My Life Is Doomed

"So everyone sitting in our circle knew about it." Qiao Sang was speechless.

"Isn't it better to share the fun than enjoy it alone?" Fang Sisi said with a smile.

Qiao Sang finally failed to hold back her laughter. "Hahaha, you have a point."

"Hahahahaha..." Fang Sisi laughed out loud too.

Although she had told plenty of people about it, she still found it hilarious every time she recounted it.

The two laughed foolishly together for a while. Once they were tired of laughing, Qiao Sang asked, "Why didn't Old Class Teacher just buy a bottle of Su Root Gel?"

Su Root Gel was extracted from the Su Egg Basin.

Whenever a Su Egg Basin slept, it closed its eggshell. When it woke up in the morning and its shell split apart, a trace amount of gel would seep out. That was known as Su Root Gel.

This gel had the miraculous effect of promoting hair growth, saving far more time and effort than hair transplants.

"One bottle of Su Root Gel costs half of Old Class Teacher's annual salary. Hair transplants are much cheaper," Fang Sisi said.

Indeed, anything involving Extraordinary Creatures was outrageously expensive these days.

Although hair was the life of a middle-aged man, Old Class Teacher had a wife and children to support. There was no way he could splurge on a bottle of Su Root Gel for himself.

Thinking about it that way, Qiao Sang found Old Class Teacher rather pitiful.

Teacher Ji, who taught their third-period Pet Beast and Nature class, loved asking questions, especially questions directed at students with poor grades.

Qiao Sang had been called on plenty of times before. While she had been away these past days, the pressure had been shared among several people ranked close to her.

"Round Spot Bud evolves into Poison Powder Jasmine in the Lianke Region." Teacher Ji gave the correct answer to the second fill-in-the-blank question on the test paper. Afterward, she pushed up her glasses and asked, "So, does anyone know what Round Spot Bud evolves into in the Liaoxi Region?"

Some Pet Beasts had fixed evolutions, while others evolved into different forms depending on their evolution materials and environment.

Round Spot Bud belonged to the latter category. So far, four different evolutionary forms under different conditions were known.

The students below all lowered their heads and stared intently at their test papers, afraid that if they looked up, they might accidentally meet Teacher Ji's gaze.

This test paper had been handed out last week, and Qiao Sang did not have one. She was turned sideways, looking at Fang Sisi's paper with her.

Teacher Ji looked toward the area where Qiao Sang, Fang Sisi, Guo Linze, and a group of Academic Underachievers were gathered.

Guo Linze instantly grew nervous. He had been called on quite a few times recently. His eyes wandered until they landed on Qiao Sang, seated to his front left.

"Qiao Sang, you don't have a test paper, right? You can use mine." Guo Linze patted Qiao Sang on the shoulder and spoke softly.

They had been talking about the test paper for over ten minutes, and only now you're offering it to me?

Qiao Sang wanted to refuse. She raised her eyes and was about to turn around when her gaze met Teacher Ji's.

"Qiao Sang, you answer."

Qiao Sang: "..."

Guo Linze, you scheming bastard!

"Ice Powder Jasmine." Qiao Sang stood and answered.

Teacher Ji saw that she had answered correctly and asked again, "What about in the Xilu Region?"

"Grass Powder Jasmine," Qiao Sang said.

"Very good. Sit down." Teacher Ji nodded in satisfaction, then asked, "Does anyone know which region Water Powder Jasmine, the last form, evolves in?"

Qiao Sang sat down, turned around, and snatched the test paper from Guo Linze's desk. Smiling, she said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony."

Caught off guard, Guo Linze tried to hold down the paper with his hand, but failed. His hand struck the desk, making quite a loud noise.

"Guo Linze, stand up and answer."

Guo Linze: "...!"

Soon, it was break time.

"Qiao Sang, the Class Teacher is looking for you." Ma Xiao, the class's study representative, walked over.

What was coming would come eventually.

Qiao Sang put down her book and headed to the office with a completely different mood from last time.

