When he got back to the academy, it was already past 4:00 PM.

Yes, traveling back and forth to the city center was quite time-consuming, a major reason why Ren Suo was reluctant to follow Qiao Muyi around; plus, he didn't have a car and could only take the subway.

Ren Suo had considered getting a car, but first, he needed a driver's license, and for that, he needed driving lessons, which would take him to the city center... Forget it. Might as well hitch rides from others. Usually, unless someone else invited him, he definitely wouldn't take the initiative.

When Ren Suo got home, his sister had already left for class, but he felt the bed's temperature and it seemed she hadn't been gone long... Probably overslept, just like my sister.

There were still several people he needed to deliver to, and with nothing else to do at the moment, Ren Suo couldn't be bothered to change clothes or take off his shoes, and just picked up the remaining kraft paper bags, ready to play deliveryman.

He thought about it, then texted Lin Xianyu, who was in class, "Is Teacher Bai teaching right now?"

Sure enough, Lin Xianyu wasn't paying attention in class but was playing with her phone, and quickly replied to Ren Suo, "He should be teaching Class Five. What's up? Do you need him for something? Is it urgent? Can we help?"

Huh? Lin Xianyu's reply was quite thoughtful, Ren Suo responded, "No worries, just asking. By the way, when do you get out of class?"

"=￣ω￣= Ten minutes until break, and class ends at six... Big Brother Ren, are you treating me to dinner? Are you cooking yourself? Yes, please."

Hmph, figured as much. I knew you were eyeing my rice, Ren Suo replied, "Not treating, not treating. By the way, which classroom are you in?"

"We're in Room 306 of the academic building, studying university physics."

"And Cheng Ling?"

"She's probably in Room 202 for Spell Theory."

Good, off to make deliveries.

Ren Suo carried the four kraft paper bags to the academic building and found the fourth-floor office for cultivator instructors. Although he had never been here before, he instantly spotted Bai Ji's place—it was swamped with various large and small dolls, clearly gifts from the female teachers, and the desk overflowing with all sorts of gift-wrapped apples, fully conveying the gifters' eager, 'apple'-themed hopes.

With no one in the office, Ren Suo went straight over to drop off the paper bags and casually tore off a sticky note. He suddenly remembered his chat with Lin Xianyu, smiled to himself, wrote a message, and then left with the other bags.

Ten minutes later, during the break, Bai Ji returned to the office to grab some stuff and naturally discovered the kraft paper bag.

He first thought it was yet another gift from a female teacher or student, but when he saw the note on the bag, he was momentarily stunned:

"=￣ω￣= One handmade scarf, fabric might not be as good as the one you gave me, but… it'll do!"

Bai Ji pulled out the ice-blue scarf from the bag, decorated with a neat, aesthetically pleasing pattern of white diamonds, akin to Ice Crystals.

The more Bai Ji looked at it, the more he liked it, and he quickly swapped it for his own.

He touched the scarf and sat down, a faint smile on his face.

Because he was a step late and distracted by the harassment from various girls, he hadn't been able to make plans with Ren Suo—Ren Suo's Christmas had been completely scheduled out. Furthermore, he had classes on Christmas Day, fully booked.

After having dinner at Ren Suo's House that day, Bai Ji felt he no longer harbored that anxious anticipation for the future. He wasn't convinced that Earth was safe; after all, above stood the Fairy Palace World Tree and below dwelled supernatural deities. Perhaps a whim from the Fairy Palace, or a trial from the deities, could doom Earth—when the entire world hung on the edge of a knife, and that knife was contested, who could feel at ease?

Yet, he felt that even if Mars collided with Earth the next second, or nuclear war erupted, or a supreme zombie awoke after three thousand years leading an Endless army of the Undead and swept across the globe... he could peacefully accept his Destiny.

Both what could be chosen and what could not, what could be accepted and what could not, were all Destiny.

Bai Ji felt he had a lot to talk about with Ren Suo, but now he felt it wasn't necessary to say so much.

He wasn't quite like Dong Chengling, or Qiao Muyi; his feelings weren't so impassioned that he needed to establish a new relationship with Ren Suo. He thought the current state of affairs was pretty good: occasionally having meals together, chatting, playing on the phone, or trying his newly baked cakes.

