Ch. 219 - Can't Help It -- The School's Just Giving Too Much...

"The one who truly understands me -- it's Teacher Shen!"

Chen Shu broke into a grin and snapped his eyes wide open.

Now THAT's the kind of talk that wakes a man right up!

"Twenty million!"

He went straight for the lion's-mouth ask, blurting out the first number that popped into his head.

"Absolutely not! Are you out of your mind?!"

The principal shot to his feet. The senior year budget was already stretched thin -- they'd poured way too many resources into Chen Shu as it was.

He'd never seen a student like this. The kid was basically a bandit, scheming every single day to peel another layer of skin off the school.

Did students these days have zero sense of collective honor?!

Shen Wushuang spoke up, composed as ever. "As long as you take first place at the provincials -- then it's twenty million."

"Are you shitting me?"

The corner of Chen Shu's mouth twitched, and he rejected it outright.

If this were a solo competition, he might've agreed.

But the team event required three people, and the class didn't have anyone strong enough.

That meant when they faced powerful opponents, it'd basically be him fighting alone.

If they ran into a coordinated squad of three S-rank Contract Spirits, even his Slime couldn't win.

His Slime was only F-rank. Everything it had came from potions and System buffs forcibly stacking it up. Its inherent weaknesses were too obvious -- slow speed, one-dimensional attack methods.

Beating three S-rank Contract Spirits was too damn hard!

The moment three S-rank spirits coordinated their attacks, he'd be pinned down with no way out.

"Top ten. Twenty million."

Chen Shu took a step back and said:

"Last time, Sis Fang Si only placed sixteenth! Nanjiang Second High has never had a top-ten finish at provincials, right? I'd already be setting a new record!"

At that, Shen Wushuang actually fell into thought.

"Deal."

After a moment, Shen Wushuang nodded.

"Teacher Shen..."

The principal shot him a look. The school was basically out of education funding...

"For the honor of the school, I will give my all!"

Chen Shu leapt to his feet, posture solemn as if swearing a sacred oath.

Can't help it -- the school's just giving too much... [2]

"..."

The two of them went speechless in unison. This little shit really could change faces on command!

"Get out of here, Chen Shu."

The principal shook his head. He had absolutely no way of dealing with this kid. Chen Shu clearly didn't give a damn about his status as principal.

Watching Chen Shu leave, the principal spoke up:

"Teacher Shen, isn't that too much? I'm afraid we won't be able to provide any resources next semester!"

"It's fine. Next semester the school won't need to give much. Every family will go all out to support their own child."

Shen Wushuang spoke evenly. Cultivating strong students was the school's responsibility, but families needed to contribute too.

"Teacher Shen, do you really think that highly of Chen Shu?"

The principal raised an eyebrow. Even if Chen Shu didn't participate in the competition, it honestly wouldn't affect the school much.

As long as he performed well on the college entrance exam -- that was what mattered most for the school.

And when it came to the gaokao, Chen Shu would absolutely give it everything he had.

It didn't just concern the school. It concerned his entire future.

The reason Shen Wushuang had agreed wasn't just the competition itself. It was to give Chen Shu a tempering mission, while also creating a legitimate justification to funnel educational resources his way.

"In the Special Training Class, if anyone can actually test into Huaxia Academy -- it's Chen Shu, and no one else."

Shen Wushuang gazed out the window, his expression brimming with certainty.

"Since he's the number-one seed candidate, giving him a bit more resources is entirely justified."

A single Huaxia Academy student -- the significance of that for Nanjiang Second High went without saying.

Even if every other student bombed their exams, one Huaxia Academy admission would still earn them massive support from the Education Bureau.

"Let's hope it actually works out."

The principal's expression froze for a beat, then he broke into a laugh.

So Nanjiang Second High's hope was resting on a student with an F-rank Contract Spirit...

...

Over the next two days, Chen Shu sat through three more academic subject exams.

Without exception -- fast, accurate, and aside from the capstone problem, he got everything right.

And just as before, he received his rewards. A large amount of Beast Taming Power flooded into his body, bringing him one step closer to Black Iron rank.

But the answer to the gaokao's capstone problem still hadn't been given to him. Presumably, it would only appear when the actual college entrance exam arrived.

