"Making the bed."
An Zhen lightly tapped the dazed loli's forehead.
The intimate gesture did not cause the loli any displeasure; her fair little face lowered in embarrassment. "I… a wooden plank bed is fine for me."
An Zhen was startled.
He remembered.
At this time, Huo Yutong's tuition fees were paid by others, and Huo Gua, who hadn't started selling grilled fish yet, could be described as penniless.
"By the way, have you eaten lunch yet?"
An Zhen changed the subject.
Perhaps Huo Yuhao's actions in the later part of the original novel made him somewhat displeased, for example, blowing up Mingdu, but now none of that had happened, and Huo Yuhao had become Huo Yutong.
An eleven-year-old loli, whose mother and she were abused by the White Tiger Duke's wife, who witnessed her mother die in such a harsh environment, who had suffered for so many years, and was even stunted in growth.
It truly made one's heart ache.
"Not yet."
Huo Yutong felt a little hungry.
"Let's go, I'll take you to the cafeteria."
The cafeteria was behind the dormitory area. After thinking for a moment, An Zhen led the little loli into the purple cafeteria.
"The white one is the freshman cafeteria, but not only does it have no tables or chairs, it also has a lot of broken rules. The purple one is for fourth and fifth years."
Clean and bright, with luxurious tables, chairs, and benches that were high-end and elegant, their silver metallic luster exuded a sense of advanced technology. At mealtime, the rich aroma stimulated one's appetite.
"Little Yu Tong?"
"Little Junior… Brother?"
Upon entering the cafeteria, just as An Zhen was walking towards the serving window, he heard two calls. Turning his head, he saw a man and a woman walking towards them.
Walking in front was a girl who looked to be fifteen or sixteen years old. Her long black hair was tied into a ponytail that reached her waist, and her purple school uniform dress outlined her youthful vitality. She had lively phoenix eyes and a beautiful melon seed-shaped face.
Following behind her was a boy of similar age, tall and slender, with short dark blue hair and a handsome face that gave off a refined feeling. If he was a mature and steady young male god like an older brother, then An Zhen was like a proud young man who walked out of a storybook, a type that was quite pleasing to others, with extraordinary charm in his every move, making people yearn for him.
"Little Yu Tong." The girl quickly walked forward and, with a joyful expression, embraced the little loli. "How did you get here?"
"I brought Huo Yutong to eat," An Zhen explained.
"Who are you?!"
Pulling the loli, who was somewhat unaccustomed to such enthusiasm, behind her, Tang Ya looked at An Zhen with a wary expression, like a hen protecting her chick.
"An Zhen, a first-year freshman, called by an old grandpa to look after a classmate." The young man's face was full of sincerity.
This was the truth.
He just took care of her a little more than a little.
"Teacher Xiaoya, Brother An Zhen has taken great care of me," the little loli explained for the good person.
An Zhen nodded slightly in agreement.
As everyone knew, he was just a kind-hearted good child.
"Is that so?"
Tang Ya was half-convinced, her pretty eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"Alright, Xiaoya, I think this little brother is just being helpful." The refined young man apologized to An Zhen. "Sorry, my Xiaoya is too worried when our little junior brother is out alone."
"It's fine, it's true that you need to be more careful when you're out."
An Zhen waved his hand, then walked straight to the serving window.
Seeing An Zhen leave, Bei Bei and Tang Ya pulled Huo Yutong to an empty corner.
"Little Yu Tong, this An Zhen didn't discover that you're disguised as a boy, did he?" Tang Ya asked worriedly.
"Probably not."
Huo Yutong was a bit uncertain, after all, she was underdeveloped now, and her female characteristics, aside from a somewhat soft voice, were not obvious.
"I told you we should have disguised our little junior sister's appearance," Bei Bei said somewhat helplessly.
"Why can't there be cute boys in the World if there are cute girls?" Tang Ya retorted, then took a somewhat worn-looking book from the big boy next to her. "I just found this in the dormitory. You can practice your voice a bit when you go back and it'll sound masculine, then just say you had a cold and your throat was uncomfortable."
