A few seconds later, everyone watched with wide eyes as the teacher casually crumpled the note back into a ball and turned to walk up to the podium.
Zhu Shuiwen froze for a moment.
She had already braced herself to hear, “Zhu Shuiwen, disrupting class—out!” Her hands were pressed against the desk, ready to roll out at the first word.
But the homeroom teacher remained silent, and her legs were starting to cramp from holding still.
If even this doesn’t work, is the next step to stand up and loudly announce, “Teacher, I want to report that Zhu Feifei has already done it”?
She was the shy, easily intimidated type in public, but at this moment, she couldn’t think about much else. One question kept gnawing at her:
If I make too much of a scene, will my sister get mad…?
The teacher tapped the blackboard with a triangular ruler and slowly said, “This problem…”
Seeing him about to say something like, “I see everyone here is useless—let me do it myself,” Zhu Shuiwen panicked and almost blurted out, “I—”
At that exact moment, the teacher, still slowly wiping his hands, spoke: “Zhu Feifei, you answer.”
“—!”
The words Zhu Shuiwen was about to say stuck in her throat.
When she noticed the teacher giving her a half-smile, she trembled. After a few seconds of trying to say “I,” she suddenly hiccupped.
Fang Murou patted her desk mate on the back and whispered, “Why are you hiccupping so much?”
The girl hugged her water bottle, her shiny black eyes darting around, ears flushed red.
The girl held her water bottle, her dark eyes darting left and right, ears flushed red. She sipped water, shoulders trembling, and weakly repeated, “wo-er… wo-er…”
—She was pretending to hiccup.
Fang Murou turned her head to glance at Zhu Feifei, who was still sitting rigidly with a straight face. Her voice carried sympathy: “Did you two sisters get on Eagle Head’s bad side? You embarrassed yourself, and now your sister has to go up too…”
Zhu Shuiwen shook her head immediately. “No, my sister can handle it!”
She said it so quickly and urgently that she even forgot about her “hiccup” act.
Fang Murou choked on her words.
Seeing the absolute certainty in the girl’s round eyes, she pressed her lips together and forced herself to swallow back what she had almost said.
—Zhu Shuiwen, your name might as well be “Sister-Obsessed”, right?
No one in their right mind would think the homeroom teacher called Zhu Feifei up just to actually hear her answer.
Let’s put it this way: at Fuhai, exam seating is based on grades. Zhu Feifei never needs to check in advance; she just grabs her pencil case and heads straight to the last exam room.
For a student like her, why else would the teacher call her up other than for “discipline”?
Realizing Zhu Shuiwen was still new and might not know the situation, Fang Murou tried to be tactful: “But this problem is really hard. He Xueqi is one thing, but the others probably—”
She cut herself off abruptly.
When she mentioned “He Xueqi,” the girl’s expression stiffened instantly, her eyes blinking rapidly, as if the topic terrified her.
…Ah, could it be that the “Sister-Obsessed” was unhappy that her sister wasn’t the absolute best?
Misreading Zhu Shuiwen’s reaction, Fang Murou quickly clarified, “I didn’t mean to belittle your sister. I just mean, the top students are in a different league from everyone else… Oh, right, you probably don’t know who He Xueqi is yet, do you?”
“I know.”
…Huh?
With a puzzled look, Fang Murou saw Zhu Shuiwen avert her gaze, speaking casually: “Honor Roll.”
…Ah, of course. There was that huge photo of He Xueqi, hung in a busy area, where people occasionally brought offerings as if worshipping it—a dazzling landmark on the Fuhai campus. Not knowing that would actually be unusual.
Fang Murou didn’t press further and turned her head back.
—So she missed Zhu Shuiwen’s slightly trembling hand.
He Xueqi had called in sick with a high fever.
Zhu Shuiwen genuinely breathed a sigh of relief.
Even though, the moment she was pulled out of the “dream,” her emotions and memories faded rapidly, leaving her experience fragmented and broken—almost as if it had been nothing but a dream.
Yet one feeling remained etched deep into her bones:
—the fear of those three characters: He Xueqi.
Her wrist still radiated a faint heat, as if the spot that had been restrained was still being burned by his presence.
Even though only a fragment remained, it was enough to make her want to avoid him.
Yes, she would have to deal with him eventually.
But at least, not now.
…Thank goodness.