"You requested leave for so many days. Fill out the leave form afterward." Old Class Teacher opened a drawer and placed a leave form on the desk.

Qiao Sang's eyes involuntarily drifted toward Old Class Teacher's head.

Still a wig. She wondered what it looked like underneath...

"Qiao Sang." Old Class Teacher called her name, his tone somewhat dangerous.

Qiao Sang hurriedly picked up a pen and began filling out the leave form.

"Is your mother all right now?" Old Class Teacher asked.

Qiao Sang froze for a moment before answering, "She's fine now."

Once she had filled out the leave form, Old Class Teacher picked up a notebook from beside him and placed it in front of Qiao Sang. "You've fallen behind quite a bit in your review these past few days. These are the notes of a student from my previous class. He scored 632 on the High School Entrance Exam. Take them back and study them carefully."

The High School Entrance Exam had a maximum score of 650. A score of 632 was truly impressive.

Qiao Sang was silent for a while, but she did not refuse. This was indeed what she needed most right now.

"Thank you, Teacher."

Old Class Teacher waved a hand, indicating that she could leave.

Qiao Sang could not describe how she felt. Old Class Teacher might have some flaws, but who did not? At the very least, he had nothing to criticize when it came to how he treated his students.

Even though he had lost his precious hair because of her, he had not used his position to get revenge on her.

Qiao Sang was deeply moved and asked with concern, "Teacher, is your hair okay?"

Old Class Teacher's expression froze, and he stood there blankly.

After a while, Old Class Teacher took a deep breath and said, "Would your mother really let her illness delay you from coming to school for so long?"

Qiao Sang: "..."

After school that afternoon, Qiao Sang decided to confess directly to her mother.

The consequences would definitely be different if the matter came from her mouth rather than Old Class Teacher's.

But when she got home, her mother had not returned yet.

"Fire Fang Dog, you mop this side, and I'll mop that side." Qiao Sang took a damp rag and handed it to Fire Fang Dog, pointing to the right half of the living room.

Qiao Sang had already thought it through. When her mother came home and saw that the room was spotless, the floor had been mopped, and dinner had been made, even the greatest anger would ease considerably.

"Fang!"

Fire Fang Dog answered cheerfully, stepped on the rag with one paw, and got to work.

Its right foreleg pressed down on the rag while its left foreleg pushed backward. Its body slid forward along with the rag for a distance.

"Fang."

"Fang Fang~"

It chirped happily even as it mopped.

Though it was physical labor, Fire Fang Dog treated it like some fun game.

What a good child.

Qiao Sang felt immensely gratified as she picked up the mop and began cleaning the left half of the living room.

In the fading light of dusk, pale orange sunlight streamed through the glass and fell across the floor, illuminating both the girl and Fire Fang Dog.

Everything was so peaceful and beautiful.

Fire Fang Dog happily stepped on the rag, moving faster and faster, sliding quicker and quicker.

Bang!

A loud crash shattered the tranquil moment.

Qiao Sang looked up to see shards of porcelain scattered all over the floor beside Fire Fang Dog.

Qiao Sang's heart skipped a beat. Without time to think, she threw down the mop, ran over, picked Fire Fang Dog up, and checked it over anxiously. "Are you okay?"

"Fang!"

Fire Fang Dog barked loudly and wagged its tail to show that it was fine. It pointed at the fragments of celadon on the floor with its paw.

"Fang fang fang."

"Fang fang."

"Fang fang."

After explaining, Fire Fang Dog looked guilty, its ears drooping.

"It's fine if the vase broke. As long as you're okay."

Only after comforting Fire Fang Dog did Qiao Sang look back at the shards on the floor.

She remembered that her mother had brought this back from a trip to the Lianbo Region. There seemed to be the signature of some Beast Tamer her mother liked on the bottom of the vase...

Click.

Just then, the door opened.

Qiao Sang turned to look at her mother's face, and four words surfaced in her mind.

My life is doomed...