FI CH79: Stirring Up Trouble

Lin Su stared at the message, his gaze fixed.

…Wait, what?

Did He Zhenling mean… what he thought he meant?

He swallowed. After a moment: Damn it, I have a bold idea.

The snow-white creature was over there watching Shu Yang play games and replied without turning its head, [You’ve done bolder things anyway. As long as you’re happy~ no need to report.]

Lin Su hummed in agreement, his heart stirring.

He then pinched the silver hoop and rubbed it. The delicate crane feather pattern slid across his fingertip. He twirled it a few times, neither lightly nor heavily, then hooked the ring and tugged it with his fingertip.

His phone buzzed once: ……

Lin Su glanced at WeiXin, then gave the ring another tug.

[Ling]: Still being lewd

[NaturallyWakingUpFromSleep]: [Auto-reply] The person you are trying to reach is currently offline. Please leave a message.

He sent the reply with a whoosh and turned off his phone.

Ge Lili only saw him playing with his earring while sending a message. He observed his expression and said, “My lord, you really can’t put it down…”

Lin Su paused, then said with a serious face, “Xiao He gave this to me. Next time you see him, you can tell him just that.”

Ge Lili seemed to half-understand. “Oh, oh, okay.”

The snow-white creature floated back. [What are you making Ge Lili pass on now? Is he going to become a part of your ‘play’ too?]

Lin Su shook his head. “The ‘play’ involves another ‘ring’.”

[?]

“It’s nothing, this isn’t for you to hear.”

The snow-white creature gave a cold glance. […Box!]

…

Lin Su went home after finishing up at the association.

His clothes had picked up a bit of incense ash at the association.

He went to take a shower first. Misting steam filled the bathroom, and the heat flushed his face. After his shower, he casually threw on a cross-collared outer robe and walked out.

The bathroom was on one side of the hallway outside the living room.

Just as Lin Su pushed the door open, he saw a tall figure leaning against the living room doorway.

Two steps away, He Zhenling stood with his arms crossed, looking over.

His footsteps paused! Water droplets soaked into his shoulder.

Their eyes met, and Lin Su quietly looked away. In his peripheral vision, the figure moved, taking two steps to stand in front of him. The space in the hallway suddenly felt cramped.

Lin Su said softly, “…Why are you here?”

He Zhenling looked at him. “Had fun playing?”

“…” Lin Su adjusted his expression and looked up warmly. “It was alright. You?”

A “heh” of laughter came from in front of him.

He Zhenling leaned in slightly, a spark of fire in his eyes. It wasn’t the angry kind, but it was even more tense. The moist heat from Lin Su’s body seemed to rise again, and he subconsciously leaned back.

Then his arm was grabbed, and he was pulled back—

He Zhenling let out a huff of laughter. “Why are you hiding? Weren’t you quite brazen when you were pulling and tugging from so far away?”

Lin Su: …You said it yourself, it was from far away.

He ventured, “So, should I let you tug me back?”

He Zhenling looked at his earlobe and said softly, “Is it the same?”

The hand on his arm was large and strong. Lin Su was pressed almost against He Zhenling’s front. His gaze fell, and he could just see the faint outline, his face growing a little hot. “…It’s not the same. What does it feel like?”

There were two seconds of silence from above. “Want to try?”

“?”

Lin Su looked up, eager to try.

Their eyes met for two seconds. Just as he was about to speak, a jolt of electricity suddenly shot up to his scalp! His eyes widened, and he covered his mouth, letting out a muffled groan. “…Mmm!” His body swayed, and he fell against He Zhenling’s shoulder with a “thud,” his eyes moistening.

A hand quickly wrapped around his waist.

The jolt left Lin Su’s scalp tingling. Leaning against He Zhenling, he removed the hand covering his mouth and let out a short gasp of air.

The next moment, the tingling sensation receded like a tide.

He took a moment to recover, then pushed on He Zhenling’s arm and looked up.

