Chapter 5 An Unremarkable Special Admit

Chapter 5 An Unremarkable Special Admit

The humiliation Ning Song faced on the forum left him unmoved, but it infuriated Qiao Qiao.

Ning Song thought he was truly warm-hearted.

"You don't look as bad as they say." Qiao Qiao leaned in close, startling Ning Song.

Staring at his face, Qiao Qiao said, "You're very good-looking, just too skinny."

Ning Song didn’t dodge; he merely smiled, with faint creases forming at the corners of his mouth. He didn’t care much about being good-looking or not—he wasn’t looking for love!

But his current situation was somewhat dangerous.

It was easy to become an outcast.

Being too outstanding was dangerous, and so was being too mediocre. In any world, in any school, someone like him easily became a target for bullying and isolation.

He found that Upper East School had even more severe class stratification.

He didn’t want to be played with, but he certainly didn’t want to be bullied either!

To these wealthy and influential young masters at Upper East School, classmates were also social resources. Generally, they were unwilling to spend time and energy befriending special admits.

It was unnecessary and a waste of time; they were born into different worlds and destined to have no further contact after graduation.

Fortunately, he knew Qiao Qiao. When he arrived in Class Three, Qiao Qiao proactively switched seats with another student and sat next to him.

His seat was neither in the last row nor the first, but rather in the middle near the window—though not entirely by the window, with only half the desk touching it. Sitting down, one couldn’t actually see outside.

It was a very inconspicuous position.

Qiao Qiao was talkative and had good relationships with others. A few who were close friends with him were willing to chat with Ning Song out of respect for Qiao Qiao. They all shared a common trait: average looks, medium height, and unrecognizable in a crowd... and they could talk endlessly.

It felt like half of the novel's gossip KPI depended on them.

Ning Song was happy to join in; he could also chat a lot and fulfill the gossip bystander role perfectly.

Qiao Qiao’s circle of friends was considered lower-middle class in their Class Three, and both lower-middle and upper-middle classes were safe.

He wasn’t a naive little boy; he had bitter experiences. As an orphan with a limp, he faced plenty of isolation in elementary and junior high school, and he managed to turn things around on his own.

He believed he was adept at socializing.

Observing closely, Class Three was indeed peaceful as Qiao Qiao described. There were no stereotypical villains, and no one publicly embarrassed him, though what they said behind his back was another matter.

Class Three was roughly divided into three layers, which weren’t obvious during class but became clear during breaks.

One group consisted of the wealthiest and most influential students, whose parents were either CEOs or officials. Another group came from less affluent backgrounds.

Pu Yu was a separate group.

He was the star of the class, the kind of top student teachers adored, with excellent grades, a stellar background, and a striking appearance.

In typical campus novels, such a natural protagonist would attract many admirers seeking romance. Even in an all-boys school, there should be plenty of admirers. But Pu Yu remained undisturbed.

Ning Song thought it was because no one dared approach him.

Pu Yu exuded a distant and silent aura.

During breaks, he sat there writing something. When Ning Song went to the restroom and glanced over, he saw a bunch of math formulas.

A few boys nearby were constantly staring at him, almost obsessively, as if given a chance, they would devour Pu Yu whole.

"The Young Masters' Gifts" was not a conventional campus novel. The characters here had an almost obsessive, pathological desire.

Stalking, coercion, imprisonment. If one could hear their thoughts, they would likely be censored.

After all, it was said that nothing was dirtier than the minds of teenage boys.

Fortunately, this obsessive fervor had nothing to do with him!

Ning Song felt a distinct divide between protagonists and supporting characters. They lived in the same world yet seemed to be from different worlds. It was akin to the saying, "Only good-looking people have a youth," where the youth of good-looking people and ordinary people differed, just as the worlds of protagonists and supporting characters did. It was as if there was an invisible glass barrier, and he now sat outside it, living a normal and safe school life. If he hadn’t “awakened” by being transported here, he would be like Qiao Qiao, unaware of certain things. Those obsessive, intense passions had nothing to do with him.

Pu Yu’s presence made this feeling stronger.

Having someone like Pu Yu around was quite comforting.

He declared Pu Yu the first man to give him a sense of security!

The curriculum at the noble school was new to Ning Song. Besides Chinese, math, English, physics, and chemistry, there were science, art, and various extension and practical courses. Classes started at 8:20 AM and ended at 6:30 PM.

At lunchtime, Qiao Qiao took him to familiarize himself with the cafeteria, which was bustling with people. Surprisingly, few recognized him amidst the crowd.

The food in the noble school cafeteria was exceptionally abundant, and most of it was free, included in the tuition fees.

However, he feared his stomach wouldn’t adjust, so he didn’t eat too much. Qiao Qiao said, "No wonder you’re so skinny. You need to eat more; we have PE in the afternoon!"

