Chapter 812: Really Not Participating! (3k)
“What do you mean?!”
As Bai Zhi finished speaking, Huang Qiao’er turned her head. Her delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, and seeing Bai Zhi dressed like a student, she immediately asked:
“Are you a student at Mo University?”
“Classmate Qiao’er, what’s wrong?”
As if hearing the commotion, a few more students walked out, all wearing the same school uniforms. The one asking the question was a young man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, looking refined and gentle.
The other students seemed to defer to this young man, their gazes all fixed on him. The boy who spoke earlier also became more serious and said in a low voice:
“Teacher Murong, Qiao Er just mentioned the outcome of this competition, and an outsider student retorted…”
“Handle it yourselves.”
The young man nodded, casually glanced at Su Jiu and the other, pausing slightly on Su Jiu’s face, which had changed a few times, “Have I seen this face somewhere before?”
He didn’t get involved. He was here to show off his skills (show off) among teachers. If he casually intervened in such student squabbles, he would appear rather uncool.
“Half-step War God Level? But I’m not participating either…”
Su Jiu leaned back in her chair, looking back at the other person, and yawned. Her gaze fell on the little flower fairy, and she couldn’t help but find it amusing…
She’s so old, yet still acts like a child. It feels like she’s getting younger and younger.
Gently nudging the other person’s shoulder, she said, “Stop playing. They are students competing. I’m just an honorary professor here to freeload and live idly.”
“No.”
Glancing at Su Jiu beside her, Bai Zhi sat in her seat, crossed her arms, and stared back at the students who were looking at her, retorting righteously.
“No?”
Everyone was stunned at first, then reacted, and became speechless. They thought it was insider information, but it turned out the other person suddenly blurted out “No,” leaving everyone choked.
If not, why are you even here?
Sitting in her seat, the girl named Huang Qiao’er’s mouth twitched. She took a deep breath and looked at the little flower fairy in the stylish British-style school uniform. She rolled her eyes and said:
“Looking at your school uniform, I don’t even know which obscure university you’re from. If you’re here to spectate, just spectate honestly, don’t spout nonsense here…”
Huang Qiao’er’s tone was very impolite, even arrogant.
The other young man, who was at Demigod Level, frowned but didn’t speak. Just as Huang Qiao’er said, facing the most prestigious college joint competition in the country, they still had a sense of collective honor.
“Although I’m not a student at Mo University.”
Bai Zhi slowly released her hand. Just as everyone thought she was going to back down, she rubbed her eyes with her small hand and stuck out her tongue. A hint of disdain appeared on her small face,
“Do you think a strong person who was stronger than you a year ago would care about this kind of competition?”
“She has been slacking off for this past year, while we have all been progressing…”
Huang Qiao’er had some spirit and wanted to retort, but her tone lacked conviction. The onlookers also nodded in slight agreement, as what she said was indeed reasonable.
“You need to fish in the right pond if you want to catch fish. This shabby competition doesn’t even have decent fledglings participating, so you expect people to join?”
As the little devil, Bai Zhi was not one to be trifled with. She looked the other girl up and down, her small mouth “babbling” like a pea-shooter:
“Hmph, with your level, don’t embarrass yourselves outside all day… Boo hoo”
Seeing the expressions of the Imperial Capital University students turn ugly, Su Jiu quickly covered the little flower fairy’s mouth. She didn’t want to offend people for no reason. This little fool was getting more and more into it…
The little flower fairy looked at the girl beside her with a resentful expression, her face visibly puffing up.
Then it was flattened by Su Jiu – “Pfft pfft.” Pretending to be oblivious, she handed over the pastries from the bags:
“My sister is a bit young. She likes Mo University’s top freshman from last year and speaks her mind a bit too directly. Please forgive her—here are some pastries…”
“Forgive her? Let’s not talk about that first. Classmate Qiao’er is already among the top ten in the Priest department of Imperial Capital University. In terms of healing alone, she’s naturally stronger than that world-class champion who only knows how to fight.”
Before the former could finish speaking, Murong Cheng’s eyes narrowed. He adjusted his glasses slightly and did not accept the peace offering. Instead, he looked down at the two of them from a superior vantage point:
“Furthermore, you insult Imperial Capital University to my face. You’d better come with me to the academy’s affairs office later and apologize publicly, so that these passing priests know that our Imperial Capital scholars are not to be insulted…”
The Demigod Level pressure was directly exerted. Passersby who were accidentally affected by the radiation stiffened.
“Teacher Murong is an aristocratic disciple applying here, so his style of doing things is different.”
“Indeed…”
As soon as this was said, the carriage fell silent, with only the students’ whispers. Some even silently gave a thumbs-up, this was exactly the domineering CEO image in their minds…
Su Jiu fell silent. She finally understood why she smelled that pretense of an old fogey. She hadn’t expected it to be a true aristocratic disciple.
“Apologize in person? I wish you all the best…”
Prying open Su Jiu’s fingers, Bai Zhi didn’t care about any of this. She came out for a trip, so why should she indulge them?
Immediately, she raised a middle finger at him, then hooked her arm around Su Jiu’s neck and pulled her closer. With a giggle:
“The World Championship winner you’re talking about is right here. Doesn’t she beat a bunch of rookie students like you with ease? I didn’t lie, so why should I apologize?”
“World Championship winner?!”
Su Boss: …
She felt the awkwardness reminiscent of a junior assistant of the God of Cookery tearing open the sleeves of the master chef, revealing the sign of “[Master Chef].”
