She's a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist's Halo-Chapter 91

When Yan and her two companions finally caught up with Da He's group at their destination, the sight of Ding Ling left Yan, Zhu Jue, and Chu Shen utterly stunned.

Yan: !

Yesterday, Ding Ling had told her she’d already returned to Ning City but still had some business to attend to. Recalling Ding Ling’s earlier mention of the so-called "Ascension Assembly," Yan blinked rapidly. Her thoughts turned to Da He, and as she mentally reviewed the actions of the people in this "group," a sudden realization dawned on her.

So this was the Ascension Assembly?

Had they accidentally stumbled into the Ascension Assembly with Chu Shen in tow?

Originally, when Yan heard Ding Ling mention the Ascension Assembly and its young disciples, she had assumed it was some secretive event held at a special location.

But here it was—on the Great Wall?

This was something she’d never have guessed in a million years!

Now, as Yan and Ding Ling locked eyes, Yan fell silent at the knowing look in Ding Ling’s expression.

Was Ding Ling thinking something ridiculous again?

This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

"Yan, isn’t that your roommate? Ding Ling is here too?" Chu Shen asked.

Yan nodded silently, still trying to figure out how to explain Ding Ling’s presence when Ding Ling took the initiative to approach them.

"Senior, you know Miss Ding…?" Da He was visibly surprised.

"We’re college roommates," Ding Ling replied.

In that short time, she had already prepared a plausible excuse.

Chu Shen glanced between them, scratching his head.

"Wish we’d known earlier—we could’ve come together. Would’ve saved us some trouble."

Ding Ling quickly explained, "I came to record and survey different sections of the Great Wall. Didn’t expect to run into you all."

Hearing this, Da He sighed in relief, and Chu Shen’s face lit up with understanding.

"Oh right, you’re studying archaeology. Is this your department’s team? Or a winter break research group? No wonder I saw tools in your bags earlier."

Yan stayed quiet, feeling relieved. Ding Ling had matured—her explanation was perfectly reasonable, sparing Yan the need to scramble for excuses.

Now, both she and Zhu Jue wore expressions of "sudden realization," pretending they knew nothing.

Ding Ling observed the couple’s act. If she hadn’t known their secrets, she might’ve actually been fooled by their acting skills.

As a special guest invited to this year’s Ascension Assembly—a Ghost King unaffiliated with any faction of the mystical sects—Ding Ling practically had "fair, impartial, and transparent" written all over her.

She had released her spiritual energy to observe the participants of the Ascension Assembly, and the resulting field had extended to the edges where Yan’s group happened to be. That was how they’d caught fragments of conversation.

Ding Ling hadn’t meant to eavesdrop, but she’d unintentionally overheard another secret.

"Ling, want to join us?" Yan asked.

Ding Ling shook her head. "No, I still have work with the team. I’ll be busy for the next few days."

The trio had already walked quite a distance, and nearby was a path leading downward. After bidding farewell to Da He and Ding Ling, the three of them trudged through the snow as they descended.

On the way down, Chu Shen couldn’t help but muse aloud.

"Yan, your dorm is seriously competitive. The dorm leader is already shadowing an agronomy professor, and Ding Ling’s out here with a research team. And we’re only freshmen! Compared to them, I feel kind of useless."

Though Chu Shen had gotten into Bin University, he’d never considered himself particularly brilliant.

Especially after playing around with Tan Dabao and Tan Xiaobao yesterday, he felt like a complete slacker.

After all, his college wasn’t one of Bin University’s prestigious ones—not the medical school, economics, liberal arts, or computer science. It was middling at best.

Chu Shen had always known that top-tier university students started grinding for grades, internships, and research experience from freshman year.

But whether it was Yi Zhi, who’d caught a professor’s eye as a freshman, or Ding Ling, already on fieldwork at the Great Wall, both were clearly exceptional—either prodigies or relentless overachievers.

Chu Shen thought about himself. In cooking, he felt he only had some family background. Before obtaining the Chef God System, his skills were just good enough to make decent meals for himself.

