Chapter 40 – Who Told Her to Fight Me for a Man?

In the largest room of Suite 404, Dormitory Building, Academy District.

Su Ming, having successfully claimed this room, first settled his luggage before collapsing onto the bed.

Admittedly, the living conditions here were excellent. The environment went without saying, and even the furniture was exceptionally Advanced. The incredibly soft and spacious bed made Su Ming want to roll around in comfort. If not for the embarrassment, he might have let his girlish heart burst forth.

“Such great housing conditions—were they prepared just recently, or did they already exist?”

Su Ming had heard that for this campaign, the Base City had undergone significant renovations in Huaming District. Not only had Defense Lines been constructed in all directions, but massive developments had also been carried out in military and civilian aspects.

Such construction was so extensive that even the original residents of Huaming District would be stunned upon returning, wondering if they had taken the wrong way home.

The camp where the Academy District was located had such perfect and comprehensive conditions that it was hard not to suspect whether the Base City had built it from scratch.

“Although the discovery of the Spirit Demon Abyss Entrance in Huaming District was only made three days ago, logically speaking, even with the entire Base City’s manpower and resources, it would be difficult to build such a district in just three days. But this world does have alchemical tools and various Extraordinary Items, so it can’t be judged by common sense.”

Su Ming idly pondered such matters.

It was a way to relax.

In this state, Su Ming’s door suddenly knocked.

“Who is it?”

Su Ming assumed it was Lei Hao and Ye Bai, those two persistent guys coming to harass him again, so his tone was casual and lazy.

Unexpectedly, instead of the rough, irritable voices of those two, a sweet, adorable, and timid voice came from outside the door.

“Brother Su Ming, are you resting?”

The owner of the voice was none other than An Zijin.

“Little Jin?” Su Ming’s scattered focus returned somewhat as he scrambled up from the bed and looked toward the door. “Come in.”

After he spoke, the beauty outside the door hesitated slightly before pushing it open.

“Brother Su Ming.”

An Zijin cautiously pushed open Su Ming’s door, her demeanor timid as she looked at him sitting on the bed.

Ever since Su Ming had lost his temper on the train, both Xu Qianqian and An Zijin had become subtly cautious in their attitudes.

Especially An Zijin, who seemed to constantly watch Su Ming’s expression, appearing particularly careful.

Su Ming scratched his cheek and said, “If you have something to say, come in. Why stand at the door?”

Hearing this, An Zijin blinked her adorable big eyes, observed Su Ming’s expression, and then hesitantly stepped into the room.

Watching An Zijin like this, Su Ming suddenly felt a sense of déjà vu.

He recalled some childhood memories.

He remembered that back then, whenever he got angry, this neighbor girl, who was only a year younger than him, would act just like this—holding a stuffed doll while carefully gauging his mood, as if trying to determine whether he was still upset.Especially when they first met, Su Ming was so jealous of his parents’ favoritism towards An Zijin that he constantly gave her the cold shoulder. Back then, An Zijin was just like this—observing him cautiously from the side, timidly following behind him.

Now, a full ten years had passed.

In those ten years, he had changed a lot, and An Zijin had changed a lot too, yet some things seemed completely unchanged.

Even after his Transmigration, crossing into a dangerous parallel world with a completely different atmosphere, the bond between him and this girl next door seemed to remain intact.

Thinking of this, Su Ming began to reflect on whether his behavior today had been a bit excessive.

Unconsciously, his tone softened considerably.

“What’s wrong?” Su Ming asked An Zijin.

“N-nothing.” An Zijin lowered her head, twisting her fingers nervously, while stealing glances at Su Ming and speaking timidly, “Everyone says that on the first day of moving into a new Dormitory, we should have hotpot. What do you think, Su Ming?”

Hearing An Zijin’s words, Su Ming knew right away—this girl was deliberately making conversation.

After all, the topic was rather forced.

But Su Ming didn’t call her out on it.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Su Ming said, as if intentionally playing along with her topic. “The weather has turned colder now, so having hotpot isn’t a bad choice.”

“R-really?” An Zijin’s expression brightened a little as she quickly added, “Then let’s go to the cafeteria to get ingredients and borrow utensils.”

“We?” Su Ming raised an eyebrow. “What about the others? What are they doing?”

“They…” An Zijin’s eyes darted away, and she stammered, “They’re still tidying their rooms. They probably don’t have time.”

At this point in the conversation, Su Ming roughly understood what was going on.

“So, this hotpot idea was something you came up with on the spot, and the others don’t even know about it yet?”

Su Ming found himself both amused and exasperated.

He knew An Zijin’s topic was forced, but he hadn’t expected it to be this forced.

No doubt, this girl had racked her brains just to strike up a conversation with him.

An Zijin, still unaware of how transparent she was being, hurriedly spoke up.

