“He is certainly not.”
Without giving Si Nuo a chance to refuse, he was led directly to the restaurant. He stared at the exquisite meal placed before him.
Si Nuo: “…I…”
“Please, do not stand on ceremony. It was my dereliction of duty that delayed you for so long. Please, enjoy your meal.”
After the adjutant finished speaking, he bowed slightly to Si Nuo, turned around, and left.
Left alone in the restaurant, Si Nuo was completely baffled by the turn of events. The other party’s sudden 180-degree change in attitude had left him bewildered. However, he was indeed hungry. Facing a table full of food that looked delicious, Si Nuo thought to himself: It would be a waste not to eat!
After a satisfying meal, Si Nuo let out a small, involuntary burp.
As he got up to leave the restaurant, the officer who had been guarding him earlier immediately approached. “Are you leaving now? I will escort you back.”
“No need, I can go back on my own. You…”
“This is a task assigned to me by my superiors. Please, right this way.”
Si Nuo didn’t know if all soldiers were this overbearing, but regardless, he had no room to argue. He followed the officer out of the apartment, and when he finally arrived back at school, he had never felt that his school gate looked so welcoming.
Upon reaching the entrance, Si Nuo quickly said to the officer, “I’ve arrived. Thank you.”
Leaving those words behind, Si Nuo ran off without looking back.
The officer, watching him leave, stood there, stunned: “…” Does he really find me that unpleasant? It’s as if I’m some kind of monster.
Si Nuo jogged all the way back to his dormitory. Seeing him return, Zhang Yu immediately said, “Why are you so late? If you hadn’t come back, I would have gone looking for you!”
Because he had been jogging, Si Nuo hadn’t caught his breath yet. He patted his chest and said, “Wait, wait, let me tell you in a moment…”
Zhang Yu pulled him down to sit and poured him a glass of water. “Drink some water and take your time.”
After resting for a while, Si Nuo finally regained his strength and recounted everything that had happened that day to Zhang Yu.
After listening, Zhang Yu first remarked, “Who does this person think he is?”
Then he added, “At least he knew enough to apologize, but don’t do things like that next time. With your frail build, you’re thinking of saving people?”
Si Nuo took small sips of the warm water. “I didn’t think much about it at the time. I’ll consider it next time. Hopefully.”
He felt a bit guilty as he said this; after all, when he was in the moment, his only instinct was to save someone, and he hadn’t considered the consequences at all.
Shortly after Si Nuo had left, Guan Xingchen finally regained consciousness. Seeing his pale complexion, the adjutant hurriedly called for a doctor.
When he saw people entering, Guan Xingchen struggled to sit up. “I’m fine.”
Even so, the doctor performed a full-body examination and confirmed that his mental instability had truly subsided before leaving.
The adjutant said with lingering fear, “I shouldn’t have left, Your Highness.”
“It is not your fault. This is something neither you nor I can control. Besides, it is fortunate you were not there.”
The adjutant had followed him for many years and naturally understood exactly what he meant. As the Empire’s only 3S-level esper, Guan Xingchen’s destructive power was even greater after an episode of mental instability. Although the adjutant hadn’t been there and was fortunate enough to avoid it, yet…
Sensing that the person beside him had something to say, Guan Xingchen looked over. “Speak if you have something to say!”
The adjutant hesitated for a moment before telling him about Si Nuo. He honestly hadn’t expected such a coincidence to occur. Was this fated by heaven?
However, after hearing the adjutant’s words, the expression on Guan Xingchen’s face darkened.
Thinking he had angered his superior, the adjutant hurriedly said, “It is my incompetence, Your Highness. Please punish me!”
A wry smile appeared in Guan Xingchen’s eyes. “You only did what you were supposed to do, but I…”
Guan Xingchen looked at his own hands. So, it hadn’t been a dream. He really had almost choked him to death.
After hearing Guan Xingchen’s words, the adjutant’s heart sank to rock bottom. Their Highness had finally matched with a partner after over 200 attempts; could it all be ruined because of this?
He vaguely remembered that the other party had been reluctant from the beginning. Now that this had happened, would the other party still give them another chance?
For a moment, both Guan Xingchen and the adjutant felt that Si Nuo would most likely refuse.
As for Si Nuo, he had indeed been frightened by Guan Xingchen’s actions that day. He had nightmares that entire night, and by the time he woke up the next morning, he was running a fever again.
Zhang Yu looked at his pale face. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to the infirmary to get checked out today?”
Si Nuo shook his head. “No need. I just didn’t sleep well last night.” He was too embarrassed to say he had been frightened.
“Then, are you still going to the Central Restaurant tomorrow?”
Reminded by Zhang Yu, Si Nuo remembered the matching appointment. “The other party didn’t refuse, so I suppose I should go. I need to clear things up face-to-face.”
What other choice did he have?
Zhang Yu nodded. “I suppose that’s the only way. You rest; I’ll go to class and ask for a leave of absence for you.”
Si Nuo didn’t want to move, so he replied, “Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll bring you food at noon. Go to sleep.”
After Zhang Yu left, Si Nuo lay on the bed and fell asleep again shortly after. He slept quite comfortably this time and didn’t have any more nightmares. When he woke up, the fever was gone. However, he was still worried about the meeting tomorrow.
When Zhang Yu returned with food, he looked rather indignant. Seeing this, Si Nuo asked worriedly, “What’s wrong?”
Zhang Yu set down the food. “It’s that Ren Ju. Just because he found a partner with A-level mental power, the guy gave him a bracelet after they met. He’s showing it off in the classroom. It’s only an A-level esper; is that really worth bragging about? You’ve matched with the Empire’s only Highness, have you said anything about it?”
Si Nuo smiled amusedly at him. “Ren Ju’s personality is just like that. Why bother arguing with him? What kind of food did you get me?”
“You have a fever, so you can only eat something light. It’s porridge. Are you still burning up?”
Si Nuo shook his head. “I told you, I just didn’t sleep well. I just took a nap, and I feel much better.”
“That’s good.”
After eating, his stomach felt better, and Si Nuo felt more energized. In the afternoon, he brought his art supplies and prepared to work on the wall mural. Zhang Yu followed him to help sketch the outlines according to his draft.
The busy pair caught the attention of several people. Ren Ju stood by the window, looking at the two in the distance, his expression looking increasingly unpleasant.
Although Si Nuo intended to reject the other party during this meeting, he still got up early on the day of the appointment and tidied himself up before departing from school.
It took about 40 minutes by hover-car to get from the school to the Central Restaurant. The restaurant was located in a very prosperous area in the heart of the Imperial Star.
This was Si Nuo’s first time here. If he hadn’t felt the distinct atmosphere of the interstellar era while at school, he certainly felt it here. Looking at the buildings that towered into the clouds, the various hover-cars flying back and forth in the sky, and the different robots on the street, it all felt like scenes he had once seen in futuristic movies.
After scanning his terminal, Si Nuo successfully entered the Central Restaurant and, guided by a robot, arrived at the table reserved for them by the system.
When Si Nuo sat down, the other party had not yet arrived. He checked the time; he had arrived early.
The robot poured him some water. Si Nuo thanked it and was just about to bring the cup to his lips when he heard a voice: “Are you my matching partner?”
Si Nuo stood up instinctively and looked up. The first thing that caught his eye was a shiny bald head. Si Nuo was stunned by the man’s “Mediterranean” hairstyle. He collected himself and hurriedly said, “Ah, are you Mr. Guan…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a cold voice came from behind him, cutting him off: “He is not!”
Si Nuo turned his head and met a pair of familiar black eyes.
Thump!