Chapter Seven: Three's Company
Before Zhao Rui could react, Sweetie from the front row had already turned her head and glared fiercely at Yang Fan.
Yang Fan sighed, reached out, and grabbed the ponytail of the girl in front, Xiao Xue, giving it a hard tug.
“Why didn’t you prepare a roujiamo for me?” he demanded.
“Ugh! Yang Fan, are you annoying or what?” The girl, dressed in a perfectly fitted school uniform exuding youthful charm, twisted around and slapped at Yang Fan.
“Ouch! You’re really hitting me? Women really are heartless!” Yang Fan’s mouth was sharp and cheeky, making one want to give him a good slap.
Zhao Rui watched Yang Fan's antics with a smile, secretly sighing. Even without a system, merely getting a second chance at youth was the greatest fortune in the world.
Flowers never bloom for a hundred days, and youth never returns once it’s gone.
If you don’t seize your youth, will you wait until old age to regret your life?
Zhao Rui’s mind felt different somehow; a slight pressure built in his dantian, and his vital energy noticeably increased.
“Quiet down, class is starting!” The math teacher entered, clutching his textbook and stepping onto the podium.
“Today, we’ll continue reviewing how to calculate the curvature of an ellipse. This topic is a must on the college entrance exam, so listen carefully and take good notes.”
The noise gradually subsided, but there was still some lingering chatter—not nearly as quiet as yesterday’s history class.
After all, the math teacher was male, lacking a protector to keep the girls from causing disruptions.
Zhao Rui focused his energy, listening intently and jotting down notes. Knowledge, once learned, belonged to oneself—especially crucial with the college entrance exam looming.
Yang Fan, knowing Zhao Rui’s dedication, stopped fooling around after a bit and, along with Xiao Xue, quietly turned to reading e-books.
For those who want to study, a morning passes like a fleeting horse; for those who don’t, it drags like an eternity.
Especially as the exam neared, some students who had already given up lost all interest in studying, contributing to the class’s disorder.
The high school was once prestigious, but a violent incident years ago left many injured and killed, tarnishing its reputation and knocking it out of the top-tier ranks.
“Zhao Rui, wait up!” During lunch break, as Zhao Rui and Yang Fan walked side by side to the cafeteria, a girl’s shout came from behind.
“Here we go again,” Yang Fan rolled his eyes, exasperated.
Zhao Rui looked back to see Bai Xue Ning hurrying toward them.
“Zhao Rui, you promised to come to the practical training this afternoon!”
She tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear; a faint scent of floral fragrance wafted in the sunlight, refreshing and delightful.
“That was supposed to be tonight, wasn’t it?” Zhao Rui hesitated.
“Why not this afternoon?” Bai Xue Ning asked.
“I want to spar with Cui Jian this afternoon—it’s almost exam time,” Zhao Rui replied honestly.
“Oh, well then, I’ll wait for you after class!”
“Okay,” Zhao Rui nodded.
Bai Xue Ning said no more and quickly left the two.
“Tonight? Heh, you’re so straightforward!” Yang Fan teased Zhao Rui with a sly grin.
“What are you thinking? She just wants me as her training partner.”
“Training partner? You mean that kind of training in bed?”
“Do you think Bai Xue Ning can’t hear you at this distance?”
Zhao Rui looked ahead as he spoke.
Startled, Yang Fan bolted toward the teaching building without looking back, moving so fast it was clear he was using martial arts.
Bai Xue Ning’s cheeks flushed as she stopped chasing, turning to Zhao Rui with a frosty expression.
“I’m going to give him a good beating today!”
Yang Fan’s remark had crossed a line, and Zhao Rui wasn’t about to intervene; after all, the fool deserved a scolding.
With her anger unresolved, Bai Xue Ning used lightness skill and hurried after them.
Their rapid sprint through the school grounds resembled a scene from a martial arts film, graceful and swift, drawing admiring whispers from passing students.
“Martial arts students, so enviable!”
“Yeah, too bad we don’t have the talent.”
“I heard there’s a gene therapy that can give ordinary people martial arts talent.”
“That must cost a fortune; I’d rather hope for an old master to hand me a supreme martial arts manual!”
“Ah!”
...
In the cafeteria, Zhao Rui had barely started eating when Yang Fan limped over holding a tray.
“That girl hits hard!” Yang Fan said, glancing around nervously, wary of another appearance from Bai Xue Ning.
“What’s your plan? Not going to study anymore?” Zhao Rui changed the subject casually.
“Study what? My dad got me into a private college, just pay and you’re in. I’ll get my diploma and take over the family business after graduation! Heh heh,” Yang Fan said with careless ease; his family was wealthy merchants.
His talent was average, and he had no interest in martial arts—just wanted to coast as a rich second generation.
Not aiming for great wealth, just a comfortable life.
Zhao Rui envied his carefree attitude.
Some things, when innate, bring the greatest happiness.
Without the system, even if he awakened worldly wisdom, in this unfamiliar world he’d probably still be an ordinary martial artist.
At best, he might get a civil service job and live a modest middle-class life.
“You better study hard!” Yang Fan said, unusually serious.
“Oh, how rare for you to care!” Zhao Rui laughed.
“Graduate and come work for me!”
“…”
A dog can't change its habit of eating dirt.
There’s no such thing as a free hit.
After finishing his meal, Zhao Rui went straight to the training room, where there was a meditation hall—not just for practicing martial arts but also for resting.
At 1:30 p.m., Zhao Rui opened the meditation room door and entered the training room with seven or eight classmates.
As the college entrance exam approached, each aspiring student worked diligently.
The afternoon was devoted to practical sparring as usual.
Zhao Rui and Cui Jian applied for one-on-one sparring.
With the exam near, the teacher didn’t push too hard and consented.
Bai Xue Ning wanted to join in, but Zhao Rui, focused on his system panel, ignored her disappointed expression.
After sparring all afternoon, the progress on the “Taihang Thirteen Palms” technique reached thirty percent on the system panel.
Still, Zhao Rui felt it was too slow.
He discussed with Cui Jian about finding a place to continue training in the evening, freeing them from exam syllabus constraints.
Cui Jian, a martial arts fanatic, readily agreed.
When class ended, the two grabbed their bags and headed out quickly.
Bai Xue Ning waited ahead, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhao Rui, silently.
Looking at the snow-white-clad girl, Zhao Rui sighed helplessly.
“Alright, alright, three’s a crowd, gotta bring her along!”
Bai Xue Ning smiled brightly and cheerfully joined them.