Zhong Yun suddenly tapped a button on the machine with lightning speed, causing the numbers on the display to flicker even more violently.

Another minute passed. Zhong Yun switched off the machine, picked up the empty flowerpot from the floor, and lifted the machine's lid.

Both Elder Huang and the other man leaned in closely; the moment of truth—whether Zhong Yun was a charlatan or not—was upon them. Having weathered countless storms in their lives, even they couldn't help feeling a knot of tension.

When Zhong Yun pulled the object out, both men froze. Was this truly the Crystal Glazed Rose that had been withered like a piece of dry kindling?

The plant looked noticeably 'slimmer.' The gnarled, century-old bark-like casing had peeled away, revealing a smooth, white inner stem.

Every single branch on the main stalk had fallen off, leaving behind one solitary trunk.

If it resembled a leafless old tree in winter before being placed inside, the plant now looked like a towering, sky-piercing bamboo pole.

"This..." Elder Huang was utterly dumbfounded, unsure what to say.

Yang Siqing’s expression was utterly blank, as if she had been stunned into silence.

Zhong Yun held the stalk, turning it this way and that, appearing highly satisfied. It matched the description perfectly.

He dug a hole in the flowerpot and roughly thrust the plant into the soil, a crude action that made Elder Huang's eyebrows jump.

He placed the entire pot and plant back into the machine, activated another button, and clapped his hands. "There. In ten days, you’ll see your Qingqing."

"You mean... ten days?" Yang Siqing, whose face had been taut and expressionless, finally spoke.

"Mm," Zhong Yun nodded, already heading toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Yang Siqing called out, stopping him.

"Now, we all go back to doing what we were doing." Zhong Yun stretched lazily. With time to spare, he intended to get back to the 'Combat Simulation' for a couple more matches. "Just come pick it up in ten days." With that, he strode away.

He left behind two bewildered elders and a distraught B-class Mechanic.

When he logged off the virtual net for lunch, he was startled to find a massive apparatus sitting in the living room—the very machine he had worked on.

He should have known the old man wouldn't trust leaving his precious specimen in that place. But his home, while not small, certainly wasn't spacious enough to accommodate such an out-of-place machine in the living room without it being an eyesore.

However, besides the living room, only the front yard had enough space for the behemoth. The thought of asking Yang Siqing to move it out to the yard? Zhong Yun immediately dismissed that notion.

He’d make do; it was only for ten days. Zhong Yun consoled himself.

Life settled back into a semblance of calm. Zhong Yun attended school as usual, but everything was fundamentally different; he was no longer the person everyone ignored.

Especially after class, when he and Liu Yunqi were chatting and laughing in the hallway, the male students in the class were consumed by envy, wishing they could trade places with Zhong Yun just for a chance to speak intimately with their goddess, perhaps even earning a single smile from her.

On the other hand, every boy in the school should have been thankful to Zhong Yun; without him, they wouldn't get to admire the goddess's smiles every day.

Previously, Liu Yunqi had always maintained an aloof demeanor at school. Beautiful, yes, but as distant as clouds on the horizon, unreachable.

Now, people saw another side of her: she wasn't some ethereal fairy divorced from earthly concerns. She could laugh, she could get angry, she could be shy, and if sufficiently vexed, she would even strike out...

But all of this was because of one man. This reality left countless men disheartened and heartbroken.

There was an old saying: to judge a man's character, look at the woman beside him.

Perhaps that statement wasn't entirely sound. Yet, after the initial disbelief, anger, and unwillingness to accept, people gradually came to terms with the fact: Zhong Yun and Liu Yunqi’s relationship was extraordinary.

Even those clinging to a sliver of hope—that they were merely very close friends, not lovers—could not deny the truth.

Undeniably, Zhong Yun had become a figure of intense interest in the school. Someone that Liu Yunqi favored could hardly be ordinary.

Perhaps deep down, men were unwilling to admit defeat to someone they perceived as lesser. Subconsciously, they started to think, perhaps he wasn't as simple as he appeared on the surface.

Thus, Zhong Yun's image was subtly elevated. Eventually, he even garnered a following of admirers.

"Not handsome? No money? He still landed the school beauty!"

This became the rallying cry of Zhong Yun's fans.

The girls' perspective was similar. Initially, a student like Zhong Yun, with poor grades and a habitually silent, low-key demeanor, barely registered on their radar. Aside from gossip, the main topic was his 'glorious achievement' of ranking last in every exam for three years, setting an unbroken record since the school's founding.

But ever since Zhong Yun became close with Liu Yunqi, his standing in the girls' eyes underwent a seismic shift.

Among groups of men, if one man excels above all others, the rest might accept him as the leader. In groups of women, if one woman is too outstanding, she is more likely to face ostracization from other women.

Especially for the unsociable and non-conformist Liu Yunqi. Her female classmates admired her beauty and respected her musical talent, but they simply didn't like her.

When they saw her growing close to the worst-performing boy in the class, the girls exhibited astonishment, surprise, and disdain. Beyond that, they developed intense curiosity about Zhong Yun.

Why would Liu Yunqi, who had always been frosty toward every boy, single out the obscure Zhong Yun for special attention?

Their most common speculation was that he was a human shield—like in novels and films where a beautiful heroine finds a boy to pretend to be her boyfriend to fend off persistent suitors.

Beyond that possibility, they could conjure no other explanation.

Watching the two grow closer day by day, the female students wondered: would Liu Yunqi develop genuine feelings for Zhong Yun, making the pretense real? Would she actually fall for him?

This discovery brought them a degree of satisfaction, yet also confusion. What allure did Zhong Yun possess that could attract the discerning, immensely talented genius girl?

Regardless of the theories, every day after class, the corridor in front of Class 3, Grade 3, became the school's most radiant spectacle.

Countless boys would pass by downstairs during breaks, just for a glimpse of the legendary goddess’s smile. The bolder ones would find excuses to linger near the Class 3 room.

Eventually, too many onlookers began to disrupt Zhong Yun and Liu Yunqi’s conversations. Consequently, the pair stopped meeting in the hallway and returned to the classroom.

Time flew swiftly, and the once-a-month comprehensive examination arrived.

After the test, many were eager to witness Zhong Yun's failure. As soon as the scores were posted, a throng of people surged toward the bulletin board at the back of the classroom.

Curiously, many people didn't look for their own scores first; they sought out Zhong Yun’s name.

They found it: Zhong Yun: 801 points.