Chapter 481: Su Lan Qian—Now I Only Care About Your Gaze
“Making this special b*llet seems trickier than I thought…”
Bai Feng stroked his chin thoughtfully. After spending a few days playing with Little Jiu, who had been buried in her intense training, he decided to return to his everyday job.
Right now, he’s crafting a special b*llet. Actually, he’s already experimented with how many—at least a handful—but none of them hit quite the mark in his mind.
Time for a mental switch—let’s try out some other approaches.
He tilted his head, glancing at Su Lan Qian beside him, only to notice she was also watching him—no, staring at him.
Su Lan Qian quickly snapped her gaze away, instinctively fiddling with her materials—can’t disturb him, absolutely can’t… but it’s so hard! She’s just dying to lean in, hug him, and do something… (probably very heroic and not at all embarrassing).
“What’s up?” Bai Feng walked over, his smile easygoing. “If something’s bothering you, just tell me.”
“N-nothing…”, she hastily shook her head, but her eyes kept sneaking peeks at him.
“Hmm…” Bai Feng studied her for a few seconds. “Actually, I have something to ask Sister Su.”
“What is it?” Su Lan Qian suddenly straightened up, her tone sharpening as she subtly shifted her posture.
“Come a bit closer, Sister Su.” Bai Feng beckoned her with a grin. As she leaned in, he suddenly wrapped his arms around her. “Exactly like that.”
…
Su Lan Qian froze for a few seconds, visibly stunned—like she’d been struck by lightning. But during her daze, a slow blush painted her face.
“Wait—why, all of a sudden…” she stammered softly, her hands fluttering in confusion.
Bai Feng found her reaction amusing. Previously, she’d quietly come close, sometimes from behind or the side, when he was free, and hugged him. Now that he took the initiative, she turned shy—hilarious!
“Because I have no clear idea right now,” he explained softly. “Thought I’d relax a bit. Maybe some inspiration will strike while I’m just… chilling.”
“Relaxing…” Su Lan Qian mumbled as she carefully wrapped her arms around his waist, her cheeks warming. “Is… this okay?”
“Of course, of course.”
Bai Feng chuckled, rubbing her head gently—like a sweet sticky rice cake glued to him. He’d always thought Su Lan Qian would revert to her more lively self after the first encounter, but she’s turned out quite different—more reserved, a little shy.
“Is something the matter?” she asked softly, sensing his confusion, raising her head.
“No, just thinking back to when we first met—you seemed pretty lively back then,” Bai Feng admitted without hiding.
“Back then…” Su Lan Qian looked away shyly, hugging his arm tighter. “Honestly, I was always trying to pretend to be the ‘genius’ everyone wanted. I don’t even know if it was just pretending or if I’d gotten used to that attitude… Because my family fell into decline, I’ve been trying to act the way adults expect.”
“The adults didn’t like my shy, timid side. So I made sure to be overbearing. They didn’t like my quiet, reserved nature—so I forced myself to talk more. They had this image of what a genius should be, and I worked hard to fit that mold…”
Bai Feng nodded thoughtfully. “So, your attitude towards me back then was just an act?”
“Not exactly,” Su Lan Qian shook her head, pressing her face slightly into his chest as she whispered her explanation. “Besides thinking you’re a liar, I also felt a bit of a crisis—if what Master said was true, my ‘genius’ title might be taken away. I couldn’t imagine how the others in my family would see me. I didn’t know what to do anymore. So I thought, maybe you really aren’t a genius—maybe you’re just a fraud…”
He gently ruffled her hair, a soft smile on his face. No wonder after the competition, she seemed to cling to others—a dependent, appeasing personality. He’d thought she was just missing confidence, but it turns out she’s been dependent and eager for approval since she was young.
“But now, I don’t care about everyone’s expectations anymore,” she said, almost curling her whole body into his embrace, in a whisper. “The only gaze I care about is yours.”
“Actually, you could also care a bit more about your own thoughts,” Bai Feng gently suggested.
Su Lan Qian tilted her head slightly, her eyes gazing at him. “This is my thought.”
—
Bai Feng remained silent, lowering his hand from her head and tightening his grasp around her a little.
After a few minutes, he slowly released her.
“Alright, enough rest. Time to get back to work,” Bai Feng said, seeing her a little disappointed after he let go. “Sister Su, could you help out? Finishing early means more rest for us.”
“Hmm.”
She nodded, visibly more motivated.
Maybe a break is in order…
She lowered her head slightly. The hug earlier didn’t fulfill her—if anything, she wanted to do more, to do something else.
—
Meanwhile, beneath the night sky, Ling Feng was slipping through the dark forest with a few monster tribes.
“There’s a bl**d Snake Clan outpost ahead,” one monster whispered to Ling Feng. “Though the Southern Region Alliance and the Holy Land are watching closely, this outpost’s still pretty important for the bl**d Snakes. There should be quite a few guards.”
“Don’t worry, we’re not planning to take it down,” Ling Feng replied, perching in a tree. He pulled out a spiritual device resembling binoculars, observing the front. Though the bl**d Snakes were somewhat wary of the device, Ling Feng was using a high-altitude version provided by Bai Feng—clear enough to see the ground from way up.
“Ready. Aim at that bl**d Snake, the one with the white bandage on his head—he’s in Refinement Stage.”
“Now! Fire!”
At Ling Feng’s command, turbulent spiritual energy erupted around them, alerting the bl**d Snakes.
But it was too late: a special b*llet seemed to appear out of nowhere and struck the forehead of the Refinement Stage bl**d Snake. His head and neck shattered instantly, leaving mostly torso.
Then came a cascade of more bullets, exploding on the still-standing corpse and blowing it to bits, wreaking havoc nearby and even killing some Red Snakes in the explosion.
“Enemy attack!!!”
