Ch. 275 - Good Score, Next Time Don't Take It [1]

The crowd instantly turned into rabid fans, and the entire internet cafe swarmed around them.The scene immediately descended into chaos as everyone shoved their way forward.

"Holy crap, bail!"Chen Shu saw things going south and instantly, like a fish through water, slipped smoothly out of the crowd.He shook his head. Behind him, the mob was still packed tight.They hadn't even realized the main character had left.

Chen Shu stepped outside the internet cafe, feeling the cool night breeze, but his heart was blazing hot.Huaxia Academy! Your Brother Chen is coming!In a single year, he'd gone from a Level 0 Beast Tamer to Black Iron One-Star — an absolutely insane leap."I, Chen Shu, got where I am today entirely on my own merit!"Chen Shu looked up at the sky with a deep sigh, then silently thought: System, give me some more options!At that moment, Xu Xingxing finally broke free, frantically wiping his face with his clothes.

"Chen Pi, this is all your fault! I got kissed to death by a bunch of dudes!""..."Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Xu Xingxing had a lipstick mark on his right cheek.The problem was, every single person in that internet cafe just now had been male!

"Where's Old Xie?""Things were too chaotic, I didn't get a good look. He's probably feeling... a bit desperate.""Who says?"

Xie Sunan walked out of the internet cafe calm as could be, not a single drop of moisture on his face — proof he hadn't been violated."Not bad, Old Xie! You've got a few percent of my power!"Chen Shu looked him up and down, clicking his tongue in admiration.

Xu Xingxing stared, confused. "Then why are your legs shaking?"

Xie Sunan shook his head, a faint bitter smile at the corner of his mouth. He looked up at the bright moon and said,"They fucking stole my underwear...""Pfft... hahahaha..."The two couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. They never imagined Xie Sunan would be this unlucky — his boxers actually got stolen.

The three threw their arms around each other's shoulders and left the internet cafe.Chen Shu glanced back. The crowd was still packed tight.He had a growing suspicion that a bunch of people were using his name as an excuse to unleash their true natures...

...

Early the next morning.Chen Shu was in great spirits. The night before, the admission score lines for all the universities had come out — Huaxia Academy was indeed 670 points.His system options settled, and he received the divine skill [Clone], which he hadn't learned yet — he stashed it in his system backpack.At the moment, Chen Shu had arrived early at Nanjiang Second High. Today was the school's awards ceremony.With his Huaxia Academy status, he figured he could squeeze a bit more money out of the school...

"Chen Pi, you're here this early? Never seen you this hardworking before."Right then, Shen Wushuang pulled up to the school gate in his car.His face was all smiles, clearly having learned of Chen Shu's results.685 points — not only admission to Huaxia Academy, but also Nanjiang City's Gaokao Top Scorer![2]

"I've long since gotten used to waking up early. People only see my excellence, but never my character."Chen Shu shrugged, but internally he was thinking:Normally I have to study. Today I came to show off. How are those two things even comparable?

"Give me a break."Shen Wushuang shook his head, parked the car, and walked into the school with Chen Shu.Chen Shu grinned. "Teacher, how'd I do on the gaokao?"

Shen Wushuang nodded, approving. "Good score. Next time, don't take it.""???""I can handle it. The other students and the alternate dimension can't."

The two chatted and laughed as they arrived at the school field.All six grades had already assembled on the field.At the front, on the main stage, hung a massive results board listing the scores of every outstanding student.Above the board stretched a banner that read in bold: "Congratulations to Chen Shu for Claiming Nanjiang City's Gaokao Top Scorer!"

"Now that's what I call style!"Chen Shu grinned, feeling it from head to toe.The students around him all looked on with envy.A Beast Tamer's gaokao scores meant, to a certain degree, their future achievements.

On the stage, the principal was beaming. Last year's senior class had performed terribly, but who would've thought this year they'd turn it all around — naturally, he was going to hype it to the heavens.Soon, the entire school had assembled on the field.The Special Training Class stood in the most prominent spot. Not only had Chen Shu scored brilliantly, but everyone else's results were equally outstanding.

"Students! This year's gaokao has come to a successful conclusion, and the scores are officially out!"The principal spoke with triumphant satisfaction. "First, let's congratulate the school's regular students — our advancement rate ranked second in the entire city!"

