C11 The First Meeting

After stepping out of the store, Situ Yu's excitement began to fade, replaced by a calm contemplation. He meandered along, head bowed in thought, without any particular destination in mind.

"Who would have thought plants could fetch such high prices? I was expecting at most a few hundred yuan. The ones sold by street vendors seem to only go for tens or hundreds. It's astonishing how effective energy catalysis can be."

"I wonder what effects it might have on other plants? Those pricey medicinal herbs could be worth a fortune. Not a bad idea to give it a try. Maybe I should grow some vegetables too? Then I wouldn't have to buy them anymore. I'm a genius," Situ Yu mused fancifully.

Ke Lianna, the little loli in his mind, listened to Situ Yu's ramblings with contempt. "With brains like that, you're truly reptilian," she scoffed, dismissing his odd ideas to focus on her own amusements.

Situ Yu's thoughts marched on: "I need to get more orchid saplings. Right now, that's where the money is. But my other ability doesn't seem too useful for making money—enhancing the intelligence of small animals doesn't seem all that significant. What am I going to do, enter a pet intelligence competition for a cash prize? I'd need to have one first."

"It looks like I won't be using that ability for now. And I'm quite curious to see how that cricket will turn out."

"Ouch, that hurts!"

"How do you walk without looking? You've hurt my sister. How will you make it right?"

A teenage girl, about fifteen or sixteen, stood with her hands on her hips, scolding Situ Yu.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to. I was lost in thought," Situ Yu apologized profusely, without even lifting his head.

Only after apologizing did he raise his head with a look of regret and finally saw her. He was captivated.

She was stunningly beautiful. He had never seen such a pretty girl before. Her face was a delicate oval, topped with a pert nose, curved eyebrows, and large, expressive eyes. Her long hair cascaded over her shoulders.

Standing at around 1.68 meters, she had a slender waist and a shapely figure. Her legs seemed to go on forever. No, that's not right. One mustn't defile a goddess. She was dressed in a light pink dress with delicate sandals, the ensemble was impeccable.

Situ Yu's vision suddenly blurred as a small hand fluttered before his eyes. "Had your fill yet? Pervert."

Regaining his composure, Situ Yu quickly apologized, "Sorry, I've never seen such a beautiful girl before. It wasn't intentional. My apologies." A blush crept across the goddess's face. However, it wasn't the goddess addressing him, but the slightly less stunning beauty at her side, who bore a striking 80% resemblance to her. Likely her sister, she exuded a vivacious charm and a touch of sassiness.

For a girl of merely 15 or 16, such behavior was quite typical.

The young girl turned to her sister with concern, "Sister, are you alright? Did you hurt your foot? Did you sprain it?"

With a sweet smile, the goddess reassured her gently, "I'm fine, there's no need to give him a hard time."

The younger girl huffed, "Consider yourself lucky this time. Come on, sister, let's go." She took her sister's arm, ready to depart.

The goddess gave Situ Yu a slight nod before she and her sister moved away, soon disappearing around the corner.

As the lingering scent hung in the air, Situ Yu felt as though the goddess was still nearby, her presence not fading for quite some time.

Amidst the bustling crowd, Situ Yu came to his senses, realizing that such a beauty was out of his league. She belonged to a different world entirely. It was time to let go of any fanciful thoughts.

With a wry smile, he continued with the flow of people, in search of the seeds he needed. Arriving at a seed store, he took note of the wide variety advertised at the entrance and stepped inside.

A middle-aged man greeted him warmly as he entered, "Welcome! What can I get for you?" Situ Yu approached the counter, scanning the surroundings, understanding none of it.

"I'll need some vegetable seeds, cabbage, ginseng seeds, and a few young orchid plants. And throw in some flower pots as well."

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the eclectic mix. Vegetable and medicinal seeds, along with young flowers—a curious assortment indeed. But without dwelling on it, he asked, "How much of each would you like? Ginseng seeds are sold by the seed."

"Let's see, I'll take a kilogram each of vegetable and cabbage seeds, 50 ginseng seeds, and three orchid seedlings. Boss, can you tally up the total for me?"

Grabbing the calculator, the boss tapped away briskly. "That comes to 102 yuan, but let's round it down to an even 100 yuan."

"Sounds good." He pulled out a hundred yuan from his pocket and handed it to the boss, who took the money and quickly verified its authenticity before fetching the requested items.

In no time, everything was gathered with practiced ease. The boss showed Situ Yu the goods, then neatly packaged them up, slipping a business card into the bag.

Situ Yu accepted the seeds with thanks and left the shop.

The morning had flown by. On the roadside, Situ Yu spotted a fast-food joint, bought a meal, and ate with relish.

