After bidding farewell to Psyduck, Su Cheng returned to his bedroom to review his studies. However, just as he was about to enter a deep state of concentration, a sudden crushing sensation surged in his chest, causing him to clench his fists involuntarily and beads of sweat to form on his forehead.
Several minutes passed, and this feeling did not subside as it usually did. Instead, it grew even stronger. Normally, it lasted only about three minutes, but this time it persisted for over five minutes.
"My emotions are too unstable..."
Su Cheng thought to himself. Just as he was contemplating whether to use the red potion, a gust of wind blew in, causing the curtains to flutter. The moonlight of the night poured in, and a cool breeze wafted into the room, carrying the scent of osmanthus flowers.
This eased his chest discomfort, replacing it with a sense of comfort. He picked up his phone and began searching for symptoms of chest pain on the 'Qiandu' browser. However, when he saw some of the search results, his face darkened.
Most of the results were dire, starting with cancer, and interspersed with various hospital advertisements. He then switched to another platform to search, but the results were even more absurd.
Suggestions like "amputate below the eyebrows" and "a good burial position facing north and south, standing upright, will surely bring prosperity to future generations!"
"What the hell!"
He threw his phone aside, then took out the red potion. He removed his shirt and dripped the potion onto the 'acne' on his chest.
"Ugh~"
The cold potion stimulated his skin, causing Su Cheng to let out a groan. He closed his eyes and quietly felt the changes in his body.
But one minute passed...
Two minutes passed...
Ten minutes passed...
"Why is there no feeling at all?"
Su Cheng opened his eyes, puzzled, and looked at his chest. There was no change, neither bigger nor smaller, absolutely no reaction.
"Could it be that it's already healed?"
He put the red potion back into the system space, stood up, and stretched his limbs. Then he walked towards the living room. Still, he felt it might be due to the intense studying and fatigue over the past few days.
"Next time my chest feels uncomfortable, I should go to the school hospital for a check-up."
With that thought, he opened the fridge, took out a drink, and returned to his room to continue reviewing.
...
Time flew by.
At three in the morning, Su Cheng turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The next day, he woke up early, washed up, and had a simple breakfast before heading to school.
Today, there were no beautiful girls blocking his way, and Su Cheng arrived at the school gate smoothly.
"So quiet."
As expected, the classroom was full, but unusually silent. Even those who spoke did so in whispers. Almost everyone was bowing their heads over their notes, looking intently focused.
Even Wang Guancong and Chai Hao, who were usually rowdy, were sitting quietly in their seats, wearing serious expressions as they studied their notes, not paying attention to their surroundings.
Although this was just a test, the results were directly linked to their allowance.
Improvement meant an increase, while a drop resulted in a deduction.
Su Cheng naturally made no noise as he walked straight into the classroom and took his seat.
What he didn't notice was that Li Guanqi had been watching him since he entered. She immediately spotted his heavy dark circles and haggard appearance.
"Didn't get enough rest."
Li Guanqi frowned slightly and then lowered her head to continue reading her textbook.
Su Cheng looked at the blackboard, which had written that the morning test would cover Chinese and Math.
A few minutes later,
"Dinglingling~"
The bell rang, and soon a teacher walked in, holding a thick stack of exam papers.
"Chinese test."
As soon as the teacher finished speaking, everyone quickly got to work, tidying up their desks.
Soon, a paper landed in Su Cheng's hands.
"Start the exam!"
With the teacher's words, the classroom was filled with the sound of flipping papers and the rapid scratching of pens on paper. The atmosphere was tense and serious.
Su Cheng slowly opened the test paper and began reading the questions. After reading them, his face showed no expression.
...
"Dinglingling~"
The morning exam ended, and Su Cheng walked out of the classroom, heading towards the restroom. He could hear footsteps behind him, and without guessing, he knew it was Wang Guancong and Chai Hao.
Su Cheng stopped at the sink to wash his face. Beside him, Wang Guancong stood, looking unhappy, and said, "I think I'm doomed."
"Let's wait for the results. Who knows?"
Chai Hao also looked worried.
"If I drop this time, I might have to quit the esports club."
Wang Guancong said anxiously.
"That serious?"
Su Cheng was slightly surprised.
"When I joined the esports club, my sister was strongly against it. It was only after I promised that it wouldn't affect my grades that she allowed me to join."
Wang Guancong explained.
"Hey, don't worry too much. Let's play a few rounds at noon to relax. Work and rest in balance."
Chai Hao patted his shoulder in consolation.
Wang Guancong nodded, then turned to Su Cheng and directly invited, "Do you want to join us? It's been a while since we last played together. Today we'll have a five-man team, and I'll also call our club leader."
"No, I need to rest at noon."
Su Cheng dried his hands and declined.
