Chapter 177

Page Thirty-Three: Inciting Ling Shaojie

Then, I went to school.

I wasn’t very willing, and the disconnection from school courses made me somewhat reluctant to study. At this moment, I seemed to understand the psychology of underachievers. The more you fall behind in your studies, the less you want to study, which leads to a vicious cycle where you fall even further behind.

—”Don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility for tutoring you. If you have any questions during class, I can explain them to you anytime.”—

I felt my burden had increased even more.

As soon as I entered the classroom, Xià Qiàn came over and plopped herself onto my desk. Even through the thick winter tights, her body heat was noticeable… How many times has she done this? Doesn’t she consider how I feel afterward?

—”You always show your weird side in a perverted way.”—

I glanced at the timetable and took out the textbook for the first lesson from my drawer. Xià Qiàn adjusted herself to give me some space to put my books.

She asked, “Xiǎo Kǎi, why did you have Xiao Ying come to school again yesterday?”

To which I answered truthfully, “Random transformations haven’t been contacted yet, so I went to the café to investigate Ling Shaojie’s matter.”

Lǐnhuā, who had put down her backpack, also gathered around. Xià Qiàn then said, “I heard from Lǐnhuā yesterday that you’ve already caught a handle on Senior Shàojié? What did you find out yesterday?”

Lǐnhuā retorted, “After some investigation, Kǎi-Chan had a change of heart and wanted to meddle in other people’s business again?”

“Hey, that was your job before!”

In response to my rebuttal, Xià Qiàn laughed, “Isn’t meddling in others’ affairs Xiao Lingmèng’s specialty? Thanks to her meddling, we’re where we are now.”

With one sentence, she convinced Lǐnhuā, who then smiled bitterly and shrugged.

Xià Qiàn continued, “But I hope you understand that helping others will ultimately become a source of strength for yourself.”

“Thanks, but you guys might not be able to help with my troubles… Ow!”

She pinched my forehead.

“Don’t be flippant. There will always be times when we can help.”

During our conversation, Lù Zǐ and Lù Lí arrived at the classroom.

Surprisingly, the latter had an extra strand of red hair in her side fringe, reminiscent of Zhào Zhào’s red crew cut.

Noticing my gaze, Xiǎo Lěi simply walked behind Lù Lí and lifted her up, bringing her in front of me.

She said, “Chairman, were you surprised? Lí Jiàng dyed her hair like that yesterday.”

“Stop fooling around, it’s just dyeing hair.”

Uncomfortable with my stare, Lù Lí whispered an explanation. However, Lǐnhuā commented, “Compared to Xiǎo Lěi’s hair tips, your small strands of dye look pretty cool! Perhaps because you’ve retained a bit of your male mentality, you’re more proactive and confident now. So Zǐ Jiàng doesn’t criticize the big guy as much anymore…”

Lǐnhuā glanced at Lù Zǐ, who was lying on the desk, and whispered quietly, “If you ask Zǐ Jiàng directly, she won’t admit it, but she has accepted the relationship between Lí Jiàng and Zhào Zhào. Recently, she hasn’t spoken harshly about the big guy either. I think Zǐ Jiàng has changed a lot herself.”

I said, “Congratulations, Lí Jiàng… Where are you and Old Zhao at now?”

“Such a question can be asked directly!”

This dark-skinned beauty’s face turned red as fire.

The gossipy Xià Qiàn was also interested in this topic and asked mischievously, “So excited, did you already go all the way?”

“Not yet!”

It seems they’ve kissed.

—

Zhào Zhào’s Blissful Moments

—

[November 21st, Thursday, 12:10]

[Lunch Break]

With limited time, I hastily finished lunch and headed to the News Club Classroom.

To deal with Ling Shaojie, I needed to bring smart people to ensure I didn’t fall into her trap unknowingly.

Therefore, Lǐnhuā and Lù Zǐ were dragged into the action together. Lǐnhuā didn’t say anything, but Lù Zǐ complained, “Why do I have to run around with you in the middle of the day?”

“Walk with me more, Zǐ Jiàng. You sit still all day, it’s not good for your health,” I said while swinging my arm around hers, but she pulled away.

“Don’t act cute! You are still a man, right?”

Realizing my mistake, I coughed and explained, “These days, gender roles have been blurry…”

Unexpectedly, Zǐ Jiàng wrapped her arm around mine.

“Cute acts should be left to me~”

Xiǎo Lěi was shocked by this unexpected turn, only able to utter “Ah, this.”

We went upstairs and knocked on the door of the News Club Classroom.

“Come in, the door isn’t locked.”

Pushing the door open, there were five busy News Club members inside, but Senior Shàojié, the club president, was absent. The only recognizable person was another cute short senior student.

“Senior Jiě Sháo, isn’t Senior Shàojié here?”

“Língmèng?”

