Chapter 2: Destined to Be Forever Alone

In his last life, Wang Sheng made it to thirty-one. Sure, he didn't really amount to much, but he still dated a few girls along the way. Hence, when faced with his beautiful senior, who had made an effort to dress up today, he didn't lose his cool. He did feel his heart skip a beat because of her many times before, though.

Across two lifetimes, he'd had a ton of crushes, but most of them were mere admiration.

"Come on in. It's a bit messy; I hope you don't mind."

Wang Sheng pointed at the sofa, then went over to the fridge and grabbed two cold drinks.

The girl, holding a small gift box, had mustered the courage to step inside, but she just stood in the hallway awkwardly, staring nervously at Wang Sheng.

With her oval face, willow-shaped eyebrows, and cute little nose, she was the embodiment of pure, natural Eastern beauty.

Since Wang Sheng's first year of high school, Shen Qianlin had been the famous school belle. Not only was she at the top of her class and known for her excellent character, but she also had stunning looks and was hardly involved in any scandals.

Wang Sheng had barely interacted with her. Over a month ago, though, he relied on his fuzzy memories to help her through a "minor" crisis, preventing her from getting into a tragic, critical car accident the night before her college entrance exams.

He had worried that this would trigger a butterfly effect and mess up everything he knew. Luckily, the manned lunar spacecraft launch still happened right on schedule.

In his last life, during post-graduation class reunions, Shen Qianlin's situation would be frequently mentioned. She survived the car accident but had to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. Though her family was well-off, and she didn't have to worry about her living conditions, it was still pretty tragic that such a stunning beauty ended up needing a wheelchair for the rest of her life.

The thought made a sense of accomplishment surge within him. He had protected something beautiful.

"W-what's with that weird look...?"

"

Uh...

Have some water. Senior Sister, if you were coming over, why didn't you give me a heads-up?"

Wang Sheng gestured for Shen Qianlin to sit on the sofa again while he took a seat diagonally across at the coffee table. "I didn't have time to prepare anything. Sorry if the welcome's underwhelming."

Shen Qianlin blinked. She then muttered softly, "So... mature..."

"

Hm

?"

"R-right!" Shen Qianlin cleared her throat and offered the gift box to Wang Sheng with both hands. "I came to thank you. If you hadn't pulled me back then, I might have already been six feet under! Please, accept my humble gift!"

Wang Sheng smiled warmly, walked over, and carefully took the gift from her. He then glanced at the package inside...

A watch? You're giving me a watch

[1]

?

"After the exams, I bought it with my first paycheck from my job. I didn't use the allowance money I got from my dad, so please... please accept it."

Shen Qianlin's cheeks flushed slightly, and her gaze wavered. Somehow, without her realizing, Wang Sheng had taken the gift and sat down beside her.

Glancing at his side profile, her heartbeat grew louder.

Having just finished her college entrance exams, she had now successfully become a freshman. She got permission from her parents to experience the joys of a first love—as long as she didn't get into any trouble.

My junior looks pretty handsome. He has a reliable and calm charm too...

Shen Qianlin's cheeks inexplicably turned a bit redder.

"Thank you, Senior Sister. I'll accept it."

Wang Sheng carefully put away the gift box—this was basic courtesy, after all. He glanced several times at the pretty girl sitting beside him before lowering his head to check his phone screen.

His parents would be home soon.

If his parents found out that a pretty girl was alone with him for more than a minute, he would probably be burned to ashes by their raging flames of gossip before he could even get to say he was leaving for the Wudang Mountains!

"Can I just call you by your name? Oh, right, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Shen Qianlin, a year above you." She bit her lip, tasting the sweetness of her lipstick, as she nervously looked at Wang Sheng.

"I actually know you. You're pretty famous at school," Wang Sheng replied with a smile.

Shen Qianlin blinked, suddenly coming to a realization. "Sorry for showing up like this; I hope you don't mind. I couldn't find your phone number, so I had to ask a teacher for your address... A-anyway, thank you for saving me, Wang... Wang Sheng..."

Huh?

Wang Sheng sneaked a glance at his senior's expression. Seeing her unable to meet his gaze and blushing like crazy, he couldn't help but wonder,

Does she have a thing for me?

Though starting a summer fling with a beautiful senior sounded pretty great, Wang Sheng still felt that he couldn't just abandon his carefully laid-out plans for a budding romance.

If he was destined to be forever alone for the sake of cultivation, then so be it. He'd be the kind of immortal loner that people could look up to!

"Wang Sheng..." Shen Qianlin seemed to muster up her courage. Assuming the demeanor of a senior, she looked up at him and softly asked, "Tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that... I mean, do you have any free time during the break?"

Now that she had popped the question, she couldn't help but want to dig a hole and bury herself right there. Initiating a hangout was just way too embarrassing.

Wang Sheng shook his head. "Probably not."

"Okay, then let's set a time; I'd like to take you out to eat—" Shen Qianlin stopped instinctively spouting her prepared lines. She blinked, feeling as if she had misheard. "

Huh?

"

Wang Sheng smiled wryly and spread his hands, pointing at the suitcase beside him. "I'm heading out of town. I probably won't be home for a while."