“Is that true?”
As soon as this was said, the gazes that were previously focused on Bai Zhi and the others suddenly shifted to Su Jiu, with eyes filled with surprise and disbelief. This was too surreal.
It was like two sides were arguing over their idols, and then suddenly the idols appeared next to one of them.
“Didn’t the joint exchange meeting say she wouldn’t participate in the competition? They even specifically asked her cousin…”
Even Murong Cheng was taken aback. He hadn’t expected to encounter Mo University’s most mysterious student, and she looked quite young.
“Is it really her? She doesn’t look like this on the competition stage.”
Huang Qiao’er looked in Su Jiu’s direction, seeing the girl awkwardly smiling, and whispered suspiciously. However, she couldn’t find the youthful vigor that peers should have from her. In fact, she seemed rather humble.
Soon, someone used an APP to search for related information. They matched the face and shouted loudly: “Damn, it really is her.”
The scene was filled with renewed discussion, like elderly women haggling at a wet market, each person saying a sentence:
“My goodness, this is going to be good.”
“The top ten from the Priest group of Imperial Capital University, facing the true world-class chief, still not good enough?”
“Hey, you know this is the first Priest World Championship winner. She’s probably much stronger than many fourth-year students.”
Listening to these voices, Huang Qiao’er’s face visibly darkened. Her eyes looked at Su Jiu with hostility:
“So you deliberately want to see me make a fool of myself? I don’t believe you wouldn’t have regressed after not attending school for a year.”
As she spoke, Murong Cheng stepped forward, blocking Huang Qiao’er and the others behind him. He squinted his eyes and waved with a smile:
“Classmate Su, you must have heard the saying that a gentleman should be viewed with new eyes after a day’s separation, right? You defeated our Imperial Capital scholars with your martial arts skills back then, and I admit you are very strong. But this is an exchange between priests now.”
“Instead of arguing here, why not get on stage and compete?”
He hadn’t expected the genius contestant to actually choose to participate. But that was good; if his students won against her, then, as their teacher, he would gain some honor.
Seeing the scene before her, Su Jiu felt a headache. She rubbed her temples. After so many things, she was past the age of arguing with these students.
“Cough cough!”
Then she coughed lightly, stood up, waved at them, and smiled helplessly: “Everyone, I really won’t participate in this competition. My sister and I are just here to watch.”
“Since you’ve also chosen to get on stage, the outcome is still uncertain…”
Murong Cheng subconsciously said, but then quickly realized something was wrong. He paused, his face showing slight astonishment, and asked again: “You’re not participating in the competition?”
The train attendant’s voice echoed from above. The scenery outside the train turned into various signs of entering a station. Outside the safety line below, there were many people waiting for the train:
“Esteemed passengers, we have arrived at Magic City East Station…”
“Not participating.”
Su Jiu shook her head. Coincidentally, the train came to a complete stop. She leisurely got up, pulled the little flower fairy, who was still wanting to make funny faces, towards the door, and disappeared after a few turns…
“Teacher, she’s really not participating?”
Huang Qiao’er and the others looked at Murong Cheng in bewilderment, only to find him taking pictures of Su Jiu and the other’s retreating backs with his phone…
“It’s about 80% likely she’s afraid. This time, there are not only first-year students, but if she participates, she’ll have to face fourth-year or even postgraduate first-year students.”
Murong Cheng glanced at the former, then opened his contact list to a contact named “Reporter Huang” and handed over the information he had just obtained.
Under the light, his glasses gleamed slightly. He lowered his head slightly and then smiled.
[Me: I can bring people over for an interview.]
[Reporter Huang: Young Master Murong, are you sure that champion is afraid of battle and thus not participating?]
[Me: Is there any doubt? I heard it with my own ears, and according to the joint meeting, it seems some named Mo University students didn’t show up.]
[Reporter Huang: !! Delicious jpg. This is explosive news.]
[Me: How about a headline like “Encounter with Elite Teachers Leading a Team, World Championship Winner Actually Chooses to Forfeit”?]
[Reporter Huang: Brilliant, truly brilliant.]
[Me: Promote me more. I’ll give you fifty thousand after this is done.]
On the other side, where keys were clacking.
A man in a checkered trench coat sat in a place resembling a newspaper office and suddenly stood up, a smug smile on his bearded face:
“We’ve got some hot news, we can compete with the People’s Daily for the front page.”
At this moment, a woman wearing glasses stood up and came to his side, leaning in and saying in a low voice: “Are we still doing that commercial order for beautifying the actions? The client from Eagle Country has already wired half the payment.”
“Of course, we are. If we don’t make money, we’re scumbags.”
The bearded editor chuckled and cursed, looking at the computer. All the Yera official photos of the Yera invasion war had been spun into images of a resistance war.
“Innocent Yela people coerced by the Erdusi terrorist organization,” followed by photos of destruction by gunfire, labeled as “[Yela Border Territory].”
His gaze fell to the very bottom—that was his proudest photo because he thought it had the most flavor and even featured a domestic product, which would surely resonate with the public.
“Pen and White Dove”
The photo showed a hero brand fountain pen, bent and stepped on, with the pen pressing down on a painting of a blue sky and a white dove. A corner of the painting was slightly scorched black by flames, and the “blue sky” was yellowed by smoke.
What was most eye-catching was not this, but in the foreground was a piece of silk, red silk, precisely the symbol of the Red Cross.
Coincidentally, Su Jiu also had one.
