Chapter 5: I Am the Abyss
After a moment of caught-off-guard stupefaction, Jiang Xinian immediately shouted Shi Huaibai’s name, craning his neck to look downstairs.
This was the 16th floor!
The call to Chen Xin hadn’t been hung up yet.
Chen Xin could hear the voice of the usually pretentiously cool Student Council President trembling: “No need for the key, call an ambulance…”
Then, Jiang Xinian saw Shi Huaibai, looking as if possessed by Batman, actually land on the central air conditioning unit of the 15th floor!
His parkour movements of flying over eaves and running up walls were as swift as thunder.
Chen Xin didn’t hear clearly and asked cautiously on the other end: “I don’t need to come? Call an ambulance?”
Seeing Shi Huaibai performing parkour, the wrinkles in Jiang Xinian’s brain smoothed out. “No… no need for an ambulance. Book a medical checkup for me first.”
Shi Huaibai’s behavior contrasted too sharply with his image.
The guy who looked like he couldn’t shoulder a load or lift a hand, who couldn’t carry a bag of rice up two steps, was now flying over eaves and running up walls on the smooth tiled exterior, his movements swift and fierce.
Is everyone’s body this healthy nowadays?
Does that mean my body isn’t that healthy?
F1 was thoroughly questioning his life.
Standing on the air conditioning unit downstairs, Shi Huaibai cupped his hands into a megaphone shape and emitted a deafening sound toward Jiang Xinian.
It was shocking enough to leave one fried on the outside and tender on the inside. Even at a time like this, he was still concerned about Jiang Xinian. What a Long Aotian, happy to help a brother break through his limits!
“Jiang Xinian, come down quickly too!”
Jiang Xinian: “…”
Are you serious?
What is the difference between this and saying “if we die, we die together”?
Seeing Jiang Xinian still hesitating, Shi Huaibai understood again. At a time like this, Jiang Xinian needs a brother’s encouragement!
“I will protect you! Jump down! Let us meet at the peak! This is our bond!!!“
In that moment, Jiang Xinian could no longer maintain his smile. He pulled back his foot, then turned around and went back into the room without looking back.
Screw Shi Huaibai’s grandfather’s bonds.
Shi Huaibai understood once more: Jiang Xinian needs a greater conviction!
The System is just a string of code. It cannot be seen by others, nor can it feel pain or die.
Thus, the System, which could only be seen by Shi Huaibai, must have been encouraged by his conviction and bonds, right? With nothing left to live for, the System jumped off the 16th floor.
Straight down from the 16th floor to the first floor.
No other meaning, just wanted to jump down to clear its head.
The System’s internal voice transmitted to Shi Huaibai’s mind: 【Enough, enough, enough…】
【Don’t say anymore!】
Shi Huaibai was obviously still unsatisfied: “But I haven’t used conviction and bonds to stimulate F1’s fighting spirit and potential yet.”
The System had reached the limit of its tolerance: 【Just consider it stimulated.】
Shi Huaibai was a particularly rigorous person: “Where was it stimulated?”
Where was it stimulated?
The System’s emotions exploded; it was done with this life!
【Ding Dong~
Congratulations Host on completing the Side Mission: Stimulate F1’s Fighting Spirit!
Look, F1, who originally couldn’t stay alone in a dark room, went back without hesitation. He gazed into the abyss, and at this moment, he no longer fears the abyss. He is the abyss!】
Shi Huaibai was impassioned: I am indeed Aotian. With my help, my brother quickly reached a new level.
At the peak of immortality, proud above the world; only with me, Huaibai, is there a sky!!!
Chen Xin rushed back with the key, the ambulance, and the medical checkup application form. Inside the changing room, he saw a “fried on the outside, tender on the inside” Jiang Xinian. He asked with a beaming smile: “President, President, what’s wrong?”
Jiang Xinian’s demeanor in that moment had all been fed to the dogs. He asked: “If someone opens the window and jumps down to cool off because of claustrophobia, is that normal? This person… does it show that he is…”
Does he have something wrong with his brain?
Chen Xin scratched his head: Shows what?
He asked suspiciously: “Shows that this person… isn’t afraid of heights?”
Jiang Xinian: “…”
As soon as the window opened, Shi Huaibai climbed back up from the air conditioning unit. Like Sadako, a pair of hands first gripped the window frame. The knuckles were distinct and absurdly slender, not looking like a boy’s, but rather a bit feminine, which made it look even more terrifying.
Shi Huaibai’s hair was long, and he was too lazy to style it, so it poked right into his eyes. When he climbed up from the window, he looked even more like a female ghost with unresolved grievances.
Chen Xin was nearly scared to death: “No, where did he pop out from?”
There’s a ghost!!!
Have the fanatical special admission students nowadays switched from the Romance Channel to the Human-Ghost Romance Channel just to attract the President’s attention?
Help!
Shi Huaibai, still lying on the window sill, deliberately flexed his biceps. Then, one hand rummaged around in his trouser pocket, finally fishing out the last crumpled business card.
“Jiang Xinian, I’m giving you a chance to hire me as your exclusive bodyguard.”
The System had already ascended to the west. It felt Shi Huaibai was truly creating karma. What is he doing now?