Shen Qianlin found it hard to hide the disappointment in her big eyes. "Out of town? Can I ask where you're going?"

"Probably the Wudang Mountains for now, but maybe some other places too," Wang Sheng answered honestly.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"To the Wudang Mountains? For what? A summer camp?"

"Yeah, a martial arts summer camp."

Like stars, Shen Qianlin's eyes lit up with admiration as she looked at Wang Sheng.

"Martial arts? I've heard it's really tough. I can't believe you've got that kind of ambition! I've always wanted to learn some Taekwondo or something, but my parents never allowed me."

Wang Sheng just smiled faintly.

Although a bit down about not being able to set up a date, Shen Qianlin tried her best to keep the conversation going. She sought deep and hard for martial arts and wuxia topics to awkwardly chat about with Wang Sheng for a few minutes.

Because of her reserved nature, Shen Qianlin didn't dare stay too long in a boy's house. Just as Wang Sheng was getting into the conversation, she got up to leave.

"Can we exchange phone numbers... or maybe add each other on YouChat?" she asked nervously.

"Definitely! Just in case you think I hold a grudge!"

"Wow! So generous!"

Wang Sheng naturally didn't refuse the request, but he knew deep down that they likely wouldn't ever cross paths again. He didn't dislike Shen Qianlin, though. On the contrary, he found her slightly approachable and radiant whenever she spoke.

"Bye... No need to see me off. My dad's car is waiting downstairs."

"Okay, bye." Wang Sheng stopped in his tracks and watched Shen Qianlin enter the elevator.

Haaa...

Giving up on a beautiful senior and my sweet first love—I just hope the heavens bless me with a few top-tier cultivators at the Wudang Mountains to back me up.

Closing the door, Wang Sheng detoured to the bathroom and struck a few poses in the mirror, surprised to find that he actually looked a bit handsome in his younger years.

It was too bad that his looks couldn't feed him, and after the primal qi resurgence, humanity's overall attractiveness would get a little boost. Unless one were drop-dead gorgeous like Pan An[2] or as dashing as Lord Ximen[3], living off their faces alone would be tough.

He sniffed the air, which was still tinged with a faint perfume scent. Wang Sheng grabbed an air freshener and sprayed it around, determined not to give his parents any chance for gossip.

He had to be in control of today's conversation!

Wang Sheng didn't plan on opening the gift box—it was better left as a sealed memento of his youth.

5:40 PM.

The fingerprint lock beeped. Wang Sheng then heard his dad yell, "Little Sheng, you home? We're back!"

His mom, with her delicately applied makeup slightly smudged by sweat, and his dad, grumbling about the wretched weather, walked into the living room.

His mom, as beautiful as always, kicked off her high heels as she stepped inside. She had always kept herself in great shape, showing off the beauty of a mature woman.

However, her behavior contradicted her appearance. Behaving like one of those girls who had just graduated from college, she flopped onto the sofa and kicked her legs up.

Seeing her like this at home, Wang Sheng found it hard to think of her as the elegant and sophisticated professional she was at the office.

"

Aaah...

Air conditioning is my true love!

Haaah

! For the future of my son, I worked hard in the corporate world! And now I need ice cream to feel a sense of comfort! Ice cream! Ice cream! ICE CREAM!"

Hearing his mom's playful whining, Wang Sheng smiled helplessly, got up, and grabbed two ice cream bars from the fridge.

As if nothing significant was about to happen, Wang Sheng calmly handed one to his dad, who had just walked out of the bathroom, and brought the other to his mom.

"Mom, I have to talk to you about something."

Slurp... slurp...

"What, you can't talk it over with your old man, too?"

Wang Sheng's slightly balding father laughed heartily as he walked closer. Casually licking his ice cream, he pointed at the suitcase by the sofa and asked, "Where are you off to, Little Sheng? Planning a trip? With who? Classmates? Are any girls going? Why didn't you mention it earlier?

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Maybe I can take some money out from my secret stash and offer you an interest-free loan."

Wang Sheng often felt that his lack of liveliness put him out of place in this cheerful little family.

Well, at least it was proof that his parents were happy.

Wang Sheng took a deep breath. Observing his parents' expressions, he seriously yet calmly said, "I want to take a break from school. I want to go to the Wudang Mountains and be a Daoist for two years."

As expected, the couple behaved as though some of their pressure points had been struck[4].

Silence dominated the living room for two or three minutes.

Thud!

The ice cream bars of Wang Sheng's parents simultaneously hit the floor.

1. In Chinese culture, gifting someone a clock/watch is considered inauspicious as the words for "gifting a clock(送钟)" sound the same as "sending someone off to the afterlife(送终)." ☜

2. Pan An was a famous poet from ancient China, renowned for his extraordinary beauty. His looks were so striking that women would throw fruits and flowers into his carriage as he passed by, making him a historical symbol of male attractiveness in Chinese culture. ☜

3. Ximen Qing, from the classic Chinese novel

Water Margin

(水浒传), was known for his handsome and refined appearance. His good looks masked his cunning and immoral behavior, making him a notorious yet attractive figure in the story. ☜

4. The classic

wuxia

trope of striking an acupoint to paralyze someone or stop them from speaking. ☜