Unfortunately, in the end, Director Fu still couldn't get his wish to execute the little bastard.
Anyway, after repeated interrogations, he let Huai Shi off the hook out of consideration for the Astronomical Society, but before he left, he warned repeatedly, "Remember, stay away from my daughter."
"Sure, sure."
Huai Shi nodded like a bobbing garlic clove, smiling stiffly as he watched Director Fu walk away.
Right after the school opening ceremony ended, Huai Shi was cornered by a teenage girl at the classroom door. She pulled him aside and reached into his pocket for his phone, "Old Pal, hurry up, give me a boost... I'm about to drop to Bronze, and my gamer goddess persona is about to collapse."
"Miss Fu, don't do this—"
Huai Shi weakly pushed her hand away, his face blushing, "I've turned over a new leaf."
"Don't worry, if I don't pay, it doesn't count as soliciting."
No longer the pure and lovely girl she was in her father's presence, Fu Yi shed the mask of the innocent rabbit. Back in the driver's seat, she skillfully took the wheel. "Get me back to Diamond. How about I take care of your attendance for the next two weeks? The student council is cracking down hard on this. You don't want to be reported, do you?"
Huai Shi rolled his eyes.
Although he was an art and sports student, the school still had requirements for class attendance. Without Fu Yi's help, Huai Shi would indeed find it tough to manage.
But thinking back on Director Fu's expression before leaving, Huai Shi couldn't help but shrink back.
If your dad knew you were secretly live-streaming mobile games in the art and sports studio during evening self-study, and that I was an accomplice, would he send the muscle-bound guys from the Sublimators Suppression Troops straight to eliminate me?
And don't all your fans know how terrible you are? Whenever it's my turn, aren't they all spamming the chat, welcoming the 'substitute bro' online?
"Alright, I'll talk to you later, just don't run away..."
Seeing the homeroom teacher approaching the classroom for a class meeting, Fu Yi quickly slipped inside. Before leaving, she clasped her hands and made a pleading gesture, batting her eyelashes and sticking out her tongue playfully.
She was usually so unreserved in private, but when she deliberately feigned cuteness, she was more adept than anyone.
Huai Shi rolled his eyes again, feeling not the slightest bit of inner turmoil, and even felt the urge to run.
How could he not want to run?
If he didn't run now, Director Fu would send him straight to the East Suburb Crematorium! He might even have to chip in for his own urn!
So, while the class meeting was only halfway through, Huai Shi saw the teacher get distracted and decisively seized the opportunity to escape.
But just as he stepped out the door, he heard the sound of Fu Yi, the class president, angrily slamming the desk inside the classroom, "Teacher, that son of a gun Huai Shi ran off again!"
Fine, you father-daughter duo are both leaders. Can't afford to offend either of you, nope, can't afford it...
Then he ran even faster.
As far as I remember, the school has always been pretty laid-back in managing art and sports students. It might have something to do with the consistently poor college entrance rates—besides recruiting a large number of repeat students every year, the school often showed preferential treatment to art and sports students, who had a noticeably easier time getting accepted into colleges. As long as the numbers on the banner hung at the school entrance after the national college entrance exam results looked impressive, nothing else really mattered.
Moreover, Huai Shi had always behaved well and never caused trouble. His cello grades were outstanding. After promising to focus on his academic subjects next semester, the Academic Affairs Office readily issued a certificate. This granted him the privileges of an art and sports student: wandering around during class, loitering aimlessly when he had nothing to do, and vanishing whenever duties like class monitor for the day arose.
To other students, who practically bled studying for the college entrance exam, such creatures were like campus strays...
Even Huai Shi didn't expect it to be so easy to get that certification. Others needed a teacher from the art studio or music room to vouch for them and sign off before being excused. So why did it seem like they were so eager to shove this certificate into his hands?
He didn't realize that a certain middle-aged man, watching him intently via surveillance, couldn't wait for him to scram from the classroom—the farther from his precious daughter, the better.
A middle-aged man constantly ready to issue sniper warnings was truly terrifying.
With some understanding of the situation, Huai Shi shook his head and sighed, feeling his privacy had been infringed upon. But looking up at the cameras swinging 180 degrees to track his every move, and thinking of all those burly guys with their rifles and handguns... he decided to let it go.
