blogombal Chapter 105 : Chapter 105
Chapter 105 : Chapter 105
Chapter 105
The next chapter began by switching back to the Safehouse.
The moment she saw the two of them, Gu Lingxue finally let out a long sigh of relief. There was a faint, almost imperceptible trace of reproach in her voice. Xie Chang’an scratched his head sheepishly after hearing it, but Gu Lingxue did not make much of it.
Gu Lingxue planned to provide a sum of money afterward, but she had a bit of a headache over how exactly she ought to repay Xie Chang’an and Ji Qing. Just as she was thinking about it, her father’s voice interrupted her thoughts. “Lingxue, aren’t you going to introduce your friends to us?”
She froze for a moment, then politely introduced both sides.
Mr. Gu quickly bowed and said, “I can never truly repay a life-saving grace. If you run into any trouble in the future, and there is anything within my power to help with, please be sure to let me know.”
【This father actually seems pretty decent】
【Now he owes them a favor】
【They really should repay them. Both of them risked their lives to come save people, so they absolutely cannot be treated badly】
【If the Orphanage runs into trouble in the future, the Gu family should be able to sponsor it, right? They look pretty rich. They should be able to afford it】
【Good idea】
【Our protagonist really is short on money. And honestly, I think Xue just grew up rich, plus Chang’an deliberately avoids talking to her about his financial situation, so she feels like repaying him with money would make things too transactional. But the problem is: Chang’an is genuinely poor】
【That is true, haha】
The topic shifted in an instant to the two boys’ financial circumstances, finally returning to territory Ji Qing was familiar with.
Ji Qing smiled helplessly at that.
Gu Lingxue’s way of thinking actually highlighted her role as a wealthy young lady quite clearly. Even the straightforward money transfer on the return trip later on reflected how generous and proper she was in her view of money. Because she possessed so much, she naturally cared less about it.
In the manga, Mr. Gu’s gaze then shifted to Gu Lingxue. Gu Lingxue immediately crossed her hands. “No criticism, no arguments, especially not right now!”
Mr. Gu said helplessly, “I am not trying to criticize you. I just suddenly came to understand a few things.”
Mrs. Gu added, “We will not bring up transferring schools again. To be honest, we as parents have our own faults too… I am really happy that you found the path you want to walk…”
That night, the family of three truly reconciled.
【Waaah, sob sob sob】
【Honestly, it is pretty touching】
【If my mom could say something like that, I would probably burst into tears on the spot】
【If this were realistic fiction, I would complain that the ending was too idealized. How could these stubborn parents just happen to survive, and then reach such a perfect ending of “understanding their child”? But 《Ability Hunter》 is a shounen manga, so this ending is already very good】
【So many people dream of having parents who can understand them, sigh】
“That is true enough,” Ji Qing nodded to himself.
To be honest, he had not expected the two parents to survive either. The only way to understand that was as a deliberate design choice on Yuexia Cao’s part. If there had been too many survivors, it would not have been easy for the three of them who came to help to take control of the situation, and whether the survivors would have been willing to obey the instructions of three students would also have become a problem.
The current outcome could already be considered fairly good. As students, they had both dealt with the flock of mutated birds and resolved the family conflict. Afterward, they also did not have to worry about being morally blackmailed by other survivors’ relatives, and they themselves could return to school smoothly.
“So this still counts as not bad…?” Ji Qing shook his head with self-mockery.
The dead were lives too. It was just that neither the wasteland, nor the readers, nor even the manga artist himself had cared.
At that moment, the manga’s perspective shifted to Ji Qing and Xie Chang’an’s side. Ji Qing once again noticed Xie Chang’an’s gaze and turned his head coldly. “Why are you looking at me?”
Xie Chang’an asked Ji Qing how he was feeling.
Because he was worried about Ji Qing’s earlier condition, Xie Chang’an asked again, “What caused it?”
Ji Qing said indifferently, “Our relationship is not close enough for that.”
Xie Chang’an stared in astonishment. “Huh? It still is not?!”
【Huh? So we still are not close with Ji Qing?】
【Wait, wait, wait——】
【I thought we were already friends. We are not?】
【Contestant Number Three has requested a song called 《Done For》 for Xie Chang’an~
Let us all congratulate our little Xie Chang’an for achieving a brilliant last-place finish in the competition to become friends with the Valedictorian~】
【No way?!】
【It actually makes sense. Chang’an made too many mistakes before, so the Valedictorian does not trust him and does not want any deeper connection. Coming to help was just out of concern for a classmate, or for innocent lives】
【Th-this… makes the original five members of Class S seem even more impressive】
【Who exactly was the first person to win the Valedictorian over? After this scene, I am so curious I am going mad】
【+1】
【I am grinding my teeth over the fact that the old thief never draws extras or side stories. It feels like a lot of interesting things happened in Class S during the first semester, but we just never got to see them… sigh…】
There really were not, though. Ji Qing rested his chin on his hand and thought.
Almost everything that had happened during Class S’s first semester had already been hinted at in the manga. The readers still did not know that there was a Clan Head from a noble family within Class S. At most, they had only marveled a little at the Prophecy ability in that self-introduction chapter after the class promotion, and after that it never stirred a ripple on the forum again.
Sometimes, Ji Qing really was curious about the others’ stories.
So far, the backgrounds and identities of everyone he knew all seemed far from ordinary. Then, after thinking of something, Ji Qing suddenly laughed. “All right. The least ordinary person here is me.”
There were definitely quite a few people who were dying of curiosity.
The next chapter opened with Gu Lingxue saying goodbye to her parents at the station.
