The Slacker Academic Always Gets Caught (SLACKER)
Extra pay?
Well… if that’s the case, then it’s not entirely out of the question.
Chi Ning was about to agree when Mo Yuanzhou added, "Since it's a duo shoot, there might be some interactions and physical contact during filming."
Chi Ning promptly shut his mouth again.
Physical contact? What kind of contact?
He was still upset and wasn’t sure how to handle being around Qin Heng.
Logically, he knew he should separate this lifetime’s Qin Heng from the one in his past life, but emotionally, he couldn’t.
Mo Yuanzhou rested his chin on his hand, studying Chi Ning’s expression, then raised a hand and formed an eight with his fingers. "1,600 for a day’s shoot—800 each."
Without hesitation, Chi Ning said, "I’ll do it."
The most frequently used consumables in his experiments cost 800 per box. To support his thesis and patents, he needed a massive amount of data, which meant burning through countless reagent kits.
So what if there was physical contact? It wasn’t like he’d lose a limb.
Chi Ning’s eyes sparkled, brimming with desire for money. "When do we start?"
Qin Heng was taken aback before inevitably recalling how Chi Ning had gently stroked the bottle’s base and laughed at noon.
People called Chi Ning a bookworm that always wearing a stern expression, but in the days they’d known each other, Chi Ning had smiled far more often than he had.
"Over the weekend," Mo Yuanzhou said while still propping his chin on his hand and nodding toward the pool table. "You two should play a few rounds first—get comfortable with each other. Don’t freeze up like unripe persimmons when the camera’s rolling."
Thinking of the 800 yuan, Chi Ning found the little liar slightly more tolerable. "Snooker or American Pool?"
"Pool," Qin Heng replied, picking up his cue and walking to the smaller table.
Remembering Qin Heng’s upcoming competition, Chi Ning didn’t object.
Qin Heng broke with a sharp crack. The white cue ball slammed into the tightly packed object balls, scattering them like blossoms in the wind. Even the one with the least movement rolled at least eight meters across the table.
Chi Ning eyed the veins bulging on Qin Heng’s forearm and marveled: What strength.
No wonder he could knock someone’s teeth out.
As Qin Heng played, he stole glances at Chi Ning, his thoughts wandering.
Yangcheng had plenty of part-time job options for students. He could’ve worked elsewhere, practiced at a cheaper pool hall, and maybe even saved some money given his skills.
But he’d chosen Brother Xu’s place because this was a mid-to-high-end venue. The people who came here to play were all well-mannered—small business owners, corporate executives, even a few underworld figures. Xu Jiahao himself wasn’t bad either.
Here, he could find plenty of opportunities.
Xu Jiahao was an opportunity. So was Mo Yuanzhou. Chi Ning could be one too.
But for some reason, he didn’t want to measure Chi Ning as just another opportunity.
Qin Heng bent over to take his shot. The white cue ball lined up perfectly with an object ball, its path leading straight to the dark pocket—and beyond it, Chi Ning’s eager expression.
His mind drifted, and suddenly, he hallucinated himself handing Chi Ning a gold bar.
Crack.
He missed.
Qin Heng straightened with his expression unreadable.
Forget not having the money to buy such a large gold bar—even if he did, he’d never give it to anyone.
Since when could a penny-pincher spare a feather?
What a terrifying hallucination.
Qin Heng scowled at Chi Ning. "Your turn."
Chi Ning pursed his lips.
So what if he missed the third ball? Was he really that petty?
Cheapskate.
Circling the table, he mapped out his shot and casually asked Qin Heng, "I heard you got into a fight recently?"
Qin Heng gave a noncommittal hum. "What's up?"
"Why were you fighting? Were you collecting debts?" Chi Ning voiced his thoughts directly. "Did you really get involved with loan sharks?"
Although Qin Heng had deceived him in their past life, his kindness had been genuine. Chi Ning still wanted to persuade Qin Heng not to go down the wrong path—at the very least, to avoid illegal activities.
Qin Heng looked puzzled. "Where did you hear that?"
"People talk," Chi Ning said vaguely. "I also heard you knocked someone's teeth out."
