The video Chu Chu showed her was from an uploader who had posted the highest-quality version. Chu Lian silently watched herself from the moment she appeared until she left. She didn't say a word, until she reached the end, where the uploader had added a line: "I am willing to witness her growth here, and I hope she becomes the most perfect person." At that, a complicated smile tugged at her lips—part sadness, part bitterness.
She didn't let anyone else see it, though. Quickly, she reined in her expression, exited the video, and opened the comments. What she saw were mostly words of praise.
But mixed in were some very strange, very peculiar replies that made her both indignant and amused:
"Ahhh, I regret so much not going to Mount Li today. Even if I couldn't meet Chu Lian, just being in the same place, breathing in her scent would have been enough! The fragrance of a loli, the breath of a young girl~~ hu, just thinking about it makes my heart race…" —BY Electromagnetic Muscleman.
She remembered this guy—he had been serious before, so why was he such a pervert now? It was simply intolerable. The replies beneath his comment were also quite something:
"Poster is definitely a gentleman. To actually do something so perverted, how desperate are you? Don't you know that anything with girls under fourteen is illegal? Heartless! If you're going to do it, at least call me along—law doesn't punish the masses!" —Weiwei Yixiao
"The poster and the one above are both insane! I'm calling the cops! Hello? 911? I want to report a pervert here—come arrest them. Unless you let me join too!" —Hakurei Reimu
"I've never seen anyone so shameless, doing such disgraceful things in broad daylight, in public, before everyone's eyes. If you're going to do this, isn't it wrong not to bring me along?" —Never Forget, Cherish the Journey
There were over a hundred replies like that. It was environmental pollution! Reading them, Chu Lian really wanted to drag out that poster who kept fantasizing about her, toss him from the peak of Mount Li, and then drop a few hundred bombs on him until nothing remained!
The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't suppress her anger. Not caring whether the account really was hers or not, she typed into the comments: "I heard someone wants to follow my scent and breathe in my fragrance. I'll be waiting. If you can follow me, I'll make sure you get a good sniff. The condition is that you can survive falling a thousand meters wrapped in a blanket. Don't worry, whether you live or die, I'll toss a few hundred bombs after you. :-D —BY Chu Lian."
Standing behind her, Chu Chu had noticed she was typing, so she leaned over curiously. What she saw was the comment already posted—too late to stop it.
She glanced at Chu Lian's faint smile and seemed to sense an ominous black aura radiating from her. Shuddering, she stiffly forced out: "Big Sis, well done! That kind of pervert deserves exactly this treatment."
"Hm? You think so too?" Chu Lian turned her head, smiling with her eyes, making Chu Chu nod vigorously: "Yes, yes, exactly! That shameless scum, the lowest of the low, that's exactly what he deserves."
As she said it, though, she mourned silently for someone: "Oh, little Electromagnetic Muscleman, it's not that Big Sis doesn't support you, or that she wants you dead. It just happened that Big Sis caught you this time. If I don't sacrifice you, I'll be the one sacrificed. Better you than me. I'll visit your grave on your anniversary and burn some paper money. I'll even send you some of Big Sis's photos so you can be a happy ghost."
Meanwhile, far away in a cramped apartment in the provincial capital of Yangcheng, Guangdong, a boy sat at his computer, happily catching up on anime while eating instant noodles. His face was somewhat handsome but always carried a sleazy air. Suddenly, his whole body shuddered violently, spraying noodles onto the screen. His instant noodle cup slipped from his hand, spilling soup all over his keyboard.
A sudden spark flashed, and the monitor inexplicably burned out. Then the keyboard broke as well, and for some strange reason, the entire neighborhood's power stayed on—except his house.
"Ah, crap! My monitor, my keyboard, my computer! Please don't let the main unit be broken—if it is, I'm doomed!" The sleazy boy panicked at his desk, wanting to stand but tripping himself with his sloppy posture. His left foot tangled with his right, sending him crashing face-first onto the desk. His nose hit so hard it went numb.
Struggling up, he felt wetness on his face. Rubbing his nostril and turning toward the sunlight from the window, he saw his hand streaked with red. His expression soured—he'd banged his nose and made it bleed.
