Chapter 8: A Bracelet’s Secret and a Teacher’s Wrath

The more he pondered, the more plausible it seemed. On his way back, Qiao Xia instinctively glanced at the black bracelet adorning his wrist, unsure if his suspicions held any truth.

Upon reflection, everything had grown unusual precisely after Duan Yulan gifted him that bracelet.

He hadn’t heard any strange sounds when he woke up that morning. Yet, they had chosen this very moment to appear, making it impossible not to be suspicious.

“Brother Qiao, I truly didn’t know you were almost done. Wasn’t I just worried you’d be bullied?”

As Qiao Xia pondered with a serious, thoughtful expression, Zhou Li, trailing beside him like a wronged child, stole a glance. He knew if he didn’t break the silence, Qiao Xia would surely “practice” on him after school. Despite Qiao Xia’s seemingly slender and frail appearance, like a scrawny chicken, his muscles were undeniably impressive once his shirt came off.

He could practically transform into a philosophical wrestling king!

While others experienced explosive muscle growth from various fitness routines, Qiao Xia’s situation was quite the opposite.

Zhou Li had once meticulously observed Qiao Xia’s upper body muscles, noticing they were slender and defined, rather than bulky. The internet adage of ‘looking slim in clothes, muscular without’ likely described him perfectly.

This filled the short, stout Zhou Li with intense envy and resentment. However, after witnessing Qiao Xia’s daily workout regimen, he immediately abandoned all his fixations, choosing instead to live each day with a more ‘Zen-like’ contentment.

‘Damn it,’ he thought. ‘That’s a level of suffering no one his age could endure. Only an inhuman person like Qiao Xia could maintain such a routine daily.’

It was precisely because he knew of Qiao Xia’s robust physique that Zhou Li remained utterly calm, even after Li Lin Guan had called Qiao Xia out.

His subsequent trip to fetch the disciplinary dean was still out of concern that Qiao Xia might injure Li Lin Guan. If that happened, their detestable homeroom teacher would seize the opportunity to expel Qiao Xia from Class 1.

Although Qiao Xia and Zhou Li were the type to behave quietly in class, never causing trouble, perhaps poor academic performance was a cardinal sin in a top class. Not only did it make all the subject teachers dislike them, but their homeroom teacher also found reasons to bother them daily.

Unable to touch Zhou Li, the son of a school sponsor, the homeroom teacher instead used Qiao Xia, who came from an ordinary family, as a convenient scapegoat.

With no one ever attending his annual parent-teacher conferences, there was no fear of insurmountable consequences.

However, with Zhou Li firmly on Qiao Xia’s side, even if the homeroom teacher desperately wanted to expel Qiao Xia from Class 1, actually doing so proved incredibly difficult.

Openly or subtly, Zhou Li would block any attempts he could. If he couldn’t, he would bring in the principal to intervene.

Consequently, even halfway through their second year of high school, the homeroom teacher’s petty schemes had never succeeded. Qiao Xia remained securely in their class.

Zhou Li had never told Qiao Xia any of this. If he had known, Qiao Xia would undoubtedly have chosen to leave Class 1 voluntarily, unwilling to endure the homeroom teacher’s constant vexations.

Considering this, Zhou Li chose to keep it a secret.

They had been in the same class since childhood; how could that suddenly change in high school?

Furthermore, Zhou Li felt he had absolutely nothing in common with the academic elites. He would never have made such a humiliating compromise if his father hadn’t threatened to throw away all his figures if he didn’t get into the top class.

‘My beloved 2D wives!’

‘To avoid abandoning you all, I even signed a treaty of cession and indemnity!’

‘So why hasn’t the miracle of figures turning into real people happened yet? Hurry up and transform, transform, transform…’

“Worried I’d be bullied? You know my skills. You were with me last month when I won the provincial Sanda championship.”

Upon hearing Zhou Li’s words, Qiao Xia immediately snapped out of his thoughts. He then cast a suspicious gaze toward Zhou Li, his face betraying a look of disbelief.

Still, Qiao Xia wasn’t angry; after all, the situation had been perfectly resolved.

Li Lin Guan wasn’t causing any more trouble.

For now, understanding the reason for his cheat ability’s appearance was paramount!

Suspecting that everything was caused by Duan Yulan, Qiao Xia realized his first step was to find her and inquire about the black bracelet’s origin.

However, the commotion at the school gate this morning hadn’t entirely subsided. If he were to actively seek out Duan Yulan again, wouldn’t it create a negative impression?

Rumors, after all, possessed immense power.

Not to mention, with Zhou Li—a veritable gossip machine—right beside him, it became even more concerning.

“They say two fists are no match for four hands, and there were so many of them, weren’t there? That’s why I worried you’d get a good beating… Oh, speaking of which, did you really save that Li Lin Guan?”

Zhou Li tried his best not to reveal his true intentions, then employed his ultimate tactic: changing the subject.

Unfortunately, it was too clumsy. Combined with his shifty, dodging eyes, it made Qiao Xia helplessly twitch his lips, deciding it was best not to press further.

“It was just a coincidence, nothing major. Did you see Duan Yulan in the classroom just now?”

Ultimately, after some consideration, Qiao Xia decided he still needed to find Duan Yulan and ask her.

Though he knew it would cause unnecessary trouble, that strange voice had piqued his curiosity. If he didn’t understand what was truly happening, Qiao Xia felt he wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.

“Heh heh, what’s this? Can’t bear the pangs of lovesickness after such a short time?”

As expected, upon hearing Duan Yulan’s name, Zhou Li immediately became a gossipmonger, just as Qiao Xia had anticipated. He chuckled mischievously, poking Qiao Xia with his arm, the plump flesh on his face squeezing his eyes into mere slits.

If not for Zhou Li’s otherwise regular features, he would undoubtedly have looked like an unseemly fat man.

“Get lost, you idiot! I have serious business with Duan Yulan!”

“Oh, I get it, I get it! No need to explain anymore. Explanations are just cover-ups, and cover-ups are the truth! We’re practically brothers; don’t you think I know you, you sly dog?”

“…”

Faced with Zhou Li’s ‘I understand’ expression, Qiao Xia suddenly wondered why he had been so foolish as to ask him about Duan Yulan.

He could have simply waited until they returned to class to see her naturally.

“Look, Qiao Xia’s back!”

“He doesn’t look like he got beaten up. Has Li Lin Guan, the one who loves to fight, changed his ways?”

“What exactly happened? It’s truly intriguing. If our first class wasn’t with the old hag, I’d have gone to watch the excitement too.”

“Shhh, the old hag’s coming.”

Just as Zhou Li and Qiao Xia approached their classroom, numerous students popped up from the window seats, their curious gazes circling Qiao Xia. A cacophony of voices spilled from inside the classroom.

Hearing these sounds, Qiao Xia was suddenly overcome by a sense of foreboding, making him feel that danger was rapidly approaching.

“Qiao Xia, Zhou Li, you two get over here!”

As the ‘old hag’—their homeroom teacher’s—furious voice echoed from the other end of the corridor, Qiao Xia’s premonition of trouble materialized.