Chapter 63: Changes
Songyang High School.
Inside the cafeteria during lunchtime.
Zhao Tianxing held his meal tray, somewhat hesitant.
The campus now seemed tranquil, as if nothing had changed.
But the conflict on the training grounds yesterday had already spread throughout the campus.
Nearly every student knew that Zhang Yu of Year One, Class 1, had sided with White Dragon High School, clashing with student council vice president Zhou Chechen and a group of second-year seniors.
Based on Zhao Tianxing’s observations of the various student cliques, the general consensus was simple.
The Songyang loyalists’ take was: “What is he, if not a traitor to our school? A turncoat to our class? Siding with White Dragon for personal gain makes him a Songyang defector! He should be expelled!”
The jealous students wondered: “First Li Xuelian, now Zhang Pianpian. How does Zhang Yu keep attracting these rich girls? We strongly suspect his surgery wasn’t thorough; the school needs to investigate him.”
Anger, jealousy, and a hidden undercurrent of envy coalesced into pure, undisguised malice.
Most students, afraid of trouble, didn’t dare get anywhere near Zhang Yu, fearing they’d be targeted by the student council and the Songyang loyalists.
Zhao Tianxing was no different; he was terrified that getting too close to Zhang Yu would put a target on his back.
After all, bullying was not unheard of at Songyang High School.
Zhao Tianxing had heard a story about Shuang Youpeng from the previous year, who had taken first place in the monthly exams as a first-year and was considered a rising star.
But upon entering his second year, his grades started falling behind those of the wealthy students, and that was when the torment began.
They forbade him from doing homework, from using alchemical enhancers, from training, and from pulling all-nighters to study.
They even forced him to eat fried chicken, french fries, beer, and desserts every day, making him watch as his stomach bloated, fat accumulated, and the hard-earned muscle he had trained so diligently wasted away.
They forced him to watch videos, read novels, and play games every day, to see his grades plummet point by point, and to feel his very Dao heart writhe in agony.
Only when he finally broke and begged for mercy did Zhou Chechen let him go.
Just imagining the ordeal made it hard for Zhao Tianxing to breathe.
So when Zhang Yu invited him to eat today, he had panicked and claimed he had something to do, saying he would go to the cafeteria later.
Weighed down by hesitation, Zhao Tianxing got his food and, holding his tray, instinctively averted his eyes when he saw Zhang Yu looking his way again.
That single act of avoidance made Zhao Tianxing’s heart sink.
“Sigh, I guess Zhang Yu and I aren’t friends anymore.”
He wandered aimlessly through the cafeteria for a few steps, tray in hand, but couldn’t resist looking back toward Zhang Yu’s table.
When he saw Bai Zhenzhen and Qian Shen sit down with Zhang Yu, a flicker of envy appeared in his eyes.
“Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen… how can they be so bold? Aren’t they scared at all?”
“If only I could be like them and just do what I want.”
Although he always overthought things, Zhao Tianxing hated this about himself; he wished he could stop worrying so much about what others thought, but he just couldn’t.
Just then, Zhao Tianxing subconsciously tightened his grip on his tray, wanting to walk over to Zhang Yu’s table, but he felt the eyes of the students around him, both consciously and unconsciously, fixed on him, as if sitting next to Zhang Yu would make him an outcast to the entire school.
Of course, he was just overthinking; with so many people in the cafeteria, almost no one was paying him any special attention.
Watching Zhang Yu, Qian Shen, and Bai Zhenzhen chat cheerfully, Zhao Tianxing felt an unconscious yearning in his heart.
After returning home yesterday, he couldn’t stop replaying the image of Zhang Yu standing his ground against Zhou Chechen, not yielding an inch.
He envied Zhang Yu for being able to do that, and desperately wished he could face any pressure with the same effortless composure.
Just as Zhao Tianxing was hesitating, stuck in his indecision, he suddenly saw Zhang Yu wave him over.
“Old Zhao! Over here!”
Zhao Tianxing froze for a second. Does Zhang Yu think I just couldn’t find him?
