Chapter 36: The Ghost King and the Poor Student 01

The day Tang Bin was notified by 3376 that he could leave, his mood suddenly sank.

He didn’t know what he felt when he left after his previous mission, but he knew that right now, he felt terrible—his heart felt like it had been sliced with a knife, the pain unbearable.

Because he was about to leave.

And according to past experience, after he slept and woke up, he should forget everything that happened in this world. He would forget Lin Moning too.

The system even called it protection.

Even worse, maybe he was already among the bottom fifty. If he went back now, he might be erased immediately…

After going through so much, Tang Bin was still terrible at hiding his emotions.

At least such an obvious emotional shift was easily noticed by Lin Moning, who was sitting next to him.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

The days of sweet bliss had passed for many years, and they should have already reached that “old couple” stage, but for some reason, they hadn’t grown tired of each other even during the ^[1]“seven-year itch” refers to a common belief that after being in a relationship for about seven years, couples may start to feel bored or dissatisfied, leading to a higher likelihood of … Continue reading“seven-year itch.” Recently, their relationship had been even more affectionate, like…

Like Lin Moning had already sensed something, knowing that Tang Bin would soon forget him.

—

After all these years, Lin Moning’s face was still devastatingly handsome, to the point that it made people envious and resentful.

Tang Bin thought that if he ever became human again, he would definitely find a boyfriend who looked like Lin Moning.

But that probably wasn’t going to happen, right?

Lin Moning was a male lead-type character!

Oh, right, this was just a fake world anyway…

Tang Bin still felt extremely disappointed and hopeless. The feeling was almost like a life-and-death separation.

He thought.

After all these years, he had gotten used to telling Lin Moning everything, sharing and bearing everything together. But this time, seeing Lin Moning’s concerned gaze…

Tang Bin took a deep breath, shook his head, and forced himself to say, “I’m fine.”

If they were destined to part and forget each other, he’d rather lie, even if it only brought Lin Moning a moment of peace—it would be worth it.

In fact, it really was only a moment.

【The system has confirmed that the task is complete. The host will be recalled in ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight… 】 The cold voice of 3376 rang out. Whenever it issued task-related commands, its tone was always so cold and piercing, reminding Tang Bin of that small, suffocating room…

It was time to go back…

The countdown continued. Tang Bin gathered his courage, clenched his fists, and lifted his gaze to look at Lin Moning.

Although ten seconds was a short time, it was enough to say one word—“goodbye.”

But Tang Bin didn’t expect that just as he was about to speak, Lin Moning suddenly opened his arms and pulled him into an embrace.

Tang Bin: ??!

He was so used to Lin Moning’s various kinds of hugs that he instinctively sensed something was off—this time, Lin Moning was holding him much more forcefully than usual.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much time left. As he stood frozen, Tang Bin thought that it wouldn’t be too bad to just enjoy one last hug. He even raised his arms to return the embrace. But unexpectedly, at that moment, Lin Moning reached out one hand and tightly gripped Tang Bin’s.

Tang Bin’s ear brushed against Lin Moning’s warm lips, and he heard Lin Moning say to him:

“I’ll wait for you in the next world.”

The words weren’t long, just a few simple syllables, but when they reached Tang Bin’s ears, they exploded like thunder, as if something was pounding against his heart, the sound echoing loudly, making his blood rush and his body feel like it was reversing course.

Tang Bin widened his eyes.

He then heard Lin Moning say again, “Don’t forget this time.”

—

The scene before him—the scenery, the people—vanished, instantly transforming into that small, suffocating room, filled with piercing cold light.

Tang Bin’s fist remained clenched tightly. His wide-open eyes slowly started to spill tears, though those beautiful, clear eyes eventually closed, and his whole body went limp, collapsing to the ground.

Soon, two figures in white protective suits entered the room. They lifted his body off the floor and placed him back into the capsule.

“We’ve waited so many days… Finally…” A muffled male voice came from inside the suit. “Is this the one who completed the task first in this batch?”

“Yes. It’s a dodder flower spirit.”

“Ah, looks pretty ordinary.”

“Who knows.” The muffled voice let out a strange-sounding laugh. “I heard that from this batch, those with bad results will be erased. It’s quite thrilling to think about…”

“Yeah. Should we congratulate him?”

