Chapter 1

"The Slacker Genius Is Always Being Reeled In" by Wangwang Kaobing [Complete + Extras]

Blurb:

Chi Ning devoted his entire life to scientific research, only to die suddenly from overwork at his post. When he opened his eyes again, he had returned to the age of sixteen.

In his previous life, Chi Ning had two regrets.

First, he had failed to save his older brother, who died in an accident.

Second, he had never given Qin Group's

CEO,

Qin Heng, a definite answer, despite Qin Heng pursuing him for half his life.

Given another chance, Chi Ning poured out all the coffee he had drunk until he wanted to vomit in his previous life, tossed aside his competition papers, hunched over, turned around, and ran.

He was done studying. Whoever wanted to study could study.

He wanted to relax properly, refuse to die from overwork, and happily slack off.

He would slack off with style, slack off with flair!

But as he slacked off, he discovered that Qin Heng, the campus heartthrob who had claimed in his previous life to be an exemplary youth and model student,

was actually an arrogant school tyrant!

Chi Ning: ...

It was fine. His regrets could go from two to one. :)

*

Qin Heng thought Chi Ning was a good student too weak to carry anything, someone who would cry from fright even upon seeing someone else injured.

But later, he discovered that Chi Ning was more skilled at skipping class than he was, hit people harder than he did, and when he kicked someone, his expression was icy, the muscles by his cheeks slightly tensed, and his eyes faintly red.

He looked exactly like the one being bullied.

Qin Heng covered his thumping heart, his mouth moving beyond his control. "Why kick him? He doesn't deserve it!"

Kick me!

-

Everyone knew Professor Chi, the legend of the scientific research world—

#Doesn't listen in class but ranks first in the grade#

#Has no strength for competitions, but has plenty of strength to file stacks of patents#

#As the heir to a century-old pharmaceutical company, he accepted the olive branch extended by the state. Ask him why, and he says he likes nine-to-five workdays and triple pay on holidays.#

#Skipped class to enter a billiards tournament, then pulled out a sack to pack up his prize money after winning the championship#

Later, a GIF meme of the youngest-ever recipient of a global scientific research award spread through the forums.

In the GIF, Chi Ning was climbing over the wall of a research institute.

Below the wall stood President Qin in a suit and tie, his arms spread wide and his face full of tension, terrified that the person on top of the wall might get hurt.

The caption read: [No one can stop me from getting off work!]

(An acting-skilled, increasingly proficient slacker bottom x a seemingly school-tyrant, actually puppy-brained, wildly imaginative fishing-type top)

[Reading Guide]

=A sweet little story, mainly written for my own enjoyment. There is male rivalry, and the story centers on the protagonist.

=Chi Ning is very good at slacking off. In this life, he lives off his past accomplishments.

=No secondary couples. All scientific research results in the story are fictional and completely made up. The entire story is set in an alternate world and has nothing to do with reality.

=Thank you all for liking it. I hope you won't mention my work under other people's works, or mention other works under mine. Thank you. Let me kowtow twice for everyone.

Content Tags: Rebirth

Sweet Romance

Feel-Good Story

Lighthearted

Protagonist's Perspective: Chi Ning; Interaction: Qin Heng; Supporting Characters: Xu Jiahao, Shen Jingsen, Wang Quan, Chi Yang, Chi Baichuan, Chen Zhaoyan, Ye Xinran

Other: Top Student, Genius Student, Slacking Off, Fishing-Type,

Period Setting

One-Sentence Summary: After slacking off, he became

the group favorite

Theme: Balance work and rest

Chapter 1

In the evening, the cicadas that had been noisy all day had just fallen silent when No. 1 High School's dismissal bell buzzed.

Chi Ning jolted awake and stared blankly at the blackboard covered in high school math formulas, his mind still muddled.

What was going on?

Hadn't he already died suddenly from overwork?

Even if the rescue had been successful, he shouldn't have woken up in a high school classroom, right?

Ten minutes earlier.

Chi Ning had still been at the award ceremony for the Domestic Science and Technology Progress Award, the highest honor a researcher from a private pharmaceutical company could receive. He had just accepted the crystal trophy and had not even had time to deliver his acceptance speech before his body, exhausted from three consecutive days without sleep, finally gave out and collapsed.

Before his consciousness completely faded, Chi Ning could not help feeling some regret.

He had spent all his time in this life on scientific research and the pharmaceutical company he was meant to inherit. He had no social life, knew nothing about love, and had even been so busy that he missed the last call from his older brother.

If he had answered the call and tried harder to persuade him, perhaps his brother would not have died in an accident on a mountain road while street racing with friends. The affairs of the family business would not have all been dumped onto him either.

If only he could start over...

If he got another chance, he would definitely nurture his family ties, friendships, and love life properly. He would throw the inheritance rights to someone else and spend his own days eating, drinking, playing, building up his health, and refusing to die from overwork.

Whoever wanted to study could study. Whoever wanted to be a corporate drone could be one. They could all go to hell!

And then he really was reborn.

Calm down...

Forget it. This was far too absurd. He could not calm down at all.

The dizziness was one thing, but there was also a man chattering beside his ear. "Chi Ning, school's out. Why aren't you going to dinner? Are you feeling unwell? Evening self-study lasts until ten thirty. How are you going to hold on without eating?"

Chi Ning turned toward the voice and saw a bald head gleaming brightly beneath the fluorescent lights.

