17: Chapter 17 Girl, you've fallen for him.

"Why..."

This was the first question that lingered in Luo Qingqian's mind.

Especially after Li Fan finished detailing the ins and outs of his encounters with Qian Zhenzhen and Wen Xinmei, her doubts grew stronger, and a trace of anxiety even faintly emerged.

Because Li Fan spoke with such conviction, not as if he were joking, it made her heart tighten inexplicably, leaving her feeling uneasy.

She herself couldn't explain why hearing that Li Fan had two suitors from prominent families would cause such an unusual emotional reaction.

And Li Fan was just an ordinary Yan High School student; how could he attract Qian and Wen?

She had heard of those two, and the foundation of the families behind them was comparable even to the families of the Main Planet.

"There's nothing particularly special about him..."

Luo Qingqian muttered softly, raising her eyes to scrutinize Li Fan carefully.

His brow bones were refined, his gaze casual; he wasn't earth-shatteringly handsome, yet he exuded a sense of ease.

"He is a little bit handsome, I suppose." The moment this thought crossed Luo Qingqian's mind, she suddenly understood.

Her standards had likely been raised too high by the top immortal groups of the Main Planet; if she considered him "a little bit handsome," then in the eyes of ordinary people, he was already extraordinary.

"But that still shouldn't be it. The eye for talent of young ladies from noble families wouldn't be so shallow, would it?"

Luo Qingqian steadied herself and asked directly,

"What is your Aptitude?"

"Outstanding Talent." Li Fan answered concisely.

Luo Qingqian nodded gently, understanding in her heart; this was indeed the exact Aptitude most noble families sought when recruiting a son-in-law.

If the Aptitude was too low, the future potential wouldn't match the position; if it was too high, it would be easy for them to usurp the host.

"No wonder Qian Zhenzhen took a fancy to you; that is understandable. But Wen Xinmei is already a university Cultivator who has achieved a Breakthrough in Qi Refining; how could she be interested in you?"

Ordinary Cultivators generally do not choose Mortals. Even if the other person has decent Aptitude, cultivation takes time, and if a gap in strength persists between the two for too long, it is inevitable that a rift will form.

"Is there some other reason you haven't told me?" The look in Luo Qingqian's eyes turned somewhat suspicious as she gazed at Li Fan.

Li Fan scratched his head; he couldn't very well tell Luo Qingqian about that snow-white scene, so he had to make up an excuse.

"Maybe... because I am also a Cultivator."

"You've had a Breakthrough in Qi Refining?"

Luo Qingqian wasn't surprised; she still had such examples around her.

It was just that the vast majority of people would choose to have their Breakthrough after the school exam.

Li Fan nodded, not hiding anything.

"I am currently at Qi Refining Perfection."

Facing Luo Qingqian, he felt an exceptional level of trust, as if she were a friend he had known for many years.

When Luo Qingqian heard this, she couldn't sit still, her eyes full of disbelief.

"Qi Refining Perfection! Really?"

Seeing she didn't believe him, Li Fan directly pulled up the Realm determination interface on his student terminal, which displayed the four large characters: "Qi Refining Perfection."

The student terminal's determination never erred for the first three Realms. Luo Qingqian stared at that line of text, speechless for a moment.

Ultimately, Aptitude only determines the upper limit of cultivation and has no absolute correlation with the speed of improvement, but even for her, it was rare to see an [Outstanding Talent] Aptitude break through this quickly.

"In that case, it makes sense for Wen Xinmei to take a fancy to you. With [Outstanding Talent] Aptitude, it won't be hard to touch Golden Core Perfection in the future, and if the Opportunity arrives, a Breakthrough to Nascent Soul isn't impossible."

She paused and analyzed further.

"Especially since the Wen family has an older sister holding down the fort, Wen Xinmei can indeed be more impulsive."

Among the noble families of Baigong Planet worth mentioning, only the Qian and Wen families had soft persimmons that could be squeezed. How did Li Fan happen to run into both of them?

Thinking this way, the unease in Luo Qingqian's heart suddenly intensified.

She had originally thought that her Aptitude was far superior to Li Fan's and that she only needed to not care about the cultivation gap in the future.

Unexpectedly, Li Fan was already far ahead. Would he mind the gap in cultivation?

And there were actually two women with impressive backgrounds pursuing him!

Luo Qingqian's heart was in chaos.

As Luo Qingqian felt apprehensive, Li Fan's mood wasn't much better; he frowned.

"Qian Zhenzhen wants me to find her tomorrow, otherwise she'll come to my door. What do you think, should I go?"

Hearing this, Luo Qingqian blurted out,

"Don't go!"

"Why?" Li Fan was stunned, feeling puzzled. Luo Qingqian was so decisive; could she have thought of a good method?

"Naturally, it's... it's... because..."

