Chapter 42

Chapter 42: Principal, want a VV ticket?

Although Elder Li and Elder Sun were both A level Awakened, the Principal still felt uneasy. He decided to head to the Beast Taming plaza to see which student was so bold, not only calling him bald but also daring to pull this kind of reckless stunt on campus.

He threw on his coat and rushed out, but right outside the door he ran into Su Ang. Su Ang paused, saw the Principal’s urgent look, and thought a magibeast might have come out nearby, then he asked, “Principal, what happened?”

The Principal waved him along and snapped: “Something huge, really huge! Come with me first!” He glanced at the time on his Light-Brain, afraid he would be too late to stop the match, then he dragged Su Ang toward the Beast Taming plaza.

By the time they arrived, many students were already lined up to enter. The Principal looked around and was shocked to spot several familiar figures in the crowd. Elder Zhao? Elder Zhou? Elder Wu? Wait, even Elder Zheng was here?

He frowned and thought: [What is going on? Are these seniors holding a match in the plaza? If it’s that big, why didn’t anyone tell me first?]

He hurriedly straightened his suit and was about to go ask what was happening when someone grabbed his arm.

A bright voice sounded behind him as Qian Qi called out: “Principal?! Oh wow! What brings you here?”

The Principal turned and saw Qian Qi, and the corner of his mouth twitched as his arm twinged. He could not tell if it hurt because she was strong, or because some bad memories were starting to sting.

Qian Qi beamed as she looked him over, then glanced at the silver haired beauty beside him, Su Ang, and teased: “You came to watch the match too?”

From the moment Qian Qi appeared, the Principal had a bad feeling. He looked at Elder Sun winking at him from the plaza gate, then at Qian Qi smiling like a friendly tiger, and his lips trembled as he blurted: “You aren’t… the star of this match, are you?”

Qian Qi waved fast and denied it, then she coughed and corrected him with a serious face: “The stars are me and a D level contract beast. Principal, you can’t ignore the beast’s rights just because it’s a magibeast. That would be species discrimination.”

[???] the Principal thought.

[Dang it, why are my hands itching?]

Qian Qi leaned in and murmured: “Principal, want to go in and watch?” She checked that no one was looking, then secretly pressed two tickets into his hand and chirped, “VVVIP front row seats! Buy a ticket and you’re in!”

The Principal actually laughed from anger as he said: “Qian Qi, the whole school is mine. You’re asking me for money?”

Hearing that, Qian Qi’s smile faltered. She briskly snatched the tickets back and gave him a faintly scornful look as she said, “No way, Principal. The students are all following the rules and paying. We grown ups can’t eat for free in front of them.”

The Principal’s mouth twitched as he thought: [Who’s ‘we grown ups’ with you?]

He drew breath to argue, but Qian Qi clapped and said: “But you’re right. You’re the Principal, so you should have some privileges!” She pointed at the beauty next to him and bargained: “How about this! I’ll sell you two tickets for the price of one. Four hundred credits, buy one get one. This senior’s ticket is basically free. Deal?”

The Principal decided she at least knew how the world worked and nodded: “Fine. I’ll support your business.” He transferred four hundred credits.

As soon as she saw the payment hit, Qian Qi happily stuffed the two tickets back into his hand and personally ushered the Principal and Su Ang through the gate of the Beast Taming plaza.

Old Master Sun, who was watching the door, sat on a stool in the security booth and greeted them with a grin as he asked, “Oh my, Principal, you came to watch too? Did you buy tickets?”

The Principal stared in silence and thought: [Having fun playing along with her, are you?]

He set the two VVVIP tickets in front of Elder Sun. Old Master Sun checked them like a pro, then gave the Principal a meaningful smile.

The Principal still did not understand what that smile meant. After the tickets were checked, he and Su Ang entered the plaza together.

Su Ang kept quiet until they walked up to the stands. At last he spoke in a calm voice and asked, “Principal, what is the big thing you were talking about?”

The Principal froze. [???] he thought.

[Wait. I came here to stop the match!]

Cold sweat slid down his back. This was not carelessness; that crafty girl had tied him in knots until he forgot why he came.

Even so, he rubbed his chin and muttered, “If it’s her, maybe she really can pull it off.”

He told himself: [This kid is sharp. She wouldn’t walk into a sure death fight against a D level contract beast.] Over the past few days, he had talked with Mo Yin Qiu and learned that Qian Qi was truly a Magiplant genius. She not only healed her classmates’ dying magiplants, she also grew a Fire Qilin Lotus that was good for a Flame Hound. Even inside a Dungeon, a Fire Qilin Lotus would at most bear one fruit. The one Qian Qi grew produced three top grade Fire Qilin Fruits. Calling her a “genius” almost felt too stingy. Not to mention that Hemostasis Potion…

He frowned and thought: “Could it be she smashed those magiplants before because she thought they were trash?”

“Principal?” Su Ang stopped and pointed to the first row as he said, “We’re here.”

The Principal answered: “Oh,” and sat down. He was about to reply to Su Ang’s earlier question when he heard a couple nearby arguing.

The boy snapped with a sour tone: “Why did you come here!”

The girl fired right back without being cowed by his temper as she scoffed: “Why can’t I? I worried for nothing. You and Qian Qi aren’t that close after all. You even bought your ticket at full price.”

The Principal, who had accidentally overheard, stroked his chin and thought: [So she does have some warmth. She knows to give friends a discount.] Then he added proudly: [But my discount is better. Mine was buy one, get one.]

The boy frowned and asked, “How much did you pay for your VVVIP ticket?”

The girl huffed and said, “Half of yours. One hundred credits.”

Two shouts came one after another. Chen Tong yelled first, eyes full of jealousy and anger as he cried, “If I had known, I would’ve bargained too! I’m the sponsor for this match!”

The Principal shot up second and cracked his voice as he demanded: “Classmate, what did you just say the original price for a VVVIP ticket is?”

Chen Tong turned, surprised to see the Principal, then quickly answered: “Two hundred credits. Why?”

[!!!] the Principal thought.

Two hundred? That meant he had paid four hundred to buy two VVVIP tickets at the original price. He finally realized he had been played. The buy one get one was just Qian Qi’s way to hustle him.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got, fuming like smoke was rising from his head. No wonder Elder Sun had smiled so oddly. He must have known the Principal got fleeced. Then he paused and thought: [Wait, that can’t be it. I was pretty far from Elder Sun. How would he know I paid four hundred and got tricked?]