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MJCross	Cat’s Glasses	SFACG

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As a responsible and dedicated god (apprentice), I should have been focused entirely on the reborn Old Feng today.

But right now, I was a clay idol trying to cross a river—barely able to protect myself¹. My very life was in Haitang’s hands, and there was no way I could spare the energy to worry about Old Feng’s situation.

However, the fastest route to Tianping Commercial District would take us over the bridge near Old Feng’s residence. Xiao Lei and I exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to find an excuse to check things out when we passed by.

“Sorry, I need to hit the riverbank for a quick break. You girls wait here for a sec.”

A bathroom excuse—disgusting, but perfectly effective. No way these three girls would follow me just to watch me take a piss, right?

Haitang, however, made a face of utter disgust.

“Commander, where’s your public decency? Can’t you just hold it until we reach a shopping mall?”

Of course, the bathroom excuse was fake. The real reason was to check on Old Feng.

Xiao Lei tried to smooth things over with a cheerful smile. “It’s fine! Guys have it easy—just stand and go. Sis Haitang, let’s just wait for a moment.”

But Haitang immediately turned the tables. “Oh my? Xiao Lei, you seem very knowledgeable about how boys relieve themselves.”

…Why did it feel like Haitang treated Xiao Lei differently from other girls? Like she was especially strict with her… Had she already started suspecting something?

It was broad daylight, so visibility was decent under the bridge. The river absorbed heat, making the area pleasantly cool compared to the scorching streets above.

Old Feng had stashed her cart—her entire livelihood—between the two small buildings, covering it with a blue-gray oilcloth.

The houses were empty. She wasn’t home.

Maybe she was in the Tianping Commercial District right now? Or maybe she had gone to restock her supplies?

Since she wasn’t here, I did a quick scan of the area and climbed back up to the road. “All done, let’s go.”

But Haitang eyed my dry hands with barely concealed contempt.

“Tsk. Your hands are dry. You didn’t wash them?”

Tangerine also backed away two steps. “Ew~ Onii-chan, hygiene is important, y’know?”

Come on. Just because I didn’t actually pee doesn’t mean I deserve this much disgust.

Crossing the pedestrian walkway over the river, we finally entered Tianping Commercial District.

“Meow (Wow)—this place is insane!” Tangerine’s face was filled with awe as she gazed up at the towering skyscrapers surrounding us. “It looks like you could walk around for three whole days and still not see everything!”

I couldn’t exactly say that it was due to Tangerine still being inexperienced to the world—after all, when I first came here, my reaction wasn’t much better. And back then, Tianping wasn’t even as massive as it is now.

Tianping Commercial District was the largest and busiest commercial hub in the region, yet its layout was a total mess. The constant expansions had resulted in scattered skyscrapers and chaotic planning of multiple large scale shopping malls.

The streets were narrow and congested, so to improve navigation, they had built an absurd number of skywalks connecting the buildings.

Looking up from the bottom level, all you could see were crisscrossing sky bridges, forming a tangled web. From the top, the sky bridges made it as if a new outdoor platform had been created out of thin air. The area had basically turned into a multi-tiered mountain city, despite being built on flat land.

Some saw it as punk and rebellious, an architectural marvel. Tourists flocked here just to witness the sky-high labyrinth.

Was that a good thing or a disaster waiting to happen? Hard to say. But if a fire ever broke out here, I was pretty sure even the fire department would get lost.

“Alright, let’s find a place to eat first. While we’re at it, let’s think about what we want to buy.”

At the mention of shopping, Xiao Lei visibly deflated—she had spent too much money yesterday and was now broke.

“How about hotpot?”

Whenever I couldn’t decide what to eat, hotpot was my go-to. It was the ultimate fusion of flavors, capable of accommodating any ingredient. The ancestors’ wisdom manifested in the form of a bubbling broth, offering a scorching yet refreshing dining experience—especially in an air-conditioned restaurant during summer.

“Denied! Tangerine has a cat tongue—she can’t handle hot food.” Haitang wrapped her arms around Tangerine, shielding her.