He Zhenling looked at his misty eyelashes, his fingertips tightening slightly. “…Happy now?”

“…” Lin Su.

He stared straight at him. “You don’t wear it on your ear, and it’s definitely not just because it’s not aesthetically pleasing, is it?” His clever brain had almost been short-circuited. He Zhenling seemed to smile.

Lin Su then accused, “And, I was asking what it feels like when you touch it… Why did you just discharge electricity without a word?”

He Zhenling looked down. “The level of stimulation is the same.”

Lin Su: …It’s that stimulating?

He narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at him with doubt.

He Zhenling met his gaze. After a few seconds, he suddenly turned his head. He pulled Lin Su’s collar inward with one hand, then let go of his arm. Lin Su stood firm and looked down: …Ah.

The figure in front of him turned back. “In short, don’t be lewd.”

He Zhenling added, “In every sense of the word.”

Lin Su regretfully suppressed his surging lewd thoughts.

…

It seemed He Zhenling had come over from the association specifically to hold him accountable and now had to go to his company.

Lin Su leaned against the entryway to see him off.

The door opened, and just as he was about to leave.

He Zhenling suddenly stopped and turned back. “You changed your WeiXin name back?”

Lin Su leaned against the doorframe sleepily. “Don’t I have the spare key now?”

He probably won’t be unable to wake up from sleep anymore.

There were a few seconds of silence at the door, followed by a light laugh. “True.”

Once the New Year passed, the winter break came to an end.

Returning to school after a long time felt like another lifetime.

As soon as Lin Su entered the classroom, he saw that Chen You had gained weight back. The latter saw him and greeted him excitedly, “Hey! Lin Su, haven’t seen you over the New Year, you…”

He squinted at him. “How come you’ve gotten thinner?”

Lin Su was pleased. “You, on the other hand, have gotten rounder. Looks like you had a good holiday.”

“Hehe, it was the New Year, after all. My parents didn’t really control my phone use, they let me browse as I pleased.”

Chen You then said with regret, “Unfortunately, I still missed the Xuncheng branch’s live stream, and there’s been no news from the masked master. The only big news during the New Year was some old mine explosion, nothing much to pay attention to.”

Lin Su, “…”

Snow-white creature: [Maybe he should pay a little more attention?]

Lin Su pushed it down. “Probably.”

Chen You turned his head. “Huh?”

Lin Su shook his head and said, “It’s nothing.” Chen You quickly changed the subject. “By the way, I heard we’re starting to discuss college applications next week. Do you have a school you want to go to?”

“The capital.”

“The capital? Me too!” Chen You said enthusiastically. “Which school?”

Lin Su smiled but didn’t answer. “Haven’t decided yet.”

Chen You wanted to say more, but the academic representative came over to collect homework. “Class president, you’re chatting with a crowd again. Where’s your homework?” He quickly bent down to look for his homework. “What crowd? It’s just me and Lin Su.”

The academic representative was meticulous. “Now that I’m here, it’s a ‘crowd’.”

“…”

Lin Su strolled back to his seat, dispersing the “crowd.”

The snow-white creature mulled over the previous topic. [What will you say if the teacher asks about your college choice?]

“I’ll just say I’m going to inherit the family business.”

The snow-white creature praised, [You’re such a profligate son of a rich family.]

Lin Su pinched it with one hand, lovingly. “Then you’re a second-generation profligate.”

It flapped in his palm in protest. [Jiji!]

…

The college application guidance lasted for over a month.

Lin Su had other plans and had the snow-white creature cosplay as his parents to handle it.

March passed, and April began. It was the middle of the semester, and various enrollments and exams followed one after another. Lin Su checked the registration date for the Capital Celestial Master Academy and booked a flight two days in advance.

Then he sent a WeiXin message to He Zhenling:

Going to scope it out. Coming? [Flight Ticket][Wagging Tail]

[Ling]: …Heh, what do you think?

