Chapter 27

Tao Shushu and Li Anyu laughed and joked as they walked toward the teaching building.
Just as they turned a corner, Tao Shushu spotted a boy with dyed yellow hair holding a branch and lounging lazily in the middle of the path.
"Tao Shushu, you really kept me waiting," the yellow-haired boy said, blocking her way.
Tao Shushu stopped and moved to shield Li Anyu behind her. "Who are you?"
Several others stood behind him.
"You don't even recognize me? Are you blind?" the yellow-haired boy snapped irritably.
"Our boss is the school bully of Huiwen, Brother Ba!" a purple-haired boy behind him chimed in.
"Brother Ba rules Huiwen..."
"Hah, if you mess with Brother Ba, you're gonna get it today."
"Hmm... supernatural beings aren't allowed after the founding of the nation, and parrots aren't allowed to become spirits either," Tao Shushu said, studying them for a moment before pulling out her phone and dialing. "I'm not great at trash talk, so I'll leave dealing with supernatural creatures to the professionals."
The rainbow-haired lackeys across from her were left speechless.
Li Anyu wanted to laugh but didn't dare. She whispered, "Shushu, Wang Tianba's family has some connections. He's always been a bully, and most people avoid conflict with him. I don't know why he's targeting you."
Most students at Huiwen came from wealthy or influential families. Wang Tianba had become the school bully largely due to his underhanded tactics and his family's tendency to shield him unreasonably. Most people preferred to steer clear of him to avoid trouble.
Li Anyu couldn't understand why Wang Tianba was targeting Tao Shushu.
But Tao Shushu knew very well, in the original story, Wang Tianba was the ultimate protector of the female lead, Su Momo.
Whenever Su Momo shed a few tears and spouted some white-lotus nonsense, Wang Tianba would attack whoever she pointed at, extremely useful.
In the original plot, Tao Shushu's entire family had been threatened, and all employees in the Tao family company's R&D department had received letters warning them to resign or face death, which accelerated the Tao family's bankruptcy.
Seeing Tao Shushu actually dial a number, the purple-haired lackey who had spoken earlier looked confused. "Is there really a Monster Management Bureau? Hah, our Brother Ba is human, a genuine human, not a parrot."
"Ah, your Mandarin isn't quite accurate. 'Parrot' or 'Brother Ba', they both sound like 'parrot' to me," Tao Shushu pretended to be troubled.
The purple-haired lackey got a slap across the face from Wang Tianba. "If you keep reading those fantasy novels, don't follow me anymore."
Wang Tianba said, "Cut the crap. How dare you bully Momo and ruin her party? Don’t think I won’t hit a girl. I’ll teach you a lesson today."
Tao Shushu shouted into the phone, "Did you see that, security uncle? This guy is committing campus violence! The branch in his hand was taken from the school’s thousand-year-old willow tree, it’s a cultural relic!"
"Alright, we’ll handle it right away," the security guard on the other end replied.
Only then did the group realize that Tao Shushu hadn’t dialed the so-called Monster Management Bureau at all, from the start, she had deliberately called campus security.
"Hmph, you think some lousy security guard dares to mess with me?" Wang Tianba, realizing he’d been tricked, strode forward, brandishing the branch.
Tao Shushu slapped his hand away, hitting him squarely on the wrist. "Oops, my hand slipped."
She showed no remorse, grabbing Li Anyu’s hand and running.
Wang Tianba had chosen a spot out of the surveillance cameras’ view.
But as soon as Tao Shushu ran, she headed straight for the cameras.
Wang Tianba hurriedly yelled at his lackeys, "What are you waiting for? Go after them! You can’t even stop two girls?"
Tao Shushu turned back and stuck out her tongue. "Oh no, oh no, can’t the parrot fly? Can’t even catch up to one person and needs a whole gang to back him up?"
Wang Tianba’s face turned green with rage.
Li Anyu wasn’t as physically fit as Tao Shushu and was soon out of breath. "Shushu, let’s not provoke him…"
"Don’t be afraid," Tao Shushu said, pulling Li Anyu along for a few more steps before stopping. "Hehe, are you scared to fight me one-on-one because you’re afraid of losing and getting embarrassed?"
Wang Tianba was infuriated by the taunt. "All of you, stay put. I’ll deal with her myself and make her understand…"
Before he could finish, Tao Shushu’s fist was already flying toward him.
She was clever, aiming specifically at sensitive spots like his armpits and chest, painful but leaving no marks.