Upper East School emphasized physical fitness, offering several PE classes each week.

However, he didn’t attend the afternoon PE class since he hadn’t chosen a course yet. He wanted to observe before making a decision.

Their PE classes weren’t organized by class but mixed throughout the entire sophomore year, depending on individual choices.

The differences between noble schools and regular schools were most evident in arts and sports. All facilities were top-notch, including golf, rugby, boxing, taekwondo, and fencing.

He had always been poor at sports. Basketball, football, rugby, boxing—these were beyond him. His slight frame would get him carried out if he tried.

So he chose swimming and shooting classes. He picked swimming because he thought it was a useful skill, and he chose shooting simply because it didn't involve physical confrontation with others, which suited him better.

Actually, if there were game-playing classes counted as sports, he could score a perfect hundred!

After selecting his courses, he went to see their principal.

At first, he didn't understand why the principal would personally meet with him, but then he overheard mentions of Mrs. Pu and understood.

Before leaving, the principal took a photo with him, patting his shoulder and saying, "Study well here. With such good grades, your future is bound to be bright. If you have any issues, just talk to your class representatives or Teacher Jiang who's in charge of your class. Don't worry Mrs. Pu and the others."

Ning Song nodded quickly. "Okay."

He looked obedient.

After leaving the principal's office, he headed to the student council building.

Considering his financial situation, the school had arranged a part-time job for him as a form of financial aid.

Though called a part-time job, it was essentially a disguised poverty assistance program. It was said that all special admissions students had part-time jobs, usually at the library or convenience store.

They assigned him to work at a book café.

Upper East School was large, and there were many book cafés, similar to study rooms, except they served coffee and tea. He was allocated to the one beside Dormitory Building No. 2.

When he visited the book café where he would work, he found it crowded.

All the tables outside were full; it seemed he would be busy during his shifts.

Leaving the book café, he walked towards his classroom, passing by Class 4 where he saw a boy sprawled on the back door, wearing a school uniform and apparently fast asleep. A book stood on the table, blocking the sunlight and hiding the boy's face, revealing only a tuft of white hair, glowing brightly.

It turned out Sheng Yan was in the neighboring class.

The sunlight streamed into the classroom, casting a golden glow everywhere. One of Sheng Yan's hands was illuminated, making the red string on his wrist particularly noticeable.

Back in Class 3, it was break time, and some students had already gone to eat.

It was only five o'clock, and he wasn't very hungry, so he planned to eat after evening classes.

He went to the restroom, and as soon as he closed the door, he heard several boys running in, laughing and joking.

"I heard Class 3 got a new student? Admitted through special admission. What does he look like?"

"What do you think someone admitted through special admission looks like? Haven't you seen the forum?"

"Can't believe our school admitted a rat from the slums."

"He has good grades, I heard he came in with all As."

"Is he good-looking?"

"He's like a bean sprout, shorter than the chubby kid."

"He's all skin and bones, probably falls apart with a single touch!"

"Really plain. But his voice is nice, he must sound good when he cries."

What?!

This boys' school is terrifying!

"Damn, you're not picky at all."

"Haha, who gets the good ones? Besides, we don't have to do anything to him. Hearing him scream when beaten might be nice too."

Ning Song: "..."

"Being a little brother wouldn't be bad either. We can mess with him for fun since he doesn't have any backing."

"Should we find an opportunity to meet him?"

Outside, laughter and water splashing could be heard. Once they left, Ning Song washed his hands.

He wasn't sure if these boys were just talking or serious.

He used to feel confident about his appearance, but now he wasn't so sure!

He dried his hands and silently left the restroom.

Messing up his hair and slouching, he hoped to become invisible.

The setting sun cast a golden glow on the white ash flowers. Just as he slumped his shoulders, he suddenly heard a familiar male voice ask, "Do you have a nice voice?"

He quickly turned around and saw Li You sitting on a hidden stone railing behind the flower beds, smoking and looking at him.

"Huh?"

Seeing his stunned face, Li You chuckled, a crease forming at the corner of his lips, making his skin seem thin.

Ning Song immediately understood what he meant, and his ears turned red. His pale, thin cheeks seemed to gain some warmth as he silently walked away.

As he walked further, he glanced back at Li You, seeing him holding a cigarette, smiling maliciously through the smoke.

Clearly, it was a playful smile.

But not a particularly attentive one, more like teasing a stray cat or dog on the street.

Big Brother Bully, you'll get your heart broken and cry bitterly one day by your beloved!

A breeze blew, carrying a sweet fragrance that made him dizzy.

Li You hated the white osmanthus trees at Upper East School the most; their fragrance gave him a headache.

The sunset was brilliant, casting a glaring light on the corridor floor tiles. Ning Song's slender silhouette almost melted into it.

Whether the voice sounded good or not didn't catch his attention.

