Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation

Evening self-study.

The long break is the happiest time for students, for the last class of the evening self-study is a true self-study session. Apart from the occasional visit from the teacher in charge, no other teachers are present to supervise.

The class monitor, Huang Zhongfei, is mild-mannered; as long as you don't speak too loudly, he generally won't intervene.

The students in the front rows who love studying, such as Chen Qian, still bury themselves in their books. Not only does he study during the break, but also he continues studying until midnight after returning home.

That's right, that was how hardworking he, Chen Qian, was.

Last term, although he ranked only fourth in his class, he had advanced to the top twenty in his grade.

From an initial rank of over one hundred and fifty at the time of admission to now being in the top twenty, that was the result of Chen Qian's relentless efforts.

After finishing a particularly challenging math problem, Chen Qian felt a bit tired and wanted to rest.

But he couldn't.

Chen Qian glanced over at the corner where Xue Yuantong was.

He saw that Xue Yuantong was eating.

"Heh, eat all you want, your talent may give you a momentary advantage, but if you think talent alone can preserve your top position in the city, you're gravely mistaken."

"He doesn't realize that I, too, have talent. My talent is perseverance, and diligence is rewarded."

"Don't be complacent, I've begun to catch up."

He then saw Jiang Ning playing a game.

"Heh, go on and play. Indulgence in games leads to loss of ambition, and one day, you will regret today's laziness."

Chen Qian coldly smiled.

However, all along, he harbored a doubt.

In junior high, Xue Yuantong had always been at the top until a disaster struck and she ended up in a regular class.

Her having been brilliant, it isn't too strange that she's firmly securing the top rank in the grade.

But how could Jiang Ning be second in the rank?

Jiang Ning had transferred from a town's middle school with mediocre admission grades and seemed to have some connection to Shen Qing'e.

Beyond that, there was no more news about him.

A man like a mystery.

How could he possibly rank second in the grade? Could Xue Yuantong have been assisting him, given that he is a tenant at Xue Yuantong's place and they go to and from school together every day?

Chen Qian was no fool; if Jiang Ning had no capability, Xue Yuantong, no matter how brilliant, couldn't have possibly raised him to second in the grade.

Jiang Ning must possess some skills.

Chen Qian made his judgment.

But, what of it?

"I'll even slay demons and ghosts for you to see!"

After surveying the state of his imagined rivals, the lethargy he originally felt suddenly vanished, and he was filled with vigor again.

He looked toward Bai Yuxia who still looked as beautiful as ever, her actions graceful and as appealing as a maiden.

Though Bai Yuxia was beautiful, Chen Qian had no affection for her; his heart was committed only to studying.

Winning back Bai Yuxia was like earning a medal of honor, merely a kind of achievement.

Last year, when a female classmate approached him, Chen Qian resolutely turned her down.

Only trivial people fall in love.

He, Chen Qian, loved only studying.

With that thought, Chen Qian took out another challenging math problem to solve.

While he was engrossed in solving the problem, suddenly, a voice came from the classroom door.

"Hello, handsome guys and beautiful ladies of Class 8, I've brought something you all like again!"

Shen Xu from Class 9 next door walked in with a smile on his face and a backpack slung over his shoulders.

It had been a long time since he last visited Class 8 after his tumultuous fight with Miao Zhe.

A burst of discussion erupted from the back of the classroom.

Cui Yu joked, "He's got some nerve coming to our class again."

Meng Gui rubbed his ten-centimeter-tall Mohawk, greasing his hands, and while no one was looking, he touched his nose and stealthily sniffed his fingers.

"Not good, my hair stinks."

It was time to wash his hair, but the weather was too cold.

Maybe spray some perfume?

Thinking so, Meng Gui continued Cui Yu's topic:

"How can you do business if you aren't thick-skinned?"

Ever since he shifted the object of his affection and stopped coveting Jiang Yanan, he and Cui Yu had reconciled and found kinship in each other.

Guo Kunnan said, "I'm really looking forward to Miao Zhe's reaction."

"Miao Zhe isn't here, he must have gone to the restroom." Cui Yu glanced towards Miao Zhe's usual spot. No one in Class 8 knew Miao Zhe better than him.

Guo Kunnan pulled out his phone and replied to a message from 'Manman.'