She shifted her gaze to the panel, her mood lightening slightly.
As Zhu Feifei slowly stood, the “offset value” gradually decreased, returning to a harmless gray-white.
[Offset value: 58%]
Zhu Feifei’s expression was calm but slightly tense, her heartbeat quick, tinged with the awkward urgency of someone wanting to escape the situation: “Thirteen-fifths square root of five.”
Hearing the answer, Zhu Shuiwen’s eyes widened slightly.
The numbers plummeted on the display, and the text turned a very pale blue, the soothing color of the sea.
[Offset value: 39%]
The teacher nodded slightly: “Mm, continue.”
Even though she had known in the “dream” that her sister was a genius female lead, especially skilled in math, hearing the teacher acknowledge it in reality made her exhale in relief.
From that point on, no more problems arose.
In the astonished eyes of the class, Zhu Feifei finished explaining her solution. The moment she finished, the teacher led the applause.
Clap, clap, clap…
More scattered claps joined in, eventually swelling into a roaring river of sound.
The students’ doubt turned into admiration.
[Offset value: 0%]
[This story event is complete; the next story nodes are refreshing.]
[Refreshed, please check promptly, host.]
Amid the enthusiastic applause and continuous notification sounds, Zhu Shuiwen breathed a sigh of relief.
“System?” she called in her mind.
The voice replied quickly: [ID 1094—Plot Patching System, sincerely at your service.]
—This time, it wasn’t a dream or a hallucination. It was completely real.
This was… the start of a brand-new second year, where nothing had happened yet.
“Xiao Shui, how is your sister so amazing?” Fang Murou said, full of admiration.
A small dimple appeared on the girl’s soft cheek.
—Of course! My sister is a genius female lead!
She thought happily.
The “Little Lamb Doremi Waltz” chimed from the speakers, announcing the end of this perilous “hunting class.”
Everyone relaxed their bodies—but not Zhu Shuiwen.
She watched, wide-eyed, as the homeroom teacher picked up the crumpled piece of paper that had been on the podium, moved with swift steps, and took it away with casual flair.
The five-minute-long “Plan to Destroy Evidence Proving ‘Big Sister is Amazing’” she had rehearsed went up in smoke right at the start.
Zhu Shuiwen: …
She sat dumbfounded for a while, then exhaled sharply and flopped face-down onto her desk.
Just then, Deng Xujie’s voice came from beside her: “Hey, Fang Murou, are you coming to my birthday party tonight?”
“Thanks, but no. My parents don’t let me go out at night,” Fang Murou said with a fake smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
Deng Xujie grumbled: “But it’s Friday… Fridays are…”
“Nope, Friday’s not allowed either,” Fang Murou cut him off. “Why don’t you ask someone else?”
Deng Xujie clicked his tongue in frustration and turned to ask others.
After asking around, no one agreed.
Getting desperate, he jumped onto the podium and raised his voice: “Hey! Do you even realize where I’m celebrating my birthday tonight?”
A few seconds of silence, then a faint voice drifted up from the crowd: “Alright, alright, now all of Fuhai No. 9’s second-year students know you’re going to ‘Dark Night Rose.’”
Someone else teased: “It’s been advertised all week. Is this a birthday party, or are you hosting a state banquet?”
“It’s not—” Deng Xujie pulled out his phone, opened the photo album, and angrily said, “Do you even understand—‘Dark Night Rose’ is a place the ‘Young Master’ often goes to!”
On his phone was a photo.
A girl in a Fuhai No. 9 school uniform stood at the entrance of a bar, holding a flashy, over-the-top banner.
Dark Night Rose! The best spot to catch a glimpse of Gu Jinyan!
Live stalking, god-level snapshots!
Young Master’s latest glam photo! HD! No edits, no censorship!
Group photos [available], DM me 50, AI one-click face swap! Satisfaction guaranteed!
Deng Xujie zoomed in on the photo and jabbed at the words “Gu Jinyan.”
Most Fuhai No. 9 students focused on studies, but gossip was inevitable. And the subject of the most gossip? Probably the “Young Master” Gu Jinyan, whose family donated an entire stadium to Fuhai No. 9.
They said even the principal greeted him warmly and asked after his well-being.
Since Gu Jinyan’s class was just two doors down, Deng Xujie often brushed past him in the hallway.
Every time, seeing Gu Jinyan’s loose, sloppy uniform, Deng Xujie would silently curse him.
