Chapter 8: Astonishing Transformation
Ten days later, at midnight, when all the student dormitories had gone dark, a shadowy figure appeared like a ghost under the boys' dormitory building. With a nimble leap, it silently landed on the ledge of an open window on the second floor. Then, it sprang up and slanted its way into the window of the corridor on the third floor.
The shadowy figure stood in the corridor for a few seconds before heading straight for the public bathroom.
Alex peeked into the bathroom entrance to ensure no one was there before stepping inside. He turned on the faucet, stripped off his clothes, and began to wash. The cold water of March was bone-chilling, but he focused his qi（Energy Accumulation Phase） to resist the chill. After a while, he managed to wash away the black dirt and the unpleasant odor from his body.
Earlier, he had taken a leave of absence, claiming that he needed to burn paper money for his father. He had found a quiet and secluded place to rush qi through the last few acupoints in his feet, successfully entering the initial stage of qi accumulation. However, his body was covered in black dirt from his pores, so he dared not go out on the street. Instead, he had to sneak back to his dormitory to wash up.
After washing, he changed into the clothes he had prepared earlier in his bag. Then, he leaped down from the dormitory and headed towards the school library. Going back to his dormitory at this time would only draw suspicion, and he also wanted to test the benefits of being in the initial stage of qi accumulation.
As the dim morning light broke through, some early risers began their morning jog while the scent of food wafted from the school canteen. Inside the canteen, a young man dressed in a light blue mid-length down jacket, dark jeans, and a woolen hat appeared. The canteen was still empty of breakfast eaters, with only the chefs busy moving steamer baskets and other equipment.
"Chef, please give me two steamed buns and a bowl of porridge," the young man said, handing over his meal card at the counter.
"Young man, you're up early!" one of the chefs, with a round face, smiled broadly.
"Yes, only by waking up early can I enjoy the delicious buns freshly steamed by you, Chef," the young man replied with a gentle smile, his eyes curving into a pretty crescent shape.
The round-faced chef was momentarily taken aback, but then handed over the tray with the buns and porridge, adding a delicate bun shaped like a little rabbit on top. "Here, this is for you. It's sweetened with honey, very tasty," he said with a chuckle.
"Thank you, Chef!" The young man's eyes twinkled as he nodded politely and turned to find a seat.
The round-faced chef stood there dazed for a moment, until someone called out to him. He finally came to his senses and looked towards the young man, thinking, "This child is really good-looking."
The young man, of course, was Alex. He had sneaked out of the library as soon as it got light. The previous night, he had read most of the books in the library, truly exhibiting his ability to retain everything he read. Combined with his strong comprehension skills, it was a simple task for him to integrate and understand the information.
Now, he had no problem seeing in the dark, but without a light at night, he couldn't see his own face clearly. This morning, when he looked in the mirror in the library, he saw that he had undergone a remarkable transformation. His skin had become much fairer, with a delicate glow, his lips were rosy and tender, and his eyebrows and eyes had taken on a lively air.
Such a significant change was bound to raise suspicions, so he wore a woolen hat and later used his hair to cover up a bit. He hoped that no one would notice, as he rarely appeared in public places.
After eating his meal slowly and deliberately, the students in the canteen gradually increased. Alex overheard whispers nearby.
"Did you hear? Someone in the boys' dorm saw a shadowy figure floating by last night!"
"Really?"
"I just heard that too. There was also a figure wandering around the school library last night."
"What? Is it a ghost?"
He calmly stood up and walked out of the canteen, but inwardly he was displeased: "You're the ghost!"
After the monthly routine quizzes, the entire class was in disbelief. Qin, who was usually either dozing off or looking lazy, had somehow scored first? Had he cheated?
The astonished teachers, unable to believe it, accused Qin of cheating. The homeroom teacher, however, stood up for him, explaining to the other teachers that the student had always been good and must have worked hard privately. The matter was eventually dismissed. When Alex learned of this, he felt a strange sensation.
In the boys' dormitory, room 307, seven teenagers were kneeling before a young man sitting in a chair, wearing a woolen hat. They shouted loudly, "Ancestor! Ancestor! Ancestor!"
Having lost the bet, these were a group of men who were willing to accept the consequences. Back in their dormitory, they followed the bet and worshipped the great ancestor.
