Chapter 65: An Unexpected Encounter at the Supermarket

Zhong Tian rode his bicycle, accompanying Su Linxi to a supermarket near their school.

The supermarket wasn’t large, but it was well-stocked with essentials, and its proximity to home made it convenient. Zhong Tian usually bought his daily necessities there.

Hmm… We seem to be out of detergent and eggs. I’ll pick some up.

Zhong Tian locked his bicycle and entered the supermarket with Su Linxi.

Su Linxi straight away headed to the snacks section, filling Zhong Tian’s shopping basket with box after box and bag after bag of snacks.

“Uh, Linxi?” Zhong Tian eyed the basket, now overflowing with various snacks, his expression puzzled. “Why are we buying only snacks? Weren’t we supposed to get essentials?”

“Snacks. Are. Daily. Essentials,” Su Linxi responded, adding another snack to the basket. “You. Said. So.”

Oh, right… It was when we first met, in this very supermarket. I had casually mentioned it.

Zhong Tian glanced at the snacks in the basket, noticing that most of them were his favorites. It seemed Su Linxi had a similar taste.

“That’s enough, let’s go.”

At the checkout, the total came to over a hundred. Su Linxi scanned the price tag and paid using her mobile phone without hesitation.

She’s still a spoiled rich girl, he mused. Yet, besides her carefree spending, there wasn’t much about her that matched the typical “rich girl” stereotype.

But then, what exactly defines a “rich girl”? It’s just a cliché portrayed in anime and dramas—high-maintenance, always ending sentences with “de-gozaru.” In reality, a “rich girl” might be more like Su Linxi.

He couldn’t be sure, though; she was the only “rich girl” he knew.

In his thoughts, Zhong Tian suddenly realized he had forgotten to buy eggs and detergent.

“Linxi, wait a moment. I forgot to buy something,” he said, handing her the bag of snacks and rushing back into the supermarket.

****

It had been eight days since his parents’ incident. Yu Yinlian had spent those eight days in a world where no one could sense her presence.

Through relentless experimentation and practice, she had finally managed to briefly return to the real world—for only ten minutes at a time.

However, she discovered, to her despair, that even in the real world, her friends didn’t remember her. They were baffled by the sudden appearance of a stranger’s contact information, and each time she returned, her friends’ memories of her were wiped clean, leaving behind only a few perplexing chat logs.

Yu Yinlian felt almost hopeless. Now, she just wanted to survive, with no other desires. Perhaps one day, even the will to live would fade away.

With her pale face and disheveled hair, she decided to spend her last remaining money on food. Once that was gone, she would resort to theft to survive, avoiding detection by not returning to the real world too often.

She looked at the few tens of yuan in her hand, feeling it was her last link to the real world. Once spent, she would never return.

With these thoughts, she walked into a small supermarket, one she often visited when she was a student at Taishan Senior High School, buying supplies for her dorm.

Yu Yinlian’s blue eyes sparkled with a golden light, like sunlight reflected on a lake. Stepping back into the real world, she braced herself against the harsh fluorescent lights and entered the supermarket.

Inside, apart from the cashier, there was only one other customer—a girl in a Taishan Senior High School uniform, carefully selecting her items.

The girl was stunningly beautiful, her appearance so captivating that even Yu Yinlian, another girl, couldn’t help but steal glances. She seemed familiar, probably a classmate from the same grade.

Yu Yinlian averted her gaze and focused on choosing her food.

****

Zhong Tian noticed the girl beside him. Her pallid complexion, haggard expression, and unkempt hair made her look like she had just woken up without a care for her appearance. He was intrigued, wondering what could have brought such a change to someone so young.

He studied her profile, his brow furrowing slightly. Her eyes… They were the same lake-blue as Su Linxi’s.

The girl glanced back, her eyes meeting Zhong Tian’s. A flicker of gold in his eyes triggered an instinctive reaction, and he read her mind.

[Buy some eggs…]

[No meat, can’t afford it and it won’t keep long. I’ll steal some after returning to that other world…]

[Maybe I should just take the food now. These few yuan won’t buy much anyway… Keep it as a memento…]

Yu Yinlian’s ability faded, and she returned to her unobservable world. She cautiously approached the counter, careful not to alarm the cashier with any sudden movements. With her invisibility, she grabbed a large bag, filling it with essentials and snacks.

She didn’t take much, mindful that the store needed to continue operating. Just enough to last her a few days, she planned, aiming to steal from different places every three days to avoid suspicion.

With her bag in hand, she walked towards the exit.

****

Zhong Tian watched her every move. Though he wasn’t sure of the full situation, one thing was clear: he had encountered another person with special abilities, just like himself.

As the girl was about to leave, Zhong Tian rushed forward and grabbed her arm.

****

Yu Yinlian jumped, a startled cry caught in her throat. The bag of food fell to the floor with a thud. Cold sweat beaded her forehead as she stiffly turned to face her captor—the beautiful girl from the school uniform.

The girl’s eyes, the same blue as her own, flickered with a subtle gold light. “You…”

After a long silence, Yu Yinlian managed to utter a single word.

“I… I don’t know why I can see you,” the girl said softly, her voice gentle as if trying to soothe Yu Yinlian. “But I know what’s happening to you…”

Zhong Tian picked up the bag of food and walked to the counter, where the cashier looked surprised, unaware of how the bag had appeared. Under Zhong Tian’s gaze, the cashier scanned each item, and Zhong Tian paid the total.

Yu Yinlian followed Zhong Tian out of the store, still in a daze. “Why. Did. You. Buy. So. Much. Food?”

“Here,” Zhong Tian said, handing her the bag, “Consider it a gift. If you ever need help… you can find me.”

He paused, then added, “Next time, it won’t be free.”

Yu Yinlian took the bag, finally comprehending. “What. Is. Your. Name? How. Can. I. Reach. You?”

“I’m in my second year at Taishan Senior High School. You can find me there…” Zhong Tian lowered his voice. “My name is Zhong Tian.”