Chapter 78

The office atmosphere suddenly turned comedic. Chen Mo looked at Ji Nian, who was pitifully glancing at the math teacher, and thought to himself that this child was quite different from Ji Tingzhou. Indeed, someone like Ji Tingzhou would never allow another version of himself to exist in this world. This child would quickly win people over, and perhaps that was why Ji Tingzhou adored her. Unfortunately, Chen Mo wasn’t Ji Tingzhou. He disliked children who acted clueless and tried to be cute. “The math teacher said that. What do you plan to do? Will you continue?” Chen Mo didn’t smile, maintaining his calm demeanor as he looked at Ji Nian. He could tell that Ji Nian had been joking earlier, and the math teacher, who seemed to have a good relationship with her, didn’t take it seriously, deliberately teasing the child. Ji Nian, captivated by his handsome face, spoke up, “Teacher, I can handle two jobs at once!” Chen Mo glanced at the math teacher, who was shaking her head with a smile, and said to Ji Nian, “What you just mentioned are the basic requirements for this position, not your personal strengths.” He successfully shut down Ji Nian’s attempt to talk her way into the role. Ji Nian thought to herself, *Huh?* She looked into Chen Mo’s eyes, which seemed to be veiled in a layer of darkness, and pondered. *This pretty guy seems to dislike me a bit.* The system chimed in: *How did you figure that out? I think he treats you the same as everyone else.* Ji Nian replied, *You wouldn’t understand.* Though surprised, Ji Nian quickly composed herself and said, “Teacher, if what I mentioned earlier doesn’t count...” “I can recite and write down *The Epang Palace*, *Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection*, *Free and Easy Wandering*, and *First Ode to the Red Cliff* from memory.” “Would that work?” A Chinese teacher from another grade, overhearing this, exclaimed in surprise, “Those are high school required readings. You already know them?” Ji Nian nodded, “Yes.” The system cheered: *Wow, you’re amazing!* Ji Nian retorted: *Amazing, my foot. You’ll recite them for me later, and I’ll write them down. It’s been years since I graduated from high school—I’ve forgotten everything.* The system: *.........* If Ji Nian had initially wanted to be the Chinese class representative because of Mo Chen’s good looks, now that she sensed his subtle dislike, she was determined to take the position no matter what. If not for their brief encounter two years ago, this would be their first meeting. Why did Mo Chen dislike her? Or, to think more boldly, did he... know who she was? Ji Nian called out to him. Chen Mo snapped back to reality, “It’s nothing. You can go now.” Ji Nian nodded and left. After she left, Chen Mo didn’t stay in the office either. The air conditioning was set too low, and the cold air was making him uncomfortable. He decided to take a walk on the sports field. Coincidentally, Ji Nian’s class was having PE that period. The PE class representative had injured himself playing tennis and had been absent for a few days. The PE teacher, Wang Dawei, decided to find a temporary replacement. “Is there anyone who wants to be the PE class representative?” PE at S Elementary wasn’t like at ordinary schools, where students ran a few laps and then were left to their own devices. Their curriculum included horseback riding, tennis, golf, swimming, and more. Wang Dawei was a strict teacher—big, strong, and with a booming voice that made him seem intimidating. The kids were all afraid of him. For a moment, no one spoke up. Wang Dawei’s gaze fell on the tallest boy in the group. The boy immediately shook his head, “Teacher, my leg is injured. I can’t do it.” Wang Dawei’s eyes moved to the next student, who shook his head like a rattle drum, “Teacher, my arm is injured. I can’t do it.” “Teacher, my head is injured. I can’t do it.” Wang Dawei looked furious, his eyes locking onto a skinny, dark-skinned kid at the end of the line, as if saying, *‘What about you!? What’s your excuse now?!’* The skinny kid panicked. He didn’t want to be the PE class representative! Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead as his eyes darted around desperately. Spotting Ji Nian beside him, he gave her a pleading look, as if begging, *‘Please, help me think of an excuse.’* Ji Nian, feeling sorry for her deskmate, decided to help him out. Just as Wang Dawei was about to point at the skinny kid and assign him the role, Ji Nian suddenly spoke up in a clear, firm voice— “Teacher, he’s got a crack in his butt. He can’t do it!” Wang Dawei: “........................” The skinny kid: ? He didn’t quite understand what she meant, but seeing the teacher stunned, he quickly nodded, “Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!” Not far away, Chen Mo, who had been watching the whole scene: “.........” Well, he had been wrong. Ji Tingzhou was pretty unlucky too.