【Host, you… what now?】
Shi Huaibai said with sound logic: “Isn’t our mission to take away all his money? Have you noticed that for all the missions I’ve done to protect F1 so far, I haven’t received a single penny? What’s the difference between that and working for free?”
System: 【…】
It begged Shi Huaibai to stop talking.
The missions so far: Through the System’s linguistic arts and Shi Huaibai’s tireless efforts, the System saw Shi Huaibai make F1 stand in the rain, Shi Huaibai dance with the Campus Belle in front of F1, and Shi Huaibai jump off a building and terrorize F1.
【Have you really protected F1?】
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. True protection is training.”
Before Jiang Xinian could react, Shi Huaibai threw the business card on the floor. To demonstrate his professional competence as a bodyguard, he jumped off the 16th floor again, leaping across piles of central air conditioning units, leaving behind a voice like a bell: “I await your reply, but you must know… The King’s patience is limited.“
Chen Xin was already won over: Is the competitive pressure to stay by Brother Jiang’s side this intense nowadays?
Jiang Xinian picked up the crumpled business card from the floor, which simply had Shi Huaibai’s contact information scrawled on it.
Jiang Xinian: “…”
Chen Xin couldn’t help but sigh: “To attract your attention, Xinian, he really took great pains!”
Jiang Xinian’s back straightened slightly.
Chen Xin: “Thinking about it this way, claustrophobia couldn’t defeat him. He could even break conventions and jump off a building. How is this not a scenario enacting a tenacious little white flower?”
Jiang Xinian straightened his back further!
Chen Xin continued: “And look at how he flew down the walls from the 16th floor to the first floor just now. It proves he could have gone back down by himself earlier, but he stayed on the AC unit on the 15th floor. If that’s not caring about you, what is it?”
Jiang Xinian was thoroughly puffed up with pride. He recovered that arrogant demeanor, Shi Huaibai’s business card clamped between his fingers. He said generously: “In that case, seeing that he’s pretty and quite well-behaved and sensible, I can give him a chance. It’s time to change the people around me anyway.”
Shi Huaibai?
To attract me, he foolishly did so many dangerous things. I can’t let him down.
Moreover, the Student Council President re-election assembly is coming up soon. To ensure my retention, keeping a special admission student by my side demonstrates my concern and care for poor classmates, doesn’t it?
This will be a great help for hyping up my reputation.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xinian called Shi Huaibai as soon as he got home.
Result:
“Sorry, the number you dialed is out of service…”
Jiang Xinian: “…”
There was no one around, so he didn’t need to deliberately maintain his gentle image. Thus, he cursed without hesitation: “Chicken feathers stuck on a bat, what kind of bird is he?”
While cursing, he topped up 5000 yuan to Shi Huaibai’s phone bill.
After the credit arrived, he called Shi Huaibai again.
“Is this Shi Huaibai?”
When the call came through, Shi Huaibai was biting into a large apple, his voice muffled.
This apple was grown by the auntie at the orphanage herself. It was very sweet.
Christmas was coming. Shi Huaibai had picked the best-looking apple and made a paper box, planning to give the apple to the Campus Belle, Qu You.
Because he was eating, his voice was indistinct and had a soft nasal tone: “Is this Young Master Jiang?”
Jiang Xinian was slightly startled again: Had Shi Huaibai been crying?
It seems that even if he jumped off the 16th floor just now, he must have been scared. Does he look so brave, but behind the scenes, he sobs quietly to himself?
Shi Huaibai… so he’s actually like this.
Like a beautiful puppy pretending to be optimistic.
Actually soft and fragile.
Jiang Xinian couldn’t help but soften his tone: “You want to work for me, right?”
Shi Huaibai was currently folding the paper box. Like a boss, he mumbled his conditions indistinctly: “That’s not necessarily working for you. First, tell me how much salary you’ll pay me.”
The sound of rustling paper and Shi Huaibai’s soft nasal voice entangled. Jiang Xinian thought: Is he scared to the point of wiping tears just asking about salary?
As the Student Council President, no one knew the expenses of LB Academy better than him. The school mostly recruited from noble financial groups; the premium on every expense was unimaginable.
Shi Huaibai was a special admission student. It was true his tuition was waived, but other payments—stable fees, funds for various activities, and miscellaneous accommodation and utility fees here and there—any random sum could cost Shi Huaibai his life.
Shi Huaibai still owed the accommodation fees for the White Tower zone. He didn’t even have money to buy the standardized bedding customized by the school. When school started, he reported for duty carrying a bucket, two basins, and a bundle of tattered bedding.
In that moment, Jiang Xinian’s soul trembled again: Perhaps I really can help Shi Huaibai without expecting anything in return.
But…
If I give money directly, I’m afraid this proud wild cat will scratch my face, right?
“The salary will be settled at fifty thousand a month.” Jiang Xinian suddenly spoke up. “If you want to follow me, hurry up and move out of that broken dormitory of yours.”
“The job includes room and board,” Jiang Xinian continued. “Just bring your important luggage tomorrow.”
He paused, remembering the faded jeans Shi Huaibai often wore. “No need to bring those few tattered clothes and that tattered quilt. I’m too lazy to carry them.”
Author’s Note: [Facepalm laughing] Young Master Jiang, are you really taking the Beagle home?
Jiang Xinian in the future: [Cracking apart] Why did no one tell me that before was the Beagle’s puppy phase?
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