Just as Zhong Shenxiu was lost in thought, Ma Kexin’s voice suddenly broke the silence beside him! “Finally found the two of you.”

She paused, slightly breathless, but her expression was alight with excitement.

It was hardly surprising; after searching for so many days, finding them at last was no small feat.

Zhong Shenxiu gently set down the book in his hand and looked at Ma Kexin with profound meaning.

Truth be told, Ma Kexin harbored a sliver of fear towards Zhong Shenxiu. Through their few interactions, she had realized that beneath the cute exterior of these two children lay an arrogant heart!

For a moment, Ma Kexin didn't know how to begin the conversation.

“Speak quickly if you have something to say; don't waste my time!” Zhong Shenxiu habitually kept that phrase on his lips.

Ma Kexin was momentarily choked up, her expression awkward. After gathering her thoughts, she tentatively asked, “Um… could I discuss something with you two?”

Zhong Shenxiu neither said “yes” nor “no,” simply staring straight at her.

Ma Kexin felt a prickle of unease under his gaze. Already feeling guilty, she grew even more tense. She was facing pressure from multiple sides: the Vice Principal, her father, the disciplinary director who had been beaten by Robin, and Nastar, the homeroom teacher for the Elites Class—everyone was looking to her, pushing her to the very brink!

(This teaching job is getting more suffocating by the day!)

After an internal struggle, Ma Kexin hardened her resolve and said, “May I ask Robin to participate in the upcoming ‘Academy Ranking Tournament’?”

Although she mentioned Robin, Ma Kexin’s eyes never left Zhong Shenxiu, for she knew this young boy was the key to the entire matter.

However, Zhong Shenxiu remained silent. After a pause, he countered, “Are you finished speaking?”

Ma Kexin’s expression froze again. She understood the implication in his tone—he was telling her to leave immediately after stating her business.

“Well… please reconsider!” Ma Kexin pleaded, her voice almost a petition.

Zhong Shenxiu just rolled his eyes and countered again without answering, “What benefits would there be for us?”

Ma Kexin’s spirits lifted. Seeing a potential sign of agreement from Zhong Shenxiu, she immediately launched into her professional eloquence as a teacher, mentioning things like “the tournament prizes,” “guaranteed grade promotion by the school,” and “the awarding of an honorary certificate.” She rattled off a long list of incentives.

But one sentence from Zhong Shenxiu extinguished all her enthusiasm.

“We aren’t interested in that. You can go now!”

Ma Kexin was utterly shocked by Zhong Shenxiu’s sudden reversal. He had just looked ready to talk, but in the blink of an eye, he had turned icy cold.

“Then what are you interested in?” Since things had reached this point, Ma Kexin let go of her restraint.

Zhong Shenxiu continued to look at her directly: “And what do you think I would be interested in?”

Ma Kexin first paused, then gasped, instinctively covering her chest area, staring at Zhong Shenxiu in sheer horror.

Since transmigrating to this world, this was the first time Zhong Shenxiu felt a genuine chill. Knowing the woman had jumped to conclusions ten thousand miles off base, he couldn’t be bothered to explain or argue. He simply told Robin flatly, “Robin, if this woman keeps rambling, throw her far away!”

Zhong Shenxiu’s sudden change of demeanor stunned Ma Kexin once more, and she wondered internally: Wasn’t she after that?

As Ma Kexin was about to speak again, she happened to glance at Robin’s expression, and she instantly recoiled in fright.

Robin was staring intently at Ma Kexin, her usually pretty face set in a serious and stern manner, as if to say: If you utter one more word, I’ll have work to do!

Ma Kexin dared not test the waters and was forced to retreat temporarily, using it as a stalling tactic.

Emerging from the library, Ma Kexin kept her head down, deep in thought. Although she had anticipated this outcome, the reality still left her deeply frustrated.

What should she do?

Ma Kexin felt utterly at her wit's end. Every time she thought of all the parties waiting for her good news, her head began to pound.

But this visit hadn't been entirely fruitless; at least she knew Zhong Shenxiu might agree, provided she presented something that could truly move him!

What exactly was he interested in?

Thinking about this question, Ma Kexin’s fair face flushed again, realizing she had completely misinterpreted Zhong Shenxiu’s meaning—she had assumed he wanted that, but he clearly hadn't!

“Teacher Ma Kexin!” Just then, a girl’s voice called out.

Ma Kexin instinctively looked up. It was Aydra. She casually asked, “Aydra, where are you off to?”

Aydra smiled and replied, “I’m returning the books I borrowed from the library!”

Books?

Ma Kexin first froze, then a wave of ecstasy washed over her heart.

Right! How could I have missed that? Since he frequents the library, he must be interested in ‘books’! I am utterly brilliant! (Sweat!)

