Chapter 7: Won't You Scold Me?

“Class is over!”

With the end of the English lesson, Jiang Mo’s time in this class came to a close.

Retracting the crooked-smile Dragon King comment.

Beautiful girls are like this: a few tender words and everything’s fine, but Jiang Mo had to consider many things.

It was quite satisfying the moment Hu Yuen spoke on his behalf, but it was just a fleeting instant—no room to savor it at all.

As soon as Hu Yuen finished speaking, no one in the class dared to make a fuss. The atmosphere turned cold, and Jiang Mo didn’t even bother to maintain any posturing; his plan to act cool was instantly ruined.

The fools had only thrown a basic attack, while Jiang Mo hadn’t even used any skills. Hu Yuen jumped out and immediately unleashed her ultimate move, leaving no chance for Jiang Mo to experience the thrill of showing off.

System, system, your Hu Yuen is indeed strong, but she’s too demanding in terms of skill. Are there any beautiful girls who are both stunning and won’t freeload on the showmanship?

There are, brother, there are. There are quite a few of these dark-horse beauties.

Chen Yajie’s strength was still uncertain for now, but Hu Yuen’s and Jiang Wanfeng’s were already maxed out.

Now, the small cliques in the class treated him like a plague whenever they saw him, avoiding him at all costs. There were no more pesky clowns to elbow.

No clowns, no Batman.

Forget it, anyway, he was leaving. The promotion list was shared privately, and the head teacher had just come over to tell him.

He could move immediately.

However, there was still a troublesome matter…

How do you get rid of a little bee who is super cute, with a sweet voice, fluttering around you, blinking those big dazzling eyes like a Kazzlan mascara ad?

“Jiang Mo, Jiang Mo~ You lied to me,” Hu Yuen smiled sweetly at him.

Girls always leaned forward, arms swinging behind their backs, tilting their heads up to look at you—a lively and obedient posture.

This illusion of being effortlessly plucked at will was something she was good at creating.

“No one has ever lied to me before,” she giggled softly. “You’re the first.”

“I don’t believe you,” Jiang Mo replied casually, thinking that this little she-devil didn’t even plan her baiting.

[You’re the most special one.] [Only you treat me so well.] [You’re the first to do so.] [Only you are different]...

A classic little green-tea script that used to have Jiang Mo hooked in just a few lines.

But… Jiang Mo was no longer the Jiang Mo he used to be.

“It’s true!” Hu Yuen seemed unable to tolerate anyone denying her “honest feelings.”

“Then let me ask you, does fish-flavored shredded pork have fish in it?”

“Uh…” Hu Yuen wondered if this was some kind of deception…

“Then let me ask you, does cotton candy have cotton?”

“Does a hot dog have a dog?”

“Does Buddha Jumps Over the Wall have Buddha? Then how about Donkey Rolls—does it have a donkey? If so, where is the lion in Lion’s Head, and where is the squirrel in Squirrel Mandarin Fish?”

After a round of back and forth,

Jiang Mo watched the little she-devil’s smile gradually fade and chuckled. Couldn’t even handle you, huh?

Just as he was about to pack up, the girl grabbed his arm.

“Hey! I told you, I have pica; when I touch a girl’s hand, I just want to…”

“Jiang Mo, Jiang Mo, I’m hungry,” Hu Yuen pouted pitifully like she was coaxing him. “So I lied, sorry. You talked about so many delicious things, I’m so hungry~ Jiang Mo, let’s go eat, okay?”

Since Jiang Mo had already pulled out the desks and chairs, preparing to move to another building, the two of them stood in the corridor during the busy time after morning classes.

With her coquettish act, she immediately attracted the attention of a few innocent high school boys and a couple of obsessed girls, who gave Jiang Mo unfriendly looks.

It’s easy to deal with a little green tea who only triggers your protective instincts, but one who stirs up everyone’s protectiveness? That’s another story.

“No,” Jiang Mo glared back at them, refusing any outside help. “I’m used to eating alone.”

Jiang Mo was done with pure love.

First step to getting out: slay your crush!

“My meal card has a lot of money on it!”

“Well, that’s another matter…”

No more pure love, but pure gold was still fine.

...

In the cafeteria, accompanied by Hu Yuen, Jiang Mo piled a large bowl full of meat dishes.

For a balanced meal, he even asked the food lady to shake her hand more so he could get a bit of every meat dish. He was afraid he wouldn’t finish it all.

Of course, the price was fixed; no matter how much you take, each dish was the same price.

