Luckily, Bai Bufan didn't really indulge too much in the feast at the end; otherwise, with Lin Li's noble character, he definitely wouldn't associate with such a person.
Strictly speaking, probably not.
"Why aren't you starting?" Lin Li asked with a smile.
"I've just sat, already contaminated."
"Rebellious."
Bai Bufan, who stood up again, immediately moved behind Lin Li and put him in a chokehold. Then, with a gossiping grin, he leaned into Lin Li's shoulder, "Hurry, tell me, tell me, tell me. What happened at noon? How did Chen Yuying sit with you for the whole lunch? Did you secretly win her over without telling the brothers? Weird, Chen Yuying is pretty, good at studying, no reason to be a blind person."
"Heh," Lin Li sneered, pretending to be profound before speaking frankly, "She came to ask what the principal had me do this morning."
"..."
After a moment of pause, Bai Bufan released his chokehold, his expression like that of a person holding back laughter, "What did you tell her?"
"I made up a better-sounding story." Lin Li repeated the exclusive explanation he had given to Chen Yuying.
This would also be helpful for later testimonies. Even if there was a one-in-a-million chance that Chen Yuying or Bai Bufan would talk about this, there would be no slip-ups.
"Lin Li, don't you want Chen Yuying to know the truth?"
"Stop with your Japanese jokes."
"I've forgiven you for invading my chair, even welcome you next time."
"Green hat fetish? Bai Bufan, no wonder you're Japanese, I have to be your bro for life!" Lin Li looked at Bai Bufan expectantly.
"?"
"You haven't even had a relationship and you're already eyeing my girlfriend? I take back my forgiveness, you can all go die."
Lin Li smiled, then turned his attention to the system.
He had spent all his lunch break making up stories for Chen Yuying and hadn't checked the rewards from Mission 5 yet.
[You have received the reward: Mecha Synchronization Index +10; Random Talent *1; System Currency *50.]
Sacrificing ten years of Bai Bufan's life for a top-tier talent, come on! Talent, activate!
[You have received the talent: Ballet (Ordinary).]
"..."
"..."
Suddenly, some dance skills appeared in his mind.
But.
A rebellious talent.
Lin Li didn't expect practical abilities like the Invincible Palm or Tai Chi Mastery. He would've been fine with a piano or violin skill that could impress people, but ballet? What was the point of that?
Was he supposed to go perform in Swan Lake? Wait, that's an advanced role, even if it was just an ordinary talent.
In the cultivation world, with enemies approaching, Lin Li would stop and spin, jump, close his eyes.
He couldn't even dare to imagine this scene in his mind.
What made it even funnier to Lin Li was that this ability didn't even show up on his system panel. The system itself didn't even value this skill.
Damn it, why did the sacrifice fail? Sacrificing Bai Bufan's life used to work fine.
Wait a minute! It's out of balance!
"Bufan, you're not even going to live for ten more years!"
Bai Bufan: "?"
After some playful back-and-forth, Lin Li opened up his panel again, and here's how it looked now:
[Name: Lin Li (Blood Crow Slayer)]
[Age: 17]
[Physique: Spiritual Energy absorption speed +200%; Charm Resistance +100%; Internal Yang Energy concentration +50%; Memory +100%; Mecha Synchronization Index 10]
[Passive Ability: Empty-handed against a sharp blade]
[Active Ability: None]
[System Currency: 400]
Looking at his panel, Lin Li couldn't help but think.
He felt pretty busy since activating the system this week, but now, he wasn't sure what he had actually been doing.
Busy? Being busy isn't bad, though.
...
The bell rang for the end of evening self-study.
"Work hard, I'm counting on you!" Bai Bufan didn't stop Lin Li this time but watched him leave with great expectations.
Good luck, big brother from the chicken farm.
Today, Lin Li was unusually carrying a backpack home on a school day. The main reason was that inside were over four thousand yuan in cash and a material card.
