Chapter 430: Loving the Me of the Present

"Are you awake?"

"Mm."

Ning Qing pulled herself out of her reminiscence, her gaze slanting toward Chen Shu: "Mr. Chen, how does it feel to be in a relationship with an underage girl?"

"What are you saying... there's no relationship."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm just taking care of you like I always have."

"Does taking care of someone include kissing?"

"I wanted to kiss you when I was thirteen or fourteen, too."

"Pervert."

"???"

Chen Shu wore a confused expression, saying: "You're making it sound like I kissed you, instead of you kissing me... I don't know who the real pervert is! Thinking about kissing me since you were thirteen or fourteen, and playing hard to get for so many years!"

"..."

"Nothing to say, right?"

"Can't be bothered with you..."

"Childish!"

Chen Shu looked at her with disdain, then paused: "And Ning Qing, aren't you ashamed?"

"?"

"How did I treat you when you were out of your mind, and how did you treat me when I was out of mine?" Chen Shu felt angry just thinking about it, "Both times you dumped me on Xiaoxiao like a hands-off manager, and one time you even dumped me on Zhang Suannai."

"That time, the water was full."

"Fine! What about the other two times?"

"I thought you and Xiaoxiao would have more fun together." Ning Qing's expression was indifferent, showing no sign of shame, "You two have about the same mental age."

"Fine! When I go out, I'll tell her you said she's a moron!"

"You're the one who said it."

"Get up, it's time for dinner."

"Let me reminisce a bit more..."

"Reminisce about what?"

"The dream."

"... Then I'll reminisce a bit too."

Chen Shu walked to the bedside and flopped onto the bed, his whole body collapsing onto it, burying his face in Qingqing's abdomen: "I'm actually a little sad..."

His voice softened instantly.

The mutual accusations from just a moment ago seemed as if they had never existed.

"Sad about what?"

"I miss her."

Ning Qing stroked his hair with her hand, her expression also showing a rare gentleness: "That is me, you fool."

"Will I be able to see her again next time?"

"It's a matter of probability."

"So that means no."

"If my memory happens to return to that time again, and today's memories happen to be preserved as well, mixed together, you might see that little girl who traveled over and met you once again." Ning Qing continued to stroke his hair, "People will edit and patch their own memories."

"The probability is so low."

"It is."

"Do you have any secrets?"

"I won't tell you."

"I'm going to start writing my thesis."

"When?"

"Tomorrow... maybe?"

"Mm."

Ning Qing understood what he meant—

That meant it would be several days later.

Mid-eleventh lunar month.

Yujing finally began to snow. It started in the afternoon; the sky was dim to the extreme, and flakes began to drift in the air. Looking closely, they were goose-feather-like snowflakes. Before they knew it, a layer had already covered the ground and the eaves, so Xiaoxiao hurried over to call them.

The people of Yujing were used to it, but Chen Shu, who came from Yuanzhou, still felt excited even after watching it for several years.

"It's snowing."

Chen Shu stood beside Qingqing, reaching his hand out under the eaves to catch the snow, and said: "It's a pity my little Qingqing didn't see the snow."

"Still thinking about it?"

"Of course, you were much cuter when you were little than you are now." Chen Shu said, looking to the side, "Xiaoxiao, don't you think so?"

"Neither is cute." The little girl said firmly.

"Haha..."

"I have the ability to extract, modify, and seal memories. Do you want me to seal away all subsequent memories, bring back the memories of that day to when I was thirteen or fourteen, and play with you for two days?" Ning Qing glanced at him coldly.

"You have that ability too?"

"Are you tempted?"

"That... that's not necessary." Chen Shu hunched his neck, seeing murderous intent in her eyes.

"..."

Ning Qing pursed her lips, withdrew her gaze, and continued watching the snow: "You've been writing your thesis for a day now, how much have you written?"

"Four thousand characters."

"Only four thousand characters?"

"That's quite good."

"You've been slacking off all day, haven't you?"

"Who says?"

Chen Shu widened his eyes: "Writing four thousand characters in a day is already quite impressive, okay? I've heard that some supreme experts can only write six or seven thousand characters a day, but that kind of speed usually requires overdrawing one's life, and they'll grow green fur in their old age."

"Nonsense..."

