Ji Xun nodded and immediately signaled him to ask the second question.

Zhao Zhanlei coughed once before asking, "Then why have you been pestering Xunxun these past few days? You've even stopped training."

"I made him angry before, wanted to treat him a bit better."

"Oh! Only now you realize you were wrong back then?"

"Mn."

Zhao Zhanlei looked at Ji Xun.

Ji Xun pointed at the third line of text on the drawing board.

Zhao Zhanlei made an OK gesture and then said to Fu Shuxing on the other end of the communicator: "But Brother Xing, won't doing this bring a lot of pressure to Xunxun? Now students all over the Sanctuary are spreading rumors that you two are dating, how bad is that for his reputation..."

"Put Ji Xun on the line."

Zhao Zhanlei: "......!"

Ji Xun: "......!"

Ji Xun was still struggling internally, wondering if Fu Shuxing's words meant what he thought they didn't mean.

As a result, the next moment, Fu Shuxing clarified—"Isn't Ji Xun right beside you? Let him answer the comm."

Ji Xun: "............" Fine.

Resigning to his fate, Ji Xun took the communicator from Zhao Zhanlei's hand and called out with zero confidence, "Brother Xing..."

Rather than minding the joint probing just now, Fu Shuxing simply said, "The game I bought you has arrived. Come over tonight and you won't be bored."

Ji Xun glanced at Zhao Zhanlei while clutching the quilt in his hand, "But Brother Xing, I want to study..."

"You need to balance work and rest."

Ji Xun: "...Alright."

After hanging up the communicator, Ji Xun instantly grew indignant and said to Zhao Zhanlei: "Look! He's deliberately trying to corrupt me with food and fun! He doesn't want me to be serious, doesn't want me to progress, and doesn't want me to turn over a new leaf and become a proper guide! Because he sensed a crisis and wants to nip me in the cradle before I can become a threat to him!"

The atmosphere had already reached this point.

Zhao Zhanlei hurriedly said, "Right!"

Ji Xun asked, "Then what should we do now?"

"Hard to say," Zhao Zhanlei tutted, "Unless you directly and decisively reject Brother Xing."

"But only by lurking by his side can I achieve my revenge plan."