“There are only two girls in our class, both with black hair,” Yan Chi explained to Xin Xia. “The girl you’re looking for shouldn’t be in our class. Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
Xin Xia’s memory was always excellent; he couldn’t possibly have misremembered the class. “But her classmates told me she’s in Class 1, Grade 1.”
This was strange. Speaking of blonde hair, Yan Chi naturally thought of Sethia. Ignoring Sethia's adam’s apple and flat chest, he did look quite feminine in a skirt.
But Yan Chi wasn’t sure if Sethia had changed his clothes after he left. What if it wasn’t Sethia?
"Then you should go check on the class later." Yan Chi was also completely bewildered by the current situation. He glanced at Shen Chang Le's inexplicably tense expression and narrowed his eyes. "Chang Le, do you know something?"
Shen Chang Le hesitated, unsure whether to betray Xingluo. "I..."
"Teacher Chi!"
The sudden shout interrupted Shen Chang Le. Everyone turned to look. A burly, bearded man strode towards them, a hearty smile on his face.
Yan Chi greeted him and asked, "Teacher Yi, is there something you need?"
Teacher Yi was the homeroom teacher of the group of zombie students from that morning. After exchanging a few words with Yan Chi, they became acquainted. As far as Yan Chi knew, most of Teacher Yi's students were related to the undead.
"Mr. Yan, there's something I need to trouble you with." Ms. Yi smiled apologetically. "I need to leave school around 2 PM this afternoon, and I was wondering if you could look after some students in my class. One of them is competing in the high jump this afternoon. He's a bit timid, and I'm worried about him."
Yan Chi thought for a moment. He didn't have much to do at that time; he'd just walk around the playground checking on the students. Looking after another student wouldn't be a problem. "Okay, then leave him to me."
"Why don't you come to my class and get to know the students?"
"Sure."
Before leaving with Mr. Yi, Yan Chi looked at Xin Xia and the other two waiting nearby and gave Shen Chang Le a few instructions: "Chang Le, take them back to the classroom first, then arrange their seats. Don't let the other students bully them."
Shen Chang Le noted everything down. "Understood."
After giving these instructions, Yan Chi went to Mr. Yi's class.
Mr. Yi taught Class 2 of Grade 1, located at the end of the east corridor. The temperature was gradually dropping, and the chilly atmosphere made Yan Chi uncomfortable, so he wrapped his coat tighter around himself.
The classroom was unusually quiet. A student in the front row was engrossed in applying makeup, her face completely blank.
The few players who had come to Class 2 were trembling with fear, hiding behind the wall.
Yan Chi's heart skipped a beat, and he unconsciously took a step back.
The student applying makeup moved, opened her eyes, and her mouth opened and closed. "Oh, it's Mr. Yi! Hello, Mr. Yi!"
Yan Chi forced a smile. "Hello, classmate."
"Teacher, you're so pretty! Are you wearing makeup?"
Yan Chi swallowed hard. "No, no, I'm completely bare-faced, and I don't know how to do makeup."
The classmate looked disappointed.
Meanwhile, the few zombie classmates from that morning were standing in the last few rows of the classroom, talismans stuck to their foreheads, their eyes tightly closed.
Yan Chi's fear of zombies stemmed from TV dramas he watched as a child, but after seeing them joyfully perform the bunny hop, that slight fear vanished without a trace.
Teacher Yi strode up to them and picked out a small one from the pile of zombies. The little zombie looked to be only 1.7 meters tall, a size smaller than his fellow zombies.
As Teacher Yi lifted him up like a chick, he quickly reached out to protect his little hat, speaking slowly, "Teacher..."
"Wake up, Teacher Xiao Chi is here." Teacher Yi put the little zombie down and gently nudged him to greet Yan Chi.
The little zombie's clothes were a bit too big, the sleeves were too long. He rolled up his sleeves, hopped over to Yan Chi, and politely greeted him, "Hello, Teacher Xiao Chi."
Yan Chi's gaze swept over his round face, and he smiled gently, "Hello, little student."
The little zombie hopped a couple of times and bumped his head against Yan Chi's shoulder.
Yan Chi turned to look at Teacher Yi. What was going on?
"That's how they greet each other. They're supposed to touch noses, but he's a bit short."
Yan Chi: "..."
This way of greeting is a little too open.
Luckily, this one is shorter.
The little zombie didn't realize Yan Chi was talking about his height and tilted his head back, looking at him intently.
