81: Chapter 81: Once a King 81: Chapter 81: Once a King āSo impressive!ā
After hearing his story, Lin Sisi couldnāt help but show a surprised and admiring expression on her face.
āYouā¦
you believe that?ā
Zhang Xiaoman saw her concentrated look and couldnāt help but ask.
Lin Sisi was slightly taken aback, then lowered her head, her face blushing as she said softly:
āHmmā¦
as long as itās something you sayā¦
I believe it allā¦ā
Zhang Xiaoman felt a sudden stiffness upon hearing this, and his old face suddenly had some trouble hanging on.
On one hand, he felt guilty for deceiving such a simple and blind young girl.
On the other hand, he felt that the girlās words just now had too much killing power, shaking his resolve as a bachelor of twenty-five years.
āGod knows I just wanted to tease her, who knew she would take it all seriously!ā
When Zhang Xiaoman remembered the words he had once mocked Pei Laoliu with, he felt a sense of helplessness:
āSuch outrageous brags, arenāt they supposed to be taken as just a joke?ā
Seeing the girlās āI believe whatever you sayā demeanor, Zhang Xiaoman naturally didnāt want to deceive her any further and abruptly changed the topic, asking:
āBy the way, tell me about yourself, what do you usually do at home alone?
Do any former classmates come to visit you?ā
Lin Sisi thought for a moment with her head down and said:
āBefore, I was always learning how to live this life.
Aunt Wang helped me a lot and even took me to buy a guide dog named Tutu.
Ah, itās the Golden Retriever you reminded me to take to the vet.
Itās still in the pet hospital now, it will be discharged in two daysā¦ā
āRecently, Iāve been learning to paint while blind, and I really want to try holding a brush againā¦ā
She paused here, then added with a hint of desolation:
āAs for the other classmatesā¦
no one has come to see meā¦
Iāve always been without friendsā¦ā
Zhang Xiaoman was initially listening with interest, but didnāt expect her to say that.
He frowned and asked:
āHow can you have no friends?
Do they discriminate against you?ā
Lin Sisi quickly shook her head and said, āNo, itās all my fault, no one has ever discriminated against meā¦ā
Having said this, she lowered her head again and explained:
āItās all my fault, I never paid attention to social interactions before.
I always thought that as long as I worked hard on my studies and painting, I didnāt need to care about other thingsā¦ā
āWhat?
What happened?ā
Zhang Xiaoman was somewhat puzzled.
He felt that such a pretty girl, even if she was a bit reclusive, should not lack friends; at the very least, she shouldnāt lack admirers.
Lin Sisi showed a self-deprecating smile on her face and said:
āI used to be really badā¦
When I was young, because of my grades, I skipped two grades and went to college early.
Later, I showed talent in painting and everyone praised me as a genius girlā¦ā
āI was always smug about it, wanting to be first in everything.
When others came to hang out with me, I coldly refused, thinking they were wasting my timeā¦
Eventually, everyone stopped bothering with me, and I was happy to have the free time, immersed in that false self-satisfactionā¦ā
As she spoke, she couldnāt help but burst into tears:
āUntil later, I had a car accident, my parents died, and I also lost my sight.
Everything I had was goneā¦
The prolonged darkness and loneliness made me realize how foolish and ignorant I had been beforeā¦ā
Seeing her cry, Zhang Xiaoman felt very uncomfortable too.
He reached out to pull out a tissue and handed it to her, consoling her:
āDonāt be sad, itās all over.
This isnāt your fault.
I used to fail my exams and never had the treatment you didā¦
Donāt worry, if you feel bored or need any help, just give me a call.ā
Lin Sisi took the tissue and wiped the corner of her eye, then whispered,
āThank you, Xiao Man⦠Brother, you are the only friend Iāve met since I lost my sight⦠well, perhaps even before thatā¦ā
As she spoke, she sniffled again.
āYou smell so nice, like sunlight, warm and comfortingā¦ā
Zhang Xiaoman felt somewhat embarrassed by her words.
The girl continued,
āI⦠have been learning to do blind drawing recently.
I want to draw what you look like.
Do you think thatās okayā¦ā
Zhang Xiaoman was taken aback.
Although he didnāt know how she would draw him, he nodded and murmured a yes.
Upon hearing his answer, Lin Sisiās face lit up with joy and anticipation.
She reached out her little hand slowly and gently caressed Zhang Xiaomanās face.
The latter felt her warm hand moving across his face and knew it was impossible not to have any thoughts about it.
However, when it came to matters of the heart, he was quite reserved and conservative, otherwise, he wouldnāt still be without a single romantic relationship so far.
He thought if it were Brother Hero, that veteran of love, he probably would have charmed her with just a few words by now.
After chatting idly for a while, Zhang Xiaoman turned to check on the progress of the Sand Soldiers cleaning up the living room; the instruction he had given them was to ārestore the hall to its original state.ā
āWhat the hell are you doing!?ā
When he saw what they were doing, Zhang Xiaoman immediately lost his composure.
Those two had actually been diligently using pieces of the monsterās shattered shell to reassemble its original form!
Startled by his outburst, Lin Sisi quickly asked what was happening.
āOh, itās nothing, itās nothing.
The creatures I summoned are just a bit dumb.
I need to give them some guidance,ā
Zhang Xiaoman explained.
Lin Sisi chuckled but said no more.
Zhang Xiaoman quickly checked the hall again.
Thankfully, although these creatures were rigid, they were reliable in their work.
The room had already been tidied up, with the position and angle of the items exactly the same as before.
Aside from the furniture that had been damaged in the recent fight, the entire hall had miraculously been restored to its previous state.
After helping Lin Sisi get accustomed to the slightly altered environment and filling in the holes in the ground that appeared due to summoning the Sand Soldiers, he checked the time, ready to head back.
The duration of the two Sand Soldiers was clearly nearly up.
Zhang Xiaoman directed them to the yard before he dispelled the summoning, leaving only a pile of sand and dust behind.
After saying goodbye to Lin Sisi, he found a dark alley outside and rubbed his hearthstone to return home.
ā¦
Once home, Zhang Xiaoman immediately changed his clothes and took a bath.
There was no helping it; during the monster fight, lots of the creatureās greenish-yellow blood had splattered on him, and he felt really uncomfortable not washing it off.
Finally, after taking care of a series of things, he had the time to tally up todayās gains.