Volume 2, Chapter 45 (Chapter 83): Step Up, Lu Yibei!

When a person’s thinking is highly concentrated and unified, they will be able to learn effectively.

Hence, Lu Yibei was unable to learn effectively. Looking out the window, he could hear many thoughts attempting to overpower his own.

The wills of the urban legends in his brain were overwhelming him: ‘I need to buy dog food,’ ‘I need to get groceries,’ ‘I need to hunt for some urban legends,’ ‘I want to play football…’

‘Assholes! All of you!’ Lu Yibei yelled in his brain.

Yibei complained in his heart, and he felt the nudge of a pen poking him from behind.

“Hey, ‘bud, the teacher is calling you.”

“A-ah,” Yibei said, standing up and nodding towards the teacher.

“I just explained about Cao Pi’s Literary Theory. Could you explain his standards for examining oneself and others?”

The professor on the podium looked to be in his fifties, but he was hale and hearty, with a hint of sternness hidden within his bushy brows.

His name is Ma; some students think he is narrow-minded and short-tempered.

Hence, many students looked towards Yibei with an expression of pity, fully knowing that he wasn’t paying attention in class.

‘All I know is that his father loves collecting concubines! How the hell am I supposed to know about his whatever-theory?’

The student behind him whispered.

“Dude, you’re kinda done. I flipped through the book to help you, but it isn’t in the textbook. Good ‘luck.”

‘Uh, oh.’

Seeing that Yibei wasn’t answering, the professor showed a sinister smile.

“It’s not a big deal if you can’t answer; I’ll just be deducting the points from your grade!”

‘What the…?’

Streaks of scarlet ink painted upon Lu Yibei’s brain: ‘soccer,’ ‘danger,’…

‘Kill.’

Yibei struggled to get his thoughts in order, and suddenly, the memories of Bright seemed to bestow him with understanding, and he beamed with a sudden surge in confidence.

“He emphasised that criticism should be opposed to the phenomenon of acknowledging that each person has their own strengths and looking past their weaknesses. He proposed that one must judge themselves before judging others, not only to examine one’s own talent but to understand others.”

Lu Yibei spoke slowly and confidently with an expressionless face.

After he was done, the air was strangely stagnant and quiet.

“You… you’re right,” the professor said.

“Very good, Yibei. Sit down,” the professor commended. “You seem well-prepared for my class. I’m proud!”

“…”

The entire class was silent, and they couldn’t help but cast their gazes of contempt upon Yibei.

‘I hate snobby students like him. Everyone, shun him!’

Lu Yibei has never enjoyed opening Pandora’s Box. You would never know what horrors might come out of the box.

However…

Those few minutes of him answering confidently filled him with such joy! Never in his life has he answered a question so eloquently and confidently!

‘Young man!” the professor beckoned when class was over. “I have a research project in the future, and I would like you to join me!”

Yibei scratched his head and said solemnly, “Well, professor… I’m busy. Both my parents are dead, and I have to work two part-time jobs to support myself, so I don’t think I’ll have the energy to help you.”

‘A part-time job in the Night Division, and a part-time job (for free!) hunting for urban legends.’

“Don’t worry,” the professor said. “You’ll earn money by helping me. Besides, you are just an undergraduate, so your work won’t be tough. Of course, if anything goes wrong…”

“Your grades will simply be deducted.”

In translation, if Yibei refuses, the professor will deduct his grades anyway.

‘This old bastard…’ Yibei gritted his teeth. ‘Whatever, I might as well get paid if I’m going to whore myself out for this old man.’

Yibei nodded.

“Good, good. Come to my lab next Monday!”

Yibei forced out a fake smile, and the professor turned to leave.

‘Shit. I forgot to ask where his lab is.’

Lu Yibei walked to the cafeteria with a heavy heart, silently giddy about how he had answered the professor’s question correctly.

It seems that gaining the memories of the cores he devoured isn’t so bad after all.

‘I need to find a way to study their memories carefully.’

Just as he was thinking, the phone in his pocket vibrated twice.

Taking out his phone, he saw that Sumi had sent him a message.

‘He must want my cooking again,’ he smiled, tapping on the message.

“Debt collector?” Yibei’s brows furrowed as he swiped through the photos Sumi had just sent, and he was visibly taken aback.

‘H-how did she find me?’

‘Did she find out I left my mark on her forehead?’

‘Does she know I’m not actually a girl?’

He bit his finger and hurriedly tapped a reply.

[If she asks, tell her that you don’t know me.]

[I did!]

[But…]

[You shouldn’t play around with people’s money like that. God may punish you!]

[Oh.]