Luo Qingqian stammered, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She hadn't thought of any method; she simply didn't want Li Fan to have too much contact with other women.

She couldn't explain the origin of this sentiment herself. They had only known each other for a few days, and were just classmates, but the thought of him going to see Qian Zhenzhen made her feel stifled.

In her haste, she made up a random excuse.

"If you go, she will definitely hold you hostage and make you her Dao Companion!"

"Then what should I do?" Li Fan was even more worried. "You know her background. If she really comes to my door, I won't even be able to hide."

This was indeed a difficult problem. Luo Qingqian twisted the corner of her clothes, head lowered in deep thought.

A bold idea popped up; she couldn't believe she could say this sentence.

"How about... you cancel this apartment and come live at my place?"

She added quickly, as if looking for an excuse for herself, or as if trying to convince herself.

"As long as you don't live at the officially assigned address, she definitely won't be able to find you for a while."

She kept telling herself in her heart, 'I'm just helping him, there's absolutely no other meaning, absolutely none.'

Li Fan thought for a moment and agreed immediately.

"Alright, I'll move to your place in a while. Anyway, I don't have much to pack."

"Ah! So fast?"

Luo Qingqian didn't expect Li Fan to agree so readily, and she felt both panicked and happy.

"I... I'll go back and pack up first. You wait... wait a while before coming over."

After speaking, she scurried back to the door across the hall, her footsteps even stumbling a bit.

Li Fan took this time to handle the checkout procedures for the official apartment and tidied up a bit.

Once packed, he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, lamenting that he had to move not long after moving in, when two continuous roaring sounds arrived.

He went to the window and looked up; huge flying vehicles were speeding past, their bodies respectively stamped with the logos of the "Junxuan Division" and the "Secret Realm Administration Bureau."

"What happened?"

Li Fan felt a bit strange.

It was rare in recent years for the two divisions to act together; it had been more common when he was a child.

As he was pondering, Luo Qingqian's soft voice came from the doorway.

"Um... I've finished tidying up. You can come over."

She had her hands behind her back, her head slightly lowered, and she didn't even dare to make eye contact with Li Fan.

Li Fan didn't think much more about it and followed her into the apartment across the hall.

Upon entering, his first feeling was that it was "crowded." Luo Qingqian's apartment was clearly two apartments joined together, with twice the area of his own.

But most of the space was taken up by newly installed clothing racks, hung full of various types of clothes.

Li Fan took a closer look: casual wear, daily attire, and even performance costumes from immortal groups, in all sorts of styles, dazzling to the eye.

He had guessed during the party that Luo Qingqian was also a fan of immortal groups, so he wasn't surprised, but when his gaze swept over some of the clothes, he felt a bit puzzled.

"Qingqian, aren't you a fan of 'Feise'? Why do you even have items from their rival 'Xianmi'?"

Luo Qingqian had already prepared an excuse and spoke quickly.

"Actually, I follow both groups. That day I was really feeling a bit unwell and wanted to go out to get some fresh air."

Li Fan nodded, half-believing, and didn't probe further.

Luo Qingqian quickly changed the subject and pulled him inside.

"You just live here."

Because it was two apartments joined together, there happened to be a bedroom exactly the same as the one Li Fan had lived in before.

"How is it? It's not much different from your original room, is it?"

Li Fan was of course satisfied; for him, as long as there was a place to sleep, everything else was unimportant.

"Thank you, Student Luo."

Hearing this, Luo Qingqian looked up and said softly,

"Just call me... Qingqian."

There was a hint of anticipation in her eyes when she said this, and Li Fan changed his address very quickly.

"Thanks, Qingqian."

"Yeah!" Luo Qingqian responded loudly on purpose, the joy overflowing between her brows.

"Then I'll be staying at your place for the days before the school exam." Li Fan continued, speaking casually.

But these words made the joy in Luo Qingqian's heart fade a little, replaced by a trace of disappointment.

After the school exam, she would definitely have to change her accommodation when she went to university; there wouldn't be many days like this of being together day and night.

The separation that was bound to come pressed on Luo Qingqian's heart like a stone, adding a touch of melancholy to the time she spent with Li Fan that afternoon.

At night, Li Fan lay on the bed in his new room, still surfing the internet with great interest.

Meanwhile, in Luo Qingqian's room, she hesitated for a long time before finally dialing a voice call.

On the other end of the line, Chang Yufei was applying heavy makeup in front of the mirror, her expression carrying a touch of maturity. Seeing it was Luo Qingqian's call, she joked with a smile.

"Yo, Shuying Bao, you still remember to call me?"

"Sister Yufei," Luo Qingqian's voice carried a hint of conflict. "Didn't I retire to Baigong Planet to attend school? I met a male classmate here..."

"Did he upset you?" Chang Yufei asked casually while lining her eyes.