Reflecting on the day, he felt fortunate. He'd sold a plant for over 50,000 yuan, a sum far quicker to come by than mining. He'd even crossed paths with a stunning beauty, though from a different world. With the seeds purchased, his day's goals were achieved. What to do with the afternoon? Perhaps some shopping, a new phone, or a computer for easier research at home. No sooner thought than done.

He arrived at the bus stop, checked the schedule, and boarded the next bus, dropping in his fare.

Inside, the air conditioning was on and the windows shut tight, but the bus was crowded, and a peculiar odor lingered faintly.

Situ Yu, holding his plastic bag, made his way to the middle of the bus. It was too packed to move further back.

Clutching the handrail, he gazed out at the towering buildings and swarms of people. The bus jolted and lurched, accelerating after each stop. Situ Yu's head spun slightly, and he felt queasy. After taking a couple of deep breaths, he glanced around the bus.

That's when he saw something he wished he hadn't. A pickpocket was stealthily slicing open a plump woman's purse with a blade.

Torn, Situ Yu remembered a time when he'd tried to play the hero, intervening in a mugging, only to end up injured himself. His attempt at chivalry had backfired, leading to his expulsion from school. It was an injustice that still stung.

Instinctively, he couldn't help but shout, "Thief!"

The surrounding crowd turned their gaze toward him in unison.

Why are you all staring at me? I'm not the thief, he thought to himself, feeling awkward. Then he extended his finger, pointing directly at the actual thief.

This wasn't the thief's first rodeo. With a calm demeanor, he challenged, "You saw me as a thief with those eyes of yours. Where's your proof?"

The thief was dressed quite smartly, not fitting the typical image of a thief. In contrast, Situ Yu was in inexpensive attire, his skin a bit darker, and his frame rather lean.

To the onlookers in the car, he seemed more likely to be the thief. The thief stood there, the picture of tranquility, evidently experienced in these situations.

Situ Yu's face, however, flushed with embarrassment. He was clearly uncomfortable.

The thief gloated internally, "You're too green to take me on. How dare you interfere with my windfall? Just you wait. I'll have my crew come and sort you out." A smug smirk crept across his face at the thought.

The plump woman nearby, upon hearing someone next to her labeled as a thief, grew anxious and fearful. She inspected her bag and discovered a slit. Her heart raced.

She delved into her bag to check for her wallet. Relief washed over her as she found it still there.

She felt a deep sense of gratitude toward Situ Yu but was too scared of the thief's potential retaliation to voice any support for him.

Seeing the contemptuous looks from everyone and the fat woman's silence, Situ Yu's heart sank. He lamented the thanklessness of his good deed.

The thief, basking in the scorn directed at Situ Yu, swelled with pride, as smug as a peacock.

But his moment of triumph was short-lived. A little girl from the crowd spoke up indignantly, "That well-dressed man is the thief. Why are you all looking at the wrong person?"

Startled, the thief scrambled to locate the source of the accusation.

The crowd's attention shifted back to the little girl, who ducked behind a strikingly beautiful woman, Ke Lianna, and pointed at the thief, declaring, "It's him. I saw him slice the fat woman's bag with a blade."

Everyone turned their attention to the fat woman's bag, confirming the presence of a slit. Their collective gaze then shifted to the thief, who was met with a barrage of angry stares. He returned the look with a venomous glare at the little girl, his eyes seemingly ready to devour her.

As the train pulled into a station and the doors slid open, the thief shot a menacing glance at the girl and Situ Yu, as if issuing a silent threat: "You'll see."

He strode toward the exit, but just as he was about to step off, someone delivered a swift kick to his rear. Off-balance, the thief tumbled to the ground, yelping in pain and clutching his forehead. Furious, he spun around and bellowed, "Who's the coward that kicked me? Show yourself!"

Situ Yu offered him a sly smile before the doors closed, and the train resumed its journey to the next station.

The humiliated thief picked himself up off the floor, his face a mask of frustration, and vanished into the sea of commuters.

On the train, Situ Yu's gaze lingered on the two beautiful women, his emotions a whirlwind. To encounter them twice in one day seemed more than mere coincidence. He expressed his gratitude, "Thank you."

The younger beauty responded with a haughty air, "I exposed him because I couldn't stand to watch that thief's smugness. It had nothing to do with you."

"Regardless, my thanks are still due. Whatever your reasons, you've helped me out," he insisted.

With a dismissive "Hmph," she turned away, no longer engaging with Situ Yu.

The other woman, a vision of grace, offered a wry smile at her sister's antics, clearly at a loss.

The incident behind them, the train soon reached another station where the two women disembarked, once again fading from Situ Yu's view.

He stared off into the distance, lost in thought, until Electronic City approached. Situ Yu stepped off the bus and made his way into the bustling heart of the tech hub.