BTO CH40

Xu Sheng had no idea how many minutes he had been spouting this nonsense, and he couldn’t exactly stop and ask the audience, “Excuse me, have I said enough?”

“How many fucking minutes has it been?”

“Fuck, why isn’t it over yet?”

If he actually said those sentences out loud, everyone would go crazy.

Xu Sheng’s speech sounded exactly like Linjiang Sixth High’s admissions brochure. After he finished bragging about the faculty’s qualifications, he was truly out of words. Left with no other option, he casually took two steps on stage and improvised a brand new segment: leading the Sixth High students in chanting a slogan.

Xu Sheng twirled the microphone: “Sixth High students, chant with me.”

“Sixth High, Sixth High, invincible!”

The Sixth High students, bursting with collective pride, actually followed his nonsense and chanted along: “Invincible!”

“…”

Holy shit.

The rest of the crowd was shocked once again.

Was this school ever going to stop?

Although Meng Guowei was surprised, who doesn’t like hearing someone kiss their ass? He was gleefully watching his genius boy when a shadow suddenly fell across his vision: “Xu Sheng?”

Shao Zhan stepped out from the back row of Company Seven and walked straight up to Meng Guowei.

He had no way to signal Xu Sheng from the back.

Only by walking to the front row was he closer to Xu Sheng. Before stepping out, he had taken off his hat and shoved it into Hou Jun’s hands without a word. Then he used the excuse to ask: “Teacher, do we have any extra hats?”

Meng Guowei took one look at Xu Sheng’s messy hair, then looked at the outstanding student on stage, thinking to himself that the gap between them was truly stark.

With complex feelings, he scolded: “How long has it been since the hats were handed out and you’ve already lost it?! And what is going on with your sleeves? Roll them down, what kind of look is this?!” Meng Guowei sighed, bending down to grab another hat from the cardboard box nearby. “You should learn more from your desk mate! Such an outstanding student is sitting right next to you, and you don’t learn a single good thing from him…”

While taking the hat, Shao Zhan made a ‘pause’ gesture toward the person standing on the podium, and then said: “Thank you, Teacher Meng.”

Xu Sheng watched Shao Zhan holding the hat in his left hand, standing there with one finger pressed against his right palm, signaling: You can stop now.

He let out a sigh of relief and prepared to deliver his closing remarks.

As his nerves suddenly relaxed, he almost blurted out the classic line, “I promise I won’t do it again next time.” Instead, Xu Sheng bowed slightly: “My… my speech has concluded. Thank you, everyone.”

As Xu Sheng stepped off the stage, King of Hell Gu suddenly realized something: “Wait a minute, why do those lines sound so much like that brat Xu Sheng’s self-reflections?”

Although the students from other schools had been forced to listen to a lengthy speech about how outstanding Linjiang Sixth High was, they still applauded out of politeness.

A round of applause rang out from the audience.

The leaders of the other schools urgently issued orders: “Our school cannot admit defeat! Inform our student representatives to include an introduction to our school in their speeches! We might lose the battle, but we won’t lose the war!”

And thus, this National Defense Education opening ceremony, spearheaded by Xu Sheng, transformed into a massive school introduction convention.

Slogans emerged one after another, kicking off this military training with an extraordinary display of spirit.

“Our Honghai Fourth High has a stable college admission rate—stable at 14%! Founded in August 2007, we currently have 6 grades and 42 classes! Honghai, Honghai, achieving dreams, leading the future!”

“…”

Fourteen percent isn’t really something to brag about.

Xu Sheng didn’t have time to think about any of this. After stepping down, he retreated straight to the back row, slung an arm over Shao Zhan’s shoulder, leaned in, and whispered: “What happened?”

Shao Zhan: “You’re asking me?”

Xu Sheng was going crazy: “Did you hear the thunder on stage? Was the last strike not enough? Again?!”

At least last time there was a signature action: jumping off a wall.

It could barely be explained as knocking their brains loose, but this time, both of them were just standing perfectly fine—no bumps, no collisions, and they just swapped like that.

“This time we didn’t faint, and there were no warning signs,” Shao Zhan analyzed calmly. “Last time, the unconsciousness in the exam room lasted only a few minutes. On the day we jumped the wall, according to Old Meng’s account, the unconsciousness should have lasted about half an hour. So it can be explained as our bodies’ adaptability gradually increasing.”

“?”

Shao Zhan: “Perhaps next time I enter your body, it will be even smoother than this time.”

Xu Sheng: “…Stop saying ‘enter’ and ‘going in and out’, can’t you use a different word?”

Why does every discussion about this sound so easy to misinterpret?

What do you mean smoother?

Are you specifically marveling at how smoothly you slipped in this time?

Xu Sheng was jolted by his own thought.

Analyzing it further was useless.

Xu Sheng had no choice but to accept the reality that he had turned into Shao Zhan again. He had no idea how long it would last this time and could only hope the next clap of thunder would arrive sooner rather than later.

