Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Oh No, My Traumatized Heart

After leaving the dorm, Chen Miao Miao hurried into a hidden grove and anxiously waited for Chen Tong. Half an hour later, Chen Tong finally showed up, already impatient as he said: “Why couldn’t you say this on the Light-Brain? Why insist on meeting?”

Throwing herself into his arms, Chen Miao Miao clung to him with a trembling voice as she said: “I’m scared. Qian Qi didn’t die, and I feel like she knows. What should we do, Senior?”

At the mention of Qian Qi, a cruel light flashed in Chen Tong’s eyes and his face turned ugly. When last year’s new students arrived, he had mocked poor Qian Qi once and she beat him up twice for it, making him the laughingstock of the Magibeast Department. He had wanted revenge ever since. As soon as he heard Li Shu Yun had grown a Fire Qilin Fruit, he set his plan in motion. He first bought a black account to friend Qian Qi, hinted that he urgently needed a Fire Qilin Fruit, and tempted her by offering ten thousand above market price. At the same time, he bribed Chen Miao Miao to keep watch on Qian Qi and arranged for Qian Qi to die on the Fire Qilin Lotus.

Plenty of Magiplant majors died to Magiplants. With Qian Qi’s rotten reputation and sticky fingers, no one would think it was murder. They would just say she died from greed.

Patting Chen Miao Miao’s back in a dismissive way, Chen Tong tried to calm her as he said: “Relax. She won’t figure it out. I’ll think of something else. You go back first. If anything comes up, use the Light-Brain. Meeting on campus is too risky.”

If his girlfriend found out he was secretly meeting a female student, who knew what drama she would stir up and how much more people would laugh at him.

Chen Miao Miao nodded, then, cheeks flushing, she leaned in as she said: “Senior, it’s been a while since we… you know.”

She had not expected to hook up with Chen Tong. Rumor said his family had money. If she could marry him, she would never worry about money again. She had to hold on tight and make him break up with his girlfriend soon.

Chen Tong glanced at her full curves, narrowed his eyes, and finally said: “This weekend. Same place.”

That afternoon, Li Shu Yun moved fast and managed to get one Fire Qilin Lotus seed. Too scared to face Qian Qi, she dug up Liang Yu Ting’s Light-Brain number and, for a 20 yuan errand fee, asked Liang Yu Ting to deliver the seed to Qian Qi.

The first thing Qian Qi did after getting the seed was use Analysis Skill.

[Name: Fire Qilin Lotus Seed
Magiplant: Fire Qilin Lotus
Planting method: Water every 8 hours with 1 kg of water containing 0.1 percent urea. After sprouting in 2 days, feed daily with 1 kg of fresh E rank Magibeast meat with blood, 0.5 kg phosphate and potash fertilizer, and 0.1 kg nitrogen fertilizer. The plant can mature and bear fruit in 5 days.
Disease control: Black poison spots, wilt, black bug disease
Market price: 1000 per seed]

The System Panel also showed a lot more. Tapping [Fire Qilin Lotus] revealed its weaknesses, attack methods, and the uses of each part. Tapping [Black poison spots] pulled up prevention and treatment. It was extremely thorough.

Flipping through the original host’s textbooks, Qian Qi frowned as she said: “Magibeast meat with blood?” The school’s planting guide didn’t mention Magibeast blood or meat at all. After comparing, she realized the textbook method relied on a bunch of chemicals. For a Magiplant like Fire Qilin Lotus that needed to absorb fire elemental power from its surroundings, that was like raising a kid on supplements alone. No wonder they struggled to survive.

She rubbed her chin and muttered as she said: “Looks like I need Magibeast blood and meat first.”

Then she hit a wall. [Where am I supposed to get Magibeast meat? I can’t exactly go into a Dungeon and kill one. I’m a delicate girl, okay.] Her eyes slowly drifted to the washing balcony, where a brand name jacket was still dripping.

Fifteen minutes later, Qian Qi stood at the entrance of the neighboring Magibeast Department boys’ dorm, holding a wet jacket.

She tried to flag down a boy as she said: “Classmate…” but the moment he saw her, he bolted. Everyone nearby who noticed her backed away too. A student who had just stepped out turned right around and went back in.

