While Jiang Zhaoye chatted about gossip with his friend, he had no idea that a few tables away, he himself had become the center of discussion for a group of old classmates.
"Hey, do you think he was always this handsome?" A girl pointed her chopsticks in the direction of Jiang Zhaoye's table, unable to hold back any longer. "When I first saw him, I felt something was off, but I didn't dare recognize him until now."
"I only confirmed it was Jiang Zhaoye because he kept standing beside Chen Tuizhi," Zhou Xinran, who had been the first to recognize him, chimed in. Turning her head to look around at everyone, the tips of her pitch-black short hair brushed across her cheeks. "His facial features haven't actually changed that much; it's just that they weren't as defined before."
"Is it really that exaggerated?" A boy at the same table said glumly. "I thought he looked pretty ordinary before."
A girl with a ponytail beside him took over, "He really was ordinary before, delicate at best, not very eye-catching. But that was then, and this is now..." She couldn't help stealing another glance in that direction, lowering her voice a bit. "How should I put it? It's like his whole person had a beauty filter applied. His skin is practically glowing white, and his facial structure feels like it's matured. But most of all, it's those eyes. Tsk tsk, that ice-blue is seriously way too pretty. Paired with his face, it's incredible."
"Right, right, right!" Zhou Xinran's eyes behind her round-framed glasses shone with excited light. "That blue in his eyes is way too good-looking. He looks straight out of a manga!"
Someone asked doubtfully, "Are you sure those aren't colored contacts?"
"Definitely not colored contacts," Zhou Xinran said with absolute certainty, lowering her voice. "I saw his eyes under the light earlier. His pupils are translucent, just like glass beads. Colored contacts can't make that kind of effect."
"Didn't he say he awakened a spirit eye?"
Once the table turned to this topic, everyone instantly grew excited, chatting all at once.
"Hey, did he really awaken a spirit eye? You mean that kind of specialized ocular psionic talent? I've only ever seen that online; he's the first person I actually know to have one."
"It's probably real. Those eyes look so cool, I'm so jealous..."
"Do you think his psionic energy awakened along with it?"
"It's not impossible. I heard physical traits change after awakening psionic energy. Better skin, a sudden spurt in height, and more defined facial features are all pretty normal."
"Holy crap, if I'd known, I would've gotten on good terms with him back in school. Now it's too late to get to know him."
"Give me a break. You sat right behind him back then and barely said two words to him."
The group lowered their voices and burst into laughter, stealing more glances toward Jiang Zhaoye's table.
Jiang Zhaoye was completely oblivious, currently picking up a piece of spirit mushroom stewed chicken with his chopsticks and putting it into his mouth.
The dishes they ordered had arrived one after another, steaming hot as rich aromas drifted upward, then softly settled, wafting straight to their noses.
Indeed, a great reputation was not built on hot air. This viral restaurant truly had some serious skill.
The signature Ginseng Spirit Mushroom Stewed Chicken used three-year-old ginseng-type spiritual plant roots, stewed until tender and full of flavor. A few wild spirit mushrooms local to Diannan were added to enhance the savory taste. The broth was golden yellow, with a thin layer of spiritual plant oil glistening on the surface.
Jiang Zhaoye ladled a spoonful of broth into his bowl, picked it up, and took a sip. As the umami exploded on the tip of his tongue, his eyes lit up, and he took another sip. The slightly hot chicken soup, blended with the unique fragrance of wild mushrooms, flowed down his throat, warming him all the way to his stomach.
The stir-fried spirit sprouts were crisp, tender, and sweet, carrying a faint herbal aroma, cooked to absolute perfection.
"How far do you think they've gotten?" Chen Tuizhi also picked up a piece of chicken, the juice dripping from the tips of his chopsticks into his bowl.
"How should I know?" Jiang Zhaoye drank his soup, narrowing his eyes comfortably as the savory taste spread on his tongue. "Though it seems both of them got admitted to No. 2 High School, so they'll probably be in the same school as me."
