Chapter 981 - 1000: Federation University Opens

It was January, and with more than ten days left before the start of the new semester, staying cooped up at home was out of the question. The couple decided to go on a trip. Although traveling was often joked about as leaving a place one was tired of for a place someone else was tired of, exploring an unfamiliar environment with a loved one was still incredibly exciting.

However, it was a bit unfair to Mo Si. He had to wear a virtual mask while they were out. To avoid drawing too much attention, the parameters had to be adjusted so he wouldn’t look too much like his younger self. Since Chengyu wasn’t around this time, Qiuqiu took charge of tweaking the mask’s data. After all, what gamer wasn’t an expert at character customization? Just like she used to customize NPC faces in games, she gave Mo Si the face of a sunny young man. It retained some of his personal traits, but they were subtle enough not to be recognizable. Combined with his usual expressions and tall stature, the new look was absolutely stunning.

During their journey, Qiuqiu openly expressed her appreciation for his handsome new appearance. Mo Si heard her. Outwardly, he showed no reaction, but inwardly, his mind raced. "What does she mean by genius? Why is she praising this face? Why does this style look so similar to the one Mo Chengyu created before? Does she just like this youthful boyish look? Doesn’t she know she should change her aesthetic preferences after getting a boyfriend?"

Fuming silently, he wore that face and accompanied Qiuqiu on their eight-day, seven-night daytime tour of the sightseeing planet. But every night, he would quickly tear off the mask, using his true self to accompany her as they surrendered to the rising and falling tides of passion. This made Qiuqiu constantly tease him for being jealous of his own fake face. Mo Si always remained noncommittal about it. If a man didn’t even get jealous, was he still a man?

The eight-day trip quickly came to an end. Federation University sent out the start-of-term notice, and Qiuqiu gradually resumed her food live streams, preparing to make them a daily routine again. Mo Si also had to return to work at the Military Department to resolve some lingering issues. Adult relationships were often like this—it wasn’t just about the two of them, but also about work and life. Many things could stand between them, but romance still existed. In every fleeting moment of free time, their thoughts would drift to each other. Transitioning from seeing each other in person back to video calls left Qiuqiu feeling a bit unaccustomed.

The day before the new semester began, Qiuqiu had to set off for school. Mo Si took some time off to see her off at Starry Sky Wander. He couldn’t escort her all the way to the campus due to the pile-up of chores at the Military Department. After verbal goodbyes, hugs, and kisses in the January breeze, Mo Si stood on the grassy lawn of Starry Sky Wander, watching Qiuqiu walk away until she was out of sight.

The new semester arrived in the blink of an eye. The university first tallied the number of advancing students and made minor adjustments to class quotas based on last semester’s grades. Naturally, Qiuqiu advanced to her sophomore year in the Mecha Department, while she jumped straight to her junior year in the Spirit Healing Department. In the new semester, the allocated personnel lists publicly displayed the ranks of individual soldiers and Spirit Healing Masters.

Therefore, it wasn’t until classes began that everyone was astonished to discover Qiuqiu had already become an S-level Spirit Healing Master. Such an existence was exceedingly rare in the entire spirit healing community.

Cheers naturally filled the air. Right as this explosive news was making waves, another rumor quietly began to spread. It was a photo of Qiuqiu and Mo Si taken during their trip to the tourist planet. There were no clear shots of his face; the pictures mostly showed his side profile and back. The public had long known about this mysterious man’s existence, but they were still deeply curious about his identity. Unfortunately, despite all sorts of digging, netizens couldn’t uncover a single clue.

When Qiuqiu saw the news, her mind went blank for a moment. For some inexplicable reason, she went to search for the old gossip article about Mo Si. It was still there and still trending, though the heat surrounding it wasn’t as high as before.