“I guess.”

The two men chatting closed the hatch of the capsule tightly and then left the room.

Lying inside the capsule, Tang Bin clenched his little fist, his palm icy cold.

There, Lin Moning had just given him something.

Originally, he should have fallen asleep as soon as he returned, but because of this small thing, he was still awake.

Tang Bin didn’t dare to look, fearing that the system might scan and identify it, so he gripped it tightly. But it seemed like he hadn’t been discovered.

The object in his palm slowly began to melt, seeping into his skin. Actually, once he got used to it, it didn’t feel as cold and piercing anymore.

This was something Lin Moning had given him…

Wait, who is Lin Moning?

Suddenly, a handsome face appeared in his mind, along with various details of the two of them together.

That warm, reassuring feeling…

Wuu wuu wuu.

Trying to make himself appear as though he had fallen asleep, Tang Bin couldn’t bring himself to cry.

He told himself to be strong.

The capsule emitted a comfortable temperature, and some kind of ray kept passing over his body. Tang Bin knew this was changing his body and erasing his memories.

So, who am I?

Am I really that dodder flower spirit, nicknamed Little Tang Bin?

If not, then who am I?

…The drowsiness was too overwhelming, he couldn’t resist anymore.

Tang Bin’s thoughts wandered, and in the end, he couldn’t fight off the effects of the rays. He fell into a deep sleep.

And then, he dreamed.

In the dream, Lin Moning’s face merged with another person’s, and they looked incredibly similar—if not identical.

It was only in this dream that Tang Bin finally understood—at first, Lin Moning had been so fierce, yet he could still give him a sense of warmth and stability. This feeling hadn’t been an illusion…

Hmm, I should think about him more, so I won’t forget.

Tang Bin told himself in his sleep.

…I can’t forget.

I can’t forget.

Damn it! I can’t forget!

—

When he woke up, the hatch of the capsule opened. Tang Bin had to lift his arm to shield his eyes from the blinding white light above him.

He sat up, his expression confused and helpless as he looked around, attempting to call out, “3376? Um… are you there?”

His voice was soft and trembled, sounding as if he was about to cry.

【I’m here.】 The emotionless electronic voice of 3376 replied: 【Congratulations, host. During the mission, you have gathered the following: landmines × 3,673, grenades × 783, rocket launchers × 198, underwater mines × 52, deep-sea mines × 1,329.】

Tang Bin: “So many!”

【The host has performed excellently, and the rewards are several times greater than those from the last world.】 3376’s tone sped up slightly, clearly pleased for him.

“So… does this mean I won’t be erased?”

【Yes.】

“Thank you, 3376,” Tang Bin said.

【You’re welcome. Energy supply is complete. If there are no issues, the host can begin the new journey.】

Tang Bin said, “Alright.”

Then he suddenly remembered, “So… will I still be erased during the next mission?”

【The new rules apply to all hosts, so…】 3376 regretfully told him: 【Yes, the host still faces the risk of being erased.】

“…” Tang Bin shuddered, clearly terrified.

For some reason, although the game rules were set for all the participants, 3376 felt it was particularly cruel and evil to announce this to Tang Bin.

It tried to comfort him: 【But I have some good news to share. You came in first place in the last mission! You were the first to complete the task! So as long as you stay steady, the next world should be no problem.】

At least, he won’t be erased.

But this didn’t seem to comfort Tang Bin.

He instead became even more unhappy, murmuring to himself, “But someone has to be erased, right?”

If it’s not him, it’ll be some other demon.

Tang Bin thought back to the peach blossom demon he had seen at the beginning. That demon had been so immersed in the tasks, labeled by the system as a “host with no ambition.” But he had been so kind, optimistic, happy, and confident… There must be many other demons like him.

They had been captured, forced to complete tasks, and had little freedom to begin with. Now even that last bit of choice was being stripped away, forcing everyone to kill each other…

Having completed missions in two worlds, Tang Bin was an experienced host, yet for the first time, he began to question the meaning of this system’s existence.

3376 fell into silence. This was something it couldn’t control, and it could only repeat to Tang Bin: 【Sorry.】

“Forget it,” Tang Bin said. He knew 3376 couldn’t do anything about it. He clenched his fist and gently rubbed the palm of his hand, as if trying to motivate himself.