"Really?" Chen Tuizhi's eyes widened. "I thought Zhang Mingxuan made the cutoff for No. 1 High School? His fire attribute test result during the high school entrance exam was pretty high."
"I'm not sure about that," Jiang Zhaoye shook his head. "It's probably because of Li Sining. She's similar to me—her academic exam scores were pretty good, but her psionic value dragged her down, dropping her into Huaicheng No. 2 High School."
"Then what's he after?" Chen Tuizhi grew intrigued. "Did he really dump his future for love and voluntarily lower his school preference?"
"Not necessarily." Jiang Zhaoye bit into a spirit sprout; it was crisp and fresh. He chewed and swallowed. "I heard Huaicheng No. 2 High School got a new principal this year, and a new broom sweeps clean. They're openly offering special recruitment for outstanding teachers and top students. Someone like Zhang Mingxuan who voluntarily transferred down probably gets scholarships and resource priority."
"Zhang Mingxuan's academic scores aren't great, and only his single fire attribute made it over forty. His family background is pretty average too. Rather than being the tail of a phoenix at No. 1 High School, it's better to be the head of a chicken at No. 2 High School."
Chen Tuizhi let out a laugh. "Are you a chicken too then?"
"Piss off!"
"So do you think they'll last until high school graduation?"
"Hard to say." Jiang Zhaoye pondered for a moment. "Zhang Mingxuan is pretty stubborn; once he sets his mind on something, nine oxen can't pull him back. Back then, the P.E. teacher said his skill wasn't good enough to make the school basketball team, so he stayed behind after school every day practicing on the court alone with a ball for hours, day in and day out without fail, until he barely squeaked into the team."
"A guy that stubborn is probably just as stubborn when pursuing girls," Chen Tuizhi offered an experienced-sounding commentary. "No idea how he managed to pull Li Sining. That girl had several guys inside and outside the class interested in her."
"You talk like you've actually been in a relationship."
"What kind of talk is that?" Chen Tuizhi reacted as if his tail had been stepped on. "I only love my goddess wife! I'm not interested in 3D women! Besides, do you think I played hundreds of galgames for nothing?"
Jiang Zhaoye chewed his food, mumbling lazily in response, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're a master of romance."
Chen Tuizhi chuckled. "Though who knows, maybe they're pure love."
"Heh, what kind of sci-fi story are you telling?"
Just then, the final dish—a chilled fruit platter—was served. Freshly sliced spirit fruit was arranged over crushed ice, vibrant and appetizing.
Jiang Zhaoye took a bite. The fruit was sweet, crisp, and juicy, refreshing on the palate and perfectly cutting through the richness of the stewed chicken.
The two ate to their heart's content. When paying the bill and walking out, Jiang Zhaoye's gaze casually swept past his classmates' table. The girl with the round-framed glasses happened to lock eyes with him. He paused, just about to nod in greeting, but she immediately jerked her gaze away as if struck by electricity, hurriedly lowering her head to pretend she was playing on her phone.
"?"
He was a little baffled, but didn't pay it any mind, turning around to follow Chen Tuizhi out the door.
When he returned home, the living room light was on. Ms. Wen was curled up on the sofa sending text messages. On the coffee table in front of the sofa sat three silver-gray metal boxes.
"You're back?" Hearing the movement, Ms. Wen looked up at him. "Come over and take a look."
Jiang Zhaoye changed his shoes, walked over, and sat down on the single-seater sofa beside her.
Ms. Wen sat up, pulled one of the boxes closer, and opened it. Nestled tightly in shock-absorbing foam at the center was a sharp-looking pair of goggles. The lenses were light gray, and the frames were matte silver, giving them the appearance of sports glasses. The outer sides of the broad temples were embedded with dense arrays of psionic circuits that shimmered faintly under the light.
"Psionic goggles," Ms. Wen introduced. "They filter bright light and block psionic shocks below Rank 2 intensity."
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