Chapter 69 – Showing off

Translator: Xena

Jian Xie didn’t linger on him and instead quickly turned to the stage, watching Qin Zhuo walk up without blinking.

“……”

Being ignored once again, Zhou Cheyun was furious, but there was nothing he could do about Qin Zhuo.

Beside him, Father Zhou frowned. “Who’s that? How come I saw him sitting with Jian Xie earlier?”  

“Who knows?”

A malicious thought flashed through his mind.

Seeing his face turn very pale, Mother Zhou, out of love for her son, immediately reached out and patted Father Zhou’s arm, admonishing, “Enough already. You finally have time to spend with the kid, and Cheyun is doing so well, can we please stop talking about outsiders?” 

“……”

Zhou Cheyun watched as Qin Zhuo walked lazily onto the flag-raising platform with his hands in his pockets.

He passed him by without so much as a glance. That arrogant, self-important demeanor was just as detestable as Jian Xie’s.

Qin Zhuo was tall and handsome, and even before he spoke, he had already drawn the attention of many people to his movements.

At the same time, the sportsfield, which had become slightly noisy after the leader finished speaking, suddenly quieted down again without any external force as he raised his hand to lift the microphone. It was as if the person standing on the stage had an innate ability to attract everyone’s attention.

He didn’t bring a script; was he going to improvise?

“I am Jian Xie’s guardian.”

Most people, upon taking the stage, begin by stating their position, followed immediately by introducing themselves.

However, Qin Zhuo directly concealed his name.

Even the slight pause was only to emphasize the relationship between him and Jian Xie.

He had no intention of introducing himself.

Just as he had told Jian Xie before, the name was a matter between the two of them, and it was also a key word agreed upon between them. Only Jian Xie was qualified to know his human name, and he saw no need to reveal his name to anyone else.

This was a secret between them and was none of anyone’s business.

Qin Zhuo slowly withdrew his hand from the microphone upon noticing that all eyes were on him.

“The reason I’m standing here is because Jian Xie got first place in the grade.” He slightly curled his lips, his posture languid, as he directly pointed out who the real number one in the grade was. “Before going on stage, the homeroom teacher told me about his usual situation and hoped that I could share some of his learning experiences—” 

“In my opinion, his most outstanding strength is that he is not influenced by external factors and is very focused on his work.”

At this point, he paused, his gaze seemingly drifting towards Jian Xie below the stage.

He did not exaggerate.

Even during intense monster hunts, Jian Xie remembered to bring his homework with him at all times, never forgetting his identity as a student.

More importantly—

While he was engrossed in solving problems, no matter what movements he made, the other person would not take their eyes off the paper.

For most people, even a faint glance or a brush past Qin Zhuo would throw them into a panic. Only Jian Xie remained calm throughout, as if Qin Zhuo wasn’t sitting next to him and was no different from air.

Thinking of this, Qin Zhuo couldn’t help but click his tongue.

“Especially when faced with external temptations, he must stay true to his original aspirations.” His tone was somewhat languid, and it was impossible to tell from his expression whether he was in a good or bad mood. “Best learning how to refuse, so that temptations will naturally keep their distance.” 

Jian Xie: “…”

Even though the other person was praising him, he somehow sensed something strange.

He felt like his words has some unspoken subtext.

Thinking of this, he raised his eyes and met the gaze that the other person was sending from the stage.

Although his originally dark red eyes had turned into an abyss-like black after Qin Zuo gained physical form, it did not diminish the gloomy and terrifying aura that caused everyone who looked at him to be involuntarily drawn into the vortex, unable to look him in the eye.

And it was precisely because of this sudden eye contact that Jian Xie suddenly understood the true meaning of his words.

He couldn’t help but twitch his lips.

Qin Zhuo actually compared himself to external temptations. Was he reflecting on himself, or was he implying something to him?

……

But one thing was certain.

This was clearly an attempt to smuggle in personal agendas.

However, no one in the audience noticed the eye contact between the two of them, nor did they sense anything unusual, because the argument seemed quite reasonable at first glance. Apart from being a bit cliché, it even sounded like something a parent would say.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Jian Xie even noticed some people nod in approval.

