Under the temptation of improved study efficiency, Li Zheng unzipped the side pocket of his backpack and reached for his phone.
During break time, phones were allowed, but playing games or watching videos was forbidden. Only necessary communication and viewing of study materials were permitted.
But this time, Li Zheng was going to take a risk.
After glancing around, he quietly unlocked his phone and opened a video app that started with the letter B.
It was “Baribari,” which had many educational videos. He often studied using it.
But this time was an exception.
He swallowed nervously and typed a forbidden word.
Meow-meow
Soon, he pulled up tons of cat videos.
Li Zheng’s breathing grew heavy.
He was anxious to watch, yet scared of being caught.
Once he confirmed that Lin Yujing wasn’t paying attention to him, he steeled himself and tapped on the video titled:
【Haven’t been home for a week, kitty gets pitiful seeing owner】
It showed a little American Shorthair lying belly-up on the sofa, fluffy white tummy fully exposed, its eyes shimmering with tears.
A hand reached over, gently rubbing its belly to comfort it, but it still looked pitiful.
“Ah…”
Li Zheng couldn’t take it anymore.
Once he got started, he couldn’t stop. He hadn’t even finished that video before tapping on the next one:
【What happens when you keep poking a cat’s head while it sleeps?】
This time, it was a chubby orange tabby, sleeping soundly.
Poke it, poke it, hurry up and poke it!
Li Zheng anxiously dragged the progress bar forward.
Just as things got good, a system notification suddenly popped up:
【Relaxation activity detected: watching videos】
【Vitality recovery rate: -0.3】
【Every minute spent will reduce Study Vitality by 0.3 minutes. If today's vitality is exhausted, it will overdraw from tomorrow's.】
“Ah!”
Li Zheng yelped and dropped his phone in fright.
The sound startled Lin Yujing.
She turned her head slightly, her knee revealing half an eye, casting a sidelong glance at the phone on the ground.
On the screen, the orange tabby was twitching its ears in annoyance.
“Hmm hmm hmm…”
Then she glanced back at Li Zheng and started laughing again.
The same mocking laugh.
Li Zheng wiped away his drool and hurriedly picked up his phone.
“Is that funny?”
Lin Yujing turned her head again, burying it between her knees, ignoring him.
Ashamed and annoyed, Li Zheng put his phone away.
Better find another place to relax.
This girl—when she wasn’t studying—wasn’t cute at all.
The more he looked, the more annoyed he felt.
【Relaxation activity detected: flirting】
【Vitality recovery rate: 7.8 (Lin Yujing)】
【Each minute spent will recover 7.8 minutes of Study Vitality, up to a 60-minute max.】
【Insert coins to acquire relevant skills, improve the relaxation experience, and accelerate recovery rate】——
【Elegant Eloquence: express yourself with more precision, efficiency, and beauty.】（5 Game Coins）
【Trendy Guru: identify every high-end lipstick shade, praise every seasonal new arrival.】（5 Game Coins）
【Style Expert: better at dressing yourself.】（10 Game Coins）
……
Looking at these, Li Zheng froze.
He had always believed that doing anything else would waste precious study time.
Only now did he realize what it meant to balance work and rest—and what people meant by “male-female team-up.”
Also… wasn’t this supposed to be a study system? Why was the study interface so barebones, while the relaxation section had all these bizarre skills?
At this point—
To flirt, or not to flirt?
That was the question.
More precisely—
It was a true-or-false question.
No.
Li Zheng chose “false.”
He wanted to relax, but he refused to toy with someone’s feelings just to achieve that.
Especially these sleazy-sounding skills—they made him feel physically repulsed.
Just as he picked up his backpack to leave, a harsh voice suddenly shouted from outside the garden.
“You two!!! What are you doing???”
Li Zheng jumped. That raspy, indistinguishably-gendered voice belonged to—
No need to guess—it was the Discipline Director.
Lin Yujing trembled violently and tumbled right off the bench in fright.
As she fell, she flailed wildly—
Both hands grabbed onto Li Zheng’s pants.
And she remained kneeling on the ground.
“Hey!!! Right in front of me, too!!”
The Discipline Director, her Buddha-permed hair practically exploding, yelled furiously.
“Which class?! Don’t move! Stay just like that—let your parents come see this for themselves!”
How could she not move?
Lin Yujing, the once aloof and untouchable study goddess—when had she ever been so humiliated?
She yanked her hands back with lightning speed, didn’t dare look at Li Zheng, snatched up her backpack, and made a dash for it.
