The first time he fought a cat for food, Wen Ying was embarrassed for a moment.
His face flushed slightly red, and he forced himself to stay composed as he blurted out: “Does the cat still have food to eat?”
The air fell silent.
A few seconds later, Qiao Xing’s hearty laughter came from upstairs.
“It’s fine, there’s still fish in the kitchen.”
As if infected by the laughter, or perhaps finding Wen Ying’s appearance amusing, Qu Huo’s voice carried a faint, barely perceptible hint of amusement.
Wen Ying softly hummed in acknowledgment.
As night gradually fell, he and Qu Huo left the house one after the other.
Qu Huo hung the “Closed” sign on the door, then unlocked the old bicycle.
The two were headed in opposite directions Wen Ying to the villa district at the foot of the mountain, and Qu Huo to the nearest commoner’s quarter.
“See you tomorrow.”
Qu Huo mounted his bike, the wheels creaking as they turned.
The “goodbye” on the tip of his tongue was swapped for a synonym, and Wen Ying nodded at him, adding: “See you tomorrow.”
[He’s a decent kid. Though his background isn’t great, he’s very well-mannered.]
The “Gentleman” commented.
Only those who respect His Highness are worthy of being His Highness’s friends.
“I think background and upbringing don’t necessarily have an absolute connection.”
Wen Ying nudged a stone by the roadside with his foot something he’d never done before, a very impolite act.
[My wording was inappropriate.]
The “Gentleman” apologized with a smile, only then revealing its true purpose.
[Since this kid brings food to school every day and his family is struggling financially, you might consider communicating with him—have him prepare an extra portion for you, and pay him some compensation.]
Moreover, Qu Huo was the missing eldest son of the Huo family, and he would eventually return to the Huo household.
For His Highness, he was a more reliable asset than Huo Jueyue.
“We’ll see.”
Qu Huo cooked very well, so Wen Ying agreed with the “Gentleman’s” suggestion.
But he couldn’t swallow his pride.
After all, he and Qu Huo weren’t really that close.
Returning to the sparsely populated villa district, the gloomy house stood empty.
Wen Ying turned on the living room light, set his schoolbag on the sofa, then carefully pulled out his bank card and calculated the money inside.
Excluding what the Huo family gave him, the usable funds added up to about fifty thousand yuan.
In the wealthy district, that would only last a few days, but it was enough to sustain an ordinary person’s daily expenses for a very, very long time.
Wen Ying immediately placed an order for a batch of instant food that looked relatively healthy, but because the delivery address was too far, even with expedited shipping, it would still take a while to arrive.
“I’m going to take a shower.”
Wen Ying stretched his limbs and reminded the “Gentleman.”
The smart brain was a lifeless artificial product a chip implanted in the back of his hand. Most people didn’t bother avoiding their smart brain when showering.
But the “Gentleman” was too much like a nagging elder who had accompanied him for eighteen years, so Wen Ying still preferred to maintain some personal space between them.
[Wishing His Highness a wonderful time.]
The back of Wen Ying’s hand grew warm for a moment, then everything around him fell silent.
Opening the bathroom door, the large bathtub was still filled with steaming hot water, rose petals floating and sinking within it.
So cheesy.
This bathroom needed a major overhaul it lacked what it should have, yet was fully stocked with what it shouldn’t.
But his current financial situation was poor, and he really couldn’t afford to install a proper toilet. Fortunately, the school still had its magnificent restrooms for use.
Wen Ying found the hot water with its strange fragrance too odd, so he drained it and turned on the water heater to reheat fresh water.
Heating water would take a while, so Wen Ying sat at the head of the bed and pulled out his phone.
During the time he hadn’t checked his phone, the school’s forum had exploded again.
His intuition told him it wasn’t good news, but Wen Ying steeled himself and tapped in anyway.
{Ming Ying Reverse Paradise Watering Hole | Ying Lane Report: School Bully Qu dragged that second-year transfer student into an alley!}
Post 0 was a high-definition video, only capturing the back view of him hurriedly following Qu Huo away.
He had left voluntarily, when was he ever dragged?
Wen Ying pressed his throbbing temple and suppressed the urge to reply and refute.
{Post 1 | For real? Qu Huo’s always been a loner with no friends, and there’s a record of him taking on three delinquents by himself. He’s not gonna fight the transfer student, is he?}
{Post 2 | Probably not ovo, I think School Bully Qu-sama wouldn’t stoop to beating up a newbie. Maybe they just happened to be going the same way.}
{Post 3 | wow, going into an alley together by coincidence~ I can’t understand the school bully’s world}
{Post 63 | Alley/deep night + me watching (drooling)}
The students’ gossip couldn’t be stopped, but since no one was actually close to Qu Huo, they chattered for two hours without a single useful lead.
Though it did attract a spammer posting ads based on keywords.
After the spammer was arrested and banned by the moderators, the heated discussion gradually died down.
Regardless, being associated with one person was still better than being associated with all four of the Ming Ying Princes.
Wen Ying felt a lump in his chest and swiped left to close the forum.
With the forum dealt with, a software with a penguin logo started pinging with messages.
Huo·Jue: [You there?]
Huo·Jue: [knock knock]
The cringey nickname made Wen Ying’s joints ache just from reading it.
He couldn’t remember when he’d added Huo Jueyue probably before the main story even began.
He initially wanted to ignore Huo Jueyue, but Huo Jueyue was relentless.
Huo·Jue: [Your goose goose is online, shorty, stop hiding.]
Huo·Jue: [Wow, a friend gifted you a goose goose color-diamond trial card·3 days!!]
Huo·Jue: [Found an extra one, take it.]
