Chapter 94: Chinese Chess

After wandering around the activity area, Xing Yuxiu suggested they get something to eat. Shi Ji, however, needed to buy some things and told Xing Yuxiu to go ahead and eat first. So, they parted ways.

At Yinshuang Academy, the items in the supermarket, much like those in the cafeteria, could mostly be taken for free. The available items were categorized into three classes. Students with low academic credits could take fewer items for free, while those with higher credits could take more. Items that couldn’t be taken for free had to be paid for separately.

Shi Ji said he was going to buy things, but in reality, he was taking items according to the rules. He wouldn’t be willing to spend money unless it was something cheap or necessary.

Considering that tomorrow was the weekend and he had plans to go to the Star Alliance with Xinyan, he figured it was okay to stay up late tonight. He decided to grab some snacks to watch TV later. Although he could have waited until the afternoon to shop, he had other plans, so he did it in advance.

After walking around the large supermarket, Shi Ji picked up a few snacks. He believed in eating in moderation at night, remembering past experiences where overeating caused him stomach issues. 

Once, after eating too much at night, he ended up in a sketchy hospital where the medication was so expensive that two months’ worth of food money was gone in two days.

As he was about to leave with his items, something on the shelf caught his eye. He took a few steps, then backed up.

Shi Ji squatted down in front of a somewhat obscure shelf. There were some Chinese chess sets displayed.

For a moment, Shi Ji recalled what the male teacher had mentioned in class.

He reached for a box, opened it without thinking, and removed the packaging. He picked up a red “pawn” piece.

Holding the piece, Shi Ji stared at it intently.

Just then, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

Startled, Shi Ji turned around to see Xinyan standing beside him, smiling and holding a few small bags of snacks.

“Heh! From this angle, one more step and I could see under your skirt,” Shi Ji joked.

Xinyan pouted, “Pervert.”

It turned out that Xinyan had the same idea as Shi Ji, planning to have some fun tonight, so she bought some snacks. The reason they shopped in advance was also because of the afternoon event.

When they went to pay, Shi Ji realized that the chess set he picked up wasn’t free. The price wasn’t high, so he readily pulled out some loose change from his pocket and handed it to the cashier.

As they left the supermarket, Xinyan’s attention was on the chess set Shi Ji had bought.

“I didn’t expect you to be interested in chess,” she remarked.

Shi Ji replied, “It’s just for decoration. I just listened to the teacher’s talk about the history of Star Heroes. I thought this kind of thing had some significance.”

Talking about this, Shi Ji couldn’t help but ask Xinyan a question.

“Xinyan, do you think pawns are really useless in this world?”

Xinyan was visibly taken aback by Shi Ji’s question. Then her expression returned to normal.

“Of course not, aren’t you a pawn?”

Saying this, Xinyan stopped altogether.

“Actually, in my mind, pawns have always had a special meaning. But as for exactly why, I can’t really say. It’s just a feeling. Star Heroes are so mysterious. Isn’t there a saying now about Star Heroes becoming tangible? I remember there’s an X-rank hero who was a pawn. Through her own efforts, she eventually awakened her tangible Star Soul and advanced to a general. I wonder when I can reach that stage. I’m looking forward to it.”

As she spoke, Xinyan began to look forward to the future.

Listening to Xinyan, Shi Ji really felt that this girl was truly special. She was real yet a bit naive. Her constitution, her personality, her thoughts.

For a moment, Shi Ji suddenly smiled. At this moment, he seemed to have found a friend he could genuinely be close to. It had been a long time since he felt this way.

“Xinyan, let’s go eat. My treat.”

That noon, neither of them ate meat as Xinyan joined Shi Ji in eating the cheapest lunch.