Zhong Yun was browsing the information feed when Xiao Qi suddenly notified him of a visitor. Bringing up the visual feed, he saw it was none other than his old friend, Tian Hai, who happened to be carrying a bit of extra weight.

From memories stretching back to their first day of school, Tian Hai had been his deskmate, and they had remained in the same class ever since; their bond was rock solid. “Xiao Yun, you look well,” Tian Hai said, sizing him up.

“I heard you were sick. Are you all better now?” “Much better, thanks for asking.” Looking at his friend’s slightly plump face, a warmth welled up inside Zhong Yun.

He thought of his close friends back on Earth, realizing he might never return. Tian Hai gave him a questioning glance, then nodded.

“You really were sick. You never used to be so polite.” “Go to hell.” Zhong Yun gave him a playful kick, deciding he shouldn't reveal anything amiss.

He quickly changed tack. “Last night, I showed off my might and made a Level 23 Hunter cry for his mom.

Want to see the replay?” “But your ‘Qi Yun’ unit is only Level 20. You took down a Level 23 Hunter?

That’s incredible.” Tian Hai looked utterly unconvinced. “Of course!

I’ve been practicing my technique lately; my progress has been meteoric. Forget Level 23—I could wipe out a Level 32.” Zhong Yun boasted, full of himself.

“Keep dreaming,” Tian Hai scoffed. Then, his tone shifting to excitement, he added, “Guess who I bumped into today?” “Who?

Your dream girl?” Zhong Yun poured two glasses of golden juice and handed one over. “My goddess is still performing on Azure Star.” Tian Hai accepted the glass, took a sip, and smacked his lips.

“It’s great being rich. To drink genuine Scarlet Plum juice every day.” Scarlet Plums are grown exclusively on Flower Star.

They are an exquisitely delicious and nourishing fruit, highly favored by the Dawa people. As they can only be cultivated on Flower Star, they are prohibitively expensive—certainly not something the average person could afford.

Zhong Yun topped off his glass. “Tell me, who did you meet?” Tian Hai took another satisfied gulp before answering.

“They released the prototype model of the UA4999 for public sale today. I queued up early this morning, and after nine long hours, I finally bought one.” He chuckled, looking immensely pleased with himself.

The UA4999 was a light weapon developed just last year, slated for mass production next year. Tian Hai was a weapons enthusiast and wouldn't miss out on the first batch of sales models.

Zhong Yun slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot.

Tomorrow…” He started to mention his plans, then recalled the mysterious ZER’s instruction to stay within the confines of the house for thirty days. He quickly corrected himself.

“I’ll have to check it out next time. Is it as cool as the pictures online?” “Much cooler.” Tian Hai laughed for a moment, then remembered their previous topic.

“Don’t change the subject. Where was I?” It was you who changed the subject, Zhong Yun thought, deciding not to argue.

“After you bought the UA4999, you met someone.” “Exactly! After I bought it, I was starving and wanted to get home fast.

I got on the shuttle bus, and then—you would never guess who I met on board.” Tian Hai wore a very peculiar smile. Zhong Yun felt a sudden jolt, and an image involuntarily surfaced in his mind.

“Who was it?” “Liu Yunqi.” Hearing that name sent a profoundly strange sensation through Zhong Yun—a sour, astringent feeling, like a drop of lemon juice falling into his heart and slowly spreading. Countless images of that girl flooded his mind—memories, feelings belonging to the former Zhong Yun.

Zhong Yun shook his head, dispersing the sensations. “And then?” “And then I greeted her and sat down next to her.” Tian Hai deliberately paused here, expecting Zhong Yun to leap up and throttle him for speaking disrespectfully of his idol.

Instead, he merely uttered a detached, “Oh,” and let the matter drop. Tian Hai stared intently at his friend’s face, trying to spot any sign of pretense, but he was disappointed.

Zhong Yun showed absolutely no reaction. This was completely abnormal.

Previously, simply mentioning Liu Yunqi’s name would cause Zhong Yun to react as if stabbed in a sensitive area: eyes blazing, face flushed, brimming with energy—it never failed. But this time, he was entirely unmoved.

“Apparently, she was heading to the Flower Market. It’s just strange that a rich girl like her wouldn't drive herself and instead squeezed onto a public bus.

You should have seen the beasts on that bus; some of them were practically drooling when they saw Liu Yunqi.” Tian Hai glanced at Zhong Yun again, but once more, he was disappointed. Zhong Yun’s face remained placid, as if he were discussing some insignificant passerby rather than his rumored obsession.

“What’s funnier is that none of those beasts dared to try hitting on her. Until I boarded, the seat next to Liu Yunqi was empty.

When I went to sit down, I could clearly feel over a dozen murderous glares fixed on me…” Tian Hai stopped mid-sentence here. What should have been an amusing anecdote felt spoiled by the unnatural atmosphere.

He forced a few dry laughs and trailed off, focusing instead on downing his juice. Zhong Yun couldn't help it; he simply couldn't force himself to act like a clumsy oaf, madly infatuated and insecure over a woman, even if that Liu Yunqi looked as beautiful as a celestial being.

A silence settled heavily in the living room. “I’ve come to terms with it,” Zhong Yun spoke first, feeling he needed to offer an explanation before his lack of reaction aroused too much suspicion.

“Liu Yunqi… she isn’t someone I can ever have.” Tian Hai looked at his friend with concern, afraid he had suffered too great a shock. To be fair, although he was Zhong Yun’s best friend, he had never held out much hope for him.

Liu Yunqi possessed not only breathtaking beauty but was rumored to be the heiress of a major financial consortium, in addition to being a musical prodigy who had won the national Galan Music Award. Any one of those statuses alone placed her far beyond Zhong Yun’s league.

Coming from a middle-class background, possessing an ordinary appearance and even more mediocre grades, Zhong Yun’s chance of winning a celestial beauty like Liu Yunqi was precisely zero. Perhaps gazing at her from afar was the best option.

To cling to a hopeless aspiration would only lead to a painful abyss. “Let’s not talk about her,” Zhong Yun finished his Scarlet Plum juice in one gulp.

“I plan to request an extended leave, and I wanted to let you know first.” “An extended leave might be good for you,” Tian Hai replied, forcing a light tone. “But don’t just stay cooped up at home; get out and clear your head sometime.” With that, he took his leave.

Zhong Yun contacted Dr. Han and secured a medical certificate, then called his parents to obtain guardian signatures.

After that, he applied for the leave on the school website, and it was promptly approved. Subsequently aimless, he browsed the internet until he stumbled upon the Flower Market, which sparked an idea.

Having heard that Liu Yunqi had a profound fondness for various flowers, he started looking up information on flora out of a sort of tangential devotion. He even planted a few orchid species in his small yard—all common varieties.

However, he had zero talent in that area. While he hadn't killed the orchids, not a single flower ever bloomed; they were essentially just being grown as grass.

Thinking of those expensive "weeds" in his backyard, which had cost him half a year’s allowance, he couldn't help but chuckle. First love, he mused, so beautiful, so pure.