Chapter 5: Exposed on the Forum
Walking out of the cafeteria, Jiang Chenyan released his hold on Shen Shiyue’s shoulder, his tone laced with a hint of disgust. “Finally out of there.”
“Mm,” Shen Shiyue hummed in response, his gaze lingering on Jiang Chenyan’s face for a few seconds.
Jiang Chenyan had taken the afternoon off using his “fainting” as an excuse. He had expected Shen Shiyue to go back to class obediently, but to his surprise, the other man insisted on staying to accompany him.
“Want to head to the rooftop for a bit? Catch the breeze,” Jiang Chenyan suggested.
“Sure.”
The two climbed up to the rooftop one after the other. The wind whistled through the corridor, carrying the crisp chill of autumn.
“Do you come here often?” Shen Shiyue was the first to speak.
“More or less,” Jiang Chenyan said, fishing a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He pulled one out and handed it over. “Want one?”
Shen Shiyue took it naturally, produced a lighter, and lit it. He took a drag with a fluid, practiced motion.
Jiang Chenyan raised an eyebrow and chuckled. “You actually know how to smoke? I figured you wouldn’t touch the stuff.”
“Why did you think that?” Shen Shiyue turned his head to look at him, the smoke rings dispersing quickly in the wind.
“Just looking at you,” Jiang Chenyan exhaled a cloud of smoke, his tone teasing. “You look like a standard model student. You don’t look the type to do this.”
According to the book’s records, Shen Shiyue was someone who “turned a deaf ear to outside matters and devoted his whole heart to his studies.”
The author had placed Shen Shiyue on the poor and remote Planet Harli. As a child, he survived by scavenging and fighting off stray dogs for food. It wasn’t until later that he was fortunate enough to be adopted by an elderly man.
Despite his impoverished life, he was ambitious and focused solely on climbing upward.
Hearing the words “model student,” Shen Shiyue froze for a moment. It seemed like the first time he had heard someone use that term to describe him. A flash of imperceptible surprise flickered in the depths of his eyes.
“You’re the first person to describe me that way. Others think I’m a madman.” Shen Shiyue’s voice was very soft, partially scattered by the wind. If one listened closely, there was a faint chill in it.
His family rules had always been strict. His father was the Alliance’s First Commander, and the demands placed on him were always of the highest standard. He had to hide his identity and live low-key, yet always remember to give his all for the Alliance.
Thus, he lived an extremely repressed life, guarding that cavernous villa where he could hear his own echoes. Day after day, besides his rigorous self-discipline, he had to deal with various tutors—combat, strategic theory…
He had been exceptionally outstanding since childhood. On the simulated battlefield, he was decisive and swift, annihilating enemies with an expressionless face. He was as ruthless as a machine; no one dared to provoke him. On the surface, everyone was polite, but behind his back, they called him a lunatic.
Jiang Chenyan let out a soft sigh.
He actually felt a bit bad for Shen Shiyue. To force those “dog-blooded” plot points, the author had written the protagonist shou’s circumstances into an extreme. The contrast between his status and the protagonist gong’s was made so massive, as if the story wouldn’t have enough tension without such suffering.
As for Shen Shiyue saying people thought he was a madman… it was a bit hard to understand.
Sure, he was poor, but calling him a madman was a bit much.
“Let me treat you to dinner tonight,” Jiang Chenyan suddenly said.
Shen Shiyue looked up at him, a brow slightly raised. “Why? Didn’t you just treat me at noon?”
“Don’t ask so much.” Jiang Chenyan waved his hand, his tone light as if he were discussing something trivial. “What’s wrong with a friend treating you to a meal? I feel like it.”
After all, the original owner’s family wasn’t short on cash. He might as well help the protagonist shou out where he could.
The smoke blurred into a hazy white before his eyes. Jiang Chenyan’s face was hidden within it, like a reflection floating on water—ethereal and hard to grasp.
Shen Shiyue didn’t understand why Jiang Chenyan was doing this. Did he simply want to be friends?
