Half an hour later, Su Cheng returned home, placed his things on the dining table, took off his school uniform, and changed into casual clothes before heading to the kitchen to make a cake.
The cake he planned to make was simple—just a plain egg and milk cake.
He knew how to make ordinary cakes, and he had an oven at home.
This time, he made a bit more than usual. Besides the one he had promised Cornelia, he also prepared one for Grandma Li, who had given him dumplings last time.
After more than an hour, Su Cheng had finished making the cakes. He sat on the sofa to rest for a moment.
He pulled out his phone and checked his messages. When he saw Liu Qingyue's message, he couldn't help but frown.
It dawned on him that Liu Qingyue had been out of contact for over a week.
However, he decided not to dwell on this matter. Instead, he found Cornelia's chat window and sent her a message: "Your cake is ready. Wait for me at the villa entrance, and I'll bring it to you."
One minute later
DuckDuck: "Got it."
Su Cheng stood up, divided the cake into two portions, and added two bottles of Walnut Drink before nodding in satisfaction. He then picked up the cakes and headed downstairs.
He thought there was a chance Ailiya might be staying with Cornelia, so he prepared two portions.
When he arrived at the villa entrance, Cornelia was sitting alone on a stone bench, her hands propping up her cheeks. She looked a bit dazed, and her cute white stockings were swinging aimlessly.
Seeing Su Cheng, her eyes lit up.
Cornelia jumped off the bench and, noticing the two bottles of drink in the bag, her eyes brightened even more.
"Here's your cake."
Su Cheng handed her the bag.
"Why did you put these ugly drinks in again? Ugh."
Cornelia glanced at the drinks in the bag, her delicate doll-like face filled with disgust.
"Fine, then I'll take them back."
Su Cheng pretended to take the drinks out, which startled Cornelia. She quickly stretched out her little hand to block him, her beautiful blue eyes wide with a threatening look that seemed to say, "If you dare, I'll bite you!"
"What?"
Su Cheng couldn't help but smile at Cornelia's nervous expression.
"Just leave them there. It's too troublesome to take them out now."
Cornelia said seriously, though her voice carried a hint of coquettishness, making Su Cheng want to laugh.
"Alright, I'm heading back then."
After handing her the bag, Su Cheng turned and left.
Cornelia watched his retreating figure, then looked down at the cake and drinks in the bag. A goofy smile spread across her lips: "Hehehe…"
…
Su Cheng returned home and took out his phone to find Li Guanqi's chat window. He sent a message: "Let's meet at 9 AM tomorrow. Send me your location."
Li Guanqi quickly replied: "Okay."
………………………………………………
The next morning.
Su Cheng woke up early. After getting dressed, he went to the balcony, enjoying the gentle breeze and fresh air, feeling quite content.
Last night was the first time in a long while that he had slept soundly. It was the most restful night he had had in recent times.
Perhaps it was because it was his first time going shopping with a girl, and he subconsciously wanted to be well-rested and not show up with dark circles under his eyes.
After all, Li Guanqi usually nagged him to get enough rest, and he didn't want to disappoint her right away.
After stretching, he went to the bathroom to wash up. But when he looked at himself in the mirror, he froze.
In the mirror, although his dark circles were not as prominent as before, his eyes no longer had the bright, lively sparkle they once had. Instead, they looked dull and unfocused, his gaze wandering aimlessly.
"What's going on?"
Su Cheng was startled. Then he touched his lips, which were also slightly darkened.
Could it be…
A sense of foreboding suddenly crept into his heart.
Su Cheng took a deep breath, shook his head forcefully, and turned on the cold water, splashing it on his face.
After washing up, he headed to a nearby makeup store.
With his current appearance, anyone could tell there was something seriously wrong with him. And he couldn't let others notice.
..............................
In the makeup store.
"Sir, what shade of lipstick are you looking for?"
The salesclerk enthusiastically asked.
Su Cheng scanned the shelves and said, "Light red."
"How about this one? It's very flattering."
The salesclerk pointed to a light red lipstick nearby.
"Sure, that one."
Su Cheng nodded.
After purchasing it, he went to an eyewear store.
"Do you have colored contact lenses?"
"Colored contacts? Of course!"
The salesclerk quickly fetched a box of various colored contacts from the display, introducing them enthusiastically: "These are very popular among boys."
Su Cheng took one look and his mouth twitched uncontrollably. The contents of the box were truly mind-blowing.
There were lenses like Sharingan, Rinnegan, the Eye of Death Perception, Contract Eye, and the Evil King's True Eye, among others.
"Just something ordinary, nothing too fancy."
Su Cheng said, glancing at the lenses.
"Alright, sir, please wait a moment."
As the clerk was about to fetch other options, Su Cheng's gaze lingered on the over-the-top colored contacts, his eyes stopping at the 'Death-Piercing Eyes'. He subconsciously swallowed.
To be honest, these contacts were incredibly cool, and he was tempted. But after glancing at the price, he dismissed the idea. Besides, he felt that such things were only for self-indulgence and releasing his hidden inner "middle school second illness".
There was no real need to buy them; doing so would just make him look foolish.
After a long while, he left the store with two pairs of contacts in hand. Looking at the "Eye of Death" in one of the boxes, he muttered guiltily, "Sorry, little money, I've never bought anything this cool in my life."
Back at home, he couldn't wait to apply the lipstick and put on the contacts. Gazing at himself in the mirror, he nodded in satisfaction.
In the mirror, his irises had three colors: an outer ring of blue, a middle ring of red, and an inner ring of black.
It was the legendary 'Death Perception Eye', said to be capable of killing anything.
"There's nothing I can't kill!"
Su Cheng said slowly, staring at his reflection, uttering this Chuunibyou line.
Immediately, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment, and he quickly lowered his head, taking off the contacts and putting on a plain black pair instead.
He changed into another outfit and left the apartment, looking just like any ordinary person.
…………………………