Going to internet cafés was no longer an option—he needed to find a safe channel to browse information without worry. This was a matter of urgency.
After addressing the distraction caused by Qin Siyang, the teacher steered the conversation back to introducing the eight universities and the application process. But Qin Siyang wasn't listening at all. He was no longer an ordinary student; his mind was fully occupied with thoughts of universities for Sequence Ability users.
Was the Sequence Ability exam held alongside the college entrance exam? That meant it was only six months away. The universities for Sequence users were only open to students who awakened their abilities before the college entrance exam—and they only got one chance to take the assessment. In other words, he had to reveal his Sequence ability and register at the Sequence Ability Administration within six months. Time was running out.
He wondered: what if he skipped the Sequence universities, entered society after high school, and revealed his ability later? He definitely couldn't join a team—he'd have to keep hiding his god-devouring secret, which was too much trouble. But could he hunt gods outside the safe zone alone? Could he even win?
Most importantly, the United Government's establishment of Sequence universities meant there was already a mature education system in place. Why not enroll in one to learn more about being a Sequence Ability user, while also venturing outside the safe zone to hunt gods and grow stronger? As the saying went, "Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting." Preparing for both wouldn't hurt.
After envisioning his future, Qin Siyang's thoughts returned to the present. Three words echoed in his mind again: Liu Dazhi. Ever since he'd woken up that morning, the man's name had been haunting him. He was eager to get rid of Liu Dazhi so he could proceed with his plan to reveal his Sequence ability. Liu Dazhi had lived long enough.
After school, Qin Siyang picked up food from the cafeteria and headed to the library again.
"Hello, Teacher Zhu!"
Teacher Zhu was organizing bookshelves. She looked surprised to see him. "Xiao Qin, why are you here after school? I thought we agreed you only needed to come at noon. Don't let this take away from your studies."
In the past, Qin Siyang had rushed home after school to do Li Jingwen's homework. Ironically, having to master the material to complete her assignments had boosted his grades to around 100th in the grade—but that ranking was meaningless beyond self-consolation.
He knew Teacher Zhu usually organized books alone after school. Unwilling to let the kind old woman work by herself, Qin Siyang had come back to help.
"It's fine, Teacher. A little break from studying won't hurt. I've been sitting in class all day—I need to stretch my legs. Helping you organize books is a good way to relax."
"But…"
"Besides, I'm supposed to be working here as part of my work-study program. This is what I should do."
Teacher Zhu smiled. "What a good boy. Alright, then—let's organize together."
"Okay."
Qin Siyang set down his food container and got to work. Meanwhile, Li Jingwen and her girlfriends watched him from a distance.
"Jingwen, are you really going to follow him?"
"I need to find out if he's hiding something. I can't let him keep threatening me like this."
"He usually goes straight home after school, but today he came to the library. There's definitely something fishy going on!"
"Maybe he's meeting the person who ratted us out."
"Once we find who did it, we'll teach her a lesson about keeping her mouth shut!"
"We're with you!"
The girls waited with Li Jingwen, keeping an eye on the library.
As Qin Siyang organized books, he noticed a girl sitting on the floor beside a shelf, poring over a workbook. This was another quirk of the school library—alongside regular books, it stocked college entrance exam workbooks for students to borrow. Without these hard-to-find materials, the library would be completely deserted. Only a handful of poor but high-achieving students came here every day.
Qin Siyang reminded her gently. "Classmate, the library is closing soon. Could you please leave?"
"Huh… Oh, right." The girl looked up at him, closed the workbook, and put it back in its original place.
Qin Siyang's gaze lingered on her for a moment as their eyes met. She had a clear, elegant face—standout even in the entire school.
"Sorry for keeping you late," she said, bowing to Qin Siyang and Teacher Zhu before hurrying out with her backpack.
Qin Siyang didn't recognize her immediately. Teacher Zhu sighed, "That Wen Shu is such a good girl—hardworking and obedient. I wish my granddaughter were half as well-behaved."
Teacher Zhu's words told him who she was. Qin Siyang nodded. So that's Wen Shu—the name was legendary. She topped the grade in every exam, outscoring the second-place student by a wide margin. She was Ju'an School's undisputed top candidate for college this year.
Top students had their privileges. The principal, directors, and teachers all doted on her. For example, she never got in trouble for not doing homework—unlike other students. She could even skip class to study in the library without being stopped. Academically, she was already ahead of her teachers in college entrance exam preparation.
Pretty and intelligent, she was the school's recognized beauty. Many boys had confessed to her, but she'd politely rejected them all. Like Qin Siyang, Wen Shu came from a poor family and lived with her grandmother. In his past life, Qin Siyang remembered her family being better off. He'd heard she got into Tsinghua or Peking University—after that, they'd lost touch. They'd been in completely different worlds after the college entrance exam, and he'd never bothered to ask about her.
Later, at a class reunion, some girls had mentioned she'd passed away at a young age.
Snapping back to reality, Qin Siyang saw Teacher Zhu carrying a heavy stack of books past him. He hurried over to take them. "Teacher Zhu, let me carry those—they look too heavy. I'll tidy them up."
"It's okay, I can manage."
Qin Siyang ignored her, setting down his own books and grabbing the stack from her hands. "Let me do it. I'm young—I've got plenty of strength. You're getting on in years; you should rest as much as possible."
Teacher Zhu smiled. "Thank you, dear."
"I should be thanking you for keeping this job open for me."
It was the first time Qin Siyang had been so warm to someone since his rebirth—but he thought Teacher Zhu deserved it.