After just two hits, Tao Shushu stopped, stepping back and standing properly.
"Security uncle, the thousand-year-old willow tree that’s said to bless top scholars has been damaged. Will Huiwen Highschool have no top scholar this year?" Tao Shushu asked.
She didn’t bring up the issue of campus violence. Wang Tianba had gotten away with so much precisely because of his connections. It was better to frame it as destruction of a cultural relic. If she wasn’t mistaken, Huiwen Highschool had a "Top Scholar Willow," a major cultural relic usually fenced off.
Wang Tianba wanted to throw away the "evidence," but it was too late. Besides, his hand was numb and sore, he couldn’t even move his fingers.
He could only maintain the posture of an eagle spreading its wings while holding his fingers, as he was politely escorted by security to the principal's office.
Although she had temporarily dealt with Wang Tianba, Tao Shushu's good mood for playing games and checking on her cub had vanished.
She couldn't help but wonder: a novel where the "female lead" becomes an academic god by plagiarizing others' achievements, and most of her suitors are utterly low-tier, would anyone actually enjoy such a story?
Li Anyu asked worriedly, "Shushu, Wang Tianba doesn't play fair. Are you sure you're okay?"
Tao Shushu patted Li Anyu's shoulder. "Don't worry, I have a plan."
Returning to the classroom, Tao Shushu skipped her lunch break and spent the entire afternoon immersed in studying.
After school, the system chimed in, [Detected that the host has studied continuously for four hours with 100% concentration. Hidden reward triggered, Dedicated Academic Prodigy. Obtained: Gold Coins ×10, Primary Clarity Card ×1.]
Tao Shushu smiled, surprised that studying hard could yield such rewards.
During dinner, she kept her promise and checked on her cub in the game.
It was afternoon in the cub's world. He had gathered a group to pick some fruits and was dragging hunted meat back to the base.
Tao Shushu ruffled the cub's hair, messing it up completely.
Nan Yuan picked the roundest and largest fruit from the pile and gently placed it beside him. "Shushu, you're unhappy."
Having just recharged her motivation by doting on her cub, Tao Shushu asked, "How did you know, cub?"
Nan Yuan blinked, picked up the little lion, and set it on his lap.
Hugging the long-haired lion, he said, "This will make you happier, right?"
Tao Shushu: ...Thanks for the offer, but I'm already overwhelmed by cuteness. My HP bar is empty.
"Cub," Tao Shushu called out Nan Yuan's name repeatedly, without any particular meaning.
Nan Yuan responded to every call.
Tao Shushu's mood lifted, her headache vanished, and her irritability faded. She petted the lion and pinched the cub's cheek. "Cub, I'll work hard to take care of you all."
So what if the female lead's suitors are causing trouble? So what if the female lead is eyeing her fiercely? She can handle it!
Tao Shushu said goodbye to her cub.
After bidding farewell, she waited a few more minutes. Nan Yuan set the little lion down on the ground, picked up a few bones, and fed them to it. "Hey, isn't it about time you started hunting for your own food?"
The little lion gnawed on the bones with gusto, wagging its tail.

Recharged from doting on her cub, Tao Shushu headed to the physics competition training classroom.
A few students were already inside, working on problems.
Su Momo was not among them.
[Gaining prominence in the competition class is the female lead's short-term goal. Timed study mission: Pass the competition class selection. Reward: Gold Coins ×100; Pass the preliminary round of the physics competition. Reward: Gold Coins ×150; Win an award in the semifinals. Reward: Gold Coins ×200. Other rewards pending activation.] The system suddenly announced.
Tao Shushu's enthusiasm for learning ignited. 450 gold coins could buy over a dozen outfits for her cub, she wanted it all!
Tao Shushu quickly found a seat and used a Primary Clarity Card. By the time Su Momo entered the environment, she would discover that her golden finger ability to copy others' answers had failed.
Then, Tao Shushu also took out her test paper and entered the intense study mode.
After the incident with Wang Tianba causing trouble, Tao Shushu realized that as long as she, the cannon fodder, didn’t exit the plot as intended, similar troubles would persist.
She had never liked complications. Rather than fighting back and forth with trashy people, it was better to tackle the root of the problem. Therefore, studying was the way to go.
Coupled with ample rewards, was there anything more worthwhile in the world than studying?
Su Momo didn’t arrive until the teacher had already come.
