Chapter 322: Are You After My Body?

“Qingning, forgive me for asking, but are your parents divorced? I’ve never heard you mention them, only your grandmother.”

“I don’t have parents. I’m an orphan my grandmother took in.”

‘Another orphan?’

“???”

Su Ran had been getting spooked by this lately.

“Do you need my help finding your relatives?”

“No, I don’t. Having my grandmother is enough. My birth parents didn’t want me, so why should I go looking for them?”

“Oh…”

Su Ran nodded. ‘For a second there, I thought I’d have to add another person to the family-finding list,’ he thought.

“It’s about time for dinner. Come on, I’ll treat you. It’s a thank you for bringing me so many delicious local specialties from Sichuan.”

Su Ran took Shen Qingning to a Pork Rib Health Care Restaurant, hoping she could eat something nutritious to build up her strength.

Shen Qingning explained she had returned early to find a part-time job. Su Ran was very supportive. In the past, Shen Qingning’s low self-esteem would have prevented her from telling him this, as she’d have been afraid he would look down on her. But Su Ran had helped her heal and overcome her insecurities. In his own words: “As long as you’re not stealing or robbing, there’s no shame in earning money with your own two hands!”

After dinner, he took Shen Qingning back to the university. She hesitated for a moment before mustering her courage. “Class President, are you free tomorrow? If so, I’d like to treat you to a meal to thank you for always looking out for me.”

“How about the day after tomorrow? I have something to do tomorrow and won’t be in Jiangning.”

“Come on, I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“Yeah, you’re back, so I’ll treat you to dinner.”

“Okay.”

Watching Su Ran’s car drive away, Shen Qingning carried her luggage back to the women’s dormitory. Nowadays, no one at school dared to look down on her for being poor. Anyone in the know understood she was protected by the Class President, and no one dared to bully her. If they did, Cao Wo would be the first one to teach them a lesson! This feeling of being cared for and valued warmed Shen Qingning’s heart.

However, Su Ran did not have a Red Dust Line connecting him to Shen Qingning. This meant that, for now, they were merely classmates. It wasn’t as if Su Ran fell in love with and wanted every girl he met; friendship existed alongside romance. As for what the future held, that remained unknown.

One thing was certain, though: Su Ran really did have to go out of town on business tomorrow. Liu Buqun had finished carving the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and wanted Su Ran to see if any modifications were needed.

「The next morning.」

Su Ran took the high-speed train to Lingzhou.

It was a long journey, so he played on his phone to pass the time.

He received an email from Aunt Luo: “Mr. Su, the new drama series I’m invested in is starring Reba. The opening ceremony press conference will be held this Wednesday in the Imperial Capital. Please come if you’re free.” Attached was an electronic invitation.

‘I’ve never been to the Imperial Capital before. It’d be cool to see the flag-raising ceremony.’ And with that, Su Ran readily agreed.

It was rather amusing—he and Aunt Luo had only ever communicated via email. They had never added each other on WeChat or even exchanged phone numbers. Neither had ever asked, as if it were a game where the first one to break the silence would lose. Over time, they had simply grown accustomed to it.

After their chat, Su Ran sent a congratulatory message to Reba on WeChat: “Congrats on the new show, superstar.”

Reba: “I have you to thank for this, big boss. I never would’ve gotten this chance without you. I’ll have to thank you properly next time we meet.”

Su Ran: “And how do you plan on thanking me? (smirk)”

Reba: “So, are you finally admitting you’re after my body?”

Su Ran: “You’re overthinking it. Just watch the flag-raising ceremony with me, that’ll be thanks enough.”

Reba: “That’s it?”

Su Ran: “Yep.”

Reba: “Mm.”

Su Ran: “What’s with the one-word reply?”

Reba: “Drop dead.”

Teasing his high school idol was actually pretty great. It gave him a real sense of accomplishment.

When a rich man does it, it’s called “banter.”

When a poor man does it, it’s called “calling the police.”

However, having knocked around the entertainment industry for years, Reba knew the score. A magnate like Su Ran had incredibly high standards. He’d only ever see her as a friend, nothing more. At worst, they might become “friends with benefits,” but she didn’t think Su Ran was that kind of person. The boy seemed too upstanding for that. All in all, having a wealthy friend was actually a pretty good deal.

After a three-hour train ride, he arrived in Lingzhou at 11 AM.

Su Ran hadn’t notified Sect Leader Liu of his arrival; he couldn’t be bothered with the formality of having them send someone to pick him up. Su Ran was a free-spirited man. Since he had the address, he just hailed a taxi and headed up the mountain himself. As the car wound its way along narrow mountain paths, he gazed out at the primeval forest. He couldn’t help but marvel that all of this would one day belong to Shan Weizi. It was the perfect place for a life of wellness and retirement.

When the taxi reached the summit, Su Ran paid the fare, got out, and saw two large banners.

The first read: “For Martial Arts, Choose the Spirit Sword Mountain Sect! The Sunflower Spirit Sword Mountain Class Is Now in Session! Special Price: Only 9,999 Yuan Per Term!”

The second read: “The Spirit Sword Mountain Sect Announces a Global Call for Submissions: Write a Fantasy Novel with a Spirit Sword Mountain Theme! Grand Prize: 200,000 Yuan!”

“Even Spirit Sword Mountain has been sucked into the rat race?”

“Su Ran…” Just then, Liu Buqun spotted him from the main hall ahead. He strode over, every step full of purpose, and clapped Su Ran on the shoulder. “You brat, you came all this way without a word! I would have sent someone to pick you up.”

“That’s exactly why. I didn’t want to trouble you, so I just came myself.”

“Come on, let’s go inside and sit down.”

“By the way, Sect Leader Liu, is this call for fantasy novels for real?”

“Of course it’s real. Think of it as a form of publicity. It adds a bit of fantasy mystique to our Spirit Sword Mountain to attract more martial arts students.”

Since Su Ran was practically family, Sect Leader Liu spoke frankly. In the end, it was all for the sake of preserving and passing on Chinese martial arts.

“What, are you interested? Why don’t you sign up and give it a try?”

“Me?” Su Ran thought for a moment. “I read a ton of novels, but I’ve never actually written one. Hmm… Sure, why not? I’ve got time on my hands. I’ll sign up secretly and give it a shot. That way, if it’s total cringe, you guys won’t flame me for it.”

“Hahaha…” Liu Buqun laughed. “I don’t read novels. Weizi’s the judge. She’s the one who’ll be reviewing the submissions.”

“Weizi?” Su Ran thought. ‘My girlfriend is the judge? That makes things even more interesting. I’ve definitely got to give this fantasy novel thing a try anonymously.’

The two of them walked to the backyard and sat down. Liu Buqun shouted toward the kitchen, “Piaopiao, Su Ran’s here! Bring us some tea.”

“Sister Piaopiao’s here?”

“Yeah, she’s been here for a few days.”

“This…?”

Su Ran glanced down at his hand. The Red Dust Line was indeed leading toward the kitchen in the small courtyard…