Chapter 86: The Gift Box Collision

Everyone watched as Hess Mingfen left, their hearts filled with questions. Bing Zhiye knew that after meeting him once outside the small stone house, this was only the second time he had seen him. He must have been afraid of him because of some misunderstanding caused by the incident at the small stone house. Ai Ma and Xia Na, who had spent a month with Hess Mingfen, knew that although he was timid, he would only be this scared if he had experienced something truly terrifying, so they became even more concerned about Bing Zhiye.

Bo Ya, supporting her chin, sized up Bing Zhiye and finally said, "You don't look like a ghost."

"Who looks like a ghost?" a voice came from behind them.

"Teacher Habo!" Everyone took two steps back, their faces turning unnatural.

Habo frowned and said, "Why are you so afraid of me?"

Bing Zhiye didn't quite understand, but those who had taken his classes and heard about his reputation knew. He was a super psychological sadist who liked to use his super pressure to torment students. No one could stand up after his classes; they were either in pain or groaning, so the nickname "The Man Who Sits on the Same Chair as the Devil" was widely known among students.

"Good morning, teacher." "Good morning."

"You little brats." Habo sighed, knowing why the students were afraid of him: "Bing Zhiye, you're here. I actually wanted to talk to you about something."

"Hmm?"

Walking down the college street, Habo put his hand on Bing Zhiye's shoulder and asked, "How did you do in the practical exam? Teacher Sophina has high hopes for you."

"Oh!"

"What does 'oh' mean?" Habo said, "In the practical exam at the college, as long as you get an A, you can enter the Blue Crystal Tower. Over the years, very few exams have had more than 500 people get an A."

Bing Zhiye asked, "The score is given by the accompanying teacher and then evaluated by the principal teacher, right?"

"Of course."

"I might disappoint Teacher Sophina because I didn't stay with the accompanying teacher at all."

"Oh, I see! What did you do in Datamu then?"

Bing Zhiye was surprised by his lack of surprise.

Habo smiled, "Do you think I would be surprised? No, both Teacher Sophina and I have experienced many things on the continent and in battle, so we always felt you were different. It's not surprising that you would do something like this."

Bing Zhiye was somewhat concerned by his words, but after some thought, he realized that he had already blamed his brother for the incident at the Blue Crystal Tower. They wouldn't suspect him until they met Jifeng.

Habo, seeing him deep in thought, asked, "What do you think of Teacher Sophina?"

"Hmm?" Bing Zhiye came back to his senses and smiled brightly, "Oh, she's very nice."

Habo said, "While you were in Datamu, she pretended everything was fine, but I could tell she was worried about you all the time. I've never seen her so concerned about a boy before. She must really like you."

"Heh, heh..." Bing Zhiye laughed dryly, feeling bitter inside. He hadn't deliberately done anything, yet these things kept happening.

Habo said, "I heard she gave you a magic book, but you didn't accept it."

Bing Zhiye nodded, "I've heard of that book. It's very important, so I didn't dare to take it. Teacher Sophina has given me many things."

"She's been so good to you, why haven't you gone to see her since you came back?" Habo asked, "She seems very outgoing and cheerful on the surface, but she's actually very introverted and lonely inside. Do you understand what I mean?"

Bing Zhiye thought for a moment and nodded. He understood; such people were usually very sensitive, even if they tried to hide it. He smiled, "I want to buy a gift before I go. Teacher Sophina has been so good to me, I want to buy her a gift too, but I couldn't find the right one yesterday."

Habo smiled, "Anyone you like will be happy with any gift you give them. Just don't disappoint her, okay?"

"Okay." Bing Zhiye said, "I'll go now to buy a gift."

"Wait, there's one more thing." Habo called him back, "Are you good friends with Sophina's friend, Blanch? You seemed to have a lot of fun before the exam."

"Yes, Aunt Blanch bought me a lot of food."

"Ah, never mind, go ahead."

Bing Zhiye was more concerned about Habo's last question. He knew about Blanch and could tell from Habo's words that they were aware of the red-haired woman's situation.

"Shopping, what should I buy? Although I've already prepared other gifts, she's given me so much, I can't just..." Bing Zhiye paused, suddenly realizing he was actually concerned about someone else and cared about their feelings, something he had never thought about before.

