Chapter 18: The Automatic Functions of the Strategy Device

Cloud Xuan spent the morning of his self-study day in the library, and in the afternoon, Lin Qingyu dragged him to a study group.

“Qingyu, I really have finished reviewing,” Cloud Xuan said, looking at his neat notes, his head starting to ache.

“Xuan-kun, you mustn’t slack off on your revision. What if you have a bad day and end up at the bottom of the ranking? Who’ll go back to the island country with me during break?” Lin Qingyu puffed up her cheeks.

“…Fine, fine. How about this? Give me a few sets of practice papers to do. If I score over ninety, that should prove I’m ready, right?” Cloud Xuan hesitated to meet Lin Qingyu’s eyes. Why did such an adorable expression appear on a boy’s face?

“Xuan-kun, are you that confident?” asked the other member of the study group, Liu Mengxuan, with a smile.

“Confident? No, no, I’m absolutely certain. I have one hundred percent confidence,” Cloud Xuan replied with a mysterious grin.

“Xuan-kun, if you really score over ninety on this test, I’ll let you skip my study group,” Lin Qingyu said, still puffing her cheeks, thinking Cloud Xuan was just avoiding the work.

“Start the clock then. An hour should be enough,” Cloud Xuan said, glancing at the three papers.

Liu Mengxuan announced the start, and Cloud Xuan picked up his pen, answering without hesitation, as if he had already worked out every solution.

…

An hour later.

“Ninety-six!” Liu Mengxuan called out after checking one of the papers, astonished.

“Ninety-five!” Lin Qingyu stared at the test in her hand, barely able to believe these were Cloud Xuan’s results.

Both of their gazes fell on the final test paper.

One question after another was checked and verified. To their shock, there were no mistakes at all.

A perfect score — one hundred.

“You see, Qingyu? These papers are no challenge for me anymore. The final exam will be just as easy. Let’s forget about extra revision,” Cloud Xuan stood up, smiled slightly, and left.

Lin Qingyu watched Cloud Xuan’s departing figure, speechless for a long time. Was this really the Cloud Xuan she knew? Had he been deliberately holding back before?

“Cloud Xuan really is an interesting person,” Liu Mengxuan said, watching him with great interest.

…

Cloud Xuan left the classroom and headed up to the rooftop.

As soon as he pushed open the door to the rooftop, he saw Nangong Xiaomeng sitting on a bench.

Nangong Xiaomeng held a light novel in her hands. Studying was of no concern to her; her grades had never disappointed the homeroom teacher, who barely bothered to supervise her anymore.

“Nangong, I didn’t expect to find you here,” Cloud Xuan greeted her with a smile as he walked over.

“Is your hand alright now?” Nangong Xiaomeng glanced at his hand, which was now just wrapped in gauze, no longer as serious as yesterday.

“Yes, I can draw again now. I guess I recover quickly because I’m in good health. Thank you for your concern,” Cloud Xuan said, flexing his fingers to show he was fine.

In reality, his hand had healed completely the day before — no scab, no pain at all. This was one of the automatic features of the Strategy Device. As Meow-Meow put it, how could the host of the Strategy Device meet others while looking wounded?

Cloud Xuan still wore a bandage, just to avoid arousing suspicion about his self-healing ability. Otherwise, he’d probably end up dissected by scientists.

Minor wounds healed on their own, but major injuries or death required spending exchange points. What if you didn’t have any? Simple — just go into debt.

Learning this left Cloud Xuan chilled to the bone. Did this mean he couldn’t even die if he wanted to?

“Hmph, I wasn’t worried about you. Don’t flatter yourself,” Nangong Xiaomeng huffed and turned away.

“I see. What kind of light novels do you usually read?” Cloud Xuan smiled, recognizing the familiar tsundere reaction.

“New genres, and romance, mostly. But don’t get the wrong idea. I’m not like other girls. I’m just curious about what typical girls are interested in,” Nangong Xiaomeng replied, holding up her three light novels.

The so-called new genres were simply original fantasy novels, nothing particularly avant-garde.

“They all look interesting. I’ll have to pick some up myself. By the way, do you know Nangong Xiaoxiao?” Cloud Xuan suddenly remembered something.

“Nangong Xiaoxiao… No, I don’t know her,” Nangong Xiaomeng lowered her head, biting her lip, a complicated look in her eyes.

“Never mind, let’s drop it. How about joining Yun Xue, Lin Qingyu, and me for a trip to the island country during the summer break?” Cloud Xuan quickly changed the subject, noticing her odd reaction.

“A trip to the island country? Um…” Nangong Xiaomeng hesitated.

“Too busy?” Cloud Xuan prompted.

“It’s not that I don’t have time. Can I give you my answer on Friday?” Nangong Xiaomeng shook her head seriously.

“Of course. If you’re able to join us, I’ll be really happy,” Cloud Xuan responded, recalling that Nangong Xiaomeng belonged to some prominent family. She might not actually be free for the holidays.

“Hmph, is this how you sweet-talk all the other girls too?” Nangong Xiaomeng’s face reddened as she turned away.

“…” Cloud Xuan was speechless.

…

Nine out of ten topics between Cloud Xuan and Nangong Xiaomeng were ones he brought up himself.

Eighty percent of Nangong Xiaomeng’s responses were in her usual tsundere style, which Cloud Xuan found utterly endearing.

It wasn’t until the end of the school day that the two of them finally left the rooftop.

“Goodbye, Cloud Xuan…” Nangong Xiaomeng paused at the door, turned back, and waved softly before leaving.

“So this is what it means to raise affection points?” Cloud Xuan chuckled, standing up and walking to the edge of the rooftop.

In a short while, he caught sight of Nangong Xiaomeng below, still wearing a faint smile.

Only then did Cloud Xuan leave the rooftop. Today had been well spent — Nangong Xiaomeng’s affection had reached sixty percent.

…

On the way home.

“Xuan-kun, have your grades always been fake?” Lin Qingyu couldn’t help asking.

“They’re real. I’ve just gotten even better now. No need to be so shocked,” Cloud Xuan shrugged.

“…” Lin Qingyu was at a loss for words. How was this not shocking? What could be even more surprising?

“Brother, I’ll definitely cheer you on at the Xingyue Cup finals. You have to go all out for first place! I wonder what this year’s topic will be… If only it’s one you’re good at,” Yun Xue encouraged him, clenching her tiny fists.

“Thank you, Xue’er, but honestly, I’m good at pretty much everything,” Cloud Xuan replied, ruffling her hair.

“Every year, the Xingyue Cup invites a well-known figure to write the exam question. It’s only revealed on the spot; the five judges in Fangyu City don’t know it until the competition,” Lin Qingyu mused.

“So it’s a test of quick thinking?” Yun Xue was a bit anxious.

“Yes, but Xuan-kun looks so relaxed — I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Lin Qingyu said, glancing at Cloud Xuan walking ahead of them.

“Brother will definitely win first place,” Yun Xue whispered.

Cloud Xuan smiled, not having taken many more steps when—

Ding-dong. His phone chimed.

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