If love was hopeless, then let friendship complete this deception for me. If I can't get close to the sun, can't I at least stay close to the glowworms?

Of course, if I accidentally sabotage some plans between Qiao Muyi and Cheng Ling, surely it's intentional.

Wrapped up in his scarf, Bai Ji gathered his materials and went back to continue teaching. His handsome face, usually bearing a professional smile, radiated a melting-iceberg-like glow because of his happiness, causing all single women he met along the way to greet him unconsciously, and Bai Ji's responses sent their hearts racing.

Bai Ji touched the scarf and strode confidently back into the classroom to continue teaching.

This warmth might not win him any favors, but it allowed him to look forward to tomorrow.

「Ren Suo was lost.」

Room 306 in the academic building should be on the third floor, right?

But Ren Suo wandered around, saw Classroom 305 next to the restroom, and after passing the restroom, the next classroom number was unmistakably 307…

Ren Suo had heard that some places removed all house numbers containing the unlucky digits '4' and '7' for good luck, but he had never seen even '6' banned!

Just when Ren Suo thought Lin Xianyu was pulling his leg, he saw her bounce out of the women's restroom and run up to him, staring at him with surprise.

"Big Brother Ren, are you going to be our junior now?" Lin Xianyu blinked and asked. "Newbies are always juniors, and the first thing a junior must do is listen to their seniors, and I'm your senior now..."

"You wish! I'm already a Third-turn Cultivator; why would I go back to school?" Ren Suo retorted. "Are you pulling my leg? What's this about 306?"

"306 is the big classroom. You have to go all the way to the end and down half a level to see it. After all, university physics is a super large class... Oh? Is that for me?"

Lin Xianyu was just asking casually, not expecting Ren Suo to actually hand over the kraft paper bag to her, "Yeah, it's for you."

Lin Xianyu's face lit up; she grabbed the paper bag and rummaged through it, "What's the snack? Never mind, as long as it's something you made, I'm sure I'll... like..."

Lin Xianyu looked disappointed as she pulled out a scarf from the bag, and Ren Suo chuckled, "Do you need to be that disappointed? I thought you were about to cry."

"I could cry, you know. I haven't eaten your cooking for three days, and I'd cry hugging your leg, even writing 'miserable' on it," Lin Xianyu pouted. "Why are you giving me a scarf all of a sudden... Hey? Did you knit this yourself?"

"Yes, yes," Ren Suo nodded. "I designed the pattern. Do you like it?"

Lin Xianyu unfolded the scarf, which was colorful, with each square block having a differently colored dumpling, very eye-catching.

Although the scarf looked a bit flashy, Lin Xianyu seemed to really like it.

Ren Suo breathed a sigh of relief; he had long known that Lin Xianyu's favorite food was dumplings, as she was always nudging Dong Chengling to make dumplings to eat. The fillings ranged from ordinary leek and pork to exotic shrimp, crab roe, and fish roe. Even for dinner on the night of the Winter Solstice, the Kitchen Girl made a plate of dumplings for Lin Xianyu, who even licked the plate clean.

The dumplings on the scarf even subtly revealed different fillings, making Lin Xianyu's mouth water.

As Lin Xianyu was looking, she suddenly stuffed the scarf back into the kraft paper bag, dragged Ren Suo to a corner away from prying eyes, and asked nervously, "Why are you giving me a scarf?"

"I'm not cooking on Christmas, so this scarf is to shut you up."

"What!?... At least give me a plate of dumplings," Lin Xianyu asked pitifully. "I'll eat them without vinegar or chili sauce, just plain."

"Can't do that," Ren Suo shook his head. "Don't you like it?"

Lin Xianyu was silent for a while. "It's not that, but... can't I have it all?"

"I need a year to cool down every time I cook. Looking back, it feels like I was just cooking the other day, so I'll invite you 360 days early to come to my house for dinner on Winter Solstice."

Lin Xianyu clutched the kraft paper bag tightly, and then said seriously, "Thanks, Big Brother Ren. Then I'll cheekily accept it, but don't expect me to return the gesture with a gift."

"Of course, better not send one... By the way, Gu Yueyan has classes with you, right?"

Lin Xianyu nodded. Then she saw that Ren Suo was still holding two kraft paper bags and blinked, slightly surprised, "You actually knitted more than one?"

