Ch 2: How To Be A Good Lackey (QT)

World 1 – Golden Laburnum Academy

【Golden Laburnum Academy is located on the shores of Lake Sophiliel in the eastern part of White City. It is an ancient institution with a long and distinguished history. Over the centuries, it has cultivated countless political elites and business leaders. Each year, as many as seventy percent of its graduates go on to attend top universities around the world.

At the beginning of a new semester, Class 1 of the second year welcomed a new transfer student from a small southeastern town, Jiang Yan. She was academically outstanding and always willing to help others, yet after offending Si Xu, the son of the wealthiest man, she became the target of group bullying. Not long after, led by Jiang Yan, the group of commoners challenged the lofty aristocrats. The arrogant heir of immense wealth, the refined student council president, the noble and mysterious royal descendant, and the charming, witty captain of the basketball team… what roles would each of them play in this conflict? And where would this story ultimately lead?】

Autumn had only just arrived. The cicadas that had screamed all summer were now reduced to only one or two faint calls. A gentle breeze brushed through the tops of the ginkgo trees, and yellowing leaves rustled softly overhead.

It was already close to ten at night. More than an hour had passed since evening classes ended. The night was deep and cool, and most students had returned to their dormitories. On the empty sports field, only the faint rustling of a small cat darting through the grass could be heard.

Under the bright moon, the artificial lake to the west of Golden Laburnum Academy shimmered with rippling light. To the north of the lake lay a vast oak forest. Jiang Yan stood just outside the forest. Facing her were five people, three boys and two girls. Leading them was a boy with medium-length hair, his left eye hidden beneath his bangs, idly spinning a silver pendant in his hand.

That afternoon, Jiang Yan had found an anonymous letter in her desk. Translated on Hololo novels. It claimed that someone had picked up her lost pendant and told her to come alone to the oak forest at nine-thirty that night to retrieve it.

The pendant had belonged to her mother. She clearly remembered placing it in her dorm drawer and had never worn it out, yet somehow it had gone missing.

Ever since she had offended Si Xu, she had been targeted by these so-called young masters and ladies at school. She was already used to this kind of thing. She knew full well that meeting them here would likely lead to nothing good, but for the sake of her mother’s keepsake, she had no choice but to come.

Her expression calm, Jiang Yan looked at the five people before her. She recognized the one in front, Lu Yiheng, from the class next door. He seemed to be related to Si Xu in some way.

“I’m here,” Jiang Yan said. “You can return the pendant now.”

Lu Yiheng frowned in displeasure. “Jiang Yan, what kind of attitude is that? I helped you find something you lost, and this is how you speak to me?”

Jiang Yan thought, how could someone be so shameless? They had stolen the pendant in the first place, and now they expected her to be polite?

She pressed her lips together, suppressing her anger, and repeated her request in a gentler tone.

A malicious smile spread across Lu Yiheng’s face. “Kneel down right now and kowtow to me three times, and I’ll give it back immediately. How about it? Or—”

He paused, then continued, “Tomorrow morning, go in front of Brother Si and bark like a dog three times. Which one do you choose?”

The four people behind him eagerly took out their phones and pointed them at Jiang Yan.

Jiang Yan glanced at them, her expression turning cold. She should have known better. Since they had gone to the trouble of stealing her pendant, how could they possibly return it so easily? Coming here had been unnecessary.

“Keep it for yourself,” she said, turning to leave.

But Lu Yiheng suddenly stretched out his arm, blocking her path. “Since you’re here, don’t rush off.”

The other four also surrounded her. Jiang Yan’s heart tightened, but she forced herself to remain calm. “What do you want?”

“What do we want? You’ll find out soon enough.”

Lu Yiheng produced a length of rope from somewhere and tugged it hard with both hands, nodding in satisfaction. He had long wanted to teach this poor nobody a lesson. How dare she offend Brother Si, without even considering her own status!

Jiang Yan was quickly tied to an oak tree behind her. Her mouth was sealed with tape, leaving her unable to call for help. She could only glare fiercely at Lu Yiheng. He turned to the two girls and said, “Go strip her clothes.”

The girls hesitated. Wasn’t this going too far? Weren’t they only planning to leave her tied up here for the night? If the teachers or administrators found out, they would surely be punished.

“What are you standing around for? Hurry up!” Lu Yiheng urged.

Moonlight filtered through the dense branches, scattering patches of light at their feet. The insects in the grass fell silent, replaced by the soft crunch of footsteps over fallen leaves.

“What’s going on here? Not sleeping at this hour, and you’re out here bullying someone?”

A male voice came from behind Lu Yiheng and the others. It was low, carrying a faint trace of something oddly excited.

They turned around. In the moonlight, they saw a tall, well-built boy walking toward them. He looked about seventeen or eighteen, with a buzz cut. He wore a white shirt, the standard school uniform, slightly sheer, revealing the firm, well-defined muscles of his chest beneath the thin fabric.

Lu Yiheng hadn’t expected anyone to show up at this time. He didn’t recognize this person and instinctively assumed he was Jiang Yan’s helper. He shot Jiang Yan a glare. He had clearly stated in the anonymous letter that she was to come alone, yet she still dared bring someone.

