Regarding the matter of awakening lightning abilities after transformation

With her mind in a state of chaos, Gu Cheng could still feel the increasingly violent lightning even with her eyes closed.

It resembles a thick, silvery serpent, tumbling amidst the rain and mist, tearing the sky into tiny fragments.

"Are you home yet...?"

Send successful. I put my phone next to my pillow and continued staring blankly at the ceiling.

Her fingers caressed the fabric, and before she knew it, her sky-blue tank top and loose athletic shorts had fallen to the side of the bed, leaving the girl in only a pure white bra and boxer shorts with a bear pattern.

Her hands were as soft as snow, her skin as smooth as cream, and her long, fair legs were exposed, only slightly flushed at the knees. Her abdomen was flat and smooth, without a trace of excess, and she looked alluring under the warm orange light.

As Su Wanxi murmured to herself, the girl curled up her legs and shielded her eyes with her fair arms.

They were so close in the car that every inch of their skin seemed to retain the warmth of each other's body.

My eyes flickered between light and shadow. Gu Cheng touched her hair, forcing herself to calm down.

"I just hope... I hope you can rely on me, the captain, a little more."

"I'm always here for you, whenever you want..."

She still couldn't understand what Su Wanxi's feelings and her position were when she said those words...

Inexperienced teammates... friends who need care... or...

Maybe Xi-jie really likes girls, Qin Kexin's joke echoed in my ears.

Even knowing that the possibility is lower than the end of the world, the expectation still takes root and sprouts quietly, like a flower seed after being bathed in spring rain.

Her lips were moist and small, a beautiful cherry blossom pink, somewhat like flower petals covered in morning dew.

I can't keep overthinking...

I should have just kissed her...

Two completely different thoughts swirled in the girl's mind, leaving her agonizing over the dilemma.

"If you really like him... why don't you go after him?" Without any sarcasm, Gu Chengyan's tone was unusually gentle.

"..."

"You feel you're not good enough for her?" As a top student graduating from Lanjiang University of Economics and Business, Su Wanxi is beautiful and has a great figure. She has countless suitors who fawn over her, enough to form two reinforced companies. On the surface, she seems cold and aloof, but in reality, she is a very gentle girl.

“...Hmm.” Gu Cheng twitched the corner of her mouth, her eyes lowered. If it weren't for work, she probably would never have crossed paths with Su Wanxi in her life. The other was an unattainable princess, while she was just an insignificant member of the masses.

Moreover... she also deceived Su Wanxi—their relationship remained under the identity of "Gu Cheng," which was precisely the reality she least wanted to face.

Gu Cheng is a lie, Gu Chengyan is the truth; a relationship built on lies can never last.

Holding hands and hugging, an unintentional lap pillow, a comforting pat on the head when she was down, and the gentle and careful treatment of her wound just now... all those things that moved her gathered in her heart but turned into a faint bitterness.

"It's too early..." This wasn't the first time Gu Cheng had said this, but she hoped it would be the last.

"Buzz~" The phone vibrated slightly, and with a light touch of the finger, the screen lit up immediately.

"Yes, I'm home." The sender was Blue-Eyed Ragdoll Cat. Su Wanxi's contact ID was her real name, but Gu Cheng inexplicably added a string of extra notes to her contact.

"The rain is getting heavier..." I had so much to say, but I deleted it all just before sending it, leaving only a string of inconspicuous ellipses.

After a while, Su Wanxi sent a photo, which looked like it was taken casually.

Distant scenery was blurred and indistinct, with only a curtain of rain separating the interior from the exterior. Rainwater slid down the eaves and disappeared into the vast night.

The photo was taken in what appears to be a bedroom, where a white dress is reflected in the transparent glass. Su Wanxi is holding her phone in one hand, but her expression is not clearly visible upon closer inspection.

Gu Cheng: Goodnight~

Blue-eyed Ragdoll cat: "Goodnight."

A smile played on the girl's lips as she nimbly got out of bed, put on her shoes, and went into the bedroom to wash up.

......

In the center of Lanjiang City, a young man wearing a denim jacket and a black top hat walks slowly in the rain.

He was probably around twenty-five or twenty-six years old, rather thin, and was carrying a black umbrella that could fit two people on it. His palm-colored leather boots creaked as they stepped on the wet ground.

Just then, a car drove by, splashing water and soaking the man completely.

"Gan Lin's mother, can't you drive?" Zhang Yizhe muttered a curse under his breath, then straightened his hat and tilted it towards the inside of the street.

"Gurgle..." A low sound came from his stomach, and Zhang Yizhe's face became even more unpleasant.

He encountered the Rift Source before he even had a chance to eat anything after getting off the plane. After dealing with it, he fought with the local Awakened Ones from Lanjiang. Now he's almost starving.

He needed to find somewhere to eat quickly... Touching his bruised right leg, Zhang Yizhe turned into a fast food restaurant on the street corner.

"Kids' Meal B".

"I'm sorry, sir, we've run out of gifts and cannot give you any more now."

“...Then let’s have the single set meal.” After ordering, Zhang Yizhe chose a seat by the window.

He should be in his hotel room at this hour, champagne in hand, with a beautiful woman in his arms. Instead, he's starving, and even buying a children's meal doesn't come with a gift. Frustrated, the man stares intently out the window.

Another pretty girl in a short skirt passed by; this was the fourth one in such a short time.