He gritted his teeth and strode quickly over to Zhang Yu’s side, taking a seat.
In that moment, he felt like everyone in the cafeteria must be staring at him, and all he wanted was to sit down as fast as possible so Zhang Yu would stop calling out.
This time, he wasn’t imagining it; many people were indeed watching Zhang Yu, Bai Zhenzhen, Qian Shen, and him.
But in that instant, Zhao Tianxing also felt cool, perhaps as cool in others’ eyes as Zhang Yu had been yesterday.
He was wrong; to most students, Zhao Tianxing now looked like a clown, equally branded as an untouchable.
Just as Zhao Tianxing sat down, Zhang Yu received a message back from Zhang Pianpian.
Zhang Yu’s message to Zhang Pianpian had read: “Sis, I have a classmate who’s really dedicated to his studies and wants to add you as a friend.”
Zhang Pianpian: “What’s his score?”
Zhang Yu: “His highest was over six hundred and twenty.”
Zhang Pianpian: “Too low. Not happening.”
Zhang Yu: “Huh?”
My sister is seriously discriminatory about scores, Zhang Yu thought.
He suddenly remembered the phone calls Zhang Pianpian used to make to him. Back then, with a score below 600, he must have seemed like walking trash in her eyes… no wonder she was so blunt.
Then again, considering the environment at White Dragon High School, Zhang Yu felt that… well, it was perfectly reasonable for the top-ranked student there to act this way.
Looking up at Qian Shen’s expectant face, Zhang Yu said apologetically, “I… she said your score of over 620 is too low, so she won’t add you.”
Qian Shen looked stunned for a moment, then his face flushed red as he reminded Zhang Yu not to forget the last digit.
“My highest was 626!”
But after saying this, Qian Shen’s head dropped, his expression crestfallen.
Zhang Yu felt as though a thousand thoughts had crossed Qian Shen’s mind in that instant, before he finally nodded and said, “My score really is too low.”
Then Qian Shen looked up again, his face full of admiration.
“As expected of someone with a 699. Even her way of choosing friends has so much class.”
“Please tell her I’ll study harder, raise my score, and earn the right to be her friend.”
“Also, even though I’m at Songyang High School, I’ve always admired White Dragon High. I even tried to test in before, but I just missed the cutoff for their model class…”
Zhang Yu got it. Qian Shen was a White Dragon wannabe, through and through. The damn air at White Dragon High must smell sweeter to him or something.
With a look of disgust, he relayed the message to Zhang Pianpian.
Zhang Pianpian: “In the future, don’t bother relaying messages from peole scoring 620-something. Their grades are too low. They can’t keep up with us.”
Looking at Qian Shen’s newly determined expression, Zhang Yu thought for a moment and decided he couldn’t bring himself to repeat her words.
…
During the afternoon class.
The literature teacher was lecturing at the front of the room.
Bai Zhenzhen was at her desk, diligently practicing her magic power control.
Just then, her phone buzzed softly. Picking it up, she saw it was a message from Mo Tianyi.
Mo Tianyi: “Bai Zhenzhen, have you and Zhang Yu thrown in your lot with Zhang Pianpian from White Dragon High?”
Zhen froze for a second. She understood immediately but was unsure how to respond.
Zhang Pianpian, the top third-year at White Dragon High, was the epitome of a wealthy student in the eyes of Mo Tianyi and his circle of poor students.
From their perspective, Zhang Pianpian taking Bai Zhenzhen and Zhang Yu under her wing… could only mean she had forcibly poached them from Songyang High School.
What other reason could there be? Bai Zhenzhen couldn’t possibly tell Mo Tianyi that Zhang Pianpian simply admired her and Zhang Yu’s talent and wanted to support their bid to enter the Ten Greats.
As for Zhang Yu and Zhang Pianpian’s sibling relationship, she had promised to keep it a secret. She wasn’t a gossip like Zhou Tianyi, so that was out of the question.
But then, it dawned on her. Why explain at all?
