Return to School

Portland III. Ji Ning walked with a spring in his step, carrying two suitcases, while Qin Mo followed behind, her curiosity about everything as fresh and undisguised as his own had been when he first arrived.

Crossing that iconic doorway, Ji Ning could distinctly sense a ripple in the space around him. He glanced back at the girl; Qin Mo was still busy taking in her surroundings, seemingly oblivious to that subtle fluctuation. The door had always served as a boundary, a ward. The reason he could perceive it only now was simple: back when he first came here, he had been as ordinary as the current Qin Mo—just another regular person.

A strange and absurd sense of unreality welled up inside him. Unbeknownst to himself, he had already stepped out of the realm of ordinary people. The world he now touched, the abilities he possessed, were beyond imagination for most. He could no longer live the mundane life of a normal person.

Ji Ning’s gaze lingered on Qin Mo as he silently intoned, “You will become the same.”

Though Qin Mo had braced herself for surprises, she still faltered for a moment when she saw magic students flying through the air on broomsticks.

Noticing her astonishment, Ji Ning began to explain all the things she might see at the academy in the future. Beyond the well-known campus rules, he thoughtfully added a few campus legends. After all, until you encounter them yourself, such stories might seem like mere rumors, but if you really do, it’s best to remember the survivors’ advice. Every year, there were always a few unlucky souls at Deer Academy whose status was recorded as “missing.”

By the time Ji Ning finished helping Qin Mo with all her enrollment procedures, it was already noon. He considered his options and decided to postpone the dorm selection plan—food was, after all, a pressing matter.

In the Ambrose Restaurant, Ji Ning quickly picked out a seat in the main hall. Sensing Qin Mo’s unease, he requested a private room when the waiter brought the menu.

“What would you like to eat? This is, after all, the best restaurant in the world. Even if you decided to have SpongeBob for lunch, they’d probably serve him up with Patrick on the side.” Ji Ning spun the menu between his fingers and passed it to Qin Mo.

She froze at the sight of the prices next to each dish. Startled, she handed the menu back as if it were scalding hot. “Anything is fine as long as it’s not SpongeBob.”

Ji Ning nodded, making a few marks on the menu. Even if you moved the decimal point in those prices one place to the left, it was still hard to believe, let alone the original numbers. Qin Mo gave him a tentative look, suggesting, “Actually, maybe we should go light for lunch. Isn’t it a bit much to order all this?”

Ji Ning spread his hands. “Qin Mo, you have to remember what we’re here to do—we’re here to save the world. Think about it: if you were a blue lobster from Butania, would you rather be eaten by a pot-bellied capitalist, or by a young and beautiful girl?”

“I suppose neither…” Qin Mo, heavy-hearted, still managed a faint smile at the boy’s attempt to comfort her in his own way, though her voice was barely audible.

In the end, Ji Ning did take a few dishes off the order. After handing the menu to the waiter, he didn’t wait for Qin Mo to speak and said, sipping his pre-meal drink, “Let’s split the bill.”

“All right.” Qin Mo nodded, though her tone was a bit stiff. She thought she should probably eat less—a glass of water would be more sensible, considering her current finances.

While waiting for the food, Ji Ning pulled a document from his jacket pocket—a contract he had prepared in advance. The first thing Qin Mo saw, in bold letters, was “Scholarship Agreement.”

Ten seconds later, having finished reading, Qin Mo pushed the agreement back, both embarrassed and annoyed. “This is too perfunctory. What does it mean that, since Ji Ning feels unshirkable responsibility for Qin Mo attending Deer Academy, he’ll shoulder all expenses himself during her studies?”

“And why is there only one clause in the whole contract? This isn’t a scholarship agreement, this is…” She faltered, wanting to say it felt like one-sided pity, but bit her tongue for Ji Ning’s sake.

“I can’t accept this.” She pushed it back stubbornly. She could accept help, but her pride wouldn’t allow her to accept charity, especially from him.

