novelraw Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12 : Chapter 12
Chapter 12
“Does he really have to drop out?” Ji Qing said with a light smile.
Ji Qing’s remark immediately drew the attention of the other three people present. All their gazes shifted toward him at once.
The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew heavy.
Zhou Que looked confused. Although he was one of the people involved, he was used to resolving matters with force and did not understand the undercurrents in the room. Liu Mu silently looked toward Shao Huayu.
In matters like this, he had no right to voice an opinion.
Shao Huayu frowned instinctively.
Turning to face Ji Qing, he asked hesitantly, “Ji Qing, do you know him?”
“We met once,” Ji Qing said while looking at the records displayed on his terminal. The corners of his lips curved casually upward. “I just think his situation is particularly interesting.”
“If Xie Chang’an drops out, where will I find this kind of entertainment in the future?”
So they did not know each other well, Shao Huayu concluded.
With that thought, he elegantly closed his terminal and made a polite gesture toward Ji Qing.
“Then handle it in your own way. You are the top student of the year, so I am naturally willing to yield.”
At this point, Shao Huayu emphasized again, “However, if the outcome still damages Zhou Que’s reputation or the prestige of the noble families, I will step in personally.”
“Alright, it is settled then,” Ji Qing said with a smile.
Ji Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At least he had managed to nip the cliché plotline in the bud.
Although the pressure had now shifted to him—how exactly was he supposed to resolve this smoothly?
Shao Huayu’s plan had been to force Xie Chang’an to drop out through public opinion. Ji Qing could never do something like that, but Shao Huayu had identified the key point correctly.
The root of the issue lay with Song Xiaoran. Song Xiaoran had to step forward.
“So what are you planning to do next?” Ji Qing asked with a casual smile. “The theory classes are honestly a bit boring, but if you skip class, there is not really anywhere else to go either.”
“I am curious how everyone plans to pass the time.”
The topic suddenly became much lighter.
Zhou Que immediately complained, “If there were somewhere to go, I would not still be stuck in the School Infirmary right now. The useless knowledge the teachers are teaching—I already memorized it all long ago. I am absolutely not going to class!”
That sounded suspiciously like he was setting himself up for failure, Liu Mu thought.
But in front of others, he certainly would not embarrass Zhou Que. Years of acquaintance had long made him accustomed to Zhou Que’s paper-tiger behavior, though sometimes he still could not resist criticizing him internally.
Learn how to speak properly, idiot!
Liu Mu glanced at Shao Huayu’s expression beside him again before quietly speaking to Ji Qing.
“If you need help managing public opinion later, you can contact me.”
He sent Ji Qing a friend request through his terminal.
Ji Qing lowered his head to check it. Somewhat surprisingly, Liu Mu’s profile picture was a completely ordinary landscape photo: a pebble on a beach.
It suited Liu Mu’s overall impression quite well.
As for Shao Huayu, he did not stop Liu Mu’s initiative. From Ji Qing’s brief interactions with him, Shao Huayu treated the people around him quite well.
“I will probably go explore outside the campus,” Shao Huayu said with a gentle smile. “This is my first time in Yancheng, so I would like to see whether there is anything interesting nearby.”
“Great! Take me with you!” Zhou Que’s eyes lit up instantly.
Excited, he invited the other two people present.
“Liu Mu, Ji Qing, do you want to come too?”
“I am going back to the dormitory,” Liu Mu said quickly, waving his hands in refusal.
“As for me…” Ji Qing sighed helplessly and pointed at himself. “Do I look like someone who can go out and have fun? Think about what you are saying next time.”
The moment Ji Qing said this, the others immediately nodded in agreement.
Only Zhou Que scratched his head in confusion.
Zhou Que clearly did not think there was anything wrong with what he had said. Ji Qing guessed that Shao Huayu probably thought the same thing. The difference was that Shao Huayu was better at disguising his thoughts and weighing the situation.
The road ahead for Class S would be quite long…
Ji Qing sighed.
With that, the visit came to an end.
Before leaving the School Infirmary, Ji Qing ran into You Xingluo, who had arrived late. You Xingluo’s face looked noticeably paler, but he still smiled and waved at Ji Qing.
For some reason, that sight felt reassuring.
After learning about You Xingluo’s numerous identities from the system yesterday, Ji Qing could no longer treat him with indifference. At the time, Ji Qing had been too shocked, but now he had begun to think about it differently.
