Chapter 3

"Mu Chu, I heard it's your birthday tomorrow. I'm wishing you a happy birthday in advance." Zhou Yanchang's originally stern face relaxed a bit as he said, "I also heard that you're planning to invite your classmates to a party tomorrow. Balancing work and play is fine, and I have no reason to stop you, but now is the time for the college entrance exam preparation. I hope you can make sure that everyone doesn't go overboard. As the class monitor, you need to take this responsibility. Also, the ten-schools joint exam is no small matter. You are the best student in our class, and you need to bring honor to the class!"

"Rest assured, teacher, I understand." Qin Muchu smiled brightly and spoke with conviction.

Zhou Yanchang nodded, feeling somewhat helpless. Qin Muchu not only had excellent grades but also had a good father, making it hard to say anything harsh. He tapped the desk a couple of times and said, "Everyone, start your self-study! Yang Qi, come out here for a moment."

The classmates all looked at Yang Qi, knowing it was certainly related to his absence from the self-study class earlier. A few of the bolder and more observant ones sneaked a glance at Qin Muchu, seemingly trying to gauge his reaction.

However, Yang Qi remained in a daze, as if lost in his own world. To the classmates, this was just another display of his apparent foolishness, which elicited some laughter. Zhou Yanchang also shook his head helplessly.

"Hmm?"

After being nudged by his desk mate Lu Liangjie and hearing the teacher's words repeated, Yang Qi finally reacted. However, his expression was extremely calm, without any signs of fear or daze, which made Lu Liangjie slightly surprised, feeling that Yang Qi seemed different.

Just a moment ago, Yang Qi was indeed lost in his own world. When the teacher mentioned the ten-schools joint exam next Monday, the list of superpowers in his mind flashed, and a few electronic sounds rang out.

"Ding! Triggered Task: Rank in the top ten in the ten-schools joint exam."

"Task Completion Reward: 10 Level 1 Energy Stones."

"Task Failure Punishment: Deduct 10% of the current cultivation value of all superpowers."

"Level 1 Energy Stone: Absorbing it can increase the cultivation value of a superpower."

Yang Qi was still not used to the electronic sounds in his mind. The appearance of the task left him somewhat bewildered, but the reward made his eyes light up. The item that could increase cultivation value and boost superpower levels was exactly what Yang Qi wanted most at the moment.

Walking to the classroom door, Zhou Yanchang was already waiting. Zhou Yanchang called Yang Qi out to inquire about the incident where he was beaten in the afternoon. Yang Qi told him everything he knew, answering Zhou Yanchang's questions about the reasons and other details without any speculation or hearsay.

Zhou Yanchang had initially thought that Yang Qi would be uncooperative and difficult to communicate with, but after a few questions, he found the conversation very smooth, yet also very strange. Zhou Yanchang stared at Yang Qi for a long time, feeling that he had changed significantly. His demeanor was natural, his eyes calm, and his responses quick and fluent, which was completely different from the always distracted and dazed appearance he used to have.

"Yang Qi, are you sure you're okay, both physically and otherwise?" Zhou Yanchang frowned slightly, asking.

"I'm fine," Yang Qi shook his head.

"But I feel like you're different."

Yang Qi laughed brightly and said, "Maybe it's because I got beaten and woke up."

"Ah... As long as you're fine, go back and study well."

Zhou Yanchang was still somewhat bewildered. Could it really be as Yang Qi said? He waved his hand, letting Yang Qi go back inside. However, that smile from Yang Qi lingered in his mind, natural and clean. Was it because the foolishness was gone that he seemed different?

Shaking his head, Zhou Yanchang also returned to the classroom. Regarding the incident where Yang Qi was beaten, it was a difficult situation. Those few guys were problem students in the school, with some power and influence at home. Incidents like beating and causing trouble were common, and as long as it wasn't a major issue, it would end up being ignored. Moreover, Yang Qi seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter.

As for whether Yang Qi was foolish, well, at least in Zhou Yanchang's view, anyone who could get into Ruiyun High School had no problem with their IQ; they were just a bit slow.

The evening self-study for the third year of high school consisted of three periods. After class, most students rushed to the dormitory or the convenience store. Yang Qi, who used to go for a run before sleeping, no longer needed to do so. On his way back to the dormitory, he saw a few classmates walking towards him. These few were very close to Qin Muchu, or rather, they were his loyal followers and lackeys.

"Yang Qi, how are you after being beaten this afternoon?" One of them, a slender boy named Xun Tui, who was the closest and most favored by Qin Muchu, looked Yang Qi up and down and said, "Even a fool should know the consequences of opposing our great class monitor, Qin. So, be smart next time, got it?"

Before he finished speaking, Yang Qi had already pushed aside one of the people blocking his way and walked straight into the dormitory building, completely ignoring them.

"Damn, this fool has some strength," the one who was pushed aside and almost fell cursed, then looked at Xun Tui and the others and said, "This guy still has that dead look. It seems the lesson wasn't enough!"

