Chapter 213

Chapter 213: Nan Ke Finds It Hard

A group of men, having just exerted themselves, gathered around a bar. At a small table in the middle, Nan Ke, the fifth brother of Ye Ling, sat on one side, while on the other side were Ye Ling and several other girls.

“So you feel pressured, so you came here to relax?” Nan Ke asked, looking at his cousin who was seriously reflecting across from him. Hoping that this younger sister wouldn’t tell the family about what happened, he explained.

“Yeah, younger sister, when you first came to Emanas, you didn’t know how much pressure I was under. My heart aches,” Nan Ke said with a heart full of sorrow and tears, then picked up the nearby cedarwood cup and downed a large glass of ale in one go.

“Ever since I was young, my family always thought I had talent. They would praise me all the time. Even my father would say proudly to everyone that our fifth son was promising.”

“But after entering school, things changed. The classmates really did have talent. I struggled hard to catch up, but could only manage an average level in class. In terms of knowledge, I couldn’t compete with those quick-minded ones. In terms of physical ability, I couldn’t match those who could fly, play with fire, or lead you on a wild chase.”

“Every time I returned home from school, relatives would ask how I was doing, if I often won championships, if many people were pursuing me. What could I do? To avoid embarrassing the old man, I could only say everything was fine.”

“In fact, there’s a chance I might have to repeat a year.”

Hearing this, the man hung his head, and the bruised white flesh on his body trembled.

Ye Ling turned her head away, not wanting to look at his muscular body, then spoke, “Even Fifth Brother might have to repeat a year? Is it that difficult to advance?”

“Well, younger sister, you don’t know about this.” A somewhat thin waiter walked over to Nan Ke’s side, holding a large wine pitcher, refilled his cup, and continued explaining.

“Emanas students are divided into five grades, but they don’t automatically advance each year.”

“There are corresponding assessments for each promotion. If you fail, you’ll be held back. And students can only be held back three times.”

“That means, if you fail more than three promotions, you will be automatically expelled.”

“Although the school doesn’t charge tuition and provides many resources and subsidies, it also needs to show that you are a promising talent, not someone wasting resources and idling away their days.”

“The first year is relatively relaxed, and the requirements aren’t too high. Generally, reaching Sequence 3 is enough.”

“Advancement,”

“There’s a requirement for Sequence 4 for second-year students, Sequence 5 for third-year students, and Glory Credits for fourth-year students, which indicates that you have something particularly outstanding. For fifth-year students, they require various knowledge skills and an Extraordinary Sequence reaching up to Sequence 6.”

“Although there are about 1200 new students each year, less than half can graduate within eight years. And each year, fewer than 50 students successfully advance every year and graduate within five years; many have to repeat a year or two to build up their strength.”

“If this were outside, advancing to Sequence 5 by the age of 30 would garner praise and high regard, but it doesn’t work that way in Emanas.”

“Oh, I see. It doesn’t seem too difficult,” Night Ling tilted her head.

Nan Ke, who was drinking ale, coughed and then looked up at his little sister.

“Ling really speaks from a place of privilege. I’ve had my fair share of hardships,” he said, patting his bald head.

“Hey, when did you get bald? You used to have long hair, very dashing,” Night Ling asked curiously.

“This month. Anyway, it’ll grow back by the time I go home for vacation.”

“Why?”

“Long hair only distracts me. After shaving it off, I don’t have to spend time grooming it. Also, I don’t have to worry about girls because it looks quite ugly.”

“Huh? Really?” Night Ling reached out to touch the bald head, but Nan Ke stopped her.

“Well, it does have some effect, at least for the first week,” Nan Ke sighed, then raised his wooden cup and took another sip.

“What happened after that?” Night Ling wanted a large cup of ale, but Lolan Hill held her down, indicating that children couldn’t drink alcohol.

“After that, I realized I was still too young,” Nan Ke waved his hand at the waiter to continue refilling his drink.

“After getting a haircut, I immediately became the center of attention in class, even receiving love letters, despite not being noticed before.”

“Really?” Night Ling widened her eyes.

Lolan Hill went to the counter and brought a few cups of raspberry juice for everyone. The crimson pulp fragments floated with ice cubes, giving the juice a light red hue, and the cups felt refreshingly cool.

“So what happened next?” Night Ling held the juice cup with both hands, sipping slowly.

“Afterward, I found out that the love letters contained

Several letters were from boys in the neighboring class; sighing, Nan Ke looked up at the resin oil lamp hanging from the ceiling.

“So this is how it is?”

“So we became good brothers after fighting and drinking together. I drank another large cup of ale, belched afterward.

“It’s much better now. I don’t have to worry too much about面子 (face or reputation). When I’m frustrated, I come here to fight and drink, and then my mood improves. I can continue tomorrow.”

“Though there’s little hope for advancement this year, with proper accumulation, there shouldn’t be any problem advancing next year.” With that, he placed his empty mug slowly on the table.

“What about at home? Should I help you keep it a secret?” Ye Ling looked at her cousin, beginning to understand his predicament.

His uncle’s family was part of the House of Plantagenet’s noble elite. Everything they did was constantly used as an example and compared with others. As the heir, not only must one excel, but one must be exceptionally outstanding for everyone to accept it, and then say something like, “No wonder it’s Mo something, a tiger father doesn’t raise a dog son, the student surpasses the master.”

What would be considered excellent grades for others was unacceptable in their eyes because people would think, since you come from a prestigious family, with superior bloodlines and all kinds of resources and名师 (famous teachers) paving your way, merely being excellent isn’t enough. You must surpass everyone else and become the best to truly deserve it.

Otherwise, you would be seen as someone who lacks learning, is useless, and disgraces the family. These words might not be spoken, but in noble circles, there are always people who enjoy gossiping behind closed doors.

Nan Ke shook his head. “Forget it, no more secrets. I can’t hold it in anymore; keeping it a secret will only make me look worse later.”

After hearing this, Ye Ling stuck out her tongue. “Thank goodness I’m the youngest and a girl, so I don’t have to worry about these things.”

“Then you don’t need to hide the fact that you shaved your head and fought bare-chested on stage, right?” Ye Ling continued to ask.

“Please, please keep this a secret for me. I beg you, little sister.” Nan Ke clasped his hands together, sincerely responding. In the conservative Eastern region, if this were to spread, it would be hard to find a wife in the future.

“So, what about the confidentiality fee?” Ye Ling extended her hand, her eyes gleaming with joy.

Thank you to Xiaoshi Xixi Tian, Luoyu Wuwei, Reader20201126223612221, Huang Linglong, for treating me to a “Happy Water”; thank you to Reader20200830082018978, and six other readers for your support.

(End of Chapter)