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Join the ServerXiao Yun’s face was livid at this moment, his fists clenched in a death grip.
He had rehearsed his acceptance speech countless times, meticulously prepared three poems to recite when confessing to Su Liyue, and had almost even settled on names for their future children. Everything was meticulously arranged; all that remained was the grand, highly anticipated awards ceremony.
Yet, Ye Xingchen’s accursed modified broom had not only stolen all of his thunder but had also snatched away Su Liyue, the goddess of his heart! The warm and dashing manner of their arrival felt like a dagger, plunging deep into his very soul.
Particularly when Su Liyue’s two golden and one silver magic cores shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight, the muscles on Xiao Yun’s face twitched uncontrollably. His eyes, a tangled mess of jealousy and despair, confirmed his utter defeat. ‘Was this, then, the chasm between a mere genius and a true prodigy?’ he thought.
If Li Yunxin’s golden-grade magic core felt like a resounding slap, then Su Liyue’s two golden-grade magic cores were nothing short of being pinned to the ground and utterly humiliated.
His inherent pride, however, screamed at him: losing to the third-year’s top student might be acceptable, but how could Ye Xingchen, a mere bottom-feeder in their grade, possibly be so close to Su Liyue?
He, Xiao Yun, was a recognized prodigy in both wind and fire magic. How could he possibly be outdone by a mere laggard?
‘Ye Xingchen must have employed some illicit alchemical concoction on Su Liyue,’ he fumed. ‘It must be! Otherwise, how could that good-for-nothing ever garner Su Liyue’s favor?’
****
Meanwhile, Li Yunxin’s brow furrowed slightly. As she stared intently at the magic cores in Su Liyue’s hand, a tempest raged within her heart.
In the past few days, she had scoured almost the entire practical training grounds, yet had only managed to hunt down a single, exceptionally formidable golden-grade lightning-element demonic beast.
While such a feat was nothing extraordinary for her, the fact that Su Liyue’s team had managed to hunt two such beasts was astounding. This level of power… it utterly defied the normal expectations for a third-year student!
‘Could it be…’
Li Yunxin was deep in thought when, suddenly, a figure blocked her path. It was none other than a meticulously groomed Liu Yuxuan.
Indeed, who else could it be but Liu Yuxuan?
This fellow, having learned some unknown trick, had actually used water magic to sculpt his hair with gel, then employed wind magic to create an ethereal, flowing effect.
Most outrageously, he held a moonlight rose, procured from who-knew-where, between his teeth. However, it was his lecherous, perverted grin that made the surrounding girls instinctively recoil a half-step. It wasn’t his looks that were lacking, but rather the entire aura he exuded, making him appear precisely like a deranged stalker.
“Miss Yunxin, who embodies both beauty and cuteness~ I wonder if I have the honor of becoming your man—” Liu Yuxuan declared, striking what he believed was a dashing pose.
“Stop.” Li Yunxin raised a hand, cutting him off directly. Already averse to any boy other than her younger brother, she found herself utterly disgusted by his greasy pick-up line.
“If you’re willing to castrate yourself and transform into a pretty girl, then I might consider it,” she stated, scanning him up and down with disdain. “As for you now… forget it.”
Liu Yuxuan stood as if struck by lightning, utterly petrified.
‘Castrate myself? And change gender?’ he thought, utterly bewildered. ‘This is completely different from the “Eighteen Ways to Pick Up Girls” that Brother Xingchen taught me! What happened to the promised “Rose Offensive Finisher”? His imagined romantic scene had spectacularly crashed and burned before it even had a chance to begin.
“Waaah! Brother Xingchen…” he wailed, scrambling towards Ye Xingchen like a kicked teddy bear.
The rose petals scattered along his path seemed to symbolize his shattered youthful heart.
Ye Xingchen had just secured his magic broom when he looked up to see Liu Yuxuan frantically rushing towards him, his face a mask of misery.
He couldn’t help but sigh and rub his forehead. This eccentric roommate was truly hopeless.
“Little Xuanzi, why such a panic?” Ye Xingchen asked, deliberately drawing out his words as if addressing a palace eunuch.
