William Carter watched as David Bolton walked up to the bus stop, nervously clenching his fists and feeling sweat in his palms. He even began to regret it—he had been far too impulsive just now and should have given up.

David Bolton easily made his way to Grace Howard's side. In front of so many classmates, he handed her the letter and said concisely, "Here!"

It was only at this moment that David Bolton finally got a clear look at Grace Howard. She was indeed beautiful. Although not quite breathtaking, she was still one in a thousand. With looks like that, she already had the power to captivate the masses in the mortal world.

The whole world seemed to fall silent with David Bolton's action. When the surrounding classmates saw that he was the one delivering the letter, their surprise and shock quickly turned into ridicule.

This guy actually dared to give Grace Howard a letter—like a toad lusting after a swan! Still, some secretly admired him; after all, most people didn't have his kind of courage.

Grace Howard's expression was as cold as a block of ice refusing to melt. She had no intention of accepting the letter at all. Turning her pretty face away to look into the distance, she showed that this wasn't the first time she'd encountered such a situation. The best way to handle it was to ignore it and let the other party give up.

Anyone else would probably have slunk away in embarrassment, but David Bolton didn't do that. He stubbornly held out the letter again: "Here!"

Grace Howard frowned in disgust, but this time she didn't refuse. Her keen intelligence told her she was dealing with a persistent person. If she kept resisting, she'd only embarrass herself in front of everyone. So, Grace Howard actually took the letter.

From this action, David Bolton could already tell that this girl was exceptionally smart. She didn't take the letter to save his pride, but because she feared his stubbornness would end up making her look bad.

This girl was no ordinary person. From another perspective, she didn't need to stoop to his level. As the saying goes, good shoes don't step in dog poop. Right now, in the eyes of those around him, he was that big pile of dog mess everyone avoided.

When David Bolton turned to leave, William Carter was nowhere to be seen. The mastermind behind this whole incident, worried about being exposed on the spot, had already vanished without a trace.

David Bolton wasn't surprised. When William Carter asked him to deliver the letter, he'd already seen the cowardice in his expression.

The orange bus carried away the deep-blue-clad Grace Howard. Only then did David Bolton realize he was wearing the same clothes as her. But on him, the outfit felt restrictive and awkward. Was it just a coincidence? Looking up, he saw all the other classmates were dressed in the same color and style.

This world was a bit chaotic.

Chapter Four: Fleeting Life

David Bolton was sure William Carter would come back. As he mulled things over, he felt the various status values in his mind fluctuating up and down, making him dizzy and lightheaded.

Staring at this unfamiliar world, he had no idea where to go. All he could do was wait patiently—for a guide to come to him.

He waited at the spot for fifteen minutes, seeing off the sixth bus at the stop, before finally spotting William Carter pushing his bike out from the alley on the right.

His face was flushed, and he looked deeply regretful. He'd spent those fifteen minutes hiding in the alley, considering every possible consequence. In the end, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't signed his name on the painstakingly written love letter to Grace Howard, and the whole thing had been printed out.

William Carter was very glad for his cleverness, but at the same time, he felt guilty. Wouldn't this mean Grace Howard would blame David Bolton for the letter?

William Carter wasn't worried about doing all the work for someone else's benefit. After all, as long as someone had even a normal IQ, there was no way they'd like David Bolton. He just felt bad about making his old friend take the fall.

"You gave it to her?"

"Yeah!"

"You didn't say I asked you to deliver it, right?"

David Bolton shook his head, seeing that this guy was the type to stir up trouble but not take responsibility.

William Carter breathed a sigh of relief. Forget it, better not to overthink. Let Grace Howard misunderstand for now. Everything could wait until after the college entrance exam—once he got his university acceptance letter, he'd confess to her himself.

"Come on, I'll treat you to some skewers!"

"Can we skip the skewers? I'm starving." David Bolton's empty stomach was already grumbling in protest.

When you're full and warm, you start thinking about other desires, but as a newcomer to this place, David Bolton wasn't in the mood. A thousand years in the Celestial Palace, a long, lonely path of cultivation in the forbidden realm—how to relieve worries? Only with a skewer. He'd long grown tired of those monotonous days.

William Carter was momentarily stunned, but then he laughed, "Alright, let's go get some noodles."

William Carter's family wasn't well-off either, but this time, to thank David Bolton for his help and to express his apology, he generously took out twenty yuan and treated David Bolton to a big bowl of Old Zhai's noodles with extra beef.

After a satisfying meal, David Bolton claimed he wasn't feeling well and took the opportunity to have William Carter personally escort him home.

In fact, David Bolton wasn't unwell at all. He said that just so William Carter would take him home—otherwise, he wouldn't have found his way so easily.

His home was in a shantytown, with many walls already spray-painted with bright red demolition characters and a circle drawn around them. William Carter, eager to get home and study, dropped David Bolton off at his door and hurried away.