Chapter 59: An Accidental Discovery
“I didn’t expect you to be such an appearance-oriented person, A Liang. Tsk, tsk, tsk. No wonder when Meng Fa mentioned what kind of women everyone liked last time, you didn’t say a single word.”
“Huh? That happened? Oh ho~ Liang-zi, what kind of type do you like~ Say it and let us hear~”
Yingnuo Gao poked A Liang’s side with her elbow, full of teasing. He impatiently pressed his palm against her face and pushed her away.
“Stop gossiping, you old hag. I only like collecting paper figures.”
“Hmph, you’re just brushing me off.”
A Liang rolled his eyes and then, still with his eyes rolled back, turned to me.
“Hey, I’m seriously sharing information with you right now. Juncheng, you’d better take this seriously. And if the next thing you say is ‘I was just kidding,’ then I’ll… I’ll just ignore you forever.”
Although I really wanted to say that, A Liang, if you can’t think of any other way to threaten me, you don’t have to use a threat that elementary school kids and women would use.
“Seriously, this threat from you, a grown man, is a bit…”
A Liang covered his face, disgusted by his own words.
“Don’t… I feel disgusted too…”
“You guys are so disgusting…”
“It’s not your place to say that!” x2
My good friends chimed in in unison. I cleared my throat and said,
“Alright, let’s get back to the main topic. About what you just said… uh, Xu Jiaojiao? You can’t judge solely by looks, right? There are also people who aren’t conventionally attractive but have a great aura or personality, and that attracts a lot of fans.”
“No, you didn’t understand my meaning. It’s precisely because she has no attractive points that I find her strange.”
No attractive points?
Yingnuo Gao chimed in.
“Yes, and she’s just like her name, pampered. If I had to say, her personality is the kind that makes people dislike her. Objectively speaking, she has no cute points, a terrible personality, and isn’t cute looking—yet, this kind of girl has a large following of ardent fans. The situation is abnormal.”
Yingnuo Gao pouted.
“Are all men just cheapskates?”
“Even if they are, it’s towards pretty girls. After all, more than half of men are appearance-oriented.”
That’s true. Men are much simpler than women and more visual. Most first loves are for pretty and cute girls.
So, that’s why A Liang is telling me about this girl named Xu Jiaojiao…
“A Liang, do you have a photo? I want to see.”
“How could I…”
“I have one.”
“Huh? Why do you have it? Did you become a paparazzo?”
I guessed Yingnuo Gao probably mixed in with the circles of girls from other schools because I asked her to gather information. With her communication skills, it should have been easy.
“Because while she attracted a large male fanbase, she also attracted a large group of female anti-fans. I have a few friends at Lin Zhong who complained to me constantly, sending me photos of that girl, and even calling her a nasty green-tea bitch behind her back.”
She said those chilling words with a look of innocence. As expected, are the interactions between girls so complicated and scheming?
“Same here.”
“Oh my, I was only mingling to get information. Such interpersonal relationships are indeed uncomfortable. It’s much more fun talking to you two silly boys, hehe.”
“Only you would put your arms around us…”
“Alright, anyway, Juncheng, take a look at her appearance first. I’ll say this upfront, I didn’t use any beauty filters.”
Yingnuo Gao took out her camera, opened a photo in her album, and handed me her phone.
My first impression upon seeing it was, ‘She’s alright.’
Yes, I had expected her to be very ugly, but looking at the photo, she was actually quite alright. She was the cute type, deliberately acting cute. If I had to say, she was somewhat similar to Keling.
But my Keling is a million times cuter than her.
“Isn’t she alright?”
“Yes, she’s alright. Her overall impression is okay, but that’s the effect of ‘dark magic.’”
“Dark magic? Did she use some method to change her appearance?”
Did she use some method?
At this moment, I thought of Lily’s Impression Reversal magic circle. The effect of that spell was to reverse impressions, so before I was hit by the Yata no Kagami, Lily looked quite unfortunate.
It’s really hard to tell from just a photo if this girl used any magic.
“One of the Four Great Dark Magics of Asia: makeup. Understand?”
“I’m so dizzy. It was just makeup… Wait, huh? She’s wearing makeup?”
I couldn’t tell at all! Was it light makeup?
It’s quite impressive that just ‘light makeup’ can make someone beautiful.
“It’s very impressive. I have to admire that. I’m also practicing makeup, but no matter how much I practice, I can’t reach the top level. It’s so frustrating. Xu Jiaojiao’s skill is unfathomable, she’s reached the point of ‘almost not wearing makeup.’”
“I don’t understand, but it sounds impressive…”
It felt like talking about martial arts realms, like “no sword in hand, sword in heart.” I never expected the art of makeup to be so profound.
No wonder some girls spend two to three hours on makeup. It turns out to be a skill that requires extreme technique.
“Her cuteness is manufactured. In reality, her face is very plain, and she has no aura. Compare her to the girls in our class.” Let me clarify why I’m using students from our class as a comparison.
