BTO CH59

The incident involving the student from Yinghua Experimental coming over to post a challenge letter caused a massive uproar, with almost everyone passing by in the hallways talking about it.

When Xu Sheng entered the classroom the next day, he had once again forgotten which page he had memorized his vocabulary words up to.

“Not this page, flip further back,” Shao Zhan, holding breakfast in his hand, reminded him while placing the meal in front of Xu Sheng. “Why did you run away when you saw me this morning?”

That morning, as if guided by some strange instinct, the two had opened their doors at the exact same time.

They also froze at the doorway at the exact same time.

The atmosphere was inexplicably awkward. Just as Shao Zhan was about to speak, Xu Sheng stepped back two paces and slammed the door shut with a loud bang.

Two seconds later, the door opened again.

Xu Sheng’s original route was to head to the cafeteria, but for some reason—perhaps deliberately trying to avoid him—he walked in the opposite direction and went straight to the academic building.

Faced with Shao Zhan’s question, Xu Sheng flipped his vocabulary handbook over a page, his mind in complete disarray. He couldn’t very well say that seeing him instantly made him think of the rooftop, and thinking of the rooftop made him completely lose his composure.

After a long pause, Xu Sheng said, “I… well… was exercising?”

“…”

Shao Zhan didn’t press him further on that point, handing him the soy milk instead: “Eat your breakfast before reading.”

The soy milk was warm.

Xu Sheng tightened his fingers around it and let out an “oh.”

Xu Sheng had assumed that after a night’s sleep he would forget about what happened on the rooftop, but right now he found out that this matter just wouldn’t pass.

Before Xu Sheng could take more than two sips of the soy milk, Hou Jun barged in through the door like a whirlwind. Carrying his backpack, he started shouting before he even reached the desk: “Zhan-ge!”

This bunch was like pulling up radishes—one brought along a whole cluster. Following right behind Hou Jun was a whole line of people.

“That guy named Duan from Yinghua is way too fucking arrogant,” Hou Jun rushed over and sat down in front of Xu Sheng. “We all saw the post.”

Tan Kai followed close behind, stretching his arm out from behind Hou Jun. While nodding in agreement, he tried to snatch a pan-fried baozi from Xu Sheng’s breakfast bag to eat: “Yeah, but thinking about it, it’s understandable. Yinghua’s grade rank one was rubbed into the dirt by you last year, so he wants to reclaim his honor this year.”

Yuan Ziqiang: “I want to eat one too.”

“…” Speechless, Xu Sheng pushed the breakfast bag over to them.

Meanwhile, Shen Wenhao felt a burst of poetic inspiration: “The enemy’s jealousy is the highest form of praise.”

After finishing his line, Shen Wenhao turned to Shao Zhan: “Sheng-ge, can you hand in today’s Chinese homework? Teacher Meng said you haven’t turned in homework for a week. If you still don’t hand it in today, don’t bother attending Chinese class.”

Shao Zhan: “…”

Shen Wenhao: “How can you keep failing to turn in homework every day? It makes it really hard for me to report back to Teacher Meng too.”

Life was just as bitter as before.

Both Xu Sheng and Shao Zhan were bearing pressure they shouldn’t have to bear.

The post by Yinghua’s grade rank one immediately exploded the already high attention surrounding the Four Schools Joint Competition. In just one night, the reply count blew past ten thousand.

— Our Study God will definitely slaughter him again this year. I advise this Yinghua contestant to start thinking up his defeat speech first.

— Study God will definitely be the repeat champion.

Some people even charged straight over to Yinghua Experimental High School’s forum, and soon the Yinghua students exploded too.

The smell of gunpowder spread between the two schools.

This year’s Four Schools Joint Competition had become a genuine battle of honor.

Meanwhile, the contestant who was likely to be pushed onto the battlefield—Xu Sheng—had extremely complex feelings.

Once Hou Jun and the others left, Xu Sheng finished the rest of his breakfast in a few bites and remembered to utter a “thanks.”

“Zhan-ge, go to Teacher Meng’s office for a bit,” midway through their conversation, a classmate who entered the classroom later knocked twice on the door frame. “Teacher Meng is looking for you.”

