NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 8: Ning Xue
"Wait! Don't leave yet!" Ning Xue stopped him.
"Is there something you need, Ning Xue?"
Li An asked with a smile. Even though he was in a bad mood, he wouldn't miss a chance to gain something from the system.
"Have you had lunch? Let's eat together." Ning Xue extended an invitation—for what reason, no one knew.
Li An didn't respond immediately. He just looked at her, observing her from head to toe, just like the giant man had looked at him earlier that morning.
It seems to be a human instinct to examine someone when they come across something unique.
"If you keep staring at me like that, I'll beat you up."
Ning Xue looked at him coldly, though deep down, she was hiding a shy expression.
"I'll agree, but only if we eat in my dorm. I want to cook for you."
Li An joked, not expecting Ning Xue to accept such a strange proposal.
"Okay."
"...?"
Li An, who had expected a "no," was stunned to receive a "yes." His brain froze for a moment, but his reaction was immediate.
"Ning Xue, I'm a man! Aren't you afraid of entering my dorm?"
Ning Xue shook her head, indicating no.
"You're weak. What could you possibly do to me? And make sure you cook well, because if it's bad, I'll beat you up!"
"Well... Can you lend me some money?"
Li An felt embarrassed, but what else could he do? Good food required good ingredients.
And that was the only reason—not because of the system…
"Damn it, Li An! Why didn't you just accept my offer, then?" Ning Xue slammed the table and glared at Li An, who smiled awkwardly.
"You..." Ning Xue sighed. "Here, take as much as you need."
She handed her card to Li An.
"You're so kind! I'll make the best meal you've ever had!"
Li An was overjoyed, and before Ning Xue could react, he kissed her forehead and quickly walked away.
'Hahaha! I told that giant man earlier that I wanted to be a sugar mommy, and I wasn't lying. Using a rich little princess's money feels amazing!'
Ning Xue, caught off guard by the surprise kiss, blushed and touched her forehead.
"That bastard Li An! How dare he kiss me?"
She muttered, seemingly angry, but her embarrassed expression said otherwise.
"Why am I acting like a love-struck girl? I won't fall for that guy! He's weaker than me! I'll only be interested if he gets stronger!"
Ning Xue reassured herself. Unlike others, she didn't care about looks or social class—only strength.
"That's just how I am! Li An, if you want to win me over, you have to be stronger than me!"
...
Li An, completely unaware of what was going on in Ning Xue's mind, arrived on the first floor, hearing many conversations about the recent events.
That put him in a bad mood again, bringing back his thoughts of disaster.
'There's no point dwelling on it now—it'll only slow me down. My only goal should be to reach the Ninth-Rank Martial Artist level as quickly as possible, with a vitality of 90.0.'
With this goal set, his heart became indifferent to everything else.
Using the card Ning Xue had given him, he headed to the supermarket, which had no cashiers since everything was digitalized.
Upon arrival, he entered the massive four-story building.
On the first floor, they sold groceries. Li An bought a pack of rice and beans. Then, on the second floor, where fruits were sold, he grabbed some apples and grapes. On the third, he bought vegetables: lettuce, onions, and tomatoes. On the last floor, he picked up five kilos of Rank Three bull meat—equivalent to a human in the third grand realm.
Martial Artist → Martial Warrior → Martial Master...
After grabbing everything, he paid with Ning Xue's card, totaling 100,000 martial coins.
'All for a good meal!'
Li An figured that a rich girl like her wouldn't mind spending that money. For a former Class S student, who received 1,000,000 every month, that amount was nothing.
With his groceries, he used the same trick as yesterday—putting everything in a regular bag to avoid drawing attention.
...
Dorm 436.
Li An arrived without concern. No one approached him, aside from a few curious glances at his appearance. Otherwise, it was peaceful.
Placing everything on the kitchen table, he took off his combat uniform and put on a black turtleneck and a white apron.
He turned on an electric grill that didn't require charcoal.
Then, grabbing a knife, he swiftly and precisely cut the meat, seasoning it before skewering it and placing it on the grill.
Time passed, and in the meantime, he prepared rice, beans, and salad.
A simple meal from his old world—but one that brought back many memories.
'Everything here may be better, but it will never surpass Earth's cuisine!'
Li An was sure of that. In this world, people valued the vitality content of meat rather than its taste. They rarely seasoned their food, fearing it would lose its "essence."
Because of this—and many other reasons—he disliked the food in this world.
Knock!
A knocking sound came from the living room. Leaving the kitchen, Li An went to the door and opened it.
Ning Xue stood there, looking different this time. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore a black combat armor with faint blue lights that gave it a subtle glow.
"Are you going hunting after this? Be careful. With demons roaming around, it's not safe to go unprepared. You might run into danger."
Li An spoke, slightly concerned. He still needed this girl and didn't want to see her injured or in danger.
"Thanks for the concern. I'll be careful."
Hearing that, Li An said nothing more. Everyone makes their own choices. If things went wrong, it would be her fault alone—it was her decision.
"Come in." He invited her in like a gentleman.
"Li An, let's fight! I'll hold back my strength."
"No."
It didn't even take a second for Li An to refuse. Fighting Ning Xue and losing would mean being bedridden.
"If you last five moves, I'll do whatever you want." Ning Xue tried another approach.
"I still refuse. And even if I managed to, I wouldn't ask anything from you—you've been so kind to me."
Li An said gently and continued:
"I apologize for refusing to fight you. Even knowing you'd go easy on me, I'm afraid of getting hurt."
He lied. His cultivation was built on reckless risks. The real reason for his refusal was that he saw no benefit in fighting Ning Xue.
"Coward." Ning Xue looked disappointed and stepped inside the dorm.
Li An closed the door, and as she looked at his back, Ning Xue felt a surge of frustration.
"Li An!"
She suddenly pressed him against the door with her hands. Li An was shocked and, at the same time, nervous—curious about what she was about to do.
'Damn it? What am I even thinking?'
Li An had no words to describe his feelings. Was he taking this whole "gigolo" idea too far?