Chapter 65 – Inferior match

Translator: Xena

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

The results came out on Monday, as expected.

During the ten-minute break between classes, Jian Xie didn’t squeeze to the front to check his monthly exam ranking. Instead, he lowered his head and organized the textbooks and test papers in his drawer.

For him, the monthly exam results weren’t important.

Regardless of how he did on the exam, that was all in the past. Beyond reviewing his mistakes, he has no interest in his ranking.

On the contrary, the class president Jing Chen was the most enthusiastic. The moment Jian Xie looked up, he had already ran up to him excitedly.

Not only that, but he was also holding a phone that had photos on it.

“I knew you’d be the top one in our grade,” Jing Chen said, unable to hide his joy. He was even happier to see Jian Xie’s excellent grades than he was to see his own progress. “The notes you highlighted for me during break last time were all on the test. Thanks to you, I ranked much higher this time than last.”

The death of his parents was a lingering shadow in his heart.

Although he gradually adjusted his mindset and his loving relatives no longer cared about his grades, they were still quite happy to see his ranking improve.

Upon hearing this, Jian Xie paused in his work of tidying his desk.

He looked surprised as he looked up at Jing Chen.

Top one in the grade…?

Although his grades were usually pretty good, he had only hovered around the top ten. In addition, he hadn’t been focusing on his studies lately, so he thought his ranking would drop. But instead, he achieved a new all-time high.

Jing Chen handed his phone to him, showing him the photos he had taken.

“How did you manage to get a near-perfect score in physics?” He couldn’t help but say, “You’re really amazing.” 

In Jing Chen’s opinion, the difficulty of this monthly exam was the most insane in history. Anyone who could score above 80 in physics would be a god, but Jian Xie actually got 96? Is that even a score a human being can achieve?!

Jian Xie: “…”

Turns out it was physics that dragged down my score.

Jian Xie had always performed well in physics, but even he hadn’t expected to score this high this time.

So, was it because the Bureau gave him the holy sword of physics [crowbar] as a prop, coupled with his sincere idealism about physics, that he was favored by the god of physics?

【…】 Qin Zhuo.

His human thought process has always been peculiar, and It is no longer surprised by it.

The crowd couldn’t see him, but Qin Zhuo sat bored on the windowsill next to Jian Xie’s desk, propping his chin up with his hand and looking at the other’s hair whorl.

Most likely accompanying a certain someone to school.

If other monsters saw the usually eccentric evil god quietly waiting for Jian Xie to finish class, they would probably be shocked.

“……”

—Wait a minute, who’s number one?

Upon hearing Jing Chen’s words, some students who hadn’t had time to check their grades couldn’t help but show surprised expressions.

Jian Xie actually surpassed God Yun and became the top student in the grade this time? That’s not… 

The other person mentioned in the conversation appeared the moment he was mentioned.

All eyes were drawn to the figure who appeared in the corridor. He was dressed in casual clothes, with handsome features and an air of arrogance.

At that moment, the displeasure in his eyes shattered the cold aura surrounding him.

“Is Jian Xie here?” He walked directly to the classroom door, knocked politely, and tried his best to keep a straight face. “I need to talk to him.” 

Jing Chen frowned upon seeing this.

He muttered something under his breath, “Zhou Cheyun is looking for you? He really thinks you have to go just because he calls for you? You can’t be bothered with him.”  

Because he was the class president, he was able to frequently interact with other classes. He had been to the office many times after class and had seen Zhou Cheyun with various teachers.

They were basically all called upon to be outstanding representatives.

That was why this guy was so famous that almost everyone in the entire grade knew him.

His grades were exceptionally good and consistently scored near-perfect marks in subjects like Math and English. Even though he never paid attention in class, he was still the darling of all the teachers.

Students probably valued grades the most during their school years, and Zhou Cheyun looked down on and despised those classmates who performed poorly academically.

That would be one thing, but the most crucial point was that he wasn’t initially known as the “God Yun.”

About a year ago, Zhou Cheyun’s grades were just average, but somehow, he suddenly skyrocketed to become the top student in his grade.

