Volume One, Chapter Ninety-Nine: Special Invitation

The dark-horse incident from the big assessment did not spread long within Tianshui High School before it gradually faded into silence. During that time, apart from the deliberate stirring of a few people behind the scenes, the ever-growing burden of schoolwork was also a major reason.

Everyone’s energy had been swallowed by study, leaving no spare attention for idle gossip.

In the principal’s office, Cheng Shanhai stared at the winter camp roster in his hands. After confirming that everything was correct, he finally signed his name and stamped it.

“There are only three of them. What’s there to check over and over again?” Feng Shichu shot him a sideways glance.

Cheng Shanhai grinned and handed the documents to Feng Shichu, unable to hide the joy on his face.

At first, Cheng Shanhai had thought it already quite good if the youngsters from his school could secure even one slot. He had never expected them to obtain three winter camp places at once. This left him and the other school leaders overjoyed.

Yet within that joy there was also a trace of alarm.

When the make-up assessment ended back then, and he heard the result of Mo De’s ability evaluation, Cheng Shanhai had immediately rubbed his ears, doubting whether he had heard wrong. How had that eternally hopeless ability waste suddenly transformed into a genius awakened one in the late Body Tempering stage?

But after receiving a phone call, Cheng Shanhai immediately convened a meeting and called together all the subject teachers of the second year.

At the meeting, Cheng Shanhai harshly criticized both Qiao Ping, the original homeroom teacher of Class 20 in the second year, who was absent due to injury at the time, and Feng Shichu, the teacher responsible for ability testing in the second-year division. Because of negligence at work, they had mistakenly recorded Mo De of Class 20’s ability level. This was now being corrected.

Feng, who was taking the blame, earnestly admitted his mistake in front of the assembly, while Qiao, who was taking the blame as well, had already coordinated with Cheng Shanhai in advance and now submitted a written self-criticism, which Principal Cheng read aloud on his behalf.

Yu Heping, the current homeroom teacher of Class 20, was thoroughly baffled by this sudden turn of events, but could only follow the principal’s lead and sign his own name on Mo De’s newly revised student record.

Thus, without Mo De himself ever knowing, the timing of his ability awakening and breakthrough had been altered to completion, leaving no discrepancies whatsoever in either the paper files or the electronic records.

Taking the documents handed over by Cheng Shanhai, Feng Shichu then passed him another sealed envelope. “This came from the Superpower University Committee.”

Cheng Shanhai was startled at the words and reached out to take the envelope. Sure enough, on it was written the name of the Unified Management Committee of Huaxia Superpower University.

From the name alone, one could tell that this was the administrative body coordinating several superpower universities within the Huaxia region, and this winter camp had been initiated under its leadership.

After opening the seal, Cheng Shanhai took out a letter. Once he had read it, his expression became most peculiar.

“What is it? Don’t tell me the fake records for that little brat Mo were discovered?” Seeing the change in Cheng Shanhai’s face, Feng Shichu suddenly grew a little tense as well.

“No, that’s not it. Mo De’s matter has already been settled. No matter how much they investigate, they won’t find a single flaw.” As he spoke, Cheng Shanhai handed the letter to Feng Shichu.

Feng Shichu took the pale-green stationery and, after reading it, his expression also turned rather subtle.

The letter was an invitation, specially inviting the student Ivanoti Feng from Class 17 of the first year at Tianshui High School to attend the superpower university winter camp held two weeks later.

With that, Tianshui High School now had four students eligible to attend the superpower university winter camp.

“Just what sort of extraordinary person is this new transfer girl...?” Feng Shichu stared at Ivanoti’s name on the invitation, unable to keep his curiosity in check.

“She’s like that boy—connected to that ‘Eleventh Seat,’” Cheng Shanhai said, with no intention of hiding it from him.

At the mention of the words “Eleventh Seat,” Feng Shichu instantly extinguished his curiosity.

“Shall I go get Suyun for you?” he asked Cheng Shanhai. Cheng Shanhai nodded, then put away the invitation.

The Suyun Feng Shichu mentioned was Qiao Suyun, the head of the first-year division. It was only a matter of time before she was told that Ivanoti had become a specially invited student.

Pushing open the office door, Feng Shichu hurried off toward the first-year division. After all, once he was done there, he still had to submit the winter camp roster in his hands.

“Specially invited...” Cheng Shanhai was certain that this invitation from the Superpower University Committee had an inseparable connection to that “Eleventh Seat.” But given Ivanoti’s current remarkable strength, she could probably earn a slot entirely on her own next year. Why go to such lengths for no reason?

Unable to make sense of it no matter how hard he thought, Cheng Shanhai rose to pour himself a cup of coffee, then returned to his broad chair and resumed handling the other affairs before him.

These two weeks had not been busy only for teachers and students. On the redwood desk before Cheng Shanhai, files had also piled up into a small mountain.

...

“Hey, Brother Cang? How’s the matter I asked you to handle for me earlier?” Mu Qing asked as she lounged on the sofa with her legs crossed, one hand holding fried chicken and the other a phone.

“Ziyou has already gone to contact the Superpower University Committee. There shouldn’t be any problem,” Mu Cang said in a gentle voice.

“Okay, then I’ll treat Sister Hua to dinner another time!” Mu Qing was naturally delighted to hear that everything had been settled.

“How come you suddenly thought of taking an idle post with the Committee?” Mu Cang asked after taking a small sip of the strong liquor in his flask. “Is it related to that boy?”

“Why do you ask so much? Are you digging for intelligence on Dad’s behalf again?” Mu Qing knew her brother’s temperament well. Mu Cang had always responded to her requests without fail and never once asked why.

“Hahaha, after all, you haven’t come home to chat with Dad in quite a while.” Mu Cang did not deny it either. If he wanted to interfere directly in the affairs of the Unified Management Committee of Superpower Universities, his qualifications were still far from enough. This time, Hua Ziyou had gone to visit the Committee under the banner of the Mu family patriarch.

After all, even the Superpower University Committee had to show at least a little face to the Ninth Master of the Mu family.

“I won’t have time to spare for a while. Treating and healing injuries can’t be rushed.” Mu Qing took a bite of chicken leg, then washed it down with a mouthful of cola, letting out a contented burp.

“Eating junk food again?” Hearing the noises from the other end, Mu Cang more or less guessed what his sister was doing.

“Mo De’s gone off and stopped coming home. He’s out eating with girls every day. If I don’t eat junk food, am I supposed to go drink the northwest wind?” Mu Qing tore open a pack of fries, squeezed on some ketchup, and continued to feast.

“What’s wrong with Xiao Mo?” Mu Cang was somewhat puzzled. His first impression of that youngster had been rather good.

“The school’s making up classes these two weeks. After school, their class monitor gives him extra tutoring too, trying to push that guy’s grades up to the passing line.”

Mu Qing naturally knew Mo De’s schedule every night.

Now, the only thing Mo De did at home was make breakfast. She usually went to her landlord Li Yanxi’s place to mooch lunch, while dinner was the much-anticipated grand event of junk food.

It had to be said that, compared with the combination of beer and fried chicken, she preferred to pair her fried chicken with ice-cold cola.