It’s just military training…

Xu Sheng categorized his speech just now as an accident, thinking to himself: There are no exams, so what else could go wrong?

“Hello everyone, I am your instructor. My surname is Wang,” Class 7’s instructor stood out exceptionally among the group. He was tall and thin, with proper features and a very straight back. His voice was slightly hoarse when he spoke. “Just call me Instructor Wang.”

Their class’s instructor wasn’t like the others who immediately asserted dominance.

Within a few sentences, he was already chatting with the students of Class 7: “Was that student representative just now from our company? Spoke very well, really knows how to hype up the atmosphere.”

“Of course,” a student said. “Just look at who our Zhan-ge is.”

“Zhan-ge, you were truly badass just now.”

After the opening ceremony ended, all the students went to the cafeteria in batches. The first activity in the afternoon was organizing the dorms. Instructor Wang would come over to teach them how to fold their quilts. While waiting for the row in front to move forward, Hou Jun said: “Improvising on the spot—if it were me, I definitely wouldn’t even be able to speak properly. Were you nervous just now?”

Xu Sheng: “What’s there to be nervous about? You don’t even need to think about this kind of stuff.”

Shao Zhan: “…”

Taking being overpowered to the extreme is just pure arrogance.

It was fortunate that Xu Sheng was spouting this arrogant nonsense while in Shao Zhan’s body; only then could he carry this level of cockiness.

The cafeteria at Lüzhou Base had two full floors. Sixth High students and Honghai Fourth High students shared one floor. The cafeteria layout was simple, with six food counters on each side.

They queued for a few minutes.

Hou Jun was the first to get his food. Unable to balance the bowl of soup in his hand, he found it increasingly difficult to hold steady as he walked back. Seeing “Xu Sheng” nearby, he shoved it straight into “Xu Sheng’s” hands: “Sheng-ge, do me a favor. This soup is about to spill and cause a tragedy. My seat is right over there, could you help me carry it over?”

Holding Hou Jun’s bowl of soup, Shao Zhan didn’t refuse.

Xu Sheng said: “If the line moves quickly later, I’ll get your food for you.”

There were about a dozen people in front of him.

After Shao Zhan left, the line continued to inch forward at its previous sluggish pace.

As the line moved next to a load-bearing pillar, Xu Sheng leaned against it out of boredom, wanting to lower his head and scroll through his phone. However, upon reaching into his pocket, he remembered this wasn’t his own training uniform. He sighed with considerable regret, took off his hat, and swiftly unbuttoned his cuffs, rolling them up.

Like a quick-change act, he switched from “aloof Study God” to “uninhibited school tyrant” in minutes.

The aura that Shao Zhan usually suppressed spilled out as if it cost nothing.

However, Xu Sheng was quite different from Shao Zhan. He always gave off a casual, lazy vibe, and when he looked up at people, he habitually carried a hint of a smile.

After Xu Sheng rolled up his sleeves, the line still hadn’t moved.

The girls whispering constantly behind him, pushing and shoving each other until their faces were flushed, finally made a move. One girl with her hair down was pushed forward. She tucked her long hair behind her ear, wearing her military cap more like an accessory. She had pale skin and slightly flushed cheeks. Walking up to Xu Sheng, her voice was very soft: “Student…”

Xu Sheng looked up.

“Hello, I… I’m from Honghai Fourth High.” Saying this, the girl met Xu Sheng’s eyes, paused shyly for two seconds, and couldn’t continue. She simply handed over the piece of paper crumpled in her hand.

It was glaringly obvious the paper contained contact info or something similar.

Although he was currently in Shao Zhan’s body, Xu Sheng had received plenty of these hints growing up; how could he not understand?

Xu Sheng’s title as “gal-pal” wasn’t for nothing. He had always been very gentle towards girls and had high emotional intelligence. Even when rejecting someone, he did it with considerable skill, ensuring the other party wouldn’t lose face, and even giving off the illusion that he must be quite a flirt in his daily life: “Hello.”

Leaning against the pillar, the smile in his eyes undiminished as he looked at her: “Is this for me?”

After all, this wasn’t Xu Sheng’s own skin. Making this kind of expression with Shao Zhan’s usually incredibly aloof appearance had an even greater visual impact.

Under his gaze, the girl grew so nervous she forgot how to speak.

Xu Sheng was just about to politely decline—perhaps using a joking tone like “You’re very pretty, are you playing Truth or Dare?” to give her an out—when on second thought, he was Shao Zhan right now. What if Shao Zhan liked this type?

Xu Sheng glanced at the girl again: she was quite good-looking, pretty and sweet.

Damn it, how can there be someone as considerate as me in this world?!

…

Although this assumption always made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

But Xu Sheng didn’t dwell on it and continued pondering.

If he just chopped off Shao Zhan’s peach blossom right here…

Xu Sheng was hesitating whether or not to accept the paper in front of him. A second before his fingertips touched the paper, another hand reached over horizontally from beside him and intercepted it. ‘Intercept’ might not be the most accurate word; more precisely, it pressed down on it.