Indeed, studying required such focused concentration; otherwise, it was easy to lose attention to other things.

“In addition, in terms of external factors, it is important to ensure adequate nutrition. During such a crucial period as the senior year of high school, diet is especially important.” 

Qin Zhuo seemed amused by his own words, raising an eyebrow before deliberately speaking slowly, “I personally oversee every single dish Jian Xie prepares. However, how he handles the ingredients depends entirely on his mood. After all, I believe in balancing work and rest.”   

“……”

The food mentioned here refers to Special A-level monsters, right?

Since they had started living together these past few days, Jian Xie has been handling all the cooking while the evil god Qin Zhou haven’t lifted a single finger in the kitchen.

“But the most important point is that we have established a reasonable reward and punishment system.”

But, it was always Jian Xie who gave out the reward.

After all……

Putting aside the question of what exactly constitutes doing something for the other party, Jian Xie really didn’t know what reward he should ask Qin Zhuo for.

Often, Qin Zhuo would give Jian Xie what he needed before Jian Xie even knew it.

—He doesn’t even consider this a reciprocal reward, but rather a selfless gift.

At the same time, Qin Zhuo knew very well how to exploit the disorientation he felt during that period of receiving gifts. Seizing every opportunity to press his advantage, encroaching on his space, gradually lowering his bottom line, and constantly shrinking the safe distance between the two of them.

From this perspective, his giving gifts was actually a very utilitarian act, only pursuing nothing more than fleeting emotions.

He really knew how to handle an evil god.

Jian Xie: “…”

Once he figured it out, he was a little unsure how to look at the stage anymore.

Thinking about Qin Zhuo’s performance throughout, he silently put on a mask of pain in his heart.

It shouldn’t be an illusion that every seemingly normal thing Qin Zhuo said actually carried a hidden meaning.

Moreover, although he was giving a guardianship speech to everyone in the grade, his gaze swept past the crowd to rest solely upon him with an aggressive and wild gaze, as if the other humans were just insignificant decorations in his eyes.

—This wasn’t a parent-teacher meeting experience exchange, it was clearly his personal “recent strategy summary”.

Seeing Jian Xie shift his gaze uncomfortably below the stage, Qin Zhuo felt a surge of satisfaction welling up inside him.

“Of course, the foundation of it all lies in his own diligence in studying.”

This didn’t sound like something he would say. Sure enough, he briefly glanced at Zhou Cheyun below the stage, his tone playful. “Perhaps that’s why he gave up his student representative spot this time, allowing other students the opportunity to share tips on how to quickly improve their grades.” 

Since Jian Xie’s guardian was able to say this in front of everyone and also mention that he had communicated with the homeroom teacher in advance, it seemed that the rumors about falsifying grades were not true.

The person who was stirring up trouble all day yesterday… that was a bit complicated…

Zhou Cheyun, who was sitting in the audience, noticed the strange looks he was getting from the other people and immediately started trembling with anger.

Techniques to quickly improve grades…

It was clearly implying that his achievements were obtained through dishonest means and opportunistic tactics!

Moreover, what did he mean by giving up a spot? It was clearly his spot from the beginning.

It was Jian Xie who stole the honor that belonged to him!

He didn’t know what method the other party used, but not only did they request and obtain approval to change the speaking order of the grade in advance, but they also gained the initiative to speak first.

This last-minute change of time caught him off guard, leaving him no choice but to sit in his chair with clench fists while swallowing his anger.

“……”

Seeing Zhou Cheyun’s expression, Jing Chen, who was sitting not far away, couldn’t help but laugh out loud and whisper, “Jian Xie, your brother sure knows how to talk.” 

Judging from their appearance and age, he had come to the conclusion that the two must be cousins.

However, Jian Xie glanced at him and slowly said, “Not my brother.” 

Jing Chen: “…?”

His first realization was that he had actually gotten an answer from Jian Xie. Though it was negative, it shouldn’t be that far from—

“He’s a potential partner,” Jian Xie said. 

Ignoring Jing Chen’s momentarily stunned expression, he pondered further. “To be precise, he’s probably a potential partner for sustainable development.” 

