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Jiang Rui’s brief appearance didn’t affect Xu Qiao much, so she didn’t think much of it and certainly wouldn’t bring it up with Lu Yang, who was about to take his college entrance exams.
—-
On June 1, Monday, the two-day exam officially began.
When Lu Yang left in the morning, Qin Chi specially wished him well—he presented him with a gift set that included a pencil and two round erasers, symbolizing full marks.
Lu Yang said, “If I do well, I’ll treat you to a meal.”
Qin Chi laughed, “Should I drive you to the exam venue?”
Since Xu Qiao only had a bicycle, Lu Yang usually took the subway to school.
Lu Yang replied, “No need, you guys stay busy.”
The high school student, who stood at 1.8 meters tall, left with his backpack in large strides.
By five in the afternoon, after finishing the exam, Lu Yang returned to the complex a few minutes earlier than Xu Qiao and waved at Qin Chi, who was standing by the balcony window.
Qin Chi said, “I made chicken soup and honey-glazed chicken wings. You can take it over. When your sister comes back, we can stir-fry another dish, and we’ll be ready to eat.”
Lu Yang knew this was a special favor from the neighbor for him as a college entrance exam candidate.
Feeling grateful for the neighbor’s kindness, Lu Yang decided to be less polite and asked, “Today we have chicken wings and soup. What are we having tomorrow?”
Qin Chi replied, “You can choose, but it’s only for these two days.”
As Lu Yang went next door to fetch the food, he left the door open while washing his hands in Room 101. When he stepped out, he saw Qin Chi carrying a tray from Room 102. The tray held a bowl of chicken soup and a beautifully plated dish of honey-glazed chicken wings.
Suddenly, Lu Yang felt quite hungry.
Outside the building, Xu Qiao’s eyes lit up when she saw the food. “This looks amazing!”
Qin Chi smiled and said, “I also steamed some rice. Would you like to eat now or prepare another dish?”
Xu Qiao looked at Lu Yang.
Lu Yang responded, “Let’s eat now. I’ll just go get some tomatoes to mix in.”
The high school student took the tray and left, while Xu Qiao invited Qin Chi, “Why don’t you join us?”
Qin Chi replied, “No, let him relax a bit.”
Xu Qiao said, “Thanks! We’ll wash the dishes later and bring them back to you.”
—-
Qin Chi nodded and, after sending the rice to the siblings, returned home.
Xu Qiao was confident in Lu Yang’s abilities. Since he didn’t mention the exam, she didn’t ask either. The two siblings sat at opposite ends of the dining table and quickly devoured the entire plate of honey-glazed chicken wings until only bones remained. They also shared half of the chicken used for the soup, feeling exceptionally satisfied after the meal.
Lu Yang said, “He mentioned he’d add some extra dishes for us tomorrow and told me to order whatever I want.”
Xu Qiao asked, “Should we order something?”
Lu Yang replied, “What do you think?”
Xu Qiao felt that it would be a hassle for Qin Chi, but her appetite had a different opinion.
Lu Yang noted, “He really seems to enjoy cooking.”
Xu Qiao said, “… Then should you indulge him?”
Lu Yang grinned.
—-
The next day, before heading out, Lu Yang texted Qin Chi two dishes he wanted: one was the challenging braised pork ribs, and the other was the spicy stir-fried beef that Qin Chi had let them try before: “I can help you peel garlic and chop meat.”
Qin Chi replied, “Okay, good luck on the exam.”
—-
In the afternoon, Lu Yang left the exam venue feeling relaxed. He was thinking about the delicious food that evening and the awakening of his spiritual entity the next day.
No matter what kind of spiritual entity he awakened, that day had finally come; he no longer had to anxiously wait and worry.
After leaving the subway station, Lu Yang walked back to the complex and noticed a military-green SUV parked in front of Building Five. Next to it stood a man with the demeanor of a bodyguard. Lu Yang glanced at him but didn’t think much of it.
In the entire second ring road, there were almost all special ability users. It was perfectly normal for neighbors on the same floor to know a bodyguard or for a bodyguard to visit someone for business.
Entering the building, Lu Yang saw that the door to Room 102 was ajar. He walked over and knocked, asking, “Mr. Qin?”
Since last month’s birthday party, Lu Yang had changed how he addressed Qin Chi.
Qin Chi replied, “I’m in the kitchen; come on in, no need to change your shoes.”