Upon hearing this, Wang Guancong didn't insist and left with Chai Hao.
"Su Cheng is really hardworking, huh? Did you see his dark circles?"
Wang Guancong turned to Chai Hao and said.
Chai Hao nodded, "I saw them. I guess he stayed up all night last night."
"Last time he was in the middle of the pack. He must have been hit hard. I wonder how much progress he'll make this time with all his hard work?"
Wang Guancong sighed, somewhat worried.
"I remember he was the top student in the country when he got in?"
"Even if he was number one in the country, he can't be number one in our class. We have the learning committee member, that freak. Didn't you see he was just in the middle of the pack last time?"
The curriculum at Flame City Private Academy is completely different from that of other schools.
So last time, Su Cheng being in the middle of the pack didn't surprise them at all.
Because the top students in their class, if taken outside, would basically rank among the top in the country.
"No, last time he deliberately suppressed his score."
Suddenly, a female figure appeared beside them. She pushed her glasses up, and the lenses reflected sunlight, revealing a strange glint.
This girl had her hair in a braid, wore black-framed glasses, and exuded the aura of a top student.
If Su Cheng were here, he would notice that this girl also had a 'confession' mark on her head.
If someone looked closely, they would find that this girl was actually a stunning beauty.
However, the braid and glasses significantly lowered her appearance.
"Where did you come from?"
Gao Ye was startled and took a step back, then glared at the braid girl and asked.
"Suppressed his score?"
Wang Guancong, however, looked thoughtful: "You mean... last time he deliberately lowered his score?"
"Yes, as the top student in the country, I naturally paid attention to him."
The girl nodded and continued to explain, "Last time his attitude and answering speed were completely different from this time. He seems very confident about being number one."
As she spoke, she looked at Wang Guancong with a serious expression: "And I also felt an inexplicable sense of crisis. This has aroused my excitement."
At this point, she spoke slowly, her voice filled with unshakable confidence: "But I also have full confidence."
After saying this, she left with light steps.
The two looked at each other, then spoke almost simultaneously: "What do you think?"
"Since she said so, then he probably can be number one, right?"
Wang Guancong said.
"I feel it's a bit uncertain. However, getting into the top ten should be possible."
Chai Hao shrugged.
"Wanna bet?"
"What?"
"Graphics card."
"No problem."
...
...
Roof
Su Cheng hadn't been here for a long time. As soon as he stepped onto the rooftop, he felt a sense of déjà vu.
"What's this?"
Su Cheng's gaze fell on a corner where there was a black object. Upon closer inspection, he found it was a stone-carved penguin.
"A penguin?"
Su Cheng was taken aback, then realized it was actually a carving of himself!
How did he recognize it?
Well, it had a knife clamped between its beak.
This knife is identical to his Ghost Blade, even the shape of the handle is the same.
"So, is this Hoshino Mirai's doing?"
Su Cheng shook his head with a wry smile, then reached out to pick it up for a closer look. After all, back then, he couldn't see his own full appearance clearly.
"Hmm?"
When he tried to grab it, he found that he couldn't lift it at all, which made him subconsciously compete with 'himself', but still, he failed.
"Forget it."
He decided not to bother anymore.
Just as he was about to leave, a hurried footsteps came from the stairwell.
The footsteps indicated that the visitor was not friendly.
In such a situation, he instinctively pulled out his Ghost Blade and entered stealth mode, then climbed to the rooftop near the stairwell and hid himself.
"Little sister, slow down."
Following this male voice, a long-haired girl in a school uniform, wearing the badge of a Disciplinary Committee Member, rushed up in a hurry. She first looked at the penguin in the corner, then ran towards it, finally crouched down, and reached out to pat the penguin's head.
"Little sister!"
The male voice came again, and then, a tall third-year student in a school uniform walked up the stairs.
"Brother, you don't need to worry about me, I'll go eat soon."
Hoshino Mirai saw her brother and said.
"Nonsense, you haven't eaten lunch for days!"
Hoshino Yikui was full of anger, "You stay here every morning after school until class starts. Do you think I don't know?"
"I'm waiting for Penguin Prince..."
Hoshino Mirai was speechless under her brother's roar, but still said: "What if he appears at noon and I'm not here?"
"I absolutely don't acknowledge the Penguin Prince."
Hoshino Yikui scolded Hoshino Mirai with a look of disappointment.
"Last time, wasn't there a student playing truth or dare?"
Hoshino Mirai argued back, then continued: "And you said it yourself. As long as someone violating the school rules by playing truth or dare appears, you'll believe me!"
"That's two different things. What I said last time was that if it appears and gives you a chance to get the support of the Disciplinary Committee Chairman, I'll believe it!"
