Outside the school gate, at a Ken De Ji (KFC).

The four of them sat together drinking cola, eating fried chicken, hamburgers and egg tarts.

He Yu and Li Chuxin were very happy, chatting and laughing the whole time.

Although both of their families were wealthy and they could eat anything they wanted, far better than a Ken De Ji meal worth only dozens of yuan, this time was different.

This meal was paid for by Lin Zichen and the joy of a free meal couldn’t be bought with money.

In contrast, Shen Qinghan was absent-minded the entire time, lowering her head to eat.

If no one spoke to her, she said nothing. If someone did, she gave perfunctory responses.

Lin Zichen could tell she was feeling down, likely because of her poor performance in the physical test and sparring.

But he didn’t comfort her, pretending nothing happened.

Sometimes, it was better not to mention such things—bringing them up might only rub salt in the wound.

* * *

Soon, they were full.

He Yu thanked his “godfather,” and Li Chuxin thanked “Boss Lin.”

Then, both took taxis home.

Seeing that Shen Qinghan was still down, Lin Zichen smiled at her and said, “I remember your watercolor paints were almost used up, right? Let’s go to the mall upstairs, I’ll buy you a new set.”

“Ah, no need, I hardly paint anymore. Don’t waste money.”

Shen Qinghan waved her hand.

Since entering high school, her studies had intensified and she no longer had time for painting. Any spare time was spent studying or exercising.

“It’s fine. We’ll buy it first. Later, when you feel like painting again, you’ll have it ready. Paints last a long time.”

Not giving her a chance to refuse again, Lin Zichen took her hand and led her upstairs.

Soon, they entered an art supply store.

“See anything you like?”

“They all look good.”

“Then I’ll choose for you.”

Lin Zichen walked around and chose the most expensive set of watercolors.

It cost 588 yuan.

Seeing the price, Shen Qinghan wanted to switch to something cheaper.

But Lin Zichen didn’t give her the chance, paying immediately.

“Xiao Chen, it’s too expensive…”

“It is, but it’s worth it,” Lin Zichen smiled, “The colors are rich and with your skill, you’ll make beautiful works. When you do, remember to give me a few—I’ll hang them in my room.”

Hearing his words and holding the beautiful paints, Shen Qinghan’s mood lifted, temporarily forgetting her worries about being seen as someone who got in through connections.

* * *

On the way back, she was clearly much happier, chatting and laughing with Lin Zichen.

She asked what kind of paintings he liked, saying she would paint something for him during winter break.

She also said she’d take him for a bike ride on the weekend.

As they walked and talked, they passed by a vegetable market where sanitation workers were conducting a large cleanup.

They also saw members of the security team with tools, shooting rats that darted from every corner.

The dead rats were shoveled into a garbage truck parked in the market.

Lin Zichen glanced at the truck and saw it was filled with fresh rat corpses, numbering at least several hundred.

“Xiao Chen, so many rats! Look at the one on top, it’s as big as a cat! How scary! These streets look so clean, how are there so many rats?”

Shen Qinghan’s delicate face was full of confusion.

Lin Zichen’s first thought when he saw the rats was the Rat God Cult.

He frowned and told her, “Let’s go, don’t look. Rats are dirty, they carry bacteria and viruses. Let’s stay away.”

“Mm.”

Shen Qinghan obediently followed him away.

* * *

At night, at home.

Lin Zichen ate with his parents in the living room while the evening news played.

As they were finishing, one report caught his attention.

“Today, rats have frequently appeared throughout the district. The security department has launched a ten-day rat extermination campaign…”

‘Rats appearing frequently?’

Lin Zichen frowned. He had a bad feeling, suspecting it was connected to the Rat God Cult.

This made him uneasy.

But then he thought, if he could figure this out, the authorities must have as well.

Since they had only organized exterminations and nothing more, it likely wasn’t a big problem. Maybe he was just overthinking.

This thought eased his mind.

After resting and digesting, he went upstairs to train intensely, sweating away his unease.

All worries came from weakness.

Only by growing stronger—strong enough to rival even advanced creatures—would he no longer fear the Rat God Cult.

After all, their so-called Rat God was nothing more than a giant aberrant rat close to evolving into an advanced lifeform.

* * *

A few days later, Saturday afternoon.

Lin Zichen had already trained hard at home for several hours, leaving him exhausted. He changed clothes and went out to meet Shen Qinghan for joint training.

She was already waiting outside, wearing loose sportswear and a simple ponytail, full of youthful energy.

“Let’s go. First two kilometers jogging, then three kilometers speed running and finally strength training for core muscles.”

He explained the routine and led her to the road.

* * *

For the next two hours, Shen Qinghan trained under his supervision.

The workload was heavier than usual, but she endured it.

She even asked to train more afterward.

She didn’t want to remain at the bottom of the class and wanted to improve.

* * *

Nearly two hours passed.

They finally finished.

Lin Zichen found a bench and had Shen Qinghan lie down while he relaxed her muscles.

“Vroom vroom vroom—”

Suddenly, the roar of a motorcycle exhaust came from behind.

Lin Zichen frowned at the noise and looked back.

A Ghostfire motorcycle sped down the road.

In less than two seconds, it zoomed past.

Only a head of colorful hair trailing in the wind remained as it disappeared into the distance.

For some reason, Lin Zichen felt the rider looked familiar, though he couldn’t place who it was.