Chapter 9

"Thank you," Zhu Zhitao said.

The classroom suddenly fell quiet as an elegant teacher walked in. She wore a blue shirt dress, her long, wavy hair gathered at the back with a black claw clip. She looked graceful and capable.

"Everyone, settle down."

Deng Qin tapped the blackboard with her pointer. "Quiet."

The last rustles in the classroom died away. Deng Qin nodded in satisfaction and wrote her name on the blackboard in chalk.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Deng Qin, your homeroom teacher and math teacher. It's a pleasure to meet you. I hope we'll get along well over the coming year..."

After introducing herself and getting to know the students briefly, Deng Qin began organizing the class officer elections.

"First, we'll elect a class monitor," Deng Qin said. "If you're interested, please raise your hand."

Three students raised their hands.

Deng Qin liked their enthusiasm. "Very good. Will the three students who raised their hands come up and give their campaign speeches?"

"Ladies first."

Shen Baili stood at the podium with a smile and delivered her speech at an unhurried pace.

"Hello, everyone. I'm Shen Baili, and I'm running for class monitor. I have the ability and confidence to lead our class as we grow together. Let's shine brightly and make the most of our youth. Thank you."

Outside the window, the plane trees were lush with leaves, and birds sang among their branches. Sunlight slanted into the classroom, illuminating the girl's bright, lovely face. Determination shone in her eyes.

When she wanted something, she went after it, making no attempt to hide her ambition.

The moment she finished, thunderous applause broke out. Zhu Zhitao and Qiao Yi clapped until their palms turned red.

Qiao Yi and Zhu Zhitao stared at the poised, beautiful Shen Baili onstage, momentarily spellbound.

"She's dazzling."

"Yeah. She has my vote, hands and feet."

After Shen Baili's speech, one of the two male candidates withdrew, while the other gave his campaign speech. The class still applauded him warmly, then cast their votes for Shen Baili.

In the end, Shen Baili became Class One's monitor by a landslide vote of 45 to 5.

The other class officer elections proceeded in orderly fashion. Qiao Yi won the position of academic representative, 32 votes to 18.

"My name is Qiao Yi. I placed second in the Haicheng City High School Entrance Exam, and I'm going to surpass the student who came first."

With one sentence, she had the whole class voting for her.

Zhu Zhitao sighed. "I really am surrounded by hidden talents, and I'm the little nobody hanging around them."

"I need to study hard. I can't drag down the class average."

Qiao Yi asked curiously, "Did you do badly on the entrance exam?"

Zhu Zhitao smiled. "It's not that I did badly. I did better than usual."

"I ranked last in our class."

"Taotao, getting into Haicheng No. 1 High School is already impressive," Shen Baili said.

"We'll improve together."

"Right," Qiao Yi said. "We can study together."

Sang Fang agreed. "I helped you with your schoolwork in middle school. I can do it in high school too."

Tears of gratitude welled in Zhu Zhitao's eyes. "You're all so good to me! I'm buying you my favorite grilled sausages."

"Sounds good." Shen Baili pinched her chubby cheek. "I'm looking forward to it."

Zhu Zhitao's face turned as red as a little tomato. Sang Fang glanced at her. "Can you bring me some ketchup from that place near your house tomorrow?"

"I haven't had it in ages."

"You really are devoted to it," Zhu Zhitao said. "Maybe I should learn their secret recipe and sell it to you."

Sang Fang considered that seriously. "That could work."

Zhu Zhitao spread her hands. "Can't help you. The owner won't sell it."

Sang Fang said, "...Wow."

Shen Baili and Qiao Yi watched them bicker and laughed to themselves.

Shen Baili sat in the classroom, but her mind was on the system's update.

88%... 91%... 99%... Ding! Automatic repair complete. A-Deng 2.0 was online. "Host, I'm back!"

"Huh? Energy went up another 2%!!!! And a bonus chapter has been unlocked!!"

"Host, have you figured out what you're so fixated on??!"

Shen Baili did not answer the system's question. Instead, she asked, "Why did you suddenly go offline again?"

It kept disappearing without warning. It was utterly unreliable, and it had cut out right at the crucial moment.

Shen Baili could not trust it.

"I was too badly damaged," the system said. "But now that these repairs are complete, I won't be forced offline again. Don't worry, Host."

Shen Baili had her doubts, but for now, she had no choice but to believe it.

She kept her composure and asked, "What's in the bonus chapter you unlocked?"

She had not forgotten what the system had said before going offline. She had a feeling the bonus chapter had something to do with her.

"A third of this bonus chapter is about you, Host~"

"At the end of the story, Shen Wan developed incurable cancer, and you couldn't afford her medical bills... After you raised the money, a car hit and killed you on your way back to the hospital."

Shen Baili dug her nails into her palms. The sharp pain helped her stay calm, and she seized on the crucial detail. "Who did I borrow the money from?"

"The heroine, Sang Ya."

The name sounded vaguely familiar to Shen Baili. "Eldest Brother's fiancée?"

"Yes. The heroine, Sang Ya, is Xie Zhiyu's fiancée."

Shen Baili was stunned. "So my eldest brother is the male lead?"

She immediately dismissed the idea. "The original story described everyone in the Xie Family as beautiful, powerful, and tragic... Is it a story about healing, then?"

"No. Xie Zhiyu is the villain. Sang Ya felt she had wronged the Xie Family, and you looked so pitiful that she lent you the money..."

Shen Baili caught another crucial detail. "Why did she feel she'd wronged the Xie Family? What did she do?"

"The bonus chapter glossed over that. If you want to know, you'll need more energy to unlock further chapters."

The system could not resist adding playfully, "Pretty impressive, right, Host? I unlocked your ending on the first try~"