It was Wang Quan, his high school physics teacher and homeroom teacher.

A middle-aged man with a kindly appearance, humorous and engaging lessons, and teaching skills and connections that ranked among the best in the province.

He was good in every way, except that he was a little too talkative.

When Wang Quan received no answer, he continued, "If you're feeling unwell, go to the infirmary and get checked out. Don't force yourself. The list of students selected for the National Middle School Biology Competition will be announced tonight. You'll definitely get first place in the province. You'll need to join the training camp afterward to prepare for the national competition, so don't let your health delay anything important."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chi Ning shuddered, and a huge line of words reflexively appeared in his mind.

Absolutely cannot go!

In his previous life, he had been selected for the national team's training camp because he won first prize in the CPhO.

Later, he traveled abroad with the team and won a gold medal at the IPhO, the International Physics Olympiad.

Yangcheng's media could write an entire article even about what was inside the trash cans beside wealthy families' homes. As soon as news of his awards at the CPhO and IPhO broke, Chongning Biotechnology Co., Ltd., owned by the Chi family, saw its stock price soar wildly.

That board of directors, a pack of cunning hyenas, acted as if they had found golden eggs. They not only stopped planning to sell their shares, but also joined forces to pressure his father relentlessly, demanding that he be named the heir.

What kind of competition was this?

It was the beginning of tragedy, the starting point of sudden death from overwork!

Without thinking, Chi Ning shook his head. "Teacher, I'm not going."

Wang Quan sighed. "It's fine if you don't want to go to the infirmary. Then rest your head on the desk for a while. Sigh... you work too hard. You don't know how to balance work and rest."

Chi Ning coughed lightly and raised a hand to touch the tip of his nose. "Don't worry, sir. Starting today, I'll begin balancing work and rest."

He just did not know whether Wang Quan would be able to accept it.

After a pause, his gaze drifted away. "Teacher, you misunderstood. What I don't want to attend is the physics competition."

Teacher Wang:?

Huh?

Spots in national middle school competitions were difficult to obtain. Everyone qualified was an elite from their province, and most of those able to compete at the national level had already gained a foot in the door of prestigious universities.

Chi Ning was one of the best among them. Countless people envied his talent.

But what had this kid just said?

He was not going?

Balancing work and rest meant telling him to take a small break, not asking him to give up entirely!

Wang Quan could not make sense of it. He pitched his voice higher and said in the tone one might use to soothe a kindergarten child, "Rest for a while first. We'll discuss the specifics after evening self-study ends, okay?"

Chi Ning: "...Fine."

It was obviously a delaying tactic, but the impact of a middle-aged man speaking in that sugary tone was considerable, making his already hazy mind even more muddled.

After Teacher Wang left, Chi Ning forced himself to perk up.

He had developed stomach problems in his previous life because he constantly failed to eat on time. He could not do that again after getting another chance.

There were less than ten minutes left before evening self-study began, and his stomach hurt from hunger. If he did not run now, when would he?

Chi Ning gathered the competition papers and reference books piled on his desk into a stack, tied them up with a plastic string, then casually tossed them into the pile of waste paper in the corner of the classroom.

Bang!

The five or six jin of paper landed in the waste-paper pile with a dull thud.

The instant the papers hit the floor, the pressure that had weighed on him also shattered abruptly. He felt light as a swallow, so relaxed that he wanted to laugh three times.

This felt incredible!

Not having to study or be a corporate drone felt unbelievably good!

In any case, with the knowledge he had crammed into himself in his previous life and the patents stored in his mind, he could still live very well.

Woohoo! He would never have to drink coffee until he vomited just to stay awake again!

Smiling, Chi Ning stuffed all his belongings into his backpack and blended in with students from the regular classes who had already been dismissed as he walked out through the school gates.

-

No. 1 High School was in downtown Yangcheng, with a night market street right beside it. It was only a ten-minute walk away.

The place was bustling, filled with mobile vendors calling out beside their stalls. Most sold local snacks, while some households had joined together to open late-night food stalls. Plastic tables were scattered along the roadside, and the rich scent of oil from fried noodles and grilled meat could be smelled from far away.

Chi Ning picked a stall with plenty of customers, went in, and ordered a plate of dry-fried beef rice noodles and fried shrimp tails.

Before the food could be served, the phone in his pocket rang.

Chi Ning took it out and answered. "Hello?"

Wang Quan let out a long breath. "Where did you go? Fine, you weren't in the classroom, but why did you throw away your notes and test papers too? If the assistant class monitor responsible for collecting trash hadn't taken a look today, those things would have been sold as scrap!"

"I'm outside having dinner."

Chi Ning had not been much for socializing in his previous life and was used to being straightforward. The family business had been forced onto him too, and he had never learned to fence verbally in the financial world. Even until his death, he had been exploited by the capitalists on the board of directors. Calling him an heir sounded nice, but in truth, he was no different from an employee.

He could not lie, so he simply spoke frankly. "Since I'm not joining the competition, those notes are useless to me now. I might as well sell them to contribute to the class fund, so we can add some new books to the reading corner."

Wang Quan's scalp went numb. He had not expected a good student to be so hard to manage when stubborn. Chi Ning's notes were incredibly valuable; if sold to people who needed them, they could fetch at least ten or twenty thousand yuan. Yet this kid wanted to sell them by the kilogram as scrap?