This chapter is brought to you by Lilyj, thanks for the ko-fi! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･
President 9
When someone came to collect the homework, Tang Xi suddenly realized he had completely forgotten about it.
His face instantly turned into a teary-eyed cat emoji. After getting no help from the system, he turned to his deskmate—the top student in their grade.
Ye Qian was still in a daze from hearing Tang Xi call his name earlier. But when he saw the pleading look, he wordlessly handed over his homework.
He usually skipped steps when doing assignments, and the teachers never minded. But for some reason, last night, he had the urge to write out every step, as if he had already predicted that his little deskmate would come asking to copy.
Tang Xi deliberately wrote a few answers wrong so it wouldn’t be a perfect score.
We, cat is quite cunning, after all.
The class monitor sighed enviously, “You two have such a great relationship.” After all, the school heartthrob had never let anyone copy his homework before.
She had to fight the urge to rush to the school forum and scream about this adorable moment.
Tang Xi: [Why does the class monitor’s smile look so… kind and benevolent?]
1551, who had already gone back to slacking off and reading: [It’s just your imagination.]
It had also seen the school forum, where posts about Tang Xi and Ye Qian as a CP were trending. But 1551 dismissed it as nonsense, convinced that it wouldn’t affect Ye Qian’s romantic fate in the slightest.
What a joke. Human kids are so naïve—they can’t even recognize a true fated couple when they see one.
Of course, where there are fans, there are also haters. It even noticed someone using a small account named “OuOu”, constantly stirring up drama and cursing people in the CP posts.
[Ye Qian is just being nice and looking after the new student a little. A CP? Am I the only one who thinks that new student doesn’t deserve it?]
[So what if he’s good-looking? Ye Qian isn’t someone who judges by appearances. I bet that new student just thinks too highly of himself.]
The person’s comments seemed to reveal a deep admiration for Ye Qian, almost as if he were sacred and untouchable. At the same time, the hostility toward its host was obvious.
Even after being countered by others, they stubbornly continued with sarcastic remarks.
Without a second thought, 1551 simply blacklisted the account.
Meanwhile, under the class monitor’s unwavering gaze, Tang Xi finally finished copying the last question.
Just as he handed in the homework, Teacher Huang walked in, carrying a thermos.
He gave a satisfied nod at the students reading aloud seriously, then, as if he had just appeared out of thin air, vanished back into his office.
Tang Xi let out a sigh of relief—this was his first time experiencing the thrill of secretly finishing homework during morning self-study.
The first period was Teacher Huang’s class. The moment the bell rang, he stepped in, still holding his thermos.
Placing it down, he scanned the classroom with an amiable yet piercing gaze. “Would anyone like to volunteer to recite the classical Chinese passage from yesterday?”
Instantly, everyone lowered their heads, terrified of making eye contact.
Tang Xi blinked in confusion and whispered, “Did he say we had to memorize it?”
His voice was so soft that only Ye Qian could hear, but somehow, Teacher Huang seemed to have telepathically picked up on it.
“Just because I didn’t tell you to memorize it, does that mean you don’t have to? You’re in senior year, not kindergarten! Do I have to grab you by the ear for you to know what to do? A teacher can only guide you to the door—whether you step through it is up to you.”
“Alright then, since no one is volunteering, I’ll just pick someone.” He slowly unscrewed his thermos and took a sip of steaming hot water.
Tang Xi watched as the teacher’s gaze gradually settled on him. If he had a tail right now, it would definitely be standing on end.
“…Teacher, I’ll do it.”
Ye Qian, who had been sitting beside him, suddenly stood up.
Teacher Huang was a little surprised but mostly pleased. He nodded approvingly. “Alright then, you go ahead.”
Ye Qian looked straight ahead and recited the entire passage fluently, without a single pause.
“Very good! Everyone should learn from Ye Qian. Do you know why he gets such high scores? Because he puts in the effort—working hard even when no one is watching…” Teacher Huang, thoroughly satisfied, motioned for him to sit down and took the opportunity to deliver his daily motivational speech.