Teacher Yi, though seemingly burly, was surprisingly caring towards his students. He instructed the little zombie, "Don't run around. Be a good boy and stay with Teacher Xiao Chi, okay? Do whatever Teacher Xiao Chi tells you to do, and always get his permission before doing anything."
The little zombie listened attentively, nodding earnestly and giving a stern "Mmm!"
This little guy was kind of cute; Yan Chi's heart softened.
Afterwards, Yan Chi and Teacher Yi walked into the corridor. Yan Chi remarked, "That child is quite well-behaved."
"He is quite well-behaved," Teacher Yi didn't deny it. He took out a cigarette, about to put it to his lips, glanced at Yan Chi, and put the cigarette back. "But this child always bites people without warning. The venom on his teeth is quite troublesome. When he bites someone, I can only act like a coward and apologize."
Teacher Yi seemed to think of something, and chuckled, shaking his head. "So, Teacher Chi, I'll have to trouble you this time. I'll treat you to dinner when I get back."
Yan Chi chuckled lightly, "No need, it's nothing."
...
In Class 1's classroom, Shen Chang Le led the three to an empty classroom next door to move chairs, pointing them to a seat towards the back. "How about sitting there?"
None of them objected.
"Lu Yuanming?" Feng Wang was quite surprised to see him, then noticed Song Qian beside him. "What brings you here?"
"We saw Teacher Xiao Chi on the live stream and thought we'd come find you." Lu Yuanming was happy that Feng Wang remembered them. To avoid embarrassing Feng Wang, he didn't mention that he'd been there during their performance.
Xingluo grinned. "When did you arrive?"
"Yesterday."
"Then you made it just in time for this morning's opening ceremony performance. Which act did you like best?"
Lu Yuanming didn't hesitate. "Of course, it was the seven heads cha-cha! That was hilarious, hahaha, their heads were all knotted up at the end."
"And how did Feng Wang look in women's clothing?"
"No, too bulky..." Lu Yuanming's mouth moved faster than his brain. He realized his mistake immediately after speaking, quickly covering his mouth and looking at Feng Wang in horror. "I...I...I'm sorry."
Feng Wang's eyes flashed dangerously as he rubbed his hands together and walked towards the culprit.
Seeing the situation was turning against him, Xingluo hurriedly ran behind Shen Chang Le, poked his head out, and called upon his savior, "Feng Wang, Teacher Xiaochi said we can't fight, and that you definitely can't hit me!"
The last sentence was entirely his own addition.
Feng Wang sneered, grabbed Xingluo, and gave him a good ruffled scrub, ruining his most prized hairstyle. "Teacher Xiaochi isn't here right now."
"Feng Wang!! My hair!" Xingluo clutched his head and fled in panic. "I spent over an hour fixing this hairstyle, and it's all messed up!"
Feng Wang stopped, returning to his seat smugly.
"Shen Chang Le, you won't help me. You're no longer my best friend." Xingluo complained to Shen Chang Le, angrily taking out a mirror and comb to start re-combing his hair.
Shen Chang Le, seemingly used to it, asked, "How long is the time limit?"
"A whole day!"
"...Xin Xia went to find Sethia."
Xingluo looked up abruptly, no longer bothered by his hair, and stared straight at Sethia.
Xin Xia saw Sethia the moment he entered the classroom. The bright sunlight streaming through the window shone on his long, golden hair, making his clear, azure hair seem to shimmer. Every glance and smile on his face made Xin Xia blush and his heart race.
Xin Xia's ears turned bright red. After hesitating for a moment, he finally decided to walk towards Sethia, his voice soft with shyness, "Hello, classmate, my name is Xin Xia. Can you tell me your name?"
Xin Xia's initiative caused a stir among the viewers in the live stream.
[Damn it, another S-rank player has fallen for an NPC. I can already see Lin Heng's shadow in him.]
[Waaaa, Xin Xia, you're not going to stay in this instance too, are you? No way!]
[But this girl is so pretty! In my old world, she'd be a total heartthrob.]
[Uh…am I seeing things? This girl has an Adam's apple.]
[…Oh wow, Xin Xia, you seem to have unlocked a hidden version.]
Xin Xia's entire attention was focused on Sethia, completely oblivious to the sudden surge of comments in the live stream.
"It's you." Sethia recognized Xin Xia as the boy who had been staring at him at noon. Knowing he'd be in the same class for the next few days, he told him his name, "My name is Sethia."
Sethia? What a nice name.
Xin Xia's heart was pounding, and he completely ignored the fact that Sethia's voice was clearly not female.
He asked hesitantly, "So, do you have a boyfriend?"