She wore a beautiful princess dress and bowed apologetically, saying, "Teacher, I’m sorry. The piano teacher and I were discussing a four-hand duet, so I’m late."
The first teacher for the physics competition training was Li Xin, the head of the high school physics department. He said sternly, "No lateness is allowed in my class, that’s the rule. What’s your name? Stand outside for five minutes as punishment."
Su Momo had already stepped halfway into the classroom with one foot. Hearing this, she froze stiffly.
Shouldn’t the teacher have praised her for being well-rounded? Shouldn’t the classmates have marveled at her beauty and talent? How had she ended up being punished with standing outside?
Under Li Xin’s displeased glare, Su Momo gave her name, "I’m Su Momo."
Li Xin looked through the list. "Oh, a transfer student. You scored 100 in physics on the entrance exam. Then you should be able to finish the questions five minutes faster than others, right?"
He shooed Su Momo outside and began distributing the test papers. "Many of you haven’t encountered competition-level questions before. Get a feel for them directly. You have 45 minutes to finish. Currently, there are 30 students in the competition class, but I will narrow it down to only 12."
Upon receiving the test papers, many gasped in shock. The paper was extensive, 20 fill-in-the-blank questions, two experimental questions, and two short-answer questions, all requiring heavy calculations, yet the time allotted was only 45 minutes.
Tao Shushu, however, remained relatively calm. She also wanted to test her own limits. Without another glance at Su Momo outside the door, she focused intently on solving the problems.
Inside the classroom, everyone else began writing as well.
Outside the door, Su Momo’s expression was far from weak. Those selected for the competition class were all strong in physics, but she quietly tested her ability and found she still couldn’t copy others’ answers. It felt just like during the chemistry exam. Unwilling to accept it, she tried a few more times and complained, "System, what’s wrong with you again? This is a placement test, quickly let me access someone else’s thought process."
"Host, your target is too high. Give up. You can’t copy Tao Shushu’s answers."
Among the room full of physics elites, Tao Shushu was the fastest at solving problems, she started writing almost as soon as she read the questions.
Meanwhile, others might not even have finished reading the questions clearly.
"Besides her, who else could possibly get a perfect score? I’m a study genius, are you going to let me lose to her?" Su Momo’s gaze turned venomous as she stared in Tao Shushu’s direction.
Tao Shushu’s pen flew across the paper. The sheer volume of questions made it uncertain whether she could finish in such a short time. Tao Shushu wanted to see how many points she could score under extreme conditions, so she immersed herself completely in studying, completely oblivious to the gaze directed at her from outside the door.
Su Momo glanced at the clock on the wall, two more minutes to stand. She had already made up her mind: later, when passing by Tao Shushu, she would deliberately make physical contact. That way, she might be able to steal her results.
It was a pity that Tao Shushu had been given five minutes. If she had been the one, she might have avoided a zero score just by guessing on multiple-choice questions.
Just as Su Momo was plotting, two boys walked by carrying a model. "Huh? Momo, aren’t you in the physics class? Why are standing here?"
Hearing a familiar voice, Su Momo turned her head. The boy greeting her was one of her "fishes," while the one next to him was the president of the school’s robotics club. He came from a good family, was smart, and rumor had it he had gone abroad for an exchange program. Su Momo had always wanted to win him over but hadn’t even managed to catch a glimpse of him. Why did he have to show up now of all times?
Su Momo smoothed her carefully styled hair and smiled gently. "I arrived late, so..."
Before she could finish, Li Xin strode to the door. "Chatting while being punished? Come in once you’ve stood long enough."
Su Momo’s face fell, and she bit her lip in embarrassment before pulling the door open and walking into the classroom.
"Grab a test paper yourself," Li Xin said, holding a thermos cup.
Su Momo picked up a set of papers. The only available seats were in the back, so she headed in the direction she had already scoped out.
As she passed by Tao Shushu, Su Momo curled her lips and deliberately swung her arm, veering slightly toward him.
Just then, the eraser on Tao Shushu’s desk happened to fall to the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, her other hand was squarely covering her test paper.
Su Momo didn’t even manage to brush against Tao Shushu’s sleeve, let alone catch a glimpse of the answers. But lingering any longer would seem too deliberate.
She dawdled her way further inside.
Behind Tao Shushu, another boy was deep in thought. Noticing Su Momo’s wandering eyes and hesitant approach, he grabbed his scratch paper and covered his test sheet, shooting her a wary look.
Su Momo instantly flared up.