Throughout the entire process, he seemed terrified of the room, unwilling to look at his surroundings. Once he had built up enough mental strength, Tang Bin raised his voice, clear and bright, “Then let’s go!”

As soon as it was confirmed, the scene in front of Tang Bin gradually began to change—

In front of him was a row of desks and chairs, with many tables stacked high with thick piles of books, along with pencil cases, water cups, and other items. There were at least seven or eight rows of them.

At the center of the room, there was a long blackboard, and on the wall above it were four bold red characters: “Strive to Become Strong.”

Tang Bin turned around and realized he was sitting at a desk in the last row. At the back of the room, there was still a long blackboard, covered with colorful chalk drawings and writings.

This was clearly a classroom.

At the same time, Tang Bin could already understand his current identity and related information in his mind.

His name was Song Yinzhe. When he was little, he was called Song Yinjing because his father’s surname was Song and his mother’s surname was Yin. It was unclear who thought of the name.

However, because the pronunciation of “^[2]“Yinjing” (殷径) sounded similar to a certain male anatomical term because the pronunciation of “径” (jìng) can resemble the sound of the slang term for the male … Continue readingYinjing” sounded similar to a certain male anatomical term, he was often teased with a nickname when he was younger.

Giving each other nicknames seemed to be something all children enjoyed doing, though no one could really tell how much malice was involved.

But it was true that those who had nicknames like that would suffer from childhood trauma.

The original owner, due to constant teasing, was too shy to say his name out loud, too afraid to make friends, and his confidence continued to shrink, making him more and more introverted.

Eventually, when his parents found out about this, they changed the second character of his name to “Zhe”.

There was no special reason for it. His parents, who were from a generation where reading wasn’t popular and had only finished high school, didn’t really understand the meaning of names.

They just thought the character “Zhe” sounded nice, had more strokes, was complicated, and looked elegant and grand.

At least after changing his name, it no longer led other kids to make too many associations.

But Song Yinzhe’s personality was not so easily changed.

He was still timid and afraid of trouble, lacked confidence, didn’t dare to show himself in front of others, had no particular skills, and didn’t do well in school.

By the time he reached high school, not only was his academic performance poor and he wasn’t favored by teachers, but he was also seated in the last row and frequently bullied by his classmates.

“Hey, Song Yinzhe, are you deaf or stupid? Didn’t you hear me? Move aside, I need to get in!”

After absorbing the original owner’s memories, Tang Bin regained his senses. Song Yinzhe’s deskmate—no, now he should say his deskmate, Zhao Xiaoguang—was impatiently kicking his chair.

The desks in the classroom were arranged in pairs, and their desk was by the window. Zhao Xiaoguang always sat on the inside so he could play with his phone. He made Song Yinzhe sit on the outside to block the teacher and serve as a lookout for him.

Zhao Xiaoguang’s voice was loud, echoing through the otherwise quiet classroom, attracting the attention of many of their classmates.

Zhao Xiaoguang was the typical delinquent. He had some family background, so as long as he didn’t cause major trouble, neither the school nor the teachers would bother him. This allowed him to develop his arrogant and overbearing personality.

He had been the school bully in middle school, and now in high school, he had become even worse. Especially with his deskmate being… as he put it, a ^[3]“weakling who can’t even get a fart out with three sticks” is a derogatory expression used to insult someone, implying that they are so weak or ineffectual that even the simplest of … Continue reading“weakling who can’t even get a fart out with three sticks.”

The original owner, Song Yinzhe, looked very delicate—his skin was fair, and he was thin, giving him a rather effeminate appearance.

On top of that, he was shy, timid, and weak by nature, with shallow eye sockets that made him prone to crying, so Zhao Xiaoguang often called him a “sissy.”

At this moment, Zhao Xiaoguang was deliberately speaking loudly to embarrass Song Yinzhe.

He knew that Song Yinzhe was sensitive, and he instinctively wanted to humiliate him. Maybe, if Song Yinzhe cried, it would make it even easier to humiliate him further.

And it wasn’t just Zhao Xiaoguang who liked to bully the original owner.

“Hey, what happened to him now? Did he make you mad?” Two girls, dressed in their school uniforms but with extravagant accessories, walked over, their presence marked by a strong fragrance. One of them even had makeup on.

