Chapter 561: Chapter 47 Dust Settles (Part 2)

Several dozen meters from Onowell, inside a tent.

Cao Xin lay in bed with his legs lost, staring blankly as he said, “My legs?”

Cao Hong sat beside his bed with a pained expression, “Brother, your legs are in the freezer. There’ve been too many patients looking for doctors these days; we didn’t make the queue. How about we find a hospital to make do for now…”

“No, I’m scared. Let’s wait for a doctor.”

“Mhm.” Cao Hong fell silent.

Cao Xin took a deep breath, weakly speaking, “Cao Hong, I still can’t figure it out. We were so careful with secrecy, how could our plan have leaked…”

Cao Hong couldn’t help himself and whispered, “Brother, right after our meeting that day, I went to meet with the President.”

“………What?”

“I realized on Mardi Gras when I saw the President take action, we just don’t have the strength to get involved in this,” Cao Hong said with a bitter smile. “Locked up in the sky or not, at least we can scrape by, but once we lose our lives, there’s nothing left.”

A tall figure in a school uniform with a long knife entered the tent and sat down beside Cao Xin’s bed.

The President held an apple in his hand, crunching away at it.

“Back then, Cao Hong begged me to spare your life,” the President said cheerfully. “I said to myself, how can this young lad, not yet fully grown, be so full of violence? Students fight, but it never ends in death.”

Cao Xin looked bewilderedly at Zijing, then at his silent younger brother beside him.

He reflected on the series of events that had unfolded over the past two weeks, remembered his angry words from last night. Remembering his jealousy of the calamities and seeing how the President treated him…

Cao Xin’s eyes reddened in an instant; he squeezed them shut, trying not to cry out loud, only managing to choke out, “President…”

Zijing finished his apple and patted his hand.

“Cao Xin, you’ve always been capable at organizing activities, that’s why I trusted you with them and could slack off so openly! Our Mutual Assistance Association has the Spring Festival gala to organize, the Winter Festival to hold during the winter holiday, and the Volunteer Service event at the start of school. If you weren’t here, how would we manage all that on our own?”

“President…!” Cao Xin couldn’t hold back his tears, sobbing as he said, “I will, I’ll do well! I’ll give it my all!!”

Zijing said no more, just smiled gently, and got up to walk outside the tent.

The sun hung high in the sky, the previous night’s rain already gone without a trace. Zijing stretched lazily and said, “What a wonderful mood for another day!”

“Isn’t that the truth.” Another equally casual voice responded. Zijing’s body jolted as he slowly turned his eyes to the right, meeting Qin An’s smiling, yet not smiling, face.

“Yikes! Who are you? You’ve got the wrong person, I don’t know you!”

Zijing bolted, but Qin An caught him by the collar in a flash, “Mischief!”

Zijing ducked his head and shamelessly said, “Teacher, when did you arrive? Indeed, I’ve missed you.”

“You, child…” Qin An sighed, “Zijing, you’ve had a tough few years.”

“What hardship? Here I am, fishing in muddy waters, living a hundred times happier than in the capital. Don’t you dare take me back!”

“If you truly wanted to slack off, why bother being the head of this Mutual Assistance Association?”

Zijing grinned, “Teacher, you don’t know. This association was initially run by a few friends of mine; I’m just serving as an honorary President for show. Besides, our association doesn’t compete for profit or power; it simply provides a place for students to band together against the cold, adding a touch of ease to the city’s air. The few who fight and kill? They’re unrelated to my original intention.”

Qin An thought for a moment, then couldn’t help but express admiration, “In this matter, you’re doing right.”

The City in the Sky indeed needed a lighter atmosphere. If every moment was as grim and oppressive as last night, how could ordinary Dragon Species maintain a stable state of mind?

“I guess I’ll head home for some rest…”

Qin An gave a wry smile and grabbed hold of the President, who was prepared to bolt.

