Chapter 15
As winter departed, the early spring chill lingered on.
Today was the day of the first mock exam at Nancheng No.1 High School.
Ever since Gu Juncheng became the surprising top-scorer in the end term exam, what used to be a fascination with Feng Linjie's unbeaten record had transformed into an appreciation of Gu Juncheng's incredible turnaround.
Previously a struggling student ranking over the 800th in his grade, he had surprisingly emerged as the best performing student, an extraordinary transformation.
Before the mock exam, almost every teacher took the opportunity to discuss Gu Juncheng's case.
The teachers of the regular classes held up Gu Juncheng as a shining example of a successful turnaround, as a source of inspiration for the students; the teachers of the top-tier classes considered Gu Juncheng to be the biggest threat to their high-performing students, using him as a stick to spur their students on.
In any case, Gu Juncheng had quickly become the subject of much chatter within the school – he hadn't just made waves in the senior year class but even the freshman and sophomore students had heard about him.
Before the exam, Gu Juncheng recalled the promise that the Pen God had made to him - if he made it into the top five in the city in this mock exam, the Pen God would agree to do something for him.
Maybe he lacked the confidence before the winter break, but after more than a month of improvements, it would be safe to say that he felt quite prepared.
The examination started in five minutes.
Organizing his belongings, Gu Juncheng walked into the examination room, placed his bag on the table, and, as his first course of action, fished out his fountain pen.
However, this pen felt oddly regular in his grip today –
It felt like just any other pen.
Gu Juncheng held it tighter in surprise, examining the pen in his hands carefully. At last, his gaze turned a little anxious.
Someone had switched his fountain pen.
Since it was not possible for the Pen God to simply transform inside the school, even if the pen was taken away, it would likely take some time to return.
However, Gu Juncheng was baffled – except for him, nobody else knew of the Pen God's existence. So, why would anyone switch his pen?
With time running out and in determination to achieve his goal of ranking in the top five across the city, Gu Juncheng promptly replaced the fountain pen with a regular ballpoint pen.
Once the testing was over, he could go looking for him. After all... he was a deity.
After completing his Chinese language paper, Gu Juncheng stepped out of the exam room rushing back to his classroom. He rummaged through his desk drawer but found no sign of his fountain pen.
As he took a moment to calm down and think, a vague idea slowly became clear.
The only ones who have actually seen the Pen God in person within this school were Chen Tianqi, Tang Xiaorong, and Feng Linjie. If there was a suspect among the three, then it could only be…
In the afternoon, just as Feng Linjie arrived at the entrance of the examination hall, he was cornered by Gu Juncheng.
"Feng, have you seen my fountain pen?" Gu Juncheng asked sternly, questioning him with his eyes.
“Fountain pen?” Feng Linjie chuckled, "What fountain pen? Why would I take your pen?"
Gu Juncheng looked on with a stern face, scrutinizing Feng Linjie's feigned innocence for a long time, failing to catch any inconsistencies. Eventually, he sloped away.
However, Feng Linjie suddenly remarked, “Could it be that without his fountain pen, Gu Juncheng has trouble doing well in the exam?” The slight taunt in his tone didn't go unnoticed.
Gu Juncheng furrowed his brows.
After a moment, he looked back at Feng Linjie and stated icily, "You needn't worry about my performance, but remember, there's always a price to pay for stealing."
A flicker crossed Feng Linjie’s gaze, but he continued to smile, "I'm sorry, I don't understand what you're saying."
And with that, Gu Juncheng walked away without another glance.
________________________
It was while Gu Juncheng had gone to the restroom that Cheng Xuyuan was stolen from the classroom. Upon realizing he was taken, his first instinct was to transform into the Pen God and give his thief a good beating. But keeping in mind the crowd in the school, he chose to hold himself back.
The person who stole the pen slipped it into his pocket, and handed it over to another person, who turned out to be Feng Linjie.
"This pen really is beautiful, isn't it?"
