The next day, while walking inside the academy, Luo Yu noticed a strong change in its atmosphere.
Before, whenever he walked through the academy, there would always be girls teasing him from time to time. Now, although many girls still cast flirtatious glances, they all kept their distance, only daring to whisper among themselves from afar.
Luo Yu shook his head. Sometimes keeping a low profile really was necessary. If the gap in strength grew too large, a sense of distance would naturally form. His status in the academy had risen without him even trying, but the treatment he received was worse than before.
In truth, the main reason was that most girls in Tianshui Academy were genuinely good-natured. When he hadn't revealed his talent, they all treated him kindly. After he revealed it, although they admired him even more, that admiration came with added distance.
That distance wasn't dislike — it was shyness and inferiority.
"Luo Yu-gege." Shui Yue'er ran over from afar. The girl still looked the same as before, little stars sparkling in her eyes. "You were amazing yesterday!"
Luo Yu smiled. "Sword Douluo was holding back his cultivation. It was just luck. Nothing worth bragging about."
"It's still amazing! That old man is a powerhouse at the Title Douluo level." Shui Yue'er shot back.
"Where's that girl who stayed behind yesterday?" Luo Yu asked curiously.
Shui Yue'er pouted slightly, a hint of jealousy showing. "She's doing chores in the back courtyard. The dean said if she does the work well, she'll be accepted. If she doesn't want to do it, she can leave anytime."
"Oh?" Luo Yu was taken aback. "The little princess of the Qibao Liuli Sect can endure that kind of treatment?"
"I heard from the people in the back courtyard that she wanted to throw away the work the moment she saw how tiring it was. But when she heard she could leave anytime… she immediately got motivated."
Shui Yue'er puffed out her cheeks. "Yu-gege, you're really something. You just went out for one trip and somehow brought back a devoted princess."
"Stop." Luo Yu rolled his eyes. "I did nothing outside. Who knew that little princess had nothing better to do than insist on coming here."
Hearing his tone, Shui Yue'er finally relaxed, showing a sweet smile.
After Luo Yu walked away, Shui Yue'er remained standing there with a silly grin. Then she clenched her tiny fists, baring her small tiger teeth. "I knew it! That girl definitely came to Tianshui Academy to steal our man. Hmph — no chance!"
Luo Yu didn't want to run into Su Yaoyun's weird school uniform again, so he was planning to go out and buy a few sets of clothes. But just as he stepped out of the academy gates, a dark shadow shot toward him at high speed.
"Swish!"
He focused, shifted sideways, and avoided the attack. Reaching out, he caught the attacker's arm with a reverse grappling motion, pulling the person toward him. Luo Yu raised his right fist to strike — only for a bright-eyed, doll-faced girl to appear in his vision.
Luo Yu froze. What was she doing here? And ambushing him at the gate of Tianshui Academy? Was this because he beat someone from their academy last time, so she ran all the way here for revenge? No way she was that persistent… right?
"Aren't you going to let go?!"
The shadow was a girl with a stunning doll-like face. Her early-developed, fiery figure could even rival Su Yaoyun's. The pair of cat ears atop her head added a touch of exotic charm.
"Zhu Zhuqing? Why are you ambushing me?" Luo Yu stared in disbelief at the girl who absolutely shouldn't be here.
"I came to find you." Zhu Zhuqing's cold little face flushed slightly, but she'd clearly prepared what to say beforehand, answering crisply.
"Huh? Find me for what?"
Luo Yu was dumbfounded. Yesterday, Ning Rongrong showed up with her luggage. Today, even Zhu Zhuqing showed up? What had he ever done to these girls?
"I want to take a look around your school. Is that okay?" Zhu Zhuqing's expression was cold, but her bright, dark eyes showed a bit of embarrassment.
"You want to tour our school?" Luo Yu blinked. Seeing her serious expression, he nodded. "You're a girl — touring our academy is fine. I'll take you."
He led Zhu Zhuqing through the campus. She looked around quietly without speaking. Meanwhile, Luo Yu, walking through the academy with a doll-faced, voluptuous yet icy girl, naturally drew tons of attention from the Tianshui girls.
"You're very popular here," Zhu Zhuqing said.
"It's okay. Mostly because I'm the only guy."
Luo Yu still hadn't figured out her intentions and remained confused. Shrek was definitely not close — traveling thousands of miles just to tour a school?
After circling around, they reached the mountain stream behind the academy. Few people lingered here; only the two of them remained.
Watching the spring water falling from the mountain and flowing peacefully into the academy, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes revealed longing. She sighed softly and whispered, "Unlucky to be born into a big clan… when will I ever live freely?"
"What did you say?"
Luo Yu had been spacing out, trying to understand her purpose. A girl this pure-faced, beautiful, and yet so alluring in figure coming all this way — Luo Yu wouldn't say he felt anything special, but he certainly wasn't opposed.
Zhu Zhuqing turned to look at him. Her flawless little face, usually so icy, looked almost stiff — clearly, she hadn't smiled in a long time. Suddenly, she asked a strange question.
"Luo Yu, what do you think a real man should be like?"
"Man? Uh… huh?? Um…"
"Hard to answer?" Zhu Zhuqing asked, surprised.
"There are men everywhere. Without pulling down their pants to check, who knows which one's real?" Luo Yu accidentally blurted out a line he remembered from his past life.
Zhu Zhuqing let out a soft scoff. "I'm asking you about a man's personality."
Luo Yu understood. "Don't tell me you traveled all the way here just to ask that? Your team has several men — Tang San, Ma Hongjun, Dai Mubai."
At the last name, Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flashed with disgust and coldness. She lifted her chin. "I'm asking you because—"
"I think you look more like a man than they do."
Luo Yu touched his nose awkwardly. Honestly, being praised by a green tea girl meant nothing — it even felt gross.
But being praised like this by a sweet-faced, ice-cold beauty? He couldn't deny it felt nice.
Looking at the flowing stream, Luo Yu said lazily, "Hard to define what a man should be. Everyone has their own way of living."
A trace of disappointment flashed through Zhu Zhuqing's eyes. She'd watched this man act so differently from those shallow men she knew. She thought coming here would give her a unique answer.
"Maybe I don't know what a man should do, because primal instincts exist in everyone. But I do know what a man should not do. And I hold myself to that." Luo Yu said slowly.
"What a man shouldn't do?" Zhu Zhuqing echoed.
"A man can be lazy — everyone chooses their own lifestyle. But if there's a responsibility he must bear, he should put aside his laziness and shoulder it openly."
"A man can be lustful, but at the very least he must be honest with his woman. Integrity is something a man must never lose. Sneaky, shameful things — those must never be done."
"A man can be shameless, but he should never be shameless toward those who trust him. Because that's not a man — that's a beast."
"That's about it." Luo Yu picked up a stone and flicked it into the lake, creating a chain of skips. "I live simple — if others don't wrong me, I won't wrong them."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes grew brighter, as if she'd found a long-sought truth. The cold stiffness on her face even seemed to thaw.
"Luo Yu."
"Mm?"
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Her voice was calm, but a slight tremor hid within it.
"Of course it exists," Luo Yu answered without thinking.
"…I kind of like you."
"What???"
The sudden confession nearly sent Luo Yu straight into the lake. What was happening??
There is no such thing as love at first sight — only the sudden realization that you've found the person you've imagined for so long.
...
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