Ren Ju was furious to learn that not only had Si Nuo managed to get matched, but his match was also generous enough to buy him a cake from the Central Restaurant. When he compared this to his own match who was nothing more than a run-of-the-mill A-level esper his jealousy boiled over.
The guy who shared his dorm saw him throwing things around in a rage and knew it was all because Si Nuo had found a match. “You don’t have to be like this. Si Nuo might be grabbing some attention lately, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s going to die sooner or later. He has a genetic disease, after all. So what if he got matched? What kind of person could his match possibly be?”
Ren Ju turned to look at him. “Did you see their smug faces today? It’s just a cake from the Central Restaurant. What’s there to be so proud of? He even intentionally brought it to the classroom to show off. Bah!”
After Si Nuo finished messaging Guan Xingchen, he got up and opened the cake. “Zhang Yu, let’s divide this up.”
They didn’t have a refrigerator in their dorm, so there was no way to keep it fresh; they had to eat it tonight. As soon as the box opened, a sweet, fragrant scent of strawberry cream filled the air.
“It smells so good. As expected of a cake from the Central Restaurant,” Zhang Yu said, inhaling the aroma with a look of pure intoxication.
Si Nuo hadn’t expected it to be a strawberry cake, which was his favorite. “Quick, get the spoons. Let’s eat.”
Zhang Yu shook his head. “Forget it. It’s only one cake, and it was a gift from that Highness for you.”
Si Nuo smiled at him. “It’s an 8-inch cake. If you leave me to eat this all by myself, I’ll probably end up in the infirmary tomorrow. Besides, it’s already late; you know my stomach can’t handle too much, and if we save it until tomorrow, it’ll go bad. Hurry up!”
Zhang Yu thought about it and realized he was right. With Si Nuo’s frail constitution, overeating at night usually caused indigestion, which would lead to a fever. “Heh, well then, I won’t be polite.”
An 8-inch cake isn’t that large, but they enjoyed it thoroughly. Si Nuo, being disciplined, put down his spoon after only a few bites. “I’m going to wash up. You finish it; don’t waste it.”
Zhang Yu sighed. “Well, I guess that’s my gain.”
Si Nuo laughed. “At least it’s not going to waste.”
Zhang Yu grinned. “That’s true. No wonder everything at the Central Restaurant is so expensive; it’s worth the price. Someday, when I’m rich, I’m going to eat every single delicacy in that place!”
“I believe in you! You can definitely do it!” Si Nuo replied.
“I’ll hold you to that!”
After Si Nuo came out of the shower and pulled up his chair, Zhang Yu asked, “Are you going to paint?”
“He gave me a cake, so it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t give him a return gift. Painting is all I’m good at, though.”
Zhang Yu’s curiosity was piqued. “What are you going to paint for him?”
“A portrait, I think.”
“Really? Go ahead, let me see.” Zhang Yu sat down right next to him.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Si Nuo asked.
Zhang Yu shook his head. “I want to see what His Highness actually looks like!”
There wasn’t a single image of their Highness on the entire network, which was standard for the Empire; royal family members only became public figures after the heir ascended to the throne. Si Nuo hadn’t expected him to be this curious, but he said, “Don’t go telling anyone about this.”
“Even if I wanted to, who would believe me?”
Zhang Yu had a point. Who would believe that an ordinary person with a genetic disease could be matched with the future Emperor of the Empire? Even Si Nuo found it hard to believe.
Without further ado, Si Nuo began to paint. Once he was immersed in his work, he became completely oblivious to his surroundings. For Zhang Yu, watching Si Nuo paint was a pleasure in itself; it was as if the brush in his hand possessed a soul of its own, with every stroke made with firm, quiet confidence.
Before long, a man with sharp, noble eyebrows and brilliant eyes, dressed in a military uniform, appeared on the white paper. He looked both elegant and fiercely majestic.
So, this is what His Highness looks like, Zhang Yu thought. Why does he look so familiar? Like I’ve seen him somewhere before… but that’s impossible. A face like his isn’t exactly common; if I’d seen him, I would definitely remember…
“Finished. What do you think?” Si Nuo put down his brush and turned the painting toward Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu came back to his senses. “What do you mean ‘what do I think’? It’s perfect! So, His Highness is this handsome? All those rumors saying he’s a hideous monster were clearly fake.”
Si Nuo felt a bit guilty hearing this. He felt the rumors weren’t entirely false—while the face on the paper was undeniably stunning, Guan Xingchen really was quite fierce. Thinking of that, he felt an urge to rub his neck.
He set the painting aside, washed his hands, and climbed into bed, planning to wake up early to work on the wall mural. As for whether Guan Xingchen would really come to watch him paint, he didn’t dwell on it too much. Given Guan Xingchen’s status, he would have to find time in his busy schedule to drop by.
Meanwhile, Guan Xingchen was reviewing the data from the recent freshman training. “The physical fitness of this year’s freshmen is much better than in previous years.”
The adjutant nodded. “Indeed. The medical team was prepared for sudden mental instability cases, but after this training session, the rate of mental instability incidents among students dropped by 10% compared to last year. Several students even showed signs of breaking through to S-level mental power. In the past, students in that transition phase were the most prone to mental instability, and although we had the medical team monitor them closely, these individuals remained stable.”
“In fact,” the adjutant continued, “they were perhaps too stable. And according to our investigation, these students happen to be the ones who possess the ‘healing paintings.'”
Hearing the phrase “healing paintings” again, Guan Xingchen asked, “How is the investigation into that matter coming along?”
“I sent people to look at the paintings hanging in their dorms, but they reported that while the paintings are beautiful, they didn’t feel anything special.” The adjutant looked puzzled.
Guan Xingchen frowned. “They said the paintings have healing capabilities and can stabilize a person’s mental sea, so why would there be no effect? You need to go see for yourself.”
The adjutant nodded. “I will go today.”
Actually, the adjutant had been planning to go even if Guan Xingchen hadn’t ordered him to. He was curious and hopeful about these healing paintings if they truly had a healing effect, could they perhaps be of use to His Highness?
The adjutant left the apartment and headed directly to Lu Cen’s dormitory. The trainees were still on their way back. On the hover-car, someone poked Lu Cen on the shoulder from behind. “Cen-ge, show us that painting of yours again, just one more time! My head feels like it’s going to explode; if I don’t see it, I don’t think I can make it back to school!”
“Yeah, Cen-ge, have some pity on us!”
Lu Cen opened his eyes and looked at the crowd gathered around him, begging. He didn’t hesitate and pulled the small wooden painting from his chest, holding it firmly. “Look carefully, all of you, and don’t you dare damage it!”
Everyone crowded around, craning their necks to look at the painting. Their movement caught the attention of the instructor ahead, who walked over. “What’s going on? Why are you all huddled together? What are you sneaking looks at? Are you hiding contraband?”
Seeing the instructor, everyone instinctively shoved the object behind their backs. By doing so, they only made it look even more suspicious.
“No, Instructor, we aren’t looking at anything!”
“If you aren’t looking at anything, then what are you hiding? Are you looking at porn? I know you boys, take it out!”