Tang Xi quietly gave Ye Qian a thumbs-up. “That was amazing.”
Sensing his deskmate’s admiration, Ye Qian responded warmly, “Take your time. You can memorize it just as well.”
“Mhm!” Tang Xi clenched his fist lightly and buried his head in his book, seriously studying the complex characters.
After absorbing knowledge for two whole periods, Tang Xi felt as if he were basking in the holy light of wisdom.
As soon as the break bell rang, he rushed to the restroom and splashed some cold water on his face.
When he looked up, he suddenly noticed an extra figure in the mirror, startling him.
Water droplets were still on his face, making him look slightly drenched. The shock drained the color from his cheeks, leaving him looking especially pitiful.
“Why are you so easy to scare? Your courage is way too small.” Shen Chensi hadn’t expected to startle him and awkwardly rubbed his nose.
He had actually meant to apologize, but somehow, it came out sounding like he was teasing him.
Tang Xi shot him an annoyed glance. “Weren’t you skipping class?”
“Someone wanted me to come, so here I am.” Shen Chensi grinned.
…Who? Ye Qian?
Tang Xi’s ears perked up in curiosity.
Shen Chensi looked at his genuinely confused expression and suddenly felt irritated. “Weren’t you the one standing under the teaching building earlier, desperately wanted me not to skipping class?”
Earlier, after skipping class and sneaking off to an internet café to play games, Shen Chensi had felt strangely restless, like there was a tiny cat paw scratching at his heart. In the end, he couldn’t shake off the feeling and came back.
And now, the culprit was acting like he didn’t remember a thing.
Tang Xi’s expression grew even more puzzled. He had only asked a simple question—how did it suddenly turn into him desperately wanting the other person not to skipping class?
This supposed main protagonist gong didn’t seem very smart.
But as a responsible and dedicated little cat, it was still his duty to push the romance forward.
“Are your grades really that bad?”
“Hmm?” Shen Chensi was momentarily stunned by the sudden shift in topic, but he nodded honestly. “Yeah.”
A top student and a failing student—if they were going to spark a romantic connection, tutoring was definitely a must.
Two people, in a dimly lit room, studying hard for university together—what could be more youthful and romantic than that?
Tang Xi’s little brain thought this was a flawless, genius plan. Without a second thought, he blurted out, “But Ye Qian has really good grades.”
1551, in the system space, couldn’t bear to watch and closed its nonexistent eyes.
How foolish. It knew this was just a dumb cat, yet it still expected an innocent little cat—who knew nothing—to successfully play matchmaker for the original protagonist couple.
Tang Xi, who had rarely interacted with humans, was often blunt with his words. He didn’t realize that saying something like that would only provoke Shen Chensi.
So when Shen Chensi, now angry, trapped him between his chest and the sink, Tang Xi just stared at him with wide, innocent eyes, completely clueless as to why he was so mad.
“What’s so great about him? You just transferred here, and you’re already talking about him all the time.” Shen Chensi lowered his voice.
Tang Xi didn’t like being cornered like this. Feeling a little wronged, he mumbled, “He’s just really good.”
“He’s great at studying and takes good care of his classmates. He even lends his notes to those who don’t understand and brings them small cream cakes,” Tang Xi listed Ye Qian’s good qualities, hoping to earn him some favor in Shen Chensi’s eyes.
However, Shen Chensi’s attention was never on Ye Qian. He shot Tang Xi a mocking glance and sneered, “That classmate who gets all this care—isn’t that you? Let me guess, a lousy little cake was all it took to win you over? How pathetic.” He deliberately emphasized the words “gets all this care.”
Tang Xi’s face paled, and he cried out in his mind to the system: [1551, did you hear that? He actually called the cream cake ‘lousy’!]
1551 had long since given up trying to reason with this foolish cat.
As long as food was involved, his entire focus would always be on the food.