It truly lives up to its reputation as the most beautiful city in China, and the people are just as beautiful. It's a pity I didn't get Miss Gu's contact information...

He originally wanted to maintain a mysterious, powerful, and aloof persona to win the heart of the beauty, but he was exposed by Princess Su who rushed over after hearing the news.

"This is so hard..." No wonder they say the prettier the woman, the more calculating she is. Zhang Yizhe helplessly opened the tomato packet and dipped the fries in sauce one by one.

P.S. There will be another chapter tonight, but it will be very late...

Chapter 87, Section 89: Clouds yearn for clothes, flowers yearn for beauty.

As the long night passed, a sliver of light rose from the distant horizon, and dawn broke. However, the morning light struggled to penetrate the solid clouds, like an old man on his deathbed, barely clinging to life.

What comes into view is a desolate landscape, with the asphalt ground corroded and weathered, revealing chunks of charred yellow soil.

Several clumps of weeds grew unkempt, their leaves with irregular serrated edges, dry and fragile, easily ignited by a single spark.

Not far away, thick blood mixed with mud and sand seeped into the earth through cracks, emitting a foul stench.

This is... a crack? A dilapidated old wall stands in the wasteland, the oil paper completely peeled off to reveal the mottled wall, and brick and tile fragments are scattered around.

Several stag dogs scurried between the walls, their thin bodies devoid of skin, consisting only of bones and flesh.

"Hiss..." The scarlet paw swept up several shards of glass, and the steel beam covered with dark brown rust crumbled under the claws.

Behind them, several pieces of animal remains lay obliquely in the sand, gnawed away until only bones remained.

Seemingly having caught the scent of its prey, the lead hyena bared its sharp teeth, its eyes filled with bloodshot veins.

"Ugh..." Gu Cheng clutched her chest and slowly sat up, having lost count of how many nightmares she had tonight.

The rain had stopped, and the only sound in the room could be the girl's rapid heartbeat.

"Why..." she muttered to herself, as if talking to something unseen. Gu Cheng swallowed hard, trying her best to calm herself down.

Gu Chengyan: "There is a reception banquet today."

“I know…” The screen lit up, exactly six o’clock, and Gu Cheng walked to the bathroom in her slippers.

......

Thanks to the excellent physical condition of awakened individuals, even if they don't sleep well once or twice, it won't affect their daily work.

"It'll be forty-eight yuan in total." After handing the packaged flowers to the customer, Gu Cheng sat back down at the counter and carefully wrote down the bill with a pen.

Su Wanxi didn't talk to her about last night anymore, but instead stood alone on the flower stand not far away pruning the branches.

"Gladiolus, baby's breath, blue roses..." Halfway through the inventory, she realized the florist seemed to be almost out of roses; she needed to have more stock ordered tomorrow...

After finishing her work, Su Wanxi turned her head and glanced at Gu Cheng, who was looking down and muttering something under her breath.

"Aren't you thirsty...?" Su Wanxi went upstairs to the refrigerator and got two cans of iced coffee. She then slowly walked up to the girl.

"That's all for today. I'm planning to take a break from business for a while..."

"Hmm? I really don't need to take a vacation..." Gu Cheng said, flattered, as she took the coffee.

“This was a decision I had thought about beforehand…” Su Wanxi sat down next to him and took off the gold-rimmed flat-face glasses she was using to protect her eyes.

“During the frequent occurrences, a large number of rifts will be generated, creating a huge demand for the number and abilities of awakened individuals... Not only us, Qin Kexin also asked the school for leave.”

The academic workload at Lanjiang University of Economics and Business is very heavy, and it may take Qin Kexin a long time to make up for this leave.

Su Wanxi: "The work of the Hermit Bureau should be the priority."

"...What about these flowers?" Taking a sip of coffee, the girl's pink lips became even more delicate as Gu Cheng pointed to the piles of flowers beside her and asked.

"Sell as much as you can. If there's anything left, put it in the freezer." There is a small cold storage room behind Fanxing, which is usually enough for storage.

"It might not be enough..." It wasn't "might," it was "definitely." Gu Cheng had been keeping track of the sales for so long, she had a rough idea of ​​how many she could sell. The freezer was too small; it couldn't hold that many bouquets of flowers at all.

"Then... throw it away?" Su Wanxi looked at the girl hesitantly.

Throw them away... Gu Cheng was speechless for a moment. So many flowers, if sold normally, could earn at least a few thousand yuan.

"How about we organize an event to give them away?"

"Good idea." Gaining some popularity is better than throwing it away for nothing. Although Su Wanxi didn't care, Gu Cheng felt a pang of regret; those roses and other rose bushes were a significant investment...

After a lunch discussion, the final plan was finalized: Su Wanxi would personally write the inscription, and Gu Cheng would be responsible for posting it.

"Something seems off..." Su Wanxi held Gu Cheng's waist tightly and carefully examined the banner.

"Is this a bit of a mood killer?" the latter asked her condescendingly.

"Hmm." Su Wanxi nodded, feeling that the small shop, which was originally full of floral atmosphere, had suddenly become more down-to-earth.

"..." Gu Cheng was silent for a moment, then realized that it seemed to be true.

"Anyway, it's just for one afternoon, and we'll take it off when it's over."

......

Business was indeed much better in the afternoon. Although it couldn't compare to Valentine's Day, the sales volume was not much different.

"There are still so many that can't be sold..." Gu Cheng touched the delicate rose petals with a hint of regret.