The Fool

The Fool

A group of people entered through the cafeteria entrance.

They were all youthful, pretty girls. One of them had long hair, big eyes, and skin so fair it seemed to glow. Surrounded by the others like stars around the moon, she drew the attention of more than half the cafeteria the moment she appeared.

The girl was Cheng Queyi. Most people at The Academy knew her. Aside from her naturally eye-catching looks, she was also known for her terrifying record of holding first place in Mechanism Art.

That first place was not merely among students her own age.

It was first among all students at The Academy.

Naturally, Wang Wen knew her too.

And compared to everyone else, he knew her far better.

Because Cheng Queyi had been a member of his team—the most professional Mechanism Art master, and the darling everyone cherished in the palm of their hands.

She could have been as beautiful and brilliant as a rainbow.

Unfortunately, experiences from her student days had twisted her personality. She became extremely radical and severely depressed. During their final climb of the World Tower, her illness flared up, and she tortured herself to death.

Honestly, if she had not died, the team's final height would certainly have been far beyond 929.

Having lived another life, Wang Wen did not want to enter the World Tower, but if he could, he wanted to lend his old teammates a hand.

At the very least, he did not want her to go through that painful life again.

The boy who had been gnawing on fish bones swallowed. "Gulp." He seemed about to say something else.

Wang Wen checked the time, patted his arm, and asked, "Do you have any paper and a pen?"

"What for?" The boy curiously took out a notebook from his bag.

Wang Wen took the notebook and wrote several lines. He tore out the page, folded it carefully, then picked up his tray and walked toward the girls, who had just sat down.

The boy hurriedly packed up his things and chased after him. As soon as he reached the table, he heard the girls' chattering laughter.

"Out of all Queyi's admirers, you're one of the bolder ones."

"What do you mean, bold? I think he's just a dumb fool. He didn't even choose a proper setting—he just walked over with a tray in the Academy cafeteria."

"Exactly. What's going through that head of his? Aren't you worried about scaring our Yi Yi, hmm?"

The girls kept chattering.

"Hey!" The boy found their words unpleasant and felt indignant. In his eyes, the girls gathered around Cheng Queyi did not seem like decent people. There had always been a saying outside: if you wanted to get close to Cheng Queyi, you first had to feed the mouths around her.

What kind of people could freeload on food and drink so shamelessly?

Wang Wen did not mind. Grinning, he said, "Thank you, classmates, for making this possible." He pulled out his student card. "A good breakfast keeps your troubles away all day. I saw that the dessert counter has a new cake, so I hope you'll give me the chance to treat everyone."

The nearest girl, who wore glasses, stood and took the student card. Seeing that he did not seem to be joking, she deliberately smiled. "Does this card of yours have enough for all these mouths to eat, though?"

"It should be enough." Wang Wen nodded. "There are still more than four hundred Points on it."

The chatter stopped, and the girls exchanged looks.

They had seen plenty of admirers, and plenty of rich ones too. Forget four hundred Points—even admirers with four thousand or forty thousand Points, tossing money around just for a chance to be alone with the goddess, could line up around The Academy several times over.

Yet this poor brat with only four hundred Points dared join the fun?

"He really is a dumb fool." One girl shook her head and laughed.

The girl with glasses said, "You think four hundred Points will be enough to send us away? We're not just having cake. We want candy, cookies, and milk too. Be careful, or we'll drain your card dry!"

"Don't hold back." Wang Wen looked completely serious. "If it gets drained, I'll earn more."

At that, the other girls all got to their feet and headed toward the cafeteria counters, laughing and joking. Since someone was overestimating himself, there was no reason to turn down free food and drinks.

Cheng Queyi, who had been quietly eating with her head lowered, finally could not help looking up. She looked at Wang Wen and asked flatly, "What is it?"

Wang Wen sat in the newly vacated seat. Looking at that familiar face, memories flooded his mind, and "Xiao Yi" nearly slipped from his lips. Fortunately, twenty years of climbing the tower had taught him how to control his emotions, and he was not ruled by habit.

Unfortunately, the beauty across from him clearly did not intend to give him any more chances. Seeing that the visitor said nothing and only stared at her, she immediately frowned, picked up her tray, and stood to leave.

Seeing this, Wang Wen knew he did not have much time. He rose as well and handed her the note. "Could you wait another year before entering? I know your Mechanism Art is strong, but you really need to improve your physical fitness!"

Her recent plans to enter the World Tower were no secret. With so many mouths around her, it was not strange for someone interested to learn the news. Cheng Queyi carried her tray around the table without slowing down.

Wang Wen's gaze followed her. "If you insist on going in, please stop before the tenth floor. Breaking through nine floors on your first entry as a first-year Academy student is already an incredible achievement. There's no need to force yourself through one more floor. If you're not in good condition, end it promptly!"

At those words, Cheng Queyi paused. Without turning around, she countered coolly, "You're underestimating me too much. My goal is at least the nineteenth floor!"

Of course Wang Wen knew what her goal was.

He knew even better the enormous price she would pay to achieve it.

It was the root of her lifelong suffering.

This time, Wang Wen had come to find a way to stop that pain from being reborn.

He did not argue and continued what he had not finished saying. "If you must challenge the tenth floor, don't trust your teammates too much. Pay closer attention to their condition. If you notice any intention to retreat, don't hesitate. You must run before they do!"

Cheng Queyi suspiciously turned to look at him. "What are you talking about? What do you know?"

Wang Wen still did not answer her question. He extended the note in his hand farther and said sternly, "I know you won't listen to any of this. I only said so much because I want you to read what's written on the paper. At least you'll be a little more cautious if something happens."

Cheng Queyi stared at Wang Wen strangely for a long time. Seeing the seriousness and determination in his eyes, she thought for a moment, freed one hand, and took the note to unfold it.

The note read: "Do not eat or drink anything after entering the tower, especially when you are in poor condition! If you feel your consciousness becoming unclear, immediately declare the end according to the rules and leave the tower. Never force yourself or take chances! Lastly, it would be best to make a pair of iron pants and lock them onto yourself!"

"Boring!" Cheng Queyi seemed to feel that she had been toyed with—or "humiliated" in some sense. Furiously, she threw the paper to the ground, turned, and left without another pause.

Wang Wen silently picked up the note from the floor and crumpled it in his hand.

After the girls gathered at the cafeteria counter ahead, they seemed to notice Cheng Queyi's anger. The girl with glasses, as if sharing her feelings, waved Wang Wen's student card at him from afar, then slammed it hard against the stone counter outside the window before tossing her head and leaving.

"What happened?" The skinny boy stood there blankly with his tray, looking at Wang Wen.

Wang Wen shook his head and checked the time. It was exactly 7:45.

He quickly finished the remaining food on his tray, went to the counter to retrieve his student card, and left the cafeteria with the boy.

He had wanted to help his teammate avoid a pit of fire out of kindness.

But if she insisted on ignoring his advice, there was not much he could do.

Was he supposed to tell her outright that he had been reborn through Reincarnation, that he knew what kind of tragic life she would face next, and that he had come specifically to save her from misery?

Putting aside whether she would believe him, even he found that ridiculous.

Having done this much.

It should at least make her a little more vigilant, right?