Ning Qing rolled her eyes and ignored him.

The snow piled up thicker and thicker.

Next door, a figure faintly leaped up and landed; it must be the neighbor returning—this person finds opening and closing the door too troublesome, so they rarely use the door, usually jumping in from the entrance like this.

Soon, a head poked over the courtyard wall, staring at them: "Why are you three... four standing in a row?"

"Watching the snow."

"What refined taste."

"Off work, Lao Zhang?"

"That's right, Little Chen." Zhang Suannai replied smoothly.

"So early?"

"The weather has been too cold lately, and it's been bad, so no one has come to skydive for days. Sitting there is just sitting around... sigh, I've been thinking about quitting again."

"Why quit? Isn't that free money?"

"It's not fun." Zhang Suannai paused, "By the way, has the commission from your trip abroad arrived yet?"

"It has."

"Why hasn't mine arrived yet?"

"It was paid to the sect, and then the sect transferred it. Yours was probably swindled by your sect."

"..."

After hearing this, Zhang Suannai was furious, but after a while, she frowned and asked suspiciously: "How do you seem to know so much about our Sword Sect?"

"Just guessing."

"Oh..."

That head retracted.

Chen Shu continued to enjoy the snow with Qingqing.

Until the sky grew dimmer; winter gets dark early, and this heavy snow made the night arrive even sooner. Chen Shu picked up his Mobile Phone and ordered many dishes, taking advantage of the heavy snow to have a hot pot at home and calling the neighbor next door to eat together.

By the way, he wanted to discuss building a pavilion in the neighbor's courtyard so that they could eat in the courtyard on rainy or snowy days in the future.

Why not build it in his own courtyard?

The courtyard is too small, and it would look ugly if built.

After the meal, he returned upstairs.

Chen Shu sat down in the study again, opened his computer, and faced his thesis, but uncontrollably reached his hand toward his Mobile Phone.

Since the end of last month, after Cao Ci's news underwent a cooling-off period, followed by several consecutive hot topics to divert attention, plus a series of measures, Chen Shu could no longer find videos about him.

But he still felt this was useless.

It could only slow it down, not stop it.

This strategy could only make those who were already difficult to convert to Cao Ci's faith stop paying attention to him, but for those in Cao Ci's target group, once they knew of him, such simple methods could not stop them.

The state's intervention was not very forceful either; in Chen Shu's view, it was more like a symbolic obstruction.

It was probably just the work of the Propaganda Department.

As for the big shots of the Secret Sect...

They had likely already given up on this round.

It was still more fun to scroll through videos.

Chen Shu had recently followed a few interesting bloggers; the videos they posted were all series or dramas, and he felt itchy if he didn't watch them for a day.

Unknowingly, the time grew late.

"Knock, knock."

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in."

"Click."

Ning Qing pushed the door open and entered, holding a cup of water in her hand, looking expressionlessly at him and the Mobile Phone in his hand: "Your sister-in-law said you worked hard staying up late to write your thesis, so she specifically went next door to brew a cup of Wisdom Tea for you to calm your nerves and nourish your brain."

"Thump!"

The teacup was placed on the table.

"Xiaoxiao still knows how to care for me."

Chen Shu put down his Mobile Phone and reached out to rub his temples: "Oh my, it really does feel a bit draining."

Ning Qing stood behind him, eyeing his computer; the cursor was still blinking, and the word count at the bottom still showed just over four thousand characters.

"Didn't you say you were going to finish writing it in two days?"

"Hasn't it only been a day?" Chen Shu picked up the Wisdom Tea and took a sip; it contained a faint trace of Spirit Power and had the effects of calming the mind, nourishing the brain, and increasing intelligence, making him feel very comfortable after just one sip.

This type of tea has a low yield and is expensive, making it priceless and hard to find.

However, it is strange to say that the main production area for this spirit tea, which calms the mind, nourishes the brain, and increases intelligence, happens to be Moshi Mountain, where the Sword Sect is stationed.

Within a hundred paces of a poisonous object, there must be an antidote?

"Don't worry, I'll write four thousand today and another four thousand tomorrow, so my thesis will be about eight thousand words. Then I'll spend one day inserting pictures and one day revising the content, and that should be about it. I'll use one day next semester to adjust the formatting, perfect." After Chen Shu finished speaking, he looked up at Qingqing, "Don't you think?"

