บท 14: Meeting on the Battlefield
บรรณาธิการ: EndlessFantasy Translation
Xu Mang?
Full marks on his essay?
They weren't dreaming, were they?
Hearing Wang Xue's words, everyone, including Yang Xiaoman, was completely baffled. The little bugger hadn't been lying earlier… he really had gotten full marks on his essay.
"Xu Mang… 84 marks!"
Xu Mang felt as though he had just won a world war, and he walked toward Wang Xue with an overflowing amount of confidence in his stride. Once he received his test paper, he shamelessly showed off his full-marked essay to everyone on his way back to his seat.
"I just want to ask… Who else wants to take a look?! Hehehehehe…"
Suddenly, the whole class fell into a deathly silence. Everyone knew Xu Mang wasn't exactly what one would call 'normal', but this was way too over the top, even for him! Sure, you had gotten full marks on your essay, and yet, somehow, your total grade still wasn't over the passing mark? What gives!
"Idiot!"
Yang Xiaoman was getting progressively more annoyed at the little ball of happiness festering behind her. Perhaps their star signs just weren't compatible, but every time she looked at that mischievous smiling face, she felt the strongest urge to punch him.
The combination of Xu Mang's personality and face just made people want to beat him up, how was he still alive at this point?
"What, you're jealous? You're just jealous of my innate, godly talent!" Xu Mang cackled. "Let me tell you another little secret, I've been personally recommended by Ms. Wang to participate in the city-wide secondary school essay writing competition next month. This is a competition for geniuses, so please don't be jealous my dear...because that jealousy will get you nowhere."
"You're insane!" Yang Xiaoman huffed, wordlessly taking out her new "National Exam Past Year Questions 5th Edition" in the middle of Chinese class to do Math.
Xu Mang was completely stunned by the scene, this flat-chested gremlin really lived outside the laws of us normal humans. At that moment, Xu Mang made a brave decision. This decision might lead to much pain and sorrow, but for the sake of maintaining the order of their class, he had to make a noble sacrifice!
"Ms. Wang, that girl's doing her Math in class!" Xu Mang raised his hand, shouting to Wang Xue who was in the middle of explaining a question.
"..."
"Xu Mang, although you have improved quite a lot recently… Please do not disturb the order of the class!" Wang Xue completely ignored Yang Xiaoman's actions and instead, laid down the heat on the 'passionate' Xu Mang.
I…
The world really had changed, the brave and the just were now the ones being punished!
Xu Mang sighed. Within the walls of a class where morals were twisted, Xu Mang wanted to make a difference, but every time he tried, he was only met with protest from the outside world.
'Whatever, if you can't beat 'em, might as well join 'em.'
***
Recess.
The sound asleep Xu Mang was woken up by a hard slap to the back of his head, and the hand in question belonged to none other than Yang Xiaoman in all her flat-chested glory.
"Stop sleeping!"
"Ms. Wang asked for the two of us to meet her in her office," Yang Xiaoman said.
"Huh? The two of us?" Xu Mang was momentarily stunned, asking out of curiosity. "Are you sure you heard her correctly? There's only one reason Ms. Wang would call for me, and that would be to discuss the essay competition next month. That certainly has nothing to do with you."
"Hmph! What kind of stupid competition is that anyway, I really just couldn't be bothered!" Yang Xiaoman was very arrogant despite her lack of female figure, choosing to rebut harshly against Xu Mang's teasing.
Xu Mang shook his head in exasperation. "All you have to do is admit that I'm better than you, you shouldn't lie to yourself like this anymore."
"... I've already said you're insane, are you always like this?" Yang Xiaoman glared at him. "I don't care whether you go or not, all I needed to do was tell you about it."
And with that, they separately headed toward the teacher's office.
Trailing behind Yang Xiaoman, Xu Mang couldn't help but sigh. Her chest was small indeed, but her ego certainly compensated for it—she just couldn't stand seeing someone do better than her.
At that moment, Wang Liang was furious. Seeing Xu Mang and Yang Xiaoman have such intimate interactions, he was jealous beyond belief, but there wasn't anything he could do right now to solve his troubles. He couldn't beat Yang Xiaoman with his academics, and he couldn't beat Xu Mang with his fists… he would just have to play it by ear.
At the teacher's office.
Xu Mang and Yang Xiaoman walked to Wang Xue's desk.
"Ms. Wang?"
"What did you want to talk to me about?" Xu Mang asked. "Is it about the essay competition?"
"Yes!" Wang Xue nodded. "I've given it some more thought, and I've decided to let the both of you enter. Of course, Yang Xiaoman, this is just my personal decision as a teacher, the choice is completely yours as to whether or not you wish to participate."
"I've been bored recently… so I'll participate," Yang Xiaoman said blankly. "But teacher, I have a request."
"What is it?"
"Could we kick this insane one out?" Yang Xiaoman pointed at Xu Mang.
"Well…"
Before Wang Xue could respond, Xu Mang was already upset. "Hey, hey, hey, what is wrong with you, woman? What right do you have to kick me out? How about we fight it out right now? Ms. Wang can give us a question and we'll write an essay right here...we will let our teacher be the judge."
"I'm not scared of you!"
"Then bring it on!"
"Bring it on!"
A question, an essay, and a grade, right here, right now?
That was not a bad idea!
Wang Xue was extremely pleased with Xu Mang's suggestion, this would not only test the adaptability of the two, but it would also reflect their own foundation in essay writing. Without a certain level of skill, impromptu questions like this would be hard to score on.
"Your next class is…"
"It's the old man's!"
"Ah, Mr. Lin's class, you two just wait right here."
A moment later, Wang Xue had informed all the right people, and the war officially began.
The title: Love
Glancing over at Yang Xiaoman's furrowed brows, Xu Mang knew that she was in trouble. Xu Mang stretched and yawned, slowly entering his Blank state.
"Why aren't you writing?" Wang Xue noticed Xu Mang's inaction, and thus asked him out of curiosity.
"Ms. Wang… I already know what I'm going to write, but my hand's a little tired. I'll give her a thirty-minute head start just so the competition will be a bit fairer." In reality Xu Mang had absolutely no idea what he was going to do. He only said what he said to take a jab at the flat-chested monster next to him.
"..."
"..."
Xu Mang's words garnered two very different reactions from his listeners. Whilst Yang Xiaoman was beginning to fume, Wang Xue was really more so just tired.
"Stop joking around! Hurry up and start writing!"Wang Xue glared at Xu Mang, scolding him.
"Okay…"
Xu Mang put his pen to the paper, writing down "Love" at the top…
And then...
"Hey, System, how many points for another full-mark essay?"
[System has detected, a Full-Mark Essay will require: 100 points (Chinese Skill)]
[Warning!]
[Should the host get full marks, you will be in for a beating]
'Huh?! I need to get beaten up too?'
Xu Mang was shocked. Come to think of it… if someone angered the flat-chested one, she might really stoop as low as to take physical action.
In the end, when faced with the choice of acting cool or to live, Xu Mang chose to live...after all, he still needed to keep some secrets up his sleeve.
"Ms. Wang?
"Yes?"
"Can I express my understanding of 'Love' through the use of lyrical prose and poem?"
"Of course!"
"Then I'm going to sing."
"????"
Wang Xue had so many questions.
However, before she could react, Xu Mang gave a terrific (read: terrifying) rendition of "I Will Always Love You", planning on just getting it over with.
Wang Xue was outraged!
Yang Xiaoman was as well!
...
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