—Tch, just taller and better-looking.
They’re all humans, same two nostrils, same nose—what’s so special?
But now, no one was paying him attention. Flustered, Deng Xujie even tried to invoke Gu Jinyan as leverage.
Even with his trump card, everyone still looked hesitant.
“It’s too far.”
“The buses won’t run back, can’t get home…”
Just as he felt his face going red, someone said crisply: “I’ll go.”
He brightened, about to smile, but froze.
That voice… couldn’t be…
He slowly turned his head and saw, in despair, the girl casually waving at him.
—It really was Zhu Shuiwen!
Suddenly, old grudges and new ones from class all surged up. Deng Xujie’s head spun in anger as he blurted: “Even if I had to crawl on the ground and eat dog poop…”
—there’s no way I’d invite you!
Unexpectedly, Fang Murou glanced at Zhu Shuiwen and said: “If Xiao Shui is going, I’ll discuss it with my parents.”
Deng Xujie’s face stiffened.
“You and Xiao Shui are both coming?” a girl in the front row asked, turning her head. “Then maybe I should join too?”
Deng Xujie: ………
He weighed the situation, turned pale, and made a decision.
—Fine! If it means eating dog poop, I’ll eat dog poop!
“Uh, Zhu Shuiwen, you’re really coming?”
“Really.”
The girl gave a sweet smile.
Just as Deng Xujie relaxed, she suddenly added—
“I’ve never been part of the party crew. Do you pay by the hour?”
Deng Xujie: …?
She paused, looking a little embarrassed, then said something outright brazen: “I can sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ but I don’t promise I won’t go off-key… Or I could just play a celebrity version on my phone for you?”
Deng Xujie: …!!!
He understood—this country bumpkin was here to humiliate him!
One more interaction with her and he was doomed.
He turned pleadingly to Zhu Feifei, eyes red, as if she were his last lifeline: “Sister Fei…”
Zhu Feifei paused, rubbed her temples in frustration, and finally relented: “Fine.”
“Xiao Shui, you’re this good!” Fang Murou gave her a thumbs-up.
Zhu Shuiwen: “…I didn’t mean to mess with him.”
She genuinely wanted to attend!
Deng Xujie clearly disliked her, yet agreed to let her come. So basically, she was just there to boost the numbers, part of the party atmosphere!
But saying that out loud, no one would believe her anyway.
The “Plot Patching System” panel persistently bobbed in front of her, almost touching her nose.
[After school, the female lead goes to Deng Xujie’s birthday party and meets the male lead for the first time.]
Once Zhu Feifei agreed, the text turned gray-blue.
Zhu Shuiwen frowned.
She vaguely remembered that in the “dream,” her sister’s interactions with the male lead had gone smoothly.
The evidence: Every time the story reached a plot point between the male and female lead, the Plot Patching System would suddenly quiet down, very different from its usual spammy behavior.
Even if things went smoothly, shouldn’t she follow along?
But now, Deng Xujie probably won’t let her in.
…What to do?
Zhu Shuiwen blinked. Suddenly, a new story point appeared on the panel without warning—
[Because of the female lead’s excellent performance, the homeroom teacher asks the class monitor to give her a stack of competition test papers to work on.]
She blinked and instinctively looked toward the door.
The class monitor stormed in and went straight to Zhu Feifei’s desk: “Ah Fei, this is from Old Eagle Head.”
Zhu Feifei took it, puzzled.
The offset value instantly dropped to 0%, and the story point appeared in deep blue—meaning “completed.”
Then, a new story point appeared:
[The female lead struggles with a few questions. After school, she went to look for the second male lead (the antagonist) to discuss the problems with him.”
Zhu Shuiwen’s pupils widened.
She suddenly realized this “Plot Patching System” was far more complicated than she thought.
In the “dream,” Zhu Feifei never went to ask questions. The homeroom teacher never discovered her math talent, so the “competition” subplot had been completely cut and didn’t exist in the original outline.
So…
By patching the leaks, she had actually created a bigger one.
Her eyes darted left and right, comparing the texts desperately.
“‘After school,’ the female lead goes to Deng Xujie’s birthday party” …
“‘After school,’ goes to see the second male lead” …
Alright, here’s the problem—
How on earth is she supposed to teach her genius sister the ultimate shadow cloning in just one self-study period?