Xu Sheng currently felt that nowhere was safe; this world was targeting him at every turn: “What is Old Meng looking for me for?”

Shao Zhan: “Probably saw the school forum.”

“Fuck,” Xu Sheng didn’t want to face anything related to the Four Schools Joint Competition: “Can I not go?”

Shao Zhan encouraged him expressionlessly: “Be brave.”

Xu Sheng: “…”

“Take your phone,” Shao Zhan added. “Message me if anything happens.”

Meng Guowei had indeed seen the forum. Logically, teachers wouldn’t usually pay attention to these things, but the incident with the Yinghua student coming to their school forum to post a challenge was way too huge, alarming the school administration.

Xu Sheng knocked tentatively on the door: “Reporting in.”

Meng Guowei set down the things in his hand and said, “Shao Zhan? Come on in.”

Early in the morning, there weren’t many people in the office. Zhou Yuan was out on the balcony watering his potted plant.

As a frequent visitor to the office, Xu Sheng usually wouldn’t even blink an eye no matter how Meng Guowei scolded him. It was his first time realizing that the office was actually a place that could induce such pressure.

“Teacher Meng,” Xu Sheng took a breath and walked over to Meng Guowei’s desk: “You called for me?”

Meng Guowei just wanted to comfort the student, hoping he wouldn’t be affected by these matters.

Meng Guowei: “I know all about the stuff on the school forum. Don’t be nervous.”

Xu Sheng thought to himself: I’m fucking nervous as hell.

Meng Guowei had 100% faith in Shao Zhan: “You’ll definitely be fine. We just need to perform consistently.”

A major problem is going to happen, okay?

Meng Guowei patted Xu Sheng’s shoulder, having zero idea that inside the body of Linjiang Sixth High’s pride right now resided the soul of a pure academic slacker. While comforting him, he didn’t forget to give the student a bit of confidence, smiling faintly: “We all believe in you!”

Xu Sheng: “…”

Meng Guowei checked the time and added, “Calling you here this time is actually for another matter. Director Gu arranged a pre-match interview for you. Time is about up, so let’s head over right now.”

“Pre-match,” Xu Sheng spoke with great difficulty, “what?”

Meng Guowei: “Interview.”

As Meng Guowei spoke, he was about to lead Xu Sheng over. Hearing the word “interview,” Xu Sheng almost lost his mind. He slowed his pace and sent two key words to Shao Zhan: Director Gu’s office, save me.

Inside Director Gu’s office stood a chair placed neatly against the wall, positioned directly underneath a landscape painting. A sash was draped over the chair.

“When Student Shao Zhan arrives in a bit,” Director Gu fussed around for a long while before stepping back two paces to ask, “he’ll sit right in this spot. What do you think?”

Director Gu said these words to the school newspaper reporter beside him, who was adjusting a tripod and camera lens.

The school newspaper reporter pushed up his glasses and said, “I think this spot is great. It’s very suitable for framing, and fits our theme today exceptionally well.”

Director Gu nodded in complete satisfaction, merely waiting for star student Shao Zhan to arrive.

Except the moment “Shao Zhan” stepped through the door, his expression appeared somewhat reluctant, dawdling at the entrance for a long time: “Director Gu, I…”

Director Gu dragged him straight inside, pointing to the seat: “Come, sit.”

After Xu Sheng sat down, Director Gu draped that sash over him. Only after the reporter pressed the shutter with a loud click did he see clearly that the text written on the sash was: 14th Four Schools Joint Competition Champion.

This year was the 15th.

The shutter sound clicked continuously.

Director Gu: “Relax a bit. Briefly discuss your learning methods, as well as your experience winning the championship last year. Of course, the focus must reflect our Linjiang Sixth High’s grand ambitions this year!”

Regarding this interview, it had to be traced back to Yinghua Experimental High School once again.

Director Gu had been reading the gossip alongside the Sixth High students yesterday. After browsing over to Yinghua’s forum, he discovered that this classmate named Duan Yaosheng had even recorded a pre-match interview—so how could their Linjiang Sixth High admit defeat?

They had to have grand style.

And it had to be even grander than the opposing school’s.