Lin Su showed the phone to the snow-white creature. “Sigh, he’s really getting less and less subtle.”

Snow-white creature: [The alarm for his lack of subtlety?]

Lin Su graciously muted it. “What are you even saying?”

[…]

The weather in April had already warmed up.

Lin Su packed up that day and flew to the capital with He Zhenling. When the plane landed, warm sunlight灑down.

The two left the airport, and a familiar car was waiting outside.

He Zhenling opened the car door with one hand. “Are you staying at the association these few days?”

Lin Su glanced sideways. “Do you have another place for me to stay?”

He Zhenling paused. “I can have one at any time.”

As he spoke, he looked down at him. Lin Su met his gaze for a few seconds and praised, “You’re a cunning rabbit with three burrows.”

“…”

The subordinate to the side: ?

He Zhenling stuffed him into the car and slammed the door shut. “Heh, not as much as you, who makes a home wherever you go.”

Lin Su said magnanimously, “But haven’t I settled down in your heart now?”

A chuckle came from beside him, letting him off the hook.

The registration day for the Capital Celestial Master Academy was the day after tomorrow.

Because of the school’s special nature, it didn’t have online registration like regular universities.

Instead, one needed to go to the school to fill out a specific application form and confirm their identity in person.

After settling in at the association.

He Zhenling still had work to deal with. He looked at Lin Su, who had already changed into a moon-colored outer robe with light gold patterns, looking ready to go out.

“Where are you going again? To be lewd?”

“To paddle in the water.”

“?”

“Revisiting an old place.”

As Lin Su spoke, he took out the silver hoop hanging on a cord from under his collar and put it on his earlobe. “I haven’t been back to the Celestial Master Academy in many years. I’ll go take a look first.”

He Zhenling hummed in acknowledgment, his gaze falling on it. “Why was it hanging?”

“I was at school before, couldn’t wear earrings.”

However, he found that He Zhenling’s hoop was more convenient than his tassel earring. Once fastened, it could not only be worn on a finger but also be strung on a cord.

He Zhenling said with a half-smile, “No wonder it’s been so quiet these past two months.”

Lin Su sighed lightly. “It’s my fault for making you lonely.”

“…Heh!”

The snow-white creature climbed up gently. [What are you talking about? Daddy doesn’t understand anymore.]

Lin Su set it straight. Sharing some mental flow.

[o.0?]

He didn’t explain further and went out with the [o.0?] on his shoulder.

…

The Capital Celestial Master Academy was located on a dedicated plot of land on the outskirts of the city.

Although it was on the outskirts, it was not desolate.

It was spring, and the surroundings were lush with greenery. The dense, verdant canopies of trees blocked some of the view from the outside world. Under the cover of the green trees, there were red walls and green tiles, a square and massive complex.

When Lin Su arrived at the school gate, he was stopped by a security guard.

“Sorry, this school does not receive outside visitors. If you need to enter, please show your ‘ID’.”

Lin Su knowingly took out his celestial master license.

The gold trim flashed in the sunlight. The security guard was stunned for a moment, looked at the license, then at Lin Su’s face. He then took out a verification machine and scanned it. “Beep!” It went through—

He jolted violently! Then, respectfully, “Please come in, sir.”

Lin Su took back his privileged-class celestial master license, nodded, and strolled in.

The architecture inside the school was in the style of Han dynasty watchtowers.

The entrance was a long, rectangular water courtyard, surrounded by corridors and foliage. The spring flowers were in full bloom, filled with bright vigor.

Although it was a celestial master academy, it also had cultural and physical education classes. The specialized courses included numerology, feng shui, physiognomy, talismans, and so on. Students chose their courses with different emphases based on their specialties.

It was currently the class time for most specialized courses, so there weren’t many students passing by.

Lin Su walked through the long corridor, looking around with his hands in his sleeves.

“The school seems to have been renovated quite a bit.”

[Daddy sees that the classrooms even have electronic screens now.]