Sethia: "No."
Xin Xia suppressed his excitement, "Then what do you think of me?"
"You?" Sethia felt this player's behavior was strange. He looked Xin Xia up and down. "Not so much."
Crack—
It was the sound of a heart breaking.
Xin Xia's eyes reddened. He was about to say something more when Sethia turned to talk to the boy behind him.
Xin Xia could only dejectedly return to his seat, clutching his shattered first love.
"This is the first time I've seen a player actively approach me," Sethia said curiously. "But my dad said that prey that actively seeks death is suspicious, and he told me not to eat them."
Tan Mo nodded in deep agreement. "Then don't eat them."
But Sethia looked eager. "But I've never eaten these before. Don't you think the taste is a little different from normal?"
Tan Mo saw through his intention, his dark eyes filled with helplessness. "Teacher Xiao Chi won't allow you to prey on them."
Besides, what if you get sick from eating them?
"Teacher Xiaochi isn't here now, so I'll just try it, as long as I don't swallow it."
Sethia, being cheeky, swallowed hard and glanced at Xin Xia, who was also looking up at him.
Their eyes met in mid-air. Xin Xia, seeing Sethia's direct gaze, blushed and shyly covered his face.
Why was she looking at him like that? It was so embarrassing!
Sethia, always a man of action, went straight to Xin Xia's desk after Tan Mo left the classroom, tilting his head. "Xin Xia, can you come out with me for a moment?"
Xin Xia nodded vigorously and followed Sethia out of the classroom.
Yan Chi, walking towards Class 1, suddenly felt his heart race. An ominous premonition gripped him, prompting him to quicken his pace.
From afar, Yan Chi saw Sethia and Xin Xia standing in the corridor. They seemed to be talking about something, and Xin Xia acted like a puppy seeing someone he liked, his tail wagging like a fan. "W-What did you want to see me about?" Xin Xia tiptoed, head bowed, not daring to look at Sethia.
Sethia moved closer, his small nose twitching slightly as he sniffed his scent. "You smell nice."
Boom—
Xin Xia's face flushed crimson. This was too direct!
Shouldn't they have held hands first, then he confessed, and only after they were naturally together should they whisper these things in bed?
"Can I have a taste?"
"Huh?"
Xin Xia didn't react. The next second, he watched in disbelief as Sethia transformed into a golden jelly only half his height, the jelly slowly opening its mouth.
Growing bigger and bigger… bigger and bigger… big enough to swallow an adult man whole.
[Aaaaaah—! What is this?! Where's my beautiful little sister?!]
[I knew the blonde girl's gaze wasn't that of a boyfriend!]
[You guys are still arguing with me, you idiots should all die, hahaha!]
[This is definitely a psychological trauma.]
[Damn it, Xin Xia, don't just stand there, run!]
[…]
Xin Xia's mind went blank, then a series of hurried footsteps sounded, and the nightmarish golden jelly disappeared, leaving only Yan Chi leaning on his knees, panting heavily.
After a long while, Xin Xia finally found his voice, "Just... just now…"
Yan Chi had just sprinted over with the energy of a fifty-meter runner. He paused for a moment before speaking, "Sethia just played a joke on you, don't mind it."
"What about her?"
Yan Chi opened his hand, and in his palm, a crystal-clear golden jelly stared blankly with wide eyes. It saw Xin Xia, hopped a couple of times on its short legs, bared its tiny white teeth, and showed them.
The adorable creature was utterly harmless, yet Xin Xia was terrified. He asked in a panic, "So...so it wants to eat me?"
It just said it smelled so good—the smell of food?! Xin Xia's vision blurred, and he almost fainted on the spot.
"It was just joking with you, don't be afraid."
Yan Chi didn't want to cause any conflict with the classmates on the first day, so he smiled at Xin Xia to reassure him.
Xin Xia knew Yan Chi was lying. He glanced at the little jelly, then turned back to the classroom, looking back several times, and pursed his lips sadly.
What was he going to do if the person he liked was a jelly, and it wanted to eat him?
After he left, Yan Chi looked down at Sethia. Sethia, facing him, nervously tucked his small hands behind his back, rubbing them against his fingertips ingratiatingly, "Teacher Chi."
Yan Chi had never seen Sethia in this form before. He touched his body gently with his fingertips, finding it soft and cool.
It looked more like jelly now.
“Don’t try to take advantage of your classmates again.” Yan Chi gently patted his little hand.