Feng Linjie held the pen in his palm, examining it meticulously. His eyes radiated an intense passion. He gently ran his fingers over the body of the pen with his other hand. It was as if he was not touching a pen, but the body of a young man.
Cheng Xuyuan felt sick, and he asked the system angrily: "Can I beat him to death now?!"
The system advised him, "He doesn't dare to do anything to you now, just bear with it for a while!"
If the Pen God were to appear out of thin air, it would likely horrify a group of students in the school. By then, Gu Juncheng, as the pen's owner, would probably have a hard time explaining himself.
With this thought in mind, Cheng Xuyuan clenched his teeth, suppressing his anger.
After receiving the pen, Feng Linjie tried it out by writing on his own notebook and found that the pen could produce ink.
However, when he tried to use it to write his name during a language exam, he discovered that no matter what, the pen would not produce any ink.
With a smirk, Feng Linjie switched to another pen he had prepared beforehand and finished the exam.
After the test, Feng Linjie deliberately took a crowded path — predicting that the young man wouldn't dare to transform in front of everyone.
Cheng Xuyuan saw through Feng Linjie's scheme, fuming with frustration yet feeling helpless.
"What does this kid want to do with the stolen pen?" Cheng Xuyuan angrily asked the system. "Does he really think that with the first-place pen, he can reclaim his spot at the top?!"
The system calmly responded, "Don't worry, there is a similar scene in the original story, the villain won't do any harm to you."
Feng Linjie held onto the pen until the end of the first day of exams.
Just as he was preparing to go home with the pen, Gu Juncheng decisively blocked his path and asked with an unfriendly expression, "Feng Linjie, where are you hurrying off to?"
Despite the hustle and bustle around them, Feng Linjie didn't show any flaws and calmly replied, "I'm going home, of course. To do what I want to do."
Cheng Xuyuan exclaimed in shock, "What does this kid want to do?!"
Gu Juncheng furrowed his brows, eyeing the crowd of people around him. Suddenly, he put on a smile and softly said, "It's been a while since we've talked. Shall we catch up?"
"We just did," Feng Linjie refused, sidestepping him and heading for the school's exit instead.
Gu Juncheng followed him closely.
Just as they were leaving the campus and passing a grove, Gu Juncheng suddenly rushed forward and grabbed Feng Linjie's arm, dragging him into the trees without giving him any time to react.
"What are you doing?!"
Feng Linjie's face was full of panic as he was dragged into the small grove, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes.
However, before Gu Juncheng could say anything, Feng Linjie's backpack started to shake and a pen fell out.
It was Gu Juncheng's pen.
Gu Juncheng's eyes were filled with a ruthless edge. Suppressing his urge to hit someone, he asked angrily, "Feng Linjie, since when did you start stealing things?"
"Stealing?" Feng Linjie sneered, "What about you? Using this pen to write, isn't that cheating?"
"What do you mean?" Gu Juncheng stared at him intently.
"I saw it that day at the entrance of the barbecue shop..." Feng Linjie began leisurely.
"Smack--"
Before Feng Linjie could finish his sentence, a powerful fist landed swiftly on his face, carrying with it Gu Juncheng's potent rage.
Feng Linjie was knocked to the ground with a nosebleed, exclaiming in surprise, "Gu Juncheng, how dare you hit me?"
Gu Juncheng flexed his wrist, chuckling coldly. "I don't mind hitting you a few more times."
Just then, the pen on the ground transformed back into the Pen God's form. The moment the attractive youth appeared, Feng Linjie's gaze became intense. He muttered under his breath, "I knew I wasn't mistaken that day..."
"Are you okay?"
Cheng Xuyuan asked Feng Linjie with concern, causing both of them to be taken aback.
Cheng Xuyuan extended his hand, a faint glow emitting from his palm. Under this dim light, Feng Linjie's nosebleed immediately stopped, and the traces of being hit on his face disappeared cleanly.
"You are doing what?!" Gu Juncheng said, his tone full of sourness and astonishment.
"I... I'm fine now..."