These two were notorious troublemakers in their grade. They had strong connections with bullies from other grades and even outside the school, frequently hanging out with them. Thanks to their connections, they had become the undisputed queens of the class.

Some people, when trying to crush another person, even speak in a way that drips with insult.

The other girl spoke with a mocking tone, “Do you think he’s deaf? I swear, he looks totally stupid.”

“He’s always been a fool.” Zhao Xiaoguang sneered and kicked Tang Bin’s chair again. “Hey, are you going to move, or not?”

After saying this, he rolled his eyes and muttered a curse.

Their class was just a regular one, with a few students who performed well enough to compete for top spots in the school. Right now, they were hunched over their desks studying, seemingly oblivious to the tension and bullying happening in the back row.

Most of the students didn’t rush to study after class. They didn’t have the courage to hang out with Zhao Xiaoguang’s group, so instead, they secretly watched or listened to the situation, treating it like a bit of entertainment.

Tang Bin, who had figured out what kind of class this was, felt a little helpless.

What should have been a simple exchange of “Excuse me, I need to pass” and “Oh, okay, go ahead” had been made so complicated by this group of people. Had they watched too many gangster films? Don’t they feel content unless they’re bullying someone?

Being surrounded by a few people and insulted, then called a fool, anyone would feel upset and want to argue.

But for the original owner, this was just another everyday occurrence. Tang Bin didn’t want to bother arguing with these students, so he simply moved aside, giving Zhao Xiaoguang enough space to get through.

Having already completed missions in two worlds, Tang Bin didn’t feel scared when he arrived in this world.

In his previous world, he had a prominent identity and had lived for many years, encountering all sorts of people. Now, seeing these middle school students in their school uniforms, he just saw a bunch of kids.

Tang Bin, instead of feeling intimidated, kept his eyes open, scanning the surroundings, trying to guess who the male lead of this world might be.

According to past patterns and experience, the system wouldn’t assign him a task until the male lead appeared.

And those tasks were usually not issued on time.

However, as Tang Bin looked around, he couldn’t find anyone who seemed like the male lead.

“Hey!”

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud shout and the sound of a desk being slammed. Startled, Tang Bin looked back and realized that Zhao Xiaoguang hadn’t sat down at his desk yet. Instead, he was glaring at Tang Bin, fuming with anger.

“What’s wrong?” Tang Bin asked, confused.

Looking into his clear eyes, Zhao Xiaoguang, in the midst of his rage, suddenly forgot what he had wanted to say.

He was so angry but didn’t know how to express it.

If this had happened before, Song Yinzhe would have been too scared to move, immediately standing up and moving his chair to “respectfully” make way for Zhao Xiaoguang.

But now… he didn’t move a muscle, still sitting there?!

Just thinking about this, Zhao Xiaoguang got even more angry. He thought Song Yinzhe was deliberately provoking him, and immediately snapped, “Get up! With such a small space, how am I supposed to get in? You’re such an idiot.”

Tang Bin originally didn’t care whether or not to get up and move, but it was obvious Zhao Xiaoguang was deliberately looking for trouble. It seemed that no matter whether he stood up or not, Zhao Xiaoguang wouldn’t let him off easily.

He didn’t understand why there were people like this.

So, he tried to reason with him: “You’re not fat. This space is big enough, you can easily pass through.”

While speaking, he took a glance at Zhao Xiaoguang’s figure. Zhao Xiaoguang was indeed very thin—he could easily get through.

Tang Bin felt relieved.

“Pfft, he seems a bit dumb today,” the two girls who were watching the scene laughed again.

“He’s always been dumb, hasn’t he? Hahahaha…”

Adolescents in their growth phase are quite sensitive, especially when they are judged like this by the opposite sex. The original owner’s personality was shaped like this because of such experiences—it wasn’t a coincidence.

But Tang Bin wasn’t human and had never gone through a similar childhood like the original owner’s, so these words didn’t affect him in the slightest.

He was just curious—since they were all human, and they weren’t any better than him, why did they have to insult others?

So, Tang Bin stated, “I’m not stupid.”

“What?” The two girls seemed to doubt their ears.

Tang Bin continued, “Even if I were stupid, it’s none of your business. Building your happiness on someone else’s suffering—that’s what’s truly pathetic in life.”