You Xingluo’s role seemed to be the kind of character who only existed in others’ conversations—a central figure who connected the main storyline of the manga.
Although Ji Qing did not know why You Xingluo had managed to escape his predetermined fate, his death would undoubtedly become the fuse of a major event. It might even be related to the manga’s abrupt ending.
He should build a good relationship with him, Ji Qing decided.
You Xingluo quickly walked over and bent down slightly with a smile.
“You all seem to be gathered together. Are you going somewhere to have fun?”
“We are planning to take a look outside the campus,” Zhou Que said eagerly. “You Xingluo, want to come?”
You Xingluo asked curiously, “Is Ji Qing going too?”
“I will pass,” Ji Qing said helplessly, waving his hand. “If you find anything interesting, just tell me later. I plan to wander around the campus alone first.”
After saying this, Ji Qing turned and said goodbye to the group.
You Xingluo watched Ji Qing’s retreating figure with a strange expression.
He felt that Ji Qing’s attitude toward him had changed slightly, yet he could not pinpoint exactly how.
“Did something happen?” You Xingluo asked, turning to look at Shao Huayu.
“A strange matter,” Shao Huayu replied, his tone becoming subtle. He looked at You Xingluo seriously. “I will explain it to you later. It is rather complicated.”
That did sound complicated.
You Xingluo nodded.
Shao Huayu then turned to Liu Mu and said, “If anything happens at the school, report it to me. I am leaving campus now.”
“Understood,” Liu Mu said quietly.
He watched as the three figures gradually walked away until they disappeared from sight.
Liu Mu stared blankly ahead and thought: Well, now it is his turn to deal with the headaches in Class A again…
He was truly speechless.
All he wanted was to finish high school peacefully and get his diploma. Yet some people in Class A insisted on starting factional struggles.
What was even the point of competing like that?
Class A simply could not compete with Class S.
Even if someone dominated within Class A, what was the use? That fact would never change. Some people simply lacked even the slightest bit of self-awareness.
He absolutely had to leave Class A.
On the other side of the campus, Ji Qing was standing in front of the school bulletin board, browsing the campus newspaper.
He noticed something interesting.
The incident of “Zhou Que losing to Xie Chang’an in battle” had already been reported in the school newspaper and printed for distribution.
However, the headline appeared fairly neutral and had deliberately shifted the focus toward Xie Chang’an. Perhaps the editors were worried about retaliation from Zhou Que’s side.
《Shock! A Class S Student Suffers a Crushing Defeat to a Class F Student Yesterday—Could This Class F Student Become the Dark Horse of This Year’s School Competition?》
Quite interesting indeed.
Ji Qing’s lips curled into a smile.
He leaned closer to examine the newspaper’s contents and eventually found the address of the school’s News Club in the lower-right corner of the front page.
Perhaps this could help him.
But before that, he needed to find Song Xiaoran.
Ji Qing asked in his mind:
[System, where is Song Xiaoran now?]
The system replied:
[The glass greenhouse in the botanical garden.]
[Understood.]
With that, Ji Qing began strolling toward the back mountain of the campus.
Behind the teaching buildings of the Third Ability Academy lay a vast personalized training base. Ji Qing had caught a distant glimpse of it on his first day of school.
Although many Abilities could not be used in combat, they could still shine in other fields.
The Third Ability Academy encouraged students to explore various possibilities. Even if graduates did not pursue careers strongly related to Abilities, they could still use them to develop hobbies and personal strengths.
This would become one of their advantages when competing with ordinary people for jobs.
The glass greenhouse stood in a corner of the botanical garden.
The vegetation in the garden was dense and lush. While following the map to find his way, Ji Qing noticed the flowers and plants carefully cultivated by other students.
Some were withered, some thin and weak, some looked like weeds.
Compared with the plants cultivated by the teachers nearby, they were almost painful to look at. Yet what was heartwarming was that these fragile, weed-like lives had been surrounded by eye-catching signboards and fences by the students.
They were all being cared for with love.
Ji Qing spotted Song Xiaoran from afar.
He sat quietly on a bench inside the glass greenhouse, silent like the plants that filled the garden.
The greenhouse was filled with vibrant flowers in all colors.
Song Xiaoran’s emerald-green hair blended into the surroundings and appeared inconspicuous. If Ji Qing had not already learned his location from the system, it would have been difficult to notice him at first glance.
