Chapter 2: Brother Xing, Eat Your Egg!

The next morning, when Ji’s mother came downstairs, she saw her son pressing a steaming boiled egg against his eye socket, hissing softly. The egg was clearly scalding hot, steam rising from it. She hurried down the stairs and said, “At least peel the shell off.”

Ji Xun replied, “If I peel it, I can’t eat it.”

“Have you never missed eating eggs at home before?”

Ji Xun’s heart stirred; suddenly realizing something, he slammed the burning egg onto the table. “No, no!”

Without hesitation, he quickly peeled the shells off both eggs. Sure enough, the peeled boiled eggs were no longer so hot.

Ji Xun rolled one egg around here and another over there, up and down, inside and out.

Ji’s mother entered the kitchen, first pouring out the water used to boil the eggs, then casually called out, “Xun Xun.”

Ji Xun, still soothing his swollen eye, answered, “Yes?”

“Did you argue with Xiao Xing last night?”

Ji Xun paused with the egg in his hand, his mind racing. Then he lied vaguely, “No, the midterm results came out yesterday. I didn’t do well, and seeing the score made me upset.”

“Have you ever not been at the bottom all your life? And yet you’ve never been upset before. Didn’t you always say ‘heroes don’t care about scores’? Why the sudden pang of conscience yesterday?”

Knowing he couldn’t cover it up, Ji Xun quickly shifted the conversation. “Mom, on the report from the tower’s test, am I really a Guide? Is it true? Could it be that you and Dad mixed up the reports, took someone else’s by mistake? Someone with the same name and—”

His mother interrupted, “Yes, it was a mix-up. The other person has the exact same name, birth date, and even a father named Ji Sen and a mother named Hu Yuebo, right?”

Ji Xun immediately fell silent.

Breakfast was served.

Ji’s mother took off her apron. “You start eating, I’ll go get your father.”

A light brown lop-eared rabbit suddenly appeared from somewhere and jumped onto a chair.

Ji Xun saw it and smiled, rubbing its little head, then looked up and said, “Mom, I’m heading to the Sanctuary!”

“You haven’t even eaten breakfast yet.”

“It’s fine, I’ll eat on the way!” Ji Xun expertly packed a dozen dumplings into a box, poured soy sauce and vinegar over them, and closed the lid. Halfway through, he paused, reopened it, scooped some chili sauce on top, and closed it again. “Bye, Mom!”

“Take care on the way.”

“I know!”

Ji Xun shut the front door.

Turning around, his gaze landed on the magnificent and grand Fu family residence across the street.

At that moment, an unprecedented unfamiliar feeling rose within Ji Xun.

It was like suddenly growing up, finally seeing clearly what he hadn’t understood before.

He had grown up next door to Fu Shuxing, his childhood playmate, true enough, but Ji Xun was born and raised in this government compound, while Fu Shuxing had moved in at age two.

Now ten years had passed.

His parents, who worked in government, had barely changed positions, only climbing one or two ranks based on qualifications.

But Fu Shuxing’s two fathers, both military men, had rapidly risen through the ranks in just a few years, even making triple jumps. Their current titles were intimidating.

Because of their positions, they hadn’t moved away, but two years ago their house was torn down and rebuilt.

Now it stood as this grand, imposing Marshal’s Mansion.

A three-story villa that hadn’t changed in ten years for Ji Xun was now dwarfed by a mansion three or four times larger, with gardens, a swimming pool, and a fighter jet hangar.

It was like the difference between him and Fu Shuxing.

A gap so wide that neither “childhood friends for ten years” nor “families with close ties” could bridge it.

Moreover…

He didn’t even have a spiritual body yet!

Though the books said there was no data linking the timing of a spiritual body’s appearance to a Guide’s ability or spiritual level.

But Ji Xun suddenly felt that when the spiritual power assessment came at sixteen, he would be completely trampled.

He had a bad feeling.

He might end up as the lowest-level E-class Guide.

One who had to struggle mightily just to provide basic spiritual counseling for frontline sentries, barely different from ordinary people except having one more job option, essentially a forgettable, useless Guide.

And Fu Shuxing?

Fu Shuxing had a spiritual body at age three. He had fully inherited the excellent genes of both fathers and would definitely score A+ or even S- or S rank in the test!

At that time,

One of them would be slogging through logistics or medical departments, barely managing to counsel base sentries.

The other would be piloting mechs or fighter jets on the battlefield, annihilating enemies and earning glorious honors, rising swiftly through the ranks.

Under such emotional turmoil, Ji Xun wept bitterly inside, then suddenly snapped back to reality, amazed to find his literary skills seemed surprisingly strong!

Wow!

Next literature class, he vowed to use all the idioms he had just thought of!

Wait, what had he used just now?

The Fu family dining room.

“Someone told me you sent your spiritual body out last night in the middle of the night?”

Fu Shuxing didn’t look up. “Yeah.”

“Don’t do it again.” Fu Shen’s voice was cold and authoritative, emotionless. “The tiger is king of beasts, you can’t just let it roam. Many people’s spiritual bodies in the compound were affected. Haven’t I taught you this since you were little? You forgot after just a few years?”