“Jiang Chenyan.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t be like the others… don’t betray me.” His voice was soft, yet it carried an unmistakable stubbornness. Since he had acknowledged him as a friend, this line could never be broken. Otherwise, he might truly go insane.
Jiang Chenyan: “…”
That’s a bit random. Can we not do the whole ‘drama’ bit?
He nodded. “The wind’s been enough. Let’s go.”
Halfway down, Jiang Chenyan asked Shen Shiyue, “Do you know why I always like running up to the rooftop?”
Seeing Shen Shiyue only raise an eyebrow without answering, he chuckled to himself. He looked up at the distant horizon, which was being soaked into a deep ink-blue by the twilight. “Standing here, I feel like I can see everything below clearly. It’s as if the whole world is at my feet. It feels great.”
He paused, turning his head. The last lingering crimson of the sunset reflected in his eyes. “To put it bluntly, I just like the taste of looking down on everything.”
After hearing this, Shen Shiyue let out a low laugh.
It wasn’t mockery; rather, he found this side of him very vivid.
Jiang Chenyan was that kind of person—once he decided to do something, he would do it to the best of his ability.
As the last bit of chill swept across the rooftop, the two left and headed toward the dormitory, completely unaware of the movement in the corner. From the shadows, Qi Bai and Xie Huaijin stepped out, one after the other.
“Coming to the rooftop for a smoke only to run into these two clowns. Didn’t they take leave to go to the infirmary?” Xie Huaijin sneered, the cigarette butt between his fingers flickering. His tone carried blatant mockery.
Qi Bai’s brow furrowed tightly as he issued a cold warning. “In the future, use your pheromones less in school.”
“Got it.” Xie Huaijin blew out a smoke ring, a flash of playfulness in his eyes. “But I find those two quite an eyesore. I want to find some fun. Are you going to stop me?”
Qi Bai’s eyelids lowered halfway, his tone unreadable. “Suit yourself.”
Xie Huaijin’s smile instantly spread, the interest in his eyes growing deeper. He was used to being domineering; having grown up getting whatever he wanted, he naturally wanted to toy with these two who dared to go against him.
Qi Bai still frowned, reminding him, “Just don’t go too far.”
He had already looked into Jiang Chenyan’s background. He wasn’t from an ordinary family; his circumstances were decent.
As for Shen Shiyue…
His identity actually couldn’t be investigated. It was a bit tricky.
He heard Xie Huaijin’s teasing voice: “Depends on my mood.”
…
Back in the dorm, Jiang Chenyan closed the door behind him. With a swipe of his finger on his optical computer screen, he clicked straight onto the school forum. The moment the screen lit up, his brows knit together.
The incident of the lunch tray being slammed onto Xie Huaijin at noon had indeed been “exposed.”
The comment count had surged to 999+. The crimson numbers were jarring. One didn’t even need to think to know that the whole school was probably browsing it by now.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Shiyue asked him.
Jiang Chenyan didn’t look up, his thumb pressing hard against the screen as he scrolled through the unsightly words. “Someone posted about us. The insults are pretty filthy.”
“Better not look.” Shen Shiyue reached out, intending to turn off the optical computer. Seeing Jiang Chenyan’s reluctance, his fingers paused. He spoke the truth: “It’s just stuff meant to upset you.”
Jiang Chenyan’s finger flicked rapidly down the screen. He knew he should stop, but he couldn’t help wanting to see.
[Looking at this momentum, these two are probably in for it.]
[Who told them to be so blind as to provoke Young Master Xie? They asked for it.]
[Haha, didn’t you guys notice? They both look pretty good.]
[Face-dogs, scram.]
[…]
[Speaking of which, I always felt the shorter one looked a bit familiar.]
When he saw this comment, Jiang Chenyan’s finger froze abruptly. “…”
The next second, an even more jarring reply popped up:
[Holy shit! I remember now! It’s the one who wore the black mask! He provoked Young Master Xie, and Young Master Xie specifically ordered people to find him! I just layered the photos to compare—those eyes are an exact match!]
Then, the comments stacked up by another 99+.
Jiang Chenyan was completely speechless. He replied to one of the people:
[Are you all very bored?]