Back when his grandfather ran the small restaurant, Chu Shen had only helped with serving and cleaning—his grandfather never let him near the kitchen, insisting he focus entirely on studying.

Without the dream training and intensive mentorship from top chefs in the Chef God System, Chu Shen believed that even if he loved cooking, he’d have remained just an ordinary person who happened to cook well.

Though he’d never been particularly ambitious, the comparison made him reflect—had he been too complacent in school?

Listening to Chu Shen’s words, Yan bit her lip. How could she explain? Some things were better left unsaid. Let Chu Shen think what he wanted.

But then an idea struck her. "Chu Shen, you’re plenty competitive yourself. We only attend classes five days a week—you’re in class five days and working two."

Zhu Jue chimed in, "We’re freshmen, and you’re already on a 9-9-7 schedule. You’re the real overachiever here."

Hearing this from the couple, Chu Shen fell silent.

Was that true?

He was already working seven days a week before even graduating—was that normal?

"You guys have a point," Chu Shen muttered, his steps faltering slightly as they descended.

"And Ding Ling and Yi Zhi—my roommates—they actually rest on weekends. This is just winter break. At our school, not doing internships during holidays is the exception. You, Chu Shen, are the real grind king of the entire university," Yan concluded.

She and Zhu Jue weren’t competitive at all. Compared to Yi Zhi, who’d sold who-knows-how-much fruit, Ding Ling the Ghost King who vanished every week, or Gu Jiasui hustling for gigs on weekends, she and Zhu Jue spent their weekends having fun.

Huh? Now that she thought about it, were she and Zhu Jue slacking off?

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‍next second, she dismissed the thought. They weren’t "main character" material—no way they could keep up. Life needed balance, after all.

As they continued downward, Chu Shen seemed lost in deep contemplation.

By the time they reached the cable car station for the descent, the three boarded, with Yan and Zhu Jue sitting together while Chu Shen suddenly clenched his fist across from them.

"I’ve decided!"

"Starting next semester, I’ll only work one day a week. Life should have balance!"

His tone was resolute, as if he’d made some grand life decision.

Yan and Zhu Jue: …

All that thinking, and his big resolution was to take one day off a week?

From 997 to 996—impressive indeed, Chef's Halo!

At that moment, Yan felt a profound disconnect between her thought process and that of those blessed with such halos.

Tan Dabao and Tan Xiaobao were the same—always brimming with energy, eager to explore new frontiers. For them, the process of delving into any goal was far more exhilarating than resting.

"My legs suddenly feel so heavy," Chu Shen muttered, lightly punching his thighs.

While climbing the Great Wall, Chu Shen had been nothing but exhilarated—admiring the snow, the ancient structure, striding forward with vigor, pausing only briefly to rest. But the moment he settled into the cable car, his legs suddenly felt as if they were filled with lead. Even in his insulated shoes, his feet ached.

"Once we get home, I’ll use the massage gun on you. But tomorrow, you’ll probably still be bedridden," Zhu Jue said.

Chu Shen nodded solemnly. "We walked a lot at the Forbidden City yesterday too. Two days combined means lactic acid buildup—I’ll just stay in the hotel tomorrow."

Visiting Uncle Xiao for a massage would have been the best solution, but he had already mentioned being swamped with long-standing patients before the New Year. Chu Shen decided not to burden the already stretched medical resources. A day in bed wouldn’t kill him—he’d be back in top form by the New Year.

Yan had deliberately kept the next day free. Though she and Zhu Jue had trained since childhood to endure endless walking, Chu Shen was a chef, not a super-soldier or a post-apocalyptic superhuman like Yi Zhi. His physical stamina simply couldn’t compare.

By the time they descended the Great Wall and boarded their private van, Chu Shen had already dozed off in the plush airline seat.

On the 29th day of the lunar month, Yan and Zhu Jue took Chu Shen through the hutongs. At his suggestion, they stopped at a time-honored Jiangnan restaurant, savoring dishes like salted pork with bamboo shoots, finely shredded tofu soup, and Yangzhou fried rice…

Yan had initially thought this year’s New Year would be lively, but despite so many halo-bearers gathering in Ning City, only Chu Shen could make it.