In such a short time, his whole room was in chaos. Not just his computer and power supply—his floor and bed were splattered with instant noodles.
"Damn it, who did I offend? Why is this happening to me?! Looks like I'll have to buy a new monitor, a new mouse, a new keyboard, maybe even a whole new computer!" He wailed, counting his losses. "And it looks like I fried the breaker too. Soon the landlady's gonna come swinging her broom again! I'm so screwed~"
If he had somewhere to lie down right then, he would have rolled on the floor playing dead. After all this, he'd probably have to live off instant noodles for months. How could he not feel miserable?
"Goodbye, my loli goddess. Wait for me until I fix my computer—I'll definitely come back to see you! Please wait for me!" But when he thought of the little loli goddess waiting for him on the other end of the internet, his fighting spirit reignited. His face shone with excitement, eyes filled with devotion, making one sigh—truly, what a pervert.
None of this was known to the girls on Mount Li. Only a few of the boy's friends knew, and they laughed uproariously, celebrating his misfortune. The boy could only sneer and flip them off, refusing to share in their glee.
Even his online acquaintances only idly wondered: "Where's that guy Electromagnetic Man? Did he bleed out again and end up in the hospital? Haven't seen him in a while." Clearly, perverts attract perverts—even his online friends were like-minded degenerates.
Meanwhile, on Mount Li, Chu Lian and the others waited for half an hour. At three o'clock, Class One had finally gathered. Seeing their small bodies weighed down with bags, Ning Zhiyuan swallowed the scolding on her lips. How could she not understand? These children had been delayed because they were buying things for their families.
They were mostly students from poorer households. Yesterday at Qingping Grand Hotel, when the alien disaster struck, they hadn't brought anything out from their rooms. Though their belongings weren't worth much, they were precious to them. Flushed with embarrassment, they had used their share of the trip's funds to buy replacements.
The travel budget Chu Lian had fought for, along with the school's allocation, couldn't be converted into cash. It could only be spent during the trip, with each student allotted a set amount. If they didn't use it up, it would be reclaimed afterward.
So, despite feeling awkward, these students used the money to make up for their lost items and bought gifts to send home—tokens for families who had never traveled or had no time or money to do so.
Teachers and classmates alike chose to understand and accept this. Different backgrounds made for different values. What seemed small to some might be precious to others.
Sudi High School's educational philosophy was always to raise people, nurture talent, and then teach. One must learn to be a person before learning to do things. They all understood this. Perhaps they were still young, with little life experience, but it didn't stop them from showing empathy.
"Really, you children. If you wanted to buy things, you could have told the teacher. I could have asked someone to help you," Ning Zhiyuan said gently, crouching down to pat a short boy's cheek.
"Teacher, we know. But this is our own matter. Since the funds were something Chu Lian worked hard to get for us, we already feel lucky to spend them. If we troubled you further, we would feel uneasy," the boy said firmly. He knew it wasn't right, but he also knew his family's difficulties—he had no choice. The unease was inevitable.
The money was meant for fun and shopping, yes. But while others hadn't used theirs to replace lost items, they had already spent theirs. They couldn't help but feel shame. Yet it was admirable—they took responsibility instead of relying on the teacher to fix everything.
"Good children, don't feel bad. This money was meant for this. You've done well, no need to be embarrassed," Ning Zhiyuan said with a smile. She was proud of her students' independence and thoughtfulness.
"Use it without worry. It's a benefit, and one just for our class. You could even buy a car with it, as long as you don't go over your own share," Chu Lian said, walking over after noticing the scene. Her words reassured them.
Compared to their teacher, who as an adult carried authority, Chu Lian was their peer—and a popular one. Her words were far more persuasive. The students nodded, their nervousness melting away.
Ning Zhiyuan shot Chu Lian a mock glare, as if to say, Why are you only now coming to help me out? Chu Lian only shrugged helplessly in reply.
"Well then, since we're all here, let's rest a bit, then take the cable car down. We'll see the sunset, but that will be at the next stop. For now, we're going to another attraction, known as the Ninth Wonder of the World—the Terracotta Army of the Qin Emperor's Mausoleum," Ning Zhiyuan announced.
Standing off to the side, Chu Lian murmured to herself: "The Terracotta Army of Qin's mausoleum… interesting."