Chapter 54: Homework and Exams Are Absolutely Real!
This chapter continued from the last, first depicting the outcome of An Huyu stabbing Yiming.
An Huyu was so inept it hardly seemed like he meant harm.
Li Li saw many readers posting question marks in the comments.
[???]
[Little bro, how are you this bad?]
[I thought this redhead was some big shot, but this?]
The later developments matched what Li Li had seen.
The three, through their mismatched communication, temporarily banded together.
What was interesting was the conversation among the three kids after Li Li left.
In the manga, the characters turned chibi, and the artist dedicated a panel to this little interlude.
On the far right, a goofy An Huyu proudly declared, "Baige totally likes me and even praised my smarts!"
Chibi Yiming glared at him, puffing up. "Li praises me all the time and even fought side by side with me!"
Chibi Tang, on the far left, arms crossed and head turned haughtily, said, "Big brother not only praised me but gave me candy. Do you guys have that?"
The artist added an asterisk to the bottom right of their nearly overlapping speech bubbles, with a note: All fake.
[Hahahaha, what are you guys doing, fighting for attention?]
[Looking at this, back then Ahoge Li had both a cat and a dog. Now this loud redhead's like a little chick, and with the flop-fish, it's land, sea, and air complete!]
[Are you trying to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my mortgage?]
[Official smackdown, the deadliest.]
[Give them some face, manga artist!]
Li Li couldn't hold back a laugh.
These kids were the epitome of "silly children, endless fun."
The manga plot continued, aligning with Li Li's guesses.
An Huyu wanted to take them to his home, but as they slowly walked toward the An residence, An Huyu kept calling Yiming "Heige." Yan Changxiao, passing by, overheard the name.
As Li Li had seen, they ended up fighting.
[So brutal for Yiming, this is the first time I’ve seen the protagonist mistaken for the villain he hates most hahahaha.]
[Yiming: Just super pissed!]
[This time, it’s Heige everywhere.]
After Yiming was first sent flying by Yan Changxiao, the manga’s focus shifted to the canopy behind them.
A familiar pendant earring appeared behind the dense leaves.
[!!! Is that you, Ahoge Li!]
[Aaaaah, my male god!!!!]
[Is Ahoge Li protecting Little Corgi from the shadows? I believe it!]
[Thigh strap! Male god, you’re gonna make me lose it!]
Li Li smiled faintly, thinking she’d nailed the effect.
As a girl, how could she not know what girls love to see?
Gloves, earrings, single-sided masks—sometimes, the more covered a character, the more alluring they seemed.
She felt she’d found her niche among the dozens of doujin trucks.
The manga’s plot unfolded just as she’d witnessed, like watching a live performance front-row and then rereading it in the manga.
Yiming’s persistence, An Huyu’s resolve, Tang’s effort—each of the three teens showed their unique traits and strengths against the enemy.
Interwoven was the manga artist’s introduction of Yan Changxiao: an A-rank mimicry-type ability user, a notoriously tough figure among Four-Way City’s bounty hunters.
When Yiming, leaning against the tree, looked up at Yan Changxiao, who was about to kill him, the next panel showed a lightning-like line piercing Yan Changxiao’s mind.
Li Li remembered this was when she’d directed killing intent at Yan Changxiao.
On the next page, Li Baige finally appeared head-on.
The frame zoomed in on branches in the bottom left, with a black-haired youth atop the tree trunk lifting the hem of a black jacket, revealing a black leather strap on the right thigh.
The youth’s hand, in fingerless black gloves, rested on the handle of an unsheathed dagger secured by the strap.
The angle tilted slightly upward, making it seem like the youth was looking up, those downcast eyes gazing beyond the frame.
In the black-and-white art, the color of the eyes was unclear, yet they were like deep pools.
Mysterious and beautiful.
A black, smoky, eerie aura spread behind, the youth standing at the center of darkness.
Everything seemed black except for the bright earring at the earlobe, illuminating the fragile neck.
“Killing intent.”
This was Yan Changxiao’s inner voice.
“No detection until they revealed themselves—this is a master!”
He felt thrilled.
But in the next panel, his attack continued.
Until An Huyu jumped in.
What followed was as Li Li had seen, including Yan Changxiao sparing Yiming and the others.
Flipping further, Li Li understood why her roommate was freaking out.
Her encounter with Yan Changxiao was drawn, and the manga artist, stirring the pot, included Yan Changxiao’s inner thoughts.
Things like “marching toward a doomed path without looking back” and “worried about dragging that boy into the vortex” made readers feel, through Yan Changxiao’s musings alone, that Li Baige was a tragic figure with a deep story.
Li Li couldn’t help but marvel, “How does this guy come up with so much in his head?”
She hadn’t said anything back then!
But thanks to Yan Changxiao’s overthinking, portrayed by the manga artist, Li Baige’s character arc took a sharp turn.
He seemed like someone resisting oppressive power yet weak, forced to leave loved ones out of fear of staying close.
Unfortunately, in the readers’ eyes, Li Baige had only one adversary.
That was Heige.
So, once again, Heige took the blame.
[Aaaaah, I’m bawling, what has my male god been through?]
[Damn Heige, it’s gotta be him!]
[This earring is somehow both hot and heartbreaking, waaaah.]
[Ahoge Li, did you hear what Yiming said? He just wants you to be okay, so can you two sit down and talk?]
[Daily check-in: when will Heige die?]
Though Heige was wrongly blamed this time, Li Li, seeing the rising popularity of the black-and-red dynamic, thought: Keep it up, the more noise, the more buzz. She didn’t mind.