If Liu Yuxuan had responded with a subservient “Yes, master” at that moment, the scene would have been even more vividly amusing.
“Brother Xingchen! Your ‘Eighteen Ways to Pick Up Girls’ is completely useless!” Liu Yuxuan accused, snot and tears streaming down his face. “I just confessed with flowers as you instructed, but she told me to castrate myself and change gender!”
“Oh? Do tell.” Ye Xingchen genuinely couldn’t fathom how difficult it could be to appease a young girl of Li Yunxin’s age.
After listening to Liu Yuxuan’s exaggerated retelling, Ye Xingchen pondered for a moment.
“Alright, I’ll teach you a poem,” he declared. “I guarantee it will make Li Yunxin look at you in a completely new light.”
“Really?” Liu Yuxuan instantly perked up, full of renewed hope.
“Truer than a dragon crystal!” Ye Xingchen declared confidently, clearing his throat.
‘After all,’ he thought, ‘what in this world could delight a girl more than poetry and culture?’
“Brother Xingchen, tell me quickly! I’ll write it down in my little notebook!”
Ye Xingchen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, speaking with feigned profundity:
“Up the cold mountain, a stone path slants,
Where white clouds gather, a homestead rests.
I stop my carriage, loving the maple woods at dusk,
Frost-kissed leaves, redder than spring’s flowers.”
A gentle breeze swept by, scattering fallen leaves, and indeed, the atmosphere quite matched the picturesque scenery depicted in the poem.
“This… what does this poem mean?” Liu Yuxuan asked, scratching his head, a look of utter bewilderment on his face.
“Don’t ask, just know it’s a sure-fire move!” Ye Xingchen declared, thumping his chest confidently. “Go quickly, I guarantee it’ll make her look at you with new eyes!”
Clutching his last shred of hope, Liu Yuxuan straightened his collar and solemnly began to recite the poem before Li Yunxin.
At first, Li Yunxin’s expression indeed shifted—from indifference to surprise, then to… anger?
“Who taught you that poem?” Li Yunxin’s voice was as cold as ice.
“Of-of course, I wrote it myself!” Liu Yuxuan stammered, forcing himself to answer.
‘After all,’ he thought, ‘I can’t sell out Brother Xingchen.’
A cold glint flashed in Li Yunxin’s eyes. “Oh? So, are you Du Mu or Du Fu?”
“Dou… Tofu?” Liu Yuxuan stammered, utterly dumbfounded.
*Slap!*
A loud slap reverberated across the plaza.
Li Yunxin’s face was flushed crimson with fury as she delivered a swift, resounding slap.
“Lewd! You dare to use such a poem to flirt with me? Have you grown tired of living?!”
Liu Yuxuan clutched his stinging cheek, gazing tearfully towards Ye Xingchen in the distance. ‘What about the promised sure-fire move?!’ he silently wailed. ‘This is a suicide move, for crying out loud!’
In the distance, Ye Xingchen scratched his head, utterly bewildered. When he had used this very poem, “Mountain Walk,” to charm the Yaochi Saintess back then, it had delighted her immensely. How could it have failed so spectacularly here?
Following Liu Yuxuan’s resentful gaze, Li Yunxin pinpointed Ye Xingchen, who was attempting to hide behind the crowd.
A sharp glint flashed in her eyes. ‘Sure enough, this peculiar fellow is up to something!’ she mused. ‘That motorcycle-shaped magic broom was already suspicious enough, and now he’s teaching people lewd poems…’
She darted forward in a flash, appearing before Ye Xingchen, and suddenly exclaimed:
“Heavenly King covers Earth Tiger! Next line! No thinking!”
“Pagoda suppresses River Demon!” Ye Xingchen responded reflexively with the next line.
The most astonishing thing was that Su Liyue, standing nearby, also blurted out simultaneously:
“Teemo, one point five meters tall.”
The trio froze instantly, a strange silence hanging in the air.
Ye Xingchen and Li Yunxin mechanically turned to look at Su Liyue, who was covering her mouth with a bewildered expression, clearly not having intended to speak up.
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : I Just Wanted An Ordinary Life This Time