After the endless night had finally come to an end, the Gu parents were at last able to set out on their return trip. After the matter of Gu Lingxue’s future career, Mrs. Gu suddenly began worrying about her daughter’s marriage instead. “Xiaoxue, although Mom is very happy that you have found your own path, but… in the future, have a husband marry into the family.”
Gu Lingxue froze for a moment, then immediately flushed bright red and argued back.
Their exchange was noisy and chaotic, and in the end even her father got dragged into it. But compared with the issue of attending Ability High School, her parents had always held different views regarding marriage, and Gu Lingxue’s own ideas also received her father’s approval.
After being forced to eat another wave of her parents’ dog food, Gu Lingxue hurriedly said goodbye.
【Pretty realistic】
【Parents will still worry about their child’s future. They worried about transferring schools before, and now they are worrying about marriage】
【Now I can really feel that the family atmosphere has improved. Because the parents never planned to have another child, and instead intend to devote themselves wholeheartedly to raising their daughter and looking after her future】
【From the way they described it, the company probably only prospered after the parents got married】
【Has Xuexue really never considered any of her classmates?】
【How could she? The person you love has to be someone you are compatible with in every way. None of the boys she knows right now are really that compatible with her. If we absolutely have to name someone, Lu Qingyin would actually be pretty good, but they are both girls…】
【Looks like Qingyin is planning to marry in a husband too】
【This wasteland is unexpectedly progressive when it comes to marriage】
When Gu Lingxue boarded the train back to school, the other two were each occupied with their own things.
She naturally opened her Terminal as well and saw the money her father had sent. She then calmly distributed the money to the two classmates beside her, and when Xie Chang’an asked in confusion, she expressed her own view with generous ease and proper composure.
Xie Chang’an accepted it hesitantly, while Ji Qing accepted it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
The two reactions were completely different, but they also highlighted the difference in the breadth of their social experience.
【Sometimes I still want to complain about Chang’an】
【Without comparison, there is no damage. He really can turn a favorable situation into a blunder】
【But it fits his character, does it not?】
【That is true】
【If there were no Valedictorian there for comparison, I would think this was normal. But with the Valedictorian sitting right there beside him, I suddenly feel awkward】
【The Valedictorian really feels like someone who has seen a lot】
【A man whose entire body is covered in stories. Of course, Li Yuan too, though I hate to admit it】
【The Cinnabar Mole and the White Moonlight. Those two have thoroughly ruined Xie Chang’an for life. I am really curious: if Xie Chang’an is ever forced into a situation where he has to choose one of them, which one will he choose? Ji Qing, the one he fell in love with at first sight, or Li Yuan, the one who took his breath away at first glance?】
【Th-this… is that not a little too hard on the protagonist?】
【Xie Chang’an’s Red and White Roses】
“What sort of place has this been dragged to now?” Ji Qing raised a brow in utter helplessness.
Starting from the previous few chapters, he had begun to find himself unable to understand what the readers were saying anymore. Although slash-bait and CP-oriented content were indeed two major forces that could send Popularity Value soaring, Ji Qing had never expected the readers to interpret such different angles out of an otherwise perfectly ordinary plot.
Who on earth was the first one to say Xie Chang’an had fallen in love at first sight?
Ji Qing felt as though he was about to be led in circles by them too. Otherwise, he really could not figure out why Yuexia had added such a bizarrely heavy filter over him from the very beginning.
“Eh—” Ji Qing frowned and muttered, “If I remember correctly, the readers originally said it was the old thief who had a filter over me, so… does that mean Yuexia Cao fell in love with me at first sight?”
This was too strange.
No, let him think about it a little more—still strange.
Filled with a profound sense of bewilderment, Ji Qing continued scrolling down the manga page.
The carriage returning to school soon fell into silence. After Gu Lingxue roughly finished browsing the news about the train accident involving her parents’ train, she noticed that Ji Qing had been resting his chin on one hand and looking out the window the entire time. Gu Lingxue thought: What is there to look at outside the window?
“Ji Qing,” Gu Lingxue asked, “what have you been looking at out the window this whole time?”
Ji Qing replied, “Naturally, the forest we walked through yesterday.”
“Eh? Eh——”
Along with that cry of surprise, Gu Lingxue quickly rose and leaned over, and Xie Chang’an followed right behind her. The previously quiet carriage was instantly filled with the two of them excitedly talking. Under the gentle warm sunlight, Ji Qing quietly listened to his two companions recount what had happened the night before.
His eyes curved slightly, clearly showing that he was enjoying this moment of leisure.
Volume 6 of the manga ended there.
The barrage comments froze for a moment, then suddenly exploded:
【Damn——】
【The Valedictorian’s smile melted the very tip of my heart. He is seriously far too good-looking.】
【Holy shit, holy shit. And you are still telling me he is not close to Chang’an? He is still not close to Chang’an even like this?! (resentful) (slamming into the wall) (starting to go mad)】
【I can see your love for the Valedictorian, and I can see the old thief’s love for the Valedictorian too. I do not believe the old thief does not love the Valedictorian. He actually ended it by giving us the Valedictorian’s smile. Wow——does he know too that the Valedictorian’s smile is enough to make people lose their souls?】
【That ending made my whole heart feel warm.】
【This kind of everyday scene is exactly the kind of ending a shounen manga should have (tears up)】
Even Ji Qing was somewhat surprised.
He had not expected Yuexia Cao to end the volume from his perspective, but after a second thought, it actually made perfect sense. Compared with the other two, who were delighted by the sight of the wilderness, Ji Qing’s gaze had fallen on the two of them instead. That made it a better way to show the changes in all three of them at that moment.
The end of one crisis was also a new beginning for them all.