Standing behind the camera lens, the school newspaper reporter looked at Shao Zhan through the lens and guided his statement: “Classmate, smile a bit and talk about your learning methods.”

Xu Sheng couldn’t smile.

So the teenager in the lens maintained an icy cold face. Although his back rested against the chair and his sitting posture wasn’t quite upright, this was perhaps the time he impersonated Shao Zhan most accurately.

Besides, what learning methods could a person who never studied possibly have?

Xu Sheng even had the urge to expose himself on the spot. When the time came, whether Meng Guowei wanted to drag him to the hospital’s psychiatric department or do whatever else, he’d accept it all.

Xu Sheng remained silent for a moment before speaking up: “Talent is a hard thing to explain.”

The school newspaper reporter: “…”

Director Gu: “…”

Meng Guowei standing at the door: “…”

The school newspaper reporter: “Then, your experience winning the championship last year?”

Xu Sheng: “Won too fast, didn’t have time to feel anything.”

The school newspaper reporter choked completely.

Fortunately, the interview couldn’t proceed for long before the door to Director Gu’s office was knocked on, followed by a voice: “Reporting in.”

Although the tone was different—usually being far more rogue and nonchalant—Director Gu wouldn’t mistake this voice even if it turned to ashes.

“Xu Sheng?” The springtime warmth on Director Gu’s face instantly shifted to a different expression, “What are you coming here for?”

Seeing Xu Sheng’s message, Shao Zhan had rushed over right away.

But he was currently Xu Sheng. For Xu Sheng to actively knock on Director Gu’s door, what reason could there possibly be?

The available options were few and far between.

After a pause, Shao Zhan said: “I came to reflect on myself.”

Director Gu: “…”

Xu Sheng: “…”

“Reflect on what,” Director Gu thought to himself that it was bizarre as hell today. Did the sun rise from the west today? “…You actually know the word ‘reflect’?”

Shao Zhan had no choice but to list out Xu Sheng’s misdeeds in detail: “I’ve thought a lot lately. There indeed were problems with my previous attitude toward studying.”

In the end, this pre-match interview was brought to a hasty close due to “Xu Sheng’s” disruption.

After walking out the door, Xu Sheng took off that sash and went to the sink in the nearby restroom to splash water on his face. Stepping out after washing up, he found Shao Zhan leaning against the wall outside waiting for him.

It was still morning self-study time at this hour, so there was hardly anyone in the hallway.

Xu Sheng didn’t want to return to the dorm directly, so he simply sat down on the stairwell steps, propping his hands on the steps and saying: “Even the interview has been filmed, so for the Four Schools Joint Competition… what do we do?”

What to do?

This question stumped Shao Zhan as well.

The Four Schools Joint Competition was fast approaching, with a little over a week of preparation time left at most.

Even metaphysics had been tried. Next, they could only hope he and Xu Sheng would swap back before the tournament. But this situation was clearly… low in probability. Even if it were 50%, they couldn’t afford to gamble on it.

While Xu Sheng was pondering this problem, he didn’t notice Shao Zhan taking two steps toward him.

Separated from him by two steps of stairs, Shao Zhan leaned down slightly, the light in front of Xu Sheng’s eyes blocked by his figure. Raising his hand, as if bewitched, Shao Zhan lightly pinched Xu Sheng’s neck with five fingers—a posture that appeared somewhat dangerous. Calling it a choke wasn’t quite right either, because he raised another finger against Xu Sheng’s chin, forcing him to lift his head.

Then, only after doing so did he release his hand, his dry fingertips brushing past the area near the Adam’s apple.

Belatedly, Xu Sheng realized that he was wiping away a droplet of water that had flowed down unnoticed when he washed his face earlier.

Shao Zhan straightened up and said: “Right now there’s only one path left. Xu Sheng enters the competition.”

He didn’t know whether to say “I” or “you”; using either address created ambiguity, so in the end he simply called out Xu Sheng’s name.

Xu Sheng took two seconds to process, quickly realizing what Shao Zhan meant.

He had to enter the competition.

Regardless of how the situation developed, they had to ensure that the real Shao Zhan was on the competition stage.