At first, some people suspected him of cheating, but after reviewing the surveillance footage, they found that he did not make any suspicious moves and behaved properly throughout the entire process.

Therefore, everyone could only conclude that he had suddenly become enlightened.

However, when the exam papers were collected, many people noticed that he didn’t use scratch paper even for subjects like math. His papers were clean and neat, as if he relied entirely on mental calculations. Before long, the nickname “God Yun,” a term reserved for academic geniuses, came about.¹Chinese typically add -Shen after a name if you’re recognized in a particular field, such as studying, gaming, etc. It means ‘god’, that you’re super good at what you do no one can touch you.

But Jing Chen disliked him very much.

Because Zhou Cheyun always gave him the feeling that he was sizing people up, and… he always seemed to be deliberately imitating Jian Xie.

Whether it was his everyday attire or his reserved, taciturn personality, he copied everything down to the last detail.

A copy-cat.

Jian Xie glanced at the other person but didn’t make a move. Instead, he continued to organize the books in his hands.

Seeing his attitude, Zhou Cheyun, who was standing outside the door, turned pale and looked extremely grim.

For a moment, he felt like everyone was staring at him, causing him to suddenly feel embarrassed.

But leaving now would be tantamount to admitting defeat, so Zhou Cheyun could only grit his teeth and knock on the door again. “Jian Xie, could you please come out for a moment?” 

This time, his tone softened considerably.

Jian Xie put the last book into the drawer, finally stood up, and walked towards the door.

Seeing this, Zhou Cheyun breathed a sigh of relief.

But as he brushed past him, Jian Xie walked straight past him without stopping at all, seemingly indicating that he hadn’t come out because of his orders.

—Why is he being so arrogant!

Zhou Cheyun felt indignant and hated the other party even more.

But since the person had already come out, he couldn’t let him go. He quickly chased after him and questioned him, “Jian Xie, why have you changed your clothing habits lately?” 

This question…

Jian Xie ignored him.

“What’s with the ring on your hand?”

After a brief moment of surprise, he came to his senses and muttered, “It’s just decorative, isn’t it?” 

It looked expensive, so how could it be genuine? Can he even afford it?

When Jian Xie left home, he took nothing but the property deed for an old residential complex. He had no money at all.

“Didn’t you hear what I said to you? Quickly answer me, where have you been all this time?” Zhou Cheyun shook his head and asked again, while keeping close behind him but cautiously maintaining a half-meter distance, “Why haven’t I seen you after school?”  

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the door of the homeroom teacher’s office, one after the other.

Jian Xie stopped in his tracks.

“See a psychologist,” he said coldly. 

Zhou Cheyun was taken aback for a moment, then quickly asked “Do you have any other psychologists? When did this happen?”  

“I suggest you see a psychologist.”

“……”

This is basically a roundabout way of saying he’s mentally unstable!

Zhou Cheyun was immediately annoyed, his face flushed red, and he blurted out, “I was just concerned about you on behalf of your aunt and uncle. Did you really think I wanted to know what you were doing?”  “If it weren’t for my mom’s insistence, who would take care of an orphan like you? No one would even show up to attend your parent-teacher conferences—”

Before he could finish speaking, Jian Xie cast an indifferent glance at him.

The moment their eyes met, Zhou Cheyun’s body trembled, and he instinctively shrank back.

Though not another word was spoken, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him, leaving him speechless for a moment.

Jian Xie coldly withdrew his gaze.

Ignoring Zhou Cheyun, who was standing stiffly in place, he pushed open the office door and went in, where he was met with the homeroom teacher’s complicated expression.

She overheard their conversation.

Others might not know, but as Jian Xie’s homeroom teacher, she was aware of their relationship.

Zhou Cheyun was Jian Xie’s cousin.

When Jian Xie’s parents were killed in a car accident, he was only sixteen years old. Therefore, according to common sense, he should have moved to live with people who were his closest blood relatives.

As an outsider, she didn’t know exactly what had happened.