“Are you a sports recruit?” Lu Yiheng asked. “Which class are you from? Do you know who we are?”

Hearing this, Shao Ye stopped, scratched his head, and looked puzzled. “What sports recruit?”

“You’re not a sports recruit?” Lu Yiheng asked.

“No,” Shao Ye replied.

Lu Yiheng was immediately confused. “Then how did you get into Golden Laburnum?”

It wasn’t that he looked down on him, but this guy clearly looked like all brawn and no brains. It was hard to imagine him solving even a single difficult math problem.

Shao Ye immediately gave him a look as if he were an idiot and replied matter-of-factly, “My dad’s rich. Isn’t yours?”

He was met with silence.

It was true that most students at Golden Laburnum came from wealth or power. But if Shao Ye had gotten in purely because of money, why would he now stand up for Jiang Yan? Didn’t he know that helping her meant going against Si Xu, and against the entire aristocratic student body?

Or was he simply that stupid?

As Lu Yiheng pondered this, he suddenly heard Shao Ye let out a sinister chuckle. Shao Ye bared his teeth in a wide grin, revealing a row of bright white teeth, and asked, “Still not leaving? Waiting for me to kill you all?”

He then let out a wild, villainous laugh, like a classic movie antagonist.

Lu Yiheng became even more convinced that something was wrong with this guy’s head. He remembered that even wealthy applicants had to pass entrance exams to get into this school.

“This is Golden Laburnum Academy, not Golden Laburnum Prison,” one of the girls mocked, though her voice carried an unmistakable hint of nervousness.

Shao Ye shrugged indifferently. “So what if it’s an academy? Aren’t you bullying someone here anyway? I just don’t know how to hold back when I act. It’s not like I’d be doing it on purpose.”

“Come on,” Shao Ye said, cracking his knuckles and raising a brow at Lu Yiheng and the others. “Are you coming at me one by one, or all together?”

Before they could answer, he added, “All together. There’s not much time. The dorms are going to lock soon.”

Lu Yiheng let out a scoff. “Big talk.”

“How big it is, you’ll know after you take a punch,” Shao Ye said. His gaze briefly paused on the two girls behind Lu Yiheng. “Let’s make this clear first. When I hit people, I don’t distinguish between men and women. If you don’t want to get hit, stay out of my sight.”

He rolled up his shirt sleeves and undid two more of the golden buttons, mottled light falling across the honey-colored muscles of his chest.

Then he stepped toward Lu Yiheng. His shadow fell over Lu Yiheng before his fist did. Lu Yiheng was nearly one meter eighty himself, and not that much shorter than Shao Ye, but the pressure Shao Ye gave off far surpassed anything Lu Yiheng could match.

Shao Ye didn’t hold back in the slightest. He came straight at him with a punch to the face. Translated on Hololo novels. The fist cut through the air with force. Lu Yiheng dodged in a panic, and Shao Ye’s blow slammed into the tree trunk behind him. The thud rang out so heavily it seemed as if the trunk itself had dented inward.

Lu Yiheng did not dare imagine what would have happened if that punch had landed on his head. This guy really was insane! At this point, the two girls clearly wanted no further part in this, and the other two, seeing Shao Ye’s mad-dog ferocity, didn’t dare step forward either.

Lu Yiheng clenched his teeth and said to Shao Ye, “Just you wait!”

And then—

He turned around and ran.

Seeing Lu Yiheng bolt, the other four didn’t dare stay either. They slunk away in embarrassment.

Shao Ye: “……”

That was all it took, and they still had the nerve to bully people?

How exactly did Si Xu choose his lackeys?

Still, his own boss had truly exceptional judgment.

Shao Ye glanced at Jiang Yan, who was still tied to the tree, feeling very pleased with himself. After long observation, he had become certain that his boss liked Jiang Yan. As a qualified, thoughtful, upward-striving underling, it was only proper for him to create opportunities for his boss.

Especially since that idiot Si Xu also seemed interested in Jiang Yan. How could his boss lose at a time like this!

His boss absolutely had to be the best!

Although for the moment his boss had not acknowledged his status as a subordinate, Shao Ye believed it would not take long before he understood Shao Ye’s worth.

Seeing Shao Ye standing there grinning to himself, Jiang Yan felt a little uneasy. In a small voice, she said, “Thank you, classmate.”

Shao Ye lifted his head and stroked his chin, but did not immediately untie her. “No need for thanks, Jiang Yan. Just have dinner with my boss tomorrow.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

For a dazed moment, she felt like she had just escaped a tiger’s jaws only to enter a wolf’s den. Her voice dry, she asked, “Your boss… who is that?”

Shao Ye leaned his upper body slightly forward, moving closer, and said mysteriously, “You’ll know when you see him tomorrow. I already made the reservation. Lostine, third floor, table seventeen by the window.”

Jiang Yan pressed her lips together. If she refused, she would probably have to spend the night in the woods with the mosquitoes.

