Chapter 45: Blocking, Emails, and Disciplinary Announcements

Boys’ Dormitory 406.

Xu Chen finished washing up, propped himself half-up in bed, and pulled out his phone.

The Nokia N70 had nothing to scroll through; compared to future smartphones, it was a brick.

No Arena of Valor, no PUBG, no Genshin, and certainly no beauties dancing—no Xiao Mei, Xiao Shuai, or Karamē.

In a way, it helped Xu Chen break his internet addiction and reconnect with real life…

He opened QQ and immediately saw a few new messages.

Xu Chen frowned. One was from Zhao Linlin.

[Xu Chen… are you okay?]

Staring at her message, Xu Chen felt a strange chill.

He quickly closed the chat window, frightened.

That persistent emo girl was a specter he wanted far away.

Xu Chen thought for a moment…

Block her!

Absolutely block her, decisively block her!

Another second of hesitation would betray all the mistakes and losses he’d suffered in his past life!

Any dragging would be a huge cost in silence.

All her emo-girl tricks—her impeccable “brother-sister” act—no longer worked on Xu Chen.

He was that resolute…

He “cleared” Zhao Linlin from both QQ and his mind, then opened the next message.

It was from “Ice Lily Rose” Feng Qingqing.

This leader’s daughter was tied to the family business; Xu Chen couldn’t ignore her lightly.

[I just bought several new editions of Nalan Ci. I’ll bring you a copy next time~]

Xu Chen’s head ached; who’d have guessed his username “Nalan Qingchuan” caused this misunderstanding?

[Great, thanks!]

[Are you free this weekend? Let’s go to the Youth Palace again…]

Xu Chen sighed. Why was Feng Qingqing suddenly asking him out?

This wasn’t good; he had to nip it in the bud.

But as the leader’s daughter who’d done nothing wrong, he couldn’t just block her like Zhao Linlin—he had to distance himself politely.

[I’m not free this weekend… I’ve already got plans.]

[Oh… is that your girlfriend?]

Unsure how to reply, Xu Chen sent a goofy smile emoji.

After a moment, Feng Qingqing typed back:

[Okay, let’s schedule another time. Good night, Xu Chen~]

With that, Ice Lily Rose went offline.

Xu Chen breathed a sigh of relief.

Though he’d barely interacted with her, he knew Feng Qingqing had a rich inner world, high self-esteem, and a strong will.

Despite her fresh, pure “white moonlight” goddess aura, she could be a monster when she got dramatic. Best to avoid trouble.

Wouldn’t it be nicer to just quietly stay put?

No need to chase after a fairy.

As a “grown man” reborn, he wouldn’t be fooled by pretty faces.

Just as he yawned, ready to rest, another email alert popped up.

[You have a new email from “Zhang Liqun of First High School”]

Xu Chen: “…”

Some people never give up.

With a perverse sense of voyeurism, Xu Chen opened the email.

It was filled with lines upon lines of text.

Reading it, he burst into giddy laughter, drawing curious looks from his roommates.

“What’s got Xu the Gentleman so happy?”

From the lower bunk, Chen Dahai peeked over, squinting.

Too busy enjoying himself, Xu Chen didn’t reply.

Zhang Liqun had come back swinging with an essay-style ad in classical Chinese—unexpected and eloquent.

“The kidney is the root of innate vitality, the source of life.

Its prosperity or decline governs health and lifespan. Yet in this world of chaos, overworked minds and bodies drain its essence…

Now there’s HuiShuang Shenbao tablets, a superb tonic for the kidney. I recommend them to gentlemen…

Drawing from earth’s essence and the spirit of a hundred herbs with a meticulous formula of precious Chinese herbs…

Combined, they enhance each other, filling kidney qi and revitalizing the spirit…”

Xu Chen read it over several times, then couldn’t help but give it a thumbs-up.

Such writing, such grand vision—no wonder he was an English teacher!

Unexpectedly, his homeroom teacher Zhang Liqun had become Xu Chen’s nightly joy.

Looks like Zhang Liqun really coveted that 150,000-yuan prize; what ambition!

Well then, here’s hoping he succeeds!

…

…

Wednesday. Overcast.

Morning recess exercise.

Xu Chen stretched with the times while sneaking peeks toward Class 3 several times.

But Xie Bingran was nowhere to be seen.

She didn’t show up again today, did she?

And this afternoon was the city games tryouts.

Third-year Class 3 homeroom teacher Huang Aiying stood behind the line, her brows knit, looking even more resentful than a few days ago.

After the warm-up, students whispered, waiting for the dismissal order.

The rotund Discipline Office Director grabbed the mic, launching into a long lecture on discipline, drawing yawns from below.

Xu Chen stood quietly at the back, staring at the gloomy sky, sensing the suffocating pressure of an impending storm.

At one moment the mic emitted a harsh buzz, prompting many to cover their ears.

“Now, a disciplinary announcement.

Yesterday evening off campus, there was a vicious brawl.

Some of our students were involved, clashing seriously with outsiders, causing a bad incident…

After careful deliberation, the school has decided on the following penalties:

Xie Bingran of Third Year Class 3 will receive a serious demerit.

Li Rui of Third Year Class 3 will receive a serious demerit.

Fang Tao of Third Year Class 10 will receive a serious demerit.

Li Yongzhi of Third Year Class 10 will receive a demerit…”

As the Discipline Office Director finished, a roar of discussion erupted across the field.

Xu Chen remained silent.

Xie Bingran had gotten into trouble again…

He sighed, a bit annoyed.

Even with foresight from rebirth, some unforeseen events still occurred.

Besides, Xie Bingran’s timeline had already been altered by Xu Chen.

Bing Ge’s identity, personality, and past were like a deep mire, still clinging and tearing at Xie Bingran.

Hard to break free.

Xu Chen pondered how to pull her out completely and quickly.

A whole new identity was undoubtedly the strongest solvent to erase the old past.

He needed to get Xie Bingran to see her destiny as a “genius athlete”…

A new identity and new relationships would open up a new life pattern.

Only by embracing her new identity could the Servitude Contract she signed with Xu Chen become commercially meaningful.

Of course, Xu Chen’s desire to help Xie Bingran wasn’t entirely driven by mundane profit.

The emotional bond they formed since middle school also made it hard for him to watch her fall.

Now the biggest problem was:

Where was Bing Ge?

Would this disciplinary incident affect the city games tryouts this afternoon…