As soon as he finished speaking, a binding force enveloped Sethia. Whenever Sethia showed any inclination to eat his classmates, he would instantly revert to this harmless form.
Sethia could only obediently admit his mistake, “I’m sorry, Teacher Chi, I won’t do it again.”
His attitude of admitting his mistake was acceptable, so Yan Chi let him change back.
Seeing that Sethia was still wearing a short skirt and a wig, and recalling Xingluo’s sudden attentiveness and Xin Xia’s search for someone, Yan Chi understood the gist of the matter.
Today, another heartbroken boy was probably born.
Yan Chi tapped Sethia's head with his finger, “You…”
He shouldn’t scare Xin Xia into developing psychological problems, otherwise he wouldn’t be able to explain it to Lin Heng.
As Yan Chi led Sethia into the classroom, he glanced at Xin Xia. The poor, silly boy was slumped over his desk, his eyes red-rimmed, clearly having cried secretly.
Yan Chi didn't want to bring up his sad past. After looking around and seeing Tan Mo return to the classroom and everyone had arrived, he stood on the podium and said, "The sports meet will officially begin in half an hour. This sports meet will also be your practical assessment, and the results will affect your final rankings, so I hope everyone will actively participate."
Unlike other schools' sports meets, participating students don't need to register in advance. They only need to go to their respective competition venues at the designated time and tell the staff there their name and class.
"During the competition, fighting is not allowed. Participants cannot use their abilities, and players cannot use the system space..."
Yan Chi explained the rules for the competition to everyone. "...The sports meet will last for three days. On the last day, the five students in our class who didn't participate in the last assessment need to submit a competition report. The content cannot be the same as the other students' reports."
Every student listened intently. After Yan Chi finished speaking, everyone began discussing who would participate that afternoon. Because Xin Xia was still depressed, Lu Yuanming and Song Qian couldn't come up with anything, so they gathered around Feng Wang and his group.
Faced with this competition, Feng Wang's competitive spirit was off the charts. "We must win first place!"
This statement was met with everyone's agreement, and the class's sense of honor reached its peak at that moment.
Xingluo: "So, who's going to do the high jump and the 8000 meters?"
Mingcai raised her hand first, "I'll do the high jump!"
"Good job! What about the 8000 meters?"
"..."
Everyone fell silent. Running the 8000 meters would be easy normally, but with Yan Chi around, they'd definitely be made to run it like everyone else.
Winning would be fine, but losing would be too embarrassing.
Seeing that no one chose the long-distance race, Shen Chang Le suggested, "Let's draw lots like before."
Logically, Xingluo should have said this, but this time he was unusually silent, even glaring at Shen Chang Le angrily after he mentioned drawing lots.
Shen Chang Le: "...?"
Mingcai had no objection, "Okay, let's do it that way."
Soon, ten crumpled pieces of paper were made. The players belonged to another faction, but were listed under their class name, so Feng Wang didn't make them any crumpled pieces.
Feng Wang: "Come on, whoever draws the circle goes first."
Everyone stepped forward to get a crumpled piece of paper. Xingluo hesitated, then said nothing, dejectedly picking up a crumpled piece. Unfolding it, he saw a circle drawn inside.
Xingluo: "...Ugh."
If this class had a ranking of the weakest athletes, Xingluo and Li Huai had the potential to be number one. So after he drew the circle, everyone else's expressions were just as serious as his.
—This is bad.
"Or else..."
"I have an idea."
Shen Chang Le and Feng Wang spoke simultaneously, and everyone's attention turned to Feng Wang.
Xingluo asked listlessly, "What method?"
"You'll find out when the time comes." Feng Wang deliberately kept him in suspense. "First, don't try to figure out what I'm going to do. If you know, the effect will be greatly reduced."
Xingluo asked suspiciously, "What exactly are you planning to do?"
"I already said it's a secret. You'll find out when the time comes."
Xingluo suspected that Feng Wang was deliberately getting revenge on him.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, a melodious and ancient bell rang, marking the official start of the sports meet.
The high jump competition was held in the gymnasium, and most of the spectators were athletes.
Yan Chi led Mingcai and the little zombie to the referee's table to register. "Mingcai from Class 1, Grade 1, Wu Yi from Class 2, Grade 1... Okay, you two go line up."
There were three athletes ahead of them. While waiting, the referee gave Yan Chi a small stool. Yan Chi thanked him and sat down, then began watching the competition.
The starting height for the high jump was set at 1.5 meters.
The best jump for the first few contestants was 2.04 meters.
