Ch. 126 - Two Students Missing (Part 2)

The next name on the list was Ai Tiao.

"Hello? Is this Ai Tiao?" I asked.

"Oh! Yeah, it is! What's up?" She picked up almost instantly, her voice bright and buzzing with curiosity. It was a refreshing change of pace from the near-comatose Ming Yun.

"I'm the Class President for Section 14, and I—"

"Oh! Right! The group chat, right?" Before I could even finish my sentence, she was already showering me with apologies. "I am so sorry! I wasn't 100% sure which section I’d been assigned to yet, so I didn't want to hit 'Accept' on a random invite. Then I just... totally spaced it. My bad, seriously!"

"No worries, as long as you're tracked down now," I said. Her energy was infectious, and it completely deflated the lecture I’d had prepared. "Once you join the chat, check the pinned messages. We have our first class assembly tomorrow morning, so you’ll need the time and location."

"Got it, got it! Sorry again for being a pain!"

"You’re fine. Not a pain at all. I’ll see you tomorrow."

I hung up and let out a long sigh of relief. This Ai Tiao girl seemed like a sweetheart. She was so polite that it actually made me feel a little guilty for being annoyed in the first place.

I guess it’s hard to stay mad at a "good kid" who actually takes responsibility for their mistakes.

"Aww, Yuehan! You’re all done?" Hong Chenyi slithered back over, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "How do you have everyone’s contact info anyway? Can’t you share a little? Maybe that last one? Ai Tiao? Her voice sounded so sweet, I bet she’s a—"

"What is wrong with you? Are you trying to be a professional player now?" I pressed a single finger against the center of her forehead, physically pushing her away before she could invade my personal space again.

There was no way I was leaking student data. Besides, once she joined the group chat, it wasn't like her profile was a secret. If Hong Chenyi wanted to slide into her DMs, that was her business. I wasn't going to be her wingman.

"I’m not a player! Actually, back in the day, I was a legendary simp," Hong Chenyi said, her expression suddenly turning somber.

Her voice lost its playful lilt, replaced by a tone of mock-profundity. "But since I came to the Witch School, I’ve realized a hard truth: a simp, at the end of the day, ends up with absolutely nothing."

"Excuse me?"

I arched an eyebrow. I didn't expect her to admit it so bluntly. Was this some kind of 'Simp Awakening' where she turned into a heartbreaker out of spite?

"Yuehan... do you want to hear my origin story?"

"Your story?" I checked the time. I had a few minutes before I needed to hit the shower. "Sure. Let's hear it."

"Heh~ strap in." Seeing that she had an audience, Hong Chenyi got comfortable, adjusting her pose on the sofa to look as dramatic as possible.

"It all starts with my dad. My old man was a world-class playboy. I’m talking about my mom, plus several 'step-moms'—no marriage licenses, obviously. Can you believe that? And the craziest part is that they were all best friends. They weren't even friends before they met him! He managed to turn his dating life into a giant, harmonious sorority. Can you imagine growing up in that?"

"Okay... but what does that have to do with you being a simp?" I asked.

"Everything!" Hong Chenyi leaned in closer. "After I was born, my dad had this sudden crisis of conscience. He looked at his life and decided he needed to repent. He wanted to change his ways!"

"So he stopped being a player?"

"No. He decided he was going to make sure I didn't become a player!"

"Wait... what?" I was stunned by the logic. "What about him?"

"He said he was too old to change, so he pinned all his hopes for 'purity' on his son—me."

"So he raised you to be a simp?" My lip twitched as I tried to hold back a laugh.

"Not exactly. He hand-picked a girl who was 100% my type and told me to go for her. He told me she was 'the one,' and that I had to learn the true meaning of 'pure love.' No wandering eyes, no backups. Total devotion." Hong Chenyi sighed, covering her face with her hand. "But the problem was... that girl didn't give a damn about me."

"Then you should've just moved on," I said with a shrug. I knew the feeling—like with my ex-girlfriend. You have to know when to cut your losses and walk away.

"But I really liked her! And with my dad constantly brainwashing me about 'pure love' and 'persistence winning out'... I just thought... ugh. I was young and stupid, okay?" Hong Chenyi shook her head, her face a mask of tragic, self-deprecating regret.

"So, what happened next? How’d the drama unfold?" I leaned back into the sofa, grabbing a handful of Hong Chenyi’s sunflower seeds from the coffee table. Listening to a live-action soap opera was way better than anything on TV.

"I ended up transferring schools a few times just to follow her. Looking back, I was so devoted it was practically pathetic. But then..."

"But then?"

"She finally gave me a chance."

"And you blew it?"

"No, I took it," she said, though she followed it with a slow, heavy shake of her head. "Don't you want to know what the 'catch' was?"

"Alright, what was the catch?"

"Our SAT scores had just come out. She was applying to the Witch School. My scores were high enough to get me into any of the Top Threes, but she called me out, and we talked for hours. She told me if I was willing to follow her to the Witch School, she’d give me a real shot at being with her."

"Wait, what?" My eyes nearly popped out of my head. "You actually agreed to that? That’s not a 'chance,' that’s a death trap!"

Then again, before enrollment, nobody actually knows the truth about the Schools of Transcendence. To the outside world, it just looks like a weird, prestigious academy.

"I hesitated, obviously. I mean, the Witch School has a terrible reputation, and you can tell from the name that it's... well, a girls' school, right? But I was so far gone that I put it down as my first choice. And the shocking part? I actually got in!"

"Well, yeah," I muttered. "The Witch School doesn't exactly turn people away." Especially a high-scorer who could've gone to one of the Big Three; if she hadn't applied, they probably would’ve kidnapped her anyway.

"I had no idea what I was getting into. But the moment that Senior gave me that wicked smile and shoved a 'Mana Core' into my chest... I felt it. A total spiritual evolution! It was the turning point of my entire life!"

At this point, Hong Chenyi was so swept up in her own story that she stood up on the sofa, arms spread wide like she was conducting an orchestra.

"I became... this! At first, I was horrified. Can you imagine? A guy turning into a girl? There are so many logistical nightmares to consider!"

"But then, that Senior showed me what it really means to have 'girl joy.' Ah... it was a golden age. The streets were filled with like-minded seniors, all of them so gentle, so passionate... It was the first time I felt truly alive!"

"To hell with my 'Goddess'! I'm done simping! I realized the biggest mistake of my life was being born a guy and letting my old man brainwash me with that 'pure love' garbage! Pure love? Psh! That old player doesn't know the first thing about it! He raised his own son to be a doormat!"

"I finally saw the light. Now that I’m a girl, I need to cherish myself! I need to learn self-love! Because only when you love yourself can you truly embrace a limitless future!"

Translator's note: Okay... Suddenly I felt a bit sorry for Hong Chenyi. Just curious... who's her ex? Is she someone we've already known? This is gonna be interesting.

Editor’s note: Mwahahahahahahehehehehehe. I’m already preparing my popcorn for when we meet this girl.

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