w.a.n.g Dong"s voice sounded a little strange as he asked, "Do you think my hair looks better longer or shorter?"
"Of course it looks better longer." Huo Yuohao blurted almost instantaneously. When w.a.n.g Dong asked that question, Huo Yuhao recalled the time when they had unleashed the Raiment of Light together. The flowing long hair that resembled tidal waves gave Huo Yuhao an overly strong impression.
"Oh." w.a.n.g Dong stared at Huo Yuhao"s lackadaisical eyes and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head. He sighed and said, "I was thinking about the fourth martial soul fusion skill that we used during the last Continental Advanced Soul Master Academy Soul Dueling Tournament, our Solitary Dance Amidst the Frost, Raiment of Light. Do you still remember? Do you remember the shadows that we projected? How nice would it have been if you were a girl! You would have been stunning. I feel like you were the blueprint for the figures that we conjured, except I have no clue why you became a female."
w.a.n.g Dong"s face blushed faintly, and he said with a bashful voice, "So what if I was a girl? What does that have to do with you?"
Huo Yuhao was still reminiscing on the enchanting scene that was still vivid in his memory. He didn"t pay attention to the change in w.a.n.g Dong"s voice as he chuckled, "Of course it has something to do with me! The pavilion closest to the water enjoys the first moonlight. It"s better that I benefit from this, and not outsiders."
w.a.n.g Dong laughed and said, "If you really think that way, I"ll introduce my sister to you after we finish this exchange program. She looks just like me, and she looks very similar to my projection during our Raiment of Light!"
Huo Yuhao"s eyes sparkled. "Really? That"s great! You"re such a good bro." He hugged w.a.n.g Dong across the shoulder as he spoke, and pa.s.sionate warmth flowed uncontrollably from his eyes.
w.a.n.g Dong snapped, "I didn"t think you were so big on physical appearance as well. Is it that important for someone to be good-looking?"
Huo Yuhao rolled his eyes and snapped back, "Those that ask that question are either extremely good-looking or terribly ugly. Those who lack good looks also lack self-confidence, and maybe they lack the bravery to try. And those like you are just arrogant."
"Physical appearance is the first thing people notice when they first meet each other. How many people can get to know each other? That level of interaction requires time. Physical appearance is a way of choosing who to interact with - of course, looks aren"t absolute, but every person knows what he or she wants. This is probably why "love at first sight" exists."
w.a.n.g Dong glanced at him and said, "Your theory is very persuasive. It seems like you"ve been getting your fill of girls inside the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy - with abilities like yours, I"m sure many girls have a crush on you."
"Let"s talk inside." Huo Yuhao placed his index finger on his mouth. They were back at the dormitory, and Huo Yuhao opened the door before he dragged w.a.n.g Dong inside.
"You really do!" w.a.n.g Dong said, amused.
Huo Yuhao closed the door, pulled over a chair and pressed w.a.n.g Dong down into it. "Sit down. I know you are a clean freak, and I stay here alone, so it"s a little messy - I"m going to clean up."
"There"s no need for that. Am I really that particular?" w.a.n.g Dong chuckled.
Huo Yuhao gave a serious nod in his direction, but he couldn"t help but laugh out loud as he said, "Yes."
w.a.n.g Dong was furious. "Then go ahead and clean up by yourself. Can"t believe I was going to help you."
Huo Yuhao said, "That"s alright. I can do it myself." He went to work as he spoke.
He was the only one living here, just like he had said. He was also an exchange student, so teachers didn"t come to inspect the cleanliness of his dorm room. There wasn"t much clothing and whatnot in the room, but it was strewn with all sorts of materials for forging soul tools, to the point where there wasn"t much s.p.a.ce to walk.
He was concerned about w.a.n.g Dong"s religious preference for cleanliness, so he hurriedly packed up his room. Thankfully, storage-type soul tools existed in this world, so cleaning up wasn"t that difficult.
w.a.n.g Dong said, "I can tell from the situation of your dorm room that you have been rather hardworking over these past two years. Your spiritual power is also much more powerful, and even your soul power contains tinges of spiritual power."
Huo Yuhao laughed. "Isn"t it the same for you? I can feel that you"ve reached the threshold."
"Yes," w.a.n.g Dong nodded his head faintly, "Let"s not talk about all that. You haven"t answered my question when we were still outside. We haven"t met for two years - do you really have something going on with the girls here? And do you still want me to introduce you to my sister?"
Huo Yuhao shook his head and answered, "Something did happen, but it"s not what you think."
He continued talking as he cleaned up his room. "I was a.s.signed to a laboratory when I first arrived, and several students were also part of it. I had a senior, and her name was Ju Zi."
