Will Trigger the Defeat CG

Being scolded by Shen Nian out of the blue for "lacking femininity" sent Xia Yanchun's good mood plummeting.

"Your mouth is so annoying—I feel like slapping you."

"You think this is still childhood? Do you even stand a chance against me now?"

Shen Nian grinned. At 180 cm and 75 kg, overpowering Xia Yanchun, who barely weighed 50 kg, would be a breeze.

How the tables have turned, Xia Yanchun!

Acting recklessly might just trigger a "defeat CG" and turn you into a cream puff.

A sudden chill ran down Xia Yanchun’s spine, and she frowned. "So, did you need something?"

"Are you free this weekend?"

"Lonely high school boy wants a date, but since no girl is willing, he’s extending his claws toward the only neighbor who tolerates him—is that it?"

"?"

Damn, was her mouth dipped in arsenic?

Anyone else would’ve been roasted into a corncob by Xia Yanchun’s words.

Shen Nian wondered how his childhood self had survived such a venomous tongue unscathed.

"I just wanted company for fishing. Forget it if you’re not interested." Shen Nian shrugged. The system’s rewards might or might not be useful—he’d have to test them out.

If Xia Yanchun refused, he’d go alone. No big deal.

"You? Fishing?" Xia Yanchun scoffed. She’d never seen him show interest in it before—probably another fleeting obsession from some video.

"Just for fun. What else would I do on the weekend?"

"Study."

"Study what?"

"Stuff."

"Babe, you’re killing the conversation."

The more annoyed Shen Nian looked, the brighter Xia Yanchun’s smile grew. Her earlier sulkiness vanished, replaced by a playful lilt.

"I’ll check how much homework I have. If it’s not too much, I’ll go with you."

"Fine."

During evening self-study, Shen Nian focused on his work. After the 12-hour "combat skill learning efficiency boost," his aversion to English had disappeared. Now, he found himself casually memorizing words—while lining up for meals, before naps, even after bathroom breaks.

It wasn’t for show. He genuinely craved knowledge.

English was becoming… oddly flavorful.

"Shen Nian has been so diligent lately! No more sleeping in English class, and even memorizing vocabulary during self-study. Such effort!"

A strikingly mature voice suddenly spoke by his ear. Shen Nian jumped, realizing Yan Yuzhu, their English teacher, had appeared beside him unnoticed.

Ah. So that was the "flavor" in his English studies—the delicate perfume of Teacher Yan.

Yan Yuzhu, the young, fashionable, and melodious-voiced English teacher of Class 11, perfectly fit Shen Nian’s stereotype of an English instructor.

"Not at all, it’s all thanks to your teaching," Shen Nian replied politely.

"Everyone, take note! Though Shen Nian’s grades aren’t ideal yet, his determination is commendable. With a year left, the future is unwritten—anyone can emerge a dark horse."

Yan Yuzhu praised warmly, knowing encouragement worked best for struggling students.

Back in sophomore year, she’d often remarked how Shen Nian had "tremendous room for improvement" in English.

On duty tonight, Yan Yuzhu settled at the podium and assigned a vocabulary dictation exercise for the next day, warning that failures would mean penalty copying.

Shen Nian smirked. Pathetic. Dictation held no terror for him now—the assigned words were all within his (admittedly limited) repertoire.

After class, Chen Dong immediately spun around, mimicking Yan Yuzhu’s tone: "Oh my, everyone should learn from Shen Nian~"

"What, is studying a crime now?"

"Man, you’ve really changed. Our carefree days are gone. Just… don’t grind while I’m resting, okay?"

"I’ll grind you to dust. Fight back if you dare," Shen Nian deadpanned. He aimed to outwork everyone.

"By the way, didn’t see yourself on the forum today. Shame," Chen Dong suddenly mentioned, lowering his voice. "Huang Chen went to watch the military training—got roasted online."

"Seriously? Spill."

"I’ll sneak you the link later. Hilarious stuff."

Chen Dong was practically wheezing. Like Shen Nian, he had zero tolerance for Huang Chen’s type.