What did linger was the lightness that made him unable to forget the feeling in his hand for a long time. Despite the other person being thin and bony, he felt uneasy by how light they were.

Before Ning Song could reach the classroom door, he saw Qiao Qiao returning from eating.

"I brought you a cup of milk tea!" Qiao Qiao shouted.

"Thanks." Ning Song took it, trying to adapt to Qiao Qiao's quick familiarity. However, Qiao Qiao looked towards the end of the corridor and asked, "Did you just talk to Li You?"

"No," Ning Song didn't mention what happened on the dorm rooftop.

"Be careful. Don't provoke him, and don't offend him," Qiao Qiao said.

Once inside the classroom, taking advantage of the few people around, Qiao Qiao began to enlighten him about the two major "gangs" in their school.

One led by Li You from Class 7, Grade 11, and the other by Qin Yi from Class 1, Grade 12.

They were considered two gangs mainly due to their different backgrounds.

Qin Yi came from the complexly-backed Black Dragon Construction, a second-generation troublemaker.

And Li You...

"Li You is also a special admission student," Qiao Qiao said.

This piqued Ning Song's interest.

Qiao Qiao continued, "But he's different from you. He got in through sports, being one of the first students to study boxing at our school. He used to fight underground matches in the Underground City, gaining fame. When our school started a new boxing program, they recruited him. Originally, Qin Yi dominated everything, often bullying others, especially special admission students, with the principal's backing. But after Li You came, no one dared to mess with him because he fights so well. Over time, a group of people started following him. Still, he's not a good guy; he frequently associates with some local thugs outside school, and rumor has it he goes back to the Underground City every weekend!"

Ning Song smiled slightly, then suddenly saw Pu Yu enter with an incredibly handsome face.

To be fair, Pu Yu wasn't the type of aloof young master who made people feel intimidated. He was just very quiet, making others subconsciously afraid to disturb him.

He silently sipped his milk tea through a straw.

It was hawthorn strawberry flavored, too sweet and a bit cloying.

"You're too skinny, Aning," Qiao Qiao said, "you should eat more sweets. I specifically ordered full sugar for you!"

There were only three of them in the classroom, but voices from the corridor made it seem even quieter.

With Pu Yu present, chatterbox Qiao Qiao didn't dare speak loudly.

Ning Song took out a pen to sketch his new map.

The version of "Black Rose Academy" he had created in another world was much more complex than the current release. With limited memory, he had only managed to recreate about seventy percent of it, so he kept patching and adding maps. Upper East School provided him with many new inspirations.

He didn't plan to let anyone know he was making games; he wanted to stay low-key until the novelty of being a transfer student wore off. There was also the matter of explaining programming and design to his new parents, Ning Dad and Ning Mom. Perhaps in a few months, he could claim it as a new skill learned at Upper East School.

He scribbled in his notebook, and Qiao Qiao leaned over to look. Seeing his drawings resembling black graffiti, Qiao Qiao's eyes showed more sympathy.

Perhaps he thought Ning Song was a poor kid struggling to learn arts and crafts but failing miserably.

This poor kid was also so thin, looking pitiful.

Qiao Qiao seemed to remember something, saying, "By the way, do you know there's a special newcomer meeting tonight?"

"A newcomer meeting?"

"Upper East has a direct promotion system from elementary to high school, so most students have been here since primary school. If someone transfers in, we hold a small welcome party, a tradition for years now. The ones organizing this welcome party are Qin Yi's group."

Mentioning this, Qiao Qiao hesitated, "Don't worry, nothing will happen to you. Sometimes it can be fun."

He wasn't reassured.

What did "nothing will happen to you" mean? Did something happen before?

Why did he feel this was a dangerous party?

Was it because he wasn't attractive enough?

He couldn't view this all-boys school as a regular high school anymore; it was tainted!

Ning Song recalled the words he overheard in the restroom, sighing with his cheek resting on his hand. The floor was too shiny, and the fiery sunset seemed to burn the classroom.

Because Qiao Qiao mentioned the newcomer meeting, he remained tense until after evening study.

As soon as evening study ended, their class president indeed approached him about the welcome party.

"It's a routine welcome party at our school; you should go," the class president said.

As a new student, he dared not break the rules.

After evening study, he went to the school's night canteen for dinner before returning to the dormitory.

Upper East School had many trees, which during the day were fine, but at night created a damp, shadowy atmosphere, making the floral scent deeper.

Halfway through his walk, he spotted a familiar figure. In the darkness, his tall and slim silhouette resembled something from a comic, stunningly impressive.

It was Pu Yu.

He was actually heading the same way.

He followed silently, passing through the square, when suddenly he heard someone call out, "Curl!"

Startled, he turned and saw several tall boys standing under the shadow of some flower trees, as if they had been waiting for him for a long time.