"Thump--"
Before Feng Linjie could finish speaking, the thin youth quickly reached out, grabbing his arm and executing a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw. Feng Linjie was slammed to the ground, seeing stars from the pain.
Cheng Xuyuan turned to Gu Juncheng and said, "Leave him to me. Don’t worry, there will be no traces left."
Feng Linjie instantly widened his eyes in horror, hurriedly yelling, "I was wrong, big brother, I was wrong, please don’t hit me…"
Cheng Xuyuan sat directly on Feng Linjie's abdomen, pulled back his fists, and started punching him in the face, angrily asking, "Do you feel very clever? Dare to steal other people's things, don’t you feel any shame?"
After throwing a few punches, Cheng Xuyuan used a spell to heal his face right away.
Then he continued to hit him.
After three rounds, Feng Linjie's handsome face looked unscathed, but only he knew the pain remained unabated. His glasses had flown off, revealing eyes filled with regret.
Suddenly, Feng Linjie grabbed Cheng Xuyuan's hand.
Cheng Xuyuan glared at him dangerously.
“You look really cool sitting on top of me...” he quipped.
Knowing he could not defeat Cheng Xuyuan physically, Feng Linjie decided to tease him verbally.
“What the hell, are you some kind of pervert?!”
Both Cheng Xuyuan and Gu Juncheng were shocked and stared in disbelief at Feng Linjie, who was once their top student.
Feng continued to provoke: "Go ahead, hit me. Let me feel the weight of your body and soul, and your sexy knuckles..."
“Damn!”
Cheng Xuyuan hurriedly got off him and ran to Gu Juncheng with a shocked look on his face. With a trembling voice, he said: "This guy... Is he a masochist?!"
Gu Juncheng, staring at Feng Linjie getting up from the ground, gritted his teeth and said: "How did I not realize before that you were this sort of person?!"
Having adjusted his glasses and straightened his clothes, Feng Linjie commented with a calm voice, "I consider myself unlucky today. I didn’t know this cutie was so strong."
"Who the hell are you calling a cutie?!" retorted Cheng Xuyuan, who was dubbed 'cutie'. Rolling up his sleeves, he looked ready for another round, to which Feng Linjie backed away in fear, "I could handle ten of you with bare hands! Got it?!"
"Enough, don't touch him." Gu Juncheng stepped in, "Let's go home."
Cheng Xuyuan stared at the retreating Feng Linjie, anger still burning bright.
"How about we get some takoyaki?" tentatively asked Gu Juncheng.
"I can't eat!"
"What if I get you something from Lu Jiao Xiang?" (Note: Milk tea place)
"I can't drink!"
"How about an ice cream puff?"
"...Alright."
The fury slowly subsided from Cheng Xuyuan. With a curve on his lip, Gu Juncheng hopped onto his bicycle, taking Cheng Xuyuan to get snacks. On their way, he quietly said to him, "I'm sorry. I promise I'll always have you by my side in the future."
With a sullen response, Cheng Xuyuan replied, "Hmm."
"Even when I need to use the bathroom."
"...That's not necessary."
Gu Juncheng rode with Cheng Xuyuan to get the puffs. The lady working at the puff store recognized the duo. Noticing the subdued mood between the two, she teased, "What happened? Did the couple have a fight?"
Cheng Xuyuan's face immediately turned red, and he protested, "What couple! I don't even fancy him."
Gu Juncheng looked at him and laughed, "You eat my food and live at my place, and you still don't fancy me?"
"I even tutor you in subjects!"
Seeing the suggestive look from the store employee, Cheng Xuyuan's face turned even redder. He hung his head and stopped talking.
When they got home, Gu Juncheng suddenly asked him, "Do you still remember what you promised?"
"What promise..." Munching on his takoyaki, Cheng Xuyuan mumbled his response.
"If I rank in the top five in the mock exam, you will grant me one request."
Gu Juncheng stared at him intently.
Cheng Xuyuan looked back at him, feeling cautious, and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
With a sly smile, Gu Juncheng picked up his textbook and began to study without looking up, saying playfully, "You've already agreed, so no going back now."
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