After leaving the cake shop, Long Aotian stopped by Sakura Airi's dorm to give her the cake, then left. Fortunately, he had strong willpower; otherwise, he might not have been able to leave.
He sent Ichinose a few text messages and transferred something to her as well.
Long Aotian didn't hurry back to the dorm. Instead, he went to a secluded corner of the campus.
Tucked between the orderly classroom buildings and lush, tree-lined paths was a little world time had treated gently. Low shrubs bordered it on both sides, with wildflowers occasionally peeking out. Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy, casting dappled shadows and draping the place in a mysterious yet cozy veil.
The main thing was, this little garden was out of range of the security cameras. He'd discovered it the last time he'd taken pictures with Sakura.
Honestly, Long Aotian liked the place quite a bit. It was especially soothing, and a picnic here would be a great idea.
As Long Aotian was thinking, a girl with short blond hair slowly stepped inside.
Her steps were light but a little nervous, each one seeming to send ripples through her heart. Her short blond hair swayed gently in the breeze, shining with a dazzling yet gentle glow, as if it reflected her feelings.
The hem of her little skirt swayed with her steps, like a newly opened flower dancing in the breeze. As she drew closer, her face gradually came into focus.
[Kushida Kikyo]
"Long, I'm here."
Her voice was soft and gentle, full of warmth and delight, as if she were reuniting with a friend she hadn't seen in a long time. Two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks, adding a lively, charming touch to the heartwarming scene.
That's right, Long Aotian had called Kushida Kikyo here. This time, he planned to take the stage himself.
That smile, paired with her exquisite face, was a lethal combination—the perfect image of a girl's first love at school. Too bad she wouldn't be smiling much longer.
"Kushida, I called you here because there's something I need to discuss."
Long Aotian looked at her and smiled.
"Long, I'm sorry, but I don't want a boyfriend while I'm still in school."
Kushida Kikyo glanced around, clasped her hands together, and gave him an apologetic, regretful look.
"?"
The scene fell strangely silent for a moment.
Long Aotian looked around, then at Kushida. Well, it was understandable that she'd gotten the wrong idea. This place really was perfect for a confession, and judging by how practiced Kushida Kikyo was, she must have been confessed to plenty of times at school.
But she'd seen how he'd flirted and joked around with Sakura Airi in class. How could she not have noticed? There was only one explanation left: she thought he was a playboy?
Long Aotian was devoted. He'd never build a harem. He'd sooner jump off that building than have a harem.
"Sorry, Kushida. I think you've got the wrong idea. I'm not here to confess to you."
"Ah!"
Kushida Kikyo's expression instantly grew complicated. She froze for a moment, and a flicker of confusion and surprise passed through the eyes that had already been prepared to reject him.
"Long, why did you call me here?"
"I want you to get rid of someone."
"But..."
Long Aotian saw Kushida Kikyo about to refuse and pulled out his phone. "I don't think you have any reason to refuse. And you can't refuse."
His phone was playing a video of Kushida Kikyo kicking the railing at the school entrance.
As Kushida watched the video, her sweet smile slowly turned grim. This was the second person who knew about it. It was different from Ayanokoji knowing: this time, there was actual video evidence. If anyone found out, the consequences would be unimaginable.
"What do you want me to do?" Kushida Kikyo asked, her face darkening as she slowly approached Long Aotian.
"Don't think you can use Ayanokoji's tricks on me. They won't work." Long Aotian put his phone away and took a few steps back, wearing a villainous grin. "And let me remind you: I've set the video to be sent to the school group chat in five days. If you don't behave, who knows what might happen?"
"Kushida, I'm sure you don't want everyone finding out about this."
Kushida Kikyo stopped when she heard that.
Her expression was terrifyingly dark, as if a storm might break at any moment. Her gaze grew fierce, her fists clenched, and her teeth ground together with an involuntary "grrk." The quiet sound betrayed the fury and nerves she was struggling to keep inside.
Looking at her, Long Aotian couldn't help shaking his head. She'd seemed like an angel before, but now she looked just as terrifying—like a fallen angel.
With his hands behind his back, Long Aotian approached Kushida Kikyo in light, measured steps. He stopped in front of her, leaned down, and brought his lips close to her delicate ear. "Good girl. Make sure you behave from now on."
But Kushida Kikyo saw it differently. At that moment, Long Aotian's handsome face looked hateful to her. His steps seemed heavy, and with every one, her resentment grew.
"This is exactly the face I wanted to see from you: the look of someone who wants to kill me but can't! Hahaha!" Long Aotian said, then walked away with his hands behind his back.
