In the long-awaited gaze of Xia Wenzhuo and Xu Shan, the bell for the end of classes at the high school finally rang.
Watching the throngs of students rush out, Xia Wenzhuo shook his head with emotion.
“Look at their thirst for freedom…”
“Stop being so sarcastic.”
Xu Shan frowned slightly and suddenly said softly, “Look! The lady selling buns is moving! What’s she planning to do?!”
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, the bun-selling aunt signaled for her husband to take her place for a moment, then struggled through the crowd to stand in front of Lin Wan, stuffing a paper bag with eight steaming buns into his arms.
“Here, you must be hungry after school. This is the last batch of buns; I saved it just for you!”
Holding the warm buns, Lin Wan looked at the auntie’s simple smile and was momentarily at a loss, asking in confusion,
“Auntie, what’s this for? You should take it back; I’m not hungry.”
Actually, Lin Wan was already starving. But his hunger wasn’t physical; it was psychological.
Even before he stepped out of campus, the rich aroma wafting from the line of food carts at the school gate had already whetted his appetite.
Starving, Lin Wan felt like he could eat a whole cow, but his empty wallet constantly reminded him—wake up, not even a bun could he afford right now.
Therefore, faced with the aunt’s kindness, Lin Wan was tempted by the eight buns but ultimately chose to refuse due to his principles.
The last time he accepted something was when he had just reincarnated and was too vain, needing energy to replenish himself, which led him to freeload on two buns.
Right now, he was just being greedy; there was no reason to continue taking advantage of Auntie who sold buns.
Lin Wan organized his words in his mind, preparing a lengthy argument to appeal to her emotions and reason, but just as he was about to speak, the aunt decisively shot him down.
"Alright, no need to be polite with Auntie. It’s just a few buns; there’s no need to act like strangers. Here you go!"
Though he didn’t understand why, the bun-selling aunt had a feeling—her business was booming today, all because of Lin Wan.
Watching Lin Wan, who still wanted to refuse, the aunt firmly stuffed the buns back into Lin Wan's arms before returning to the crowd and walking back to her food cart.
Behind her, Lin Wan stood there, somewhat dazed.
After a moment, holding the buns in his arms, Lin Wan slowly broke into a bright smile.
How wonderful! After experiencing so much, he was reborn.
This time, he wouldn’t be trapped in weakness and despair; he would create a world of his own.
In the distance, at a milk tea shop, Xia Wenzhuo looked at Lin Wan with a serious expression.
"Sis, look at that kid! I think he definitely has some important clues hidden within him!"
Hearing this, Xu Shan glanced at Lin Wan before shifting her gaze back to the bun-selling aunt.
"Wake up! That’s just an ordinary kid. But I have to admit, he is really good-looking..."
Xu Shan casually sensed Lin Wan’s power, and under the shielding of Lin Wan’s spirit, she naturally regarded him as an ordinary existence.
But no matter how good-looking he was, it was no match for an array. Watching Xia Wenzhuo, who had zoned out again, Xu Shan said with annoyance,
"Don’t think so big! If you’re that interested, focus on that food cart over there. I noticed that the uncle hasn’t left since he arrived; it seems like he won’t be coming back for more buns. We need to be prepared."
Upon hearing this, Xia Wenzhuo instantly lost his playful attitude.
"Right, right! This is serious. Finding such a perfect array means my mom definitely won’t scold me for slacking off on my training anytime soon."
Xu Shan: …You really have some ambition.
"…In any case, we have to keep an eye on both the people and the stuff!" Xu Shan said tiredly.
……
While Xu Shan and the others were struggling to keep an eye on things, Lin Wan finished all eight buns in the paper bag and confidently headed toward the snack street behind the school.
He had calculated it; today was definitely going to be profitable!
Then, filled with passion and energy, Lin Wan faced a series of rejections.
"Sorry, student, but we’re not hiring just for the weekends."
"Student, you came too late; we’ve already hired enough people."
"We don’t need anyone. You should check other places."
……
As Lin Wan walked from one end of the snack street to the other, the job he had anticipated still eluded him.
No, his calculations couldn’t possibly be wrong…
After yet another rejection, Lin Wan raised his eyes to look at the next shop's sign.
"Rong Xiu Tower"
This is a… tea house?
As Lin Wan stood before the tea house, looking at the sign, a large group of colorful "Shama Te" (a Chinese slang for a specific hairstyle) approached from the side.
