Lu Yuan was clearly unaware of Su Daqiang’s inner thoughts—and even if he had been, he wouldn’t have cared.
After all, Lu Yuan had already planned his future well in advance.
But he couldn’t answer right away.
That would have made him seem dismissive, so he pretended to think it over for a while, to show he was taking it seriously.
This was something an old master had taught him during his previous life when he was working.
In any job—whether it was a task assigned by your boss or a request from a client—never finish it too quickly.
Even if you could genuinely complete it in a few minutes, you should still drag it out a bit.
These were lessons drawn from experience!
And so, Lu Yuan sat across from Su Daqiang, feigning deep thought for a long while before slowly speaking:
“I plan to stay at the academy for a while longer to study, and then decide which intermediate spirit master academy to go to later.”
“After all, as you just said—though my spirit power has reached graduation standards, my foundational knowledge isn’t yet solid enough.”
Hearing this, the corner of Su Daqiang’s mouth twitched involuntarily, and he grumbled inwardly: “Heh—your foundation isn’t solid?
Have you already forgotten how you nearly drove me to depression?”
Of course, Su Daqiang could only say this in his head—otherwise, where would he put his pride?
Then Lu Yuan continued: “Besides, I haven’t even finished reading all the books in the academy library.
I don’t want to show up at an intermediate academy looking like an illiterate.”
“That would be letting you down, wouldn’t it?”
With that, Lu Yuan smiled at Su Daqiang.
Su Daqiang felt a little unsettled under Lu Yuan’s gaze—he couldn’t tell whether Lu Yuan was showing off or just being modest.
But either way, this was good news for him.
“Good.
Whatever choice you make, I’ll support your decision.”
“Since you’ve chosen to stay at the academy for now, don’t slack off in your cultivation.
Your talent is the best I’ve ever seen.”
“Train hard—don’t waste your gift.
If there’s anything about cultivation you don’t understand, you can come ask me anytime.”
“Oh, and since you’re already a spirit master, you don’t need to do the work-study student chores anymore—that would just be a waste of your time.”
“Is that really okay?” Lu Yuan asked hesitantly.
“Why wouldn’t it be?
This is a privilege for geniuses.” Su Daqiang slammed the table and declared sternly: “If anyone has a problem with it, tell them to come see me.”
Seeing this sudden fierce side of Su Daqiang, Lu Yuan was a little taken aback.
He hadn’t expected Director Su to have such an imposing presence.
“Alright, Xiao Yuan—today’s the first day of the semester.
Go back to the dormitory and get acquainted with your roommates.”
“Got it!”
After bidding farewell to Director Su, Lu Yuan left the Academic Affairs building.
Hearing someone call his name, Wang Sheng turned around.
When he saw it was Lu Yuan, he jogged over.
Pointing at the bundle on Lu Yuan’s back, Wang Sheng hesitated: “Boss, is that…?”
“Oh, this?” Noticing Wang Sheng’s gaze, Lu Yuan explained: “I went home a couple of days ago.
I just got back today.”
“Did you just come back too?
Heading to the dorm?”
“I’ve been back for a couple of days.” Wang Sheng shook his head.
“I was just reporting to the teacher.”
“I see.”
Nodding, Lu Yuan dropped the matter.
He had originally planned to drop off his luggage in the dorm first, then go buy some seasonings for the evening barbecue.
Meeting Wang Sheng unexpectedly saved him the trouble of running back and forth.
So Lu Yuan took down the bundle from his back and pulled out a smaller wrapped package, handing it to Wang Sheng.
“Here—this is some jerky I brought from home.
Take it back to the dorm and share it with everyone.”
“Oh—that’s too kind.
We haven’t even treated you to a meal yet, Boss!”
Looking at the jerky Lu Yuan was offering, Wang Sheng didn’t quite know what to do.
As a junior, he felt he should be bringing gifts for his boss—but he was too poor.
“It’s fine—just take it when I tell you to.”
“They’re just wild rabbits I caught in the mountains back home—nothing valuable.”
With that, Lu Yuan shoved the jerky into Wang Sheng’s hands, along with his own large bundle.
“I’ve got some things to take care of, so I won’t be going back to the dorm just yet.
Take my luggage back for me.”
“Got it, Boss—I’ll make sure it’s safe.”
After Lu Yuan left, Wang Sheng carried Lu Yuan’s bundle as carefully as if it were a priceless porcelain vase, terrified of bumping or dropping it.
Before long, Wang Sheng returned to the dormitory.
Under everyone’s gaze, Wang Sheng walked over to Lu Yuan’s bed, found a clean stool, and placed the bundle on top.
“Hey, Wang Sheng—what’s that you’ve got?”
He had been wondering how to boost Lu Yuan’s prestige, and now that someone had finally asked, it saved him the trouble of thinking of a way.
“Hehe—this is something Boss Lu brought for us!”
“Is it from Boss Lu Yuan?” Those who asked were clearly the ones who had gone home early.
All they knew about this Boss Lu was what Wang Sheng and the others had told them—that he was incredibly strong and very kind.
Now, this boss they hadn’t even met had already brought them gifts—it made them look forward to meeting him.
“Duh—besides Boss Lu Yuan, who else deserves to be called boss by us?”
“Yes, yes—our bad!” They quickly apologized.
“By the way, Wang Sheng—what kind of goodies did Boss Lu bring us?”
“Ta-da—it’s jerky!
A whole big bag!”
This time, Wang Sheng didn’t keep them in suspense.
He opened the bundle, and instantly, a rich, spicy aroma of dried meat filled the air.
Though the students here weren’t dirt poor, they still only got to eat meat a few times a month at best.
Now, catching that mouth-watering scent, every single one of them couldn’t help but drool.
One of the boys, who was closer to Wang Sheng, stared at the jerky with glazed eyes and wiped the corner of his mouth.
“Is all of this really for us?”
“Mm-hmm—Boss said it’s all for us.”
“Hooray!
Long live Boss Lu!”
At that moment, everyone in the dormitory cheered Lu Yuan’s name in unison.
Knock, knock, knock!
Just as they were all chewing on the jerky with gusto, a sudden knock at the door interrupted their feast.
They all looked at each other, then turned to Wang Sheng.
“Why are you looking at me?” Noticing their gazes, Wang Sheng said calmly: “It’s probably not Boss.”
“Then it must be the new work-study student.”
“Li Ming—go open the door.”
“Though Boss isn’t here, as his underlings, we should learn to share his burdens.
While you’re at it, explain the rules of Seven Dorm to the new guy.”
“Alright…” Forced by the gap in strength, Li Ming had no choice but to obey the dorm’s second-in-command, Wang Sheng.
Before leaving, he reluctantly glanced back at the jerky.
“Save some for me!”
“Got it—just hurry up!” Seeing Li Ming dawdling, Wang Sheng gave him a kick in the backside.
At the door, Li Ming opened it to find a dark-skinned boy with clear signs of malnutrition on his face.
Dressed in coarse hemp cloth, Li Ming instantly understood—this was the new work-study student.
Whether it was a tradition of Seven Dorm or not, Li Ming still asked: “Are you the new work-study student?”
“Mm-hmm.”
With a casual response, Tang San brushed past Li Ming and walked forward.
Seeing this, Li Ming quickly trotted after him.
“Hey, new kid—I haven’t told you the rules of Seven Dorm yet.”
“Rules?” Tang San stopped and looked coldly at Li Ming.