"Next, our Beast Tamer students. The number admitted to key universities and prestigious universities both surpassed Nanjiang First High — we are the undisputed first in the city!"

"Most importantly, let's congratulate Chen Shu. He has surpassed Huaxia Academy's admission line and achieved the city's Gaokao Top Scorer!"The principal was glowing, speaking with emotion. "The school takes pride in you!"

Then, he sighed."Unfortunately, our Chen Shu has a sore throat and won't be able to give a speech today...""?"

Down below, Chen Shu was utterly bewildered. My throat hurts? How come I didn't know?The principal remained perfectly composed. He needed to mold Chen Shu into a positive-energy academic star, not a bandit who spent all day looking for trouble.Otherwise, what would the parents think? Would anyone even enroll next year?

Then the principal launched into a self-indulgent speech.An hour later, the awards ceremony finally ended!

Shen Wushuang called out, "Everyone hold on — head to the Beast Taming Arena!"The Special Training Class students made their way over.Their expressions were a mix of sorrow and joy, but most were smiling, having gotten the scores they wanted.

Chen Shu slipped out of the line and made his way to the principal's office.

"Chen Shu! Congratulations!"The principal was drinking tea, not expecting Chen Shu to show up at his office."Is there something you need?"

"Principal, about that Top Scorer thing... isn't there some kind of reward?"Chen Shu rubbed his hands together, starting with hints... no, scratch that... straight-up demands.He hadn't even gotten much spotlight today — he absolutely had to squeeze out some cash.

The principal's expression stiffened. The ceremony just ended and you're already here hitting me up for money?He sighed. "Ah, originally there was supposed to be a 100,000 yuan reward, but the school truly can't afford it right now."The principal looked genuinely troubled — and he wasn't lying. To train this year's students, they'd poured all their funds in, all banking on next year's returns.

"Principal, it's not that I'm being unreasonable, it's just... my throat hurts. I don't have money for medicine..."Chen Shu started coughing, his face full of helplessness and melancholy."..."The principal's mouth twitched. So you're blaming me for not letting you give a speech...

"How about this, Principal. Next year the Education Bureau will definitely grant Second High a ton of educational resources. How about I take a fifty percent advance on it? Not too much to ask, right?"

"Cough... cough cough..."The principal immediately choked on his tea.You really are a fucking bandit. You've already taken this year's massive resources, and now you're eyeing next year's education funds?!That money's meant for training the next class. If I give it to you, won't the school just crash right back to the bottom next year?So did Nanjiang Second High rise up for absolutely nothing?![3]

[1] 考的不错，下次不准考了 (kǎo de bú cuò, xià cì bù zhǔn kǎo le): "Good score, next time don't take it." A Chinese internet meme format — "XX不错，下次不准XX了" — deployed when someone does something objectively impressive but so destructive or chaotic that it can never be allowed again. The template originated in gaming and livestreaming communities, where a player might perform an incredible play that also breaks the game. Shen Wushuang uses it here to acknowledge Chen Shu's astonishing score while joking that the gaokao system, the other students, and the alternate dimension itself could not survive another year of his chaos.

[2] 高考状元 (gāokǎo zhuàngyuán): "Gaokao Top Scorer." 状元 (zhuàngyuán) originally designated the candidate who placed first in the imperial civil service examinations — the highest honor in the thousand-year-old keju system. In modern China, the term is repurposed for the #1 scorer in a province or city's gaokao. The cultural weight is immense: ancient top scholars could become prime ministers, and modern ones are showered with media attention, cash prizes, and their faces on billboards. Chen Shu leveraging this prestige to shake down his principal is peak bandit logic.

[3] ...了个寂寞 (...le ge jì mò): "...for absolutely nothing." A viral Chinese internet grammar pattern from ~2019-2020. 寂寞 literally means "loneliness," but in this construction — "verb + 了个寂寞" — it means the action was performed fruitlessly, yielding only emptiness. "等了半天等了个寂寞" = "waited forever and got nothing." "学了三年学了个寂寞" = "studied three years and learned nothing." Here, "崛起了个寂寞" captures the principal's existential dread: the school clawed its way to greatness only to have Chen Shu threaten to drain it dry — was the entire comeback just... empty?