"Thank you, Teacher!"
"Oh, right, shouldn't you two be going to the first-year cafeteria?" Tang Ya asked, puzzled.
"Brother An Zhen said there weren't even tables and chairs there, so he pulled me here instead," Huo Yutong, who was new and unfamiliar with many rules, asked worriedly, "Are we not allowed to come here?"
"It's not that you can't," Tang Ya touched her cheek, "but usually, no low-grade students come here."
The first-year dormitory and cafeteria were indeed not good; she had thought she went to the wrong place when she first arrived.
"Excuse me, are you done chatting?"
A voice interrupted them.
The smiling young man held a tray in one hand, on which were standard three dishes and two soups. The exquisite dishes looked expensive, and their rich aroma was an irresistible temptation.
Putting down the tray, An Zhen pointed to the empty seat opposite him. "Huo Yutong, hurry up and sit down to eat. The energy in these dishes is relatively mild; anyone who has awakened their Spirit can handle it."
"Ah?"
Huo Yutong hadn't expected there to be a portion for her too.
Tang Ya pressed Huo Yutong's shoulder, making her sit down. Why not take advantage when someone was treating?
The pretty girl narrowed her eyes, then sat down beside An Zhen with a smile. "Classmate An Zhen, your hobbies wouldn't happen to be cute little boys, would they?"
The girl put particular emphasis on the words "little boys."
"No, my ideal partner is a beautiful girl with an intellectual personality and mature in her actions."
This was a standard.
But there was no rule that a person could only have one standard for a partner.
What could An Zhen be wrong about? An eleven-year-old boy simply liked to appreciate beautiful things.
Her bright eyes dimmed for a moment, then a blush appeared on her fair cheeks, and she quickly lowered her head. Huo Yutong, Huo Yutong, you just met, Brother An Zhen is just being kind, how could you think that way?
The loli's past had too many misfortunes, so she carefully cherished every rare act of kindness.
"Oh! So, does that mean I, this young lady, am within your criteria for a partner?"
"Hehe."
Looking at the girl with one boot on the chair, An Zhen could only answer like this.
"What does 'hehe' mean?!" The girl, who had gotten along with him in just a few words, was somewhat exasperated and angrily turned to her boyfriend. "Bei Bei, am I not intellectual and mature?"
"My Xiaoya is certainly mature and intellectual!" The young man, stroking the girl's hair with his fingers, replied with a doting expression.
"Whose are you?! And you should call me Teacher!"
"…"
An Zhen didn't want to watch them be lovey-dovey.
He quickly finished his lunch, with more than half of the dishes remaining. Seeing Huo Yutong still timidly holding her soup bowl, not having touched her chopsticks, An Zhen stood up. "Huo Yutong, please take these bowls and chopsticks to the recycling area later. Remember, don't waste food."
"Ah? Okay."
An Zhen left the cafeteria directly. If he continued to sit there, the child might just gnaw a hole in the bowl.
"This guy seems nice."
As soon as An Zhen left, Tang Ya stopped her playful bickering with Bei Bei and instead seriously pondered the conversation she had just had with him.
Rubbing his chin, remembering that he hadn't perceived anything just now, Bei Bei's refined face showed a thoughtful expression, and he spoke, "I heard that a freshman had a conflict with his roommate this year, and the two went directly to the Dou Hun District to fight. One of them had a very mysterious Spirit ability; he just showed his spirit ring, and the other person inexplicably fell to the ground, with punch and kick marks on his body, scaring the other person into directly applying for a room change."
"Ah? Did the school not do anything about it?"
Huo Yutong was surprised, fighting right after enrollment.
"Little Yu Tong." Tang Ya pinched the loli's soft cheek and explained, "Going to the Dou Hun District is voluntary, and besides, the growth of a Spirit Master is inseparable from combat. The school supports resolving personal grievances through open and fair combat in the Dou Hun District."
"By the way, Bei Bei, what was that person's Spirit and name?"
"I don't know his name, but his Spirit, I heard, was World."