'Manman' was the girl who had asked him for his QQ account under the pretext of getting Huang Zhongfei's QQ.

He was now chatting with her using Brother Ma's alternate account.

Guo Kunnan commented, "Shen Xu is quite notorious, isn't he? Why hasn't he found someone to deal with Miao Zhe?"

Cui Yu shook his head, "Not too sure."

Shen Xu stood on the podium, looking at the students of Class 8, a gloomy thought crossing his mind.

He would never forget the day he fought with Miao Zhe and was surrounded and watched like a monkey by onlookers.

It was a complete humiliation.

Shen Xu had originally planned to find an opportunity for revenge and to never return to Class 8 to sell stuff.

But he had recently bought a second-hand phone for over eight hundred, and just a few days ago, on Valentine's Day, he had treated his girlfriend to a nice meal in the city costing over two hundred, followed by a movie, leaving him in a tight financial situation.

Making money wasn't unpleasant.

He was a businessman; why lower himself to fighting and killing.

Maintaining a surface smile, Shen Xu took out a round object and flipped open the lid:

"Check out this mirror, students; it's small and round, about the size of a lipstick."

"Perfect to slip into your pocket, and it even has a Doraemon drawing on it, officially licensed!" he boasted.

"Our high school curriculum is tight, but we can't neglect our appearances, right? What if a handsome guy or a beautiful girl noticed you?"

"Girls can buy it for themselves, and boys can buy it for the girls, only three yuan each, an offer you can't refuse."

Unabashedly promoting, Shen Xu's eloquence was much better than that of an average high school student.

In the third row forward, Wu Xiaoqi sat clutching a basketball, his expression gloomy.

Generally, during the long break, he would go out to play basketball, but ever since he changed seats and started sitting next to Pang Jiao, he had altered his habit of playing basketball during the break.

Outsiders would never know what a horrific experience he had undergone.

Every time he went out, he would inevitably be jabbed by Pang Jiao's sturdy, broad back.

Pang Jiao did it on purpose.

That was not the back of a delicate adolescent girl, that was Taishan!

Have you ever experienced being squeezed by Taishan?

Wu Xiaoqi experienced it every day.

He couldn't take it much longer.

"Classmates, don't rush. Besides the small mirror, I have magical products here."

"Take a look." Shen Xu pulled out a square little bag:

"This is a blackhead sticker for removing blackheads."

"Everyone knows blackheads, the black dots by the nose, they're unsightly and can't be washed off just by washing your face. But with a blackhead sticker, just stick it on your nose, wait a while, and gently peel it off. It will suck out the blackheads!"

"Your skin will be perfect again."

"I suggest everyone check if you have blackheads, it's a good time to buy a mirror, and pair it with the blackhead sticker for perfection."

Shen Xu was very satisfied with his own talk.

Shen Xu's calling out really had some effect, and some girls couldn't help but feel anxious about their looks, stirring up private conversations.

Dan Kaiquan took the lead, climbed onto the podium, and generously said:

"Two mirrors!"

He laid out a five-yuan bill and one yuan coin.

Six yuan was nothing to him.

Shen Xu was overjoyed; true to Kaiquan's form, always supporting him.

The first business deal of the day, Shen Xu called out with even more enthusiasm.

Dan Kaiquan, while holding the mirrors, stepped down from the podium. He accidentally peeked at Bai Yuxia, fantasizing about the picture of her smiling sweetly as she took the mirror.

He thought about how, in ancient times, King You of Zhou lit up the beacon towers just to win a smile from Baosi, playing the epic scene with the lords.

Next to Bai Yuxia, Chen Siyu turned around:

"Xue Yuantong, can you check if I have any blackheads?"

Shen Xu's words had stirred her emotions, as girls are always particularly concerned about their appearance.

Compared to the calm Bai Yuxia, Chen Siyu, somewhat less experienced, sometimes doubted her looks.

Xue Yuantong looked up, inspecting for two seconds: "No."

"Ah, that's great."

Chen Siyu felt better after getting the answer.

She took the opportunity to glance at Jiang Ning's face, noting not a single pimple, no imperfections, and an inexplicable otherworldly aura, stunning her momentarily.

When she came to her senses, she realized Jiang Ning was glancing at her.

Chen Siyu's face turned red; she was no longer confident and quickly looked for a new topic:

"Jiang Ning, your face is so clean."

