The Slacker Academic Always Gets Caught (SLACKER)
Qin Heng: "He—"
Before he could speak, a furious roar cut through the air. "What the hell are you doing?!"
The homeroom teacher of Class 18 stormed over. "You’ve lost your minds! Fighting off-campus wasn’t enough? Now you’re doing it inside school? No respect for the rules at all, huh?"
The male teacher marched up to them before his glare pausing on Chi Ning with suspicion. "A group fight wasn’t satisfying enough? Now you’re resorting to bullying?"
Chi Ning: ?
Not quite.
"Teacher, I was just passing by."
The homeroom teacher of Class 18 clearly didn't buy this explanation. He bent down to pick up Chi Ning's backpack that had fallen by the wall, dusting it off. "Your bag's on the ground, and you still say nothing happened?"
Chi Ning: "..."
This was a misunderstanding.
"I threw the bag down myself."
The Class 18 homeroom teacher: "Really? I don't believe you."
Five minutes later, all eight students were escorted to the desk of Wang Quan, the head of the senior year group.
Wang Quan scanned the group and chose the most reliable-looking Chi Ning to question first. "What happened?"
Chi Ning: Good question. I'd like to know too.
After staring blankly at Wang Quan for a moment, he answered honestly, "Today I saw many reporters camped at the school gate. Afraid of being cornered, I didn't dare enter through the main entrance and asked my driver to help me climb over the wall instead. Who knew I'd land right in the middle of their fight?"
Wang Quan found skipping school by climbing walls somewhat understandable, but climbing walls to attend school was downright absurd.
Yet when it came to Chi Ning, the absurdity seemed significantly reduced.
He then turned to Qin Heng. "What about you all?"
The seven students remained tight-lipped, none willing to speak.
A bunch of Calabash Brothers, huh?
And exactly seven of them too.
At this thought, Wang Quan felt a mix of emotions.
If these kids were the Calabash Brothers, then what did that make him?
Their grandpa?
The senior year group office was eerily quiet, with only the wall clock dutifully ticking away.
Wang Quan pulled out his thermos and took a sip of tea, adopting a stance of "if the enemy doesn't move, neither will I."
Qin Heng decided to strike first. "Teacher, I think the school should manage the rumors."
Wang Quan: "Oh?"
I'm the one interrogating you here. How did it turn into you giving me suggestions?
"What does this have to do with you getting into a fight first thing in the morning?"
Qin Heng replied, "It wasn't a fight. I just wanted to ask Yue Yaozong privately why he slandered Chi Ning, accusing him of misconduct, and even deliberately called paparazzi to block the school gate."
Wang Quan's gaze sharpened as he turned to Yue Yaozong. "What's going on?"
Yue Yaozong wasn't particularly deep. Hearing this, he exploded like a lit firecracker. "The hell you didn't fight, you motherf—"
Wang Quan rapped the table. "Enough with the swearing! Did you bring those paparazzi here?"
Yue Yaozong stiffened his neck. "So what if I did? At least I'm not like some people who dare to do things but won't admit it! The day before yesterday, I saw with my own eyes Qin Heng bringing Chi Ning's backpack to school early in the morning. If they hadn't been together all night, why would Chi Ning's bag be with Qin Heng?"
Chi Ning raised an eyebrow.
He turned and scrutinized Yue Yaozong carefully for the first time.
The guy didn't look well-off.
He was wearing a designer casual jacket—brand new, this season's latest, probably bought recently—but his pants were old, frayed and slightly unraveled at the seams.
Both his pants pockets bulged with what looked like phones. His sneakers were dusty, splattered with gray mud stains.
Not the brown kind from dirt roads, but gray, like lime or cement splashed onto the shoes.
Chi Ning had his answer.
Yue Yaozong was likely working odd jobs at construction sites. But no matter how well-paying those gigs were, they wouldn’t suddenly afford him a brand-new designer jacket. Someone must have given Yue Yaozong a large sum of money out of the blue.
And that money was probably related to this incident.
Chi Ning withdrew his gaze, lips curling slightly. "So you reconstruct facts purely from imagination?"
Yue Yaozong froze, not catching on.
Chi Ning was too composed.
Instinctively flustered, he stammered, "What?"
Chi Ning said, "You made it sound so convincing, but it's all just your word. How do you prove you actually saw anything? You have a phone, right? Did you take photos? Show them to the teacher."
Yue Yaozong thought, What kind of photos can a damn PHS take? These rich kids are so clueless. Why was Chi Ning acting so sure he had a phone that could take pictures?
Chi Ning tilted his chin toward Yue Yaozong's pockets. "Care to show us?"
Yue Yaozong retorted, "In that situation, how could I have thought to take photos?"
Wang Quan frowned.
"Oh." Chi Ning nodded solemnly. "You didn’t think to take photos at the time, but afterward, you thought to call paparazzi to block the school gate for interviews? Why? That doesn’t make sense, does it?"
Yue Yaozong fell silent again.
But Chi Ning wasn’t letting him off. "That jacket isn’t cheap. Where’d you get it? Did you buy it yourself? If so, where’d the money come from? Did someone give it to you? Did that person also hire the paparazzi for you?"
It wasn’t about looking down on Yue Yaozong.
Most people in Class 18 had limited social connections and couldn’t possibly summon so many paparazzi at once.
Qin Heng could do it now, but after knowing him for so long, Chi Ning had never seen Qin Heng frame anyone.
Chi Ning reached out and quickly rubbed the fabric of Yue Yaozong's jacket. "Genuine article. Did you rush to buy this as soon as you got the money? How impatient."
His thoughts were meticulous and his logic razor-sharp—every word struck like a nail. Yet Yue Yaozong was full of holes, unable to muster a response under the barrage.