Qian Qi glanced at the dorm supervisor grandpa sunning himself by the door. After smoothing down her rough short hair, she set her jaw, slapped her flip-flops on the floor, and marched into the boys’ dorm like she owned it.

The old supervisor gave her a look, then calmly looked away.

Qian Qi paused in the hallway: [……] [Unbelievable. I sneaked in, but why am I not happy about it?]

Meanwhile, the student who had turned tail stomped back into his room to complain as he said: “Man, today is not a day to go out.”

Su Xing Le looked up from his water bottle and asked in confusion as he said: “What happened?”

“First thing I saw outside was that lunatic Qian Qi. Total bad luck,” his roommate said.

Su Xing Le clicked his tongue with exaggerated fear as he said: “That’s nothing. I ran into her at breakfast. She not only bumped me, she grabbed my collar and demanded my jacket. Can you believe it? The second I saw her face, I almost had a heart attack.”

His roommate perked up and asked with interest as he said: “No way. Then you just gave it to her?”

“What else could I do?” Su Xing Le shuddered as he said: “I don’t want to become the second Chen Tong. You know how crazy she gets. Back then, you, me, and Old Li next door had to use everything we had just to pull her and Chen Tong apart. My brand new jacket is gone, but maybe I spent money to ward off disaster. I just hope I don’t dream of that maniac tonight. I’d rather dream about ghosts or being chased by a Magibeast than dream of Qian Qi. She’s too scary… ahem, why are you coughing?”

Su Xing Le rattled on until his roommate started dry-coughing and signaling behind him with his eyes.

Su Xing Le turned without thinking and locked eyes with Qian Qi’s smiling gaze.

Su Xing Le froze: [Help.] [Why is she here? Did she hear everything I just said?]

He swallowed and forced a shaky voice as he said: “Sis…”

Qian Qi kept smiling, then slowly let hurt show on her face as she said: “Senior Su, how could you say that about me? Look, I washed your jacket so clean. I rushed over right after it dried so you wouldn’t misunderstand me.”

She pressed a hand to her chest as she said: “I didn’t expect you to look at me with the same colored glasses as everyone else. That really hurts.”

Su Xing Le waved his hands fast as he said: “No, no, I didn’t mean it.”

Seeing the clean jacket draped over Qian Qi’s arm, he felt complicated. He hadn’t expected her to actually wash it and even bring it back. Maybe Qian Qi wasn’t as bad as he thought.

He reached out, testing the waters as he said: “Then… thanks?” But when he tried to take it, he realized her hand was still pressing on the jacket. He couldn’t pull it free.

Acting like she didn’t notice, Qian Qi drew a deep sigh and spoke in a long, wounded tone as she said: “Alas, look at my skinny arms and legs. I trudged all the way to the Magibeast boys’ dorm, climbed five whole floors, five floors, just to hand this jacket to Senior with my own hands.”

She looked stricken as she said: “And what did I hear? Senior’s cruel words, saying I’m scarier than ghosts and Magibeasts. My weak little heart… it is so deeply hurt.”

Her words made Su Xing Le feel guilty. The truth was, he and Qian Qi had no real grudge, and when they bumped into each other in the cafeteria, he had been partly at fault. He was also the one who swore first. Qian Qi hadn’t cursed him even once and had even volunteered to wash his jacket.

He lowered his head and admitted as he said: “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I misunderstood you. Don’t feel bad.”

Qian Qi kept sighing as she said: “Senior Su, this trauma in my heart won’t heal in a short time.”

Su Xing Le glanced at his roommate for help, but the roommate mercilessly dropped his gaze and pretended to study.

Seeing his panic, Qian Qi kindly finished the thought for him as she said: “Senior Su wants to make it up to me?”

Su Xing Le nodded quickly as he said: “Yes. What do you want?”

Qian Qi grabbed both his wrists with a happy sparkle in her eyes, her sadness vanishing in a blink as she said: “I knew Senior is a good person. I just happen to need 10 jin of fresh, still-bloody Magibeast meat, about 5 kilos. Senior will definitely give it to me for free as compensation. Right?”

Su Xing Le stared at her, stunned: [……] [Why do I feel like I just got played?]