On the busiest street in the center of Heaven Dou City, Ning Rongrong was bouncing around with two skewers in her hand. Behind her, Oscar was following closely, burdened with large bags hanging from every part of his body.
"Rongrong, it's been three days since Tang San was captured, and the dean, the master, and Teacher Erlong have been gone for two days and still haven't returned. Xiao Wu and Boss Dai are worried sick. Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate for us to be out shopping?" Oscar tightened his grip on the various bags and hurried to catch up with Ning Rongrong.
Ning Rongrong pouted, dissatisfied. "If you don't want to be with me, you can leave. I can still have fun by myself!"
As she spoke, she took a big bite out of one of the skewers.
Since joining Shrek Academy, she hadn't had a real break. If she wasn't dragged into fighting competitions, she was weighed down by training. She hadn't had any time to go shopping and felt like she was about to burst from it. Now that Dean Flender and Master Yu Xiaogang were away, she finally had a chance to relax and enjoy herself.
"Hey, I was just worried about Tang San. You think he'll make it back alive after being taken by Dugu Bo?" Oscar wasn't about to pass up a rare chance to be alone with Ning Rongrong. No way was he going back empty-handed; after all, she hadn't agreed to be his girlfriend yet.
Ning Rongrong wrinkled her nose in thought. After swallowing her food, she casually tossed the skewer behind her. Oscar quickly pulled out a trash bag to catch it. She spoke slowly, "If Dean Flender and the others return and Dugu Bo still refuses to let Third Brother go, I can always go back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan and ask my Sword Grandpa and Bone Grandpa to rescue him. With them around, Dugu Bo wouldn't dare harm Third Brother."
"True," Oscar nodded in agreement. Although Dugu Bo was a titled Douluo, some titled Douluos were stronger than others. With the world's best Bone Douluo and Sword Douluo, Dugu Bo wouldn't stand a chance.
Suddenly, Oscar's eyes lit up as he thought of something. He sidled up to Ning Rongrong and said obsequiously, "Rongrong... if Dugu Bo doesn't let Tang San go, and you go back to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan to ask for help, how about I go with you?"
"Why would you come with me?" Ning Rongrong asked, looking puzzled.
"Even though the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is near Heaven Dou City, it's still several dozen miles away. It wouldn't be safe for a girl like you to go alone. I could protect you." Oscar patted his chest, though it was covered in bags, then blushed, lowered his head, and mumbled, "And maybe I could meet your father…"
After a moment of silence and hearing no reply, Oscar called out again, "Rongrong? Rongrong?"
When she still didn't respond, Oscar finally looked up and saw that Ning Rongrong was staring ahead in a daze. Following her line of sight, he asked, "Rongrong, what are you looking at?"
"Shh, be quiet," Ning Rongrong shushed him, her big, round eyes fixed on a boy with rare ice-green hair up ahead. He was chatting and laughing with two familiar-looking girls.
Rather than focusing on the group, Ning Rongrong's gaze was fixed on the ice-green-haired boy. She had never seen someone so outstanding before—his looks and aura were flawless. Even though she had seen handsome men like Lan Si, Oscar, and Dai Mubai, she couldn't help but feel a bit infatuated.
Oscar, recognizing the people, exclaimed, "Hey, isn't that Zhu Zhuqing and Lan Si's cousin Ye Lingling? What are they doing here? And who's that guy with them? Could he be Lan Si's cousin's boyfriend?" He didn't suspect Zhu Zhuqing because she already had Lan Si.
Upon hearing this, Ning Rongrong finally noticed the two girls with the green-haired boy. Watching the three of them walk into a restaurant, her eyes gleamed as she slapped Oscar on the back and said, "Come on, Oscar, let's go check it out. I'm a bit hungry anyway, and I can catch up with Zhuqing while we're at it."
"What about all this stuff?" Oscar gestured at the large bags hanging from him.
"Dummy! Can't you store them in your spirit tool?" Ning Rongrong snapped back.
"Uh..." Oscar grumbled to himself, thinking, Wasn't it you who said that carrying the bags made shopping feel more real?
Soon, they entered the restaurant. After scanning the room, they spotted Lan Si and the two girls sitting together. Memories of how Zhu Zhuqing had become distant after the Shrek and Heaven Dou Empire team's match flashed in Ning Rongrong's mind. Hesitating for a moment, she glanced at Lan Si before walking over with a soft smile and greeting Zhu Zhuqing, "Zhuqing, it really is you."
"Rongrong?!" Zhu Zhuqing was slightly startled, frowning a little. Using the same distant tone she had reserved for Dai Mubai and Tang San, she coldly asked, "What do you want?"
Ning Rongrong smiled bitterly. She knew their friendship could never go back to what it once was. Still, she didn't think she had done anything wrong. As a member of Shrek, it was her duty to gather information for the team's benefit.
The previous loss in their match was partly because Zhu Zhuqing hadn't revealed any details about Lan Si, and Ning Rongrong had felt guilty for a long time because of it.
Just then, a pleasant voice interrupted the strained atmosphere between the two old friends: "Little sister-in-law, do you know these two?"
"Sister-in-law?" Zhu Zhuqing blinked in confusion, exchanged a glance with Ye Lingling, and then rolled her eyes at Lan Si, knowing he was up to something mischievous again. She replied coolly, "They're my former classmates."
Lan Si stood up, gesturing toward Ning Rongrong and Oscar. "Oh, so they're friends of my sister-in-law? In that case, we're all friends. You're here to eat, right? Why don't you join us?"
He called to the waiter, "Bring two more sets of utensils!"
As she looked into Lan Si's dark green eyes, Ning Rongrong blushed slightly, probably for the first time in her life from seeing a boy. Hesitating, she asked, "Wouldn't that be an inconvenience?"
"No problem at all. I love making new friends," Lan Si said warmly, waving them over.
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