Wang Chen woke up with a groan, feeling an unusual weight pressing down on his chest. Blinking his eyes open, his grogginess quickly turned into shock. Legs? What the heck? He followed the legs, only to see Xiao Wu lying upside down, her body sprawled across both beds, snoring contentedly with her limbs stretched out in all directions. Wang Chen sighed.
'How's she so comfortable sleeping in a new bed?'
Before he could dwell on it further, a knock at the door startled him. "Boss, uhh, we need to get breakfast before it sells out!" came Wang Sheng's hesitant voice from the other side. He then gestured nervously toward Xiao Wu. Wang Chen, still half-asleep, wondered why the kid's attitude had changed so much from yesterday.
Shaking off his thoughts, he turned his attention to the snoring girl beside him. "Xiao Wu, wake up," he said, shaking her gently by the shoulder. How the hell did she move around so much? He couldn't help but think as he shook her again.
"Mmm, leave me alone. I need sleep!" she groaned, pulling the blanket closer. Wang Chen glanced at Wang Sheng, who finally came in and stood there helplessly, his face showing a mutual look of exasperation.
"If you don't wake up, we won't be able to get breakfast," Wang Chen tried again, raising his voice slightly. As soon as the word breakfast was mentioned, Xiao Wu perked up almost immediately, though her eyes were still shut.
"Breakfast? Are we eating carrots?" she asked sleepily, her voice barely audible.
Wang Chen and Wang Sheng exchanged speechless looks before Wang Sheng quickly chimed in, "Boss, they don't normally give carrots, but you can ask for them in your meal if you like them…"
A slow smile spread across Xiao Wu's face. "Hehe, carrots..." she muttered in delight. Wang Chen rolled his eyes in disbelief.
It took them nearly thirty minutes to get ready with Xiao Wu finally pulling herself out of bed and dressing with enthusiasm after the mention of carrots. Soon, the three of them left the dorm, with Wang Sheng leading them toward the canteen.
As they walked, Wang Chen turned to Wang Sheng, a question on his mind. "Did Tang San leave already?"
Wang Sheng had a weird smile on his face as he looked down. "Umm… yeah, he just woke up and left with one of the guys for the canteen before us."
Wang Chen didn't say anything, but Xiao Wu did. "That guy… I'll teach him how to be polite later!" she muttered, her voice filled with mock indignation.
Wang Chen glanced at her, rolling his eyes.
'If anyone needs lessons in manners, it's definitely you.'
He was still feeling a bit guilty about the blanket incident from yesterday, and it weighed on his mind as they walked.
The three soon arrived at a large building. It was two stories tall, with a grand staircase leading to the upper floor. From the looks of it, the upper floor was reserved for the wealthier students and teachers. As they stepped inside, a familiar and unpleasant voice echoed from above.
"Oh, look who's here! Wang Sheng and his poor gang!" Chuckles erupted from the group upstairs as the three looked up. The other students who were eating turned to see what was happening. And there he was: Yuan, Wang Chen's stepbrother, standing among his friends.
As soon as Yuan recognized Wang Chen, his laughter intensified. "Wang Chen?! Ahahahaha, this is priceless! I knew you were poor, but this is just too much! You, in Dorm Seven?"
Wang Chen turned to glance at Wang Sheng, noticing the frustration and helplessness on his face. Before Wang Chen could respond, Xiao Wu stepped forward, her eyes blazing. "Hey! How dare you bully my dorm members? Come downstairs and I'll beat you up!"
Wang Chen and Wang Sheng stared at her, surprised by her sudden outburst. Yuan, of course, wasn't fazed at all. He smirked and said, "No, thanks. I'd rather stay up here than step on your poor ground."
Xiao Wu huffed in frustration, her fists clenching. Wang Chen placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. "Let's go," he said, pulling her and Wang Sheng toward the counter. "Xiao Wu, we're work-study students. Who do you think the teachers will side with if something happens?"
Xiao Wu paused, thinking for a moment before her face lit up. "Of course, they'll side with us! We didn't do anything wrong, they provoked us first!"
Wang Chen and Wang Sheng both chuckled softly, exchanging a knowing look.
'This girl really has no idea how things work, does she?'
"Wang Chen!" A voice called out, and Wang Chen turned to see Tang San walking down from the second floor, holding a meal plate.
"Hey, Tang San." Wang Chen smiled. "How's it going?"
"I just met with my master and got breakfast," Tang San replied, nodding toward his plate. "I came down after seeing you guys from upstairs."
Wang Chen smirked. "We were loud, huh?"
Tang San chuckled. "Don't worry about it. It happens."
The four of them grabbed their meals and sat down at a table. As they began eating, Xiao Wu's curiosity suddenly got the better of her. "Xiao San, why does your meal look so much better than ours?"
Wang Chen raised his eyebrows, slightly amused. Is she going to steal the poor kid's meal too? But no, she was genuinely curious this time.
Tang San gave her an awkward smile. "I got it from upstairs."
"Oh…" Xiao Wu blinked, clearly not putting two and two together.
As they ate, the conversation shifted to martial souls. Wang Chen, curious about Tang San's abilities, asked about his martial soul.
"Mine's Blue Silver Grass," Tang San revealed, his expression calm.
Wang Sheng winced visibly, a look of pity crossing his face. Wang Chen noticed the reaction, and apparently, so did Tang San, but he didn't seem to care much. Wang Sheng, on the other hand, proudly declared his martial soul to be the Battle Tiger, an offensive beast-type soul.
"Not bad," Wang Chen commented, his interest piqued.
Xiao Wu bounced in her seat, eager to share hers. "I have the Soft Boned Rabbit!"
Wang Chen chuckled to himself. Of course, it suits her perfectly, bouncing around like a rabbit in everything she does.
Finally, it was Wang Chen's turn. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, his one-tomoe Sharingan glowed faintly. Both Wang Sheng and Xiao Wu gasped in surprise as they watched his eyes shift. Tang San, on the other hand, observed quietly, though Wang Chen could sense the interest in his gaze.
Wang Chen explained briefly how his martial soul worked. "It's called the Sharingan, a mutated body type martial soul. It gives me heightened perception, allowing me to react faster and see things others can't."
Wang Sheng and Xiao Wu were clearly impressed, but Wang Chen didn't mention the potential evolution of his eyes.
Even he didn't know how they'll evolve…considering this was a different world.
With that out of the way, the conversation shifted toward school subjects. Three of them were new, so they weren't familiar with the schedules or classrooms yet. Wang Sheng, who seemed to have more experience, shared what he knew.
After finishing their meal, the group stood up and began walking out of the canteen. Fortunately, there were no more annoying interruptions, and the four of them enjoyed their walk back, the cheery mood intact.
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