To Shen Chensi, however, Tang Xi’s dazed expression while talking to the system just looked like he had been scared stiff.
Shen Chensi jerked his arms back as if he had been electrocuted, took two steps back, and wanted to apologize—but his pride wouldn’t let him.
In frustration, he kicked a nearby bucket against the wall and stormed off without looking back.
His lackey, who had been standing guard at the door, blocking others from entering, was just about to greet him enthusiastically when Shen Chensi walked out—only to be completely ignored.
Confused, the lackey watched his boss hurry away.
Unable to figure out what had happened, he then saw another boy step out of the restroom, his face a little pale and still damp with water.
The two had left almost one after the other.
The lackey connected the dots and dramatically smacked his thigh.
Wait—could Boss have just bullied that kid?!
Shen Chensi was the school’s top delinquent, but he had never actually bullied his classmates. He only fought with students from other schools. That was precisely why the lackey admired him so much and wanted to follow him.
But if Boss really did bully someone… was he supposed to turn him in for the greater good?!
The more he thought about it, the more distressed he became.
Tang Xi, meanwhile, glanced curiously at the guy standing at the restroom door, staring at him intently, slapping his own thigh, and making a terrifying expression.
. . . . .
As soon as the fourth period ended at noon, Tang Xi bolted out of the classroom at the same speed as always, not giving anyone a chance to react.
According to the system, the butler had gone to clean the bedroom earlier but didn’t see him there. After searching both the second and third floors without success, he started to panic and asked everyone to help look for him.
Just as Tang Xi arrived, the butler was about to call He Wang to report the situation.
If He Wang found out, it would only make it even harder for Tang Xi to sneak off to school in the future.
In a hurry, he peeked his little head out from the second floor and let out a series of meows.
The butler had just begun dialing when he heard the meowing. Letting out a relieved sigh, he said, “Oh, my little ancestor, where have you been hiding?”
Tang Xi flicked his tail innocently. “Meow.”
As if he wasn’t the cause of the entire household’s panic just moments ago.
A maid nearby also sighed in relief. “Tangkuai probably just dozed off somewhere. This kitten is so small, no wonder he was hard to find.”
Tang Xi meowed in agreement.
“Good thing nothing happened this time. If something had, we’d all be in trouble when Master found out,” the butler muttered, setting down a specially prepared dish of cat food in front of Tang Xi.
Tang Xi carefully picked out the salmon and caviar first, savoring them before reluctantly swallowing the leftover tuna in one bite—without even chewing.
He didn’t like the greasy taste of tuna.
Cats were creatures that knew how to enjoy life, but Tang Xi had grown up frugal. He had often gone hungry as a kitten, so he was never picky about food. If something was placed in front of him, he would eat it.
As soon as he finished, someone swiftly removed his bowl and replaced it with a small dish of goat’s milk.
Tang Xi eagerly lapped it up with his tiny tongue and even tried licking the bottom of the dish to catch the last traces of milk.
But the dish was promptly taken away as well. The diligent maid, before leaving, gave his little head a gentle pat.
And so, Tang Xi, still dazed and with a milk-stained mouth, was carried back to his room on the second floor.
This time, the butler surrounded him with plush toys, including his favorite fluffy ball, creating a barrier to keep him from running off again.
“Be good and stay here to play. No more running around.”
Tang Xi hugged a plush ball almost as big as himself, the two fluffy bundles looking as well-behaved as could be.
After watching him play for a while and making sure he wouldn’t wander off, the butler finally felt reassured enough to leave.
As soon as the butler left, Tang Xi kicked the plush ball away.
“Meow meow meow!” I need to go to school! Time for a new strategy!
1551: [What strategy?]
Tang Xi: [I’ll start with Ye Qian!]
Since Shen Chensi was so fierce, he figured he’d get the gentle Ye Qian to notice him first. That way, nothing could go wrong, right?
With a flick of his fluffy tail, Tang Xi smugly began plotting ways to say just the right things about Shen Chensi in front of Ye Qian.