She turned around with her hands on her hips and said, “You know my real name, yet you still call me that. Are you still holding a grudge for what happened before?”

This is Xià Zǐyuàn, responsible for campus broadcasts.

Besides, isn’t it normal to hold a grudge for past events?

Xià Zǐyuàn continued, “Shàojié went out. You should have called her before coming. She gets restless if she’s not busy, probably wandering around the school with a camera right now.”

Xià Zǐyuàn seemed to be preparing for the noon campus broadcast news.

I asked, “Where could she possibly be committing crimes?”

“Call her first… Wait, why do you assume she’s committing crimes?”

Xià Zǐyuàn tilted her head and teased, then replied, “You can check the gymnasium. She likes places with lots of people, as they provide more news.”

“Oh, thanks!”

We moved to the adjacent multi-functional gymnasium.

Although it was winter, the atmosphere was lively, with the girls’ athletic figures exuding youthful energy.

—”What’s with these old-fashioned thoughts?”—

When we found Ling Shaojie, she was openly “taking photos” in the gym. In the winter campus, this was the only place where one could capture images of lightly dressed girls. She was so engrossed that she didn’t notice our approach.

Lǐnhuā approached with a malicious smile and asked, “Senior Shàojié, are you selling photos of other girls’ chests again?”

“Ah! Xiǎo Lǐnhuā?”

Ling Shaojie was completely unaware of our presence and jumped in surprise, but quickly composed herself.

“I don’t plan to make money off such photos… But what brings you here? If you want to ask about Mysterious Girl A, Queen hasn’t found any new clues, and I have no direction for investigation.”

As she spoke, she snapped photos of us with her DSLR.

“No, we want to talk about you. Can we step aside for a moment?”

“About me?”

She frowned, put down her camera, and covered the lens, then suggested, “There’s a pavilion behind the gym. If you don’t mind the cold, shall we sit there?”

“I’m fine with it.”

“The pavilion? It’s too cold!”

Lù Zǐ seemed reluctant, as she was weak and prone to illness. The aftereffects of the spell used on Lí Jiàng hadn’t fully subsided, and getting cold now would be troublesome.

“Uh, if Zǐ Jiàng doesn’t want to go, you can return to the classroom?”

I meant well, but she glared at me and said, “…It’s okay, I’ll go with you!”

I couldn’t figure out her true intentions; her heart was as hard to understand as a real woman’s.

Ling Shaojie explained, “Because no one goes to the pavilion in winter, it’s perfect for discussing secrets. I worry about eavesdropping in the classroom… Please have some hot drinks afterward, this time listen to me?”

Since we were talking about personal matters, she showed great caution. However, if we needed to keep it confidential, Yīng Jiàng could open a soundproof barrier.

The pavilion mentioned by Ling Shaojie was located near the artificial hill next to the gym.

It was a white European-style pavilion supported by six stone pillars. With its open design, it was impossible to sit comfortably in winter.

“I can’t stand this, only someone who got kicked in the head would choose this place to talk!”

Lù Zǐ, shivering, couldn’t take it anymore and cursed, then added, “Let me warm up the air.”

She took out a special rod-like object from her pocket, consisting of a handle and a white upper part… Don’t get any wrong ideas, it’s not something dirty, nor a magic wand, or a magical girl transformation device.

The thick black handle had a white material at the top, and the bottom of the handle had a sliding cover opening. She inserted a bottle of liquid magic into the hole below the cover and twisted it shut. The white part began to emit a faint purple glow, and Lù Zǐ started guiding the heating spell.

The temperature rose to a relatively comfortable level, though the cold wind was still unbearable.

—”Impressive! This is a magic wand powered by a magic battery, with both computational assistance and magic power supply functions. The user doesn’t need to consume any magic power, only focusing on constructing the spell itself… Although the computational part is rudimentary, achieving this level shows how remarkable the Magic Research Institute is.”—

Its appearance was a bit ugly; it looked more like a purple fluorescent stick than a magic wand.

—”I fear those witches might cause some consequences.”—

So far, whether it’s Senior Bìfāng or Miss Kē Màn, their research on magic hasn’t crossed the boundaries set by Heavenly Path…

A cold wind swept through the pavilion, rendering Lù Zǐ’s efforts futile.

—”I should lend a hand.”—

Using the six corners of the European-style pavilion as support points, Yīng Jiàng erected an invisible wind barrier, making the temporary meeting spot truly comfortable.

Ling Shaojie could only watch enviously and said, “I’m so jealous… Lù Zǐ actually knows magic. Is it really impossible for me to learn this?”

No way!

This walking megaphone shouldn’t know about the existence of the Magic Research Institute, so I rejected her immediately.

“It’s impossible to learn spells, they depend on talent. Zǐ Jiàng is a genius among geniuses, even surpassing me.”

“Can’t I be a genius?”

“Unfortunately, the ability to learn spells is innate, and you lack this talent.”