Once everything was tidy, Teacher Zhu locked the door.
"See you tomorrow, Teacher."
"See you."
After saying goodbye, Qin Siyang felt the urge to use the bathroom. Instead of leaving school, he headed to the restroom behind the library. Few people used this restroom, so it wasn't cleaned very often. It must have been days since the last cleaning—Qin Siyang was hit by a pungent smell as soon as he walked in. He just wanted to finish quickly and leave.
Midway through, he suddenly heard slapping sounds from the next stall.
"Spit it out! Was it you, you bitch, who told Qin Siyang about me and Zhou Yang?!"
"Who are you? Do I know you?"
"Cut the act! Qin Siyang only talked to you and Teacher Zhu today! If it wasn't you, was it that old hag Zhu Li?!"
"Jingwen, don't believe her! Pretty, top students like Wen Shu are all snakes in the grass!"
"That's right! She thinks she's special just because the teachers like her—flirting with every guy around. Who knows how many beds she's been in!"
Wen Shu's voice was calm. "You people are strange."
"You slut! Don't think you can steal Zhou Yang from me just because you're smart and pretty! I'm telling you—it's never going to happen!"
Qin Siyang nearly missed his target at the absurdity. Of all the things to encounter after being reborn—this was peak drama. He immediately recognized the shrill voice of Li Jingwen, who usually acted so cute and innocent. It was like he couldn't shake this leech.
Wen Shu had been dragged into this because of him. Morally, he had to step in. Qin Siyang washed his hands and walked toward the ladies' room.
"Li Jingwen, making this much noise—can't even let me pee in peace. Do you really want me to tell Zhou Yang everything to shut you up?"
Li Jingwen and her girlfriends froze at the sight of him. Wen Shu's usually clear face bore two bright red handprints.
Qin Siyang raised an eyebrow. She'd been slapped, yet all she'd said was that they were "strange"? A thought crossed his mind: this girl's definitely got something about her.
After a moment's shock, Li Jingwen calmed down. "Qin Siyang, I'm not bothering you. Why do you care so much?"
"Are you joking?" Qin Siyang looked at her like she was an idiot. "I did your homework every day, brought you breakfast, followed you around like a dog—who do you think you are, picking on people I know?"
Li Jingwen's temper flared. "Putting that aside—aren't you in the wrong too?"
"Wrong my ass! You ugly bitches love stirring up trouble—stop blaming others for your own issues."
One of the girls, even heavier than Qin Siyang, snapped. "Qin Siyang, don't push your luck!"
Qin Siyang ignored her, stepping forward to pull Wen Shu out. "Push my luck? If I wanted to push my luck, I'd have already told Zhou Yang everything about you."
"Zhou Yang's uncle is a Sequence Ability user—his family's about to hit the big time. If you piss me off, your dream of marrying him will go up in smoke."
Qin Siyang's words struck a nerve. Li Jingwen's face darkened. "What do you want?"
"Leave Wen Shu alone. And stop bothering me. That's all I ask. After graduation, you can play rich lady, and I'll be a drifter—we'll go our separate ways."
Li Jingwen gritted her teeth. "Qin Siyang, you're so heartless."
Qin Siyang shook his head. "Heartless? I'm amazed you can even spell that word with your shit-for-brains. If insulting me makes you feel better, go ahead—you're just a pitiful dog. I've got nothing more to say to you. Let's go!"
"Wait."
Qin Siyang blocked the door, stopping Li Jingwen and her friends from leaving.
"What now, Qin Siyang?"
Qin Siyang looked at Wen Shu, whose cheeks were still swollen. "Did they hit you?"
Wen Shu looked back at him, no hint of gratitude in her eyes. "Yes."
*Slap! Slap!*
As soon as she finished speaking, Qin Siyang slapped Li Jingwen twice across the face. Everyone froze. Wen Shu stared at him in shock, seemingly unable to process the strange classmate's actions.
"Qin Siyang!" Li Jingwen clutched her face, glaring at him furiously.
"Shut up. You and I are even now. As for you and Wen Shu—this pays off her debt. Understand?"
Malice flashed in Li Jingwen's eyes. "You'll regret this."
Qin Siyang thought for a moment. He remembered Li Jingwen's uncle was a gangster. He wasn't afraid of thugs, but Wen Shu might get hurt. He couldn't keep watching over both her and Li Jingwen forever—I'm a Sequence user with a god-tier ability—who has time for this nonsense!
Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea.
"Li Jingwen, I remember you used to write Zhou Yang's name on the corners of your homework, followed by a number. That's his QiuQiu ID, isn't it? Even though you don't have a computer at home, you chat with him on QiuQiu when you go to internet cafés—am I right?"
QiuQiu was an instant messaging app popular among students from better-off families. It was a luxury Qin Siyang had never been able to afford.
Li Jingwen paled. "What are you planning?"
"I'll go to an internet café, write an email detailing everything between you and me, and schedule it to send to Zhou Yang's QiuQiu inbox next Monday."
"If anything happens to me or Wen Shu—you can kiss your chance with Zhou Yang goodbye."
Li Jingwen had originally planned to ask her uncle to beat up Qin Siyang and Wen Shu. She screamed in frustration. "Qin Siyang! I've never met anyone as vicious as you!"
"Well, now you have." Qin Siyang snorted, pulling Wen Shu away. He felt a surge of satisfaction. It was the hundredth time he'd thought of Liu Dazhi that day—but for the first time, he was grateful for the man's existence. Liu Dazhi had actually taught him something useful.