Fu Shuxing was silent for two seconds, then said, “Got it.”

Gao Mingyuan, noticing his son’s sour mood, tried to ease the tension: “It’s not a big deal. Next time you want to let the general out for a walk, come find me. I’ll make a barrier and it’ll be just as safe.”

Just then, shouts came from outside—

“Brother Xing!”

Fu Shuxing’s eyes flickered slightly.

Gao Mingyuan immediately sensed the change in his son’s mood and smiled. “Alright, you’ve almost finished eating. Go to school with Xiao Xun. You’re not even late, and he has to come call you every day.”

Ji Xun stopped in the Marshal’s Mansion’s large garden.

Before, he had never really paid attention, just passing through quickly, eager only to see Fu Shuxing sooner.

Now, standing by the delicate little fountain, he thoughtfully watched the brightly colored koi swimming and playing—vivid and, more importantly, plump and appetizing.

“Let’s go.”

Ji Xun hadn’t heard Fu Shuxing’s footsteps and was startled by the sudden voice. He turned quickly, only to be ruthlessly struck by that cold, handsome face framed by thick brows and deep eyes.

His heart seemed to stop for two seconds.

Coming to his senses, Ji Xun cursed himself inwardly: Why daydream? He’s a bastard! A good-looking bastard! A beast in human form!

Fu Shuxing saw Ji Xun frozen and pursed his thin lips slightly, hands shoved into his pockets. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Xun immediately smiled, his almond eyes curved, dimples deeply set in his cheeks, naturally flattering, “Nothing, nothing. It’s just that you look even more handsome than yesterday.”

Fu Shuxing seemed to hum softly, said nothing, and walked out.

Ji Xun caught up, holding up the bag. “Brother Xing, boiled eggs!”

Inside were two pale, tender, peeled eggs.

Fu Shuxing: “Not eating.”

“Eat, eat! I peeled them for you.” Ji Xun said, “My hands are still burning! I boiled these eggs myself!”

Fu Shuxing glanced casually over, first at Ji Xun’s hand holding the bag, then at the other hand gesturing animatedly, seeing no obvious burns.

He withdrew his gaze, his footsteps unceasing. “If you boiled them, you definitely shouldn’t eat them.”

Though both were twelve years old,

Ji Xun was much shorter.

He jogged to keep up with Fu Shuxing’s long strides, thinking of what the eggs had endured, feeling a little weak inside, but quickly bluffing, “I-I wouldn’t poison you!”

“I got up early to boil eggs for you to nourish you! Brother Xing, this is a critical growing period. You must eat more eggs!”

Fu Shuxing stopped.

Ji Xun nearly bumped into him and quickly stopped too.

Fu Shuxing scanned Ji Xun from head to toe, then snorted lightly. “You should nourish yourself more.”

Before, Ji Xun would have felt Fu Shuxing was caring, but now he only felt merciless ridicule. Unwilling, he tiptoed in defiance and said, “I’ve already eaten.”

After speaking, they stared at each other for three seconds before Ji Xun blinked nervously and expectantly: “Th-these two eggs, I specially boiled them for…”

Fu Shuxing saw Ji Xun’s stammering and blushing, paused, then unexpectedly reached out his hand.

“Ah?”

“Give them here.”

“Oh, oh!”

Ji Xun hurriedly handed over the bag with the two eggs.

Fu Shuxing took it but didn’t eat them, casually putting the bag in his jacket pocket.

Ji Xun was puzzled. “Brother Xing, you’re not going to eat?”

Fu Shuxing: “Later.”

“Oh…”

Ji Xun hadn’t eaten breakfast yet. Once on the Fu family’s airship, he opened the box of dumplings from his bag.

Steam billowed out!

The dumplings drenched in spicy chili oil smelled mouthwateringly delicious!

Ji Xun swallowed and picked one up with chopsticks, habitually offering it to Fu Shuxing sitting beside him. “Brother Xing, dumplings!”

Fu Shuxing frowned, turning his head away. “Don’t eat spicy.”

Ji Xun was momentarily stunned, then realized—oh right! He had deliberately poured chili oil on the dumplings to keep Fu Shuxing from eating them. Why was he offering them first now?!

Dropping the chopsticks, he ate it himself.

Hmm.

Bad habit. Must change! Must change!

Fu Shuxing glanced at Ji Xun, seeing the box full of red oil and chili peppers, his brow furrowing further. But he didn’t throw Ji Xun off. Instead, he switched on the air circulation system inside the airship.

Ten minutes later,

The airship arrived at the entrance of the 12th District Starflight Junior Sanctuary.

They encountered Zhao Zhanlei also disembarking.

Seeing Zhao Zhanlei, Ji Xun thought of the dream and the conversation he had overheard outside Fu Shuxing’s room last night. Feeling uneasy, he pretended not to see him and led Fu Shuxing to another entrance of the Sanctuary.

But Zhao Zhanlei had already spotted them and enthusiastically caught up as soon as he got off the airship. “Brother Xing! Xiao Xun!”