Chapter 35: A Slap and a System Reward

“Ji… Wenyan, I’m sorry, I was wrong!”

“You were wrong? Weren’t you quite arrogant just now? Besides, even if you’re apologizing, it shouldn’t be to me. It should be to Bai Mengze.”

Hearing Ji Wenyan’s conversation with the principal, Xuan Yan’s earlier arrogance vanished. Her face was now deathly pale with fear.

She lowered her head and spoke, her voice trembling.

However, Ji Wenyan offered no forgiveness. Instead, he corrected her mistaken assertion.

Xuan Yan hadn’t wronged *him*; she had wronged Bai Mengze.

Though Xuan Yan was inwardly distraught and utterly unwilling to apologize to Bai Mengze, she was compelled to concede, bowing her head under the force of Ji Wenyan’s influence.

‘That vixen, Bai Mengze, her luck is truly too good.’

‘She actually managed to latch onto a powerful figure like Ji Wenyan.’

“Bai Mengze, I’m so… sorry. I shouldn’t have come to bother you.”

“Do you truly believe that merely uttering ‘I’m sorry’ will earn you my forgiveness?”

“I am genuinely very sorry. I was simply too worried about Linlin, which is why I…”

“Since you’ve brought up the matter, I will reiterate: if you desire a spot, go and secure it yourselves. Do not attempt to involve me.”

“No, we won’t. We won’t bother you again.”

Listening to Xuan Yan’s words, Bai Mengze’s expression remained largely unchanged. She simply found their presence highly irritating.

To think they caused trouble for her solely over a math competition was truly bizarre.

If they genuinely wanted a spot, they should earn it through their own abilities.

Previously, when her math teacher had invited her to participate in the National Math Competition, the news had not yet spread.

Even when she initially declined, the teacher hadn’t given up on persuading her. They had explicitly stated that the spot would be reserved for Bai Mengze until the final selection.

The competition news had only been announced yesterday, and there was still a week until the selection was finalized. How could she possibly have stolen someone else’s spot?

“And another thing, did you just try to hit me?”

“No, I was just too exc…!”

Bai Mengze had no patience for those who came to bully her. “Subduing others with virtue” was not a principle she adhered to.

For her, “an eye for an eye” was the guiding principle of her actions.

Thus, Bai Mengze directly raised her hand and delivered a resounding slap across Xuan Yan’s face.

It left a distinct red palm print on her delicate, pale cheek.

Witnessing this scene, Xuan Yan and her two companions immediately froze in place, seemingly dumbfounded that Bai Mengze would suddenly strike.

As for Ji Wenyan, who stood nearby, he wore an expression of utter nonchalance. He simply lifted his gaze towards the sky.

‘The sky is so blue!’

“Giving you just one slap is letting you off easy! Also, you claimed your brother was still pining for me?”

“If such rumors ever spill from your lips again, I will strike you every single time.”

Bai Mengze gazed coldly at Xuan Yan. Upon seeing her defiant expression, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Bai Mengze’s lips.

She had recently observed a similar expression on Wen Ruo’s face.

‘But even so, what could they truly do?’

‘No matter what tricks they had, she would meet them head-on.’

‘Likewise, her opponents should be prepared… because when her retaliation came, it wouldn’t end with a mere slap.’

Finally, Xuan Yan nervously glanced at Ji Wenyan before scurrying away with her companions, looking utterly deflated.

[Congratulations, Host, on completing a random mission! Reward: 100 Star Origin Points, 1 Affinity Point, and 1000 RMB.]

The moment Xuan Yan and her group admitted defeat, the system immediately issued the rewards.

This made Ji Wenyan beam with delight, feeling incredibly pleased.

‘In fact, he hoped more such fools would come his way!’

‘He craved more rewards!’

As Bai Mengze watched their retreating figures, she noticed Ji Wenyan’s lips curling into a smile when she finally averted her gaze, clearly indicating his excellent mood.

This inexplicably lifted the bad mood that Xuan Yan and her companions had cast upon Bai Mengze.