“What? What is he saying?” The group looked at each other in confusion. They never expected someone to tell them that their lives were pathetic—especially not Song Yinzhe…

Maybe they were too shocked, but for a moment, no one could react.

Tang Bin then turned to the girl wearing makeup and said, “The school doesn’t allow makeup. Trying to look unique or cool this way is really childish. I think you look fine as you are, without the makeup, you’d still look great.”

“Fuck, are you out of your mind?!” The girl who was wearing makeup suddenly raised her voice several decibels.

Even those who didn’t want to be involved had to turn around to see what was going on. The girl kept shouting, “What’s it to you? You idiot! Who are you to talk to me? I think you’re asking for trouble!”

In the past, if someone had shouted at Tang Bin like that, even if he didn’t think he was in the wrong, he would’ve ended up crying uncontrollably.

Being yelled at like that, especially in front of so many people, was really embarrassing. Even if he hadn’t done anything wrong, the shame and awkwardness would have overwhelmed him.

But now, having come out of countless arguments and battles, Tang Bin had become battle-hardened. Even though the original owner was still a crybaby, Tang Bin’s heart was completely calm now, not stirred even a little.

Tang Bin’s calm attitude contrasted sharply with the girl who kept yelling at him. He said, “Trying to attract attention by yelling and humiliating me, there’s a common term for that—it’s called ‘^[4]“a shrew shouting in the streets” is an expression used to describe someone who is loud, aggressive, and publicly making a scene, often in an unseemly or inappropriate way. It compares … Continue readinga shrew shouting in the streets.’“

“Fuck!” The girl was furious, but it was obvious she couldn’t do anything to him. All she could do was yell more insulting curse words.

But when words can no longer hurt someone, no matter how offensive they are, their impact becomes extremely limited.

Once the realization hits that cursing can’t harm a person, the pleasure of bullying sharply declines, making her even more furious.

Tang Bin’s calmness and composure unintentionally created a shield around him, which was also why he wasn’t scared in this world.

—He was no longer the naive and clueless Tang Bin he once was.

After thinking for a moment, he kindly advised, “Cursing is bad. It makes you look uncouth. When you grow up…”

“Shut up! Wait for it! I’m calling my brother right now. You stupid idiot! I’ll see if you’ll still talk like that then! Fuck you!” The girl, now enraged, grabbed her phone to make the call. But just then, Zhao Xiaoguang grabbed Tang Bin by the collar and unexpectedly pulled him out of his chair.

“Are you done? If you’re done, get out of the way!”

Although Zhao Xiaoguang was thin, he had some skills, being the school bully since middle school.

At least the original owner was much weaker than him. Being suddenly pulled up like this, Tang Bin was caught off guard and crashed into the back wall of the classroom.

The original owner was shy and cried easily, never standing up to Zhao Xiaoguang or the others.

So, the legendary bullies with knives or batons after school never existed in the original owner’s memory—he had always been subjected to verbal and soft violence.

That’s why Tang Bin was a bit surprised when the other person actually laid hands on him.

“Zhao Xiaoguang, you heard that! He’s pretending to be all high and mighty with us. What do you think we should do?” The girl who had been on the phone, the one with makeup, said, while the other more innocent-looking girl, seeing Zhao Xiaoguang take action, encouraged him to teach Tang Bin a lesson.

For Zhao Xiaoguang, these two girls were his “connections,” while Song Yinzhe was just a timid outsider. Even though he had a crush on a well-behaved, top student, he didn’t like these foul-mouthed girls. Still, since they had powerful connections, he couldn’t ignore them, or it would be embarrassing. If word got out that he was protecting Song Yinzhe, he would be finished.

So, once again, Tang Bin’s collar was grabbed. Having experienced two worlds, he had no experience with fighting or brawling.

But this was a classroom, and Tang Bin didn’t believe Zhao Xiaoguang would dare to actually hit him.

Sure enough, the ten-minute break passed quickly, and the class bell rang. The students returned to their seats, and the subject teacher entered.

“What’s going on with the students in the back?” The last class in the morning was taught by an old man who was a strict math teacher.

Zhao Xiaoguang and the others didn’t dare openly provoke him. The two girls returned to their seats. The one who had just been on the phone shot Tang Bin a look of “I’ll deal with you later,” clearly signaling for someone.

