NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Changes
The next morning, at dawn.
When Han Zhen woke up, he found the bed beside him empty.
Looking further to the side, he saw Li Lingzhen crouched on a chair, her eyes fixed on a computer screen, fingers flying across the keyboard.
She was barefoot, her pale, fair feet exposed, and she was wearing Han Zhen's shirt, barely covering the area above her thighs.
Han Zhen's curiosity was piqued. He leaned over for a glance, just one glance, and then silently withdrew his gaze.
"Ahem, Lingzhen, writing a new book?"
"Yeah, I got a burst of inspiration last night, had some epiphanies, and had to write them down." Li Lingzhen said with a serious expression.
'Well, that's dedication.' Han Zhen's face darkened slightly as he offered her a kind reminder: "But judging by the stuff you're writing, it's 100% going to get banned."
"Doesn't matter, if the official channels won't work, I've got black-market ones. Otherwise, how do you think I earned my title as a bestselling author?"
Li Lingzhen's nonchalant attitude left Han Zhen speechless. Then again, thinking about her being Li Shutong's granddaughter, it kind of made sense.
"Why don't we make good use of the early morning and gather some more inspiration?" Li Lingzhen's eyes lit up as she glanced at Han Zhen and asked.
"What do you take me for?" Han Zhen feigned anger.
"I've got a witch cosplay set and an angel cosplay set in my wardrobe. I'll convince Youwei to join too."
"Bring it on, and don't think of me as human." Han Zhen abandoned all pretense.
Bottom lines are made to be broken.
"You two, enough already. Tone it down, will you? I'm still here." On the other side, Xia Youwei looked at them with a face full of exasperation.
She was holding a communicator, surfing the web.
"'The Chronicles of the Main Wife'? Youwei, why are you reading something like that?"
In Han Zhen's memory, Xia Youwei was a diligent, hardworking girl. How had she suddenly started binge-reading e-books after just over half a month apart?
Feeling Han Zhen's doubtful gaze, Li Lingzhen quickly raised her hands in protest.
"Don't look at me. She's been obsessing over how you'll definitely end up juggling multiple relationships in the future, so as the main wife, she's practicing how to handle all the other women that'll come along."
Still the same studious nature.
"Lingzhen!" Xia Youwei's thoughts were exposed, and she blushed furiously, rushing over to cover Li Lingzhen's mouth.
Neither of them seemed to care about any accidental exposure in front of Han Zhen, much to his benefit.
After being in high gear for so long, slowing things down occasionally felt nice.
After some playful banter, the three of them left the room, where Li Shutong had, as usual, prepared breakfast.
Han Zhen looked at the table full of dishes, his lips twitching slightly.
"Morinda root black bean soup, sea cucumber and goji berry soup, Cistanche lamb stew with yam and walnut, lily and soft-shell turtle soup..."
"Hurry up and drink while it's hot. I even had to pull some strings with CanSheng Corporation to gather these ingredients."
'You really went out of your way for this, didn't you?' Han Zhen glared at Li Shutong, exasperated. "Teacher, your student isn't that weak yet."
"Oh?" Li Shutong glanced at him. "So, are you drinking or not?"
"Drinking!"
Han Zhen gave in immediately.
Seriously, who'd pass up such a chance to replenish their strength? Only an idiot would.
Besides, in the post-apocalyptic world of the insect plague, these ingredients weren't easy to come by. He couldn't waste his teacher's efforts.
"Actually, I also added some energy herbs to these soups to help you balance your condition. Coming back from the battlefield with an unstable realm, you need to pay attention."
Li Shutong's concern warmed Han Zhen's heart.
"What are your plans next?"
It was the same question Li Shutong had asked him over half a month ago.
At the time, Han Zhen had said he wanted to get stronger.
Today, Han Zhen paused for a moment.
"I want to rest for a few days," he replied honestly, glancing at the two bright, youthful girls beside him. "Spend more time with them."
Li Shutong didn't ask why. He just nodded.
"Looks like you gained more than just power and rank on the battlefield."
Yes, after seeing Gongyang Jin transform into a sword and those graves and epitaphs, Han Zhen's vision for his future had become clearer.
The path ahead was now vividly illuminated.
"Strength is the goal, but it can't come at the expense of neglecting the people around you."
"Otherwise, even if you reach the end of the road, when you look back and see no one by your side, what's the point of that strength?"
These words came from Han Zhen's heart.
Xia Youwei and Li Lingzhen felt as though they had swallowed a few tons of honey. Sweetness filled their hearts.
After all, from the moment they met Han Zhen, he had always been focused solely on advancing, rarely paying attention to matters of the heart.
Seeing the serious look on Han Zhen's face and the way Xia Youwei and Li Lingzhen basked in his words,
"You cheeky kid," Li Shutong said with a laugh and a scolding tone.
Han Zhen laughed as well.
"By the way, where's Miss Shang?" Han Zhen asked curiously.
Xia Youwei and Li Lingzhen immediately stopped smiling.
The two of them glared at Han Zhen in unison, gritting their teeth.
Eating from one bowl while eyeing another pot.
"Are you talking about Si Ting? She awakened an E-rank ability with the Awakening Stone not long ago, and the Shang family hurriedly took her away."
'E-rank ability? Could it really be such a coincidence?', Han Zhen touched his chin, feeling a bit surprised.
"What ability?"
"Not sure." Li Shutong shook his head. "She didn't have time to tell us before being taken away."
"I see."
Han Zhen didn't press further.
After eating and drinking their fill, Han Zhen agreed to take Xia Youwei and Li Lingzhen to explore Deep Blue City.
It had been a long time since his return, and the city seemed to have undergone drastic changes.
Walking down the main streets, it was easy to spot people wearing City Protector uniforms maintaining order.
An elderly lady crossing the road? Two City Protectors immediately stepped up to assist her.
A couple arguing on the street? A City Protector jumped in as a mediator.
Every so often, City Protectors could be seen standing alert with communication headsets, scanning their surroundings for any unusual activity.
"This… is this still the City Protector organization I know?"
In Han Zhen's memory, the City Protectors were nothing more than a group of lazy officials slacking off, waiting to collect a paycheck, and reluctant to even take on tasks. How had they turned over a new leaf?
"After Zhao Hu's death, the position of the first squad captain in Deep Blue City has been vacant."
"The authorities wanted to use the recent events to make Deep Blue City the first pilot city, so they promoted someone to fill the role of squad captain."
"Who?" Han Zhen asked instinctively.
Xia Youwei and Li Lingzhen exchanged smiles.
"An old acquaintance of yours."
"Yi Fan."
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