Good, Very Energetic

"People experience three deaths in their lives. I skipped biological death and fast-forwarded straight to social death. Lin Li, if I jumped down right now, what would you think when you saw my corpse with its eyes still open?"

Zhou Baowei pressed himself against the window and looked down at the ground outside. The more he looked, the more it resembled a cozy bed, making him want to lie down on it immediately.

"I'd wonder whether I should go see the newest movie, 947 Bureau, this afternoon."

"Don't we have class this afternoon?" Zhou Baowei asked in confusion.

"If you jump, you won't need to go to class." Bai Bufan poked his head over and joined in, asking it back in a tone that implied, How could you ask such a low-IQ question? Then he looked at Lin Li. "Let's go to the cinema together then. But I want to watch Undersea Fortress."

"Does it really go under the sea? If it really does, then I have to watch it too."

"You guys, you guys..." Zhou Baowei was so moved by his brothers that he could not speak.

They really were good brothers. He had not even jumped yet, and they were already making arrangements for the aftermath—if that aftermath had been his own, Zhou Baowei would have been even more touched.

Zhou Baowei dejectedly returned to his seat, feeling a little hopeless.

The thought that his image in the Class Monitor's mind had been completely ruined—and that it would very likely spread through late-night dorm chats to the ears of every girl in the class—made Zhou Baowei lose all will to live.

He hoped the girls' late-night dorm chats were like the boys', eventually veering into world affairs and worries for the nation instead of fixating on him.

"My reputation is ruined."

"Relax. Maybe the Class Monitor did not even remember a minor character like you. To her, it was probably just a joke that went in one ear and out the other," Bai Bufan comforted him.

"..."

That somehow felt worse than having his reputation ruined.

"I'm never doing weird nonsense again. No one understands my humor, but some people really think I'm a fucking idiot, boohoo..." Zhou Baowei reflected painfully and made up his mind.

"What about Genshin?" Hearing that, Lin Li leaned back and looked past Bai Bufan to ask with concern.

"Launch—!! It!!!" Zhou Baowei reflexively sat upright and dragged out the words with all his strength.

Lin Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Thank goodness. He had nearly set this kid on the right track in life. After all, people who did not do weird nonsense had a future. It seemed Zhou Baowei had just been talking.

Weird nonsense was not that easy to quit. Addicts craved another hit every second of every day.

Lin Li looked at Task Five's progress bar. It had risen a little; after all, he had indeed exchanged a few words with the Class Monitor. But it was so negligible that it could be ignored.

"Lin Li, how's it going?" Bai Bufan asked once only the two of them remained.

"What do you mean?"

"The plan to destroy the Gentle Harbor for single men in Xi Ling Town."

"That? Progress is zero."

"You're so useless. I thought you had connections. I've already got a few leads on my end," Bai Bufan said disdainfully.

"You? If you have connections, I'll write the character Lin backwards from now on," Lin Li scoffed.

"Can you write it upside down?"

"No. One thing at a time." Lin Li shook his head.

"I really do. Last night, I tried browsing local short videos, then sent private messages to accounts whose style looked suspicious. A lot of them replied. Can those people become our targets?" Bai Bufan said as he drank his sa soup.

Lin Li raised an eyebrow. He had not thought of Bai Bufan's approach for the moment.

But he quickly saw the problem.

The mission description said he needed to destroy the Joyful Union Demon's stronghold.

Even if those self-media bloggers really worked in that trade, perhaps they were independent operators? Joyful Union rogue cultivators who had not joined a sect but had somehow stolen its methods?

That probably would not complete the mission.

But perhaps one of those bloggers was a madam.

Could they follow the trail to their stronghold?

With that in mind, Lin Li nodded. "Maybe, but I need to see the specifics."

"Alright. I didn't bring my phone, though. Why don't you come to our dorm at noon and take a look? I'm already dying to do some entrapment," Bai Bufan said with a nod.

He had shown the potential of a fishing addict since childhood. His life was basically over. If this really worked, Lin Li would give him a pair of Air Force 1s—Putian ones, of course.

"Sure." Lin Li nodded. Although he had arranged to study with Chen Yuying at noon, they had actually agreed on the official nap period. He had no place in the dorm anyway. Once the official nap bell rang, he could return to the classroom and find the Class Monitor.

The bell signaling the end of fifth period rang.

Figures surged outside the windows, each one running as fast as they could, as though they would not get food if they were late.

—And they really might not.

It was not like they would actually go hungry, but they might have to queue for ten-odd minutes.

Because a certain someone had guided her into telling stories about her college days for twenty minutes, the English teacher still had a great deal of material left unfinished.

Yet faced with everyone's eager gazes toward the windows, followed by meaningful looks back at her, the young and softhearted Kou Kou helplessly put down her textbook and waved her hand. "Class dismissed."

The room scattered like monkeys fleeing a fallen tree.

"Goodbye, Kou Kou Teacher." As a privileged student who went home for lunch, Lin Li naturally did not need to hurry like everyone else. He leisurely headed for the main gate while greeting Kou Kou.

"Lin Li, I'm glad you took your teacher's words to heart. You were very attentive today," Kou Kou said when she saw it was Lin Li.

Lin Li had finally been energetic today.

"Teacher, it's what I should do."

Thanks to cultivating the Spiritual Energy Chapter today, Lin Li was brimming with energy and was not sleepy at all.

Sadly, he could only keep this up for two more days—no, one day. The day after tomorrow, he would only have one spirit stone left, and for the remaining half hour he could only practice the normal Body Tempering Eight Section Exercise.

"I'm not done yet." Kou Kou smiled.

"Please, keep praising me." Seeing Kou Kou smile, Lin Li smiled too, feeling as though a spring breeze had washed over him.

"But could you use that attentiveness in English class instead of on your teacher's stories!" Kou Kou was actually laughing in exasperation.

This damned kid.

Was he energetic when she taught the actual lesson content?

He was.

But—

Before, he had listlessly giggled with Bai Bufan during class.

Today, he energetically giggled with Bai Bufan during class.

—So he giggled even louder.

That would have been fine. At least after she scolded him, he would genuinely listen to the lesson.

Though he was still somewhat distracted.

Yet whenever she began talking about something outside the textbook, about her own experiences or stories, he instantly became the perfect straight man. He never let a single one of her remarks fall flat, gave her maximum emotional validation, and his eyes even shone.

And every time she was about to finish a story, this kid would keenly ask a question—one she herself wanted to tell everyone about—extending the off-topic segment.

He coaxed her into talking too much without her noticing.

Half a class period. An entire half of the period.

Normally, she would only spend five minutes at most talking about her past! If this kid could use that conversational skill during her regular lessons, what an accomplished class it would be!

Hearing that, Lin Li honestly blinked.

"Are you this attentive in other classes too? Didn't they say you only seriously answered questions related to the lessons?" Kou Kou could not help asking.

"...Yes."

"I'll ask the other teachers after I return to the office."

"Then no."

Kou Kou: "..."

So what she longed for was simply the other teachers' everyday experience.

"Why... why... why..."

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