Chapter 51: Shopping Spree

After a wonderfully restful sleep, Chen Mo woke up the next morning to find that his little sister was nowhere to be seen!

Normally, Ning Xuan loved to sleep in, so her absence was most unusual. Chen Mo’s mind cleared in an instant; he leapt out of bed, ready to search for her, only to find his sister in the living room, admiring herself in the mirror.

“Brother, you lazy pig, you’re only getting up now? I’ve been waiting for ages! Hurry up, let’s go out! Today you have to do everything I say, I want to shop and shop and shop!”

Chen Mo’s face was full of doting affection. “Alright, alright, Your Highness, today I’ll do whatever you wish!”

In the past, all their money had been managed by Chen Mo. Even money Ning Xuan earned herself had to be handed over to him because Chen Mo was the one who had to carefully budget to keep them both afloat. But today, Ning Xuan finally had money of her own! She was dying to experience what it felt like to spend freely—a dream she had every night.

Ning Xuan was like a bird set free, soaring in joy and liberty.

First, the two flew to Star City’s largest square—May First Square!

May First Square was the most dazzling part of Star City, where high-end malls and global brands gathered; if you could think of it, you could buy it here.

On the open-air LED screens above May First Square, a special commercial was playing. An unknown young man appeared in a scene reminiscent of the Temple Run from the Evolutionary Orb, with a line of text beneath him: “China Regional Rank 200—Killer.”

Then, the youth codenamed “Killer” sprinted like the wind—his speed, though not quite matching Chen Mo’s, was at least ten times faster than an ordinary person!

From the roughness of the footage, it was clearly not special effects, but real.

At the end of the advertisement, the slogan flashed up: “Xtep—Feel the Flight!”

On another LED billboard, a young woman appeared, with a line of text: “China Regional Rank 356—Bai Zhe.”

The scene shifted to the famous Yangtze River Bridge, teeming with traffic and pedestrians. There, our heroine Bai Zhe, with her long silver hair, a ghoul mask, and a pair of translucent blood-red wings unfurled from her back, soared over the bridge.

Then, another slogan appeared: “Metersbonwe—Walk an Unusual Path.”

Stunning! Astonishing!

Chen Mo gazed at the myriad billboards around May First Square, deeply shaken. After a month of training at the School for Evolutionaries, he hadn’t realized just how much the world outside had changed.

Evolutionaries were no longer mysterious figures; instead, they had embedded themselves within everyday life. Many top-ranked evolutionaries had become the most sought-after collaborators for major brands. Those once-hot pop idols and internet celebrities were instantly cast aside. No one chased after them anymore—evolutionaries were the new stars!

Besides filming commercials, some evolutionaries had even begun to infiltrate traditional industries. For example, a street-sweeping job now had a model worker: an evolutionary with the power to absorb surrounding debris.

Many people regretted not registering at the Evolution Center earlier and missing the prime week-long window; now, it was too late for them, as the micro-neurons in their brains had faded away due to lack of energy.

Even so, to avoid conflict between evolutionaries and ordinary people, the government introduced a series of restrictions on evolutionary employment: the number of evolutionaries in any sector, their working hours, and so on. This ensured that ordinary people still had job opportunities. Overall, society was now harmonious, with people and evolutionaries living side by side. Fights and brawls had greatly diminished, as no one could tell if a frail-looking person might be an evolutionary. If you accidentally crossed one, you might end up in serious trouble, so everyone kept things polite—at least on the surface.

“Brother! What are you staring at? Gawking at a single ad for so long! Hurry up, I want to buy dresses!” Ning Xuan huffed impatiently.

“Wait for me!”

Since childhood, Ning Xuan had loved pretty things and dressing up. Even when she had no money, she would pick wildflowers by the roadside, tuck them into her hair, or crush them in a bottle to use as rouge or lipstick. Chen Mo had teased her countless times for this, but Ning Xuan never tired of it.

Now that she had money, nothing could stop her.

“Boss, I’ll take this lipstick. And that one, and that one too—I’ll take them all!”

“Boss, does this dress come in other colors? I’ll take every color you have!”

“Boss, I want a bottle of every scent of perfume you have!”

“Boss…”

Chen Mo was on the verge of tears. He looked like a Christmas tree, his entire body draped with shopping bags.

Dresses, jewelry, cosmetics, plush toys, handbags, hairbands, a new phone—anything and everything!

Ning Xuan even had a pair of platinum rings custom-made at the jewelry shop—simple circular bands with a diamond-shaped facet on top.

One was engraved with “Mo,” the other with “Xuan.”

Ning Xuan wore the “Mo” ring, while Chen Mo wore the “Xuan” ring. Among everything Ning Xuan bought, these rings pleased Chen Mo the most.

Chen Mo arranged for the mall’s delivery service to have everything sent to the school. Ning Xuan’s A-Class dormitory was huge—formerly a teacher’s apartment, with two bedrooms and a living room—more than spacious enough for all her treasures.

Flushed with excitement, Ning Xuan’s cheeks were as red as apples. “Brother, I’m so happy! I bought so, so, so many beautiful things. I’m so lucky, so happy!”

“Ning Xuan! Wasn’t your greatest wish to visit the amusement park? Now you have two choices: keep shopping this afternoon, or go to the amusement park!”

Ning Xuan glanced at the many shops yet unvisited, biting her lip in longing, but the thought of the amusement park made her relinquish her shopping with great reluctance. She raised both hands: “Amusement park! Let’s go to the amusement park this afternoon! Hurray!”

Since Ning Xuan was fond of TV dramas—especially melodramatic romances—she insisted on lunch at a western restaurant to experience the romance she’d seen on screen. But hunger got the better of her, and she devoured her meal with both hands, not savoring a single romantic moment.

In the afternoon, Chen Mo took Ning Xuan to Star City’s largest amusement park—Window of the World.

They rode innocent carousel horses, braved thrilling roller coasters, wandered through haunted houses, and shared fairytale moments on the Ferris wheel. Laughter and joy filled the air; for this brother and sister, it was the happiest day of all.