Who would’ve thought that this woman, well over fifty, would be so spry—she was already blocking the exit in a flash.
“Running?! Still running?!”
The Director jabbed her finger at Lin Yujing, who now had nowhere to go.
“Where’s your courage now, huh?! Where’s all that guts from just now?!”
Lin Yujing was utterly defeated.
She buried her face in her hands and wept silently.
As for Li Zheng, he stood tall with his hands behind his back under the pavilion, righteous and unafraid of shadows.
Naturally imposing.
“You! You! You!”
The Discipline Director was incensed by his composure.
“Still feeling smug? Which class?! We’re calling the homeroom teacher and then your parents—both of them!”
Li Zheng remained calm and courteous.
“Director Sun, you’ve misunderstood. We were merely relaxing in the same place by coincidence.”
“Heh! Heh! Real smooth, aren’t you? Relaxing, huh? What a clever excuse for puppy love.”
Furious, she pulled out her phone.
“Which class are you in? Let’s notify your teacher first.”
Li Zheng glanced toward the surveillance camera in the garden corner. He was tempted to say it could prove his innocence—
But with Director Sun this angry, saying that would probably just provoke her further.
“Class 4, Year 2.”
Li Zheng sighed. Time to trouble Teacher Hu—only her voice could calm the director now.
“Class 4, huh? Chunmei’s class... tch tch tch tch tch…”
The director smacked her lips, flipping through the contacts.
“You tell me—your class has a student as excellent as Lin Yujing, and then it has people like you, fooling around with love. Can’t you learn a thing or two from her?”
“Ugh…”
Lin Yujing lowered her head even more, clearly crying now.
That’s when the Discipline Director finally noticed—this girl had a very… unique presence.
She quickly bent over to get a better look.
Whoa—this was big news.
“Lin Yujing?!”
The Director instinctively ended the call. Her face, beyond the fury, now carried a look of pure excitement.
“No way…”
Lin Yujing nodded solemnly, unable to utter a word.
“You… how could you…”
The Director turned to glare at Li Zheng.
“You’re such a top student—how could you be with such an ordinary boy… No, no. How could you of all people fall into puppy love?!”
Li Zheng didn’t feel great about that. Wasn’t the Director’s focus a little… biased?
Even the Director realized she was pushing it. She stepped aside a little and said,
“Then you… you, go ahead and leave. I won’t spread this.”
Lin Yujing tried several times to explain but couldn’t find the words.
In the end, she cast a tearful, ferocious glare at Li Zheng and ran off with her backpack.
Just as Li Zheng was about to bid the Director goodbye, Director Sun grabbed him by the arm.
“You’re not going anywhere! Call your parents!”
“???”
Li Zheng wasn’t just confused—he was absolutely baffled.
“Lin Yujing is such an outstanding student—how did it come to this? How could she be caught up in romance?”
Director Sun, holding onto Li Zheng, began dialing Hu Chunmei.
Thankfully, Hu Chunmei was sensible. She quickly clarified everything, stating that both students were excellent and had merely been eager to discuss the recent intense exam.
Director Sun hung up the phone, still skeptical.
“Li Zheng, right? Your teacher may be covering for you, but I don’t play that game.”
She let go of his arm but continued nagging.
“Next time I catch you two alone, I won’t let it slide no matter what Hu Chunmei says.”
Li Zheng slung his backpack over his shoulder.
Let the Director misunderstand—it didn’t matter. But Teacher Hu was innocent.
As long as he focused on studying and didn’t break the rules, even if the Director deliberately looked for faults, she wouldn’t find anything.
But if Director Sun became dissatisfied with Teacher Hu, it might cause her trouble in the faculty circles.
Li Zheng raised his arm and pointed directly at the surveillance camera.
“Director, there’s the monitor. If you think we’re up to something, feel free to review it. Invite my whole family over for a live viewing if you want.”
“Eh?! You little…!!”
Director Sun stared at him for several seconds before finally muttering.
“You’ve got… got guts, huh. No wonder even Lin—... You’d better not give me another reason!”
【Relaxation activity detected: flirting】
【Vitality recovery rate: -23.1 (Sun Xiubin)】
【Warning: improper relaxation method. Vitality is being excessively overdrawn.】
？？？？
This… this was…
Way too hardcore.
Li Zheng’s confidence collapsed. He didn’t dare say another word and fled like a rat.
“Hmph…”
Director Sun watched his retreating figure, secretly gritting her teeth.
“Li Zheng, huh… Top student. I’ll remember you.”