The virtual and real grand clock allowed for an extended training period, after which the body would be significantly strengthened in a short amount of time.
Lu Zhi, after sleeping for a full day, finally woke up around noon the next day.
The unfamiliar bedroom came into view. As Lu Zhi sat up, he clearly heard his bones crackling, like an old machine that had been unused for too long and had rusted. The sore and stinging sensation made him frown.
"Hiss... Damn it, coming out is still a torment." Lu Zhi waited for the pain and discomfort to subside before clenching his fists, clearly feeling the difference in his body.
He pondered how to describe himself now. Before, he was a weakling; had he evolved into a slightly less weakling?
*Crrack.*
The bedroom door opened without warning. The moment he saw Shen Qi, Lu Zhi froze, his mind screaming internally, *What the heck, could he be in Shen Qi's dorm? And occupying Shen Qi's bed?*
"If you're awake, come out for a meal," Shen Qi's voice was as clear and cool as ever.
Lu Zhi scrambled out of bed. Seeing the messy state of the clean bedding, he said nervously and with restraint, "Teacher Shen."
Glancing at the bedding that looked like a dog's kennel, Lu Zhi felt so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole and disappear.
"There's a clean set of clothes in the bathroom. You can take a shower first." Shen Qi, observant and thoughtful, closed the door, leaving him with some privacy.
Lu Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. As he walked towards the bathroom, he surveyed the bedroom's decor: simple, neat, with no superfluous decorations. True to his word, there was a set of clean clothes on the cabinet next to the bathroom door.
Lu Zhi picked them up and was stunned. Why did these clothes look like the ones Shen Qi usually wore? A white shirt paired with suit pants, elegant and luxurious.
But would he look out of place wearing them? And the size seemed a bit large... Wait, could these be Shen Qi's clothes?
Lu Zhi's fingers tightened, and he couldn't help but sniff the clothes. The scent of laundry detergent was very faint, clean.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open again. Lu Zhi stiffened, meeting Shen Qi's silver-grey eyes, which held a flicker of amusement. Realizing his rather vulgar and obsessive act of sniffing the clothes, his face instantly flushed red, and he stammered in panic, "No, I, I, I, I was just..."
Shen Qi gently placed his index finger against his lips.
But Lu Zhi still saw the upward curve of his lips. His cheeks were so red they felt like they were smoking. He didn't know how to explain that he was just curious if the clothes were new and impulsively sniffed them, only to be caught red-handed.
Deciding to embrace the awkwardness, Lu Zhi raised his hand to wipe his face and said with feigned calmness, "You, how could you come in without knocking?"
If he had knocked, this embarrassing and disheveled scene wouldn't have been witnessed! (He wanted to flip a table!)
"Sorry, I'm not used to knocking at home, I forgot." Shen Qi apologized verbally, but without much sincerity. He walked closer, holding a bag, and handed it to Lu Zhi before turning to leave the room.
Lu Zhi looked at the unopened underwear in the bag. His ears turned red involuntarily. He then patted his hot cheeks with both hands. "We're both men, why should I be shy?"
Lu Zhi shook off extraneous thoughts and entered the bathroom. The moment he took off his clothes, he looked in the mirror and was surprised to see his body. He touched his abdomen in disbelief. "Wasn't I bitten by the Nightmare Beast? Why aren't there any scars?"
Thinking that his clothes were also intact, Lu Zhi mused, could everything in the grand clock be fake? No, if it were fake, he could clearly feel his physical fitness had improved significantly after coming out.
With too many unknowns, Lu Zhi dared not keep Shen Qi waiting too long. After a quick shower and while putting on the underwear, a thought crossed his mind: *Why does he know my size...*
After Lu Zhi put on the clothes that were a size larger than his, he was certain they belonged to Shen Qi. Considering his own height of 1.82 meters, and then comparing it to Shen Qi's 1.90 meters... "Tsk, comparing yourself to others will kill you."