Hoshino Yikui continued to roar angrily: "But it's not the same group of people, and you didn't get the chance to get support!"
Hoshino Mirai was speechless, she indeed didn't get the chance to get support.
Because later the Disciplinary Committee Chairman said it wasn't this person.
And the nature of this person was completely different.
In short, they caught the wrong person.
"You can't go on like this!"
Hoshino Yikui shouted angrily.
These days, his sister hasn't been eating lunch, just staying on the rooftop, insisting that the Penguin Prince might appear at noon, and she might miss it if she's not careful.
But Hoshino Mirai still persisted, disregarding the advice, "Brother, you go back first, I'll really go eat soon!"
"Penguin Prince! It's all this damn penguin!"
Hoshino Yikui saw the penguin statue on the ground and was so angry that he ran to the penguin, lifted his foot as if to step on it.
But just as he was about to touch the penguin, Hoshino Mirai suddenly shielded the penguin statue with her body, tearfully looking at her brother and pleading: "Brother, you're not allowed to hurt it!"
"Little sister."
Hoshino Yikui took a deep breath and continued: "What you need to do most now is to find a support object, not wasting time here!"
Although he could also be his sister's support object, having a relative as support would inevitably be criticized.
Like Hoshino Mirai having no friends, relying on family, or background, etc., it would be despised and be detrimental to future development.
And there was no precedent for this.
"I've already found one."
Hoshino Mirai insisted: "I've already found a support object."
"Who is it?"
"A classmate of mine."
Hoshino Mirai explained.
"Ah."
Hoshino Yikui sighed upon hearing this and sat down on the nearby rest chair: "You mentioned earlier that the Penguin Prince has been protecting you, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
Hoshino Mirai nodded.
"Then if what you say is true, and it has been protecting you."
Hoshino Yikui paused here and continued to ask: "Then what's with you starving yourself every day? This is hardly protection! You'll get sick sooner or later!"
He planned to find a flaw in his sister's words and strike decisively to break her fantasy and face reality.
"I..."
Hoshino Mirai opened her mouth, then closed it, and after a moment of silence, she slowly said: "It's using its last bit of strength to protect me, not that it's personally always by my side protecting me!"
"Isn't its strength derived from itself?"
Hoshino Yikui stood up and pressed further: "To me, if there really is a Penguin Prince, it's a bad seed. It's not protecting you, but making you live in a daze every day. Do you know how silly you look now?!"
"Brother!"
Hoshino Mirai shouted immediately, "You're not allowed to insult the Penguin!"
"Why can't I insult it!"
Hoshino Yikui also got angry: "Even if it exists, there's nothing praiseworthy about it. In my eyes, it's a greedy demon! It's secretly eaten away at your soul. Look at how you are now!!"
"What are you talking nonsense about?!"
Hoshino Mirai yelled.
"What, isn't it? It's a demon!"
Hoshino Yikui snorted coldly and continued: "If it's really as beautiful as you describe, it should have appeared long ago. Letting you eat well, live well, study well, instead of indulging in a broken sculpture toy every day!"
"Brother, I won't allow you to say that!"
Hoshino Mirai said through gritted teeth.
"Should demons be praised?"
Hoshino Yikui laughed angrily, then turned and pointed at the penguin: "If it's really good, it should give you a positive attitude, not immerse you in a dark world every day!"
"I..."
Hoshino Mirai suddenly took out a bill from her pocket, held it in her hand, and sincerely looked at Hoshino Yikui: "Brother, it's definitely kind. Don't believe me, make a request, it will definitely come true!"
"I said last time it was just a coincidence!"
Hoshino Yikui coldly glanced at the penguin, but seeing his sister's pleading eyes, he could only continue: "Fine. Since you say so, let it turn out lunch for you to eat now, and I'll believe it's kind!"
"Okay!"
Hoshino Mirai nodded without hesitation, then started making a wish.
"Hmph."
Hoshino Yikui sneered, he knew this time he would finally break his sister's fantasy.
After all, there were only the two of them on the entire rooftop, how could lunch possibly appear out of thin air?
But the next second—
"Plop～"
A bread suddenly fell from the sky and landed right at Hoshino Yikui's feet.
Hoshino Yikui looked down and then his face showed a question mark: "?"
Although he only had a question mark at the moment, his mood was earth-shattering, awe-inspiring, unprecedented, groundbreaking, unconventional. A simple question mark, but it contained his tumultuous confusion and shock!
However, the only thing he was clear about was.
He probably could no longer break his sister's delusional thoughts.
"Is it raining bread today?"
Hoshino Yikui looked up, bewildered, but saw nothing.
But he still noticed a piece of paper falling from the sky, with a line of text on it.
A closer look revealed it was in regular script.
But the words were unclear.
It was falling right on his sister's head.