Wait. She had that kind of setting? And as her older brother, I never knew? No way—Tangerine was drifting further and further away from me…

“Then Tangerine, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

She scanned the sea of restaurants around us, scratching her head in frustration. “Meow (Man), there’s too many choices! I wanna eat everything!”

“If you don’t like hot food, how about May Rome²?” Xiao Lei suddenly spoke up. “It’s a buffet—lots of variety, mostly cold dishes, and it even has a hotpot section for Commander if he still wants that.”

For the first time, Haitang actually agreed with Xiao Lei’s suggestion. “Not bad! But at this hour, there might be a line.”

I checked my phone. 11:30 AM.

Honestly, most popular restaurants would have a line at this time.

Then, Haitang leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“Commander, you didn’t notice? Xiao Lei has started calling you ‘Commander’ too.”

…Crap. I was so used to it that I hadn’t even realized. Also—why is Haitang always so sharp?!

Due to the district’s unique architecture, many shops and restaurants were located on the upper levels of skyscrapers, accessible only via skywalks.

May Rome’s entrance was on the 7th-floor skywalk, connected directly to a sky bridge, instead of entering from a shopping complex.

Tangerine, experiencing skywalks for the first time, was running around like an excited toddler. Technically speaking, she was less than three years old.

Outside May Rome, a line had already formed. However, since most of the people ahead of us were couples, and we needed a four-person table, we got seated in under ten minutes.

Seeing all those young couples sweating in the heat, waiting in line while we waltzed in effortlessly—damn, it felt weirdly satisfying.

Go on, lovebirds, keep waiting outside!

…Wait, weren’t we also a group of one guy and three girls?

Did we… look like a harem to everyone else?!

As soon as we stepped into the restaurant, a uniformed waiter came over to seat us.

“Table for four? This way, please—oh, it’s you?”

He looked genuinely surprised to see me. I took a moment to size him up as well.

Black-and-white messy hair, heavy dark circles, pale complexion, and an overall exhausted vibe.

He looked familiar… Where had I seen him before?

Xiao Lei leaned in and whispered, “It’s the pizza delivery guy—the one who passed out midway.”

Oh! The guy who took half a day to deliver my two pizzas, nearly starving me to death!

“Ohhh, senior, working another job? Are you saving up for tuition?”

It was literally the first day of summer break, and he was already out working. Just how broke was he?

“My family situation is a bit complicated… Anyway, here’s your table. The stuffed cheese baked crabs here are amazing, but they run out fast—grab some while you can. What broth do you want for the hotpot?”

Even though he looked half-dead, he was surprisingly diligent at work.

“Clear broth is fine.”

“Got it. I’ll bring it over soon. You guys go ahead and get your food.”

Just as he turned to leave, I called out to him.

“Wait, senior. What’s your name?”

His already pale face somehow managed to turn even whiter.

I quickly clarified, “Relax, I’m not trying to report you or anything. It’s just that we’ve run into each other twice now, and I don’t even know your name. Feels kinda weird. I’m Chang Kai, First-Year, Class B. Next semester, I’ll be in 2B.”

He let out a relieved sigh before replying, “Li Jianlian. Second-Year, Class B—also 2B.”

“Wait, how do you write that?”

“Li as in ‘wood’ (木子李), Jian as in ‘mountain stream’ (山涧), and Lian as in ‘lotus’ (莲花).”

I made a mental note of it.

“Got it. Well, Senior Li Jianlian, I won’t keep you from work. See you around.”

Now, why did I bother asking for his name?

Simple—because I was scouting for ‘talent’!

From every angle, this senior looked like the perfect unlucky candidate. If there was ever a prime example of someone doomed by fate, it was him.

When I turned back, I realized Xiao Lei and Tangerine had already vanished, presumably to grab food. That left only Haitang still sitting at the table.

She glanced at me, then at our departing senior.

“That guy’s your upperclassman? He looks sickly—like a vampire.”

“Yeah, he’s a second-year. Probably just exhausted. He’s definitely working more than one job.”

“That dedicated, huh? …Oh, are you going to get food? If not, I’ll go take a look around.”

“You guys go ahead. I’ll handle the grill and hotpot. Just grab me some meatballs.”

“Got it~”

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李涧莲 Li Jianlian
The second year senior who has black and white hair
Is working multiple jobs
　