Mei froze in her tracks and turned around, only to see her other self radiating a terrifying aura, as if the entire space had been engulfed by it.
Mei stayed silent for a long time before slowly replying,
"...Got it."
As Mei finished speaking, the oppressive aura surrounding Mei☆ gradually faded.
Then, Mei☆ smiled faintly and said softly,
"Good. Oh, and help me clean this fish, will you? I'm making a delicious fish soup for Fu Lin later."
Mei, "....." What do I do, my other self is way too domineering. Panic.
------------------------------------
"No matter which Mei it is, the food she makes is always delicious. I love it so much—these are all mine!"
With both hands moving quickly, Kiana kept stuffing the food in front of her into her mouth, chewing as she mumbled her praise.
At the same time, she didn't forget to use her chopsticks to quickly grab more food into her own bowl.
"If only you were this motivated when it comes to studying, that'd be great."
Fu Lin looked at the ravenous Kiana and shook his head helplessly, casting her a disapproving glance.
However, though he said that, his own chopsticks never stopped moving, as he kept feeding himself more food.
"Fu Lin! Don't bring up studying during meal time!"
Hearing Fu Lin's words, Kiana suddenly froze, looked up, and glared at him angrily, her cheeks puffed out from being stuffed with food.
Sitting beside her, Mei looked up at the other version of herself across the table, gently tugged on Kiana's sleeve, and said helplessly,
"Alright now, Kiana."
Meanwhile, Mei☆ looked toward the door, puzzled by Fu Shi's absence, and asked Fu Lin,
"Fu Lin, why hasn't Fu Shi come back yet? Should I go look for her?"
Fu Lin waved his hand nonchalantly and replied,
"No need. She's probably with the old antique right now."
"I see... alright then."
Mei☆ nodded slightly, her brows furrowing as she thought to herself,
'Looks like Fu Shi is closer to the class president. It might be hard for her to accept me... Maybe I should try a different approach…'
Seeing this, Fu Lin assumed she was still worried about Fu Shi and gently smoothed her furrowed brows, comforting her,
"Don't worry. With the old antique around, she'll be fine."
'It's because of the class president that I'm worried.'
Hearing his words, Mei☆ sighed, picked up a ladle, and scooped a bowl of fish soup, handing it to Fu Lin as she said softly,
"Try the fish soup I made. How does it taste?"
Fu Lin took the soup, sipped it lightly, then smiled with satisfaction and praised,
"Mmm, it's delicious. Mei☆, your cooking is getting better and better."
As he spoke, he picked out a piece of fish from his bowl and placed it into Mei☆'s bowl with a smile,
"You should eat more too."
Mei☆ nodded slightly, smiling with joy and tenderness in her eyes.
When Fu Lin looked up and met Mei☆'s gaze, he felt uncomfortable from the affection in her eyes and quickly changed the subject,
"By the way, Mei, what did you do this morning?"
Mei☆ chuckled softly, her lips curving into a smile as she looked at Fu Lin with gentle eyes and replied while eating,
"Ever since I joined World Serpent, I haven't returned to St. Freya."
"Now that I'm back at St. Freya Academy, it's natural to feel nostalgic, so I walked the paths I used to walk countless times."
Fu Lin paused for a moment, showing a hint of surprise on his face, then asked slowly,
"...So you haven't left World Serpent yet?"
His voice was low and filled with a trace of doubt.
Mei☆ shook her head slightly and looked at Fu Lin with firm eyes, speaking softly,
"No, I haven't left World Serpent. After defeating the Herrscher of Corruption, I stayed in the Elysian Realm because I always believed that one day you'd return."
Fu Lin remained silent for a while, a trace of guilt flashing in his eyes as he said quietly,
"I'm sorry... If you had never met me in the first place, maybe your life would've been better."
Mei☆ reached out and gently placed her finger on Fu Lin's lips, smiling as she said,
"No, Fu Lin, reality doesn't work that way."
Fu Lin gave a bitter smile, then noticed Kiana's resentful gaze from the side. He scratched his head and sighed,
"But it's precisely because I exist that your life turned out like this. Otherwise, you and Kiana would be the real pair…"
Mei☆ put down her bowl and chopsticks, looked at Fu Lin seriously, and said firmly,
"Fu Lin, I don't care about what the me in this world and Kiana are like!"
"At least in my world, I've never regretted falling in love with you. Even now, I still believe my choice was right."
Fu Lin reached out and gently stroked Mei☆'s cheek, his gaze full of tenderness and affection. It was as if he saw the younger version of her through her eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Mei☆."
Mei☆ smiled as she held his hand, rubbing her cheek against his palm like a spoiled child and whispered,
"As long as you're willing, I'll stay by your side until the very end."
Kiana, sitting beside them, quietly watched this scene. She slowly put down her food—the once-delicious meal now tasted bland.
"Mei~ I suddenly feel really full."
Kiana looked pitifully at her own Mei and mumbled, her tone carrying a trace of coquettishness.
Mei gently reached out to pat Kiana's head and comforted her,
"Kiana, don't overthink it. She's her, and I'm me. We're different."
Kiana pouted, like a wounded little animal, and threw herself into Mei's arms, hugging her tightly.
After a short pause, Kiana suddenly seemed to think of something. She looked up at everyone and asked,
"Since Mei☆ has come to our world, does that mean the me from that world might've come too? Maybe even earlier than you, Mei☆?"
Fu Lin was so startled by the question that he spat out the fish soup in his mouth, then coughed a couple of times to cover up his loss of composure.
Cough! cough!
Fu Lin lightly patted his chest and looked innocently at Kiana, saying,
"How could that be? If another you had shown up, we'd definitely have noticed!"
However, in his heart, Fu Lin was secretly fretting,
'Oh no, oh no… If they find out Kiana☆ is not only here but already pregnant, I'm in serious trouble...'
The atmosphere suddenly turned awkward and tense. Everyone's eyes turned to Fu Lin, as if trying to find an answer on his face.
Fu Lin quickly changed the subject and said with a forced, relaxed smile,
"Alright, alright, let's not overthink things. Let's just enjoy our meal!"
As he spoke, he picked up his chopsticks and started eating quickly, trying to break the uneasy silence.
Mei☆ narrowed her eyes slightly, taking in every subtle change in Fu Lin's expression, and a trace of suspicion arose in her heart.
"Fu Lin seems to be deliberately hiding something…"