The interview was over. Xu Chuyao and the others left the auditorium together, lingering by the entrance for a moment.
Watching the backs of the TV crews and reporters as they left, an inexplicable feeling rose in Xu Chuyao’s heart.
If many years later someone wanted to trace their own growth path and stumbled upon these official records, seeing that Xu Chuyao was such a good girl blessed by the Heavenly Dao, they would definitely admire her endlessly.
She really should thank Shen Ning, she thought.
Of course, her own effort and hard work were the main reasons, but Shen Ning’s role as the provider of the opposing value was also crucial. After all, Shen Ning was considered a reliable figure in this matter. If it had been a capricious non-human instead, that would have been a real problem.
Xu Chuyao smiled contentedly.
“Xu Chuyao!”
The class monitor Yu Jing came out from the auditorium following behind and approached the girl.
“The principal asked if you’re satisfied or if you want to have some kind of ceremony or welcome event.”
“That’s enough, really, it’s fine already,” Xu Chuyao waved her small hand dismissively. “It’s not a big deal.”
Yu Jing looked at her strangely, not expecting the girl to be so calm and unpretentious.
The old class monitor misunderstood. Chuyao wasn’t being humble because she originally wanted to say one more thing—she planned to throw a party when she reached Fourth Rank before graduation. But worried about bad luck afterward, having already missed many opportunities, she never said it out loud.
“Since you’re satisfied, I have to say something,” Yu Jing’s expression turned serious. “From now on, be careful using Spirit Power at school, especially indoors. If you accidentally damage public property, like electrical circuits or similar things… the cost will be deducted from your monthly allowance.”
She sounded strict, but the warning didn’t feel harsh.
Xu Chuyao smiled and said, “When Shen Ning was a Third Rank Spirit Power User, she said the same thing, didn’t she?”
“No, she was always very strict about following school rules,” Yu Jing hesitated for a moment due to some special reasons.
That’s right. Back when Luo Kangyi and Hai Rong were at the school, any mistake meant strict punishment and forced correction. Good habits were instilled that way.
Xu Chuyao assured her several times that she would be like Shen Ning—united, friendly, protective of public property—and managed to send the class monitor away.
The second person to come out from the auditorium to find her was Mi Xiaolu, a petite girl with short blue hair. As a roommate, Xiaolu had a certain critical but friendly opinion about the interview show.
“You looked pretty good up there, but there’s one little problem—your strength really comes from Shen Ning.”
Xiaolu meant no offense; she had lived with Xu Chuyao almost daily, from preparing for exams to the second half of their third year—more than three and a half years together.
They were as close as sisters, so Xiaolu knew exactly what Chuyao did all this time.
They played Gomoku together in their grid notebooks during class, teamed up for mobile games after class, and after school would just lie in the dorm and play energy games.
All of this took up about 30% of Xu Chuyao’s free time.
The remaining 70% was spent scheming with Shen Ning on mischief.
So, no, this so-called “big-hearted girl” definitely couldn’t claim she didn’t rely on Shen Ning’s help—it was the exact opposite.
“You don’t understand,” Xu Chuyao said proudly. “I only said ‘strength’ when I answered the interview question, not ‘help’.”
“But you said you spent 70% of your free time doing the same thing—that’s not help?”
Xiaolu just shrugged and left.
The third person to come out to find Xu Chuyao was Xiao Si Nuo. Wearing a charming grin, he walked over to her with a casual attitude.
“Big goddess Chuyao, we all like you so much.”
Then he just passed by.
Xu Chuyao reached out and grabbed him.
“Stop fooling around. Don’t mess about… I’m just playing along, no big deal,” Xiao Si Nuo lowered his voice. “Just in case someone’s paying attention, don’t let them know about our research matters.”
He didn’t even say the words “Spirit Power,” instead using initials as code.
Xu Chuyao laughed and said, “You’re really treating this like a spy mission, huh?”
“Yeah, gotta be careful,” he replied.
She let go of him.
After Xiao Si Nuo left, no one else came looking for Chuyao for a while. She stood there, glancing around, about to leave when she suddenly noticed a figure with white hair standing in the corner by the entrance.
“Ling Biao, why are you standing there?”
The corner by the auditorium entrance was just like the punishment corner in the classroom where students were made to stand for a while.
The girl called out stepped forward, expressionless.
“I… dropped something, just came to pick it up.”
But in reality, she had been standing there for quite some time.
Shen Ning had actually arrived at the entrance early. Seeing Xu Chuyao’s figure, she wanted to find an opportunity to approach her. But just then, the class monitor came over first.
They looked like they were discussing something serious, so Shen Ning waited quietly.
The class monitor left, Mi Xiaolu left, seemingly chatting with her about roommate things. Only time would tell.
Xiaolu left, Xiao Si Nuo left too, just passing by briefly.
Before she knew it, quite some time had passed. Finally, Shen Ning reached out and took her by the hand.
“Did you really drop something? What is it?” Xu Chuyao teased, poking at her hand. “Didn’t see anything.”
“Forget it.”
The teasing couldn’t be resisted any longer. Shen Ning directly pulled her into an embrace and kissed her, pressing kisses from left cheek to right, making Xu Chuyao’s brain buzz with anticipation.
