Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The classroom was dead silent. Everyone held their breath, terrified of drawing the attention of He Xu, who was clearly in a towering rage, lest they become collateral damage.

Yet Zhang Yu, the focal point of all eyes, was momentarily stunned.

"You’ve got nerve"? Did that mean he had strong reproductive capabilities? Are humans always this blunt?

The newly matured giant octopus looked at the person before him—who seemed ready to mate—and felt a mix of shyness, excitement, and anticipation.

He’d definitely give him all his… seeds—no, eggs!

He clenched his fist!

Despite his excitement, Zhang Yu didn’t forget his mission. He asked the system in his mind, *"System, does this count as a success? The water’s all spilled—the protagonist can’t use it now!"*

This has to count for some mission progress, right?

System 9527: *"…"*

It replied calmly, *"Success confirmed, Host. However, the school bully’s next target is likely to shift from the protagonist to you."*

Zhang Yu blinked. *"Would that mess up the ‘world trajectory’?"*

The system paused briefly before answering in a slightly odd tone, *"No. Actually, calculations show that if you can successfully draw all the antagonist’s aggression onto yourself and keep him from targeting the protagonist, the protagonist will safely pass this month’s exams, and the world trajectory will gradually realign with the original timeline."*

For once, Zhang Yu caught on quick. *"So, as long as the bully picks on me instead of the protagonist, everything’s fine?"*

*"Correct."*

*"Then my mission progress will keep increasing?"* Zhang Yu’s voice grew increasingly excited.

*"…Yes."*

*"Great! I’ll act right away!"* Zhang Yu mentally pumped his fist. *"Acting? That’s an octopus specialty!"*

His expression instantly shifted into one of trembling fear. He even mimicked the protagonist’s earlier behavior, stammering, *"S-Sorry! It was an accident!"*

*"Didn’t mean to?"* He Xu’s brows furrowed dangerously as he grabbed Zhang Yu’s collar. *"You wanna die?!"*

Zhang Yu stumbled forward from the yank, accidentally knocking the desk aside. The desk legs screeched across the floor, and nearby students quickly scrambled away.

*"I’m really sorry, I didn’t do it on purpose,"* he whimpered, even squeezing out a couple of tears as if terrified.

He Xu tapped Zhang Yu’s cheek mockingly and sneered, *"Oh? You didn’t mean it? Well, guess my beating won’t be ‘on purpose’ either."*

He raised his fist, ready to strike.

Zhang Yu obediently closed his eyes, waiting for the punch. A human’s punch wouldn’t even sting—even a direct hit to the face wouldn’t hurt. If he didn’t have to play along, he might’ve even watched the punch land with his eyes open.

But just as he shut his eyes, a voice snapped from the doorway: *"Stop!"*

It was the homeroom teacher.

He’d just stepped out when he heard the commotion from his class and rushed back, only to witness the scene.

*"He Xu! What are you doing?! Let him go!"*

The teacher strode over, trying to pry He Xu’s grip off Zhang Yu’s collar. After two failed attempts, he barked, *"Let go, now!"*

He Xu scoffed and shoved Zhang Yu back, releasing him with a cold glare. *"You’re dead."*

With that, he shoved past the teacher and stalked out, hands in his pockets.

The teacher turned red with rage. *"He Xu! Don’t you dare walk away—come to the office! I’m calling your parents!"*

Without turning, He Xu retorted, *"Be my guest."*

Then he was gone.

The teacher trembled with rage. *"This… unbelievable!"* He stormed off, presumably to make that call.

He Xu’s cronies exchanged glances before standing and following their leader. As they passed Zhang Yu, each threw him a death glare and a threatening gesture.

*"You’re dead meat!"*

Once they were gone, the room stayed dead silent, no one daring to speak loudly.

A few students quietly picked up the scattered items, straightened the knocked-over desks, and edged their desks away—putting as much distance between themselves and Zhang Yu as possible.

Zhang Yu sat down calmly, cheering inside. *"So, System, how was my acting just now?"*

System 9527: *"Flawless performance."*

Pathetic, trembling, and tearful.

Had it not witnessed how he ruled the waves when they first bonded, it might’ve truly believed he was some helpless pushover.

Was this an octopus thing? 9527 pondered this deeply.

*"Heh. Nailed it."* Zhang Yu was immensely proud.

Just as he was revelling in his act, a soft voice spoke up beside him: *"Zhang Yu… are you okay?"*

He turned to see the protagonist, Xiang Yiming, peering at him worriedly.

Zhang Yu blinked. *"Me? Never better."*

Xiang Yiming, the curly-haired transfer student with a doe-eyed and baby-faced innocence, seemed blissfully ignorant of the storm heading his way.

After hesitating, he whispered, *"Um… maybe you should ask the teacher to transfer you to another class. You’ve angered He Xu. Even though the teacher stopped him from hitting you just now, he’ll definitely come after you later. If you stay here, they’ll eat you alive."*

Zhang Yu studied the scrawny, soft-hearted boy and suddenly asked, *"Aren’t they bullying you too? Why don’t *you* transfer?"*

Xiang Yiming froze before muttering, *"My situation’s different."*

*"How?"*

After a pause, Xiang Yiming said quietly, *"Switching classes needs parent approval. My family… can’t be involved."*

He couldn’t let his mom find out he was suffering here. She’s got enough on her plate—he didn’t want to add to her stress. Just one more year. After the *gaokao*, he’d be out of here.

