Li Wen chose to go offline after finding a safe place.
It was already daytime in reality. He glanced at the time; it was not yet seven in the morning, which meant he still had time to eat breakfast and go to school.
To be honest, Li Wen was not very eager to go to school. Or rather, who would want to go to school when the apocalypse was about to descend? That person must be crazy.
But there was no other way now. Yesterday, Li Xin had clearly expressed her family’s concern for him. Li Wen did not want to reveal anything about the Doomsday Twilight, burdening his younger sister with pressure and anxiety that she shouldn’t have to bear. It would be meaningless.
After much thought, it would be better to take advantage of the current lull after the Leicester incident, go to school, and request a long leave of absence.
Having made up his mind, Li Wen finished breakfast, changed his clothes, and left with his phone.
The apartment he lived in was very close to the school. He only needed to take a bus downstairs, and it would take about ten minutes to arrive.
The school was called Tianhai First High School, the best high school in the city, with strong teaching staff and a first-class education system. It was not an exaggeration to say it was the dream school of countless Tianhai students. Of course, even in such a school, Li Wen was a top student in the truest sense, always ranking at the very top academically.
This was also why, despite his prolonged absence, the school had only called to inquire about his situation.
Recalling the situation from his previous life, the bus, plastered with game advertisements, stopped in front of Li Wen. All the advertisements were for “World Tree: Origin,” which was indeed the hottest game at the moment. Li Wen boarded the bus, found a seat, and as he looked at the traffic and towering buildings passing by, he felt as if he had traveled through time.
This was probably the first time he had gone out since returning to the present using Urd’s Sting. He had spent all his days in the game, accustomed to the body of a girl in the game. Now, he felt a sense of incongruity and displacement, as if he were moving in someone else’s body. However, he thought that this was bound to happen sooner or later, so there was nothing to feel bad about.
After getting off the bus, Li Wen did not bother to admire the campus scenery. Instead, recalling the layout of the school, he headed straight for the school’s administrative building.
Since he was there to request leave, not to attend classes, Li Wen had not changed into his school uniform. His attire, different from that of other students, naturally attracted some attention, especially from the more old-fashioned teachers. Their brows furrowed immediately, as the regulations of Tianhai First High School were not ordinary strict. Students like him who did not abide by the rules would normally be severely criticized.
However, Li Wen did not care about this. Top students naturally had their privileges. When those teachers saw that it was Li Wen, they naturally averted their gaze, pretending not to see him.
Recalling the location of his homeroom teacher’s office, Li Wen walked into the still-open elevator, but to his surprise, a startled voice came from inside.
“Student Li Wen?”
Li Wen stiffened slightly. He hadn’t expected to run into an acquaintance just by trying to share an elevator. He glanced at the other person. It was a female high school student of similar age, wearing a school uniform. She had shoulder-length short hair and wore a light-colored headband with petal embellishments. Her bangs were neatly cut, like a quiet and well-bred young lady.
“Fu Qingyan?”
After a moment of stunned silence, he uttered the name.
Strictly speaking, Li Wen didn’t have many friends at school, at least from his perspective. However, in reality, as a high-achieving student with excellent grades, even if he was reclusive, never socialized, and always maintained an unapproachable demeanor, people would still approach him, trying to befriend him. This behavior might not have any specific purpose; it was perhaps a subconscious autonomous behavior cultivated through upbringing.
Thanks to this, even though Li Wen had no friends at school, there were still people who could strike up a conversation with him. And Fu Qingyan was probably one of the closer ones. For no other reason than she was the class monitor, and had the most interactions with Li Wen.
“You haven’t been to school for a few days, did something happen?” Fu Qingyan looked Li Wen up and down, a flicker of surprise in her eyes. From what she knew, Li Wen had always been a model student in the teachers’ eyes, never having committed any violations of school rules.
Li Wen didn’t know how to respond. He couldn’t exactly say he had been playing games at home and having fun, could he? As for the impending apocalypse and the Doomsday Twilight, even if she believed his tall tale, what would be the point?
“I was sick at home and rested for a few days.”
After much deliberation, Li Wen chose the safest and most foolproof approach.
Actually, thinking about it, at this point in time, Fu Qingyan was merely someone Li Wen could exchange a few words with; they weren’t as close as he imagined. They would only truly become familiar with each other later when they played “World Tree: Origin” together, or perhaps after the Great Descent… Li Wen couldn’t remember clearly.
However, he felt that it should be fine to treat Fu Qingyan as just an ordinary classmate now.
Fu Qingyan seemed to think the same. She nodded slightly and said no more, pressing the button for the seventh floor and looking back at Li Wen.
His homeroom teacher’s office was also on the seventh floor, so Li Wen merely nodded without saying much.
“Student Li Wen, are you looking for Teacher Yang?” Fu Qingyan asked at this moment.
Teacher Yang was Li Wen’s homeroom teacher.
“Yes, I want to ask Teacher Yang for leave, and I plan to suspend my studies for a period of time.”
What? Suspend studies?
Fu Qingyan looked at Li Wen in surprise, yet she didn’t think he was lying. But something still felt off… At least in Fu Qingyan’s memory, Li Wen was the type of person who would come to class for lessons even if he had a fractured foot. Let alone asking for leave or suspending studies, even resting at home for a few days due to illness had never happened before.
“Then what about your studies? This is your final year, and the college entrance examination will be after the end of next semester.” Fu Qingyan couldn’t help but say.
It was indeed the final year, but there probably wouldn’t be time for the college entrance examination.
Li Wen curved his lips and said with a flat tone, “I should have mastered most of the high school knowledge. I’m preparing to preview university material.”
This was a lie, but also not a lie, as it was Li Wen from his past life who was doing this.
Fu Qingyan stiffened slightly upon hearing this. This statement was very consistent with her impression of this classmate.
“Oh, I see. Then I guess I’m just being a nosy ordinary person.” Fu Qingyan joked, somewhat easing the awkwardness.
After that, Fu Qingyan didn’t say anything further, perhaps scared off by Li Wen.
After a moment of thought, Li Wen took the initiative to start a conversation, “Are you playing that popular online game recently? World Tree or something.”
“How do you know?” Fu Qingyan blinked.
“I saw your post.”
Li Wen casually fibbed. In reality, he only followed his sister Li Xin’s updates on social media. However, he had heard that young people nowadays liked to share their favorite things on social platforms, such as food, movies, and of course, games.
“Is that so…” Fu Qingyan murmured something, but Li Wen didn’t hear clearly. “What about you… Okay, I know this is a silly question.”
She had always known that this outwardly aloof classmate never engaged with any entertainment products.
“It is indeed a great game. It mainly provides players with a very fresh experience and an extraordinary life. Perhaps it would be very suitable for you, Student Li Wen.”
“Is that so?” Li Wen remained noncommittal.
Fu Qingyan smiled. Her well-bred demeanor always gave her a gentle aura when she smiled. “If you’d like to play too, Student Li Wen, you can come to Leicester City in the game. Perhaps I can even help you level up.”
“When there’s an opportunity.”
Li Wen replied indifferently.
At this moment, the elevator arrived at the seventh floor. As the doors opened, Fu Qingyan left first, and before she left, she conveniently pressed the button for the eighth floor for Li Wen.
Only then did Li Wen remember that Teacher Yang had moved offices, from the seventh floor to the eighth floor.
He didn’t pay it any mind and instead lowered his head, thinking, “Still in Leicester, as expected?”