Our class of anomalies is indeed a collection of high-quality JK students (high school girls), although none of them are decent. None of the boys are particularly ugly either. Especially after Ji Zhibai transferred, the overall appearance level of the boys has completely surpassed the average.
“Even this violent eavesdropper is much better looking than Xu Jiaojiao.”
“If you want to praise me, praise me properly! I’ll let you off this time…”
She seems quite happy.
Yingnuo Gao, has she realized it? I don’t know if A Liang has noticed, but he probably has. He just needs a trigger, a final push.
“Of course, some men might like her too… Anyway, you should understand after looking. Sakura, you have Xu Jiaojiao’s photo, so you should have photos of ‘her surroundings’ too, right?”
“…I do, but I’m warning you upfront, it’s very uncomfortable. Juncheng, swipe left.”
I see. No wonder A Liang specifically came to tell me about this. Looking at it now, it’s truly unsettling.
It was a group of men, staring at the person in the center with fanatical eyes, their gazes lost, their bodies swaying uncontrollably towards her.
This shouldn’t be a scene in a school. It’s like a cult’s evangelism site, at the level of ‘brainwashing.’
This passive halo that attracts people increasingly reminds me of a succubus.
But these men don’t seem particularly weak; they don’t look like their energy has been drained. And succubi are usually very beautiful; eternal youth is their greatest weapon! What is Xu Jiaojiao’s situation then?
“This is indeed a bit strange. Speaking of which, doesn’t the school care? This is already causing trouble.”
“The principal is also her captive.”
“….”
“The men who fall for her cross all ages. Almost all the males in the school have become her captives. ‘Within just two weeks of transferring,’ she has gathered such a large fanbase. And the most crucial thing is that ‘no one finds it strange.’ Other girls merely feel disgusted and repulsed.’”
A Liang stopped speaking at this point.
This is definitely problematic. The only thing that can cause such a phenomenon is Destiny Power.
I just don’t know if it’s the F or the Master of Fate.
I’ve actually seen a similar scene before.
It was when Lianbing awakened. A large number of undead swarmed towards her. Yes, these men are no different from those undead at that time.
How should I put it? Opposite to the protagonist’s inexplicable presence-weakening buff, Xu Jiaojiao has a buff that increases her presence, especially her influence in men’s hearts.
To get more specific information, do I have to go myself?
“…It’s probably better if I go and see for myself.”
“You still have to go? I shouldn’t have told you about this.”
“Huh? Why? Ah, I get it. You’re afraid I’ll be affected too.”
That’s possible. I can’t guarantee I won’t be affected. I don’t have the F’s buff like Yang Shifan, which can offset others’ abilities with Destiny Power.
“But if you’re still going, remember, absolutely do not make eye contact with Xu… her.”
“Huh? Could it be that A… are you okay!”
“What! A Liang, are you okay! You haven’t fallen for that fake ugly girl, have you!”
Yingnuo Gao was more agitated than me. She frantically shook A Liang’s shoulders, asking worriedly.
“Ah—”
“No! If you fall for someone else, I will never forgive you! I’ll correct you by force if I have to!”
“I haven’t confessed to you yet, how can you fall for another woman!”
She blurted it out in her excitement.
A Liang looked a bit embarrassed, lowered his head, and adjusted his glasses.
“I… I wanted to say… I think the trigger for everyone else being captured by Xu Jiaojiao was making eye contact with her… Of course, I didn’t. Don’t you know I have the physique of ‘not being noticed when looking at others’?”
Yingnuo Gao froze, her headphones askew, her face turning redder and redder.
“No, no, no….”
“That doesn’t count! What just happened doesn’t count! It’s invalid!”
“Ahem, actually, I think…”
“…Confession should come from the man. Well, I like you, Sakura.”
Oh, wow, A Liang, you’re amazing!
The other onlookers also let out whistles. My eyes caught Meng Fa’s hand igniting with flames, only to be doused by a splash of cold water like a mermaid princess.
Now Yingnuo Gao was completely frozen. It felt like smoke was rising from her headphones! Are the headphones the main body?!
It’s not appropriate to joke now, so I could only pat A Liang’s shoulder and offer my blessings.
“May lovers eventually get married.”
“Don’t celebrate too early… she hasn’t replied yet.”
“That’s agreeing, you idiot. Before the school bell rings, take her to the infirmary. I’ll talk to the teacher. You two plan your future life together, like how many children you’ll have and what their names will be.”
“…Go to hell… Well, thanks.”
No need to be so polite.
A Liang grabbed Yingnuo Gao and was about to walk out of the classroom. He turned back at the doorway and said,
“There’s one more thing. I mentioned last time that Qin Jiu looked a lot like the one who hurt Lou Ling…”
“Yes.”
“I might have misunderstood. He just looked very similar.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. You should talk to Qin Jiu.”
I glanced at Qin Jiu. He noticed my gaze and nodded.
It seems there’s new information to update here as well. I’ll talk about it after the afternoon classes.
I didn’t expect to accidentally set up a couple. The outcome turned out to be quite good.
