Chapter 192.1: Pen Spirit (33)

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In the classroom, classmates were aware of the name Xia Qing. After all, they were in the same department, and the other party was a well-known crybaby. Almost everyone in the department knew him.

However, no one expected Xia Qing to appear in the classroom.

All classmates subconsciously turned their heads, looking in the direction of the old professor.

After clearly seeing the young man sitting behind, the entire classroom fell into complete silence.

Xia Qing, this classmate, was he really so good-looking?

Ruan Qing’s delicate face had long turned completely red. He pursed his lips, uncomfortably lowered his head, avoiding the gaze of his classmates.

Apparently, he was shy.

But the classmates in the classroom did not make the usual commotion. Instead, they stared at the young man without turning their eyes away for a long time.

Qi Yunshen, on the other hand, seemed much more composed, as if those words were not written by him. His expression didn’t change much.

He leisurely folded the draft paper, tucking it into his pocket.

The old professor was the first to react again. He teased, “Xia Qing, don’t you have an answer for Qi Yunshen?”

Ruan Qing’s eyelashes trembled a few times, and he spoke softly with his head down, “Sorry, I don’t like those younger than me.”

People in the classroom knew that this was a polite refusal. If it were someone else rejecting the school grass, they would probably be surprised. But in this moment, everyone felt it was quite natural when it came to the young man.

The school grass was so frivolous; indeed, he didn’t seem to match up with the young man.

Qi Yunshen paused for a moment after hearing Ruan Qing’s answer, as if he didn’t understand that it was a polite rejection. He turned to look at Ruan Qing, then revealed a faint smile. “I’m twenty-seven, five years older than you.”

...Twenty-seven?

Ruan Qing was directly stunned.

The pen spirit died around the age of twenty, about seven years ago. 

If ‘he’ had not died, he would be twenty-seven years old this year.

The old professor naturally heard that Xia Qing was politely rejecting Qi Yunshen. After Qi Yunshen finished speaking, he continued with the class.

He didn’t continue the teasing or let anyone lose face.

Other classmates in the classroom thought Qi Yunshen was just saying things to save face and didn’t take his twenty-seven seriously.

Only Ruan Qing lowered his gaze as if in thought.

In fact, he had been puzzled for a while. Qi Yunshen appeared to be only six or seven years old in the illusion, but seven years had passed, so he should be around fourteen years old by now.

However, he looked to be about twenty.

Identity cards and documents could be falsified, but appearance was difficult to fake. Seven years shouldn’t make someone grow this fast. Moreover, Qi Yunshen, in the illusion, didn’t seem much like a child; he seemed to possess a more mature soul, even though his body was only six or seven years old.

Ruan Qing could sense that Qi Yunshen wasn’t lying to him. 

He should indeed be twenty-seven.

The same age as the pen spirit, and also the younger brother of the pen spirit...

Twins?

Only the explanation of being a twin made sense in this context.

Ruan Qing had heard about the situation of a shared soul in the past. 

A pensive look crossed his eyes. Could Qi Yunshen and the pen spirit be two individuals sharing one soul?

This speculation seemed absurd, but it appeared to be the most reasonable one.

Even the pen spirit’s soul could be split into five parts; it wasn’t impossible for it not to be complete from the beginning.

It seemed unnecessary to confirm further. Ruan Qing lowered his gaze, concealing the expression in his eyes.

The system spoke in Ruan Qing’s mind, [Are you going to submit the answer now?]

‘What’s wrong?’ Ruan Qing was puzzled; the system had never asked him like this before.

Had he made a mistake in his analysis?

After hearing Ruan Qing’s question, the system paused for a moment but ultimately said nothing.

[...Nothing, just asking casually.]

‘Oh.’

So, he did make a mistake in his reasoning.

Where did he overlook something?

Ruan Qing lowered his gaze to the textbooks on the table, rapidly recalling and analyzing in his mind.

He wanted to check if there was any crucial information missing.

After all, sometimes neglecting a clue could lead to incorrect results.

And he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes now.

After an unknown amount of time passed, the system’s voice suddenly echoed in Ruan Qing’s mind.

[Look outside the window.]

Hmm?

Ruan Qing instinctively looked outside, and the next moment, a hint of astonishment appeared in his beautiful eyes.

Ruan Qing was originally sitting by the window, and as he looked out, it was a sky full of flying snow.

Under the sunlight, it was beautiful and romantic.

Absolutely stunning.

No, that wasn’t snow.

It was white paper cut into the shape of snowflakes.

Countless paper scraps fluttered in the air, lightly falling, resembling snowfall.

Without careful observation, it was hard to discern a significant difference.

It was as if on a quiet winter afternoon, snow was falling from the sky, covering everything in a monochrome white.

Leaving only a pure white landscape.

The beauty unconsciously eased the tension in one’s emotions, and the active mind calmed down.

A gust of wind blew, and the entire world became quiet, as if time had paused at this moment.

Time was shallow, and the years were peaceful.

Allowing people to forget all the anxiety and tension.

Ruan Qing stared blankly at the falling paper scraps.

He loved snow a lot, but he had never told anyone.

And due to his weak health, even a slight drop in temperature could make him ill, making it impossible for him to survive in cold places.

Therefore, he had never witnessed snowfall with his own eyes.

Ruan Qing stared blankly at the sky, realizing that snow could be so beautiful...

[Happy birthday.]

Upon hearing these words, Ruan Qing paused, his eyes softened, delicate brows slightly arched, revealing a faint smile. The glimmer in his eyes dispersed gracefully, as if adorned with specks of starlight.

‘Thank you.’

This smile was different from his previous perfunctory or polite ones, or those with ulterior motives. It was pure and genuine.

The wind tousled Ruan Qing’s disheveled hair, carrying an indescribable tenderness and charm.

Softening the passage of time, and captivating in the present moment.

Amidst the backdrop of the snow-covered white canvas, the scene was as beautiful as a magnificent painting.

It involuntarily made one lighten their breath, fearing to disturb this spectacle.

Creating the appearance of snow on a white canvas was not particularly difficult; one could simply shred the paper with a paper shredder.

However, if each piece was cut to resemble the shape of snowflakes, indistinguishable at a glance, it became a colossal undertaking.

It also required considerable patience.

After all, doing repetitive work while nursing injuries was no easy task.

Moreover, there were many things that could be directly used to mimic snowflakes, like some white foam, for example.

Perhaps some people’s minds short-circuited, only thinking of cutting white paper.

Ruan Qing leaned on his chin, watching the person on the adjacent rooftop hastily scattering shredded paper and using a fan to disperse it. He lightly chuckled, ‘Littering paper is not right; remember to clean up.’

‘Also, today is not my birthday; the date on my ID is wrong.’

System: [Got it.]

The system knew it was incorrect; perhaps only the main game system knew this person’s birthday. He was just a part separated from the main game system, which didn’t provide him with much memory about this person.

However, he just wanted to give him a birthday gift.

Any day would do.

This sentiment arose inexplicably, accompanied by a hint of heartache and oppression.

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