“There’s always a day when one has to return. It’s true for you, and it’s the same for everyone in this city…” Qin An looked up at the clear sky, “The City in the Sky is merely a temporary measure, the number of Dragon Species is growing, and the day of change will eventually come.”

Chi Zijing’s expression turned serious.

“Indeed, that day will come.” He tapped on the hilt of his knife repeatedly, “But I always hope that day will come later. Let us Superpower Users enjoy some more pleasant days before we inevitably have to face that dreadful fate.”

“Zijing, things that are bound to happen can’t be avoided.”

“If I can postpone that day by even one day, then I can enjoy one more day of life,” Chi Zijing said with a cheeky grin. “Isn’t that the real use of running away, to enjoy one more day of rest?”

Having said this, he laughed heartily and walked into the midst of the students. Qin An watched his retreating figure helplessly, wanted to say something, but then just smiled in resignation.

Why bother meddling? Young people always have their own ideas, better to let them follow their own thoughts.

·

Inside Central United University, in Mo Yuankai’s villa,

Mo Yuankai sat side by side on the sofa with Gongsun Ce, both of them looking solemn.

“Ah Ce, this house is becoming too conspicuous, so I plan to move to the Fixed Wing District,” Mo Yuankai shook a bottle of cola in his hand. “I think I can still find a way to shine, how about working in intelligence?”

“That’s a great idea, perfectly suitable,” Gongsun Ce said seriously.

“So, if you go on missions, I’ll provide support.”

“You must be joking, who’s supporting whom? You send out missions and I run errands?”

“It’s all the same,” Mo Yuankai took a sip of his cola, “Remember, do not put yourself under too much stress, and rest whenever you need to. Your own life is the most important.”

“Don’t joke, I’m not a justice warrior like you are. I can’t be bothered with petty things, even if someone comes up to me asking for help, I’ll pretend not to see.”

“I’d have to see it to believe it,” Mo Yuankai laughed wickedly. “Hey, what’s on your mind? You seem so distracted?”

Gongsun Ce clasped his hands together anxiously and stuttered, “I came to my senses today and thought… the things I said when I was out of it yesterday… could they… have caused some misunderstandings?”

Mo Yuankai choked on his cola. After a severe coughing fit, he said strangely, “Indeed, they were, easily, misconstrued!”

“F*ck, I’m kinda freaking out, do you think I should… maybe start by ‘clarifying’ things to Miss Qin ‘explaining’ a bit?”

Mo Yuankai couldn’t stop laughing, “Do it. Go now. Go right now!”

Gongsun Ce ran out the door with a troubled look on his face, heading toward his own apartment.

·

The knocking on the door woke Qin Qianbai.

She crawled out of bed and after a few seconds of serious thought, remembered that last night’s battle had ended, and she’d come back to the apartment with Gongsun Ce to rest after receiving treatment from the doctor.

“Coming.”

She put on her coat, opened the door, and as expected, saw the youth with grey hair.

Qin Qianbai felt a little strange, something she couldn’t quite describe. After thinking it over, she realized that this might be the first time Gongsun Ce had come looking for her of his own accord.

“Wow, Gongsun Ce, you got up early today.”

Gongsun Ce looked at her with an expression that said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ Qin Qianbai tilted her head, puzzled: “?”

“It’s already half past ten, Miss. I came over to knock on your door at eight, and you didn’t wake up. I almost broke the door down thinking someone had gotten to you.”

He had confirmed her safety with telekinesis before even leaving his house… He decided it was pointless to mention such a trivial detail to her. She would definitely scold him for it.

“Ah,” Qin Qianbai said blankly.

“What does ‘ah’ mean?”

“I overslept.”

“That’s not exactly true. After such a long night, sleeping in is pretty normal…” Gongsun Ce stuttered, “I mean, Miss, about those last words last night, well, how do I put this…”

“…”

Qin Qianbai’s face seemed to turn red.

