Yesterday, after Fiona Xiang took the initiative to talk to Ian Song in the cafeteria, a group of boys crowded around him when he returned to the classroom.
Today, as soon as Ian Song walked into the classroom, not only did the boys swarm him, but even the girls gathered around. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old girls often have a hero complex—students who only know how to fight are 'bad kids' in their eyes, but helping the police take down fugitives makes you a hero.
"Ian Song, tell us again—how did you capture the fugitives? And how many moves did you use?"
"Ian, were you scared at the time?"
"Oh, Ian, you didn’t get hurt, did you?"
Faced with the girls’ barrage of questions, Ian felt his head was about to explode.
"That kid’s really hogging the spotlight!" one boy beside Zach Zhang said sourly.
"Hmph, just a petty villain getting lucky," Zach Zhang snorted.
The bell rang for class.
Ian quickly used the start of class as an excuse to escape. Dealing with all these curious girls was honestly more exhausting than getting into a fight.
Just as Ian sat down, his chubby deskmate Leo Li leaned over again. "Ian, you have to treat us today!"
"Sure." Thinking of the eighty thousand yuan he just won, Ian agreed without hesitation.
"Let's go to Grand Prosperity Hotel." Leo immediately suggested.
"No way." Ian shot Leo a glare. Grand Prosperity was a five-star hotel—fancy, but the food wasn't even that great, and the prices were outrageous. There was no way he'd waste money playing the sucker.
"Cheapskate!" Leo grumbled.
"We'll just pick a place near school, and I'll cover your meals for the whole week," Ian said.
"Wow, are you sure? Then I won't hold back!" Leo grinned. Genesis Dominion had just launched, and with Ian covering his food for a week, Leo could save up for better gear in the game.
Before Ian got the ring system, his grades were lousy and he kept a low profile; Leo was the only classmate he really talked to.
Five minutes into class, and with Chinese as the first period, William Yan still hadn't shown up. The whole class was puzzled—except Ian, who knew William must've been hit hard by losing his homeroom teacher role. Not that Ian felt sorry for him.
It wasn't until ten minutes into class that William Yan finally walked in, face dark. As he approached the podium, he frowned and called out to a boy in the corner, "Wade Wang, take the drawer out and wash it."
Wade Wang was also a poor student—tall and sturdy, nearly six feet—but timid to the core. He'd cry if even a girl scolded him.
"Yes, Mr. Yan."
Wade quietly got up and walked to the podium.
William Yan knew Wade was too timid to refuse, which is exactly why he dumped the job on him.
Watching Wade silently carry the drawer out, Ian's eyes flickered. Wade's situation was a lot like his own—no parents, raised by his grandma, who picked trash for a living. Every day after school, Wade helped her collect garbage.
Because of that, he had a nickname: the Garbage King.
In a foul mood, William Yan told everyone to study on their own and just sat there, zoning out. Every so often, he'd shoot Ian a resentful look.
At noon, Ian and Leo went to a nice restaurant near school, ordered five or six dishes, and had a great meal.
After lunch, Ian found an excuse to ditch Leo, then headed to the school's little grove and opened the system interface for a lottery draw.
This time, he drew a divine skill on par with Photographic Memory—Mastery Insight.
Once Mastery Insight was activated, his comprehension and calculation skills would be boosted dozens of times for the next two hours.
Ian might be a liberal-arts student, but there were still subjects like algebra, physics, and chemistry. With only 75 points in mental stats, his understanding and calculation skills were below average—so Mastery Insight was just what he needed.
School let out in a flash. While cleaning the classroom, Ian got a call from his uncle Stephen Song, inviting him home for dinner.
Before heading home, Ian stopped by the mall. He spent two thousand yuan on cigarettes and liquor for his uncle, and another two thousand on a dress for his aunt Yvonne Yang. She might be harsh, but at least she'd never skimped on his living expenses.
After thinking it over, Ian spent six thousand more on a jade Buddha pendant for his cousin Shelly Song.
"You're back, Ian."
It was his uncle Stephen Song who opened the door. His eyes landed on the gifts in Ian's hands, and his brows furrowed. "Why'd you buy all this stuff?"
Ian tensed up, explaining, "I helped the police catch two fugitives. They gave me a reward, so I wanted to show my appreciation to you and Aunt Yvonne."
"Alright, come in. Save that money for college—don't waste it."
"Okay, Uncle. I got it," Ian nodded quickly.
Dinner that night was unusually lavish. Aunt Yvonne kept picking food into Ian's bowl, leaving him a little overwhelmed.
After the meal, Uncle Stephen called Ian into the study to give him some advice, and suggested he sleep at home that night instead of going back to school.
But Ian had to play piano at the café tonight, so staying wasn't an option. He used the excuse that his textbooks and notes were in the dorm and he needed to study, and Stephen didn't push it.
For once, Aunt Yvonne even walked him to the door and praised him.
Looks like that dress really did the trick.
Yvonne Yang had expensive taste. Before dinner, she'd checked out the dress Ian bought—real brand-name, at least two thousand yuan. Add in the cigarettes, liquor, and Shelly's jade Buddha, and Ian had spent nearly ten thousand. That made her think Ian wasn't the kind of kid who forgot his roots, and her attitude toward him changed.
Ian hurried back to the dorm to change, then rushed off to the café. He'd already asked the system spirit Meow-Meow, and the next lottery draw would cost a whopping two thousand Fame Points.
After the draw, he only had 929 Fame Points left—meaning he was over a thousand short.
Getting that many Fame Points wasn't easy. Without another big event, it might take a whole month to earn enough.
The café was packed even before Ian arrived.
He scanned the crowd but didn't see Fiona Xiang anywhere. For some reason, he felt a little disappointed.
After the performance, Zhen Yun—the organizer who'd spoken to him yesterday—came up again, handing him a registration form and telling him the Riverstone City Piano Competition would start on the fifteenth.
For the next stretch, Ian's life was packed: school during the day, listening to all kinds of music online, playing piano at the café, and studying hard in the dorm at night with Photographic Memory and Mastery Insight.
With those two skills, his grades kept climbing day by day. One more thing—after William Yan was removed as homeroom teacher, the beautiful Hannah Han took over, which made all the Class 9 students thrilled.
Soon enough, it was time for the monthly exam. After all that prep, Ian couldn't wait to put his skills to the test.