"So, Elysia, if you're just here to tease me, you've already succeeded."
Chang Yuan finally shot Elysia an exasperated look.
"Hmm~?, I'm not teasing you. After all, I almost couldn't sleep last night either. Thankfully, Himeko kept me company with some conversation."
Elysia chuckled, but then she noticed that Chang Yuan seemed stronger.
"So, you were training last night because you couldn't sleep?"
"You can tell?"
Chang Yuan looked at his hands, puzzled.
He couldn't even see where he had improved, yet Elysia could?
Was this the legendary "power level radar" that only the strong possessed?
"Not really. It's just that your aura feels different from yesterday. But with Vill-V's serum, you should be able to get even stronger."
"Of course. Maybe I'll even surpass you one day."
"I'll be looking forward to that day."
Elysia smiled, though she didn't believe Chang Yuan could surpass her. It wasn't arrogance—it was just a fact.
Perhaps because of her innate uniqueness, she already felt incredibly powerful.
"You don't believe me? Just wait. I'll prove it to you."
Chang Yuan could see the doubt in Elysia's eyes.
With that, Chang Yuan began his daily training.
By noon, the two headed to Fire Moth's cafeteria. It was clear that the higher-ups had spared no expense.
The cafeteria offered dishes from all over the world, including the legendary Manchu Han Imperial Feast from Shenzhou—though that required a reservation.
After grabbing their meals, Chang Yuan and Elysia found a table for two.
"Ugh, bitter melon. Yuan, you can have it. I don't want it."
"Hey, hey, hey! It's bitter melon stew with meat. You ate the meat and left me the bitter melon? What's that supposed to mean?"
Looking at the pile of bitter melon in his bowl, Chang Yuan's mouth twitched.
Good grief, humans were such strange creatures. They could eat bitter melon stew with meat but refused to eat bitter melon on its own.
Besides, he wasn't like Theresa, who had a peculiar taste for bitter melon. He didn't like it either.
"But didn't you say we shouldn't waste food? That's what you told me when we were kids. You even made me eat green peppers back then."
Elysia blinked her beautiful eyes, staring at Chang Yuan.
Chang Yuan was instantly speechless.
Oh no, he had only been teasing Elysia back then!
Good grief, the bullet he fired years ago had finally hit him.
Wait, no—back then, he had personally fed Elysia.
"Wait, no! Back then, I was the one feeding you, forcing you to eat. That's completely different."
"Oh? Is that the only reason?"
Hearing this, Elysia smiled softly and quickly came up with a countermeasure.
Picking up her chopsticks, she grabbed a piece of bitter melon and brought it to Chang Yuan's mouth.
"Hmm~?, no wasting food, okay~?."
"...Sigh."
Seeing the bitter melon already at his lips, Chang Yuan knew he had no choice.
The bullet he fired years ago had indeed hit him.
As he took a bite, the bitter taste of the melon exploded on his tongue.
But remembering that Elysia had personally fed him, the bitterness in his mouth was overshadowed by the sweetness in his heart.
"Hmph~?, is it good? Don't worry, there's plenty more~?."
Just as Chang Yuan swallowed the first piece, Elysia immediately brought a second piece to his lips.
This time, she showed a bit of mercy by adding some meat and rice, so he wasn't just eating bitter melon.
Although their actions seemed intimate, Chang Yuan knew that Elysia only saw him as family, as a close friend to joke around with.
After all, during that fake-death incident, Elysia had already made it clear.
So, despite the feeding, Chang Yuan's heart remained calm.
However, all of this was witnessed by a certain red-haired woman.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Family? More like her husband."
Himeko couldn't help but comment.
Last night, Elysia had told her that Chang Yuan was just family. But now, seeing this? Tsk, tsk, tsk.
"So, in the end, I'm the only single one here. How annoying."
Although she said it with annoyance, Himeko's eyes were filled with warmth and blessing.
After all, she had listened to Elysia's stories about her and Chang Yuan last night.
The stories weren't particularly thrilling or romantic.
They were simply about a young boy protecting a little girl, Elysia.
And that boy had stayed by her side, witnessing her growth and experiences. Wasn't that romantic in its own way?
Aside from Himeko, while some were sending blessing, others were filled with envy.
After all, Elysia was too beautiful, too charming. Almost any man who saw her would develop feelings for her.
So, seeing Chang Yuan being so close to Elysia, many wished they could take his place.
"Finally finished. Elysia, I was wrong. I shouldn't have made you eat food you didn't like."
After finishing the bitter melon, Chang Yuan immediately apologized.
"Not at all~?. I don't dislike any food. Or rather, everything I've eaten with you is something I like."
"Ah, well, I guess we're just fated, huh?"
Seeing that Chang Yuan completely missed the underlying meaning of her words, Elysia's eyes drooped slightly.
This blockhead really was a blockhead.
What she meant was that as long as she was with him, she would enjoy anything they ate together.
But Chang Yuan only took it as a matter of fate, leaving Elysia feeling a bit exasperated.
"Alright, finish up. After lunch, we'll take a nap and then continue training. No slacking off~?."
"Got it, got it. You know me—I'm not one to give up halfway."
Chang Yuan nodded.
To achieve his goal, he couldn't afford to be lazy.
As a certain Erlang Shen once said, "If you always think it's okay to slack off a little, you'll always fall short at critical moments."
He didn't want to experience that. He didn't want to see Elysia slip through his fingers because he wasn't strong enough to hold on.
After lunch, they took a short walk before Chang Yuan returned to his dorm for a nap. However, even now, he still had no roommates.
The six-person dormitory was eerily quiet with only him in it.