“It’s just a broken rock—completely useless. I’ll take it as a decoration.”
“Ah, this is just a yellow brick. It’s nowhere near as tasty as pineapple.”
“Silly monkey, you really don’t know quality. This is a premium apple—what’s wrong with trading it for a turtle shell?”
Su Mo picked out everything useful to him, then sat back, satisfied, to catch his breath.
Little White’s expression looked like it had just eaten something vile. Despite the pile of limited-edition “immortal fruits” beside it, the monkey was anything but happy.
Monkeys are so easy to trick… But hey, even monkeys have dignity!
Su Mo couldn’t stop grinning at its expression and quickly pulled out his phone to capture the priceless moment.
He wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, he took a stroll through the forest with Little White, retracing the paths they’d walked before.
The red fruits on the other side of the river were even fewer than when he’d last picked them—clearly harvested by someone else. But the electrified fencing surrounding the area told him exactly what was going on.
The spatial barrier enveloping the ruins was still intact, but Beidou had already mastered the technology to bypass it. Coming and going was no longer an issue.
“Little White, you have to remember—never lead humans to the cave again. Not everyone is as kind as me, willing to be your friend.” Su Mo spoke with grave sincerity.
Little White: “@u0026$＊…” (Hmph…)
“And try not to let humans touch you. If they do, don’t let them know you’ve awakened your intelligence. Otherwise, it could get you killed.”
Plenty of people in Beidou already knew about the monkey, but they were bound by Xia Kingdom’s laws and wouldn’t harm it without orders.
The real threat was poachers—people who’d do anything for money.
Especially since Little White was so… unique.
The monkey nodded solemnly at his advice, though it still looked sulky.
Before leaving, Su Mo gave Little White a few more red fruits and said, “Thank you.”
He meant it. The white jade ring alone was priceless, and this little shopping spree—er, trade—had netted him plenty of treasures.
Spirit stones, gold, antiques… he’d gotten it all.
Then he left.
Little White watched him go, a flicker of sorrow in its eyes.
…
When Su Mo returned to the training base, he didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he went to see Xia Qingqing, bringing her favorite snacks.
Xia Qingqing, ever the emotional one, burst into tears. “Waaah! Qingyi, you’re the best! You actually remembered my snacks!”
“So… when I first got here and didn’t come see you, how much did you curse me behind my back?” Su Mo smirked.
“Huh?” Xia Qingqing froze mid-chew, cheeks puffed out like a hamster, then shook her head violently. “No! Never! How could I hic—ever curse you? Qingyi’s the best!”
Her earnest expression was so adorable that Su Mo almost pinched her cheeks—but he stopped himself, remembering his agreement with Ye Qingyi.
“Wait… you were gonna pinch my cheek just now, weren’t you?” Xia Qingqing, sharp as ever, caught the shift in his expression. She grinned. “But since you came to see me and brought snacks, I’ll allow it this time!”
She even tilted her face toward him expectantly.
“Uh…” Su Mo laughed awkwardly, keeping his hands to himself. “How could I bear to pinch such a cute face?”
Xia Qingqing’s eyes narrowed with deep suspicion.
Just then, his phone buzzed.
A message from Ye Qingyi:
“Where’d you go? You didn’t even tell me. (＞д＜)”
Su Mo replied: “Getting you some local specialties from Jing Mountain.”
Ye Qingyi: “Jing Mountain? You went there? [Shocked]”
Su Mo: “Yeah, they’ve got the best stuff.”
She seemed busy and didn’t reply right away.
“Ooooh, special notification sound!” Xia Qingqing leaned in, eyes sparkling with gossip. “Who’s the hottie you’re texting?”
Su Mo rolled his eyes. “Just a friend. No big deal.”
“Just a friend?” Her voice jumped an octave. “Qingyi, are you actually dating someone? Is it that handsome guy—Su Mo?”
Being called handsome to his face made Su Mo’s lips twitch, but he shut down the gossip. “Don’t be ridiculous. It’s a girl.”
He lied without a hint of guilt—because technically, he wasn’t lying.
Another message popped up.
Ye Qingyi: “So why didn’t you tell me?”
Something about the question felt… off. Like a lover accusing their partner of keeping secrets.
Ahem.
Scratching his head, he typed: “Wanted to surprise you.”
But the moment he hit send, the screen updated: “Sender has recalled a message.”
Ye Qingyi had deleted her earlier question.
Ye Qingyi: “Don’t get the wrong idea. I just meant that your injuries aren’t fully healed yet, and I was worried when I didn’t see you for so long.”
Heh. Women.
Su Mo grinned at his phone, driving Xia Qingqing mad with curiosity.
Su Mo: “Hahaha, of course I wouldn’t misunderstand!”
He hesitated after sending it, wondering if he should recall it—until Ye Qingyi replied:
“Don’t even think about unsending. I screenshotted it. [Evil grin]”
Damn. She predicted me.
Su Mo didn’t stay at the base much longer. After visiting Xia Qingqing, he ran into Wen Wenwen, the soft-spoken girl who recognized him immediately and greeted him warmly.
He took a Beidou-exclusive car back to school—and the moment he arrived, Ye Qingyi called.
“I’m here.”
“Mm, good.”
“Alright.”
After hanging up, he stopped by the supermarket, buying vegetables, beef, and Ye Qingyi’s favorite yogurt per her instructions.
It was the weekend, and campus was buzzing with club activities. He kept to himself, walking purposefully—until the Hanfu Club booth called out to him.
“Qingyi! What are you doing here?”
It was Yin Xiaowan, his former roommate and now a Hanfu Club member.
“Oh, what a coincidence.”
Yin Xiaowan grabbed his arm excitedly. “You and Qingqing left for so long and never came back to visit! Xiao Rou and I have been so lonely…”
She dragged him toward the club’s activity area, announcing to the crowd, “Look who’s here!”
A beautiful girl always caused a stir—especially when she was the campus belle.
“Holy sh—I mean, heavens! It’s Ye Qingyi!”
“See? I told you it was her yesterday, but you didn’t believe me!”
“Qingyi, join our dance club! We’ve got tons of hot guys!”
Su Mo usually dreaded these situations, but today, Yin Xiaowan had kidnapped him into it.
And he couldn’t just leave—everyone was too enthusiastic.
The guys were manageable; though awestruck by his beauty, they kept a respectful distance.
The girls, however?
They screamed, gushed, and some even boldly reached out to touch him. One girl slung an arm over his shoulder, sighing dreamily, “You’re so pretty, junior! Even I’m falling for you…”
Terrifying.