Li Zhengxing's enthusiastic attitude had caught Su Yuan completely off guard.
He couldn't help wondering: what was this villainous young master up to? What kind of villain acted like this?
Shouldn't villains take a good, hard look at themselves?
Perhaps noticing the strange look on Su Yuan's face, Li Zhengxing finally let go of Su Yuan's hand, which he'd been gripping tightly, and said with an easy smile:
"I was worried Chen Nuoyi would really follow Old Master Chen's wishes and apply to Star River Dao Sect. Now that she has a boyfriend, I can finally relax."
"Ahem."
Su Yuan reminded him:
"The Class Monitor and I are just classmates and friends. Don't get the wrong idea."
"Oh, is that so? Then I was presumptuous."
Li Zhengxing seemed to understand, but after taking a good look at the two of them standing so close together, he added:
"Even if there really is nothing between you, I'm afraid Old Master Chen will get the wrong idea."
Su Yuan said, "You're right about that."
Chen Nuoyi's brows knitted slightly. Looking at Li Zhengxing, who had acted strangely from the moment he arrived, she asked coldly:
"May I ask what brings you here, Fellow Daoist Li?"
Chen Nuoyi hadn't wanted to deal with this young master of the Li Family in the first place, but her keen instincts told her that he seemed to have taken a dislike to her.
That was pretty infuriating. Telephone Customer Service had feelings too, okay?!
At that, Li Zhengxing's smile faded, and his expression grew a little more serious. He said solemnly:
"Miss Chen, I'm guessing you're very unhappy about the proposed marriage alliance between the Chen and Li Families, right?"
Chen Nuoyi nodded.
Li Zhengxing sighed.
"I heard about this a few days before you did. I looked into it and found that you were spending a lot of time with a boy from an ordinary family. I guessed we might end up with a plot like Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai."
"Of course, your relationship isn't quite what I imagined, but it's not far off."
"You think I'm like Ma Wencai from the story, but actually... I have a Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai of my own. My family doesn't approve of us either."
"So, as far as I'm concerned, you two are the Ma Wencais."
At this point, Su Yuan and Chen Nuoyi finally understood.
"So you fell for a girl from an ordinary family behind your family's back?"
Su Yuan asked curiously.
The plot had suddenly turned into an overbearing CEO romance.
Li Zhengxing immediately retorted, "She's different from other girls. You wouldn't understand her!"
Su Yuan: "..."
Good grief, it got even more intense!
"Anyway, I came here to make my position clear. I think we can work together and sabotage our families' marriage plans."
Li Zhengxing said seriously.
"Good!" Chen Nuoyi nodded without hesitation. "Su Yuan and I won't apply to Star River Dao Sect. You can rest assured about that."
"Having your word on that puts my mind at ease."
Li Zhengxing let out a long breath, then reminded them:
"But that alone won't be enough. You two still need to do your best to improve your strength and gain more say after the college entrance exams, so the Chen and Li Families can't throw their weight around and influence your decisions."
"It would be best if you could score higher than me on the college entrance exams."
A determined glint flashed in Chen Nuoyi's beautiful eyes.
"Of course."
Su Yuan said nothing, but he couldn't help grumbling inwardly.
Going by the villainous young master script Li Zhengxing had been handed, shouldn't a cheat like me be able to surpass him by the climax?
Seeing how confident the two of them looked, Li Zhengxing raised an eyebrow and folded his arms with a smile.
"Since you're both so confident, I'll tell you my exact scores. That way, you can make a more precise plan to surpass me."
He spoke casually.
"I attend Shining Star High School, ranked number one in Taihua City."
"In last month's monthly exam, I scored 150 in General Studies, 150 in cultivation, 150 in Physical Education, 150 in martial arts, 75 in Spirit Script, and 72 in Dao Heart. My total score across all subjects was 747."
"My ranking... first in my grade at Shining Star High School."
"Since my school is the strongest in Taihua City, I'm also number one in the city—the de facto strongest high school student in Taihua."
Su Yuan and Chen Nuoyi: "..."
A big shot—no, a colossal big shot!
The two of them, who'd been brimming with confidence about taking down the villainous young master just moments ago, were now huddled together, trembling.
Small, pitiful, helpless—and with a really big appetite.
Li Zhengxing smiled with a hint of pride and said:
"Don't feel too pressured. I got full marks in five of my six subjects simply because I'm well-rounded."
"There are plenty of other prodigies who've achieved more than me in a particular subject. It's just that the maximum score is 150."
"Of course, I may not have reached the pinnacle in any single discipline, but I have a spiritual root, a spell vein, and a special constitution."
"Even if I can't match those once-in-a-century prodigies in a particular subject, I'm not far behind. And when it comes to evaluating overall ability, my first-place ranking in the city is well deserved."
Su Yuan and Chen Nuoyi: "..."
That's called modesty, but it's written as showing off, huh?!
All right, all right, that's more than enough. Hurry up and go home!
Su Yuan hurried to shoo him away. Staying with someone who was both talented and hardworking made him, a cheater, feel like there were needles pricking him all over.
"You're Su Yuan, right? From now on, we're fellow Daoists on the same road. Whatever happens, don't shoulder it alone. Just call me."
After giving Su Yuan his contact information, Li Zhengxing turned to leave.
Watching him walk away, Su Yuan's thoughts stirred again.
Wait! Li Zhengxing was so powerful—how was he supposed to beat this tragic Prodigy? Didn't that mean he wouldn't be able to complete the system mission for months, or even years?
No! Anything but that!
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"
Seeing that Li Zhengxing was about to board his Flying Boat and leave, Su Yuan hurriedly called out to him.
"Is there something else?"
Li Zhengxing turned back, curious.
Su Yuan fell silent. After holding it in for a full half minute, he finally raised a hand.
"How about a game of rock-paper-scissors?"
Li Zhengxing: "...Sure?"
Ten seconds later, Li Zhengxing's scissors collided with Su Yuan's rock.
"I lost."
Li Zhengxing shrugged, completely at a loss as to why Su Yuan had suddenly suggested they play.
"All right, all right, that's it. Fellow Daoist Li, off you go. Take care!"
After seeing off the utterly bewildered Li Zhengxing, Su Yuan turned to the System Panel before him.
[Had you completed the mission just ten minutes after it was issued? Haji, you rascal! No wonder you're a future Devil Dao Magnate. You don't hold grudges across chapters at all!] [Task Progress: Defeat the Righteous Path Prodigy (1/1)] [Task: Tragic Prodigy (Completed)] [Task Reward: Fate Change *1 (Issued)] [Fate Change: Upon use, you may activate one unrestricted Demonic Cultivation Technique · Finger Command and alter, within certain limits, the words displayed in the target's fate for that day.]
Seeing the description of this task reward, Su Yuan's eyes flew wide open!
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