Being watched wouldn't cost him a pound of flesh, anyway.
Anyway, if he had something to deal with, he'd just skip class; if not, he'd basically stay in the music room. Thanks to Huai Shi's consistently excellent cello performance and his collection of awards from various competitions, the school did grant him some leeway.
For instance, he had a relatively spacious private practice room, so he didn't have to queue like everyone else.
After all, he was the only one in the school who played the cello.
After clearing away the dust accumulated over the summer, Huai Shi opened his cello case and deftly began... slacking off.
Practice cello in the music room? As if!
The teachers' offices were right above his practice room, and their Wi-Fi speed was excellent. Streaming videos was always smooth, unlike the unreliable broadband Raven had siphoned, which was not only sometimes slow but also risky to use.
He first habitually browsed the local news—mostly fluff pieces like "Full Sparrow Banquet Takes Xinhai by Storm, Reservations Impossible to Get!" or the occasional depressing news about recent tomb robbing incidents in the city, with public cemeteries being desecrated.
He closed it after a few minutes.
Thinking of killing time, he simply launched the "Silent Crown" client; it had been a long time since he logged in. After downloading a significant update, a pop-up appeared.
[Limited Time Event: Dark World: Dragon's Labyrinth!
Through the efforts of the exploration team, the mysterious Kingdom of Xiematai, hidden deep within the Dark World, has begun to reveal the eerie tip of its iceberg.
What mysteries lie hidden in this kingdom, dead for a thousand years? What treasures are buried in its ruins, now overrun by Catastrophes?]
[Heaven Earth Power · Divine Power at Will—Catastrophe: White Emperor's Son (SSR) has been added to the limited-time gacha pool...]
Another massive update out of the blue, with hundreds of thousands of words in original story content and enough Stones for three "Ten in a row" card pulls. The drop list also featured numerous valuable items easily obtained... The developers must be insane to be this generous!
Unfortunately, the SSR drop rate in this game was insultingly low. Huai Shi, being both desperate for SSRs and too cheap to spend real money, had only managed to get one of the thirty-plus SSRs released by the officials. It was Yan Qingge, a 'clone hero' received as a bonus after earning the 'African' medal from the game company. His title, 'Either I am secure · The cloud color is me,' sounded impressive, but unfortunately, he was a support character. His damage output was pitifully weak, making him useful only for feeding kills to the enemy in high-rank matches.
Admittedly, the new female character was stunning. Designed as a sporty yet ditzy girl, her fully upgraded artwork was praised to the nines, tempting even Huai Shi to spend real money.
Holding onto a sliver of hope, he pulled a "Ten in a row", and then saw nothing but blue skies and white clouds... Well, there went a hundred Stones, another donation to that rip-off Xear.
Before he could close the game, BANG! The door was kicked open. A petite figure walked in and gracefully sat on the small sofa opposite Huai Shi.
"Hurry, I'll boost your rank!"
It was Fu Yi.
This place was practically becoming her base. She even moved this small couch here from the student council. In the corner, a large power strip was plugged in, bristling with chargers for her multitude of handheld consoles, ready for action anytime.
If the TV wasn't such a hassle to move, she probably would've brought two home consoles as well.
Huai Shi rolled his eyes, "Did you skip class again?"
"When you skip class, it's skipping class. When I, the student council secretary, skip class, is that still called skipping class?"
Fu Yi gave him a sideways glance, "Besides, I'm heading off to closed training in the art studio next week. It's fine to leave early. Isn't it better to rank up a bit now than waste time?"
Without waiting for Huai Shi's reaction, she smoothly started up the game, pulled Huai Shi into her team, and began dual ranking.
After the popularity of its battle royale-style 'King of the Dark Zone' mode dwindled, this darn game, "Silent Crown", launched a new MOBA-style 'Conflict Mode,' kicking off another delightful round of tempting players to spend on skins.
Fu Yi's skills weren't actually bad. After all, she was a reasonably popular amateur streamer. Beyond her looks, her gameplay was passable. But she was always overconfident, loved flashy plays, and insisted on playing ADC, making her a liability in nine out of ten matches. Somehow, this made for great entertainment, and she even managed to rake in quite a few 'Rocket' donations.
Upon entering the match, she instantly locked in Hand of God, driving her teammates mad.