Shao Zhan’s hand covered the back of his.

“Sorry,” aside from the warm palm pressing on the back of his hand, Xu Sheng heard an emotionless, slightly cold voice. “He doesn’t add friends.”

Xu Sheng: “…”

The girl was also stunned: “…”

After speaking, Shao Zhan asked again: “Is there anything else.”

“No… nothing else.” The girl retracted her hand, hiding the paper behind her back. It was a rare instance of not feeling awkward after a rejection, mainly because the person who came to block the paper was actually another handsome guy. It was hard to feel awkward in this scenario.

Not only was it not awkward, but actually… it was a bit thrilling.

The girl and her spectating friends simultaneously blurted out a “Holy shit” in their hearts.

What a development!

The most bewildered person was Xu Sheng, leaning against the pillar.

However, Shao Zhan didn’t give him time to react after speaking. His hand slid up, gripping Xu Sheng’s wrist directly, and yanked him back into the line, creating distance between him and the girls behind.

Shao Zhan let go. He had seen Xu Sheng smiling at a girl wearing his face from afar as he walked back. He said coldly: “Explain.”

Xu Sheng shook his wrist: “Explain what?”

Xu Sheng thought the explanation he wanted might be something like “Why are you ruining my image?” However, Shao Zhan glanced at him and said: “Is this how you usually chat with girls?”

“…” Xu Sheng felt this conversation sounded a bit like an interrogation. “How was I chatting? Wasn’t it just a normal conversation?”

Shao Zhan didn’t want to comment.

Fine.

Xu Sheng explained: “I was just about to reject her. I was just afraid she might be your type, and you’d tear me to pieces later.”

After Xu Sheng finished speaking, Shao Zhan remained silent for two seconds before uttering two words: “She isn’t.”

Xu Sheng: “Isn’t what?”

“Isn’t my type.”

Xu Sheng froze for a moment.

He didn’t even notice that the person in front of him had finished getting food and it was his turn. The cafeteria auntie banged the iron spoon against the tray with a clack and raised her voice: “—Young man, what are you eating?”

After the girl in the back row retreated, her friend observed the two people in front for a long while before finally whispering in her ear: “Forget it, forget it. These days, handsome guys really do end up with other handsome guys.”

After eating.

The afternoon activity was organizing their dorms.

The dorm had bunk beds, totaling eight spots. Their group only had six people, so there was no need to fight for beds.

The dorm head was Hou Jun.

Instructor Wang designated one dorm in both the boys’ and girls’ buildings for an interior organization demonstration. After finishing with the girls’ dorm, he came over. When he entered, Hou Jun led the applause: “Welcome, Instructor Wang!”

Xu Sheng didn’t squeeze into the front row with the dozen or so classmates. He sat on an empty bed outside the circle, his long legs resting on the floor, too lazy to listen to the instructor rattle off rules.

Five minutes later, he couldn’t sit still anymore: “Reporting—”

Instructor Wang stopped what he was doing: “Speak.”

Xu Sheng: “Requesting permission to go to the restroom.”

Instructor Wang wasn’t strict. He continued his demonstration and said: “Go ahead.”

Walking to the door, Xu Sheng remembered he was currently Shao Zhan. Actually, this body swap felt much more natural and practiced than the last time; he didn’t feel particularly unaccustomed to it, leading him to act far too much like “Xu Sheng.” Worried Shao Zhan might think he was really bailing, Xu Sheng stopped halfway to the door.

Standing at the doorway, he secretly flashed Shao Zhan a “five” with his hand.

Meaning: I’m just going out for five minutes to get some fresh air.

Shao Zhan turned a blind eye, ignoring him.

Xu Sheng walked straight out of the detached dorm building, strolling down the tree-lined path. Area B, where Honghai Fourth High was located, wasn’t far away.

There were hidden small paths between the apartment buildings, and further out were high surrounding walls. Enclosed by the walls, the path felt like an alleyway.

Xu Sheng walked a bit further and was about to turn back when he accidentally spotted a few students in that alley-like path.

Wearing green military training uniforms, they were likely from Honghai Fourth High.

The one in the lead had a few strands of dyed blonde hair, wore an earring, and was currently squatting in the “alley” smoking.

It was unclear what they were talking about, but short curses could vaguely be caught amidst the chatter and laughter.

Xu Sheng had heard of Honghai Fourth High before. It was famous for its rather chaotic discipline and ethos; teachers didn’t manage the students much. Rumor had it a gang of “school tyrants” congregated there, associated with people from outside society, and would “teach people a lesson” near the school every Friday.

Xu Sheng didn’t linger. Just as he was about to leave, the one smoking crushed out his cigarette and looked up warily toward the outside of the alley.

Whether it was Xu Sheng’s imagination or not, when the smoker saw him, his gaze didn’t immediately shift away, but fixed firmly on him. Then, the person seemed to smile, took two steps forward, and spoke in a tone laced with ambiguous intent: “…Shao Zhan?”

Xu Sheng: “…?”