Chapter 1112: Bad Kid

Chapter 1112: The Bad Kid

Author: Sanjiu Yinyu

Word Count: 1275

He wasn't sure how long it had been before he reached up and gently massaged his temples.

"What a strange dream..."

Chen Ling believed he wouldn't dream of the Disaster of Thought without reason, nor would he go to the Storm Island. Yet, even in the dream, the Disaster of Thought didn't seem hostile; instead, it appeared to be trying to convey something to him... Was it communicating with the Mocking Disaster within him? Chen Ling didn't know, and he planned to ask Teacher Ye when he had time later that day.

Chen Ling slowly rose from his seat, glancing at the messy desk in front of him and the piles of complex notes... His expression was a little odd. Since graduating from university... no, since graduating from high school, he hadn't seriously studied. Years had passed, and his immunity to textbooks had indeed improved significantly. Last night, he'd intended to pull an all-nighter to catch up, but ended up falling asleep while reading.

"Self-study is still a bit difficult..." Chen Ling sighed.

After a moment of hesitation, he tidied up all the notes and textbooks on his desk, then pushed the door open and stepped out.

Chen Ling had to master the knowledge of the Integration Faction. Since he was learning too slowly, the best way was naturally to find someone for private tutoring... But Teacher Ye taught all day, and it would be a bit much to ask him to go over such basic content. That left only one suitable person...

"Excuse me, how do I get to Xiao Tao's dorm?" Chen Ling stopped a student who was heading to the cafeteria.

"Xiao Tao? Go down one floor, then follow the path to the left all the way to the end. The innermost dorm is hers."

"Okay, thank you."

Chen Ling followed the student's directions down to the floor below. The Integration Faction had about a hundred people. Due to limited space within the Mother Tree, most students shared rooms, with only a very few, like Zhao Yi and Chen Ling, having single rooms—not to mention Chen Ling's 270-degree luxury balcony suite.

It was already early morning. Many students were up, washing, some going downstairs to eat, some to the gym, and others sitting under the Mother Tree's canopy reading... After a moment of thought, Chen Ling deliberately walked around the entire floor first. In Chen Ling's impression, Xiao Tao was the type of top student who was lively but extremely diligent, likely to be up early studying. However, he searched the entire floor but couldn't find her, so he eventually headed towards her dorm.

Chen Ling stood at Xiao Tao's dorm door, hearing faint noises from inside. He tapped lightly, feeling puzzled.

*Knock, knock, knock—*

The noise didn't lessen, but soon, a girl opened the dorm door.

Chen Ling had seen this girl before; her name seemed to be Miaomiao. She was slightly older than Xiao Tao and was standing at the door in a nightgown. Upon seeing the figure outside, she suddenly froze.

"You... you you you... how could you..." Miaomiao stammered, unable to speak.

"I'm looking for Xiao Tao, is she here?"

"She... she... uh..."

Miaomiao glanced back nervously.

At the same time, Xiao Tao's wild and unrestrained voice rang out powerfully from inside the room.

"...I swear! I'm so done with this! Which ******* author came up with such a ridiculous plot?! The second male lead chased her for so long, how could she be so blind as to insist on being with that idiotic first male lead?!! He cheated on her like that, and she's still acting possessed!! What's wrong with giving our second male lead a second glance?!!"

"It's infuriating!! Absolutely infuriating!! This is utterly beyond belief!! I saw the ending last night, and I was so mad I couldn't sleep a wink!!"

(Sound of heavy cigarette puffing)

(Deep inhale)

"Do you understand how I feel? I pulled so many all-nighters to read this, only for it to shove garbage in my face at the end. I'm truly ******* livid! If I ever read anything by this ******* author again, I'll jump from here!!"

Chen Ling looked up in bewilderment. On the dorm's balcony, a girl in a cute brown bear pajama suit was standing with one leg propped on a stool. In front of her was a burning brazier, and he could vaguely see a book with an exaggerated cover slowly curling and charring in the flames... The girl was slapping her thigh with one hand and holding a lit, thin cigarette with the other. As if still not appeased, she took another deep drag, exhaling a cloud of smoke mixed with the burning fumes that dispersed into the air.

"Xiao... Xiao Tao..." Miaomiao called out, her expression stiff.

As if hearing the door open, the girl's animal ears twitched slightly. She turned her head to look outside. The moment her eyes met Chen Ling's, the girl's entire body jolted. She froze stiff, as if she had seen a ghost.

The air fell into a dead silence.

Chen Ling realized that his timing might be off. Just as he was about to say something, a piercing shriek nearly burst his eardrums.

"Aaahhhhh!!!!" Xiao Tao shrieked, rushing into the adjacent bathroom, slamming and locking the door. Then, a frantic stomping sound could be heard, as if she were stamping out dropped cigarette butts. After that, silence fell over the bathroom once more.

Chen Ling: ...

"Perhaps I should come back later," Chen Ling suggested tentatively, turning to leave.

Just then, the sound of a doorknob turning softly was heard. As the bathroom door slowly opened, a pair of animal ears silently poked out...

"Brother Chen... Chen Ling... what do you need me for?" Xiao Tao's voice was trembling slightly.

"I looked at the notes last night, and there were a few things I didn't understand, so I came to ask for your guidance."

Chen Ling didn't put on airs because the other person was younger than him; instead, he humbly sought advice. After all, though Xiao Tao was young, she had been with the Integration Faction for a long time and had learned far more than he had.

"Then... could you wait for me for a moment..."

The dorm door gently closed.

Chen Ling stood outside the door for about two minutes before it finally opened. Xiao Tao had changed into a clean, flax-yellow jacket, clutching books and a pencil case to her chest. Her head was bowed, unwilling to meet Chen Ling's gaze, with only the animal hairpins on her ears glinting in the sunlight as she moved.

"Let's go... to the library," Xiao Tao whispered.

"Okay."

Chen Ling nodded and followed Xiao Tao towards the library. His large red theatrical robe was still quite conspicuous within the Integration Faction, attracting many stares along the way. In contrast, the petite girl quietly walking ahead seemed almost invisible to the world.

Finally, Xiao Tao couldn't hold back anymore. Clasping her books and pencil case tightly with both hands, she lowered her head and quietly asked:

"Brother Chen Ling... did you see all that?"

"..." Chen Ling could only truthfully murmur, "I saw a bit..."

Xiao Tao suddenly stopped. She stood before one of the Mother Tree's enormous windows, where sunlight streamed through natural tree hollows, illuminating her and making her eyes well up. She turned her head, her eyes moist, and looked at Chen Ling, speaking softly:

"Do you think... Brother Renjie would be sad if he saw me like this... a bad kid?"