“I-it’s fine! Beibei and Wanyu will definitely agree with me. Senior Ye Bai probably will too, and as for Senior Lei Hao, he doesn’t seem to care what he eats—as long as there’s food, he’ll be happy…”

An Zijin began counting on her fingers one by one, looking utterly serious, which was somewhat amusing.

In a way, though, An Zijin wasn’t wrong.

Just think about it—given how much Yao Beibei and Jiang Wanyu doted on An Zijin, would they possibly disagree with her suggestion?

As for Ye Bai, there was no need to even mention him—he was the epitome of a simp. If An Zijin said she wanted to eat dirt, he’d probably be the first one rushing to do it.

And Lei Hao, with his carefree and reckless personality, truly would be happy as long as there was food to eat.

Thinking about it this way, even though the topic was forced, An Zijin had accurately grasped the personalities and tendencies of every member in their team. This girl was unexpectedly not to be underestimated.

With this thought, Su Ming smiled inwardly and turned his gaze to An Zijin.He stared straight at the neighbor girl who remained as adorable as in their childhood, a faint smile in his eyes.

“Wh-what are you looking at me like that for?”

An Zijin blushed under Su Ming’s gaze, shyly fidgeting with her fingers.

“Nothing.” Su Ming sighed nostalgically. “It’s just that you’re still exactly like you were as a child.”

This heartfelt remark actually made An Zijin pout slightly.

“That’s not true at all,” An Zijin protested. “I’ve grown up now, you know?”

It seemed this girl didn’t appreciate Su Ming still treating her like a child.

To emphasize her point, she even straightened her posture, making her school uniform appear more prominent in certain areas.

“Ahem…”

Su Ming choked slightly, coughing twice before shooting An Zijin an exasperated look.

“Hehe.”

An Zijin brightened at his reaction, her lovely smile finally returning like sunshine after rain.

“Brother Su Ming, please don’t be angry anymore?”

She reached out with her small hand to tug at Su Ming’s sleeve, speaking in a pitiful tone.

“I’m not angry anymore.”

Su Ming maintained his exasperated expression.

“Really?”

An Zijin’s bright eyes fixed intently on Su Ming.

“Really.” Su Ming glanced at her, adding as if to prevent her from getting too cocky, “But there won’t be a next time, okay?”

Being used as a tool in the girls’ argument and completely ignored had really stung his masculine pride.

Hence, Su Ming felt the need to issue this warning.

“Okay! (^o^)/~”

An Zijin responded cheerfully, immediately throwing herself beside him and skillfully wrapping her arms around his.

She looked exactly like a little sister acting spoiled – utterly adorable.

The cautious atmosphere between them finally dissipated completely.

An Zijin seemed thoroughly satisfied.

Meanwhile, Su Ming seized this opportunity to ask her a question.

“Seriously though, why do you seem to have it out for that Xu Qianqian?”

Su Ming posed this question directly.

The smile on An Zijin’s face stiffened slightly before vanishing entirely.

“…Who told her she wants to steal my man?”

An Zijin muttered this under her breath.

“Steal your man?”

Su Ming’s expression turned strange.

“Yes!” An Zijin decided to go all out, stating bluntly, “I get the feeling that woman has ill intentions toward you, Brother Su Ming! That’s why I really don’t like her!”

This explanation left Su Ming momentarily speechless.

Ill intentions toward me?

As if such a good thing… no, as if such a thing would happen!

Wasn’t the one with ill intentions toward me always you, this unqualified little sister?

And besides…

“Would that Xu Qianqian even be interested in me?” Su Ming rolled his eyes. “I think you’re misunderstanding something.”

That female vampire was, at most, just craving his body (referring to his blood).

Unfortunately, An Zijin didn’t seem to share this perspective.

“She’s supposed to be this aloof senior in everyone’s eyes, yet only around you, Brother Su Ming, her gaze and expression completely contradict what the rumors say.” An Zijin spoke with utmost seriousness. “When a woman shows a completely different side of herself only around one specific man, it can only mean that person holds a special place in her heart.”An Zijin spoke with such seriousness, as if it were all true.

Su Ming couldn’t quite explain the “complicated relationship” between him and Xu Qianqian, so he could only say to An Zijin, “I don’t know how to explain it to you, but you’ve definitely misunderstood. Next time, don’t react so strongly, okay?”

Su Ming spoke with a rather earnest, lecturing tone.

However, this only worsened An Zijin’s mood.

“I didn’t misunderstand anything,” An Zijin said angrily. “Brother Su Ming, you’re such a big idiot.”

After leaving these words, An Zijin jumped off the bed and ran out of Su Ming’s room.

“Hey, wait! I haven’t finished yet!”

Su Ming was both stunned and caught between laughter and exasperation.

(End of Chapter)