Han Ruoruo smiled and whispered, âItâs up to the two of you now. Do warn everyone in time if you discover anything.â
âAlright. Hurry and rest, senior sister,â Huo Yuhao answered politely, while Wang Qiuâer didnât respond at all.
The two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, and Wang Qiuâer was still as cold as she had always been. However, she actually removed her veil at this moment for some reason.
The forest night wasnât an absolute darkness where one couldnât see anything at all. Moonlight cascaded through the canopy and showered onto the forest through the shadows of the trees, and there were some tiny insects around that gave off light as well. The light was weak, but they could still see.
Huo Yuhao Looked at her profile when he turned towards Wang Qiuâer⦠it was just so familiar and beautiful. If he hadnât known better, he wouldnât have been able to tell whether the person beside him was Wang Qiuâer or Wang Dongâer.
Sheâs so pretty!, Huo Yuhao exclaimed in admiration inside, before he hurriedly turned back around and activated his Spiritual Detection before he shared it with her.
Wang Qiuâer glanced in his direction and muttered, âYour soul skill is good.â
She had a charming voice, but it still sounded a little cold and forced no matter how one heard it.
Huo Yuhao retrieved some dry rations and asked, âDo you want some?â The rations he took out were meat sandwiches he had prepared earlier. Baked bread was food that didnât spoil easily, and there was some meat packed inside. It was a little dry, but it still tasted alright.
Huo Yuhao was just being courteous and polite, but he didnât think that Wang Qiuâer would ask, âDid you make that yourself?â
Huo Yuhao nodded and replied, âDongâer is a little picky with her food. I made some braised meat before this, and the baked bread was taken from the canteen. It tastes alright.â
Wang Qiuâer glanced at him and said, âYouâre really good to her.â
Huo Yuhao smiled and gestured towards her with the meat sandwich in his hands.
Wang Qiuâer took two pieces from him. Huo Yuhao realized to his surprise that her hands were covered with a faint golden aura. That layer was dark golden in color, and it was surprisingly inconspicuous in the darkness of the night. She passed the sandwiches back in the next moment.
âHand me another two,â Wang Qiuâer said plainly
Huo Yuhao took the two sandwiches back suspiciously, but he had a revelation once he held them in his hands. The two sandwiches were now warm, and they carried delicate wafts of cooking meat.
Her soul power can even be used for grilling? Huo Yuhao hurriedly passed her another two sandwiches, while he took a bite from the one already in his hands.
The sandwich tasted different when it was warm â the braised meat became a lot more tender, while the tendons in the meat were half-melted. The fresh and salty juice that diffused into the bread had been warmed up, and the sandwich truly tasted a lot better than it did when it was cold.
Wang Qiuâer did the same thing and heated up her own sandwich before she started nibbling away.
âI didnât expect you to have an ability like this! @We donât have to eat cold rations anymore!â Huo Yuhao said with a smile on his face.
Wang Qiuâer seemed to have recovered her coldness as she said, âJust this once. Consider this a gesture of appreciation for your grilled fish and soup in the afternoon.â
Huo Yuhao wasnât upset at all. He chuckled and said, âDo you really have to reject everyone and close yourself off like that? Weâre teammates now.â
Wang Qiuâer snapped her head around and stared into his eyes as she asked, âDo you guys really treat me like your teammates? Then why do I feel a sense of hostility from her?â
Huo Yuhao was rendered speechless by her question. The truth was that he could also feel the hostility that Wang Dongâer harbored against Wang Qiuâer. He forced a laugh and said, âThe truth is that I donât understand it, either. The two of you look too similar, and Dongâer insists that she doesnât have a twin sister. Perhaps thatâs why sheâs suspicious of you.â
âI trust that time will serve to prove everything.â There was a look of profoundness in his eyes when he uttered this last sentence.
Wang Qiuâer turned back around and continued eating the sandwich in her hands. She said coldly, âI have never had to prove anything to anyone.â
Huo Yuhao had already finished the food in his hands by now. He retrieved his water bag and took a few gulps as he smiled and said, âThatâs not a good attitude. First, we live in the same world, and you canât possibly reject and forsake everything in the world. You canât decide how people look at you. Since thatâs the case, why donât you try to fit in? Will being so reticent and aloof bring you happiness?â
âFit in? Do you really think I can fit in? Ever since I left⦠I left home, everyone outside has been attracted by my looks. Do you know how many people come forward to flirt with me in a single day? Iâve even met some people who would do anything to get to me. I do want to fit in, but the process of fitting in will have to rely on my fists. That is the reason I wear the veil, and it has alleviated much of my troubles.â
Huo Yuhao said exasperatedly, âThatâs because youâre too good-looking. Perhaps this is the negative effect of being so blessed with beauty by the heavens. However, I can guarantee that you wonât run into such problems within Shrek Academy.â
Wang Qiuâer muttered disdainfully, âYou can only speak for yourself.â She suddenly tossed the baked bread in her hands as she said, âItâs disgusting. Iâm not eating that anymore.â
Huo Yuhao was momentarily stunned, before his eyes suddenly became ice-cold in the next moment. Wang Qiuâer felt a slight chill, and turned around subconsciously to look at him. She met Huo Yuhaoâs eyes, and his eyes flickered with chilly light as she felt a tidal wave of animosity.
