Chapter 97: The Empress of the Imperial City |
For a moment, both of them were frozen in tacit understanding.
Jiang Jingshi picked up the cup of instant noodles and placed it into Lin Zhengran’s arms before taking another one for herself. “Problem solved.”
With that, she turned and left. Lin Zhengran didn’t think much of it and continued selecting a few more ready-to-eat foods before heading to the checkout counter.
After exiting the supermarket and crossing a street, he suddenly noticed a little girl crying on the sidewalk. The same woman from earlier was crouching in front of the child, gently comforting her.
“What’s wrong, little one? Why are you crying?”
The little girl pointed at a large tree nearby, where a pink balloon was stuck between the branches.
“My balloon~ It accidentally flew up there.”
It was a massive plane tree, its branches still thick with leaves since autumn had yet to fully set in. The balloon was caught quite high up, far beyond the reach of an average person.
“Where is it? Let me see.” Jiang Jingshi stood up and scanned the tree. Spotting the pink balloon, she bent down again and asked, “Where did you buy this balloon? How about I get you a new one?”
Jiang Jingshi stared at the plane tree in contemplation.
“That’s really high… Let’s see if we can find something long enough to reach it.” She started looking around for a long stick or branch—just then, she spotted Lin Zhengran walking out of the supermarket.
Their eyes briefly met in recognition from their earlier encounter. Jiang Jingshi gave him a polite smile before continuing her search, while the little girl joined her in looking around.
Lin Zhengran glanced up at the tree.
It wasn’t that high.
He lightly jumped about a meter, grasped the branch holding the balloon, and easily pulled it down to retrieve it.
Hearing the rustling of leaves, Jiang Jingshi and the little girl turned around.
Lin Zhengran held out the balloon as Jiang Jingshi stared at him in surprise. “Here, take it.”
The little girl blinked up at him in awe, then shyly murmured, “Thank you, handsome big brother…”
“No problem.”
The girl clutched her balloon tightly, beaming with joy. She waved goodbye to both Lin Zhengran and Jiang Jingshi, saying another soft “thank you” before running off.
Even as she left, she kept glancing back at Lin Zhengran, clearly reluctant to part. Finally, she disappeared around the street corner.
Once the girl was gone, Jiang Jingshi chuckled. “Are you a sports student? I didn’t see it clearly, but did you just jump really high?”
Lin Zhengran had deliberately controlled his jump. That height was nothing to him—he could have simply reached up and grabbed the balloon directly.
But to avoid drawing attention, he kept his jump to just over a meter and pulled the branch down instead. That way, no one would think much of it.
“It wasn’t too hard. The balloon was caught on a branch, so as long as I could reach it, it was fine.”
Jiang Jingshi looked between the tree and Lin Zhengran. “Still impressive. But…” She pointed at the plastic bag in his hand. “Your bag got torn on a branch, and your stuff is about to fall out.”
“Hm?”
Lin Zhengran glanced down. Sure enough, there was a small hole in the bag, and his instant noodles and other items were precariously close to spilling out.
Jiang Jingshi quickly helped catch some of the falling groceries. “You bought a lot. Is your dinner in here too? If you don’t mind, I have extra bags in my car. And if you need hot water, I have some there too—good for instant noodles.”
Lin Zhengran looked up at her.
Jiang Jingshi’s naturally gentle eyes curved into a smile.
“What? Worried I might be a bad person?” she teased. “I just have a younger sister who wears the same school uniform as you, so I felt like helping out. You go to First High, right? I figured a guy who helps little girls retrieve balloons must be a good person.”
She pointed to a Rolls-Royce parked nearby. “That’s my car. I was planning to have some instant noodles myself—wanna join me?”
Jiang Jingshi walked over to her car and opened the door.
She pulled out a new plastic bag for Lin Zhengran, then took out a thermos of hot water. “So, want to eat together?”
【Today, while traveling, you helped a little girl and caught the attention of a kind-hearted woman. Impressed by your good nature, she warmly invited you to share a meal. Though she appears carefree and welcoming—even to strangers—you are well aware that she is no ordinary passerby. The high-grade magical artifact she carries proves that her strength is terrifyingly immense.
【Precisely because of this, she does as she pleases without concern for others’ opinions. After all, you’ve already discerned her true identity—she is the Empress of the Imperial City.】
Lin Zhengran: “…”
Empress of the Imperial City? That was an insanely dramatic title.
Still, Lin Zhengran had already guessed her identity.
The Rolls-Royce she drove was identical to Jiang Qian’s, and while their expressions and aura differed vastly, their facial features bore striking similarities.
They were most likely sisters.
But if her elder sister was the Empress of the Imperial City, what would Jiang Qian be in the system’s eyes…?
【She has already offered you a cup of specially brewed nectar. Will you leave now, or accept this unexpected opportunity?】
Normally, Lin Zhengran would have politely declined and left.
But since the system had specifically highlighted this encounter, there was no way he was going to let this opportunity slip by.
He walked forward. “Then, thank you, Jie.”
Jiang Jingshi’s smile deepened as she gestured toward the car. “Hop in, then.”
Lin Zhengran climbed into the vehicle, and Jiang Jingshi followed, though she left the door open.
She opened her own instant noodles and twisted the cap off her thermos.
But when Lin Zhengran opened his, he noticed something strange—there were no seasoning packets inside.
He pulled out the dry noodles and checked the bottom. Completely empty.
Jiang Jingshi chuckled and poured half of her own seasoning packet into his cup. “Half should be enough, right? Too much would make it too salty.”
Lin Zhengran nodded. “Thanks.”
She handed him the hot water, and he poured it into his noodles.
【You have consumed the premium nectar from a high-grade spiritual flask. Strength +3.】
Soon, the instant noodles were ready, along with some side dishes.
Jiang Jingshi casually asked, “You must be pretty popular at school, huh? You’re good-looking and athletic.”
Lin Zhengran responded with a smile. “You’re very beautiful too, Jie.”
Jiang Jingshi studied him for a moment before breaking into a soft laugh. “Smooth talker. But I bet you know my sister, right? My name is Jiang Jingshi, and my younger sister is Jiang Qian. If I’m not mistaken, you two have been spending a lot of time together lately?”
Lin Zhengran met her gaze and chuckled. “Yeah, we’re deskmates.”
He introduced himself as well.
“Oh? You’re not even a little surprised. Looks like you figured out who I was already.” Jiang Jingshi adjusted her posture with a composed elegance. “Well, I suppose that makes sense. We do look alike—it’s pretty easy to tell.”
Jiang Jingshi had a keen business sense, and the moment she saw Lin Zhengran, she knew he was different.
Even though this was her first time meeting him, his looks, presence, and athletic ability were enough for her to confirm—this was the boy Qianqian had been struggling to surpass.
A young man with this many exceptional qualities was rare, almost impossibly rare.
“My sister can be a handful. Thanks for looking after her. If you ever have time, come visit our home—Jie would love to have you over.”
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