My Online Friend Can't Be This Cute

Later, the group added a new rule—no showing off pulls.

Sparrows, Sparrows, Sing a Song?

Honestly, if people could choose when to be reborn, many probably would not choose to return during their senior year of high school.

The reason was simple. Aside from those studying law or medicine, senior year was basically one of the most agonizing periods of study in an ordinary person's life.

The workload was heavy, and the pressure was immense.

If he could have been reborn earlier, having a few more years to prepare would have been fine. Being thrown straight into senior year was just too much.

If it had been later, then since he had already missed the National College Entrance Examination, he would naturally have looked for other ways to get rich.

For example, taking advantage of the stock market trends in a certain year to make a fortune?

Or perhaps betting on some massive upset in a football match that year?

Unfortunately, he had not gotten to choose, and he knew nothing about any of that.

After all, he had spent every day on construction sites, deaf to everything beyond the window, focused only on mixing standard mortar.

The only price fluctuations he knew about were probably graphics cards and RAM sticks.

Gamers always kept an eye on the prices of that stuff every few days.

Don't laugh. That was what it meant to be a shut-in.

What was wrong with being a shut-in? Did shut-ins eat your rice?

So no matter how dull senior year was, he had to persevere through it.

Partly because of obsession, but also because he needed to leave himself another way out.

"So boring." Cai Yibin sighed beside him, his face twisted in agony. "Studying is seriously painful—"

"Stop whining. I'm suffering too." Mo Xiangwen sighed. "Who isn't bored? Just endure it."

"No, I'd already adjusted my mindset." Cai Yibin looked like he was about to cry. "Why did the atmosphere in class suddenly change?"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't you tell me a while ago about secretly studying harder behind your roommates' backs in the dorm?"

"Yeah, I did." Mo Xiangwen nodded.

"Before, everyone was playing around, so I never had much motivation to study."

"But after you told me that theory about secretly studying behind your roommates' backs, I suddenly understood."

"Whenever I saw them playing on their phones while I secretly worked hard, I felt kind of happy."

"Then I improved on the last exam too—though because of some asshole, my happiness was reduced, but making progress really did feel good."

"But now, everything has changed."

"Why the hell is everyone suddenly working so hard?!?!"

Since it was break time, Cai Yibin suddenly let out a low roar that startled him.

"Why did it turn out like this... I had finally found the drive to improve and the joy of making progress. Two happy things overlapped."

"And those two kinds of happiness brought me even more happiness."

"Have you played White Album?" Mo Xiangwen shot him a speechless look.

"No. Who has time to play? I just learned the meme from people online." Cai Yibin shrugged.

"No wonder you're a mess. Also, White Album fans rank below nice guys, and nice guys rank below dogs."

"What's wrong with nice guys? Aren't they popular?"

"Heh."

To be fair, Cai Yibin could not really be blamed. Even Mo Xiangwen himself felt that the atmosphere in class had become a little too oppressive.

Before, even when the teacher was lecturing at the front—

You could still hear someone snoring from one corner of the classroom, or the strained sound of someone trying not to laugh.

The teacher had to shout at them or come down to confiscate something before they would finally settle down.

Now, every last one of them seemed to have taken the wrong medicine.

During regular classes, they listened attentively while the teacher lectured. During self-study periods, one after another, they left the classroom to ask the teachers on duty outside questions.

Even if one or two students could not hold on and wanted to relax, the moment they looked around, the atmosphere would prick them like needles until they straightened their backs and kept studying.

Of course, this was still an ordinary class.

There were still quite a few students who were as stubborn as dead pigs and kept snoring away.

But it was still shocking that most of them had suddenly changed.

If this bunch knew how to strive on their own, would they have been assigned to an ordinary class?

"I feel like half of it has to do with your Third Mock Exam score, Old Mo. They were probably stimulated by it." Cai Yibin sighed. "I just don't know why even Liao Feiyang has started studying."

"Don't make things up. What does it have to do with me?" Mo Xiangwen immediately denied it. "There are plenty of people in the advanced classes with better grades than them. They weren't stimulated by those people."

"No, people from your own class and people from the advanced classes definitely can't be compared."

"Heh. So you're discriminating against yourselves."

"Hey, no... forget it." Cai Yibin could not be bothered arguing with him and instead asked what he cared about more. "Do you know what got into Liao Feiyang? Wasn't he always stubborn as a dead pig?"

"I feel like half the reason the atmosphere in this class is so weird is because of him."

"Even Liao Feiyang is studying properly—there seems to be a saying like that going around, though I don't know who started it."

"I don't know." Mo Xiangwen's expression did not change. "You care about him so much, why not just ask him directly?"

"Forget it. I don't want to make a fool of myself." Cai Yibin sighed. "Still, it's a good thing that he came to his senses—though it's a little late. I wish him luck."

"If you don't dare ask, you should just study hard, so you don't end up scoring worse than him." Mo Xiangwen chuckled.