This acrobatic-style late-game Hero, when played with flair, was unmatched. However, it was utterly useless in the early game. Players had repeatedly flamed the developers for this Hero's design, arguing it was too easily countered and surviving to the late game was purely a matter of luck.
"So you're starting your wild plays now?"
Huai Shi sighed and reluctantly chose Moon Chant to support her, "Fine, who am I to say no when Daddy loves you this much."
As expected, they were on a five-game losing streak.
Not only did she successfully plummet below Bronze rank, but she also dragged Huai Shi's rank down with her. Huai Shi had regressed badly. After over a month of not playing, he, who could once barely manage to support her, could now only join her as a 'dynamic duo of deadweights'.
After several ranked matches, Huai Shi turned down her invitation for another game and shut off his phone.
As if performing a well-rehearsed ritual, Fu Yi skillfully retrieved a cigarette from a stash hidden in Huai Shi's cello case, lit one for herself, and tossed another to him.
Legs crossed, cigarette in hand, she exuded the air of a seasoned gangster, a stark contrast to the innocent, white-clad bunny image she presented on her way to school that morning. If Director Fu found out, he'd probably order Huai Shi to be executed on the spot.
Good heavens, Huai Shi had actually learned to smoke from Fu Yi.
What wasn't this old hand capable of?
Huai Shi was about to speak but then stopped, helplessly waving his hand as he watched the sunlight outside the window, his expression as mournful as that of a spurned mistress.
"We shouldn't see each other anymore."
"What are you afraid of?"
Fu Yi laughed as if delighting in his misfortune, "Afraid he'll break your legs?"
Huai Shi was stunned.
"Had he really done something like that before?"
"He has," Fu Yi said, holding the cigarette in her mouth. She freed her hands to brush her hair behind her ears and re-tie it into a ponytail. "The last time he found a love letter in my bag, he broke the legs of the guy who'd confessed to me. I hadn't even had a chance to enjoy being pursued before every boy in class became too scared to talk to me."
Huai Shi was flabbergasted, "What happened then?"
Fu Yi shrugged, "After that, my mom divorced him—domestic violence. I live with my mom now, so he can't control me anymore."
"..."
Huai Shi was stunned for a long time, then sighed with resignation, "Sorry."
Curiosity killed the cat, as they say. Huai Shi had never been interested in other people's affairs. This one time he indulged his curiosity, he ended up stepping on a landmine.
"It's okay." Fu Yi didn't continue but didn't seem bothered either, just waving her hand, "I'm only telling you this because it's you."
"Guess I'm just unlucky then."
Huai Shi shook his head, leaned in, and gestured to Fu Yi with a hook of his hand. She rolled her eyes at him and passed him the lighter. With a flick and a CLICK, she lit it.
The flame, adjusted to its maximum, shot up and nearly singed Huai Shi's hair.
Seeing Huai Shi's flustered state, she burst out laughing, smugly slapping her knee.
It was only in places like this, with no one else around, that she revealed this unladylike side of herself. Otherwise, she was always prim and proper, maintaining a careful distance from all boys and anything deemed 'harmful'.
A perfect carbon copy of every parent's ideal obedient daughter, every teacher's model student council secretary, and every student's exemplary class president.
Every family has its own troubles, I suppose.
Huai Shi sighed, fiddled with a singed lock of hair on his forehead, and said no more.
If mutual respect was truly needed between people, then maintaining distance was perhaps the best way. Life was already hard enough; there was no need to patronizingly dictate how others should live.
Among all their classmates, if she wanted to make friends, there were always far better choices than him. Wasn't the very survival of this dysfunctional friendship a testament to the unspoken distance they meticulously maintained?
Of all his classmates, she was the only one Huai Shi had never envied.
During a rehearsal for the school celebration, Fu Yi had told him while smoking right in front of him.
"Because I've noticed," she had said, "you're nice to everyone, you can talk to anyone, but I don't think you actually want to be popular. You probably don't like anyone, deep down."
She had added, "Because I'm the same."
So, having a corner where they could both wallow in their shared negativity wasn't so bad.
Birds of a feather flock together. In a way, troubled souls, beyond congregating on the same online forums to discuss their 'delusions,' were bound to have their own support groups.
Huai Shi couldn't bring himself to push her away just because she had a formidable father.