"Yeah," Ren Suo handed another kraft paper bag to her. "Give this one to her. I probably won't see her in the next couple of days, so might as well send it now."

"Are they all hand-knitted?"

"Yes, each one is different. Don't switch them, okay? The one for Gu Yueyan is a special limited edition, and yours is a special limited foodie edition."

Lin Xianyu eyed Ren Suo with a curious look, wondering if she should reconsider how she classified him.

She used to think Ren Suo had 'accidentally' 'blundered' his way into this utterly hopeless situation, but his current action of choosing to knit scarves over opting for Taobao or simply not giving anything...

Either he was a deeply hidden Harem King, or he had the innocence of a seven-year-old Child of Pure Sincerity, or he secretly commanded a demonic, muscle-bound knitter who made scarves unconditionally for him.

Logically, the first possibility was the highest, the second was moderate, and the third was the least likely.

For Teacher Dong, for the class president, should I report this guy to the class president's dad and brother?

Lin Xianyu tentatively asked, "I could call the class president out, right? It's better to hand over gifts personally, and the class president would be more touched."

"Is it all that complicated?" Ren Suo scratched his head; he had just placed the gift directly on Bai Ji's desk.

"Let's forget it," Ren Suo thought for a moment and said. "Never mind about you, but Gu Yueyan is the only second-turn student now, and I'm supposed to be a teacher. If other students see me talking to her, they might suspect that Gu Yueyan is advancing so quickly because the teachers are giving her a leg up... She really hates this, and unfortunately, she cares a lot about what others think of her."

I think others would first suspect you of flirting with a young and beautiful female student... Lin Xianyu inwardly scoffed. But considering that Ren Suo was so considerate towards the class president, the slight malice she initially felt towards him evaporated.

Alas, I'll just stick to my principles and watch quietly from the sidelines. The class president definitely can't be persuaded now... and it's not just the class president; I have to keep an eye on myself too.

Just for the chance to mooch off Ren Suo's meals every day, Lin Xianyu was even willing to throw herself at him!

If Lin Xianyu didn't know for sure she couldn't beat Qiao Muyi, Dong Chengling, or even Gu Yueyan, she might have considered the possibility of throwing herself at him, or perhaps even locking Ren Suo up in a dark room for endless nights of pleasure...

Lin Xianyu took the kraft paper bag and said, "Then I'll deliver it to the class president for you... Ah, it's time for class, see you later, Big Brother Ren!"

Hearing the bell for class, Lin Xianyu quickly returned to the large classroom and saw the class president had already entered lecture mode, focusing intently on the blackboard.

She stuffed her own gift into her backpack before poking Gu Yueyan's chest.

Gu Yueyan, whose sensitive area was attacked, subconsciously wanted to hit Lin Xianyu with a Hand Blade, but at that moment, Lin Xianyu handed her a kraft paper bag, "It's from Big Brother Ren."

Gu Yueyan paused for a moment, took the kraft paper bag, and instantly forgot the mischief Lin Xianyu had just made. She pulled out a plain black scarf from the bag, woven with seven patterns: Full Moon, Waning Gibbous Moon, Last Quarter Moon, Waning Moon, Waxing Crescent Moon, Waxing Moon, and Waxing Gibbous Moon. These, along with the depiction of an utterly black New Moon, captured all the phases of the moon's Wax and Wane.

Gu Yueyan asked, "Why did he ask you to deliver this to me?"

Lin Xianyu repeated Ren Suo's reason, nonchalantly adding, "Also, he's out on a date all day tomorrow, so he won't have time to give it to you himself..."

"Hmm."

Gu Yueyan seemed completely unconcerned about what Lin Xianyu said, smiled as she put on the scarf, and continued to listen to the lecture attentively. However, the blush on her face remained, making Lin Xianyu too embarrassed to say, 'I have one too.'

Forget it. Since we probably won't see Ren Suo these next few days anyway, let the class president be happy for a couple of days...

Lin Xianyu sighed inwardly and stealthily poked Gu Yueyan's chest again, not getting stopped until the third poke by Gu Yueyan's Hand Blade. This gave Lin Xianyu a deeper understanding of Gu Yueyan and Ren Suo's relationship. Ren Suo's gift actually made the class president happy enough to endure her pokes three times. How impressive!