The cafeteria owner laughed to himself, thinking, “There’s still such a fool who hands over money like this.”

Jiang Mo had a clear conscience—after all, Hu Yuen was the one splurging the gold coins, not him being foolish.

The girl ate a small bowl of rice, pinching little bits of vegetables, seated across from Jiang Mo, chewing her rice delicately and occasionally glancing up at him with a gentle smile.

“Jiang Mo, you’re eating so much. Is it because I’m here that you have such an appetite?”

“Yes, yes.”

Without your gold coin bonanza, I wouldn’t have this big an appetite.

“Jiang Mo, may I go get you some soup?”

“All right, all right.”

---

“Jiang Mo, is that chicken leg tasty?”

“Delicious.”

“Eat more; Jiang Mo, you must be working so hard, right? All this effort just for me…”

“Yes, yes… huh?”

Jiang Mo looked up sharply and spotted a blind spot.

Why working hard for you? You’re adding too much drama in your head, getting a little flirty.

Shrimp-head girl, hang on the forum.

“Winter break is less than ten days, and you can improve your scores this much?”

Compared to Jiang Wanfeng’s fiery, explosive temperament, it was hard to see any blush on Hu Yuen’s delicate face.

“Ten days, every day memorizing so many words and sentence patterns…”

Hu Yuen counted on her fingers, voice soft and sweet like candied pastry.

“Jiang Mo, you’re amazing, just to move up a class with me… I’m so happy, you’re so great~”

Stop sweet-talking, baby, you’re going to coax me into an egg cell.

Besides, you don’t know—there’s a kind of effort called cheating.

With those twisted thoughts in his mind, Jiang Mo swallowed a witty remark that was about to slip out. Though Hu Yuen’s words were foolish, she had just splurged a fortune of coins, so he had to endure.

“Jiang Mo, sometimes I have a bad temper.” The girl took out a tissue to wipe her rosy lips and handed one to him.

“The night before last, I was in a bad mood, so I wasn’t very nice to you on QQ.”

“I apologize, and then this morning too, and yesterday as well. Sometimes I really act strange, sorry~”

Girl, do you have split personalities? Is it mitosis or meiosis?

“Also, Jiang Mo, do your words from yesterday still count?”

“You told me to forget them,” Jiang Mo became a contrarian and kept eating. “I do have my limits.”

“I already said sorry~” Hu Yuen pouted, her voice soft and silky like a kitten’s, her fox-like eyes full of hope. “Forgive me, please forgive me~”

Jiang Mo almost choked on his rice.

How on earth did the monk survive the Kingdom of Women?

His former self had it tough. This was no ordinary test; this was an examination for cadres.

Forever loyal to childhood sweetheart!

“I don’t have cash, but there’s more than ten thousand on this meal card. It’s all yours.”

Hu Yuen pulled out the meal card, freshly emptied of coins, and handed it to Jiang Mo.

“You only need to scold me a little each day, just a little, okay?”

Her pleading eyes, through the steam rising from the food, wove an irresistible charm.

Jiang Mo squeezed the hard plastic card in his hand.

This was solid.

“Well, limits need to be looked at dialectically; they can be flexible.”

Just as Jiang Mo finished speaking, the system’s prompt came immediately.

[Your life trajectory has changed; future outcomes have shifted.]

[Ten years later, Jiang Wanfeng increases the number of intimate moments with you, though physical demands grow, your spiritual connection dwindles…]

[One day, when Jiang Wanfeng is away, Hu Yuen uses the landlord’s authority to break into your love nest, inviting you to drink together in youthful reminiscence…]

[You think you’re drunk, but actually, it’s a drug hidden in the girl’s youth and cuteness.]

[She gives herself to you, takes many photos and videos to blackmail you; you try to refuse.]

[She cries, saying you belong to her, and you should have been under her control ten years ago, obediently her “toy”…]

[Major life event mission available. Accept? (Note: Significant impact.)]

[Main mission: Investigate the cause of Hu Yuen’s mood swings and resolve her psychological issues.]

[Side mission: Scold her.]

[Reward: Consumer rebate—Scumbag edition (use women’s money, get tenfold return).]

Are systems this blunt nowadays?

Jiang Mo was still pondering the chaotic future relationship. Although the scenario was serious, seeing the words “scold her” almost made him laugh until he had a snot bubble.

“Ahaha… Am I ridiculous? It’s okay if you want to laugh at me.”

Hu Yuen caught his expression perfectly and sulked pitifully, shrinking her head.