No, this is bad! Why is she blushing?!! This is totally a misunderstanding!!!

“It’s just, don’t get it wrong! What I meant was, I will definitely protect you!” Gongsun Ce said in a panic, “Because I regret not protecting you well last night and you got hurt, so I will make sure to protect you from now on, that’s what I meant!”

“…”

Why did her face grow even redder? Please, don’t blush like that with a poker face!

“Cough, the point is!”

Miss poked him with her elbow.

“I want to fight on my own. I’m not someone who needs Ah Ce’s protection.”

“No, no, it’s not about fighting ability, it’s about… whether to call it responsibility or obligation… Sigh…”

Gongsun Ce resolved then and there that he would never let her get involved in any of these messy battles again.

It had nothing to do with whether or not his combat skills were adequate. A promise made was a promise to be kept. Even if a giant dragon descended, he would handle it alone and never let Qin Qianbai be dragged into danger.

“Not clear.”

“Just know that you understand what I mean. Now let’s go.”

“Go do what?”

“We’re going to my brother’s place for lunch… and then, you can do whatever you want!”

Qin Qianbai looked up at him and poked him again with her elbow.

“What do you want to do, Gongsun Ce?”

“Me?…”

He really couldn’t say. It felt like there was a lot to do, but also not much at all.

This was a feeling he never had before. After what happened last night, Gongsun Ce felt he had indeed changed somewhat. His shoulders bore more of the intangibles… promises to his brother, to Qin An, to Qin Qianbai, those responsibilities and obligations that had nothing to do with him in the past, he had chosen to shoulder willingly after making his decision.

For the first time in his life, he, who had always played second fiddle, had taken center stage on a whim. He moved away from the clown acts he excelled in, awkward and green, like a new actor, playing a third-rate protagonist in a half-baked story.

If his life was truly a play…

Then this night might well be the turning point of that drama.

His body seemed heavier than before, but his feet did not feel as if they were walking on clouds. He had a grounded feeling under his feet.

It was probably an illusion. The weather outside was still hot, the cicadas in the trees were still noisy. There seemed to be no change in the tail end of this summer. It was merely a shift, more or less, in people’s moods.

“What to do…”

For the moment, he couldn’t think of anything he absolutely had to do. Gongsun Ce watched the girl’s eyes next to him, guessing her thoughts.

As always, he couldn’t glean any useful information from Qin Qianbai’s face. But at this time, he did indeed think of something he wanted to do, something he had to do.

“You know, Miss,” Gongsun Ce cleared his throat, “While the beginning was a disaster, I think our relationship now is pretty good, just…”

Why does he always become clumsy? Why can’t he think of those smooth lines every time he talks to her?

Gongsun Ce fumbled with his words, like he was trying to show off: “It feels a bit distant to keep calling me by my name… how about changing what you call me?”

The girl blinked, thought for a while, and said: “Gongsun?”

“It sounds like the kind of name a cool, handsome guy would use.”

“Ce?”

“I beg you, please don’t.”

“Then, Ah Ce?”

That’s a nickname only my brother, dad, and mom use.

But it does sound rather intimate.

“It’s not bad…”

Qin Qianbai grabbed his hand.

“So, Ah Ce will be my manservant from now on.”

“Have I suddenly plummeted in status, Mr. Gongsun?!” “Because I’m the Miss.” “That’s not the logic here!” “Pet.” “I’m not even human now?!” “Vehicle.” “You’re stepping out of the organic realm!!”

They exchanged such silly conversation as the boy and girl stepped out the door, facing the scorching summer.

In the boy’s eyes, a glint of light re-emerged.

This summer was about to pass, and a new season was about to begin.

It would be a new life.

No more marking time, no more standing still. Although the changes may be slight, they would still occur.

Maybe messy, maybe exhausting, but still carrying the responsibility, gathering the courage.

Together with friends he got to know, with this extraordinary girl…

They would face an unknown tomorrow, with a brand-new attitude.