Heavenly Thief System: Starting in Douluo

Chapter 45: That's How You Recognized Me?

On the main street of Soto City, a boy and a girl stood side by side.

The boy wore luxurious clothes. He looked about twelve or thirteen, stood over 1.7 meters tall, and was dressed in a tight black outfit. On the back of the outfit was a flaming fan—very striking. His long blue-silver hair hung past his shoulders. His skin was pale, and his features were very handsome.

But his expression didn't look good. His eyes kept drifting sideways, clearly because of the girl beside him.

The girl was shorter than the boy. Her long black hair hung over her shoulders, and her skin was just as fair. Her body, however, was unusually full and curvy for someone her age. Her expression held a slight coldness.

In her black eyes, there wasn't the slightest trace of life, which clashed with her otherwise beautiful face. Her limbs were long and well-proportioned. Though her body gave off a cold, deathly aura, she could still talk with the boy normally.

She didn't smile often. But when she did, it was real—completely sincere and without pretense.

These two were none other than Zhu Zhuqing and Zu Zong, who had just fought fiercely not long ago.

When Zhu Zhuqing said, "Zhuqing from the Star Dou Great Forest," Zu Zong was completely stunned.

Back then, after treating the little girl in the cave for a few days, he'd taken her to a nearby town. He even found a healing-type soul master for her.

Not long after, her "elder" had come to take her away.

Before they parted, she had said something like, "Zu Zong, one day you must come save me."

They had only spent less than a month together. Zu Zong thought it was just a childish remark, so he casually replied, "Definitely! Come find me anytime."

But now, it had really happened. She'd come to find him.

Zu Zong looked at Zhu Zhuqing. Under the overwhelming pull of her chest, his gaze couldn't help but drift downward.

Gulp. He swallowed hard. This was the difference between a fried egg and an ostrich egg. Way too intense.

Zhu Zhuqing noticed his gaze and shyly lowered her head. Her cheeks flushed red, and even her neck turned pink.

She glared at Zu Zong and bit out, "What are you staring at? Weren't you the one who called me a fried egg back then? Said there was nothing worth looking at?"

Zu Zong gave an awkward laugh. Apparently, he had teased her like that before. He quickly changed the subject.

"Right, Zhuqing, how did you turn into an ostr— I mean, how did you end up joining Shrek Academy?"

Damn! That almost slipped out—

Zu Zong clearly remembered that in the original story, Zhu Zhuqing had joined Shrek to escape Zhu Zhuyun's assassination attempts and because she still had hope for Dai Mubai.

Now, it seemed he had unknowingly intercepted her. And based on what Zhu Zhuqing said, she'd come looking for him. That was interesting.

"You said you were at Nuoding Junior Soul Master Academy, right? So I went there to find you. But the teacher told me you'd already graduated. I wasted the trip."

There was one more thing she didn't say—Zhu Zhuyun's assassination attempts had become more frequent recently. She didn't want Zu Zong to worry.

"Ah?" Zu Zong finally remembered. He had taken Xiao Wu to apply at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy. And Zhu Zhuqing had arrived after he'd already left. Just like a cheesy drama—two leads missing each other by inches.

"Then why did you go to Shrek Academy?" Even though few at Nuoding knew he went to Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, it shouldn't have been hard to find out.

Zhu Zhuqing pouted and muttered, "Some flat-headed uncle told me you enrolled at Shrek Academy. But when I got there, I didn't see you at all. Instead, I saw..."

At that point, her expression dimmed. Her eyes kept drifting toward Zu Zong.

Zu Zong had a realization.

Damn! It was that "Great Wet" Yu Xiaogang. He used to come around constantly—either recruiting students or recommending Shrek.

To get him off his back, Zu Zong had carelessly said he might join Shrek. Now he'd dug his own grave, sending the girl straight into his rival's arms.

Seeing Zhu Zhuqing's disappointed look, Zu Zong shook his head helplessly.

"You mean that golden-haired simp from earlier?"

"Simp?" Zhu Zhuqing frowned. Was that a kind of pet? Looks like Zu Zong had invented another new word. But that didn't matter. What mattered was what Zu Zong really felt inside.

"Don't get the wrong idea. There's nothing between me and him…"

Before she could finish, Zu Zong pulled her into his arms—giving the clearest answer with action.

His heart felt soft and sour, full of tender emotion. He didn't know why. The two of them were more than friends, not quite lovers.

But hearing Zhu Zhuqing mention Dai Mubai still made him reach out and hug her.

Zu Zong admitted it. He was jealous.

Even though he firmly believed that the girl he'd met in the Star Dou Great Forest had nothing to do with that guy, he still felt jealous.

Back when he first saw Zhu Zhuqing today, he'd only liked her as a fictional character.

But now, knowing she was really "Zhuqing," his feelings were real. Flesh-and-blood, sincere affection.

Thinking back to the month they had spent together two years ago, he realized—this girl had quietly moved into his heart.

"Zu Zong, you…"

It was her first time being this close to the opposite sex. Zhu Zhuqing was so nervous she couldn't even think straight. Back in the Star Dou Great Forest, Zu Zong had held her once—but she'd been unconscious at the time.

Now, this overwhelming male presence stirred her senses, leaving her mind completely blank.

Zu Zong's scent was pleasant, and his embrace was warm—reassuring. That was Zhu Zhuqing's most direct feeling.

With his eyes slightly closed, Zu Zong blew a soft breath of warm air by her ear. Zhu Zhuqing's body trembled. She immediately softened, leaning into his chest.

Then, in a voice only the two of them could hear, Zu Zong whispered by her ear,

"I don't care who that Dai Mubai likes or what status he has. I only know you're the Zhuqing who said, before we parted, 'Come save me.' And I promised I would.

So, you're mine. You'll never escape."

"Mhm."

Zhu Zhuqing nodded, her small face pressed against Zu Zong's firm chest. So love at first sight really does exist…

Back in that cave in the Star Dou Great Forest, maybe from the very first moment she saw him, she had already fallen.

[Dai Mubai (choking on cold water): Why do I feel like I should dye my hair green?]

[Xiao Wu (crying in the bathroom): 555555555—Six years! I slept beside you for six whole years! And now you pull up your pants and get taken away by someone else—555555555—]

"From now on, I'll call you Xiao Zong! Calling you Zu Zong just sounds too awkward!"

"Sure, Zhuqing, I like it."

"Oh, right—Xiao Zong, earlier today at the Soto City gate, you didn't recognize me. But how did you recognize me just now in the dark?"

Hearing this, Zu Zong instinctively lowered his head and looked straight into Zhu Zhuqing's deep, snow-white cleavage. Even through the black leather outfit, it was still visible.

Gulp. So big!

Zhu Zhuqing, not hearing his reply for a long while, thought he was lost in thought. She looked up, puzzled, and their eyes met.

She saw that his gaze had changed. Though it was still gentle, there was now a strange glint in his eyes.

She had seen that same glint before—in Dai Mubai's eyes.

Thinking back to their earlier conversation, Zhu Zhuqing suddenly understood.

So that's it, huh?

I spent over two years thinking about you constantly, and all you remembered… was my chest?

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

She broke free from Zu Zong's embrace, lifted her ten-centimeter high heels, and stomped hard on his foot.

"AHHHH!"

That night, over half of Soto City heard Zu Zong's miserable scream.

[Author's Note: The main character and Zhuqing have now officially confirmed their relationship. Xiao Wu is crying in the bathroom.]

(End of Chapter)

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