“Wow!” A soft gasp rippled through the classroom. Countless pairs of eyes turned toward the two students in the back row, filled with disbelief. Words were unnecessary—this was simply legendary.
“What are you ‘wowing’ about? You think this is honorable?” The homeroom teacher slammed his hand on the desk, his nose practically twitching with rage as he glared at the two. “When people ask, they’ll say, ‘Oh, they’re from International Class 2. They’re infighting.’ How about that? Fighting your own classmates until the whole school knows—is that honorable? Are you heroes now?”
He paused to catch his breath before continuing his lecture. “Of course, I’m not saying it would be fine if you fought other classes. You are students! Think about why you’re here. Your parents spend millions every year to send you to this school, and it wasn’t so you could get into fights, understood?”
“Millions, huh?” someone muttered from the back. “I’ve spent more than that just topping up my mobile games.”
The teacher froze. These damn students!
“Does having wealthy parents mean you can squander everything? Do you understand what it means to ‘sit and eat until the mountain is empty’? No matter how vast your family’s business is, if it’s handed over to someone as unlearned and incompetent as you, won’t you just ruin it all?” Facing this group of “unique” students, the teacher felt utterly exhausted.
“Teacher, haven’t you heard of professional managers?”
“Teacher, I have an older brother. I don’t need to inherit the estate; my annual dividends alone are enough to keep me comfortable for a lifetime.”
“Teacher, even if we just sit and eat, we can eat for several lifetimes. The mountain won’t go empty.”
Looking at his students—none of whom felt even a shred of a crisis—the teacher’s eyes widened until they were nearly bloodshot. It’s over, he thought. If the future of our country’s economy is handed to these brats, collapse is imminent!
“Shut up!” with a roar, Liu Xin finally steered the conversation back to the original topic. “I am talking about brawling! Do you think those parents won’t be heartbroken seeing their children beaten like that? If you were the ones injured, wouldn’t your parents be devastated?!”
“Teacher, my dad says it’s ‘survival of the fittest.’ That’s the law of the jungle.”
“My dad says a man only grows through combat and blood.”
“My mom says losers shouldn’t cry about the pain. They should learn from the winner’s strengths and prepare to win the next round.”
The teacher stared blankly. Are your parents teaching you these philosophies just so you can argue with your homeroom teacher?
“You guys are truly…” The teacher glanced at Chen Jingmo and Bai Xi, who were sitting leisurely in their seats watching him. The anger that had just been suppressed flared up again. “The whole class is punished! Stand for the entire afternoon plus evening self-study!”
“Teacher, I’m requesting leave,” Bai Xi said, raising her one uninjured hand. “I have to go get my dressing changed and get an injection next period. Since I don’t live on campus, I probably can’t stay for the punishment.”
“I’m requesting leave too,” Chen Jingmo added, glancing back at Bai Xi. “I also need my dressing changed. Plus, I might have internal bleeding, so I can’t stand for long. I actually need to be hospitalized for observation. I only came here to pick up my leave slip.”
The class looked at the empty seats belonging to the others currently in the infirmary, then back at these two.
The teacher thought: …Then who exactly am I punishing? The classmates thought: What did we do to deserve this?
Though the teacher’s teeth itched with frustration, he couldn’t stop them given their visible injuries. He slammed the desk a few more times. “Get out! Both of you, get out right now!”
“Understood.” Bai Xi and Chen Jingmo nodded briskly, stood up, and walked out.
The teacher was fuming.
“Teacher, Bai Xi is injured and has trouble moving. Since he doesn’t have many friends, I’m applying for leave to go look after him.” Once the two had left, Yu Mo—looking at the Maine Coon cat on the desk—raised his hand.
The teacher had been tormented to the point of apathy. He waved his hand dismissively. “Fine. It makes no difference whether you’re here or not anyway; you can’t even write a basic Chinese essay. Go, get out of here quickly. Don’t make me angrier.”
