Chapter 3 Hobbies

The movie had ended.

Luo Di's dumbbells were already drenched in sweat,

He had no intention of resting at all, immediately changing into his running shoes to begin tonight's run.

[20:00]

The brightness on the streets was still close to that of daytime,

All thanks to the high-density street lamps and the permanent luminescent panels attached to every building's surface.

Moreover, each street is patrolled by "sanitation workers" who work shifts around the clock. They all wear luminous gear, primarily focusing on patrolling areas that are prone to being missed by the light and performing regular maintenance on street lamps.

Luo Di put on his earphones, his playlist full of soundtracks from genre films, as he started his night run around the park not too far from home.

Pace: "three minutes and thirty seconds,"

However, he had only just begun when he felt a gust of wind from behind.

Another night runner caught up with him, towering over Luo Di in both height and build.

As they passed each other, there was no interaction, though there was a slight twitch at the corner of the mouth.

The two had actually been acquainted runners for a long time, having first met at the park's track six months ago. Luo Di couldn't keep up with the other's pace, but it didn't affect his morale.

Three hours later, in the park's restroom,

Luo Di stood in front of the sink, wringing out the sweat from his shirt,

As he raised his head, what reflected back was the somewhat yellowish face of a young man, his short, straight black hair drenched in sweat. He appeared slightly older than a high school student, perhaps even a bit malnourished.

Just then—swoosh!

Something suddenly flew in from the entrance of the public toilet.

Luo Di's reflexes were astonishing as he instantly raised his hand to steadily catch the object.

A bottle of vitamin drink,

The running buddy he had just encountered also followed him into the restroom, squeezing next to Luo Di at the sink, using a towel he carried with him to wipe the sweat from his forehead. Despite the high pace, his breathing was almost inaudible.

"Thanks."

Luo Di took big gulps of the nutrition drink labeled in German, a new type of energy drink with a hefty price tag, not something a high schooler like him could easily afford.

Reflected in the mirror was a blond man with a handsome and mature face, carrying traces of stubble, clearly not of the same nationality as Luo Di.

But he spoke in Mandarin with a slight accent: "Admissions next year?"

"Yes."

"That's a pity. If you were having Admissions this year, I could've directly linked you up; your determination and physical standard have already reached our company's recruitment average.

Next year will be a different story. We'll talk about it then."

As he spoke, the blond man even pinched Luo Di's arm, nodding up and down in satisfaction.

"By the way, with your qualifications, you should be able to start 'social practice' early.

I happen to have a slot available, let's see if you're interested? If you complete it early, next year, you'll just need to focus on your physical and mental training, and it could also prevent 'practice accidents' before Admissions."

Luo Di was somewhat surprised, such a precious practice opportunity had suddenly appeared twice today.

"I've already made an arrangement; I expect to start my practice in about a week."

"Oh? No wonder, someone as outstanding as you must be a focus of cultivation in school. Can you share a bit about the direction of the practice? Which category?

If it's arranged by the school, it should be relatively conservative."

"Not too sure."

The blond man wanted to persuade further but felt he might be overstepping, eventually just patting Luo Di on the shoulder.

"Right, this is for you."

A business card of moderate thickness and eggshell color was handed to Luo Di, displaying personal information in Roman script.

Although they had known each other for half a year,

they had not exchanged contact information due to work reasons.

[Frederick Lofei]

Contact number: LOFI-██████

"In case of an unexpected danger during the practice period, dial this number, and I will come at once. Of course, you can also call if you encounter any special circumstances at other times.

Of course, only for [danger]."

For the word "danger," Lofei emphasized it in Russian.

"Thank you."

Although their usual interactions were limited to discussions about running, Luo Di was well aware that Lofei's identity was extraordinary, and having such a connection could be very beneficial for his future Admissions.

"See you tomorrow night."

Lofei left,

and Luo Di continued to examine the tasteful card, which unfortunately, contained no company-related information, only a name and phone number.

Tonight's conversation filled him with even greater anticipation for the upcoming "Social Practice".

Practice is divided into many different forms, with corresponding difficulties varying.

Securing a high difficulty practice stamp on one's personal record could significantly increase the likelihood of direct employment at "the Company". In Luo Di's opinion, a top student like the class president wouldn't pick an easy practice project.

On the way home, it was midnight, yet the city streets were still brilliantly lit, as bright as during the day.

Upon returning home, Luo Di, as usual, checked the corners of every curvilinear structure to ensure the long-lasting lights were functioning properly before feeding the Horned Parrot on the balcony and climbing into his own bed.

The lights must be kept on even during sleep,

not just for Luo Di,

but for everyone living here—it was normal to sleep under the light, as darkness instead would make them feel uncomfortable and unable to fall asleep.

[One week passed]

Luo Di wasn't keen on the concept of holidays; aside from buying groceries and night running, he spent all his time at home engaging in things he enjoyed. Apart from watching DVDs, he also dedicated time to drawing.

He liked and excelled at capturing the character images from films,

and sometimes when inspiration Burst forth, he would design a character image in the style of a B-movie, with a special focus on the mask design. He hoped that one day he could wear the mask from his draft paper to events like comic conventions or ghost festivals.

At present,

he was staring at a drawing of a mask he had designed himself and placed to the left of his desk—his favorite so far—intending to have it custom-made at a leather shop once he succeeded in Admissions.

As he was engrossed in the mask drawing,

buzz~ a vibration on his wrist snapped his thoughts back to reality. This was the first call he received since the Foundation Day.

Just after swiping the green answer button, the voice on the other end almost rushed out.

"Luo Di! Tomorrow is Practice Day, so you need to come out today; we'll meet in advance and then buy some things needed for the practice."

"What do we need to buy?"

"Of course! My practice region is in the suburbs, and we need to prepare a lot of things in advance."

"Class President, can you roughly tell me what is needed? If I already have it at home, there's no need to purchase."

"Aiya~ don't worry, since I'm asking for your help, I'll naturally cover the practice-related expenses. Pick whatever you need, and make sure to choose the best quality.

The only thing you need to contribute is your body~ after all, you are the only one in the class who has surpassed me in physical education scores.

If we pass this practice successfully, my family might even give you a generous bonus."

"Oh."

"Meet in one hour, at Terminal Supermarket."