The manga then shifted back to Yiming’s group.
The three bickered and bonded for a bit before An Huyu admitted he was too battered to face going home.
So they decided to head to a residence An Heyu rarely visited—the one where An Heyu had confined An Huyu when Li Li first approached him.
It was close to Yue Qing’s residence—not the destroyed one, but another of Yue Qing’s homes, where he lived with a few cousins.
The manga showed a bird’s-eye view of the residence they were heading to, with Yue Qing’s home marked nearby.
Looking at the location, Li Li began to think.
She remembered there was another member of the protagonist group, right?
Someone named Yu Xiao, taken by Yue Fu?
By shonen manga coincidence logic, Yu Xiao was definitely being held right next to the residence they were heading to!
“Is this the start of rescuing the flipping-fish?” She tapped her finger unconsciously on the desk, musing for a moment before leaning back. “Whatever, I’m his fake brother, not his real dad. Why meddle so much?”
She trusted Yiming could handle it himself!
“But if An Huyu gets involved, it might drag in Mother Hen…” Li Li felt a slight headache.
She was quite fond of An Heyu.
Sure, he could be overbearing at times, but setting that aside, he was practically the perfect assistant.
The kind who cleaned up her messes.
And he was fun to tease…
Li Li rummaged through the snack pile beside her, pulled out a packet of instant milk tea, poured it into her cup, and mixed it with hot water from her bottle.
Taking a sip, she stared at the brown liquid, gently shaking her head.
“Too hot.” She stuck out her tongue.
Behind her, her roommate was furiously typing, occasionally letting out a wail: “Male god!”
Li Li shrugged, set down her cup, and opened the forum.
[Confirmed, Li Baige is totally Ahoge Li!]
[Listing all the outrageous things Heige has done over the years.]
[What’s the deal between Ahoge Li and Heige? Was it Li who saved Little Corgi at Twinborn?]
[Is An Huyu just a walking tear gland? Crybird?]
[Analysis post: Just how strong is Li?]
[PBC doujin: The pet-fighting trio!]
[Doujin: My smoldering male god!]
[Let’s discuss: Why did Li leave back then?]
Li Li scrolled through.
The manga artist’s decision to include her exchange with Yan Changxiao had pushed Li Baige to the forefront.
Almost everyone now believed Li Baige was Li.
As for why Li left, opinions varied, but the most popular theory was that Heige had forced him out.
The big bad Heige was, as always, infamous on the forum today.
She was about to check the doujin posts to admire her character’s fanart and creations when her phone suddenly pinged with a notification.
It was the class group chat.
Her advanced algebra teacher had tagged everyone, announcing a quiz tomorrow morning.
The kind that counted toward the final grade.
Li Li: “…”
Why announce a test the day before?!
She immediately closed the forum, pulled out her math book, and started reviewing and previewing.
“Damn, this is too real. Teachers and exams are always painfully real!” Her hand trembled as she flipped pages.
Nothing made her feel the world’s harsh reality more than exams and deadlines! Nothing!
The manga world’s fights and schemes felt like playing a holographic game or living a vivid dream.
But when the dream ended, she still had to worry about course attendance and exam scopes.
Popularity points couldn’t solve math problems or keep her from failing!
By the time she had to cross into the manga world that evening, math formulas were still swirling in her head.
“System, can I bring my workbook?” Li Li asked sincerely.
The system paused, then replied: [No.]
A rare, firm refusal.
With no other choice, Li Li closed her eyes, silently reciting formulas and recalling PPT slides, diving into the sea of study as she entered the manga world.
[Preparing for crossover.]
[Channel opened. Wishing you to become a high-popularity character, bringing new energy to the manga.]
When she opened her eyes again, she was once more the bold and unrestrained Heige.
…
An Huyu didn’t return to the An residence that night.
An Heyu was deeply worried, but seeing Heige lounging in his home, casually sipping milk tea, he suppressed the urge to go look for his brother.
“Is Huyu okay?” An Heyu couldn’t help asking.
Li Li, leaning back on the sofa, tapped her fingers on the armrest. “Want me to count how many times you’ve asked that?”
An Heyu lowered his head, then looked up, lips tightening.
“He’s better off not being here, noble sir,” Li Li said carelessly, glancing down. “You’re too tense.”
This time, Li Li’s appearance at the An residence wasn’t just to tie up loose ends from her last crossover.
A night had passed in the manga world.
It was now daytime, morning, with the sun high in the east outside.
Li Li even heard birds chirping beyond the walls of An Heyu’s villa.
The reason was that An Heyu had received an invitation from Yue Qing early that morning, to meet at “Heart” Square—the one she often visited, filled with white doves.
Li Li was to accompany An Heyu as an “insider” to check things out.
She was certain she hadn’t seen these people make any moves during her patrol last night.
What could they have done in such a short time?
Abilities?
With abilities involved, everything seemed plausible.
She sighed inwardly, setting down her teacup.
As she stood, she flipped her hand and snapped her fingers casually.
Her sunglasses vanished, her navy-blue jacket turned into a black hooded jacket, and a blue pendant appeared at her earlobe.
Her aura shifted from reckless arrogance to icy detachment.
This was Li Baige.
“Let’s go,” she said. “Let’s see what they’re up to.”
She was 99% sure it was about Heige.
Outside the An residence, Li Li looked up.
A few clouds blocked the glaring sunlight.
At the horizon, a red streak, like lightning, flickered briefly before vanishing.
She withdrew her gaze.
Li Li had said she would keep winning.