Shi Tiexin suddenly understood. So that was what this was about.
He truly had not realized this was even an issue, because to him, something this small did not even count as a problem. At Tumubao Orphanage and the Star Engineering Federation Children's School, this was exceedingly commonplace—well, soaking someone in a urine bucket was not quite so commonplace, since there were no urine buckets there.
If students did not fight and clash with one another, how could they determine superiority and inferiority, rank and status? From childhood to adulthood, he had lived in such an environment. He had long grown accustomed to it and, from the bottom of his heart, did not think it was a big deal.
The other consciousness in his mental domain trembled, urgently feeding the relevant rules into his mind. Only then did Shi Tiexin learn that such a thing here was actually a serious violation of regulations, far worse in nature than roaring in class.
Shi Tiexin was speechless. Holy crap, no way?
But it made sense. If not for such a system, how could those guys possibly be such weak chickens? In my world, someone as weak as Teng Chaobiao daring to be a Street Sweeping Tiger would have been shoved into a latrine to eat shit by the age of five.
Forget it, no point worrying about that. I, Old Tie, am open and aboveboard. One is one, two is two. Even if the consequences are severe, I, Old Tie, would never stoop to lying!
—But I can choose to stay silent and say nothing~~ Hehehe~~
He hurriedly talked himself down. Forget it... take it easy... don't be so hardheaded. I was just punished yesterday for violating school rules. If I get caught seriously breaking regulations again today, I might really have to pack up and leave. Better not say anything...
But this world did not even allow people to fight. What kind of bullshit system was that?!
Shi Tiexin said nothing, but Zheng Kaiming was not surprised. Though their contact had been brief, in Zheng Kaiming's eyes, Shi Tiexin was the sort of student who spoke little, was honest and simple, yet harbored great ambitions. With his temperament, if he encountered slander, there was a high chance he would not speak up to protest his innocence.
"Heh, not talking? You think bribing the entire Class 28 to give false testimony for you, then erasing the traces of evidence, means it's over? Get a student to scrub the restroom floor, then pour half a bucket of water into the urine bucket—who could still verify the concentration or purity inside it? These are all petty tricks. They can't clear you of suspicion at all."
As Zheng Kaiming spoke, he continued observing Shi Tiexin's reaction without showing it.
And Shi Tiexin was indeed becoming unhappy.
This was a matter of consciousness, a matter of understanding. He could understand that roaring and making a racket in class counted as violating school rules, because in that world, if someone yelled and flipped a table while a mentor at the Mind Arts Sacred Land was teaching, being transferred to another class would be the least of it. Getting beaten senseless, having one's foundation crippled, and being thrown out the door would all be considered light punishment.
So when he was dealt with, although Shi Tiexin felt somewhat wronged, he generally accepted it and had not thought of arguing his case.
But as for beating up Teng Chaoguo, Shi Tiexin had never regarded it as an issue from the bottom of his heart. No matter how much information the other consciousness sent over or explained the situation, it could not change Shi Tiexin's worldview. In his eyes, a brat like Teng Chaoguo deserved a beating. Besides, the other side had provoked him first, and he had merely struck back. No one had any right to interfere.
Besides, this was tied to my Destiny Mission. How could I possibly not fight?
It was just a fight. Why were they being so relentlessly overbearing about it? Was it wrong for me to take down a few delinquents or what?!
Shi Tiexin was unconvinced, but he was not stupid. He knew he could not argue with Zheng Kaiming at a time like this, so he kept his mouth tightly shut. Yet his breathing quickened involuntarily, and he found it difficult to hide his emotions.
A gleam flashed through Zheng Kaiming's eyes—look! Look at the deep anger in those eyes, and that heartfelt refusal to submit! My, Zheng Kaiming's, eyes were bright as torches; I could not possibly be mistaken. If someone had truly done wrong, it was absolutely impossible for him to feel such utterly guiltless defiance.
It seemed those four really had made a false accusation. There was no doubt about it, one hundred percent!
Still, he had some expectations for a student like Shi Tiexin. If he kept muddling around in the Trash Class, it would be a waste of such character and backbone. Jade could not become a vessel without carving; he needed some urging, some fire added beneath him.
"Heh, still not talking? Fine. Whether you admit it or not, it doesn't matter. I can set this aside. I only want to discuss one thing. Student Shi Tiexin, will you have money to eat next semester?"
Huh? What did that mean? I won't be able to afford food?
As Shi Tiexin puzzled over it, the other consciousness suddenly trembled violently and sent over a stream of information. Shi Tiexin abruptly understood—he truly did not have money to eat! His empty meal card today had not been an accident. Over here, he could be said to possess no property whatsoever and had indeed been trapped in financial hardship for a long time.
No wonder his weight was so low. He really had been eating badly all along.
No, that was not right. Another piece of information came through. Shi Tiexin frowned and spoke. "I signed a contract with the school."
"That's right. After you became the top scorer in the high school entrance exam, the school signed a contract with you. As long as you attended Fengming First High School, Fengming First High School would waive all your tuition, miscellaneous fees, and textbook fees, while also providing living-assistance grants. The school will not breach the contract; the agreed terms will definitely be honored. But do not forget that the grant clause we signed included an additional condition: you must remain in the Elite Class in order to receive that year's grant."
The Elite Class? There was such a condition?
The other consciousness trembled even more fiercely, sending over piece after piece of information. Shi Tiexin discovered that Zheng Kaiming was not talking nonsense. There really was such a condition!
Back then, several schools had wanted to sign Scholar Stone, but Fengming First High School had offered comparatively generous terms. Moreover, Shi Tiexin here had neither father nor mother and was an orphan. The grant conditions had been highly attractive to him.
Back then, he had been Scholar Stone. How could he have considered the possibility that he would be unable to stay in the Elite Class? At the time, that restriction had seemed no different from no restriction at all. Who could have known that thirty years east of the river, three months west of the river—never think that a poor youth was guaranteed to stay awesome. Now he was both poor and lame, having fallen straight into the Trash Class and become a poor loser!
That meant...
"That means that if you cannot fight your way back into the Elite Class in the first-year final exams, you will not even be able to top up your meal card!"
Shi Tiexin's eyes widened—holy crap, that meant I had to... keep bullying those four guys for the long haul?
Hmm... that didn't seem too bad.
But if he could successfully obtain the Mind Arts manual, then he should still be able to struggle his way out of the Trash Class and enter a Regular Class. At the very least, he would no longer have to live across from the restroom. It really stank unbearably.
"Shi Tiexin, beating fellow students is a serious violation. Do you think you've adapted well to the lifestyle of the Trash Class?" Zheng Kaiming did not care what Shi Tiexin was thinking and spoke with a cold smile. "Since you have adapted so well, the decision regarding your punishment is simple. Next semester, unless you test your way into the Elite Class, none of your benefits will change in the slightest. You will continue living across from the restroom and continue eating pig slop from the Trash Class window."
Before you continue