Ji Ning, as if expecting this, fished out another sheet—a revised scholarship agreement, with a few more clauses. The main content: Ji Ning would pay half the expenses, the other half he’d advance for Qin Mo, to be repaid later.

“How long is ‘later’?” Qin Mo wasn’t satisfied. Even now, this was basically one-sided help. She knew he never intended for her to pay him back, but proud as she was, she could never allow herself to be beholden to him. Their relationship had to be equal from the start, or what story could they possibly write together?

“A long time…” Ji Ning replied, donning gloves to tackle the fragrant lobster. But when he tore off a claw, he caught the girl’s dejected look from the corner of his eye.

He sighed softly. “Is this what they call youthful pride? You really are a handful. But I knew this would happen—I have a few more versions in my pocket, grab them for me.”

Seeing Ji Ning gesture with his chin, mouth full of lobster and unable to free his hands, Qin Mo was a little exasperated, but she stood and began searching through his jacket.

After half a minute, “Don’t you think I’m in pretty good shape?” Ji Ning suddenly teased, pausing his meal to look at her.

“No, not at all! I wasn’t… I was just looking for the documents, and I accidentally…” Qin Mo’s cheeks colored as pink as a touch of rouge. The inside pocket of Ji Ning’s black jacket held several documents, and in her efforts to grab them all at once, her movements grew a bit too bold. Just to be sure she hadn’t missed anything, she even checked thoroughly, inevitably lingering around his chest for a moment.

“Of course the documents are in the pocket—what, do you think I keep them pressed between my pecs?” Ji Ning couldn’t help but laugh, though he quickly smoothed his expression. Qin Mo, mortified, couldn’t meet his eyes.

She quickly withdrew the rest of the documents, and before she could ask, Ji Ning pointed to one labeled “6.” “That’s the final version. If you still won’t accept it, I’ll just have to pay your tuition in secret. Deer Academy is a private institution, and quite expensive.”

But instead of that one, Qin Mo picked up a different sheet labeled “7.” Ji Ning put down his lobster, hurriedly pulling off his gloves to snatch it away. “That one’s not for you—"

Before he could finish, Qin Mo had already opened it. Within seconds, she snapped it shut, her voice trembling with a mix of embarrassment and indignation. “Why is this one titled ‘Deed of Sale’?”

Ji Ning coughed awkwardly. “Better safe than sorry.”

Ignoring him, Qin Mo opened the document labeled “6.” This one was much more proper: it detailed the terms of Ji Ning’s financial support, the loan interest rate, and repayment schedule. It looked like a straightforward scholarship agreement.

After carefully reading both copies, Qin Mo signed her name, kept one for herself, and slid the other over to Ji Ning. She nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. But just saying thank you isn’t enough—you need to show your gratitude with action,” Ji Ning replied with mock seriousness.

The blush that had just faded crept back up Qin Mo’s cheeks. She glanced away, deciding to agree as long as the request wasn’t too outrageous.

But to her surprise, Ji Ning’s request wasn’t at all what she expected. “Help me finish these dishes, will you? I think I ordered a bit too much. It would be a shame to waste them.”

When it came time to pay, Ji Ning didn’t simply swipe his black card and be done with it. Instead, he explained earnestly, “We agreed to split the bill, but since I chose all the dishes you ate, it’s only right that I pay.” With that, he picked up his backpack and went to settle the check.

As Qin Mo rose to follow him, she watched his back and thought to herself that she had been right about him. Though his personality was a little offbeat, he was unexpectedly gentle.

As if he’d heard her thoughts, Ji Ning turned and winked at her. “Didn’t I look dashing paying the bill?”

Qin Mo shook her head, but under his mock wounded expression, she relented and nodded slightly. The Ambrose Restaurant was close to Ji Ning’s dormitory, so he decided to drop off his luggage before accompanying Qin Mo to pick out her own room.