One of them asked in a low voice, "Should we really not tell Qin Muchu about getting Yang Fool beaten by Zhuang Zhoufeng and the others? I feel like it's strange, and if he finds out later, he'll blame us."

"Enough, what's the point of telling him about such a small matter? Even if he finds out, he won't blame us. We're doing this for him, getting revenge for him!" Xun Tui's eyes flashed with a cunning and ruthless look as he waved his hand and said, "Just make sure these speculations don't reach the class monitor's ears. He's a busy person; don't let these things bother him."

"Okay."

The others nodded. Apart from Qin Muchu, they were most afraid of Xun Tui. Incidents like today's were not uncommon, orchestrated by Xun Tui, and with Qin Muchu's name, they always went smoothly. Even Zhuang Zhoufeng and the others had to give Qin Muchu face. The others felt somewhat uncomfortable about Xun Tui's treatment of Yang Qi, thinking he was just a known fool and didn't need such treatment, but they didn't dare to question Xun Tui openly. There were still differences in rank among the lackeys.

After returning to the dormitory, Yang Qi found that only one of the six roommates had come back. The others were probably either on the playground, at the convenience store, or still in the classroom. After washing up, Yang Qi lay on his bed, which was near the window, and looked out at the sky.

Soon, the others all returned. A little while later, it was time to turn off the lights. Before sleeping, the dormitory, as usual, held a male dormitory chat session. High school boys' chat sessions were mostly about nonsense and boasting, and even in the third year, they rarely talked about studying. Discussing the upcoming college entrance exam and advising against dating would be met with ridicule and public outrage. This was also a way for them to vent their study pressure.

"Hey, Liangjie, didn't you say you wanted to be a sugar daddy? How come you haven't won over your goddess yet?"

"Don't mention it. This time, the target is a bit too high. Our relationship has improved a lot, but it's still hard to win her over. You know, she doesn't mind occasional physical contact, and she's quite warm to me, but why does she still not accept me? Help me analyze this!"

Everyone started to talk about all sorts of things, but none of it was serious. Mentioning the upcoming college entrance exam and advising against dating would be met with ridicule and public outrage. This was also a way for them to vent their study pressure.

"Hey, Yang Qi, what do you think?"

Lu Liangjie's question caught everyone's attention. Yang Qi was like a transparent person in the dormitory, and no one usually interacted with him, nor did he participate in any conversations. Therefore, the roommates didn't discuss the incident where Yang Qi was beaten, as it was pointless without his participation.

Lu Liangjie's sudden question to Yang Qi was strange, but even stranger was that this guy, who usually only smiled foolishly, actually spoke.

"Friendship above, love not yet."

Hearing these eight words from Yang Qi, the five others were momentarily stunned.

"What? What does that mean?"

Lu Liangjie was the first to react. He had noticed that Yang Qi seemed different today during class, which led to his casual question.

Yang Qi shifted his attention from the superpower list. When Lu Liangjie asked the question, the golden paper issued another task: to answer the next question from a roommate. The answer didn't have to be correct, but it had to be surprising. The reward and punishment were the same as the previous task, meaning that after answering the question, Yang Qi would receive 1 Level 1 Energy Stone.

Yang Qi, with his photographic memory and the fresh content of the books he had read, found answering such a question easy. He smiled, though no one could see it, and explained, "In simple terms, it means 'backup.'"

The entire dormitory fell silent, looking at each other in disbelief. They couldn't imagine such a profound and insightful answer coming from Yang Qi.

"Friendship above, love not yet, backup! Damn, this is so classic! A sugar daddy becomes a backup, this is too classic!" one of them laughed.

"Of course, there's definitely an element of ambiguity. Otherwise, she wouldn't consider you a backup. Don't lose heart; this means there's a chance."

Yang Qi's light-hearted words made Lu Liangjie's expression brighten, and he asked, "I also feel that we have a lot of ambiguity. How do you think we should end this ambiguity and then..."

"Well," Yang Qi said with a clear hint of teasing, "you need to break down the word 'ambiguity.' Ambiguity equals 'love' and 'not yet.' Either you don't want to 'do it,' or you have 'done it.' Once you do, the ambiguity naturally ends."

"Damn, this is too crude and classic! But I like it!"

After writing the word "ambiguity" on their hands, they howled like wolves, only stopping when the dormitory manager knocked on the door to signal quiet.

After the noise died down, the five of them were still puzzled, unable to understand why Yang Qi, the fool, had suddenly said such things.

Yang Qi's roommate, who looked like a submissive but was named Chen Gong, couldn't resist asking a question that his girlfriend had once asked him, a question he had found hard to answer.

"Hey, Yang Qi. Why does love have to involve holding hands, kissing, and rolling in bed? Is physical contact really necessary to show love?"

"Of course, otherwise, why do 'love' and 'fertilization' look so similar?" Yang Qi answered with a teasing smile.

PS: About the update schedule, during the new book period, there will be two updates daily, each over 3000 words, at 12 PM and 8 PM. Updates may be added based on the situation. I hope for your support, and I ask for your collections and recommendations. Thank you, readers.