I am a Big Player
Chapter 88 - 87, Bizarre Punishment_1

Chapter 88: 87, Bizarre Punishment_1

The life of a ninth grader was a cycle of monthly exams, each one more stressful than the last. Unlike Ren He, who had been reborn after graduation and therefore approached exams with a different attitude, the rest of the students started to study with determined effort.

Ren He indeed wished to experience this feeling, but it was quite difficult. In terms of studying, he just couldn’t bring his mindset back to that of a junior high level.

While others studied, staying at their desks even during breaks to prepare for classes, Ren He still loitered at the classroom door, occasionally intercepting love letters intended for Yang Xi from students of other classes.

It was only by chance that Yang Xi found out about Ren He’s pointless behavior. She couldn’t help but give a wry smile, although she didn’t take it to heart and actually found it quite amusing.

Ren He explained, "It’s already the ninth grade and they’re still thinking about love. What about their future? Are they still planning on getting into good schools? Do they not want a bright and splendid future? I’m doing this for their own good. Good people like me are really rare these days."

"Alright, alright, you’re right," Yang Xi no longer argued with him. With someone as full of twisted logic as Ren He, it was impossible to make sense to him. Yang Xi continued to study, only occasionally looking up at Ren He with glimmers in her eyes that were very beautiful.

Their relationship remained a secret. Nobody asked about them, and they had no intention of deliberately telling anyone.

But Class 2 of the ninth grade was now in a peculiar state because the role of the class teacher had remained vacant. It seemed the school was also deliberately neglecting this issue, just letting it be.

This is getting a bit out of hand, Ren He thought as he scratched his chin. With no class teacher being appointed, it seemed nobody wanted the job anymore.

Now, any announcements, such as regarding exams, were casually mentioned by the English teacher before class. In fact, the English teacher was effectively acting as the class teacher, but it was said that the English teacher firmly refused to take on the official title...

During the third class on a certain morning, "Next Wednesday, Luo City is hosting a spring marathon that hopes to see numerous participants. Students who perform well will have an additional 10 points during the high school entrance exams, applicable for admission to any school."

Ren He was taken aback. Were they trying to make a showy, feel-good news story? In his previous life, he took part in an event where tens of thousands of people practiced Tai Chi in a park, utterly confused while reporters took photos. However, that event didn’t offer any bonus points, unlike this marathon.

But honestly, these bonus points sounded like a gimmick. Ren He thought about it and found it absurd. Was it possible for a group of junior high students to outpace adults in a marathon?

Impossible! A marathon is 42.195 kilometers. Asking junior high students to run that distance could very well end up fatally exhausting them.

And are 10 points a lot? Ren He planned on attending the local high school; with his grades, it would be a breeze. Why participate in such a public spectacle? Hence, he immediately discounted the information. Other students, however, seemed somewhat tempted—after all, 10 points were at stake. Didn’t teachers always say that scoring one more point could mean overcoming thousands of others...

One of them was Xu Nuo, a student who faced difficulties even getting into the local high school. He nudged Ren He’s arm, "How far is a marathon supposed to be?"

"42.195 kilometers," Ren He replied nonchalantly to Xu Nuo.

Yikes! Xu Nuo almost couldn’t catch his breath! He felt like dying just running the 1000 meters required for the school’s physical education test! Little Fatty shrank his neck, "Then forget about it, I think I can manage to get into the local high school if I try hard enough."

It had to be said that Little Fatty Xu Nuo had indeed been working hard lately, not taking any outside coding jobs, focusing solely on getting into the local high school with Ren He.

This was somewhat rare. Seeing Xu Nuo so serious, Ren He would tutor him when he had nothing else to do. Xu Nuo previously thought that Ren He’s academic improvement was entirely due to cheating, although he didn’t know how he cheated. But after some tutoring sessions, Xu Nuo believed that his academics had truly improved!

Ren He’s explanation was that he had just become enlightened. That was the standard description from adults for a child whose grades suddenly improved: they had become enlightened. They didn’t care how much effort the child had put in; it was always just one phrase—enlightened—as if it were the cure-all...

The English teacher looked at the silent class, shrugged, and asked, "Doesn’t anyone want to participate?"

Silence.

"Okay, I think it’s also fine for everyone to focus on studying. Alright, then I’ll report back," the English teacher left, feeling unenthusiastic. He didn’t want to say too much about this class. After all, he had been reluctantly appointed as an invisible class teacher, and there was no bonus for doing well.

When school ended that evening, Yang Xi left first, while Ren He took his time, leaving the classroom lazily five minutes later. After exiting the school gate and turning two street corners, Yang Xi was right there waiting for him. They had agreed on this, as walking out of school together was a bit too conspicuous, especially during an era when a boy and girl seen together would be teased.

The two headed towards Yang Xi’s house. Ren He was also supposed to teach Yang Xi the song "Eating Fried Chicken at the People’s Square" today.

"My dad is coming back next week," Yang Xi suddenly said.

"Yeah, I know," Ren He replied cheerfully. Indeed, a father-in-law was far less daunting than a mother-in-law; he didn’t react much to the news of Yang En coming back. Let him come back; Ren He even wanted to invite the old gentleman for a drink...

And Yang Xi’s father, Yang En, returning safely was, after all, good news. In their line of work abroad, it wasn’t unusual for someone to disappear without a trace.

"He called me last night and said he hopes I can handle our relationship properly," Yang Xi said after a moment’s thought, tilting her head.

"Don’t worry. Right now, keeping it quiet and not going public is the best. They’ll have to accept it sooner or later. They can’t expect you to never date for your whole life, can they?" Ren He said after considering it. Concealing it for now was the right choice. Few parents, especially parents of girls, were willing to approve of relationships in junior high. By keeping a low profile, they were also adding a measure of safety to their relationship. Going public might attract some catastrophic consequences.

But just then, Ren He unexpectedly heard the voice of the Divine Punishment System in his head: "Task: Perform a 12-meter dive from Luo City Bridge within 1 week. Penalty if uncompleted: one month of frequent, urgent, incomplete, and delayed urination."

"Task: Win first place in this week’s marathon. Penalty if uncompleted: a month of acne on the face."

Ren He was speechless. Setting aside what these tasks entailed, could someone explain to him what "frequent, urgent, incomplete, and delayed urination" meant?

...

An additional Chapter for Youngcuteboy, the first lord of this book. Thank you; we had a wild lord even before going on the shelves. Thanks again, and there’s one more Chapter to come.