As dormmates, he’d endured endless rants from Huang Chen about other guys—how they were petty, disgusting, or pretentious. He’d usually just chuckled along, until one day Huang Chen targeted Shen Nian.

That crossed a line.

Did you forget Shen Nian and I have an 18-year father-son bond wrapped in a 3-year friendship?

Talk shit about my son?

Your mom’s a bargain-bin item.

Worse, Huang Chen’s complaints were pure fiction—zero truth to them. Hence the mutual dislike.

Shen Nian perked up at Huang Chen’s misfortune.

A copycat getting clowned?

Talk behind someone’s back all you want—just don’t let them find out. Otherwise, brace for consequences.

You can secretly hate me, but if I catch wind of it? Say goodbye to your mom’s affection.

"Shen Nian, could you change the water?"

Turning, Shen Nian saw Lin Xiyuan holding a cup and smiling at him. The rear classroom dispenser was empty.

His seat by the window doubled as the unofficial "water monitor" station. Shen Nian swiftly replaced the bottle.

He didn’t dislike Lin Xiyuan. Though she was a bit of a social butterfly and self-centered, that was just her personality—nothing worth hating. Perfectly normal classmate dynamics.

"Thank you!" Lin Xiyuan beamed.

"No problem."

His slightly indifferent tone made her hesitate, lips parting then closing before she walked away dejected.

Unnoticed, Shen Nian resumed bantering with idiot Chen Dong.

Idiot here strictly refers to his dumb jokes—nothing else.

"Why’s the peacock a Buddhist deity? Think about it, is Tathagata actually..." Chen Dong launched into another absurd tangent.

"Pretty sure Tathagata’s Indian..."

"Ah. Now it makes sense—cultural heritage."

Two classes later, the room emptied in chaos. Shen Nian packed his bag, including the vocabulary book—his weapon to outgrind them all.

Xia Yanchun left first. Thankfully, no absurd interruptions occurred today, and they made it home smoothly.

"Rain’s forecast tomorrow. Bring an umbrella," Xia Yanchun reminded while unlocking her door.

"Rain? What’s there to fear?"

With enough speed, you could dodge every falling droplet.

Fun fact: System-granted titles boost stats.

Fun fact: Agility and speed are stats.

Meaning—it was possible to max out evasion and literally outrun rain.

"Moron. Don’t come near me if you get soaked."

"Alright, alright, I'll take it. Is this you caring about me?" Shen Nian chuckled. "Feels like it's been a while... Suddenly, you seem a bit more feminine. Goodnight."

Bang—both doors closed simultaneously.

After greeting Shen Yue, Shen Nian took a shower and returned to his room. He glanced casually at the pictures Chen Dong had sent before diving into his studies.

11:30 PM: Shen Nian snapped a photo of his vocabulary workbook and sent it to Chen Dong.

[Chen Dong]: Still grinding? Damn you, put the book down right now!

11:45 PM

[Chen Dong]: You still studying? I'm going to sleep.

12:00 AM

[Chen Dong]: You’re not still studying, right?

12:30 AM

[Shen Nian]: Just finished memorizing words. I’m heading to bed too.

[Chen Dong]: You’re the worst. Can overachievers just drop dead already?

[Shen Nian]: I just really want to improve. You should start grinding too.

Shen Nian drifted off peacefully.

Studying fuels progress.

Meanwhile, Xia Yanchun lay stiffly in bed, a thin blanket covering her stomach, her almond-shaped eyes fixed blankly on the ceiling.

Her mind echoed Shen Nian’s words: "Suddenly, you seem a bit more feminine. Goodnight."

She couldn’t sleep.

Ughhhhhhh!

What does it matter to you whether I’m feminine or not? Even if I am, it’s not for you to notice!

Get out of my head!

At the same time, Chen Dong was also wide awake.

The mere thought that Shen Nian might still be grinding away made it impossible for him to sleep.

What if he’s just pretending to sleep and is secretly cramming?

Shen Nian, you’re the worst!

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