Zhao Xiaoguang, after releasing Tang Bin, casually returned to his seat. When Tang Bin sat next to him, Zhao Xiaoguang couldn’t help but mock, “Did you take the wrong medicine today? Huang Xiaomeng’s boyfriend is a third-year senior. You’re done for sure.”

Tang Bin ignored him and calmly opened his textbook.

This made Zhao Xiaoguang feel even more slighted. He couldn’t help but threaten, “You’d better wait for it.”

Tang Bin thought, Let him wait then.

If you analyze carefully, the main methods of harm used by Zhao Xiaoguang and his group were verbal attacks and emotional bullying.

Verbal attacks didn’t bother Tang Bin, and as for emotional bullying, it likely involved being blacklisted by the troublemakers, with no one else daring to associate with him, creating the feeling of loneliness at school.

However, Tang Bin actually preferred being isolated. He came to this world for a mission, and apart from the male protagonist, he didn’t need to interact with anyone else.

In fact, he didn’t even know how to communicate with these classmates.

After analyzing everything, the real thing to fear was physical violence.

After all, they were troublemakers—teens who couldn’t always suppress their impulses and acted without thinking about the consequences. If they actually started a fight… he might not be able to win.

If he could, Tang Bin didn’t want to cause trouble, but not resisting meant constantly enduring their bullying, and that wasn’t a solution either.

So, what should he do…?

Tang Bin lowered his head, thinking of a way out.

This made him look like he was daydreaming, and soon enough, the stern teacher in front noticed.

“Students in the back, what are you daydreaming about? The one in the last row, yes, you, Song Yinzhe, come up here and solve this problem.”

This math teacher was truly strict and had a famously bad temper. In his class, even students who didn’t want to study wouldn’t openly ignore him. You never knew when the old man would be in a bad mood and call on you. When that happened, you’d inevitably face a trip to the office or your parents being called in.

No one wanted to invite such trouble.

When the math teacher called on him, Tang Bin had no choice but to stand up obediently.

At this point, many of the students already knew that he was in trouble, and it was possible that after class, the Lao Diao(Old Eagle) would block him at the door of the classroom. Most people would be scared stiff, so his current daze seemed perfectly normal.

The Lao Diao’s real name wasn’t actually “Old Scum,” but anyone with a nickname like that in school was well-known and had a reputation. If they weren’t connected, they would have been expelled long ago for such notoriety.

In fact, bullies without any background, no matter how good they were at fighting, weren’t that scary. What was truly terrifying were the troublemakers with connections.

If you really fought with them, you’d be the one losing, no matter what. These kinds of people could only be avoided, never provoked.

But since he had already provoked them… now Song Yinzhe should have been terrified, probably already trembling with fear, right?

Many classmates felt sorry for him, while others, with an odd sense of excitement, wanted to see how Tang Bin would fare. But no one, out of sympathy or pity, would stand up and speak up for him.

However, what no one expected was that the person who should have been scared and crying, Song Yinzhe, not only appeared unafraid, but on the contrary, he calmly stood up from his seat and walked to the podium with an almost aristocratic grace, his steps smooth and composed.

Tang Bin took the chalk from the teacher’s hand.

Thanks to the original owner sitting in the last row, by the time he reached the front, he had already figured out how to solve the problem. Now it was just a matter of writing down the steps and calculating the result.

The original owner, Song Yinzhe, wasn’t particularly good at studying, and with his abilities, he couldn’t have solved this problem.

But that didn’t matter, because Tang Bin had absorbed all the knowledge from the original owner’s mind. With some logical reasoning, solving this problem wasn’t difficult at all.

So, under the gaze of the entire class, he calmly and steadily wrote out the steps, and then mentally calculated the result.

Tang Bin politely handed the pen back to the math teacher, then turned around and calmly returned to his seat.

What was even more shocking was that when his answer was checked, the classmates realized—he had gotten it right!

The topic they were discussing was actually an advanced one that built on this knowledge point, and it was a bit beyond the standard difficulty level. Many students didn’t even know where to start when they first saw the question.

But this so-called “poor student,” Song Yinzhe, had solved it?

…He must have done this problem before!

That’s right, it must be! The top students in the front row thought in amazement. Otherwise, how could he write out the answer directly without even needing scratch paper? He must have memorized the result in advance!