"How could that happen!"

Cai Yibin stubbornly retorted, but he had clearly been provoked. He immediately fell silent and went back to reading.

Mo Xiangwen breathed a sigh of relief. If Cai Yibin found out that Liao Feiyang's current state was partly thanks to his kick, he would nag him to death.

He gently lifted his chair, moved it back a little, then set it down softly so he would not make noise and disturb the others.

When he walked out of the classroom, the entire corridor was empty. The occasional people who came out had the same purpose as him.

Their objective was crystal clear: relieve the three urgent needs.

They went straight there and back. After finishing, they firmly refused to linger outside for even one extra minute before returning directly to the classroom.

Every classroom he passed on the way to the restroom—perhaps because the ones he happened to pass were all advanced classes—was completely silent.

The occasional sounds were either pages turning or a pen spinning unsuccessfully and falling onto a desk.

It was too quiet, so quiet it felt oppressive.

It was like a massive boulder pressing down on his chest.

There was a breath trapped in his heart, desperate to be released.

Yet he feared that if he truly let it out, he would become lax, and the boulder would crush him in an instant. He did not dare release it.

After using the restroom, Mo Xiangwen leaned against the corridor railing and looked at the lawn and trees on campus, trying to relax the taut string in his heart through the pleasant greenery.

He happened to see some younger students, perhaps first- or second-years. Maybe they had just finished PE class and were passing by the senior-year building.

The two younger girls had been chatting and laughing, but one of them suddenly realized where they were passing and tugged at her friend.

The girl who had been tugged quickly understood as well. She immediately fell silent, and even the youthful smile on her face vanished.

The two deliberately avoided their building and took a rather large detour—they would rather pass by the offices.

Mo Xiangwen shook his head, feeling sad for some reason.

When he looked toward the great banyan tree, he could vaguely see several sparrows flying in and out, but he could barely hear a chirp. None of the lively morning feeling remained.

Sparrows, sparrows, where has your song gone?

The Road to Growth Was Always Lined with Thorns

Flaked Out: Wuwuwu, I don't want to be locked in the Black Room again.

Flaked Out: I got so many good pulls. I really wanted to share my joy with the group.

Flaked Out: I just wanted to play games with everyone. What did I do wrong?

A Seductress: Shut up! Shameless old thief.

Baibai: There's a bad person in the group. I won't say who she is.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Alright, alright. The group is only thinking about your studies.

Don't Play Holy Slash: If you slack off during these final days because you're playing games with the group, then end up doing badly on the National College Entrance Examination, that would be terrible.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Since you're so unwilling to accept everyone's goodwill, there are only ten days left until the National College Entrance Examination. We won't lock you up anymore.

This was ridiculous. Was that really goodwill toward Pigeon? It was probably more that they had finally found an excuse to vent their resentment.

No wonder Pigeon had never mentioned being a senior-year student before. She must have anticipated this outcome long ago.

Still, he had not shown off any pulls. The group locking him in the Black Room really was for the sake of his grades.

Flaked Out: I think you're abusing public authority for private revenge.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Absolutely not. Ask them if you don't believe me.

Baibai: I think the guild leader is right.

A Seductress: I think the guild leader is right.

Flaked Out: Pah, you're all in this together. But forget it, there's something more important now.

Flaked Out: Uploaded a file.

Flaked Out: I checked. The province Xiao Yi and I are in used the same national exam paper in previous years, so it should be the same this year too.

Human-Dragon Unity: Really?

Flaked Out: These are the predicted key topics from the teachers in my class for the major subjects, as well as predictions for this year's National College Entrance Examination from science advanced-class teachers that I had a friend ask around for.

Flaked Out: I'm not bragging, but my school is a key city school. The teachers here are pretty capable.

Flaked Out: Predictions like these usually don't hit the mark very well, but they should still be somewhat useful as a reference for you.

Flaked Out: For the sake of my life, absolutely, absolutely do not share this outside the group.

A Seductress: That's true love right there.

Human-Dragon Unity: Damn, is this really okay?

Flaked Out: What's not okay about it? I only secretly gave it to you, Xiao Yi.

Flaked Out: As long as everyone in the group keeps their mouths shut, heaven knows, earth knows, you know, and I know.

Flaked Out: Basically, it's as if it never happened.

Don't Play Holy Slash: Nice, nice, nice.

A Seductress: I'm buying a high-speed rail ticket overnight to report you to your school, hehehe.

Baibai: Xiaohuo, bad.

A Seductress: Baibai? Aren't you my teammate?

Baibai: Am I? Since when? Then from now on, I'm not.

A Seductress: Your servants were ready to fight to the death. Why has Your Majesty surrendered first?

Don't Play Holy Slash: Enough, stop messing around.

Don't Play Holy Slash: While I can guarantee that Xiaohuo would never do something like that, I still need to remind you.