Before long, the bus started moving towards the Western Suburb Zoo.
The thing Lin Yu had been worried about didn’t even get a chance to happen.
It had been a long time since he’d personally experienced the energy of elementary school students.
Especially kids around ten years old—they were just… well…
They were like falling into a pit of frogs!
"Teacher, can we drink the water in front of the seats?"
Tang Yimian: "Yes, those are prepared for you."
"Teacher, can we go to the bathroom on the way?"
Fang Xinran: "It’s only half an hour, we’ll be there soon. Didn’t you go when we organized the bathroom break earlier?"
"Teacher, Zhang Zihan took my chips!"
Tang Yimian: "No grabbing things. Give the chips back to Liu Zihan. And no eating on the bus—only drinking water is allowed."
"Teacher, can I watch my tablet for a bit?"
Fang Xinran: "No, put the tablet away. We’ll play some music for you later."
"Teacher, can I use my smartwatch on the bus?"
Tang Yimian: "Heh, better not."
"Teacher…"
"Teacher…"
"…"
Lin Yu had thought that, having been reborn in this life, he was past the age of impatience and could calmly handle anything.
However.
After just a few minutes on the bus.
His fists clenched an average of 6.8 times per minute.
It was like having a fishbone stuck in his throat, thorns at his back, needles under his seat…
At this point, he didn’t just understand Teacher Tang—he worshipped her!
What kind of mental fortitude did it take to face one bizarre question after another with a smile every single time?
Fortunately.
The chaos didn’t last too long. Once the music started playing, the kids gradually quieted down.
"When difficulties come your way~ raise your left hand high~"
"The left hand stands for direction~ it won’t bow to the fight~"
"…"
In an instant.
The bus was filled with the sound of children singing in unison.
Boys and girls alike, without a trace of shyness or hesitation.
Everyone was belting it out with gusto.
Lin Yu watched the scene…
Kids these days really were different from when he was young.
They lacked some of the strict discipline of "a stern teacher produces outstanding students,"
But they had more of that bold, confident, free-spirited energy.
"When you face a setback~ raise your right hand high~"
"The right hand stands for hope~ it won’t fret over strife~"
Lin Yu turned to his side: "???"
Maomao, hands braced on the seat, immediately looked back at him:
"Was I not supposed to sing?"
"Big Sister Tang said everyone should sing loudly."
"I thought we were all supposed to join in."
Maomao blinked innocently, just like the elementary schoolers, without a shred of embarrassment.
Sigh.
In that moment.
Lin Yu truly felt old.
No matter how many times he was reborn, he could never match Maomao’s pure, unfiltered enthusiasm.
Lin Yu replied:
"Of course you should sing along."
"I’m just surprised you sound so good."
Maomao: "Thanks. Then why aren’t you singing?"
Lin Yu: "This song isn’t really my style."
A gleam flashed in Maomao’s eyes: "Yu… do you not know the lyrics?"
Now.
A competitive spark lit up Maomao’s face.
Like she’d finally found a question she knew the answer to—but Lin Yu didn’t.
Tch.
Now his temper was flaring.
He wasn’t the combative type, but he refused to be looked down on by a baby-faced kid!
Lin Yu’s face reddened:
"When your hand holds mine tight~ we’ll feel our strength unite~"
"…"
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! Your heavenly voice leaves the outer sect disciple stunned!]
[Reward: 20 spirit stones.]
Maomao smirked:
"Yu, you sing really well."
Lin Yu: "…"
Damn you, Maomao!
If the system knew that his first display of divine power after gaining his abilities…
Had been wasted on a nursery rhyme.
It might just revoke his skills out of sheer embarrassment and let them rot in the archives.
As he hummed along.
The little boy sitting in front of Maomao suddenly knelt on his seat and poked his head over:
"Which class are you in? I’ve never seen you before."
"Why are you wearing a teacher’s red vest? It’s way too big for you."
Lin Yu: "Pfft—"
Maomao: "…"
Seeing Maomao shrink down in silence.
The boy grew even more eager, reaching out his hand:
"Have you seen this? My mom bought me this smartwatch."
"It can play music and send messages to my mom."
"Wanna see?"
"But if you want to play with it, you have to tell me which class you’re in and your name."
Lin Yu was stunned.
Kids these days were something else. Seriously next-level.
Lin Yu, never one to pass up a chance to stir the pot, chimed in:
"Hey, kid, he’s asking you a question. Cat got your tongue?"
Maomao sighed and pulled out her phone, looking up at the boy:
"What’s your name?"
The boy’s eyes sparkled at the sight of the phone:
"Whoa, you have a phone?!"
"I’m Tan Haoxuan, Class 1, Grade 4."
Maomao quickly tapped away on her phone.
Lin Yu: "???"
No way.
This girl was taking overkill to new heights!
Using the Thirty-Six Heavenly Tactics… on a child?!
"Buzz, buzz!"
In less than half a minute.
The boy’s watch lit up, and he proudly announced:
"Look! My mom sent me a message… cool, right?"
But after reading the message, his head instantly vanished behind the seat.
Lin Yu couldn’t resist asking: "What did you send?"
Maomao replied calmly: "Nothing complicated. Just a message in his mom’s tone: 'Your teacher just told me you’re misbehaving on the bus?'"
Simple, yet brutally effective.
The half-hour bus ride.
Tang Yimian and Fang Xinran spent twenty of those minutes maintaining order.
Only in the last ten minutes.
Did they finally sit down to rest—one at the front, one at the back.
Tang Yimian, of course, came to the last row and sat beside Lin Yu and Maomao.
Lin Yu: "Senior, being an elementary school teacher is no joke. I really admire you."
Tang Yimian waved it off:
"Junior Lin Yu, you have no idea. This isn’t even the hard part. Once we get off the bus, the real battle begins. Sigh… enjoy this last moment of peace before the war."
Lin Yu reassured her:
"Don’t worry, Senior."
"Maomao and I will help you keep an eye on them."
"Not a single student will be left behind."
"You can…"
Before he could finish.
Soft, even breathing came from beside him.
She was asleep. Peacefully.
Lin Yu: "…"
Maomao: "Such an impressive skill!"
…
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
