Chapter 52

Zhang Shi helplessly shrugged and said, "I had it booked, but you slept for so long that it's already past three in the morning. The hotel staff has long gone off duty."

"Then we can only look for a night market that's still open?" Li Pu was really hungry. The rapid consumption of energy after activating the 'Ultimate Enhancement Program' couldn't be replenished just by sleeping—he needed to eat!

"… A night market? That's fine, but I don't know where the night markets around here are." Zhang Shi didn't mind. He glanced at Qin Xia'er, who was still sleeping soundly, and said, "Should we wake up Cousin Xia'er?"

"Of course, you don't know how annoying your cousin can be! If we don't bring her along, she'll nag us to death tomorrow!" Li Pu walked over to Qin Xia'er and gently shook her.

"Class President! Wake up, let's go for some late-night snacks."

No response.

Li Pu then patted her on the back of the head.

"Ugh… Mom, let me sleep for five more minutes, just five more minutes…" Qin Xia'er mumbled, slightly changing her position, and continued to sleep.

Li Pu and Zhang Shi exchanged glances. Li Pu made a gesture as if pinching his nose. Zhang Shi laughed, showing a "That's too much" expression, and then made a gesture as if carrying someone.

Li Pu nodded, "You do it?"

"Of course, you do it. I need to drive the car." Zhang Shi casually tossed the car keys and walked out of the room.

The young man pursed his lips and picked up Class President Xia'er in a 'princess carry.' The girl's delicate face pressed against his shoulder, and her soft hair brushed against his chest, making him feel a bit ticklish.

The light and soft body in his arms emitted a faint, natural fragrance. Li Pu suddenly realized—his lifelong rival really had a very feminine aura now.

In her drowsy state, Qin Xia'er moved slightly like a small animal in Li Pu's arms.

"Li Pu… Li Pu…" The girl's eyes were closed, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering, her cherry lips slightly parted, exhaling a fragrant breath, softly calling the young man's name.

Li Pu's body paused for a moment.

"… You're the most annoying, hurry up and go to work, hahaha…" A pair of dimples appeared on Class President Xia'er's delicate face, as if she was dreaming of something pleasant.

"#$*+&% (+※♀♂∑※±!!" The young man rolled his eyes—indeed, they were still rivals! Annoying, he had even thought she was a good person for a moment, and that he shouldn't tease her so much in the future! Looks like he needs to keep up this tradition!

Zhang Shi, not bothering to call his butler, drove the car himself, with Li Pu, who was familiar with the city, giving directions. They arrived at a night market area.

In the car, Qin Xia'er soon woke up, initially still dazed and not knowing what was happening. But seeing that Li Pu was fine, she was quite happy. However, her sharp little mouth wouldn't let up, insisting that bad people always live the longest.

Speaking of which, this was her first time staying out all night (or so she thought), and it gave her a thrilling sense of adventure. She didn't object to going to a night market, as her cousin Zhang Shi and Li Pu were both incredibly strong, so she wasn't afraid of encountering any bad people.

It was already past three in the morning, but night markets near internet cafes usually stayed open until four or five. Although there were no high-end dishes, the grilled food was quite good. While eating, they discussed the previous fight.

Li Pu's understanding of martial arts and his proficiency in boxing techniques were still far behind Zhang Shi. After a short while, most of the conversation was Zhang Shi imparting his experience. They even talked about the martial arts experts and gossip they knew.

Although Qin Xia'er couldn't contribute much to the conversation, she was happy to see Li Pu and her cousin getting along so well.

Just a few hours ago, they were fighting with all their might, as if trying to kill each other, but now they were sitting together, eating and drinking. This must be a special kind of male friendship, Qin Xia'er thought, tilting her head.

According to Zhang Shi, he had originally planned to hunt down the remnants of the Wu family—his uncle, Zhang Xiezhong, had killed the Wu brothers' father and eldest son by the Mekong River, so it was only natural for him to deal with the remaining members who dared to kidnap his cousin. Unfortunately, the intense battle with Li Pu had injured his muscles and vital energy, and he would need about a week to fully recover without any lingering effects. So, he could only temporarily entrust the task of eliminating the Wu brothers to the police and armed forces mobilized by Uncle Qin Yuancheng.

"That's fine, anyway, I have nothing to do these few days." Li Pu tore into a grilled squid sprinkled with cumin powder and suggested, "Why don't we all go out and play tomorrow?"