That person quickly replied:
[Yeah, how’d you know?]
Jiang Chenyan’s vision went dark. Seriously? Is this right? Why is everyone so gossipy? Wouldn’t this time be better spent studying course material?
[Wait, the short guy provoked someone else too—Chairman Qi. Today, Chairman Qi came to inspect the class; he was slumped there sleeping and even argued with him. Chairman Qi’s face went totally black.]
The crowd, smelling fresh gossip, boiled over again, wishing they could lynch Jiang Chenyan.
[Provoking two of the school’s most influential figures in one day? That’s actually impressive.]
[The short one, Jiang Chenyan, right? He looks so weak. He won’t have an easy time at school in the future (dog head emoji).]
This comment was like a spark, instantly igniting the gunpowder accumulated in Jiang Chenyan’s heart. He gripped the optical computer tightly, his knuckles turning white.
Weak?
He stared at those two words. The anger in his chest rushed to his head, and his breathing grew heavy.
His expression was truly unsightly. Shen Shiyue couldn’t help but frown. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” He didn’t even look up, his gaze nailed to the screen. He said coldly, “Give me two days. I’m going to hack this entire trash forum.”
Shen Shiyue was stunned for a moment. He took it as Jiang Chenyan talking nonsense because he was angry. He reached out to snatch the device. “Alright, don’t take your angry words seriously. Get some rest; we have class tomorrow.”
However, Jiang Chenyan tilted his head to dodge. He tapped the edge of the optical computer. The moment the screen went dark, the churning cold light in his eyes was visible.
“You go to sleep first. I have enough logic left not to hack the forum directly.” Jiang Chenyan sent a report, demanding the poster delete the thread.
The result: The person marked his private message as “read” but didn’t reply.
This was something Jiang Chenyan couldn’t tolerate. He planned to stay up all night researching how to hack this broken forum.
Shen Shiyue lay down first. Soon, the only sound in the dorm was the light tapping of Jiang Chenyan’s virtual keyboard.
He fiddled with the forum data until the latter half of the night. His fingertips danced rapidly, and the code on the screen flowed into lines. Having grasped the forum’s architecture, hacking it wouldn’t be difficult at all. After all, this was how he made his living in his previous life; he was simply picking up his old trade.
In the dead of night, Jiang Chenyan finally couldn’t hold on anymore and fell asleep slumped over the desk, his breath softly brushing the screen. No rush, I can finish the job tomorrow.
The next morning, he found himself back in bed. He didn’t need to guess—Shen Shiyue must have carried him there.
Sporting dark circles, he yawned and fished two black masks from his drawer. He handed one to Shen Shiyue. “Want one? I reckon the whole school can recognize us now.”
Shen Shiyue looked at the mask, his fingers pausing. “Wearing them will only make us stand out more.” Despite saying that, when his gaze fell on the matching pair of masks, he still took it and put it on.
He commented, “It looks quite good.”
“Is that so? If you like it, I’ll give you a few more. 15 for 9.9 star coins, free shipping.”
Shen Shiyue: “…”
When the two walked into the classroom side by side, the original buzzing conversation noticeably paused. Even through the mask, Jiang Chenyan felt gazes coming from all directions. One would think they had committed a crime.
They found a random spot in a back corner and sat down. His eyes were tinged with dark shadows, his head nodding as he yawned repeatedly.
Seeing him like this, Shen Shiyue whispered, “Exhausted?”
“Mm.” His voice was airy, carrying heavy fatigue. He murmured, “Stayed up to hack that trash forum.”
“Was it hard?” Shen Shiyue followed up.
“Not really,” Jiang Chenyan rubbed his eyes. “I reckon tonight…”
Before he could finish, a sneer erupted from behind. Though the two had been speaking in very low voices, they had somehow been overheard.
“Pfft—hack the forum?” The voice was laced with undisguised mockery. “What kind of dream are you having in broad daylight? Look at yourself first before talking big.”
Hacking the forum? What a joke. He dared to say that no one could successfully hack the Military Academy’s forum—at least not in their academy.
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