"Of course, he washes his face every day," Xue Yuantong seriously said.

Jiang Ning glared at Xue Yuantong: "You're so silly."

"You dare call me silly, have the guts to play Chess with me on your phone, once and for all."

Xue Yuantong challenged, as the phone didn't allow undoing moves, and also couldn't mess up the chessboard.

"Okay, you think I'm scared?"

Jiang Ning was certainly not afraid of her.

Xue Yuantong, as if she had already won, declared: "Jiang Ning, you're finished."

Her real chess skills were superior to Jiang Ning's at a ratio of seven to three, she envisioned making him cry today, begging for mercy.

Xue Yuantong pulled out her phone, inviting Jiang Ning for a match.

To buy time, Jiang Ning slowly took out his phone, while secretly draining the battery of Xue Yuantong's phone.

On the other side.

Wu Xiaoqi, holding a ball, watched Pang Jiao go up to buy a mirror, not just Pang Jiao, but also her good friend Zhang Yifei.

Wu Xiaoqi thought, if Pang Jiao was Taishan, Zhang Yifei was like Songshan, robust, rebellious, and unrestrained.

Pang Jiao, twisting her waist, approached Shen Xu step by step.

Shen Xu, sensing her morale, suddenly had a stroke of insight; this female student was no ordinary person, absolutely not to be offended.

Following the mentality that the customer is always right, Shen Xu forced a smile and spoke insincerely:

"Beauty, do you want blackhead stickers or a mirror?"

Pang Jiao, temperamental as ever, felt insulted by his words and immediately exclaimed:

"What are you talking about? My face is so smooth, do I have blackheads?"

"Look, look, take a good look!" Pang Jiao opened her mouth wide, bringing her face close to Shen Xu.

Shen Xu only felt a massive dark shadow looming over him, spotting a pair of yellow-stained teeth, followed by a cloud of breath.

What did that smell like?

Probably like stuffing rotten apples deep into one's nostrils.

Shen Xu felt a bit dizzy; he held his breath, his eyes twitching.

'Damn, I must have bad karma to encounter this!'

He quietly stepped back; he initially wanted to fan his face with his hand, but that would be impolite. If he showed disgust, it would drive away the customer in front.

Shen Xu had no choice but to inhale a bit and maintain his composure, humiliatingly saying:

"This student, your face is very clean, no blackheads at all."

"A beautiful girl like you ought to look in the mirror more often; looking in the mirror every day would definitely improve your mood haha."

Shen Xu was laughing on the surface, but many classmates could see a trace of sorrow on his face.

From the back, Cui Yu remarked: "I suddenly feel like he's not having an easy time."

"Let's not target him anymore."

Guo Kunnan agreed wholeheartedly: "Too pitiful, if it were me, I'd definitely run away."

He stared off into space, then sent another message to Manman. After a few days of chatting, Guo Kunnan had experienced the feeling of being treasured by a girl.

It was wonderful, a response to every line, never being ignored.

Plus, Manman never made him search for topics; his entire conversation process was extremely comfortable, and with whatever topics he brought up, Manman always showed surprise and admiration.

Guo Kunnan was a bit carried away.

In his sixteen years, he had never had such an experience.

"Feifei, shall we meet tomorrow?"

A message from Manman instantly brought Guo Kunnan back to reality.

Guo Kunnan felt a chill in his heart; he had never forgotten that he was holding Huang Zhongfei's role script.

Faced with Manman's words, a struggle flashed through Guo Kunnan's heart; he was eager to tell her, I'm not Huang Zhongfei, I'm Guo Kunnan.

Guo Kunnan felt that he and Manman were meant to be, after all, they had such smooth chatter online, surely a kindred spirit.

But then he remembered the words Manman had sent him back:

'You're dark and silly.'

'You look a bit silly.'

'You are too confident.'

Those words, like bayonets, pierced Guo Kunnan's chest, making it hard for him to breathe.

'If only, if only I were Huang Zhongfei?'

Guo Kunnan thought this, usually composed; he suddenly envied Huang Zhongfei, handsome and liked by girls.

Not like him, dark and silly.

'Am I really dark and silly?'

Guo Kunnan suddenly stood up, under the astonished gazes of Cui Yu and Meng Gui; he went to the podium to buy a mirror.