Ning Qing watched him silently and did not speak.

Chen Shu asked again, "What time is it?"

"It's ten o'clock."

"It's so late already."

Chen Shu couldn't help but stretch, casually turning off his Mobile Phone; as expected, he shouldn't have blindly pursued the six thousand words a day of the strongest experts.

"Oh my..."

A fulfilling day.

Ning Qing was still standing behind him, letting his stretching hand intentionally poke her, and she silently glanced at the calendar.

Today is the fourteenth of the eleventh lunar month.

The end of the eleventh lunar month arrived in the blink of an eye.

Xiaoxiao had already been promoted to the Fifth Stage.

Chen Shu still hadn't written the remaining four thousand words.

For some reason, every day there was a strange force preventing him from opening his Mobile Phone. This force was quite magical; even if he opened the computer, it would try every possible way to stop him from opening the document, and once he opened the document, it would start preventing him from thinking and stop him from poking the keyboard.

It always pulled his energy elsewhere.

Chen Shu had originally always believed it was the aftereffects of the Lazy Cancer Curse he had contracted before, but now he was already at the Seventh Stage; a mere Lazy Cancer Curse, let alone aftereffects, wouldn't be able to do anything to him even if he were hit by the curse again.

This point didn't make sense.

So he found the true explanation—

Spiritual Power!

This was also the subject of Qingqing's graduation thesis.

Chen Shu knew that the Spiritual Power mentioned by that Plane Studies scholar and cosmologist was a very ethereal force; it not only influenced the development, evolution, and historical progress of all things in the world, but when it came to individual organisms, they would also be influenced by it unknowingly.

He must have been influenced by it!

This kind of ethereal force was too suitable for explaining these phenomena.

As for Qingqing's thesis...

Chen Shu hadn't read it yet, nor did he intend to, for fear of finding out that Spiritual Power was not what he imagined, as it would then lose its utility for him.

However, he had to finish writing the remaining four thousand words today no matter what.

"Buzz, buzz."

The Mobile Phone vibrated.

"Sigh..."

Chen Shu helplessly fished out his Mobile Phone.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: Heard you were promoted to the Seventh Stage?

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: @Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: That's right, that's right /cute

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: Why didn't you ask me to guard you?

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs:...

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: No need to trouble Senior Sister, I happened to go spar with classmate Jiang that day, so I just let him guard me while he was at it.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian:?

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: You don't trust me?

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: How could that be...

"Emmm..."

Chen Shu stared at the messages, savoring them carefully.

Qingcai Keke: My keen intuition tells me that some wonderful things happened last time when Junior Sister Yan was guarding Nüxia.

Haoran: /eating melon seeds

Zongmiao Zhimen: /eating melon seeds

Qingdeng Gufu: /eating melon seeds

Grandma Always Says: Interrupting, what is it?

Hurriedly Closed Mouth and Stood: /complex expression

Grandma Always Says: Could it be that she made a fool of herself, and then the Eight-Pack girl took a picture of her /squinting smile

Qingcai Keke: /eating melon seeds

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: No, there wasn't.

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: I just thought Senior Sister was so cute, that's why I took the picture, and I deleted it afterward at Senior Sister's request.

Haoran: @Zongmiao Zhimen

Zongmiao Zhimen: "Trustworthy Group Members"

Haoran: /clapping

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: This group has become like this; except for me and Zhaoyeqing, every single one of you is responsible.

Qingcai Keke: It has nothing to do with me.

Nainai Zongshuo: It has nothing to do with me.

Huran Bikouli: That is incorrect.

Huran Bikouli: Brother Jiang and I, as the two members who joined the group later, are still very innocent.

Nainai Zongshuo: That is true.

Nainai Zongshuo: You two just have lower IQs.

"..."

See, this Spiritual Power has appeared again.

It just doesn't want him to write his thesis.

Golden Jasmine has initiated a Save Monthly Ticket Plan for you—

It is the end of the month again, and the monthly tickets accumulated in your hands are about to expire. If you have nowhere to cast them, you can cast them to Jasmine. Otherwise, it is a waste if they expire; you would lose a hundred million!