"He deserved it." Qin Heng's tone carried an arrogant edge. "Daring to swindle me—he should've been ready for the consequences."
Chi Ning fell silent, absentmindedly poking the pool table. He was about to clear the table in one go but missed the final shot at the last moment.
Qin Heng hadn't denied being involved in "throwing a game" operations. Chi Ning wanted to steer him toward better choices but lacked the standing to do so.
The conversation stalled, and the two took turns playing for half an hour, much to Mo Yuanzhou's exasperation.
If they couldn't even hold a proper conversation, how could they expect any chemistry when taking photos together?
And here he'd thought Qin Heng was Chi Ning's boyfriend.
Teenagers were truly baffling. Even he could misjudge sometimes.
"Chi Ning, come play with me," Mo Yuanzhou called, waving him over. Chi Ning immediately turned and trotted to his side.
He couldn't stand the awkward silence with Qin Heng any longer—it was suffocating.
Mo Yuanzhou was witty and humorous while playing, never taking wins or losses too seriously. His company was refreshing, and before Chi Ning realized it, three or four hours had slipped by. By the time he checked the clock, it was already 9:30 p.m.
He took a taxi home, skipped his homework, washed up, and flopped onto his bed, mentally tallying his current assets.
Competition prizes from middle school hadn't been substantial, but high school awards were slightly better. Combined, he probably had around 100,000 to 200,000 yuan—enough for a modest personal lab.
The only downside was Yangcheng's exorbitant housing prices. Even a cramped 50-square-meter pigeon coop cost over a million. Buying was out of the question; renting was his only option.
Chi Ning called the bank and followed the automated voice prompts to check his account balance.
The electronic voice enunciated mechanically, "Your current balance is one... hundred... twenty-three... thousand... yuan. Press 1 to continue..."
Chi Ning hung up in a daze.
Since when did he have this much money? Where did it come from? Had his father been depositing monthly allowances into his account?
"Ning." Chi Yang pushed the door open and paused at the sight of his younger brother sitting on the bed, looking lost. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. What's up, Ge?"
"Dad found you a martial arts instructor. He asked me to bring you the profiles to choose from." Chi Yang handed Chi Ning a stack of printed sheets.
Chi Ning flipped through them. The candidates were either ex-military or had won awards in combat sports.
A dozen options, each with clear photos and detailed resumes.
After some deliberation, Chi Ning pointed to a retired soldier. "Him."
"Got it." Chi Yang sat on the edge of the bed. "Learning self-defense is good. People like us are easy kidnapping targets. You're fine, but I've been taken three times since childhood—everyone knows me from all those banquets Mom and Dad dragged me to."
These were things Chi Ning hadn't known in his past life.
Hugging his knees, Chi Ning rested his cheek on them and studied his older brother's face.
Chi Yang didn't elaborate, ruffling his brother's hair instead. "Do you have enough pocket money?"
Chi Ning thought about the barely touched money. "It's enough, really."
In the past, he had been so engrossed in studying that he never had any reason to spend money and had little concept of it. He never imagined he'd be this well-off.
Staring into Chi Yang's eyes, Chi Ning suddenly realized his parents and elder brother spoiled him even more than he'd thought.
"Brother, can I use the company lab for experiments? I'll work independently and won't disturb anyone."
Chi Yang sucked in a breath. "I'm afraid not."
Chi Ning's expression dimmed. The company's lab had better facilities and professional equipment—the key point being he wouldn't have to figure out how to fund it himself.
Chi Yang couldn't bear to see his younger brother looking so dejected. "I know you're not trying to stir up sibling rivalry, but the company is in chaos right now. The environment isn't safe, and there might even be spies from competitors in the lab. Many things there would be considered contraband if taken out. If you got hurt by some scheming person at this critical juncture, we'd be devastated."
"Once we've reclaimed the shares and cleaned up the company, you can play in the lab as long as you want."
Chi Ning was silent for a long moment. "Having an elder brother is really nice."
Not having to shoulder everything alone—the feeling of being protected was truly wonderful.