However, this hostility didnât continue, and the coldness receded. Huo Yuhao walked over to where she threw the baked bread as he bent down and picked it up. âDo you want to fight?â Wang Qiuâer raised her chin and stared at Huo Yuhao provocatively.
Huo Yuhao shot a cold look at her. âI would have if we were elsewhere. Have your family never taught you to treasure your food? Do you know that a small piece of baked bread like this can save a life?â
Wang Qiuâer twitched her lips contemptuously.
Huo Yuhao continued, âHave you ever felt hunger?â
Wang Qiuâer answered coldly, âPowerful people will never feel hungry.â
Huo Yuhao laughed scornfully and said, âPowerful people? Have you been a powerful individual since the moment you were born? The only powerful people were your parents back then. Youâve never tasted hunger, so you naturally have no idea how precious food is.â
The truth was that he didnât laugh because he despised Wang Qiuâer, he just couldnât control himself. He was infuriated when Wang Qiuâer tossed the baked bread onto the ground, as he hated people that didnât respect and appreciate food the most. Furthermore, it was something he had made himself, so she was throwing away his hard work.
However, when he picked up the baked bread from the ground, he couldnât help but laugh. Only one bite was taken, but the teeth marks were still there, while all the braised meat was gone. Not even a single bit was left. This girl is really picky with her food! She was just calling the baked bread disgusting.
Wang Qiuâer puffed up her firm chest that was more developed than Wang Dongâerâs and said, âHow do you know I wasnât a powerful being when I was born? Itâs just a wretched piece of baked bread.â
Huo Yuhao turned his head around. He didnât want to see the coldness and disdain on her face as he gazed into the darkness and said, âYes, itâs just a piece of baked bread. However, a piece of baked bread like this means the opportunity to continue surviving to me.â
He held onto the baked bread that was just thrown onto the ground as he spoke, and he actually bit down on the bread that Wang Qiuâer had just eaten from and began to chew.
Wang Qiuâer was still upset, and she was still wearing that look of contempt, but she was dazed when she saw his actions.
Heâs⦠heâs eating the baked bread that Iâve just eaten from. That was the only thought running through her head.
And Huo Yuhao? Huo Yuhaoâs mind was only filled with precious memories.
âI was only five years old back then, and I was still a skinny little kid. My mother and I had to live under someone elseâs roof, and my mother would feed me everyday with her meager salary. My mother still had to wash clothes outside even in the bitter chill of winter, and her hands were covered by wounds and scars.
âMy mother loved me so much. She always told me that I was the only thing that mattered in her life. I still remember that day... the sky had turned dark, and my mother came running in elatedly from outside. It was hard to see her smile through all the excruciating toil of her daily life, but she was just so happy that day.
âDo you know why?â
He turned back around and stared into Wang Qiuâerâs eyes. At this moment, tears had already welled up in his eyes.
He took another bite from the piece of baked bread. He munched and chewed vigorously, and his tears trickled down his cheeks uncontrollably.
âWhy?â The cold expression on Wang Qiuâerâs face had vanished, she was at a loss.
Huo Yuhao continued chewing on the baked bread as he said with a quivering voice, âThe reason was because my mother was working in the kitchen that day, and the chef in the kitchen had given her a piece of baked bread that was fresh from the wok after she had finished. It was still hot and fragrant, and my mother thought about me. I wouldnât have to eat that cornbread anymore, and I could finally have some bread made from white flour! That was the reason she was so happy and excited!
âShe didnât want the baked bread to go cold, so she stuffed and hugged the steaming bread in her chest. When she took out the baked bread and handed it to me, her chest had turned red from all that heat. I was still young. I still didnât know anything back then. All I knew was to nibble on that warm baked bread.â
At this point, Huo Yuhao was sobbing and sniffling.
He normally wouldnât reveal his emotions so easily in front of outsiders. However, he began to reminisce about his childhood when Wang Qiuâer heated up the baked bread for him. His mind was filled with images of his motherâs satisfied smile, but his heart was filled with suffocating pain.
Mom, mom! If only you were still alive. I have the ability to take care of you now, and I have the ability to protect you now!
Everyone else was still meditating. Huo Yuhao was squatting down as he forcibly suppressed his sobbing sounds in the quiet night as he released the dejection and grief in his heart.
Wang Qiuâer was still standing beside him, but she was completely rooted to the ground at this moment. She had never expected a single piece of baked bread could have a story like that.