"I'm getting old... my eyes have truly gone bad..."

Teacher Liu stared at Chen Shu's first-place score, shaking his head and sighing softly.

He'd assessed countless students in his career. Back then, he'd taken one look at Chen Shu and pegged him as the kind of irredeemable underachiever who'd never amount to anything.

Turns out the kid was a genius?!

The rest of the class's academic scores were quite solid too.

Even the lowest scorer had gotten 350 points, and the gaps between everyone were razor-thin.

"Alright! The February assessments are now officially over!"

Shen Wushuang walked in, and he'd seen the score rankings too.

His opinion of Chen Shu only grew more favorable. Outstanding in both academic subjects and beast taming -- he was absolutely the most likely candidate to test into Huaxia Academy.

"Follow me to the Beast Taming Arena."

Shen Wushuang led everyone out of the classroom.

Before long, the group found themselves back in the long-missed Beast Taming Arena.

"I have something to tell everyone today."

Shen Wushuang cleared his throat and said:

"The city-level Beast Taming Competition has opened registration. Nanjiang Second High will be participating."

"If we can take first place at the city level, we'll represent Nanjiang City at the provincial competition!"

The announcement landed, and most of the class remained unfazed. Didn't really concern them.

"I've finalized the three-person roster. Captain: Chen Shu. Members: Xu Xiaoyu and Tang Lie."

The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Shu frowned.

Both Xu Xiaoyu and Tang Lie had reached Level 9 Beast Tamer by now. Their combat strength went without saying.

"Teacher, I object!"

Chen Shu raised his hand immediately. As captain, he naturally had the right to pick his own team.

"I recommend dropping Tang Lie and bringing Xia Bing instead."

"Chen Shu!"

Tang Lie's fists clenched, the humiliation searing through him.

He'd trained his ass off, finally breaking through to Level 9 Beast Tamer -- and Chen Shu still looked down on him.

Xia Bing was only a Level 8 Beast Tamer. Her Contract Spirit was B-rank too.

What right did she have to replace him?!

Tang Lie spoke up: "Teacher, Chen Shu is biased against me!"

Chen Shu smirked and said flatly: "Yep. I sure am. As captain, if I don't exercise my authority, what's the point of having the title?"

"..."

The corner of Shen Wushuang's mouth twitched. This little shit didn't even bother to hide it.

"Xia Bing's raw combat power might not be the strongest, but her Ice Wolf is a primary controller. Xiaoyu and I already have more than enough offensive firepower -- adding Tang Lie is basically redundant."

Chen Shu explained his reasoning. He didn't want to make things difficult for Shen Wushuang, since it was his roster after all.

At that, Shen Wushuang nodded. The logic was sound.

"You're fucking out of line!"

Tang Lie's face twisted with rage. "Teacher, the Beast Taming Class operates on strength! I demand Chen Shu be replaced -- I'll be captain!"

Over winter break, he hadn't just reached Level 9 Beast Tamer.

His Contract Spirit had comprehended two new skills. His combat power had absolutely skyrocketed.

Today, he was going to take back everything that was rightfully his!

"Hm?"

Chen Shu broke into a grin and said: "The sky hasn't cleared, the rain hasn't stopped -- what makes you think you're tough again?" [3]

[2] "Can't help it -- they're just giving too much" (没办法，给的实在太多了): A variant of the 真香 (zhen xiang / "true fragrance") meme family. The original meme (2018) comes from TV show 变形计 (Metamorphosis), where participant Wang Jingze dramatically swore he'd "rather starve to death" than eat -- then ate enthusiastically within two hours. 真香 became shorthand for any hypocritical reversal. This sub-variant specifies the reversal is purely monetary: "I don't even have to like it -- the money is enough."

[3] "天晴了，雨停了，你又觉得你行了" (The sky cleared, the rain stopped -- now you think you're tough again): From 《十元人民币》(Ten Yuan RMB), a 2005 Harbin-dialect rap by 小驴Tommy (Li Meng). The line mocks cowards who only act brave once the threat has passed. Became a standalone internet taunt by the 2010s. Chen Shu inverts it: "the sky hasn't cleared, the rain hasn't stopped" -- meaning the threat (himself) is very much still present.