Psycho!
Wen Ying’s fingers curled, as if trying to claw a hole into the bedsheet.
The garish purple hair on Huo Jueyue’s goose goose avatar was so tacky it stung his eyes.
No thanks, keep it for yourself.
He typed that line quickly, then muted his phone and took a deep breath.
Ignoring Huo Jueyue’s frantic barrage of messages, Wen Ying slipped on his slippers and headed to the bathroom.
He didn’t look at his phone again until after showering, drying his hair, and grabbing the instant food that had been left at the door.
He tossed the instant food into a fridge big enough to hide a corpse, then lay back on the bed with a blank expression.
Tomorrow would be worse.
But he still had to keep living.
He closed his eyes, far from peacefully.
[Good morning, my dear prince. How did you rest last night?]
“Not bad.”
Wen Ying looked at himself in the mirror, meticulously adjusting his already-tied tie.
He had slept a bit better than before, though not by much.
His complexion looked decent, purely because Ming Ying’s British-style school uniform brought out his color.
The well-tailored uniform hugged his frame, the reddish-brown tone less dreary than black. A floral brooch was pinned to his chest, and the sleeves bore embroidery resembling wheat ears.
[That’s wonderful to hear.]
“Gentleman” spoke with satisfaction, while also reminding Wen Ying.
[The first plot point isn’t over yet. Today’s goal remains facing Huo Jueyue’s harassment while familiarizing yourself with the campus environment.]
“Got it.”
Assuming Huo Jueyue, having been humiliated, would have a follow-up move, Wen Ying left home early enough.
Bullies like Huo Jueyue always blocked people with their Maybachs and loved strolling into class right on the bell.
With his foresight, Wen Ying successfully dodged Huo Jueyue’s speeding Maybach and managed to enjoy a leisurely breakfast half an hour before class.
He pulled out the sandwich from his bag, picked out the onion bits disguised as sauce, and then ate slowly.
“Phew, made it!!”
Huo Jueyue burst into class right on time, flanked by two exhausted lackeys, dutifully shouting his protagonist catchphrase.
If Huo Jueyue had woken up just five minutes earlier, he wouldn’t have been so pathetic.
Wen Ying’s cheeks were stuffed full as he watched coldly from the sidelines.
As if scared off by Wen Ying’s rejection last night, Huo Jueyue was surprisingly well-behaved today though he kept sneaking weird glances at him.
Why didn’t he accept his goose goose color diamond?
Did the shorty think three days wasn’t enough?
Young Master Huo stroked his chin, questioning his existence.
No way. No one could reject his gifts.
The first two periods were math. As Wen Ying predicted, the “teacher” for this class was still the unlucky class monitor, Gu Xiche.
The silver-haired boy casually carried the test papers to the podium, completely used to this: “Per school-opening tradition, we’re having a placement test this period.”
“Nooo”
The class erupted in wails and groans, mixed with desperate pleas.
Math was the primal fear lurking in most students’ hearts.
But “most students” didn’t include Wen Ying.
Wen Ying propped his cheek on one hand, covering one ear.
His math had always been decent, so he wasn’t worried.
Besides, this was just a placement test. Even if the questions differed between the two timelines, he was confident he could relearn it all.
Gu Xiche was long accustomed to this atmosphere. His smile unchanged, he silently began handing out the papers.
Ten minutes later.
“…”
Wen Ying stared at the math paper, speechless.
“Odd changes, even stays, sign follows the quadrant?”
That was something he’d learned at thirteen.
“Gentleman” fell silent too.
If his database was correct, this was also standard curriculum for middle schoolers in this timeline there was no way it was delayed until eighteen.
Unless the creator of this world’s knowledge didn’t exceed fifteen years old.
[Little prince, I think I understand why the author’s name has. “hiatus due to middle school exams” attached.]
Wen Ying said nothing, silently uncapping his pen.
It wasn’t just “Gentleman” he understood too.
As Wen Ying began answering seriously, Huo Jueyue and the other slackers started lying down in perfect unison to sleep.
The math was terrifyingly easy. Wen Ying finished the ninety-minute paper in just half an hour.
Since he couldn’t turn it in early, he checked it twice, then propped himself on the desk and started dozing off.
At that moment, Huo Jueyue just woke up.
He was delighted.
See, the shorty couldn’t do it either!
Assuming Wen Ying had also slept through the whole thing, Huo Jueyue was thrilled and started making exaggerated faces at the resting Wen Ying, seeking validation.
“Hey~ shorty”
He called out in a breathy voice.
But even as his eyebrows nearly cramped up, Wen Ying’s lashes only fluttered slightly he hadn’t noticed him at all.
Huo Jueyue failed to catch Wen Ying’s attention, but his excessive movements drew the notice of nearby students.
Qu Huo set down his pen and cast a faint glance in his direction.
“You may submit your papers now.”
Gu Xiche announced loudly, and only then did Wen Ying open her eyes.
He shifted slightly, revealing a test paper filled with neat, elegant handwriting.
It formed a stark contrast to Huo Jueyue’s blank paper not far away.
Though not entirely blank he had at least written his name.
Huo Jueyue’s face flushed pale and red by turns, and after a moment, he wore a stricken expression as if struck by lightning.
The little shrimp actually knew how to do all of it.
He had betrayed him!
Qu Huo, who had taken in the entire farce, curled the corner of his mouth almost imperceptibly before lowering his head to recheck his work.
Wen Ying, still groggy with sleep, turned his head, baffled by Huo Jueyue’s stare.
What had he done to upset Young Master Huo this time?
It seemed this seat would have to be changed as soon as possible.