“Thank you for your patronage. We hope to see you again.”
Stepping out of the clothing store, Lu Zhi stared silently at the receipt in his hand, his soul seemingly left behind.
Six pieces of clothing, over five million. He felt like he was going to suffocate.
Lu Zhi quickly stuffed the receipt into his pocket, not daring to look again.
Li Mei, oblivious to Lu Zhi’s current state, said matter-of-factly, “What a shame, the AO summer collection won’t be available for another month. I guess we’ll have to make do with these off-season items for now.”
“Remember to call me next time you come,” Chu Shi Ling said, casually placing her sunglasses on the pocket of her clothes. As she stepped into the elevator, her gaze, full of critical appraisal, fell on Lu Zhi’s hair. “Why don’t we get your hair done too?”
“I don’t think that’s necessary…” Lu Zhi had only just realized today that these two were shopaholics and fashion gurus who couldn't stand seeing those around them dressed haphazardly.
Chu Shi Ling lifted his chin, squinting as she assessed him. “Your face is small, but your hair is too long. A trim would do. If we have enough time, we could even give you a perm. I guarantee you’ll turn a hundred percent of heads on the street!”
Lu Zhi: …No, I really don't want that.
“Brother!” Lu Zhi could only turn to Lu Cheng Xuan, who was watching them with his arms crossed.
Lu Cheng Xuan reached out and ruffled his hair. “Hmm, it is a bit long. A trim is fine, but let’s skip the dye.”
Lu Zhi: …
And so, after leaving the mall, Lu Zhi was taken to a hair salon for a haircut before heading to the reserved private room at the restaurant.
“Why did you take so long?” Lan Guo Guo, sipping her soda, exclaimed in surprise after seeing Lu Zhi’s refreshed appearance. She then pouted.
“Phew…” Lu Zhi sat down directly next to Lan Guo Guo. The sigh of relief prompted another look from Lan Guo Guo. “There are so many seats, why do you have to sit next to me?”
Lu Zhi: “Ah, maybe it’s because you won’t comment on my outfit.”
That day, he had experienced the true horror of being forcibly styled.
Lan Guo Guo remembered Li Mei and Chu Shi Ling’s peculiar habits and said with a strange expression, “Just how unfashionable are you?”
Lu Zhi: …Why does everyone seem to want to attack me these days?
“The food here is quite good. Feel free to order whatever you like,” Lu Cheng Xuan handed Lu Zhi the tablet used for ordering.
“Okay.” Lu Zhi didn’t stand on ceremony and ordered two of his favorite dishes. He then asked Lu Cheng Xuan and the others what they wanted before passing the tablet to Lan Guo Guo to order for herself.
While waiting for the dishes to arrive, they chatted. Lu Zhi noticed that Lu Cheng Xuan was very considerate, finding topics he understood to talk about, preventing him from feeling awkward and left out. This also made Lu Zhi wonder again, what exactly caused Lu Cheng Xuan’s personality to change so drastically later on?
“Little Liu.”
Lu Zhi snapped back to attention and looked at Lu Cheng Xuan, who had called him “Little Liu.”
“‘Little Liu’ was a nickname Mom and Dad gave you when you were just born,” Lu Cheng Xuan explained. He paused. “Do you mind if I call you that?”
Lu Zhi quickly shook his head and waved his hands, feeling a bit shy and flustered. “Of course not, why would I mind? You can call me whatever you like, Brother.”
Lu Cheng Xuan smiled at this, his mature and steady demeanor gaining a touch of cheerfulness. “Mei Mei just said you received a divine decree?”
A divine decree was a mission or instruction from a deity, heard only by apostles or believers of that deity.
“Yes.” Lu Zhi nodded, earnestly repeating, “I’m not lying.”
The reason he was doing this was to pave the way for future events. His pact with a deity to become a believer was something he couldn’t hide. A new cage was coming, and his first mission was to slay a god. He had to find a way to complete his mission and survive.
Chu Shi Ling spoke up, “Captain, has anything like this ever happened before?”
Lu Cheng Xuan shook his head and pondered for a moment. “Little Liu, do you know the difference between a believer and a demon hunter?”
Lu Zhi certainly knew, but he had to pretend he didn’t, without seeming too naive.
So he shook his head, his eyes showing a suitable look of confusion and unease, and said cautiously, “I know a little. I think demon hunters gain special abilities after surviving the cages? And apostles are chosen by the deities?”
Lan Guo Guo looked at him suspiciously. “How do you know that much?”
Her tone was accusatory, as if Lu Zhi was hiding some secret and lurking among them.
“This is also mentioned online,” Lu Zhi said, taking out his phone and turning the screen to show them. “Is it not true?”
“You believe everything you read online?” Li Mei, who had been reapplying her makeup, looked in the mirror again and wiped off her lipstick. “Half true, half false. Deities, heh…”
That final, mocking “heh” made Lu Zhi feel a pang of doubt. Did they know the truth about the so-called deities?
“Little Liu, you just need to remember one thing,” Lu Cheng Xuan said, his expression serious and cautious. “Never believe what the gods say.”
Chu Shi Ling added, “Gods are the most untrustworthy.”
Lu Zhi’s look of surprise was not an act; he was genuinely shocked by Lu Cheng Xuan’s words.
Indeed, the biggest plot twist that ran through the entire book was that the deities were untrustworthy.
The so-called deities were actually aberrations disguised in the false guise of deities. However, up to this point, everyone had been kept in the dark, and even the male protagonist only discovered this secret midway through.
“Brother, you guys… you’re not going to ask me why I suddenly received a divine decree? You just believe me when I say it?” Lu Zhi had meticulously prepared his internal monologue, but it was completely useless.
Lu Zhi’s eyes clearly showed his apprehension, half real and half feigned.
Lu Cheng Xuan raised his hand, and finally, following his intuition, he patted Lu Zhi’s hair, chuckling softly. “Some things are a bit sentimental to say, but they are truly my most genuine thoughts.”
Lu Cheng Xuan propped his chin on his hand, looking at Lu Zhi’s confused expression, and slowly curved his lips into a smile. “From the first moment I saw you, I knew you were my brother, my only family left in this world. No matter what you say or what you want to do, I will support you unconditionally.”
Lu Zhi had erected a defensive wall in his heart when he first planned to approach Lu Cheng Xuan, but it began to crack from that moment on.
He didn’t know how much of what Lu Cheng Xuan said was true, but it did touch the deepest part of him, his longing for family.
“What if… I’m hiding something from you?” Lu Zhi thought to himself. *Just wait a little longer, observe a little more. Time will tell me if Lu Cheng Xuan can truly be my closest relative, without any reservations, without any schemes, a true family member.*
“Everyone has the right to keep their secrets,” Lu Cheng Xuan’s eyes, so similar to Lu Zhi’s, were filled with wisdom. “I hope that one day, you can truly trust me and open your heart.”
Lu Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.
He thought he had hidden his feelings well, but he never expected that Lu Cheng Xuan would know from the beginning that he had never truly trusted them.
Lu Zhi: “I…”
“Don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” Lu Cheng Xuan served him a bowl of soup. “You just need to be your true self. Of course, there’s one more thing you must always remember.”
Lu Zhi’s heart tightened slightly. His habitually feigned innocent and harmless expression betrayed a hint of wariness.
Lu Cheng Xuan placed the soup in front of him and said, “You are my brother, Lu Cheng Xuan’s brother.”