Xu Chuyao said, “People say don’t be too obvious, if you really want to kiss, find a poetic excuse. For example, say your heart got lost in the crowd.”
Shen Ning said nothing, nor did she do anything else. The voice from under her arm was sharp, making Xu Chuyao momentarily unable to think of a better response.
“Why don’t you say anything?” Xu Chuyao moved closer, her cute face becoming very close, flushed like a soft milk bun.
Shen Ning’s breathing deepened slightly. She felt this moment was just right.
“Is it because you want to kiss me?” Her smile twisted into a mischievous little demon’s, “Come on, admit it.”
“Enough! I realized your intention when you came this close. You must be up to something,” Xu Chuyao’s teasing tone suddenly turned serious. “Maybe you want to shock me.”
That remark made Shen Ning’s advancing hand freeze.
“Shock me?”
“Don’t pretend, are you waiting for me to kiss you?”
Shen Ning was about to reply when suddenly a soft breeze carrying the scent of flowers and milk drifted in.
No conspiracy, no mischief, no electric shock—only the soft, fragrant presence of her girlfriend’s tender lips.
“Thanks, my heart!” Xu Chuyao was so moved she nearly shed tears.
Teasing tone again!
The public moment didn’t last long. After a brief muah, Xu Chuyao let go.
“That’s enough. I’m heading back to the dorm,” the cheerful girl winked playfully. “Thanks.”
Then, she hopped away down the small path outside the auditorium.
Shen Ning stood still for a moment, watching her walk away.
“Thank you?” Shen Ning asked in confusion. “If you’re the one taking the initiative, why say thank you to me?”
That question seemed to confuse even Xu Chuyao.
The teasing voice replied, “That’s just Chuyao’s big personality.”
Dressed in a beautiful formal gown on top, and a short little skirt on the bottom, the teasing voice added, “When Chuyao says ‘thank you,’ you know she must have done something amazing!”
Shen Ning didn’t know what great thing she had done. She just felt her own voice sound clearer and that Chuyao’s little teasing face was cute.
“Did you know,” the teasing voice continued, “that in the Spirit Age, there were spirit cameras everywhere on the streets, and everyone could see clearly?”
On the streets of Saint Jos City, two patrolling officers walked along, one joking around.
“Then why don’t we have spirit cameras now?”
“Because before the Xiaolu Gang appeared, it wasn’t necessary. After they appeared, it became meaningless.”
“Everyone wears masks now. Any blind spot, throw a stone or something and the camera gets blocked.”
“Besides, we’re so short-staffed in the Security Department,” the taller delivery guy said, “Think about it—how many times have you been on duty this week?”
The shorter one scratched his head. “Three times, or four.”
The tall one pushed him lightly. “That’s the key problem.”
The awakening rate of Spirit Power is one in ten thousand. Among three or four Spirit Power Users in any neighborhood, there’s usually only one who joins the Security Department.
In other words, from a certain perspective, each member of the Security Department is responsible for tens of thousands of residents.
Of course, some places have more personnel, some fewer.
After the Pacification War, before the Xiaolu Gang appeared, they only occasionally handled fights. One person passing by could settle dozens or hundreds of disputes.
But now, hardly anyone is willing to go on patrol.
“By the way, the line you just said—that was from Xu Chuyao, right?” the short guy rested on the wall. “I remember once in an interview she said the key is to find the key problem. Once you hold onto that, the whole problem is solved.”
“Yeah, she said that more than once.”
The two laughed.
Usually Xiao Si Nuo’s jokes were just for fun, but the Security Department truly regarded Xu Chuyao as their goddess.
“I heard that in Center City, the Xiaolu Gang has long been gone. That’s great.”
“Not just that. Their neighboring Security Departments are quite busy, and some even have enough staff to reorganize.”
The Security Department in Center City is so overworked, constantly shuffling personnel around. In fact, departments in other cities are so busy they can’t even think of reorganizing.
As for how much Xu Chuyao is respected in their hearts, it’s said that the patrol guidelines were strictly developed with her input—focusing on crowded public places, watching for suspicious people who leave in a hurry, and allowing Spirit Power users to disperse crowds.
Not a single tip was wasted.
“Honestly, if something really happened, you’d be the first to show up,” the tall guy said, leaning against the wall. “The manual says those Stone Monsters are mid-level First Rank strength.”
They are strong, but not strong enough to fully unleash their mid-level power. Only those who’ve trained together have that kind of strength.
The short guy seriously thought for a moment. “If I wasn’t going to get trapped, I’d try.”
“Me too.”
Just then, their communicators suddenly buzzed urgently.
“All delivery personnel please note: situation at Block 11. Repeat: situation at Block 11!”
The two exchanged a glance and rushed towards the trouble spot at Block 11.
When they arrived, besides a few people who had gotten there early, a faint purple light was seeping out from a room crack.
This drop in translation quality is actually infuriating. I’ve been looking forward to Xu Chuyao and Shen Ning’s relationship ACTUALLY developing since chapter 40, and now that it’s finally happening (I think?) the translation has deteriorated to the point where I sometimes can’t tell who is speaking.