With that thought, Ma Kexin actually started to chuckle foolishly, leaving Aydra standing beside her bewildered.

In the Vice Principal’s office, Aydwin was deep in thought. Suddenly, a knock sounded at the door. “Enter!” Aydwin called out mildly. When he saw Ma Kexin enter, his eyes immediately lit up, and he hurried to say, “Teacher Ma Kexin, please, have a seat!”

“Teacher Ma Kexin, did that girl named Robin agree to participate in the ‘Academy Ranking Tournament’?” Aydwin asked directly, getting straight to the point.

Ma Kexin was prepared; she knew Aydwin would ask this. She had already crafted her response: “Yes, she has agreed!” (This was a blatant lie; Zhong Shenxiu had just booted her out of the library!)

“Really?” Aydwin was so excited he nearly sprang from his chair. “That’s wonderful! This time our academy has a chance to break into the top three!”

“Principal, Robin did agree to participate, but she has one condition!” Ma Kexin said, visibly nervous. This was the crucial pivot of her plan; if she exposed the deception, everything would collapse!

“A condition? What condition?” Aydwin’s expression faltered. He hadn't yet realized that Ma Kexin was misleading him!

(Ma Kexin was forced into this, so please don't hate her; try to see it from her perspective! Besides, her intentions are good!)

“Robin said that if we could give her some books she’s interested in… she would agree to join the ‘Academy Ranking Tournament’!” Ma Kexin said hesitantly.

(I think everyone understands her true intention here; this is clearly a case of ‘crossing the river by stealth’ combined with ‘acting first and reporting later’!)

The reason Ma Kexin approached Aydwin was precisely because she had no idea what kind of books would satisfy Zhong Shenxiu, and more importantly, she didn’t possess any suitable books herself (she wasn't a big reader and didn't have many volumes, though she did have some gossip magazines)!

The Vice Principal was different; not only did he have the authority (to command the library’s collection), but he surely owned many private books as well. Finding books that interested Zhong Shenxiu through Aydwin seemed like a good strategy.

Aydwin pondered the request. It wasn't a major imposition for him, but he was too unfamiliar with Robin to know what books she might like. He voiced this uncertainty to Ma Kexin.

Ma Kexin had already anticipated this scenario on her way over. She quickly said, “Robin reads very widely; it’s hard to pinpoint what genre she might favor. How about this: the Principal loans me a few books, and I’ll go ask her if she’s interested. If not, I’ll bring them back, and you can swap them for a few others! What do you think?”

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for you? Why not just call Robin over so she can choose for herself?” Aydwin suggested.

Ma Kexin jumped. If Robin were brought here, her plan would be ruined! She quickly replied, “It’s no trouble at all! And Robin is rather reclusive; if I were to ask her to come here, I fear she might develop negative feelings, misunderstand it as pressure, and that it might backfire!”

“I see!” Aydwin found some sense in her argument and dropped his insistence.

Ma Kexin left, clutching the books the Vice Principal had given her, so exhilarated she wanted to scream with joy. She felt an immense sense of accomplishment! Who knew that human ingenuity was often born from desperation!

Now the supply issue was resolved. The next step was seeing if the ‘client,’ Zhong Shenxiu, would be satisfied!

Currently, Zhong Shenxiu and Robin were still in the same room, but they were no longer reading. They were searching for books!

Zhong Shenxiu had become intensely interested in this ‘War’ and wanted to find more materials to see if he could deduce the shocking mystery hidden behind it!

However, what was irritating was that while there were many volumes concerning the ‘War,’ they were all filled with useless speculation—guesses, hypotheses without a shred of evidence, just completely wild fantasy!

Just as Zhong Shenxiu was about to move from one bookshelf to the next, Ma Kexin appeared!

This time was different from before; she was no longer timid. She was much more composed, and a flicker of confidence touched her expression.

Zhong Shenxiu gave her a dismissive look and continued searching for his books.

“Do you think any of the books in my hands are what you’re looking for?” Ma Kexin suddenly said, though her eyes were warily fixed on Robin.

Zhong Shenxiu was drawn by her words and glanced at her hands.

The first few volumes were massive treatises on ‘Various System Magics.’ However, Zhong Shenxiu had studied these before and didn’t currently need to review them (if they were books on ‘Spatial Magic,’ it might be different, but alas, they were not), so he paid them little mind.

But when he spotted the second-to-last book, his expression shifted. The title instantly captivated him: Anomalous Phenomena Left Behind by the ‘War’!

“Hey, woman, let me see that book,” Zhong Shenxiu commanded, pointing with his finger.

Ma Kexin almost cried out in surprise that Zhong Shenxiu was actually interested.

However, facing his demand, she did not comply. Instead, she gave Zhong Shenxiu a mysterious smile and said, “Do you want to make a deal with me?”