She was the only one in the Xianmi Group who was still in university; whenever the young girls in the group had strange worries, they loved to seek her counsel.

"No... it's just... I don't know what's wrong with me." Luo Qingqian hugged her pillow. "When he is by my side, I feel especially comfortable, and if I can't see him, I feel a little bit uncomfortable."

As soon as these words were out, Chang Yufei's hand, which was applying makeup, stopped instantly, her tone full of disbelief.

"Say that again?"

"Oh, I mean when I'm with him, I feel very happy." Luo Qingqian was a bit shy. "Am I... sick?"

Chang Yufei sighed and saw through it at a glance.

"Silly child, sick? You've fallen for him."

On this end of the phone, Luo Qingqian fell silent instantly, arguing back with a flushed face after a long while, her tone carrying a hint of panic.

"Ho... how is that possible! I've only known him for... for a few days!"

Listening to her anxious words, Chang Yufei couldn't help but chuckle.

"Then do you find yourself thinking of him inadvertently no matter what you do? When you open your terminal, is he the first chat box you click on to see if he's replied to your message?"

Luo Qingqian was shocked and blurted out, "How did you know?!"

Chang Yufei shook her head helplessly.

"My Shuying, you've only been away from the Main Planet for a few days, and you've already been snatched away by someone?"

Hearing the words "snatched away," Luo Qingqian's earlobes turned completely red. Thinking of how Li Fan was currently staying at her house, she muttered softly,

"Not at all, it's more like I was the one who snatched him away."

"What?!" Chang Yufei didn't hear clearly.

"No, nothing." Luo Qingqian quickly glossed over it.

Chang Yufei didn't press the issue, picked up her makeup brush again, and said earnestly,

"You young girls, you just have too little emotional experience and panic over the smallest things."

"Unlike me, I've seen too much and haven't believed in so-called love for a long time."

"Maybe he's just a jerk who is deceiving you."

Luo Qingqian was immediately displeased and retorted softly,

"He's not like that, don't you dare say that about him! Besides, Sister Yufei, you aren't that much older than me, are you?"

"Hey, still saying he's not," Chang Yufei teased. "You've only known him for a few days, and you're already siding with him."

"That's fine, get played once early on, so you can focus on the Dao in the future."

Then she changed the subject, her tone becoming a bit more serious.

"But remember, don't give it to him."

Luo Qingqian was completely baffled.

"Give what?"

Chang Yufei's light laughter came from the other side of the phone, carrying a hint of playfulness.

"You'll know when you want to give it. When that time comes, you have to remember these words of mine: as a girl, you must be a bit reserved!"

Finally, she seemed to pass judgment on Luo Qingqian.

"Go, Shuying, go boldly pursue your love."

Having said that, she hung up the phone directly.

In front of the mirror, Chang Yufei looked at her makeup and muttered to herself,

"Men only think about those dirty things; in this life, I could never believe in so-called love again."

The voices of other group members came from outside the door.

"Sister Yufei, it's about to start!"

Chang Yufei responded, a flash of triumph in her eyes,

"Just like this, keep all men under your feet and stand high up yourself; that is how it should be."

...

In Luo Qingqian's room, she rolled back and forth on the bed, her heart in a mess.

"What to do, what to do, should I confess to him tomorrow?"

But then she thought about how Li Fan had talked about Qian Zhenzhen and Wen Xinmei that afternoon, and how they had immediately asked him to be their Dao Companion...

If she were so direct, wouldn't she be the same as those two?

"Wouldn't Brother Fan, like he dodged those two women, dodge me in the future and not want to see me?"

Thinking of this possibility, Luo Qingqian dismissed the idea of confessing directly, filled with disappointment.

"Then what should I do? How did I forget to ask Sister Yufei about the most critical step..."

So she hurriedly picked up her terminal and sent a message to Chang Yufei.

'Sister Yufei, how can I ensure a 100% success rate when confessing?'

Seeing the message, Chang Yufei could only find it amusing; this child was probably truly head over heels in love, so she simply replied with one sentence.

'You are Luo Shuying.'

Looking at these five words, Luo Qingqian was stunned, then reached out to touch her cheek, a light gradually brightening in her eyes, and she already had an idea in her heart.

Although Sister Yufei didn't know that she had temporarily changed her appearance due to her dual Spiritual Root, this sentence was not wrong.

She was Luo Shuying, the former popular headliner of Xianmi, the Luo Shuying that Li Fan liked.

As long as she waited for the school exam to end and got into university, she would immediately achieve a Breakthrough in the Qi Refining Realm, fully master her dual Spiritual Root, and restore her appearance.

At that time, if she confessed to Li Fan again, he would definitely not refuse.

Luo Qingqian clenched her fists, beginning to look forward to the arrival of the school exam.