However, Jian Xie lived alone. Zhou Cheyun didn’t talk to him often, and no one came to his parent-teacher conferences. That alone was enough to explain everything.

Only then did Zhou Cheyun notice someone in the office—a renowned teacher in the grade—and he managed to force a smile.

“Sorry to bother you.”

He insisted on walking into the office, pretending to be waiting for someone, and gave Jian Xie a resentful look.

The homeroom teacher paused. “Whatever business you have with Jian Xie, class is about to start. You should go now. It wouldn’t be good to keep everyone waiting.” 

“But—”

“Go quickly.” She interrupted him, “Let’s talk about it during the next break.” 

Zhou Cheyun was still a student after all. Seeing his teacher’s insistence that he must leave, he couldn’t find a way to force his way to stay. He could only grit his teeth and walk away.

When she finally saw the the door close, the homeroom teacher looked at Jian Xie, only to find that the student still had the same expressionless demeanor, as if he was used to this kind of situation.

“Thanks,” Jian Xie said. 

But he didn’t say why he was thanking him, which clearly meant he didn’t want to bring it up.

Seeing this, the homeroom teacher couldn’t help but sigh.

Given her position, it was inconvenient for her to continue interfering in the other party’s family affairs, so she had to temporarily put the topic aside and mention the purpose of inviting him.

“You got first place in the grade this time, that’s great.” The homeroom teacher smiled at him and then praised him, “Because the college entrance examination is coming soon, there is a segment at the parent-teacher meeting where outstanding student representatives from the grade would be asked to speak about their study methods. Since you are number one this time, we are going to select you.”

It means he should go back and prepare his speech.

Jian Xie paused for a moment before saying, “Teacher, can I refuse?” 

He didn’t have any effective study methods.

It was purely coincidental that he got first place in the grade this time, so he wouldn’t mislead the students.

Are we going to have him go on stage and say: “The reason I was so good at physics this time is because I’ve been busy being the executioner of hell lately and have hunted down a lot of A-level monsters”?

…Then he’d rather not.

That would be even more outrageous than playing video games.

The homeroom teacher was somewhat surprised by his refusal. Just now, Zhou Chiyun even volunteered to be the spokesperson. Don’t you want to?” 

“Apologies.”

“…Okay, it’s okay, it’s not mandatory.”

Seeing that he was very determined and seemed to have some hidden reasons, the homeroom teacher considered his family situation and no longer forced him to do things he didn’t want to do against his wishes.

Before Jian Xie left, she remembered something.  A pang of pity stirred within her, and she called out to him once more. “By the way, you don’t need to sit in the classroom for this parent-teacher conference. I see that you study very hard and know how to behave, so you don’t need to come that day. Just rest at home.” 

Today, she noticed that although the dark circles under Jian Xie’s eyes had faded considerably, there was still a faint shadow, indicating that he hadn’t had a good night’s sleep.

He was probably still working.

The homeroom teacher sighed again.

Because Jian Xie and her deceased child were of similar age, and their meeting was also coincidental, she sometimes couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness.

Unexpectedly, Jian Xie actually smiled before saying, “Thank you, teacher.” 

“But it’s different this time.”

Upon hearing this, the homeroom teacher looked puzzled, but was then momentarily stunned by the smile on his lips.

Jian Xie rarely smiled. For someone who was usually as cold as ice, this was truly a rare occurrence, making people wonder who could possibly elicit such an expression from him.

“Why?”

Jian Xie’s heart stirred.

This time, just like with Cheng Li, because the homeroom teacher had looked after him many times before, the situation was actually quite different from that of others..

Getting him to bring this up felt like… confessing.

“I have one,” he paused, trying to sound nonchalant, “A guardian.”

“……！”

Upon hearing this, Qin Zhuo smiled.

He leaned against Jian Xie and lazily glanced at the door, which was the direction Zhou Cheyun had fled in a haste.

A moment later, Qin Zhuo chuckled.

……

Zhou Cheyun was about to lose it.

His heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of his throat. He was terrified by what he had just seen.

As soon as he ran up to the rooftop, he frantically took the pendant from around his neck and quickly wiped it several times with his hands.

