Feng Chi collected himself. It was true—talking about all this now was too soon. They would have to see what happened tomorrow.
He glanced at the hot pot and fished out a slice of meat. “I heard someone say that meat is cooked as soon as its color changes. This slice should be done. Try it.”
The savory aroma drifted straight to Feng Chi’s nose. He swallowed several times, but still put a few slices of meat into Feng Zhi’s bowl first.
Feng Zhi didn’t hesitate to eat the meat he’d put in her bowl. She dipped it in the sauce and popped it into her mouth.
A tangy, spicy flavor filled her mouth, followed by the faint fragrance of cilantro and the firm texture of the meat.
Feng Zhi closed her eyes in bliss. After eighteen years, she was finally eating meat.
There had been meat-flavored nutrient solutions, but the ones she’d drunk before were the cheapest kind. They only met the body’s basic nutritional needs, and the meat flavor was so faint that they tasted mostly like water. After drinking one, it felt as if she’d just downed a bottle of water. Nothing compared to eating mouthfuls of real meat.
Once she’d somewhat satisfied her craving, she picked up a slice of meat and put it in Feng Chi’s bowl. “You eat, too.”
The meat cooked quickly; a minute or two in the pot was enough. By the time they’d finished it, the vegetables were ready as well.
The fresh, tender vegetables had a crisp texture, crunching loudly with every bite.
They alternated bites of meat and vegetables, then added some noodles at the end. Before long, both of them were steaming with heat, their cheeks flushed.
This was the first time Feng Zhi and Feng Chi had eaten natural food. They couldn’t stop, and only put down their chopsticks when they were completely stuffed.
Feng Chi sprawled on the sofa, rubbing his belly. “So this is what it feels like to be stuffed.”
Feng Zhi echoed him. “Yeah. So this is what it feels like to be stuffed.”
Then Feng Chi remembered something and quickly sat up, opening the Star Network. “I heard overeating isn’t good for you. I’ll buy something to help with digestion.”
“You can buy something for yourself. You don’t need to get me anything.” Feng Zhi waved a hand and shifted into a more comfortable position. “Being stuffed is its own kind of happiness.”
Feng Chi withdrew his hand. “Then I won’t get anything either. We can be happy together.”
He stole a glance at Feng Zhi and edged closer, narrowing the space between them. “Once I awaken as a Sentinel tomorrow, I’ll be able to earn lots and lots of money. Then I’ll buy a big house and a robot. We can live in that big house and eat natural food every day. How does that sound?”
And he’d heard that once he became a Sentinel, he’d be able to smell a Guide’s Guide Pheromone. He wondered what Feng Zhi’s would smell like. Whatever it was, he’d like it.
“By the way, did you choose to be an Independent Guide or an Official Guide? You must have chosen Independent Guide, right?”
Feng Zhi had said that once she had enough money, she wanted to travel to different planets and sample all their delicacies. So he was sure she’d chosen to be an Independent Guide.
If Feng Zhi was going to be an Independent Guide, then he would definitely become an Independent Sentinel. That way, he could stay by her side forever.
Feng Zhi nodded. “Mm. Independent Guide.”
As she spoke, she took out her Chip. “Let me see what messages I’ve got.”
Messages had been flashing the whole time they were eating, but Feng Zhi had been so absorbed in the meal that she hadn’t paid them any attention.
When she opened them, she found quite a few people congratulating her on becoming a Guide. Several Sentinels had also made it clear that they wanted her to give them Deep Treatment. They were all people she’d met while tutoring.
Feng Zhi replied to them one by one, turning them all down.
With someone as handsome as Feng Chi in front of her every day—and now that she herself was a great beauty in this life, too—her standards had risen so high that none of these people could compare to him.
Besides, for her first Deep Treatment, she wanted a Sentinel who was pure.
Feng Chi lowered his head, pretending to reach for some fruit, while sneaking a look at the messages. He caught sight of the ones from the Sentinels.
His fingers tightened around the plate until they turned faintly blue.
He’d known it. As soon as Feng Zhi was identified as a Guide, plenty of Sentinels would try to lure her in.
And here they were: she’d only been identified that morning, and in the time it took to eat one meal, all these Sentinels had already offered themselves.
Still, he wasn’t too worried. He knew none of them was as good-looking as he was. Feng Zhi liked handsome men, so as long as he kept showing up in front of her, she wouldn’t be interested in anyone else.
He sat down beside Feng Zhi and asked again, “Feng Zhi, once we get to the Sentinel-Guide Academy, how about renting a big house nearby? We could live there together.”
Feng Zhi glanced at him.
The young man, with his short chestnut hair, looked at her pitifully, like a puppy begging to be petted.
Feng Zhi’s hand began to itch. She couldn’t resist reaching out and vigorously ruffling his hair. “All right.”
Even if Feng Chi hadn’t suggested it, she’d been planning to rent a place.
She’d heard that students at the Sentinel-Guide Academy each got their own dorm room. Someone like her, an F-rank Guide, would probably only be assigned a thirty-square-meter room, nowhere near as comfortable as a place of her own.
“Then we can buy a robot, too. We’ll leave all the cooking and cleaning to it.”
“Oh, and we’ll need a Space Button and an Optical Brain.”
“We can put some potted plants and flowers around the room, too. It’ll make the place feel cheerful.”
Since they had nothing else to do, Feng Zhi opened her Chip and logged on to the Star Network.
The Chip only had the most basic functions and was nowhere near as convenient as an Optical Brain. If she had to compare them, it was like the difference between an old button phone and the latest computer.
“Let’s look at Optical Brains first.”
Optical Brains were reasonably priced for ordinary people, usually costing between a few thousand and fifty thousand starcoins. But models made specifically for Sentinels and Guides were much more expensive.
Sentinels and Guides might need to enter Contamination Zones frequently, so their Optical Brains were made from Aberrant Cores and had some defensive capabilities. They were designed to withstand damage during battles with Aberrants and to keep working as communication devices inside Contamination Zones.
The price, though, was just as impressive. Even the cheapest cost a hundred thousand starcoins, with no upper limit—some went for over a hundred million.
Now that she’d become a Guide, Feng Zhi naturally intended to buy an Optical Brain made for Sentinels and Guides.
She couldn’t afford a high-end model, so she’d start by looking at the cheapest ones.
Feng Chi came back to himself, still feeling the soft touch of her hand in his hair.
His ears reddened. Before they’d come of age, the two of them had always been close, but Feng Zhi had kept a safe distance from him. She’d never ruffled his hair or fed him before.
This was the first time since they’d come of age.
Feng Zhi seemed to have changed after becoming a Guide. She was willing to be physically close to him now.
And Feng Zhi had just said they’d live together. Did that mean she liked him, too?
He couldn’t suppress his happiness. He tidied his hair, leaned closer, and immediately fixed his gaze on one of the pairs.
He pretended to ask casually, “Feng Zhi, what do you think of this red one and this blue one?”
“Or these white and black ones?”
“You can even get them customized to look like your Spirit Body.”
Feng Zhi’s gaze fell on the Optical Brains, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a slight smile.
Couples’ Optical Brains.
Feng Chi’s little scheme was plain as day.