Jing Chen: “…”

Why is it that he understood each word individually, but suddenly couldn’t grasp the meaning when they’re put together?

Previously, their class was considering selecting activists, and an application was required to become a candidate for being part of the party.

Was it the same thing as what Jian Xie just mentioned…?

Jian Xie unexpectedly blew up Schrödinger’s cabinet door, which greatly shocked Jing Chen beside him. Jing Chen’s expression went blank, but strangely, it helped him adjust his mindset as a result.

So, he looked up at the flagpole again, staring at that face that was too outstanding for a human, his feelings a tangled knot.

He drifted off for a moment, diverting some of his attention to pondering the true nature of their current relationship.

Qin Zhuo had kissed him.

Although it felt more like a playful teasing than a real kiss between lovers, he wasn’t particularly bothered by it at the time.

Even if the evil god’s lips were unexpectedly soft, indistinguishable from those of a human, it was impossible to ignore the cold, numbing aura of death that followed that light touch.

It was not a pleasant experience for someone’s first kiss.

But he did not resist.

So… that was really strange.

Jian Xie reached out, touched his lips, and frowned slightly.

Although the other always talked about liking, how exactly does one know if someone liked another…?

On the stage, Qin Zhuo had already disdainfully averted his gaze from Zhou Cheyun, exuding indescribable arrogance.

Jian Xie thought Qin Zhuo would continue rambling on, but to his surprise, he smiled and lazily said, “I’ve already decided on the next reward.”

After speaking, he raised his hand to turn off the microphone and slowly turned around.

—He was facing the school leader, whose face was still pale and whose eyes were lifeless as he stared ahead.

At some point, only a few figures remained on the school sportsfield. The students and parents who had filled all the seats had disappeared, leaving the lawn desolate. A sudden gust of wind blew over several nearby chairs, each one emitting a bone-chilling creak.

Jian Xie remained seated, and as he turned his head slightly, he saw Zhou Cheyun sitting in a chair not far away.

There were only two humans among them.

“Super Special A-level?” Qin Zhuo chuckled, his gaze playfully scrutinizing the leader whose body had been taken over. “You’ve been trading with humans for so long, yet you still don’t have your own body?” 

With just a casual glance, It saw through the other party’s true nature.

Transforming an A-level anomalous object into a living monster required the process of gaining control of the host’s body.

After all, they were just ornaments at best. To have a real body, they must devour humans and then put on their skin in order to move.

In short, they could be described as a type of parasite.

This item was chosen by Zhou Cheyun.

However, for various reasons, it did not have time to devour him completely, and instead temporarily broke free from its enclosure and took over the body of a passerby.

Jian Xie frowned.

“You dare mention that to me!” The monster was struck hard by It’s casual remark, its expression twisting into a grotesque grimace. Its eyes gleamed with bloodlust as it snarled, “Don’t you know what you did to me at the classroom door that turned me into this?!” 

Merely a simple approach, yet it forcibly forced it out of Zhou Cheyun’s pendant.

If this human hadn’t passed by the corridor and allowed it to temporarily possess their body, its power would likely have been lost to the air.

And under its ferocious glare, this detestable fellow—

He actually gave a mischievous laugh??

If it was merely surprised and suspicious before, the other party’s current dismissive attitude has completely enraged it.

It took it a moment to force itself to calm down, then its eyes swept over Qin Zhuo from head to toe, and it sneered. “I’ve been observing you for a long time. Aren’t you also a non-physical anomalous object that transforms into a living monster? And you have a time limit too, so what’s there to be so smug about?  

The fact that others could see it temporarily was probably due to some special means involved in the transformation process.

Unexpectedly, the young man who had initially shown disgust when he heard it say “they are all transformed monsters” visibly brightened up after the latter part of its sentence, and even deliberately glanced at its host.

“Don’t lump me in with trash, waste, and defective products like you.”

Although he spoke with disdain, Qin Zhuo’s tone was unusually cheerful, and he even raised his eyelids to look at the monster before him. “However, you are right about one thing. I do not currently have a physical form—”  

“But my potential partner is actively helping me find one.”