Despite being scrubbed so vigorously, its surface was still covered with a layer of dirty bloodstains, even appearing slightly blackened, as if it had just been pulled from a pool of foul blood.

“I,” Zhou Cheyun said in a panic, “I definitely saw a figure appear!”

As he finished speaking, the bloodstains on the pendant in his hand became even darker.

But it wasn’t because of the light.

Immediately afterwards, a black liquid, wet and sticky, flowed down from between his fingers, and at the same time, the black stains on the pendant disappeared.

It was not hard to imagine that it was the source of the pollution.

Soon, accompanied by eerie sounds of joint-cracking, it twisted completely into a mass resembling a human form.

Even so, Zhou Cheyun dared not look directly at the other’s face.

He once glanced at it by accident, and his brain went blank on the spot. He had vomited violently at the sight of the other’s ambiguous smile, and had nightmares for months afterward.

If only he hadn’t impulsively gone through Jian Xie’s parents’ belongings, he wouldn’t have been entangled and blackmailed by this monster.

He harbored even greater resentment towards Jian Xie.

“I’m blackmailing you?” It laughed, seemingly knowing what Zhou Cheyun was thinking. “Didn’t you tell me you wanted to be stronger than Jian Xie?” 

Yes, he made a deal with it…

About his grades and other related things.

Zhou Cheyun had to outdo the other party no matter what. Since he was living under someone else’s roof, he should act like he is. Who was he trying to impress with his indifferent demeanor?

But his mother fell for it hook, line and sinker. How infuriating! It took a lot of persuasion and effort to get him to leave.

Now that he has moved to a different school, he is still a head taller than him!

At this point, Zhou Cheyun was immediately filled with rage. “But this time he scored higher than me, and you didn’t help me at all.” 

There was going to be a parent-teacher conference this time, and Zhou Cheyun’s parents are coming. But then, Jian Xie was going to be selected as the outstanding student. How can he let him steal the spotlight!

“It’s not that I don’t want to help you, but you saw it yourself, right? That person who appeared next to him.” Upon hearing this, the monster laughed again, as if it had endless things to laugh about. Then, it muttered to itself, “Who knows what that thing is? It actually moved faster than me. How amusing.” 

The voice sounded thoughtful.

About a year ago, it was pleasantly surprised to find its desired prey.

Of course, its hunting plans had to be delayed because it witnessed some things.

It intended to continue its attack, but it vaguely sensed an extremely sinister aura emanating from Jian Xie. Unsure of the opponent’s strength, it decided to hold back for the time being.

Were they the same type?

If it was also a Special A-level monster, that would be quite interesting.

Monsters didn’t share their food, so if a fight broke out, it might not necessarily have the upper hand.

Later, the other party’s cousin found it. It was better than nothing, so it reluctantly stayed with the other party to keep an eye on Jian Xie’s whereabouts.

Every time it got close to Jian Xie, it could smell that sweet scent. It was like heaven and earth compared to Zhou Cheyun, making it increasingly disgusted with its current host.

Previously, its body was too weak to manifest, but now things were different; it could now leave the anomalous containment vessel and move around freely.

Even if the opponent was really a Special A-level like it, it might not necessarily lose.

It couldn’t hold back any longer; it had to think of a way to snatch Jian Xie away…

Why not use that car accident as bait? Although it wasn’t involved, it did witness some things.

While it was deep in thought, Zhou Cheyun couldn’t help but let his mind wander.

The being he was currently trading with was clearly not as good as the monster he had glimpsed. Not only was the monster outstanding in appearance, making it impossible to ignore, but judging from their attitude towards Jian Xie, they seemed easy to talk to.

If only it were that instead…

For a moment, the rooftop air rippled with hidden currents, each person harboring their own thoughts.

Author’s Note:

Qin Zhuo: Another chance to confess my feelings has come (x)

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  Chinese typically add -Shen after a name if you’re recognized in a particular field, such as studying, gaming, etc. It means ‘god’, that you’re super good at what you do no one can touch you. ↩︎