Lu Yang glanced at the floor, which was so clean it shone, but he still went back to Room 101 to put on a pair of slippers before stepping nervously into his neighbor’s uniquely decorated living room.
Qin Chi came out of the kitchen wearing a white shirt and said, “Almost done, no need for you to help. Would you like something to drink? Since you’ve finished your exams, you can have a little taste of the drinks, too.”
As he spoke, he opened the fridge, holding a can of juice in his left hand and a can of beer in his right.
All were expensive drinks from the New Era.
Just as Lu Yang was about to take the juice, he noticed Qin Chi glance toward the balcony window. Curiously, Lu Yang turned around just in time to see Xu Qiao dismounting her bicycle, and the unfamiliar bodyguard was staring at Xu Qiao with intense eyes.
Lu Yang couldn’t help but walk toward the balcony, but before he reached it or Xu Qiao had a chance to speak, Jiang Rui got into his car and drove away.
Lu Yang was left speechless.
Qin Chi said, “Your sister is back. I’ll go stir-fry; dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes.”
Lu Yang responded, “… Let’s eat over at our place tonight. I’ll go tidy up a bit.”
Qin Chi accepted his invitation.
—-
Lu Yang closed the door to Room 102 and followed Xu Qiao, who had just parked her bicycle, into Room 101. Noticing Xu Qiao’s calm demeanor and her only expectation for dinner, Lu Yang casually asked, “That guy was a bodyguard, right? What did he want from you?”
Since summer vacation was approaching, Lu Yang figured he would likely encounter this situation again, so Xu Qiao briefly explained, “He wants to pursue me. He comes by every Tuesday, but I don’t know how long he’ll keep it up.”
Lu Yang pressed, “… When did this start? Why didn’t you tell me? And how does he know you? Is he reliable?”
If he wasn’t worried about Xu Qiao misinterpreting his tone, Lu Yang would have had a whole string of questions to ask.
Xu Qiao pointed upstairs and recounted how she had bumped into Jiang Rui when he was delivering something to Aunt Liu.
Lu Yang understood, “So he’s just infatuated with you, not caring about whether he knows you well or not. He just thinks you’re pretty and decided to pursue you.”
Xu Qiao changed the subject, asking, “How’s it going with Mr. Qin? Do you need any help?”
Lu Yang replied, “No need. Keep talking about Jiang Rui. If you don’t like him pestering you, I can help you chase him off.”
Just like a father would chase away Zhao Feng.
Xu Qiao smiled and seriously answered, “I don’t know. At least for now, I don’t dislike him. I even think he’s kind of cute sometimes.”
Jiang Rui gave her the impression of being a very upright person—so upright that if Xu Qiao firmly rejected him, he would likely respect her wishes and not show up at her door anymore.
But it was precisely Jiang Rui’s earnest and restrained gaze that made Xu Qiao unable to harden her heart against him.
Let him be; perhaps with time, Jiang Rui would give up on his own, or maybe he would reveal some unpleasant side of himself, making it easy for her to draw a firm line.
Of course, there was also another possibility, but that would require a long time to develop. Xu Qiao chose to follow her current feelings and not think too far ahead.
“Alright, I’m an adult now; I know how to handle my own emotional issues. You should focus on preparing for tomorrow’s spiritual entity awakening. Think about the kind of spiritual entity you’d like; who knows, it might just show up tomorrow.”
Xu Qiao opened the door to her home, ready to welcome Qin Chi as he brought over the food.
Lu Yang’s mind was filled with her words: “I don’t dislike him.”
Didn’t disliking him mean that Jiang Rui had a chance?
When Qin Chi sat down at the dining table in Room 101, he easily sensed the change in Lu Yang’s mood. It was like a young lion, ambitious and eager to hunt, suddenly got hit in the forehead by a stone flying out of nowhere and became listless.
Xu Qiao, on the other hand, was enjoying her meal.
Qin Chi used the serving chopsticks to pick up a piece of braised pork ribs for Lu Yang, asking, “You were fine when you came back; suddenly you’ve lost your appetite. Did you and your sister compare answers to the exam questions?”
Lu Yang responded, “…”
Xu Qiao laughed at the scene, interpreting it as Lu Yang being overly worried about her getting bullied by unsuitable people, just like how he was always reluctant to have male tenants when selecting renters.
Lu Yang had no choice but to eat heartily to prove he was fine.
