Chapter 316 - 137: Pokémon Breeding Convention

Chapter 316: Chapter 137: Pokémon Breeding Convention

"I was just there yesterday."

Lu Qinglian spoke as if discussing a matter of grave importance. Zhang Shutong wasn’t sure if it was his imagination, but he could see a faint, cold glint in her eyes.

Zhang Shutong understood how she felt. This wasn’t just about their spot being discovered. It was as if someone had not only invaded your base but had also unethically taken the key on their way out. Like Batman returning to the Batcave or Spider-Man swinging back to Queens, only for both superheroes to find themselves locked out, fumbling at the door for ages before realizing the locks had been changed.

This was simply intolerable.

"But I don’t have a spare key either," Zhang Shutong said helplessly. If he didn’t have somewhere to be, he would have definitely stayed to look for it. But Gu Qiuyan had just sent him a QQ message saying she was waiting for him at the school gate, so he had to deal with it later.

"I see." Lu Qinglian nodded and went back to grading papers, a lock of hair falling beside her temple.

"Don’t do anything rash, Lu Qinglian," he advised kindly, sensing she was probably planning to go stake out the rooftop entrance and wait for the culprit.

"What childish nonsense are you thinking now, Zhang Shutong?" Lu Qinglian frowned. She drew a large, vicious X on the paper, and it was unclear if it was because the student had gotten too many words wrong or for some other reason. "I just find it strange. If someone wants to go to the rooftop, they can just go. There’s no need to take the key."

"That’s true."

’Not everyone is like you,’ Zhang Shutong thought. Although Lu Qinglian had been going up there behind his back for years, she always put the key back in its place, which was why he had never found out all this time.

The classroom was empty now. The occasional patter of footsteps echoed from the hallway. Even the students on cleaning duty had gone to eat. Their school didn’t have a cafeteria, so lunch had to be bought near the school gate. Lu Qinglian was one of the few students who brought a packed lunch from home.

The weather was lovely today. It was noon, and the warm winter sun, sliced into blocks by the window grille, dappled her dark hair as light and shadow danced across it. ’It’s probably not too cold,’ he thought. Besides, the classroom was heated. Lu Qinglian stretched like a cat, looking surprisingly content.

He remembered Song saying that she actually quite liked school. Zhang Shutong couldn’t understand why someone like her would enjoy it. He closed the door, cutting off the sunlight that had been streaming through the window, leaving her alone inside.

The classroom faced the sun, but the hallway was a bit gloomy and cold. Zhang Shutong hurried on his way and quickly reached the school gate, where his best friends were waiting for him.

"What took you so long?" Ruoping asked.

"Got held back."

"You? Held back? For real?" They clearly didn’t believe him.

Zhang Shutong explained that he couldn’t help it; the new homeroom teacher seemed to have it out for him for some reason.

He looked left and right but didn’t see Gu Qiuyan. Didn’t she say to wait for her at the school gate? ’So where did she go?’

He personally didn’t mind grabbing some rice bowls by the gate, but unfortunately, the ’young miss’ did.

As his mind wandered, a black sedan pulled up in front of them. The window rolled down, revealing the face of a man with a buzz cut.

"You’re the young miss’s classmates? Are you Zhang Shutong?"

"Yes." Zhang Shutong was a little surprised the man knew who he was.

He was about to ask, but the driver spoke first with a smile.

"Get in. The young miss told me to look for the one with the injured hand."

’Okay, so I’m basically a walking landmark now,’ he thought.

Zhang Shutong finally understood. "Waiting at the school gate" meant they were being picked up by a private car. ’Gu Qiuyan, since when did you get so flashy?’

The group opened the car doors. Zhang Shutong took a quick look—it wasn’t the Audi, but a Volkswagen, though he couldn’t tell the model. Gu Qiuyan’s family had so many cars. Zhang Shutong had been to her villa several times and had almost memorized everyone’s faces, but he still couldn’t recognize all the cars. To be honest, this was the first time any of them had been in such an expensive car, unlike Song’s beat-up old ride. The interior was dark brown, a classic executive style. Every surface one could touch was soft leather, and the seats were plush like a sofa, warm and cozy to sit in.

Ruoping and the others were a bit nervous, so they pushed him into the front passenger seat. He fastened his seatbelt and sized up the man in the driver’s seat. The driver was a young man, but he wasn’t the chatty type. On the contrary, he was a man of few words, exuding professionalism. He told them there was mineral water in the glove compartment and to help themselves.

Zhang Shutong opened the glove compartment. The mineral water was Kunlun Mountain brand, which was definitely a luxury item back then. Then, he noticed a problem: where was Gu Qiuyan?

He asked the driver, who replied that the young miss had gone ahead to order the food.

Zhang Shutong’s first thought was, ’So you guys don’t call her ’young miss’.’ His second thought was, ’They’re really making a big deal out of this lunch, using two cars and everything.’

He passed the mineral water to his friends, accidentally pulling out a tube of lipstick from the glove compartment as he did. Zhang Shutong fumbled to put it back, which was no surprise since he only had one good hand. No one felt comfortable breaking the awkward silence, so they all sat stiffly in their seats. Their group chat, however, was blowing up.

Qingyi, who knew a bit about cars, looked up the model and price and posted it in the group. Zhang Shutong sometimes thought that between the two of them, Qingyi was the one who had truly inherited Song’s leg—er, mantle.

Du Kang, meanwhile, was asking whether Baisui Mountain or Kunlun Mountain was more expensive.

Ruoping told him, "Just drink it."

They soon arrived at the mall. Several cars were parked at the entrance, and Zhang Shutong recognized one of them—it was the Gu family’s Range Rover.

He had just been to this mall over the weekend. Back then, he’d had a fever and was feeling dizzy, and Song had treated them, paying out of his own pocket. So much had changed since then. Leaning on the escalator, Zhang Shutong scanned the newly opened shops.