Chapter 40
Chapter 40: This Morning You Ignored Me; This Afternoon You Can’t Afford Me
The hype was so shamelessly loud it practically came with its own siren, and of course it dragged in a crowd of rubberneckers.
The campus forum detonated.
[—Who the hell is Dong Fang Qian Qi? Big Shot Qian Qi’s lackey or what? Why is she pushing this so hard?]
[—Ha! I hereby crown her the Lackey King.]
[—An ordinary person challenging a d-rank contract beast? Where does she get the nerve?]
[—Principal: I can’t even. The student death rate is going up again this year.]
[—Screw it. I’m going to see which little bastard is this arrogant, daring to spit on my “strongest skill combo” proposal!]
[—Calm down. Take me with you!]
[—Am I the only one who thinks Dong Fang Qian Qi is Big Shot Qian Qi herself?]
[—The person above is definitely a hater. Big Shot Qian Qi would never do something this tasteless.]
Qian Qi, at that very moment, was actively doing something tasteless: “…”
Sorry, but their Big Shot Qian Qi really had no class.
No taste.
Zero.
Once the trending topics were boiling nicely, Qian Qi finally logged off the forum, satisfied. Then she remembered something and tapped open Su Xing Le’s chat.
I’m Your Grandpa: Senior Su?
I’m Your Grandpa: You there?
I’m Your Grandpa: Not there?
I’m Your Grandpa: Should I go to your dorm?
In the dorm, Su Xing Le stared at the minimalist threat on his lightbrain, and the corner of his mouth twitched.
Su City Young Master: I’m here, I’m here. What is it, junior?
Su City Young Master: Trying to buy magic beast meat again?
I’m Your Grandpa: No. I want to ask you something. What’s the horn of a three-headed magic lightning lion used for?
Su City Young Master: Three-headed magic lightning lion?
Su City Young Master: What’s that?
Su City Young Master: Never heard of that kind of magic beast.
I’m Your Grandpa: …
Qian Qi shut off her lightbrain and rubbed her hands together like she was about to hustle someone. “System?”
The System panel popped up, wearing its usual cold, aloof little face.
“Heh.”
Then it hit her with one crisp sentence:
“You ignored me this morning; you can’t afford me this afternoon.”
“Systemy~” Qian Qi pinched her voice until it could have sliced tofu. “So the three-headed magic lightning lion hasn’t even appeared yet~ I didn’t know either~”
“I’m sooo clueless~ I was wrong-wrong~ Tell me how to use the little horn-horn~”
“Systemy~~~”
“…Enough,” the System snapped. “Shut up.”
“Stop with the baby talk, you cringe little gremlin.”
“Price went up,” it added, dripping with spite. “Three hundred bucks.”
Qian Qi dug into her cloth pouch, all innocent eyes. “No money.”
“I don’t have eyes,” the System said, “but I’m not blind. Where’s the allowance Xiang Wen Yun gave you?”
Qian Qi cursed under her breath and yanked out thirty-three bills. “How about thirty-three?”
“Eighty-three.”
The System didn’t even hesitate. It knew her type.
“Forget it,” Qian Qi said.
Then she got worse.
She shoved the System panel under the quilt like she was burying evidence, plopped her butt right on top of it, and blew out an imaginary smoke ring like some jaded gangster.
“A horn from a measly e-rank magic beast can’t be that useful,” she scoffed. “I can punch an e-rank magic beast to death with my bare fists.”
A horn that didn’t make her stronger was, at best, something she could pawn for pocket money.
“%#@—!” the System exploded. “Get the fuck off me!”
Qian Qi didn’t even hear it. She rummaged in her jacket pocket, pulled out a crisp hundred from her allowance, stepped onto the bedframe, and stretched up toward the top bunk.
Liang Yu Ting, lying there with a book, nearly dropped it. “Q-Qian Qi?”
“Here.” Qian Qi held out the money. “What I borrowed before. Paying you back.”
Liang Yu Ting stared at the hundred like it might bite. She rubbed her eyes hard, then stared again.
Was the sun rising in the west?
Qian Qi was actually returning money?
She reached out carefully. Her heart thumped as she took it, and she blurted, “Thanks.”
Qian Qi paused, as if weighing the concept. “Mm. You’re welcome.”
Liang Yu Ting froze.
Seriously?
I said it out of habit!
You didn’t have to answer!
The next day, after sprinting around from dawn to dusk, Qian Qi finally had everything ready.
She slept like a rock, then showed up at the Beast-Taming Department bright-eyed and energized.
Outside the gates of Beast-Taming Plaza, students were already gathering and pacing. They clung to the railings, craning their necks to peek inside.
“Hey, classmate, which post dragged you here?”
“I came from the skill combo thread. I want to see who’s so arrogant. You?”
“I came from the principal’s bald head thread. Hahaha.”
“Hehe. I’m here to find out whose feet stink the most.”
The crowd buzzed nonstop. The match hadn’t even started, and the atmosphere was already on fire.
Grandpa Sun stood by the duty room with several Old Ones he’d dragged in as helpers. When he spotted Qian Qi, he waved with a grin.
Qian Qi sprinted over with a small stool in one hand and a box in the other. She handed the box to Grandpa Sun, greeted the Old Ones, then glanced at the tightly shut gates.
Beast-Taming Plaza was semi-closed. During certain hours, special employees had to lead magic beasts out to exercise. If the gates stayed locked, the Beast-Taming Department students couldn’t enter at all.
That rule was perfect for Qian Qi.
The key was the opening time. That was controlled by Uncle Li, who managed the magic beast storage room. And Grandpa Sun and Uncle Li were close. If Grandpa Sun said the word, the plaza could stay shut all day and nobody could complain.
“I brought Old Li a bag of oranges,” Grandpa Sun said, flipping open the box and smiling at what was inside. “He pushed the opening time back to five in the afternoon.”
Qian Qi’s satisfaction practically sparkled. “Grandpa, tomorrow I’ll bring you two bags! And the other gentlemen too—everyone gets oranges!”
The Old Ones laughed.
“Hey, girl, you sure know how to work people!”
“When you fight the contract beast, be careful. d-rank magic beasts are nasty.”
“Looks like you’ve got a special trick. We old men are looking forward to it.”
Qian Qi laughed loud enough to reassure the whole plaza. “Relax! You’ll see!”
She pulled the contents from the box, strode straight to the sealed gates, and set her little stool down in front of them.
She stepped up, cleared her throat, and shouted with theatrical enthusiasm, “Tickets for sale! Tickets for sale! Fresh, hot tickets for sale!”
“Want to see what a defense fruit that can block d-rank damage looks like? Want to watch a gorgeous young lady and a d-rank contract beast fall in love and try to kill each other? Want to see how an ordinary person can duel a d-rank contract beast safely?”
“Want to know what miracle item the whole world wants? Want to know whose feet stink the most in our school?”
“Buy one ticket, step through this magical gate, and you’ll get your answers!”
“Come on! Open your lightbrains! For just fifty bucks, you can solve the mysteries buried deep in your heart! For just fifty bucks, you’ll watch a match like nothing you’ve ever seen! For just fifty bucks, you’ll witness the moment history changes with your own eyes!”
“You—what are you still hesitating for?!”
Her voice snapped every head in the crowd toward her.
A student blinked. “Wait, tickets? Isn’t it free?”
Qian Qi tilted her head and smiled like a villain in a children’s cartoon.
“Free?”