Shen Moxuan!
Is it really him?
She opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't utter a word. She was in shocked.
Chen Kangle could feel her heart pounding so loudly in her chest, she was afraid he might hear it. Forcing herself to breathe, she finally asked, voice trembling,
"As in, University A's Mr. Shen from the Computing Department?"
He just looked at me calmly and unreadable.
"Earth's Shen Moxuan?"
He furrowed his brows slightly, then tilted his head. That faint smile curved his lips, unsettlingly gentle.
"What are you talking about? What's University A?" he asked seriously.
"What Earth?"
His voice was smooth. Convincing. And then he smiled again.
She froze.
"Uh…" she stammered, staring at that slight smile that looks more dazzling than a luxury penthouse.
"You're not Mr. Shen?" she asked again, this time louder, trying to shake off the unease.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he shifted, leaning back against the rough cave wall, his breathing just slightly uneven. The dim firelight flickered across his face, casting shadows under his eyes. Only now did she notice the tightness in his jaw, the way his hand pressed briefly to his side as if steadying himself.
He was exhausted.
"You must've mistaken me for someone else," he said, voice low but steady. "I'm Shen Moxuan… but not the one you're thinking of."
She stared at him, heart pounding.
"Then… who are you?"
He gave a small smile, almost a little sheepish. "Just a lone cultivator. I like to wander around while training."
He slid down to sit against the wall, the motion too slow and careful. He wasn't just tired, something's wrong with him.
"No sect?"
He shook his head. "None. I never liked being tied down." A short pause. "Except from that time... " He says, smile plastered on his face, his eyes bending to crescents. This time a big one, not that small smile that can be mistaken. It was genuine smile.
She froze. Her heart pounding heavily. He can't be Mr. Shen, their too different. But...
"But... back on Earth, you were a professor. You lectured about algorithms and data mining—you once made us watch a three-hour documentary on data security!"
He blinked. Then, "That Earth again?" he echoed, his brow furrowing. "Is that a city? Somewhere in the southern regions?"
"You're lying," she said, heart thudding. "You look exactly like him."
"A lots of people have similar faces in the world," he said, brushing his hair back with a weak hand. "Maybe fate has a limited supply."
Even their hairstyle is the same!
But Chen Kangle noticed how his hand trembled slightly as he dropped it back to his side.
"You're not well."
He exhaled, the corner of his mouth tugging in the barest hint of a grin. "Crossing into... this region was harder than I thought."
He caught himself. Chen Kangle caught it too.
"Crossing from where?" she asked slowly.
He met her gaze. But he said nothing.
Chen Kangle averted her gaze. "Nevermind I even asked. You should rest. Or if you're hungry, I also brought some food, you can eat that." she gestured to the basket that she had set on the ground.
"You should be alright here right?" she added.
"You're leaving?"
"Obviously... ?"
He looked past her, at the cave entrance covered with shrubs and branches.
"It looks like night has already fallen. Are you sure your going to walk back in the dark?" He asked, his brow forrowing.
"I have a lamp." Chen Kangle interjected.
"And leave me without light?" He raise his brows, questioning her.
"Maybe I can light you a fire?" she ask.
"Even if you light me a fire, I'm injured. What if a beast shows up?" He replied, sounding pitiful closing his eyes, as if even keeping them open was a struggle.
Chen Kangle stared at him, eyes wide. "You're really playing the 'wounded damsel' card right now?" she ask him, exasperated.
"It's working, though." He said nonchalantly.
She blew out a breath and looked up at the cave ceiling. "Fine."
"Just for tonight."
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Hello guys I already edited this part and made it a third person's point of view. I'm still editing the other chapters. :)