Wang Quan rapped his knuckles on the table. "Yue Yaozong, tell the truth."
Yue Yaozong clenched his molars, not daring to utter another word. His silence was as good as a confession.
Teacher Wang slammed the table in anger, startling the English teacher grading papers at a nearby desk.
Wang Quan ground his teeth but then turned to Qin Heng. "And you—why didn't you report this to a teacher immediately after finding out? Why take matters into your own hands? No matter your motives, fighting is never allowed!"
Qin Heng immediately lowered his head. "Teacher..."
Chi Ning's ears perked up.
That tone—he knew it all too well!
In his past life, this was exactly how Qin Heng sounded when trying to weasel his way out of trouble.
A trifecta of tactics: playing weak, acting nice, and feigning sincerity.
Qin Heng continued, "I'm sorry, Teacher. I acted too hastily. It's just that Chi Ning recently lent me his middle school notes... I wanted to focus on shoring up my foundations. So when I heard my friend was being slandered, I got angry."
Chi Ning thought, Just as I expected.
A prodigal son's return, a slacker's sudden diligence.
With this trifecta, even if it were his past self sitting at that desk instead of Wang Quan, he'd have softened too.
All Qin Heng wanted was to stand up for a friend—what was so wrong about that?
Was his crime being too kindhearted?
Wang Quan seemed dazed. "Ah... Your intentions were good, but your methods were excessive. I'm not blaming you, but don't let this happen again."
Who could have predicted that Chi Ning, by not participating in competitions, would end up elevating Class 1's average scores?
Now, the entire No. 1 High School was caught up in a peculiar trend—"stealing" glimpses of Chi Ning's notes.
The Chi Ning who no longer competed was even more popular than before.
And not the shallow kind of popularity either. Students treated him like the God of Literature incarnate—their devout, materialistic note-copying and problem-solving tinged with a faint trace of superstition.
Given this, Qin Heng's claim about wanting to improve because of Chi Ning wasn't entirely implausible.
Wang Quan murmured, "It's good you're taking studies seriously now. If you have questions, you can always ask your homeroom teacher directly."
Qin Heng: "Understood."
Yue Yaozong nearly choked on his rage. How had the narrative somehow turned noble all of a sudden?
"Teacher, you actually believe him? He—"
Wang Quan tsked. "Whether Qin Heng's telling the truth will be clear by the monthly exam at month's end. What about you? Still not coming clean? Do you think I'm stupid? Who paid you to do this?"
Yue Yaozong flinched.
Chi Ning's patience ran out. He scoffed lightly. "Fine, don't talk. Stay silent, and I'll have my lawyer sue you for violating my rights. Speak up, and I'll sue him instead."
Yue Yaozong grew fearful.
This shit can actually go to court? He hadn't known. Had he known, he'd never have agreed.
If he lost the lawsuit, the compensation would bankrupt him!
Yue Yaozong made his choice. He nodded. "Yes... It was a student from Gangnan International High. His voice was shrill and always putting on airs when he spoke."
Chi Ning and Qin Heng exchanged a glance, understanding dawning in their hearts. The person who had sought out Yue Yaozong turned out to be Sun Boxing.
Wang Quan asked, "How do you know him? Didn't it occur to you that you might be used as a pawn?"
Yue Yaozong's face flushed red with embarrassment.
So what if he was used as a pawn? Someone was willing to pay him an amount he might not earn in three years.
"How did you meet?" Qin Heng reached out and patted Yue Yaozong's lower back threateningly. "Speak."
Yue Yaozong trembled. "I work part-time on weekends at a construction site contracted by his family. I met him while moving bricks. I complained about you guys a bit, and he overheard. He called me early this morning, took me out, and gave me the money..."
Chi Ning was speechless.
It seemed they had provoked Sun Boxing too much yesterday—the man was so desperate he'd resort to any underhanded tactic.
He asked softly, "What's that person's name?"
"Sun..." Yue Yaozong thought for a moment. "Sun... Sun Baihang? Or Sun Buhang? The character with three dots and a 'white' radical."
The beautiful English teacher who had been eavesdropping for a while couldn't hold back. "Bo! Even if you don't know foreign languages and think Chinese people shouldn't bother with them, how can you not even recognize Chinese characters? Can't you strive for better? Even Qin Heng knows to study!"
Qin Heng: ?
Why compare him to Yue Yaozong? Wasn't that an insult?
Qin Heng and Yue Yaozong exchanged a glance before turning away in mutual disgust.
Wang Quan wanted to call their parents to discuss the educational issues of these troublemakers, but half of the Blue Sky Class had no parents to summon.
Qin Heng did have a father, but since he was standing up for a friend this time—a righteous act—calling his dad in for a lecture didn’t seem appropriate.
So...
"Each of you write a 3,000-word self-reflection and submit it to your homeroom teacher. Yue Yaozong, you’ll give a public apology on the flag-raising platform tomorrow. As for Qin Heng and Chi Ning..."
Wang Quan paused. "Go back. Next time something like this happens, just tell the teachers. We’ll handle it."
Chi Ning nodded obediently as he slip his hand into his pocket to secretly save the recording he had just made.
The two turned and left the office together.
Preoccupied, Chi Ning didn’t notice Qin Heng suddenly stopping in front of him.
He bumped into the other’s back.
With a muffled "oof," he took a step back, confused. "What’s wrong?"
Qin Heng pursed his lips, thinking: How could Chi Ning be so sharp? Just by noticing clothes and a phone, he deduced Yue Yaozong had taken a bribe.
Never before had he felt the distance between himself and Chi Ning so acutely.
Qin Heng exhaled softly and murmured, "Do you think... I can move up a few ranks in the next monthly exam?"
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