Yu Mo didn’t linger. He picked up the cat and left.
Jiang Zhiya looked back and forth for a moment before also raising his hand. “Teacher…”
“GET OUT!!!”
By the time Bai Xi reached the infirmary, it was less crowded as many students had already been picked up by their parents’ staff. Only a few medical workers were busy tending to the remaining beds.
The school infirmary wasn’t a formal hospital, but its equipment and staff were superior to many. Since it was usually quiet, there was no complex check-in process. A nurse in blue scrubs approached them. “Do you two need help?”
After a quick examination by the school doctor, Bai Xi and Chen Jingmo were sent to the same room. Bai Xi wanted to ask for a private room, but it was clear no singles were left.
Sitting on the neatly made bed, Bai Xi surveyed the room. While not a private suite, it was quite luxurious, consisting of a shared living area, two private bathrooms, and a balcony.
“This is the most pathetic hospital room I’ve ever stayed in,” Chen Jingmo remarked, his face full of disdain.
Bai Xi didn’t care. During her rebellious years in her past life, she had rejected her family’s money and visited tiny street clinics after fights. She had even taught herself how to dress wounds. To her, a hospital was for healing; if you wanted a vacation, why not go to a hotel?
“I guess you’ve never been to the ICU. It’s even more ‘pathetic’ in there,” Bai Xi replied, resting her head on her good arm.
She began thinking about the morning. To be honest, Ye Ying’s performance had shocked her. She knew Ye Ying could fight, but she hadn’t expected her to be so efficient. While Bai Xi had dealt the heavy blows, Ye Ying’s contribution to the scuffle was undeniable.
In the original novel, it was only mentioned during a kidnapping scene that the female lead injured one of the kidnappers while struggling. At the time, Bai Xi hadn’t thought much of it, but thinking back—if she could injure a professional criminal while drugged, her combat ability was clearly not low.
While Bai Xi was lost in thought, Chen Jingmo was observing her. He lay down on the adjacent bed and turned on his side. “Bai Xi, if you’re so good at fighting, why do you look so weak?”
“Natural,” Bai Xi replied, snapping out of her trance.
“Then why are you so good at fighting?” Chen Jingmo pressed.
“Are you annoying? Why so many questions?” Unable to think of a good excuse, Bai Xi frowned at him.
Chen Jingmo wasn’t offended. He kicked off his shoes and sprawled out. “Actually, I didn’t really want to fight you today. I know why you hit Jin Zhong and his group. Even though you hit me, I’m not angry. I don’t hold grudges.”
Whether you hold a grudge is none of my business, Bai Xi thought, remaining silent.
“I feel like you’re not a simple person,” Chen Jingmo continued. “Even more complex than Fu Zuo. You’re a walking contradiction: physically weak but a brutal fighter; high status, yet you don’t keep anyone at a distance.”
He glanced at her again. “And you don’t wear any accessories. Young people usually have hobbies that leave a mark on their appearance, but you have nothing. Your shirts are always plain white or simple geometric patterns. Your pants are generic. I can’t even tell what brand or designer they are. Your textbooks are school-standard with no notes, no doodles—not even your name.”
He concluded, “You are truly strange.”
“You’re strange too,” Bai Xi countered. “If you knew the cause and effect of the situation, why did you charge at me like a bull seeing red?”
“Two reasons,” Chen Jingmo said, staring at the ceiling. “I was curious, and I felt like it.”
Bai Xi: “…”
His answer was bizarre, yet Bai Xi felt she understood it. He was curious about her oddity, and he enjoyed acting on his whims.
“I answered your question, now you answer mine,” the “curious baby” insisted.
“I really don’t have many interests. My clothes are custom-made by the family, so there are no brands. I’m lazy, so I just pick the default templates. As for why I can fight…” Bai Xi met his gaze with a provocative smirk. “I felt like it.”
Using his own logic against him, Bai Xi turned over, pulled up the covers, and closed her eyes to sleep.