If she explained too much, would she have to tell them they hadn’t signed anything? Would she have to reveal that she and Zhang Yu planned to aim for the Ten Greats under Zhang Pianpian’s protection?
What if Mo Tianyi and their leader then wanted Zhang Pianpian’s patronage as well… what would she do?
Or worse, what if Mo Tianyi’s group let it slip, and the wealthy students found out? That would just create unnecessary complications.
It was a good thing that everyone currently assumed they had been recruited by the wealthy Zhang Pianpian and would no longer aim for the Ten Greats.
If they really made it into the Ten Greats, she could repay the tens of thousands Mo Tianyi and the others had invested in them, and maybe even help them reach the second layer of Kunxu.
Ultimately, for Yu-boy and me, just as for Mo Tianyi, getting into the Ten Greats is all that matters.
Therefore, any choice that increases our chances of success is the optimal one.
With that decided, Bai Zhenzhen replied immediately.
“Yes. I’m sorry, we couldn’t handle the pressure anymore. We’re not aiming for the Ten Greats. We’ve already signed with Zhang Pianpian.”
A moment later, Mo Tianyi replied, “Sigh, I don’t blame you. I heard about the pressure Songyang High put on you. It’s understandable that you couldn’t take it. But please, I hope you and Zhang Yu will keep our business a secret and not tell anyone.”
“Don’t worry. Even though we’ve given up, we’re still rooting for you. You’re the last hope for us poor students. Go for it!”
…
In the Spirit Realm.
Mo Tianyi read Bai Zhenzhen’s sincere reply and breathed a small sigh of relief, though a flicker of regret crossed his mind.
Both Zhang Yu’s fourth-place finish in the Magic Power Competition and Bai Zhenzhen’s previously demonstrated willpower had led him to believe the two of them might actually have a chance at the Ten Greats.
But now, it seemed…
“In the end, they couldn’t handle the pressure.”
He then felt a pang of regret for the money sent to Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen, all of it now wasted.
“If I’d known, I never would have sent them the money. It would have been better to save it for our leader.”
He sighed internally.
“In the end, the one who can get into the Ten Greats, the one who can lead us in shattering this ceiling above our heads, has to be our leader…“_
Just then, a line of text flashed before his eyes: “Work has been idle for more than one minute. Please return to your station immediately.”
Mo Tianyi quickly shook himself from his thoughts, reopened his connection to the Spirit Realm, and resumed his work.
Unlike other schools, soul cultivator students at Mount Mang High School were required to participate in work-study programs from their first year.
Soon, dialogue boxes began popping up in front of Mo Tianyi. Today, he was working as a customer service representative for a tutoring agency.
Customer: “My son already had the sterilization procedure, but his high school application was rejected. Now the girls’ schools and soul cultivator programs are also rejecting him for being ‘physically incomplete.’ What can I do?”
Mo Tianyi replied: “Girls’ schools and soul cultivator programs have lower entry barriers, so they’re always highly sought after. Physical ‘incompleteness’ is an easy reason for disqualification. However, there is a possible solution. You could have your son undergo a sterilization reversal surgery and then re-interview.”
Mo Tianyi: “If that fails, he can repeat the year and undergo the sterilization procedure again. A two-time sterilization is a major bonus on a resume. It demonstrates a resolute Dao heart, and he would almost certainly be admitted next year.”
Mo Tianyi: “We have partner hospitals we can recommend…”
Beside Mo Tianyi, a dozen identical copies of himself were simultaneously handling different customer dialogue boxes.
These copies of Mo Tianyi existed within the Spirit Realm, confined to a ten-square-meter room containing nothing but themselves and the dialogue boxes.
After eighteen consecutive hours of work, he was finally granted a five-minute break.
Looking at the wages he had earned, Mo Tianyi immediately transferred the money to his leader.
Our leader really needs the money right now.
The thought that his earnings for the day would give his leader a slightly better chance of getting into the Ten Greats filled Mo Tianyi’s heart with satisfaction and hope.
You have to succeed, leader. You’re the only poor student in all of Songyang City with a chance of getting into the Ten Greats.
You’re our only chance to escape this life…