Qin Chi continued to offer comfort, “If you’re aiming for the military academy, as long as your spiritual entity level is high enough, it doesn’t matter if your scores in liberal arts subjects are a bit lower.”
According to the genetic statistics among ability users, Lu Yang was highly likely to awaken a B-level spiritual entity like his father.
Spiritual entity level…
As Lu Yang chewed on half a rib, a thought struck him.
Jiang Rui was only a C-level ability user. As long as he awakened a B-level spiritual entity, he would have a way to make Jiang Rui back off. At the very least, he could intimidate Jiang Rui, making him think twice before trying to pressure him.
Realizing this, Lu Yang felt invigorated, and his appetite returned as he began to dig into his meal.
Since the onset of global biological mutations, humans typically awaken their spiritual entities around the age of twenty, with a variance of about one year.
With the development of ability technology, the research base created a device that can assist ability users in awakening their spiritual entities earlier. After years of repeated experiments and observations, they determined that the most suitable age for awakening a spiritual entity is sixteen years old.
Awakening too early can affect the stability of the spiritual entity, while awakening too late wastes time that could have been used to enhance their abilities.
The authorities strictly control the detection devices. If anyone is found to have privately awakened a spiritual entity for a minor, they will face severe punishment under base law.
Every year, the awakening ceremonies for high school graduates in the Second Ring are held at the Memorial Square in the southern district, with the official providing detection devices to record the data of each ability user.
Each student is allowed to bring one parent to accompany them, which helps to soothe any disappointment or elation the child might feel.
In addition to student parents, military academies also send staff from their admissions offices to observe. If any outstanding spiritual entities are discovered, the military schools will compete to recruit the students.
As Lu Yang’s sister, Xu Qiao took half a day off from her clinic and accompanied Lu Yang to the ceremony at eight in the morning.
—-
The Memorial Square was packed with people today, and the authorities had dispatched guard troops to maintain order. The siblings stood at the end of one line according to the signs, and soon other parents and students lined up behind them.
Xu Qiao, being someone who had been through this before, couldn’t hide her excitement as she observed the surroundings and chatted with Lu Yang: “In our year, there was an S-level spiritual entity in the central district, and another one in the Third Ring, but none in the Second Ring. I wonder if we’ll hit the jackpot this year.”
Lu Yang replied, “If one does show up, they’ll move to the central district, so we won’t benefit at all.”
Xu Qiao said, “This is called the collective honor of the Second Ring, proving that there’s potential for S-level abilities among the large group of lower-level ability users.”
Suddenly, Lu Yang pointed toward the north, saying, “Mr. Qin.”
Xu Qiao looked up and saw Qin Chi, dressed in a black suit, being led to the admissions office of the military academy, accompanied by a middle-aged man wearing glasses, who was likely the head of the Second School.
Xu Qiao thought that Qin Chi probably didn’t work in admissions but was using his connection with the principal of the Second School to observe the event.
Amidst the crowded heads, Qin Chi smiled at the siblings, who were trying to catch his attention.
Lu Yang murmured to Xu Qiao, “He really isn’t afraid of the heat, right? Is he using wind abilities to cool himself down?”
Xu Qiao replied, “If the wind is effective enough to cool him down, the people around him would definitely be affected.”
Lu Yang looked over again and noticed that the hair of Qin Chi and those around him remained perfectly still; it truly was a matter of physical constitution.
—-
At exactly nine o’clock, the official representative gave a brief and powerful speech, and the awakening ceremony officially commenced.
Almost all the children of ability users were able to awaken their spiritual entities, and a row of ten detection devices began to frequently announce the results of spiritual entities.
Most of the parents of ability users in the Second Ring were low-level, and today’s announcements predominantly featured E, D, and C-levels. Even an occasional “B-level” would draw admiration and discussion from the crowd.
After waiting for half an hour, it was finally Lu Yang’s turn.
Xu Qiao held Lu Yang’s wrist and encouraged him as she pushed him forward: “You promised to show me a dragon awakening.”
Lu Yang replied, “…”
As he stepped into the detection device, he wore a smile.
Once he stood still, the heavy special metal door of the device lowered, and Xu Qiao could only wait patiently.
A minute later, a mechanical, emotionless announcement sounded from above the device:
【Name: Lu Yang】
【Spiritual Entity: Sword】
【Ability: Metal】
【Level: A】