He went to the office to find his homeroom teacher and get back his banner, although Lin Li felt it didn't really matter.
Without the banner, Teacher Xue really was pitiful, although he wouldn't admit it.
Lin Li reached the office door.
Almost all the subject teachers were there.
Since it's a boarding school, they provide faculty dormitories. According to Bai Bufan, after they return to their dorms, they sometimes encounter Teacher Xue, who does surprise bed checks even as late as eleven.
But most of the teachers, being middle-aged, aren't dorm supervisors and mostly live off-campus. They just drive to work every day.
Tonight, all the teachers were gathered because of their weekly Monday evening meeting.
But where was Teacher Xue?
Lin Li knocked on the door and asked the nearest teacher, Li Binbin, "Teacher Li, is Teacher Xue not here?"
"He probably went to the bathroom, he'll be back soon. If you're looking for him, you can wait here." Li Binbin said.
"Okay."
Lin Li stood next to where Teacher Xue usually sat, casually glancing around.
His gaze landed on the English teacher's legs.
Just saying, based on Lin Li's school experience, whenever the English teacher was female and young, she was usually the prettiest and most fashionable among the teachers. His English teacher, Coco, was one of those—twenty-something, but already married, he heard.
The school rules didn't allow teachers to wear heavy makeup or short skirts in class, and of course, no teacher would do that.
Girls dress up for someone who cares, but who would waste hours getting ready for a bunch of kids who still haven't finished growing?
But Coco must've come back temporarily for the meeting, as she wasn't wearing the same outfit from the morning. Her makeup was delicate, and her hair seemed specially curled. She wore a carefully chosen dress that looked quite good.
Everyone has a love for beauty.
Nice legs.
A glance, it's instinct, no need to explain.
A longer look, it's a persistent instinct, still nothing to explain.
Instincts are hard to resist.
"Lin Li, remember to study the text well. I'll call on you tomorrow," Coco noticed Lin Li and spoke up.
She said it too early.
Instincts can be resisted.
Lin Li immediately stopped looking.
"Got it, teacher." Lin Li nodded.
Coco thought for a moment and decided to reprimand Lin Li. Lately, Lin Li had been acting too out of line.
In English class, either daydreaming or sleeping, never paying attention to the course content.
Coco didn't want Lin Li to continue like this.
She was about to speak—
"Your performance in class has been great lately, very diligent, Lin Li. Keep it up, and your grades will definitely keep improving," Li Binbin, who had gotten up and was about to leave, suddenly remembered and complimented.
"That's true, Lin Li's been exceptionally diligent lately," the biology teacher next to them agreed.
"Indeed, his homework has been good too. Keep going, Lin Li," the geography teacher nodded in approval.
"Yeah..."
"..."
Li Binbin's words resonated with all the teachers present, and they didn't hold back their praise for Lin Li.
Except for Coco: "?"
Her mouth opened but froze, and she couldn't say a word.
What was going on?
Wasn't Lin Li the one who didn't care about studying lately?
Why were all the teachers praising him, except for her?
Though there is encouragement-based education, this seemed excessive, right?
Unless...
Coco looked at Lin Li, who was feeling a bit embarrassed and laughing awkwardly while scratching his head.
At this moment, Lin Li—
The teacher's attitude toward students is usually shaped by deep responsibility, love, and care.
However, the distribution among different types of students varies:
Poor students: reprimanded deeply,
Average students:
Top students: loved dearly.
Top students and poor students receive different evaluations at the end of the term, with specific praise or encouragement, while average students often get, "You're a quiet student..."
Lin Li, being a bit of a troublemaker, was in the "reprimanded deeply" category, so this sudden "loved dearly" category was a bit hard to get used to.
But suddenly, Lin Li got goosebumps. He felt like someone was staring at him, and his whole body went cold.
When Lin Li turned around—
"Why... why... I won't accept it... Why..."
What the hell.
In just one minute, how did his beautiful, fashionable Coco teacher turn into a vengeful spirit?