However… some students still expressed doubts. While it could be said that he had solved this problem before and memorized the answer, the steps involved several knowledge points, all of which Song Yinzhe had written out in great detail, with clear and logical reasoning. It was even clearer than the answer in the reference book. If he could do this, then how could Song Yinzhe’s grades be so bad?

No matter how much they speculated, the fact remained that he had solved the problem correctly.

“Ahem.” The math teacher, also in shock, cleared his throat and said, “This student solved the problem very well. Actually, there’s a simpler method to solve it, which you’ll learn in third grade.

But the fact that Song Yinzhe used the knowledge we’ve already learned to solve the problem shows that his adaptability is very strong. The goal of exams is to apply all the knowledge we have learned flexibly. Don’t look at a question and think, ‘We haven’t learned this knowledge point,’ or ‘I didn’t remember this,’ as I’ve said before: the point of an exam is to do everything you can to get the right answer. I hope everyone can learn from Song Yinzhe.”

Tang Bin returned to his seat amidst the teacher’s praise and the students’ stares. He hadn’t reacted at all when they had previously insulted him, but when praised, he couldn’t help but blush.

Although he had answered the question correctly, he didn’t dare slack off and paid close attention to the teacher’s lecture.

Beside him, Zhao Xiaoguang had no idea what had happened. The teacher’s words were just clichés, and as someone who never studied, he didn’t even realize that the question was beyond the syllabus. He didn’t look at Tang Bin any differently from the other classmates.

He just sneered and provocatively said, “So, you want to study properly now? Don’t dream, with your IQ…”

Tang Bin simply ignored him.

Zhao Xiaoguang got a little anxious. “You want to study, huh? Do you believe I’ll break your fingers or put you in the hospital for two months? After falling behind so much, let’s see how you study…”

Tang Bin suddenly turned his head and looked at him.

In fact, it was this kind of intimidation that had made the original owner end up in such a situation.

The original owner had always wanted to study well, but living in fear and isolation, he felt powerless. Even though he wanted to study hard, he couldn’t. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t improve his grades.

Zhao Xiaoguang’s actions, motivated by the desire to see others fail as well, completely disgusted Tang Bin. He reached his hand out in front of Zhao Xiaoguang.

“What are you doing?” This time, it was Zhao Xiaoguang who was surprised.

“Didn’t you want to break my hand? Here, go ahead, break it now.” Tang Bin said.

“What the hell? Are you crazy? Have you lost your mind today?”

Tang Bin thought about it carefully. Even if Zhao Xiaoguang really broke his fingers or put him in the hospital for two months, he wasn’t afraid.

After all, he hadn’t even received his mission yet. Maybe going to the hospital would give him a chance to meet the male protagonist.

This thought even solved the problem of possibly being blocked by someone called A Diao or Lao Diao during lunch. Tang Bin seriously shook his head. “I’m not crazy, nor am I joking. I can go to the hospital. If you want to do that, go ahead. I don’t believe there’s no one who can deal with you.”

As the saying goes, “The stubborn fear the tough, and the tough fear those who don’t value their lives.” Students can only use limited means.

When faced with someone even more ruthless and reckless than himself, Zhao Xiaoguang had no way to handle it.

He was furious—really furious—and even wished he could just beat up the kid who was provoking him right there and then.

But they were in class right now. If he actually did something, even if it was just hitting him once, it would cause a lot of trouble… Being a rebel wasn’t that cool, and others might even think he was just trying to show off…

“What are you two doing!”

As Zhao Xiaoguang, filled with anger, thought about how to get back at Tang Bin, the math teacher once again noticed their “little actions” and yelled, “Everyone, behave and pay attention to the lesson! If you don’t want to listen, go stand outside!”

Tang Bin finally let go of his hand, apologized to the teacher, and then resumed holding his pen, focusing on the textbook.

After the problem-solving incident, the math teacher’s opinion of Tang Bin had changed.

He shook his head and shot Zhao Xiaoguang a sharp glance, suddenly thinking that perhaps Song Yinzhe was a good student who just liked to study, but sitting next to Zhao Xiaoguang, a troublemaker, had inevitably affected him…

Tang Bin’s habit of focusing on only one thing at a time hadn’t changed. Once he immersed himself in the math book and the teacher’s lecture, everything else slipped his mind.