「Arriving at Classroom 202」

Ren Suo looked through the window and saw Dong Chengling already teaching. The classroom was quiet, with the front rows packed with students—all sitting forward, impressing Ren Suo. Supernatural University is still a university, after all!

There are university students who sit in the front row, but if all the students sit in the front, it must be the class before finals where key points are highlighted.

Should he wait outside for Dong Chengling to finish class? Go home and give her the gift tomorrow? Or deliver it to her tonight?

Ren Suo hesitated for a moment, and just as he decided to go home and deal with it later, his gaze crossed with Dong Chengling's inside the classroom.

He saw Dong Chengling's clear, transparent eyes blink slightly, and her lips curl up as if surprised. However, the eye contact was brief, and Dong Chengling continued her lecture without further looking at Ren Suo, as if she hadn't seen him at all.

Ren Suo certainly didn't believe a Fourth-Stage Cultivator could misjudge; Dong Chengling was just so focused and responsible during her lecture that she wouldn't get distracted by him.

With that, Ren Suo felt it inappropriate to leave, but since it was quite windy outside, he decided to go into the classroom to play on his phone.

CLICK.

Ren Suo frowned—the back door was actually locked.

Wouldn't it be quite embarrassing for students who are late to enter then? This would lead many to simply return to their dorms and sleep rather than attend class! So inconsiderate!

As Ren Suo pondered whether to find an empty classroom to stay in, someone suddenly tapped his shoulder, "Bro, you're late too? Let's go together."

Ren Suo turned his head to see a young man. He was slightly startled. There's actually someone in the academy who doesn't recognize me?

Although Ren Suo didn't attend classes, he had been in the spotlight several times in front of the whole school, like defeating Zhao Huo, beating Gu Yuexuan, and his weekly clinical duties... Ren Suo was quite aware of his own fame, as he could meet students seeking treatment for canker sores even when buying instant noodles at the supermarket.

However, Ren Suo quickly realized the truth: he hadn't worn a hat and was wearing a scarf.

The key was not wearing a hat, which, like being bald, was a strong identifier. In the whole academy, it was only Ren Suo who wore a hat at every major event. But today he had forgotten to wear his hat and even wore a scarf; his overall appearance had changed significantly, so it was normal for others not to recognize him.

Moreover, he had graduated not long ago, and due to Cultivation, his face was getting more baby-faced, making him look much like a student, though he was twenty-four years old.

"Um... I'm not a student," Ren Suo said with a smile.

The young man made an 'I understand' expression and pulled Ren Suo towards the front door, "Let's go together, it's less embarrassing with two people."

As a Third-turn Cultivator, Ren Suo could have easily broken free from the young man's grip if he wished, but he hadn't found another way to enter the classroom, and leaving like this would seem disrespectful to Dong Chengling, so he followed the young man into the classroom.

Though there was no central heating in the classroom, the air conditioner was on, providing heat, the windows were closed, and the room was warm.

When they entered, Dong Chengling glanced at them but paid them no mind, continuing her lecture.

Ren Suo followed the young man to sit in the middle—since the front was already fully occupied, their seats in the middle were effectively the last row.

"Ah, I overslept during my nap, didn't get a good seat," the young man muttered resignedly, then turned to Ren Suo and said, "You look unfamiliar. Not from our class, right?"

"Because I'm not a student," Ren Suo replied, uninterested, and took out his phone to browse social media.

"I get it, you're from another class here to sit in?" the young man quickly concluded with a reasonable explanation, then sighed, "It's because of the increasing number of students sitting in that I can't get a seat in the front."

You were clearly just late because you overslept.

Ren Suo chuckled, "If you can't sit in the front, you can't sit in the front. Can't you still listen from the back?"

"It's not the same," the young man said with a mournful expression. "Being able to sit in the front and listen to Teacher Dong's lecture, that's really attending class!"

"Can't you hear from the back?" Ren Suo started playing with his phone.

"That's Teacher Dong, Teacher Dong Chengling! How can you still play on your phone during class!?" the young man seriously patted Ren Suo on the shoulder and said, "Don't you think Teacher Dong lectures exceptionally well?"

Ren Suo smiled, "Of course. She prepares her lectures as seriously as if she's fighting a boss; naturally, she teaches well."