Chi Yang flushed at the praise. This was the first time his younger brother had ever complimented him like this.
His brother was so adorable now that he'd opened up.
Floating on cloud nine, Chi Yang left Chi Ning's room to handle the task their father had assigned him.
The next day.
Chi Ning lazily made his way to school. Slumped over his desk during morning reading, he suddenly remembered his scholarship while calculating dates.
First High's scholarship was awarded to exemplary students with both good character and grades, typically given to the top-ranked student at semester's end.
He could definitely still rank first—the school would undoubtedly give him the money—but he'd feel guilty accepting it.
After all, now only his "grades" were passable; his attitude toward studying had become utterly lackadaisical.
If he discussed this with his homeroom teacher, word would spread quickly, which wouldn't be good for him or the student who ultimately received the scholarship—as if he'd just handed it over.
He'd considered half-hearted test-taking or even blank papers, but if some busybody reported it to his target recommendation university, he might lose his guaranteed admission spot.
He needed a thorough solution to ensure the money went to whoever ranked second.
Chi Ning pondered this for a full week.
He thought about it during classes, after school, and even while playing basketball at night.
His mind wandered through everything distractedly.
The sharp intellect that usually spun rapidly during research now creaked along like a rusty gear.
After a week passed, when he finally met someone at Mo Yuanzhou's brand studio, he resembled a wilted cabbage—listless and troubled.
"What's wrong, Ning-zai?" The pretty, cheerful makeup artist patted Chi Ning's head. "Something upsetting happened? Tell big sister about it. Did Teacher Mo bully you?"
Qin Heng had just walked in when he heard this. His gaze involuntarily drifted toward Chi Ning.
Could Mo Yuanzhou actually bully Chi Ning?
Absolutely not. That person spoils Chi Ning way too much, like a doting father.
"No," Chi Ning said, keeping his eyes closed as the makeup artist worked on his face. "Just some minor annoyances."
Qin Heng had been handed off to another makeup artist by Mo Yuanzhou and was now seated in a chair next to Chi Ning. He could clearly hear the slight upward lilt in Chi Ning's voice as he complained.
"What could possibly trouble our Young Master Chi?" the makeup artists teased playfully. "Isn't there anything money can't solve?"
Qin Heng remained silent and suddenly recalled how Chi Ning's expression had darkened on Monday when he heard him had gotten into a fight.
What was it about again? Oh right—Chi Ning had mistakenly thought he was involved in usurious loans.
"Actually, it is about money," Chi Ning sighed. "There's a sum I want to give someone openly, but I don’t want them to feel insecure or resent me because of it. I also don’t want them to feel overly grateful. What should I do?"
Qin Heng’s breath hitched.
Was he talking about him? No way—could Chi Ning actually have feelings for him?
But he was straight.
Remembering how Chi Ning had sent his driver to buy him bayberry juice, Qin Heng became increasingly convinced his guess was right.
Chi Ning wanted to help him discreetly but was afraid of hurting his pride.
He didn’t like Chi Ning and couldn’t possibly string him along while taking his money.
He needed to find a way to reject this.
Wait—had Chi Ning made this decision because he thought Qin Heng was involved in usurious loans?
Qin Heng’s thoughts raced wildly. The makeup artist working on him looked exasperated. "Young man, why are you clenching your jaw so hard? If you keep this up, the makeup will crack. Are you training your masseter muscles or something?"
Chi Ning had fair skin, so his makeup was quick—just a touch of color and some glitter. He soon finished and stood beside Mo Yuanzhou, waiting to pick out outfits.
Was it just his imagination, or were there way too many metal embellishments on these clothes...?
Just as Chi Ning was about to say something, his wrist was seized, and he was abruptly shoved into the fitting room.
His back hit the wall as Qin Heng loomed over him, trapping him in his shadow. Chi Ning’s eyes widened. "What are you doing?"
Qin Heng’s gaze flickered over the glitter on Chi Ning’s lashes. The words "Don’t like me" twisted in his throat and came out as: "I wasn’t involved in usurious loans. That fight happened because Yue Yaozong tried to extort money from me. He tried to take it by force, so I fought back."
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