Kushida Kikyo did have a nice fragrance about her. Quite pleasant, actually—though Sakura, my sweet little cutie, smelled even better.
"Damn it! Damn it! That bastard Long Aotian! Aaaah! Why don't you just die?!"
As Long Aotian left, Kushida Kikyo finally snapped. She furiously trampled the flowers and grass and screamed in anger.
Kushida Kikyo had no idea that someone behind her was recording her with a phone.
He was 180 centimeters tall, with a straight posture like a pine tree on a mountain—unyielding, yet with a subtle softness about him.
His features were as finely carved as an artist's proudest work. His skin was fair and smooth, pure and flawless as fresh snow. His deep eyes were like the brightest stars in the night sky, gleaming with wisdom and warmth, as if they could see into people's hearts.
His nose was straight, and his lips were a pale, elegant shape. The slight smile that appeared on his face was enough to make everything around him lose its color.
All right, enough showing off. It was Long Aotian again. Surprised? He hadn't left after all. Long Aotian knew that once he was gone, Kushida Kikyo wouldn't be able to hold back.
There wasn't any deep reason for recording this video. He just wanted to show it to his sweet Sakura, so she'd understand how ugly people could be. Sure, he'd acted like a villain too, but that wasn't in the video, so it didn't matter.
After her outburst, Kushida Kikyo collapsed to the ground, as if all her strength and hope had been drained away. She slowly sank down, helpless, her eyes hollow and distant, like an unfocused camera lens, no longer able to capture any of life's color or warmth. She knew Long Aotian had her under his thumb.
After recording the video, Long Aotian immediately used [Flying Thunder God] to leave. That was safer, and staying too long might get him caught.
Back in his dorm, Long Aotian turned on his computer, logged into the school system, and searched for the accounts and profiles of Class D's students.
[Points: Original 60.1 million points → Current 50.1 million points (5 million points from fake accounts not included) (I won't show the rest because I'm too lazy to calculate)]
PS: There's a little detail here I want to point out.
He checked the points on his template and shook his head regretfully. Those points would probably be gone later.
He found the accounts belonging to Ike and Yamauchi from Class D and sent them a text. This time, Long Aotian planned to start with those two "talented" students. And that swimming-pool camera incident in the anime was seriously disgusting. What kind of person could do that? Or maybe the author was the messed-up one for coming up with a plot like that.
[School Activity Notification] Dear Ike, We are delighted to inform you that you have been selected to participate in a special, hidden activity organized by the school. This is not only an excellent opportunity to show what you can do and challenge yourself, but also an unforgettable experience full of growth and fun. You will take part in a series of carefully planned secret operations. To complete each task, please send the images back for review. Show us what you can do through your actions! Failure conditions: If you are discovered while carrying out any task assigned by the school, you will be considered to have failed. You will also lose points, including points you have already earned. Rewards: To encourage active participation and outstanding performance, we have created a points reward system. You will receive points for every activity you complete.
Pretty messed up, right? To an outsider, it would sound completely fake. But things were different here. First, there was the way this school operated. On top of that, the two of them were already going crazy despite earning nothing in Class D.
Here's an example: you're already poor, eating rice with vegetables, when one day a system suddenly appears and congratulates you on being selected. It says you can earn money by completing every task. Would you believe it?
Long Aotian had only sent messages to those two. He'd give them some simple tasks first, then award them a few points, gradually making them dependent on it or willing to do anything for the tasks.
Long Aotian looked at the text on his computer and shook his head. It wasn't just those two; if he'd entered the school without a system, he'd have thought it was real too.
He sent out a few simple tasks, closed his laptop, and planned to come back later to review the pictures.
Once he'd finished everything, he left and headed for Sakura's dorm to remind her to stay away from Kushida Kikyo. After all, Kushida Kikyo couldn't do anything to him, so she might turn around and take it out on Sakura. At worst, she'd just cause a little trouble—exclude her? The most she could do was expose the online influencer known as "Shizuku."
Wouldn't that actually be a good thing? Besides, he had a video, so she definitely wouldn't dare.
Ding-dong~
"You're here."
When the doorbell rang, a girl opened the door and greeted him with a happy smile.
"Yeah, I'm here."
Long Aotian walked in with practiced ease, reached out to rub Sakura's cheek, and smiled just as happily.
At that moment, nothing else mattered. There was only the world the two of them shared.
PS: First, I'd like to thank Mengli He Hongchen, Xiaoyu Dash, and Jiu for their little gifts of power stones.
Second: I've changed my writing style. I'm not sure if you're used to it.
Third: I'm only updating this one chapter today. I still have some King of Glory matches to play. I'll make it up to you later.
Before you continue