*"Oh."* Zhang Yu nodded and lied smoothly for himself too. *"No family to speak of. No one’s coming for me either."*

Xiang Yiming was stunned for a moment. "No one? You mean your family is gone?"

The scrawny teen fidgeted nervously, his face filled with guilt. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"Why apologize? It's not like I care." Zhang Yu swung his legs casually—after all, he had just made it up on the spot.

Then it hit him. "By the way, it was He Xu who told you to fetch water earlier, right? Why did you tell the teacher it wasn’t him?"

Xiang Yiming smiled bitterly. "What difference would it make if I said it was him? Mr. Zeng might stop them this once, but he can’t protect me every time. If I make He Xu and his gang angry, they’ll just jump me after school when no one’s around. It’s better to just go along with them and endure it."

"But doesn’t that make you an easier target?" Zhang Yu tilted his head slightly. "Ever thought about standing up for yourself?"

"Fighting back?" Xiang Yiming shook his head. "I don’t know how to fight, and there are so many of them."

Zhang Yu tapped a mental tentacle against his chin. *System, if I teach him how to fight, would that increase mission completion?*

*It would, but Host...* System 9527 posed the fatal question. *Do you even know how people throw hands?*

Zhang Yu: "..."

Oh, right. He had just learned how to be human—keeping his human form steady and his tentacles hidden was already a challenge. Fighting? He couldn’t exactly revert to his original form and teach the protagonist how to brawl with tentacles, could he?

Sigh. Zhang Yu patted Xiang Yiming’s shoulder sympathetically. "You really have it tough."

With only two arms and two legs—just four limbs total—he was far inferior to Zhang Yu’s sixteen. And with such a frail build, even if he learned to fight, he probably wouldn’t stand a chance against a single tentacle.

Never mind. Better to just focus on studying. He’d deal with the bullies himself.

Looking at the bewildered protagonist, Zhang Yu encouraged him, "Keep working hard! I’m sure you’ll get into a great university and achieve amazing things in the future!"

Xiang Yiming: "...Th-thank you?"

Though he didn’t understand why his new classmate said that, Xiang Yiming accepted the goodwill and returned the encouragement. "You too. Study hard, and your future will be bright."

---

The break soon ended. When the bell rang, all the delinquents except He Xu returned to class, glaring fiercely at Zhang Yu as they passed by.

The new teacher arrived shortly after, frowning slightly when she noticed He Xu’s absence but quickly ignoring the empty seat as if it were routine. The same happened with the next two teachers—only the homeroom teacher, Mr. Zeng, asked about He Xu’s whereabouts. Upon hearing that he had left during the break and never returned, Mr. Zeng angrily muttered, "No respect for school at all!" before storming off again.

Zhang Yu watched him leave curiously and turned to Xiang Yiming. "Does no one care that He Xu skips class?"

Could he skip too, then?

Xiang Yiming looked up from his book, adjusting his glasses. "He Xu’s family is very wealthy. His parents donated the building we’re studying in, and they give the school millions every year. So even if he never attends, the school won’t expel him. He's actually a repeat senior because he skipped classes all last year and blew off the college entrance exam in June. But as long as he stays enrolled, his parents keep funding the school, so the teachers don’t bother with him."

"Oh." Zhang Yu face-planted onto the desk, looking miserable.

He had no money, no parents to donate to the school—he had no choice but to keep attending.

Learning was pure torture for a marine being.

The marine life tilted his head, pressing his cheek against the book and squishing his chubby cheek. Watching the protagonist diligently solving problems, he couldn’t help but ask, "Don’t you find studying painful?"

Xiang Yiming looked at him in surprise. "No? How could studying be painful?"

He smiled, his expression as blissful as Zhang Yu’s when he first tasted his favorite jellyfish. "Studying is the happiest thing. Reading and solving problems—that's what makes me happiest."

Zhang Yu: "..."

He silently turned his face away.

Humans were truly incomprehensible creatures—how could anyone find joy in studying? Terrifying.

---

The morning passed quickly. When the bell rang, students filed out of the classroom.

Xiang Yiming packed his bag and glanced at Zhang Yu. "Are you going to the cafeteria? Let’s go together. After eating, I can show you around the school."

Zhang Yu lay sprawled on the desk, utterly drained, feeling like studying had dehydrated him completely, turning him into dried-up octopus jerky.

In a weak, drawn-out voice, he replied, "No, you go ahead."

He needed to find a pool to soak in—to rehydrate his dried-up self.

"Then should I bring you something to eat? What would you like?" Xiang Yiming pressed.

Zhang Yu listlessly waved a hand. "No need. I don’t feel like eating anything." What he really wanted was jellyfish—freshly caught, still wriggling.

Xiang Yiming bit his lip, gripping his bag strap tightly. He could feel the hostile glares burning into his back, making him shrink inwardly.

He knew exactly what those looks meant. If he didn’t leave soon, they’d probably beat him up too.

But...

Zhang Yu, oblivious, tilted his head. "Aren’t you going? Then I’ll head out first." Gotta rehydrate!

He sprang up and hurried past Xiang Yiming, who instinctively reached out but failed to stop him. "Wait, Zhang Yu—"

The delinquents immediately stood and followed, shoving Xiang Yiming aside as they passed. "Stay out of this, or we’ll beat you up too!"

They disappeared around the corner. Xiang Yiming watched them go, his knuckles whitening on his bag strap.

Images flashed through his mind—his father’s sickly face, his mother’s exhausted expression. Finally, he slowly loosened his grip, lowered his eyes, shouldered his bag, and trudged silently toward the cafeteria.