Leading them was a boy with a flamboyant, multi-colored mohawk. His expression was utterly arrogant as he strutted with a flamboyant gait, leading his numerous subordinates towards the tea house behind Lin Wan.
Seeing this, Lin Wan couldn't help but take a few more glances at them.
It wasn’t just because of their eye-catching styles; it was also because he sensed an extremely strong chill emanating from the leader of this group.
Strange, why was there such an overwhelming chill—something only found on the bodies of the dead—coming from this living person?
Lin Wan couldn’t help but look at the "Shama Te" leader again.
His face was pale, surrounded by black energy; this was a sign of bad luck. This person was likely to have a streak of misfortune coming his way, and his body was weak, with his vital energy severely diminished.
At this rate, he might not have much longer to live...
"Hey kid, what are you looking at? Are you infatuated with our Wang Shao at first sight?!"
Noticing Lin Wan staring intently at their leader, the "Shama Te" gang became excited.
They began to shout and whistle, eager for Lin Wan to confess his feelings and satisfy their desire for fun.
"…I’m not; don’t make wild assumptions!"
Lin Wan hadn’t expected to see such a fascinating appearance in this spiritually barren Earth and had accidentally looked at the "Shama Te" leader for too long, resulting in this huge misunderstanding.
Now facing this unexpected situation, Lin Wan felt a headache coming on as he looked at the excited expressions of the group.
"Sorry, I was just looking at your face for a bit longer."
Taking a few steps aside to clear the path to the tea house, Lin Wan prepared to distance himself from this seemingly unhinged group. After apologizing, he turned to leave.
But just as he was about to turn away, a sharp voice pierced through, sending chills down his spine with its unsettling words.
"Heh, what an interesting little thing."
Lin Wan: ???
This person must be a fool, right?
Feeling a shiver run through him, Lin Wan decided not to engage with someone so foolish and hurried his pace to leave.
Seeing this, Wang Gaofei, who was left behind, was displeased.
They had come here to find a student from No. 1 Middle School to "make friends," which would facilitate his subsequent actions. Now that Lin Wan had walked right into their hands, how could Wang Gaofei let this cooked duck fly away?
Wang Gaofei, striding with long legs, blocked Lin Wan's path and lifted his chin, revealing a somewhat neurotic smile.
“Hey, man, stop pretending; you've successfully caught my attention.”
Lin Wan: ???
Seeing Lin Wan's confused expression, Wang Gaofei, who had just dyed his hair and felt a bit cocky, shook his head and continued talking to himself coolly,
“Looking at your school uniform, you must be from the First High School, right? How about we become friends? Alright, it's settled. I'll come to your school next Monday to find you.”
While he claimed he was looking for Lin Wan, Wang Gaofei was actually interested in the school beauty from First High.
Thinking of the legendary school beauty known for both her talent and beauty, Wang Gaofei's youthful heart couldn't help but beat wildly with shyness.
On the other hand, Lin Wan was puzzled about what this stylish guy was thinking; he was genuinely feeling troubled.
Having been given a second chance at life, Lin Wan didn't want to be a poor student anymore. He wanted to study hard, get into a good university, and see more beautiful scenery in different places.
Moreover, he had just established a diligent persona in front of his teacher, laying a solid foundation for asking questions in the future. If this group of crazy people came around next Monday, his persona would surely collapse!
Thinking of this, Lin Wan instantly became anxious.
He needed to find a way to dispel this guy's notion!
“I was just reading your facial features; you'd better not overthink it. Are you feeling weak lately, often sweating at night, and getting breathless after a bit of exercise? Besides, has your luck been terrible to the point of...”
As he spoke halfway, Lin Wan suddenly pushed Wang Gaofei in front of him.
Wang Gaofei, who had been feeling inexplicably weak, was pushed back a few steps by Lin Wan's sudden shove.
He had already been startled by Lin Wan's surprisingly accurate remarks, and the unexpected push made Wang Gaofei instinctively curse.
“You bastard…”
Before he could finish, a heavy tea tray, complete with an entire set of tea utensils, fell from the second floor of the tea house and crashed down at the spot where Wang Gaofei had been standing, sending up a cloud of dust.
Undoubtedly, if Lin Wan hadn't pushed him, Wang Gaofei would have been seriously injured.
Feeling Lin Wan's clear gaze, Wang Gaofei suddenly shivered and quickly changed what he was about to say.
“You’re really amazing!”
"Sha ma te" (杀马特) refers to a subculture in China known for its flamboyant hairstyles and rebellious fashion style, often used derogatorily to describe people who adopt this look.
Comments