The young man asked, "Do you think Teacher Dong has a good figure?"

Ren Suo glanced at Dong Chengling, nodded his head, "Although she's wearing a sports jacket that almost looks like Blank Tile gear, she still exudes feminine charm."

The young man asked, "Isn't Teacher Dong very beautiful?"

Ren Suo thought for a moment, then hummed affirmatively, "Of course, beautiful like a heroine stepping out of a video game."

The young man asked, "What about Teacher Dong's strength?"

Ren Suo quickly replied, "Currently, the position of the strongest boss in Lianjiang belongs to no one but her."

Although Ren Suo's replies were a bit odd, the young man understood what he meant. He said, "So, a teacher as pretty, shapely, superb in lecturing, with a nice voice, and the strongest in all of Lianjiang teaching us—just being able to sit in the front row to listen is a big win! Who would still play on their phone!?"

Ren Suo was convinced by him, "Yeah, yeah, you really lost out."

"We all lost out!" the young man corrected him, then sighed sadly. "Teacher Dong rarely participates in other activities; we can only hear her voice during this short class time. Once missed, it's gone!"

"Yeah, you really lost out."

"No, we all lost out." The young man corrected him again, then asked, "I think Teacher Dong is the best teacher in the whole school. Only those foolish women think Teacher Bai is good... You think, isn't Teacher Dong the number one in the world?"

Ren Suo had completely entered the student's line of thinking and vigorously nodded, "Exactly, Dong Chengling is the best in the world!"

"Dong Chengling is the best in the world!" The young man gripped Ren Suo's hand, his face beaming as if he'd found a kindred spirit, and said movably, "We really are like brothers from different mothers!"

"The two seated in the seventh row."

A calm voice rose from the podium. Ren Suo and the young man subconsciously counted the seat rows and discovered that the seventh row was exactly where they were sitting, and the entire row was just the two of them.

"Whispering in the classroom is prohibited," Dong Chengling looked at the two of them and said faintly.

Ren Suo suddenly remembered—the classroom was so silent, and only the two of them were whispering. A Fourth-Stage Cultivator would most likely have overheard their entire conversation.

The young man reacted quickly, "Sorry, I'll listen attentively from now on."

Generally, that should have been the end of the teacher scolding a student. Other students also turned back, ready to continue listening to the lecture, when Dong Chengling looked at the other student who hadn't apologized yet and said, "You aren't a student of this class, are you?"

As soon as this statement came out, several male and female students who were sitting in flinched—What? Teacher Dong even calls out students who are just sitting in?

The other students also didn't expect the usually affable Teacher Dong to suddenly become Strict today. Though sitting in wasn't quite right, the classroom seats weren't filled to capacity, so sitting in didn't really use up other students' teaching resources.

Teacher Dong must be in a bad mood today, and that person just happened to walk into the line of fire, the students thought.

In their experience, they had indeed seen Teacher Dong in a bad mood before, such as the days in late November when she would teach with an ice-cold demeanor the entire class, bursting with a Fourth-Stage Cultivator's aura to suppress anyone who dared to stir trouble, until Teacher Dong returned to her normal demeanor in December.

They saw the student wearing a scarf stand up and scratch his head, "I'm indeed not a student from here."

"Come out with me for a moment." Teacher Dong's expression didn't change, remaining calm like a lake. She simply stated this and then led the way out of the classroom herself.

Seeing the newly met brother standing up with a kraft paper bag, the young man felt very sorry, patted the brother's hand, and said, "Sorry, brother. If it weren't for me starting the chat with you... When you come back after class, I'll treat you to a meal! Up on the third floor!"

"I probably won't be coming back." He shrugged his shoulders and said with an easy smile, "And, she probably heard all our conversation just now. You better not get distracted and chat during class in the future."

The young man was slightly stunned, then remembered that this brother was here to sit in; after going out, he was likely to get a lecture from Teacher Dong and be banned from entering the classroom. How could he possibly come back!

No wonder my brother gathered all his things; he knew he wouldn't be returning! His seemingly carefree smile actually hid such bitterness!

Watching the brother walk away, the young man silently prayed for him. Considering he said 'Dong Chengling is the best in the world,' I hope Teacher Dong goes easy on this brother!