Soon it was Little Zombie Wu Yi's turn. Although short, his racial talent remained, and he easily jumped 2.10 meters, continuing to increase his height.
At 2.30 meters, Little Zombie mustered all his strength, hopping and skipping along before leaping with a powerful burst at the last step.
Yan Chi couldn't help but hold his breath, watching as he lightly grazed the horizontal bar, landing precariously on the edge of the mat.
He cleared it…
Before Yan Chi could even breathe a sigh of relief, the soft mat under Little Zombie's feet, due to uneven weight distribution and a loose anchor point, buckled on one side, flipping Little Zombie to the ground. The mat then flew straight towards the judges' table, hitting the judge.
Yan Chi: “…”
The judge slowly emerged from under the mat with a sign that clearly read “Disqualified.”
Little Zombie: “…Eek.”
Little Zombie was disqualified for assaulting the judge. Mingcai followed closely behind. Learning from the little zombie's mistake, she controlled her landing point in the middle of the mat, smoothly breaking the record. If nothing unexpected happened, she would be the first place winner in this high jump competition.
"Great job!" Yan Chi didn't hold back his praise, giving Mingcai a high-five and a bottle of water.
"Thank you, Teacher Xiao Chi!"
"I'll go check on Wu Yi." Yan Chi walked towards the sullen little zombie, who was facing the wall in frustration.
Having only known him for a short time, Yan Chi didn't understand the little zombie and didn't know how to comfort him. He tentatively patted his head. "...It's okay, it was just a small mistake."
The little zombie glanced at him, his eyelashes drooping behind the talisman, too sad to speak.
Yan Chi looked at the talisman on his forehead and started a conversation, "Hmm... I think it must be this talisman blocking your vision that caused you to not perform well. You can take it off and try again next time."
The little zombie finally reacted, his voice a little hoarse, "But... but the sun is very bright."
Yan Chi was surprised, "You put on the talisman because you're afraid of the sun?"
The little zombie nodded.
Yan Chi's previous understanding was overturned again, "...Actually, you could try sunglasses, they're more useful."
"Sunglasses... what are those?" The little zombie asked, confused.
Yan Chi happened to have one, which had been gathering dust after he bought it. "They can help block sunlight from your eyes. I happen to have one, do you want it?"
The little zombie thought for a moment and nodded.
The high jump competition ended after more than an hour. After watching the competition there, Yan Chi went to the playground, just in time for the 8,000-meter race to start.
A group of contestants were ready to go when Yan Chi noticed an elderly man among the players. The old man had changed into a vest and short-sleeved shirt, and his arms and legs looked stronger and more robust than those of the young people next to him.
"Truly, old but still vigorous," Yan Chi couldn't help but think to himself, before he saw Xingluo looking utterly dejected.
Xingluo was always lively and cheerful; Yan Chi had never seen him like this before. Only Shen Chang Le was talking to him, while Feng Wang and Lian Deng stood behind them.
Yan Chi took a deep breath and called out softly, "Xingluo, good luck!"
Xingluo keenly caught his voice and instinctively turned around.
"Bang!"
The starting signal sounded, and Xingluo hurriedly turned around. All the other runners around him had already started running for a while, and Xingluo frantically chased after them.
"I'm sorry..."
Yan Chi felt like dying. How could he have just blurted that out?! And Xingluo had heard it! He deserved to die!
Feng Wang approached with Lian Deng, the former already displaying an air of confidence. "Don't worry, Teacher Xiao Chi, Xingluo will definitely be number one."
Yan Chi took his words as comfort. He was already prepared to apologize and repent to Xingluo after the competition, but then, amidst gasps from the crowd, he saw a bloody head suddenly appear on the track.
The head relentlessly pursued Xingluo, chasing only him.
As Xingluo ran, he suddenly felt a chill on his ankle. He looked down and saw Lian Deng's ugly monster head chasing after him, its grotesque features visible as it rolled.
Long, thin tendons were wrapped around his ankle, blood slowly dripping onto the ground.
"Ahhhhhh—!"
Xingluo's face instantly turned deathly pale. He screamed and sprinted forward, overtaking several competitors with unstoppable momentum, reaching the front of the pack in just a minute or two.
Yan Chi was stunned. "This...is this considered cheating?"
"Where did we cheat? The rules don't say you can't let a monster chase after a competitor, and Xingluo ran the whole time on his own. He didn't use any illegal methods."
Feng Wang's arguments were logical, and after a brief discussion, the referees concluded they hadn't violated any rules.
Xingluo ran while crying, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Feng Wang!!! I'll hate you for life!!"
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