Yuan Ye claimed prior engagements, as did Ding Ling. Chu Bingbing had left Ning City for another location, while Yi Zhi returned to Bin City. Despite being in Ning City for days, Yi Zhi hadn’t even met Yan—she had been holed up in the research base with her mentor.

On Weibo, Yan saw Chu Bingbing’s second round of New Year giveaways: fireworks displays in sixteen city squares on the 29th and 30th.

But on New Year’s Eve morning, Yan found herself staring blankly at four crates of ingredients delivered to her doorstep.

Good grief! Before, Yi Zhi had only sent fruits. Now, not only were there more varieties of fruit, but also greens, beans, tubers—everything! Had Yi Zhi expanded her business scope again?

Previously, Yi Zhi had supplied Chu Shen’s restaurant with potatoes and greens, but only a few types. This delivery looked like a full-fledged supermarket inventory.

Had her abilities leveled up?

Yan stroked her chin, deep in thought. The immediate problem was storing all these ingredients—tonight’s New Year’s feast should definitely feature them.

Yi Zhi’s products were always top-tier!

...

Yi Zhi had spent over a week in Ning City with Professor Yuan. At first, she thought she was just there to observe and learn—maybe even show off a little.

But she soon realized how wrong she was.

Accompanied by Professor Yuan and a few senior researchers, she visited Ning City’s agricultural institutes and several specialized farming bases.

There, she witnessed the lives and achievements of modern agricultural scientists—people without supernatural abilities, yet producing results that rivaled those of supernatural powers.

In the post-apocalyptic world, ability wielders like her could effortlessly grow mutated plants with a mere flick of their fingers, channeling their wood-attribute abilities. She had never questioned the mechanics behind it—survivors in the apocalypse rarely had the luxury of pondering such things.

Besides, the apocalypse had struck suddenly and inexplicably, with humans awakening abilities overnight. There was no logical explanation.

But in these agricultural institutes, Yi Zhi saw ordinary people—armed only with knowledge, perseverance, and countless failures—breeding new strains and refining old ones.

Compared to the instantaneous results of ability users, their successes demanded immeasurable effort.

Professor Yuan’s team had acquired experimental seeds. As his prized "innate farming prodigy," Yi Zhi spent her days learning from him—but at night, she secretly cultivated test fields in her pocket dimension.

One group was planted in the black soil of her space, watered with tap water. Another was nourished with spiritual spring water, while a third was accelerated with wood-attribute supernatural ability. A proper controlled experiment.

She had already shipped out all fruit orders for the week and suspended business during the New Year, dedicating every moment to observing these new seeds.

The results were gratifying. Though she had planted sparingly, the combination of spiritual spring and black soil yielded another round of bountiful harvests. Once again, Yi Zhi found herself studying by day and harvesting crops by night.

The real problem? Chu Shen’s restaurant was closed for the holidays—she had nowhere to send the produce. With her Ning City trip ending on the 29th, Yi Zhi rushed to courier as much as she could to Yan. Better than letting it go to waste.

Being in Ning City felt restrictive. Yi Zhi hurried home on the evening of the 29th.

She wasn’t afraid of spending New Year’s alone—she was used to it. In her past life, New Year’s just meant treating herself to an extra dish or two, stuffing herself until she was happily carb-drunk.

Though Yan had invited her, Yi Zhi chose to return home.

First, it had been too long since she’d celebrated with family or friends.

Second, whether it was the new knowledge from Professor Yuan or the new crops in her space, her most vital asset—her portable space—was once again shrouded in green mist.

Another transformation was coming. She hadn’t acquired any new jade or antiques recently, so while she had an idea of what to expect, unease still lingered.

Her home was fortified with defenses and weapons, stocked with years’ worth of food.

She wanted to welcome the New Year in complete safety and solitude.

In this peaceful, strife-free world, Yi Zhi painstakingly drafted eight recipes on New Year’s Eve morning.

This year’s feast? Eight dishes—all for herself.