No matter how much Zhao Xiaoguang glared at him, making faces or trying to get his attention, Tang Bin was oblivious.

The last class of the morning soon ended, and lunchtime arrived. The school had its own cafeteria, and the students rushed off to get their meals.

The classroom was left with just a few people here and there. Tang Bin carefully put away his book when he heard a rough male voice from the doorway, one that was still in the process of changing pitch: “Who is Song Yinzhe? Come out here for a minute.”

By then, a circle of people had gathered at the door, including the two girls from earlier. Huang Xiaomeng pointed to the last row of the classroom, saying, “It’s him! What are you staring at? Song Yinzhe, come out here! Now you’re scared, huh?!”

The rough male voice spoke again, “Everyone else, go outside. We need to talk to this Song Yinzhe.”

His tone, though polite, made his intentions clear.

No one dared to stay in the classroom anymore.

Some in the class glanced at Tang Bin with concern, while others didn’t even dare to look back, let alone continue to watch the drama.

The remaining students quickly left, and the group calling themselves “Lao Diao” entered the classroom. Behind them, apart from the two girls, were several boys, all dressed improperly in school uniforms with a gangster-like attitude, grinning as they walked in.

It seemed like, in their eyes, Tang Bin was some kind of joke.

“You’re Song Yinzhe? You look quite delicate, didn’t expect you to have such guts,” Lao Diao said, staring at Tang Bin.

Tang Bin stared back at him, his gaze still clear. “Don’t know what you mean by ‘guts’?”

“Don’t try to talk your way out of this! You were pretty tough when you cursed at me earlier! What’s the matter now? Getting scared?” Huang Xiaomeng screamed.

At this point, Lao Diao and his group had surrounded Tang Bin. Zhao Xiaoguang stood up from beside him, glanced around, and seemed about to speak, but in the end, said nothing.

He liked to bully Song Yinzhe, but it was just bullying.

However, things were different when it came to Lao Diao.

You had to know that Lao Diao’s uncle was the principal of the school!

Not only could he hit people, but as long as no one died, there would be no consequences. If Song Yinzhe really fell into his hands…

Zhao Xiaoguang was conflicted, wondering if he should help.

Tang Bin stood up from his seat, looking innocent, but his voice was clear as he said, “Obviously, you cursed at me first, using words to insult me, and then I politely reminded you not to use foul language. If that’s wrong, then I apologize.”

“Stop talking!” Huang Xiaomeng quickly showed her true nature, turning to Lao Diao and saying, “Don’t waste time with him, people like him need to be taught a lesson before they behave!”

Lao Diao looked at the righteous and reasonable boy in front of him and suddenly found it laughable.

He said, “This kid is obviously an honest person. Why are you messing with him?”

He was in the third year, and although there were bullying incidents, he didn’t know that Huang Xiaomeng’s class took pleasure in bullying Song Yinzhe. Moreover, he thought this kid looked delicate and honest, so he didn’t feel it was necessary to get involved. Therefore, his attitude was relatively neutral.

But Huang Xiaomeng wasn’t happy. She had called him over to back her up, to make Song Yinzhe repent and admit his mistakes. She never expected that Lao Diao wouldn’t only fail to help her take revenge, but he also told her to let it go?

“That won’t do! How can we just let him get away with insulting me? Should he just get away with it? If you can’t handle it, I’ll find someone else!”

“…”

Lao Diao was the campus bully, and even Zhao Xiaoguang, a senior troublemaker, was afraid of him to some extent. He couldn’t stand being called ineffective, especially in front of his subordinates.

He immediately threatened Huang Xiaomeng, “Don’t make a scene, it’s embarrassing.”

The leader, the “Big Sister,” instantly snapped back in front of her underlings, “What do you mean ‘making a scene’?”

“Ai, are you guys done? Can’t you see people are trying to sleep?” Just as the conflict was about to escalate, a voice suddenly came from the other corner of the classroom, which had already been “cleared” earlier. “If you want to fight, take it outside. Do you have any manners?”

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Lao Diao’s temper flared.

The owner of the voice lazily sat up from the last row in another corner of the classroom. He had a few marks on his face from sleeping, but his tone was full of arrogance as he spoke, “Do you think this is your family’s market? Everyone, get out!”