Gifted with the ability to communicate with plants, he was as quiet as they were.
A gentle breeze drifted through the open glass door. The hanging flowerpots swayed slightly, and the wind chimes in the corner produced a crisp sound.
Song Xiaoran’s eyes suddenly focused.
He quietly turned his head toward Ji Qing and said softly, “The plants told me that you came. Did something happen?”
“There is something I need you to do,” Ji Qing said directly.
He sat down across from Song Xiaoran and rested his chin on his hand with interest.
“But before I explain why, can you answer a few questions?”
“Hm?” Song Xiaoran nodded vaguely.
Ji Qing asked, “Do you not know Xie Chang’an?”
“I do not know him,” Song Xiaoran said calmly, shaking his head.
But after a pause, he added hesitantly, “However, I am not sure whether he knows me.”
“I have treated many people, and I cannot remember their faces.”
“Hm?” Ji Qing frowned.
Had Song Xiaoran mistaken Xie Chang’an for someone he had once healed?
Had he even forgotten the orphanage?
So… did he have amnesia?
“Did you lose your memory?” Ji Qing asked cautiously.
Song Xiaoran’s expression became slightly complicated.
“…Is it that obvious?”
Ji Qing nodded.
Song Xiaoran’s fingers quietly clenched before he forced himself to relax.
“I have no memories from before I was twelve,” he explained softly. “Because my Ability was repeatedly overused, my memories became part of the price.”
“I do not want to have any ties with people from my past.”
He reached out and touched the green vines clinging to the leg of the bench.
“My past is filled with too many unpleasant things. I do not want to be deceived or used again… My mutation has progressed too far now. I cannot return to who I once was.”
“….”
Ji Qing fell silent.
Song Xiaoran’s past must have been extremely difficult. If his Ability had not been repeatedly overdrawn, his mutation would never have reached such a severe stage.
Thinking about how he had said he could heal others, Ji Qing could only feel regret.
After leaving the orphanage, he must have walked an incredibly harsh path before finally entering the Third Ability Academy. The school protected its students.
For someone who struggled to communicate normally, this place was undoubtedly the best refuge.
Ji Qing suddenly asked, “Did you tell Zhou Que the same thing?”
“I only said that I do not know Xie Chang’an,” Song Xiaoran replied, raising his head sharply. “So Zhou Que encountered trouble?”
“Yes,” Ji Qing nodded.
He subtly noticed that Song Xiaoran’s reaction speed and fluency were much better now than before.
Was it because they were in the botanical garden?
What a fascinating Ability.
Although it was also this Ability that had caused Song Xiaoran to drift from place to place, forcing him to view others with the worst possible suspicion.
“What do you want me to do?” Song Xiaoran asked.
“You do not need to do anything,” Ji Qing replied. “But can you publicly reveal that you have amnesia?”
“Hmm…”
“You only need to tell a small number of people,” Ji Qing said with a light smile. “If anyone approaches you because of it later, I will handle it for you.”
“That is fine,” Song Xiaoran said quietly, visibly relieved.
He was not good at communicating with people. In areas filled with plants, even if he could not hear someone clearly, the plants could relay their words to him.
But elsewhere…
This problem often brought him trouble.
After receiving Song Xiaoran’s agreement, Ji Qing immediately made up his mind.
If he personally went to inform Xie Chang’an and reconcile the two sides, it would seem too deliberate.
His relationship with Xie Chang’an was not that close.
Moreover, Ji Qing had no intention of getting too close to the protagonist. That would affect his ability to act independently in the future.
But if the school’s News Club handled it, things would be different.
Given the current uproar at the school, it would seem perfectly natural for the News Club to interview the parties involved.
Song Xiaoran was highly wary of outsiders.
Ji Qing realized something: if he himself revealed the information, it might make Song Xiaoran uneasy. But if Song Xiaoran revealed it himself, the situation would be different.
Ji Qing smiled meaningfully.
“I have changed my mind. I will inform the News Club of your location later. You can decide how much to say.”
“Hm?” Song Xiaoran looked up in surprise.
“They will definitely interview the other two people as well,” Ji Qing said thoughtfully. “This will also allow you to understand the situation currently unfolding at the school.”
“So something serious really did happen?” Song Xiaoran asked hesitantly.
Yet for some reason, he felt a faint sense of reassurance.
Ji Qing stood up and waved his hand.
“It is not serious. As long as people can communicate, nothing is truly serious.”