Zhang Shi, proud and raised in a special environment, had no other friends his age besides Qin Xia'er, his only cousin. Li Pu, who could beat him in a fair fight, was the only one he considered worthy of being a friend. He immediately agreed.

Since he had already reached the stage of transforming his strength, his breathing and circulation of blood and qi were already a form of cultivation. The movement of his muscle groups was an extremely high-intensity exercise. He didn't need to keep moving and sweating like beginners to maintain his physical condition.

"Great!" Qin Xia'er, holding a cup of cola, said happily, "Let's meet at the square in the city center tomorrow at noon?"

Because they had stayed out very late, it was almost five in the morning when Qin Xia'er was escorted home by Zhang Shi. She slept until noon, hurriedly washed and dressed, and when she arrived at the agreed square in Zhang Shi's car, Li Pu had already been waiting for almost an hour.

Li Pu was an orphan from a less fortunate background; Qin Xia'er was the daughter of the city's party secretary and a model student; Zhang Shi was the only son of a super-rich family and a martial arts prodigy. Their living conditions were different, so their usual ways of relaxing and having fun were naturally different.

If it were a "normal family" teenager facing such a significant difference in social status, they might feel awkward, at a loss, or try to maintain their dignity by pretending to fit in.

But Li Pu had no such issues. When he saw the late-arriving Qin Xia'er, he first teased her as usual, then laughed and said to her and Zhang Shi, "Hey! By the way, I don't know what you guys usually like to do?"

"Anything is fine," Zhang Shi said calmly, "But if I have to choose, I'd go for hunting crocodiles on a deserted island with a yacht."

"Leisure activities are hunting… truly a nobleman's sport. Are you a fan of Hal and Roger too?" Li Pu was almost speechless. But if it were Zhang Shi, his "hunting game" would probably only use cold weapons.

"Who are Hal and Roger?" Zhang Shi was puzzled and asked.

"Two young adventurers who travel the world capturing rare animals. Oh, they're characters from a novel."

A hint of nostalgia flashed in Li Pu's eyes. When he was a child, he had once dreamed of becoming a world-traveling hunter. But apart from catching some earth snakes and toads in the countryside, he hadn't caught anything more exotic…

"Um, I like shopping, reading, and watching movies, yeah…" Qin Xia'er, who had known Li Pu for many years, immediately became enthusiastic when asked this question for the first time: "My favorite is listening to music and singing karaoke!"

"Really, that's so ordinary…" Li Pu looked at Class President Xia'er and sighed, "From now on, I'll call you 'Ordinary Class President.'"

"Eh~~ What's wrong with being ordinary!" Qin Xia'er argued, "If you say that… then Chen Xian, who liked reading, wasn't also ordinary?"

Li Pu thought: Xiao Xian must have read a much wider range of books. And in the years after the 'Starship Incident,' she might have read unique extraterrestrial materials that no one else on Earth had. Of course, he wouldn't say that out loud, but he asked casually, "What kind of books do you usually like to read?"

Qin Xia'er smiled and lifted her face, "I like Edgar Allan Poe the most. Raymond Chandler and Sidney Sheldon are also interesting, but the weighty feeling in Victor Hugo's 'Les Misérables' is also very good."

Actually, she secretly preferred more elegant and melancholic works. But she felt that mentioning these more masculine works would give her a slight edge over Li Pu.

"Hugo?" Li Pu laughed, "The full translation of 'Les Misérables' is as thick as a dictionary, indeed very thick and heavy."

"Hmph, that's not true." Class President Xia'er started nagging again, "You only read harmful books, how can you understand the grand era sentiment Hugo wanted to convey?"

"It's just a long story about a super-strong unlucky guy who keeps encountering bad luck and eventually dies." Li Pu said dismissively, "Hmph, and there's an even more unlucky prostitute and a confused police officer… Truly a 'Misérables,' the more you read, the angrier you get."

"It's 'Les Misérables,' not 'Misérables'…" Qin Xia'er wanted to continue defending Hugo, but she suddenly realized something and laughed, "What, you actually finished it?"

—To know the fate of the super-strong unlucky guy Jean Valjean, he must have finished it. And he was clearly upset, showing that he had read it with emotion. What a dishonest guy.

Like ordinary young people their age, the three of them spent the entire afternoon in a rather ordinary way. They went shopping, read books in the bookstore, played games at the arcade, watched a random movie for two hours, and then wandered around aimlessly.

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