When he brought up her name, the deepest recesses of Huo Yuhao"s spirit quivered involuntarily. Even though he was well-aware that the two of them were like two parallel lines, he couldn"t deny that the young girl that that planted her first kiss on his cheek left quite an impression in his memory.
"Ju Zi?" w.a.n.g Dong softly repeated her name as he watched the subtle changes in Huo Yuhao"s eyes. The two of them had been apart for more than two years, but he knew Huo Yuhao too well. He could tell from Huo Yuhao"s voice that this girl had left a deep mark in his heart. w.a.n.g Dong hismelf wasn"t like the proud youth that he was two years ago, and had become much more mature. He didn"t interrupt, but quietly listened to Huo Yuhao because he could feel that even though two years had pa.s.sed, time hadn"t placed a wedge in his relations.h.i.+p with Huo Yuhao. Otherwise, why would Huo Yuhao confide in him just like that?
"Yes, her name was Ju Zi. She was very pretty, and her complexion was stunning. That was the first impression that she gave me. However, she was just so mysterious, and even now, I don"t even know where she"s gone, or what secrets she had."
"……"
"She said that she was leaving, and she wanted to give me a present for our transient acquaintance."
Huo Yuhao"s emotional voice paused momentarily. w.a.n.g Dong was listening intently, and the bottom of his eyes started becoming moist. "This girl was so pitiable. No wonder you have such chemistry with her - there are many similarities in your backgrounds and experiences. What present did she leave for you?"
Huo Yuhao whispered, "She kissed my cheek. She said that was the first kiss that she had given, but she said she couldn"t kiss my lips without my permission. She said she hoped that I would leave my first kiss for the girl of my dreams."
w.a.n.g Dong trembled, and a strange light pulsed from his eyes.
"She was so nice to you! Always thinking about you. Since you were clearheaded back then, why didn"t you consider getting together with her? I think age isn"t a problem for us soul masters at all. She"s so kind, and so pitiful - did you not feel anything for her, not even a little bit?"
Huo Yuhao lowered his head and stared at the ground. His brief acquaintance with Ju Zi was long gone, but he could vividly remember every detail.
"I thought I would be moved as well. In fact, I did feel something for her - but I realized that all I felt for Ju Zi was compa.s.sion and sympathy, and a little bit of pity. I want to thank her, because she helped me understand what a romantic relations.h.i.+p means. w.a.n.g Dong…"
"Eh?" w.a.n.g Dong responded, confused. "What"s wrong?"
Huo Yuhao stared into his eyes and said, "I want to say something, but you cannot laugh at me."
w.a.n.g Dong said, "What is it?"
Huo Yuhao said, "When we used the Solitary Dance Amidst the Frost, Raiment of Light for the first time, the projection that we conjured was heavily imprinted into my mind. Ju Zi moved me, so I finally understood what I felt inside. It may sound a little ridiculous, but I"m afraid I fell in love, at first sight, with the projection that we created."
w.a.n.g Dong"s eyes widened. "You…"
Huo Yuhao"s eyes flowed with his memories. "When Ju Zi kissed me that day, I was truly touched, and I thought I was beginning to feel something for her. However, just when I wanted to ask her to stay, the projection from the Raiment of Light surfaced in my mind. I knew then that the projection had been occupying my heart this whole time, even though she was only a virtual ent.i.ty. However, she dominated the s.p.a.ce in my heart that was reserved for love, and I can no longer accommodate anything else. It was Ju Zi who helped me reconcile the feelings in my heart. Even if our lives hadn"t been two parallel lines, I don"t think I would have been able to accept her."
w.a.n.g Dong stared at Huo Yuhao in shock, and he seemed to phase out a little.
Huo Yuhao recovered and said with a smile on his face, "You"re a true brother, you didn"t laugh at me. Now that I think about it, it does sound a little incredulous. Sometimes, rationality and the human heart cannot be controlled. So, if you have a sister that looks just like our projection, I may indeed feel something for her! Of course, that"s a.s.suming she can accept me, and I can like her as well. How about you? Have you been getting any action at Shrek? I remember that Xiao Hongchen"s sister, oh, Meng Hongchen, crushed on you at some point!"
w.a.n.g Dong didn"t open his mouth. He shook his head lightly, stood up, walked toward the dorm room"s window and opened it.
Fresh air immediately billowed into the room, and the dense and poignant smell of metal dissipated.
"Yuhao."
"w.a.n.g Dong, are you alright?" Huo Yuhao hurried came next to him. He had a feeling that something wasn"t right with w.a.n.g Dong"s emotions when he finished recounting his story with Ju Zi.