“You’re truly outrageous,” Jiang Mo finally laughed out loud.

“Thank you, Jiang Mo.”

“What are you thanking me for?”

“You just scolded me…”

A faint blush finally appeared on Hu Yuen’s little face.

Is “outrageous” considered scolding?

Jiang Mo had better reconsider the scope of “scolding.”

“Jiang Mo, then I’ll take that as your agreement. It’s our secret, okay?”

Jiang Mo had no reason to refuse. The rebate required Hu Yuen to splurge coins, and doing the missions could be done simultaneously.

Although the risk was high, the payoff was quite substantial.

Still, freeloading on her meal card was a bit much. At worst, he’d repay part of the rebate money later.

Actually, based on the system’s previous “dirt” and the new information from the future, Jiang Mo roughly deduced that Hu Yuen showed two faces depending on the situation. In freer environments, her emotions were unstable. For example…

A real-life white moonlight, and an online fairy.

Also, her need for control was extreme. When faced with people or things outside her control, especially those that attracted her, she became very concerned, affecting her mood.

Lastly… Ace’s admiration was secondary.

But Jiang Mo suddenly thought of a bug.

Hey! I have an idea! .JPG

What if I scold her while also praising her? What would happen then?

“Jiang Mo, if possible, could you do it again?”

Seeing Jiang Mo silent, Hu Yuen thoughtfully began clearing the dishes and cast an expectant glance at him.

Jiang Mo looked at the girl and cleared his throat.

“You know, I’m ultimately a gentleman.”

“Mm, yes, Jiang Mo is very proper.”

Hu Yuen nodded her chin repeatedly.

“It’s just me being weird, asking you to do weird things. It’s got nothing to do with you.”

Must say, Hu Yuen’s emotional intelligence was quite high—she gave him an exit on her own.

“Hu Yuen?”

“Yes!”

“You little bitch…”

“Mm…”

The redness on her earlobes was visibly spreading, like two tender cherries.

“You’re actually pretty damn cute.”

“Eh? Ah… eh eh eh?”

In an instant, Jiang Mo saw panic, anger, affection… a mess of emotions in Hu Yuen’s eyes.

Cute? And bitch? How do those two fit together…

Hu Yuen’s mind froze.

Moments later, her temples flushed deeply. She covered her cheeks in disbelief as a burning sensation spread to her palms, seeping into her arteries, disrupting her heartbeat.

In the end, the lively little she-devil turned into a steam princess—steam invisible but imaginable.

“Sorry, sorry,” Hu Yuen stammered, wobbling as she steadied herself on the table.

“Um, I-I need to go to the restroom.”

“The restroom’s over there; you’re going the wrong way,” Jiang Mo guided her like a sage, briefly grabbing her arm. She trembled and shook him off.

“Okay, okay.”

[Hu Yuen main mission progress: 1%]

Seeing the system prompt, Jiang Mo fell into thought again.

This bug not only worked but was surprisingly overpowered.

Yet Jiang Mo wasn’t too happy.

Another main storyline confirmed that the girls who appeared in his “future” would bring considerable trouble to his immature self in reality, in the present moment.

Besides English words, physics, math, and ancient poetry, his mind now had to carry the weight of these girls’ overflowing youth.

Ah, so this is youth.

Therefore, if scolding Hu Yuen meant praising and hitting her at the same time, and having Jiang Wanfeng spy on them beside…

No, his youth wasn’t butter. He had to hold back a bit.

Paid content could wait ten years to explore.

Hu Yuen said she was going to the restroom but probably just found a place to bury her head like an ostrich.

Jiang Mo didn’t look for her. Lunch had gone on a bit long, and the lunch break had already started for a while. Most students had returned to their dorms to nap; a few were dozing in class.

High school students usually took a nap since they got so little sleep.

Only a few superhumans studied non-stop from dawn till dusk.

Jiang Mo had already moved half the desks and chairs. He decided to take advantage of lunch break to move directly to the advanced class, aiming for a super stealthy comeback.

There were two advanced classes: one purely science-based, and the other mixed with some science and humanities students, like Jiang Mo.

Good news: Hu Yuen wasn’t in either.

Bad news: Jiang Wanfeng wasn’t either.

If the two of them ended up together… Jiang Mo just thought about it and got a headache.

Just as he finished moving to the new teaching building’s ground floor and wiped the sweat, he heard a girl’s heavy breathing down the hallway…

Looking up, their eyes met—those enchanting peach blossom eyes belonging to the girl.