Though, at this time of year, the mosquitoes were probably almost all dead already.

In the end, she could only answer, “Fine. I’ll go.”

Shao Ye smiled in satisfaction, two tiger teeth showing, and as he untied the rope, he said, “When you’re eating with my boss, remember to say a few good things about me in front of him.”

Jiang Yan: “……”

“My name is Shao Ye,” he said.

Jiang Yan gave a small oh.

What was “oh” supposed to do?

“Did you remember it?” Shao Ye asked.

“I remembered,” Jiang Yan replied.

Shao Ye tossed the rope to the ground and clapped his hands. “All right, you can go.”

But Jiang Yan did not leave right away. She stood where she was, looking at Shao Ye, hesitating as if she wanted to say something.

Shao Ye looked back at her and asked, “Why are you looking at me? Waiting for me to escort you back?”

She shook her head, sincerely thanked him once more, then turned and left.

Shao Ye was in an excellent mood. Humming to himself, he headed back toward the dorms. When he reached the lakeside and looked up, he saw someone walking this way. The man wore a black suit with a black silk tie, his shirt buttoned with meticulous precision all the way to the top.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Leather shoes struck the marble steps. Beneath the dim yellow streetlights, the tall figure seemed especially unconcerned.

The moment Shao Ye saw who it was, his eyes lit up. He hurried over at once and eagerly greeted him, “Good evening, President.”

This person was none other than Xi Guanming, student council president of Golden Laburnum Academy.

His skin was very fair, his features fine and sharp, the sort of beauty that carried real aggression, yet his expression was gentle. Even when angry, he always seemed to wear a faint smile.

Seeing Shao Ye, Xi Guanming revealed a proper, courteous smile and asked, “This student, the dorms are about to close. Why are you still out here?”

Shao Ye chuckled. “President, I’ve got good news to tell you.”

“What is it?” Xi Guanming asked.

Shao Ye immediately poured out everything that had just happened, including how he had later threatened Jiang Yan into going to Lostine tomorrow to have lunch with his boss.

And naturally, his boss was the very person standing before him now, Xi Guanming, the man who could summon wind and rain and cover the sky with one hand at Golden Laburnum Academy.

That Si Xu wasn’t even fit to carry the president’s shoes!

Xi Guanming’s smile remained on his face. But looking at Shao Ye’s slightly rounded, somewhat dull eyes, which did not quite match his build and were plainly screaming “Come praise me,” he found himself, for a moment, unable to say anything that would satisfy him.

…

Author’s note:

[Everyone, please analyze what President Xi’s expression means.]

: To recap, during evening class the president had already received word that someone was planning to bully Jiang Yan in the woods, and had intended to go personally and play the hero saving the beauty, only to get cut off halfway

: And getting cut off would have been one thing, but now Jiang Yan has definitely branded “boss” in No. 6’s mouth as some kind of criminal gang leader. What decent person goes around calling someone “boss” at school? And so smoothly too. If he hadn’t been mixing in shady circles for five or ten years, no one would believe it

: Lmao, well whose fault is it that President didn’t get there earlier

: The president’s wicked, honestly. If he got there too early, how was he supposed to make Jiang Yan so grateful she’d be moved to tears and offer herself to him~

: Curious, will the president go to Lostine tomorrow?

: If he does, how’s he even supposed to introduce himself? Hello, I’m No. 6’s boss hahaha

: Poor president. He already had less contact with Jiang Yan than the others, and now even his own lackey has ruined things

: Lackey? Who acknowledged that!

: No. 6 would be overjoyed to hear that!

: I’m telling you, the expression of wanting to stab someone just can’t be hidden

: President: Well done. Don’t ever do that again.

: To sum up the volunteers so far, No. 1 is a cold academic ace, completely focused on studying and has had zero contact with the main plot. Graduating smoothly shouldn’t be a problem, but his livestream stats will probably rank last. No. 2 is a warm, cheerful little sun, currently good friends with Jiang Yan, and has already offended Si Xu’s group several times helping her. Whether he can graduate smoothly is hard to say, but for now he definitely won’t be in trouble. No. 3 is adaptable and socially slick, and is currently doing well hanging around Si Xu. As long as he doesn’t offend the other major NPCs, graduating shouldn’t be an issue, and his livestream numbers are the best so far. No. 4 is a soft little lamb. Even though their family background is actually pretty good, they’re now being bullied alongside Jiang Yan, so things look a bit dangerous. No. 5 is a proud young lady. In just half a month, she’s already had three romances and is currently pursuing the basketball team captain. Judging from the story summary, the captain will probably end up liking Jiang Yan too, so who knows where that will go next. No. 6… well… hard to say. He’s trained his muscles well enough. If only his brain were half as sharp as those muscles. If he keeps being self-righteously clever like this, the president will definitely step in, and he’ll be the first one eliminated.

: I’m betting No. 6 will be the first expelled

: No. 6 should go get his brain treated first

: Wasn’t this supposed to collect His Majesty’s consciousness? Which NPC is His Majesty going to be?

: You believe that too? You should go get your brain treated too.

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