Walking down the busy street outside the college, he saw people coming and going, magicians performing on the side of the road, travelers laughing and talking as they came out of taverns, and the lively cries of street vendors. Bing Zhiye visited several stores, from gem shops to boutique accessory stores, but nothing seemed quite right.

Sophina wasn't short of money, and buying beautiful gems didn't seem necessary. She didn't dress in flashy or fashionable accessories. He thought about buying a fireproof outfit, but it wasn't something he could get quickly, and he didn't know her size. After much thought, he found himself outside a large mall, and decided to go inside.

This mall wasn't a specialized store; it sold everything from daily necessities to equipment and crystals, from special potions to guardian beasts. It was the perfect place to shop. Sure enough, as soon as he went in, dazzling products caught his eye. Bing Zhiye was delighted and ran in to choose a gift.

"Wow, Vivian, is this your family's business?" A well-dressed blue-haired girl wandered around the mall, her eyes too busy to take everything in.

Dolores K. Vivian, who was with the blue-haired girl, said, "If you see something you like, just pick it."

"Really?" The blue-haired girl suddenly asked, "Is this considered bribery?"

Vivian stumbled, almost falling, and whispered in her ear, "Hey, you said you wanted to go shopping. If you don't want to accept gifts from others, just buy them yourself."

The blue-haired girl laughed softly, "Just kidding. I don't have any money on me, so how can I buy anything?"

Vivian, with a cold face, said, "And, if my father finds out that you forced me to bring you out, you'll have to take the blame, or I'll send you back now."

"Okay, okay, I understand." The blue-haired girl clung to her like a spoiled child, looking around furtively, and whispered in her ear, "Hey, is that thing really for sale here?"

Vivian said, "Of course, they have everything here. Don't worry about that."

The blue-haired girl pressed her hand to her chest, her heart pounding, "I... I'm scared. Why don't you buy it for me?"

Vivian shook her head, "No, no. People here might recognize me. If I buy it, they'll know. You're a princess, but they don't know you, so you can buy it without anyone knowing."

"I'll buy it myself!" The blue-haired girl was clearly nervous, looking at the counter, wanting to go over but stepping back, "But if someone finds out, they'll... they'll laugh at me."

Vivian pushed her forward, "If I go, everyone will know. They know me, and if they ask why I'm buying it, I'll have to say it's for the princess, and then everyone will know."

The blue-haired girl clung to her hand, pleading, "Just say you're buying it for yourself."

"How can I do that!" Vivian exclaimed, "If my family finds out, how can I live? My brothers will laugh me to death."

"Then... then I'll be in the same boat, won't I?" The blue-haired girl suddenly put on an imperious tone, "Vivian, I order you to buy it for me as a princess."

Vivian wasn't swayed by her, crossing her arms, "No way! You can buy it if you want, but I don't need to."

"You..." The blue-haired girl pointed at her, furious.

Vivian said nonchalantly, "If you force me, I'll tell the queen that you forced me to bring you out during class. Heh, then you'll have three or four squads of guards following you wherever you go."

"Vivian, I'll bite you to death!" The blue-haired girl, panicked, bit her arm hard, but in the end, had no choice but to buy it herself.

Vivian rubbed the bite mark on her arm, seeing her pitiful, hesitant steps, and couldn't help but laugh, waving her hand, "Go, it'll be fine. No one will know."

The blue-haired girl finally moved slowly, her heart full of struggle and pain, approaching the counter...

After buying the item, Vivian smiled, "I told you it would be fine."

"I was so scared, my heart felt like it was going to jump out." The blue-haired girl patted her chest, holding the gift box and giggling, "It's wrapped like this, so no one will know."

Vivian said, "Let's go quickly. Don't stay here. If any of the palace guards see you, it'll be bad."

"Okay." The blue-haired girl hurriedly ran down the stairs with Vivian.

Bing Zhiye, having bought his gift, was very happy. As he walked to the corner of the mall, two women suddenly rushed out, colliding with him.

"Sorry, sorry." The two women seemed very flustered, apologizing repeatedly, picking up the fallen gift box, and running away quickly.

Bing Zhiye got up, dusting off the dirt on his clothes. Fortunately, the floor was marble and not very dirty: "Do they have thieves in such a big mall?" He picked up the fallen gift box and left.

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