"Ha-ha! All of you, rise!" Alex was delighted and raised his hands.
The few teenagers, who had initially felt dissatisfied, looked up and saw Alex's smiling face. They all froze for a moment, then looked embarrassed and awkwardly averted their eyes, returning to their beds.
Completely unaware of his impact, Alex's charm, formed over tens of thousands of years, unconsciously emanated, shocking these inexperienced teenagers! Alas, poor little brothers.
In mid-April, the warm spring sun had banished all traces of winter's chill, and everywhere was filled with the vitality of new life.
Outside the gates of the Miao Qian Private School, there was a crowd of cars and people. It was Saturday, and parents were picking up their children to take them home for the weekend. Because of the congestion, traffic police were on hand to maintain order.
"Sir, you can't park here today!" A traffic policeman saw a black Touareg SUV attempting to park on the left side, even though it was a designated parking area. However, due to the high volume of student and parent traffic, parking was not allowed on that side of the road on Saturdays and Sundays. So he immediately stepped forward to stop the driver.
The man sitting in the driver's seat, dressed in a police uniform, turned to the traffic policeman at the window and politely asked, "Excuse me, where can I park?"
The traffic policeman was momentarily taken aback. A fellow officer! Looking at the shoulder insignia on the police uniform, he saw two bars and two stars - a second-class police inspector? Startled, he immediately saluted and apologized nervously.
"It's fine, you're just doing your job. I should abide by the rules. Please tell me where I can park," the policeman in the SUV replied with a polite nod.
The traffic policeman quickly pointed out a suitable parking spot, and as the SUV slowly drove away, he couldn't help but feel astonished. How could a police inspector be so young?
Wei Minghai had been busy recently due to a series of vicious crimes that had occurred in his jurisdiction over the past half-month. The killer had struck again a week ago, and as the police station's director, he was under considerable pressure.
Today, he had come to take Qin out for dinner and spend the night at home. He wanted to check up on the teenager, who had been neglected for over a month, and ensure that he was receiving the necessary care and attention. Without parents or relatives, and lacking affection, there was a risk that his mental state could become distorted. So, despite his busy schedule, he had made time for this.
He had not contacted Qin beforehand, wanting to conduct a surprise inspection to see if the teenager was truly working hard and staying on track. However, after searching the dormitory unsuccessfully, he was eventually directed to a certain tree on the outskirts of the playground by a well-meaning classmate.
As he approached slowly, Wei Minghai could clearly hear the teenager speaking English fluently, with excellent pronunciation and a very standard accent. It was even more authentic than his own, despite having spent three years in the United States.
An astonishing linguistic talent! Wei Minghai's expression softened. This teenager was indeed a hidden gem, and he was sure to make a significant impact in the future.
Alex had only noticed Wei Minghai's approach when he was within ten meters. Partly because he was wearing headphones and partly because the man's martial arts skills were not insignificant. Nevertheless, he calmly waited for the man to approach.
"Qin," Wei Minghai called out to the absorbed teenager standing beside the tree.
"Uncle Wei!" The young man jumped up with surprise, looking at him with sparkling big eyes. He was startled to find that the young man's appearance had changed quite a bit. As a policeman with strong ability to recognize people, he could hardly believe that he looked so different from the first time he saw him. Then he thought about it and realized that the young man probably hadn't eaten well during that time, coupled with his poor complexion and other factors, he didn't look particularly impressive. After all, he was only sixteen years old and still growing, so it was normal for him to have some changes.
Alex pretended to be shy and secretly inhaled the scent of the man in front of him, eager to devour him as soon as possible.
"I came to take you out for dinner today and buy you some spring clothes," Wei Minghai said softly, seeing the embarrassed look on the young man's face.
As soon as he saw the young man, he automatically softened his tone. The young man was like a fragile porcelain doll, with fair skin tinged with pink and black eyes that flickered with infinite charm between his eyebrows.
Charm? Why did he suddenly think of that word? The young man was only sixteen years old and naturally handsome, giving him a false impression. Wei Minghai calmed down his unusual thoughts and quickly averted his gaze.
"Thank you, Uncle Wei!" The young man's voice was clearer and more cheerful than before.
"Let's go," Wei Minghai said, avoiding the young man's eyes.
"Okay," Alex smiled slyly after the man turned away. Uncle Wei, you'll be mine soon.