“The times are indeed developing quickly…”

He blinked his eyes, and the outside world had changed.

The two of them, one person and one spirit, excitedly passed through the main hall of the teaching building, down the steps, and directly faced a sports field. Just as Lin Su strolled to the edge of the field, he heard a commotion.

“The field is so big, can’t you go play over there!”

“But I was here first…”

“It’s just you, and there are so many of us. You’re taking up half the court. Are you going to make so many of us bake in the sun?”

Lin Su: …What’s that noise?

He looked down and saw several students standing in a corner of the field. Opposite them was a boy with round glasses, holding a basketball.

The sun was high in the sky, and only this half of the court was shaded by trees.

Seeing the tense atmosphere on the court.

He strolled down with the snow-white creature in his arms. Let’s go, let’s go take a look.

At the edge of the court, the situation was clearer.

The boy with the round glasses hadn’t left. “But just because there are more of you, why should I be the one to bake in the sun? I was here first anyway, I’ve been playing for over ten minutes.”

“Baking one person versus baking a group of us, can’t you tell the difference?”

The leader of the group looked the boy with glasses up and down, sizing up his clothes, and sneered. “What small town did you come from? So shabby, no wonder you have no manners.”

The boy with glasses flushed red. “You…”

Lin Su leaned against the basketball hoop, raising an eyebrow slightly. Oh… a son of a prominent family and a “commoner.” Although the chances for commoners to enroll have increased, this sense of superiority from prominent families is still deeply ingrained.

His gaze swept over them without any concealment.

The leader of the group noticed him from the side.

He was stunned at first, then frowned and scanned him. Lin Su wasn’t wearing a school badge, and his face was unfamiliar; he hadn’t seen him at any family gatherings. A single silver hoop earring with a light-colored outer robe, he’d never heard of such a person.

Cheng Zhuo was annoyed. “…Who are you? What are you looking at?”

Lin Su, “Here to see the school.”

Enrollment was in two days, so the group immediately understood: a new student preparing to enroll, and it wasn’t even certain he could get in.

Cheng Zhuo lost all his inhibitions and warned maliciously, “Mind your own business!”

Lin Su didn’t reply, nor did he leave.

Cheng Zhuo was busy trying to play basketball. He glared at him and turned back. He was annoyed by Lin Su’s stare, and now his temper was even worse. He shouted at the boy with the glasses, “Why are you still loitering here? Didn’t you hear me tell you to go to another court?”

The boy with the glasses pressed his lips together. “I already said I was here first. You can’t bully people just because you have more numbers.”

“So what if I’m bullying you?”

Cheng Zhuo then pointed to the water fountain at the edge of the court. “And this is the closest spot to the water fountain. We’ll need to drink water when we get tired. Are you going to make a whole group of us walk all the way from another court?”

The boy with glasses glanced over. “It’s just half a court…”

“Why are you still blabbering on!”

Just as Cheng Zhuo shouted, a voice came from the side.

“Classmate, you should switch courts.”

The group turned their heads and saw Lin Su still leaning against the basketball hoop, his moon-colored, light-gold patterned outer robe fluttering in the green shade. The boy with glasses’ gaze dimmed with helplessness. Cheng Zhuo snorted triumphantly.

“You’d better be…”

Lin Su then said calmly, “A toad dead from the sun and a turtle dead from thirst—he’s got a double kill. You should just let him have it.”

The boy with glasses: “…!”

Cheng Zhuo’s words came to a screeching halt.

He took two seconds to react, then slammed the basketball down! He rolled up his sleeves. “You motherf—”

The group opposite him charged over menacingly.

Lin Su cuddled the snow-white creature, slightly surprised. Damn it, I’ve stirred up another fight. As expected of me!

—

Author’s Note:

Su: Xiao He isn’t here, I’ll go stir up some trouble elsewhere.
He Zhenling: ?
Su (to the snow-white creature): See, I told you he’s very lonely.

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