Lu Zhi took a deep breath and opened the door. The sight that greeted him left him stunned and unable to recover.
Shen Qi, dressed casually, was sitting on the sofa, reading and sipping tea. Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window, bathing Shen Qi in a golden glow. His long, dense eyelashes cast shadows that fell into his silver-grey eyes. He looked noble and elegant, as handsome as a prince from royalty.
"The food is on the table," Shen Qi said without looking up, turning a page of his book.
Lu Zhi snapped back to reality and, feeling shy, quickly walked to the dining area. He saw a table laden with a feast. His stomach rumbled appropriately, and he couldn't help but swallow. Glancing at Shen Qi, he asked, "Have, have you eaten?"
Shen Qi replied with a hum, "It's all for you."
Lu Zhi's eyes lit up. "Then I won't be polite."
Braised pork ribs, spicy diced chicken, stir-fried pork with green peppers... Delicious, so delicious.
While devouring the food, Lu Zhi felt immensely satisfied, unaware that Shen Qi had already shifted his gaze from the book, resting his chin in his hand, staring at him with focused and dangerously intense eyes.
Just like...
In memory.
Ten minutes later.
The dining table was cleared with a whirlwind of eating. Lu Zhi slumped in his chair, patting his stomach contentedly, and sighed, "I haven't eaten food that suits my taste so well in a long time."
Shen Qi appeared beside him at some point. His gaze fell on Lu Zhi's hand patting his stomach, startling Lu Zhi into jumping up from his chair and standing at attention. "Th, thank you Teacher Shen for the feeding... ah, no, thank you for lunch, Teacher Shen."
Indeed, being full made him easily confused.
Shen Qi took a step forward, his shoe touching Lu Zhi's. He leaned in, and Lu Zhi instinctively tried to step back. Shen Qi stopped him, "Don't move."
Lu Zhi froze, his dark eyes wide as he stared at Shen Qi's magnified but still handsome face, which was only inches away. He reached out, and Lu Zhi's heart pounded like a drum. He saw cool fingertips brush past his lips. Shen Qi took a step back and said, "You got some rice on your mouth."
Lu Zhi saw the grain of rice on Shen Qi's finger and his ears turned red uncontrollably. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, stammering, "Th, thank you."
Shen Qi seemed not to notice Lu Zhi's awkward and blushing face. He turned and said, "It's getting late, come with me."
Lu Zhi didn't dare to ask any more questions and followed Shen Qi out of the villa.
Once outside, Lu Zhi realized they were at sea!
A metal city had been built on the vast ocean, and Shen Qi's villa was on its own island.
"This, this construction must have cost a lot of effort?" Lu Zhi, following Shen Qi into a transparent elevator, looked at the scenery outside, as if he had entered a cosmic era.
"The City of Dream Whales, a maritime capital built by the psychic power of Dream Whales," Shen Qi said, looking down at Lu Zhi's astonished expression as he peered out the elevator.
"Dream Whale, is that the whale that flies in the sky?" As soon as he exited the elevator, Lu Zhi curiously looked up at the faintly visible whale tail soaring overhead.
"Yes," Shen Qi took out a card and inserted it into a slot in a silver sports car. "Get in."
Who could resist a cool sports car? Lu Zhi's eyes sparkled as he got into the passenger seat.
The wind brushed across the sea surface, birds soared through the sky, and the silver sports car sped along a straight road by the sea towards the school.
Lu Zhi felt the refreshing sea breeze, his hair blown into a mess, but it didn't affect his good mood. As they approached a nearby island in the distance, he suddenly realized he hadn't left the Non-Natural Academy; they were still in a special space.
No wonder such a technologically advanced and cool maritime city had never appeared online.
*Ring, ring, ring...*
The phone's ringtone interrupted Lu Zhi's reverie. Seeing the caller ID, his eyes brightened. "Brother."
Shen Qi glanced at his profile from the corner of his eye.
Lu Chengxuan asked calmly, "Yes, where are you?"