Chapter 30

Tao Shushu had no interest in eavesdropping. She cautiously turned off her phone and walked past the two conversing at the stairwell as if nothing were amiss.
Only after getting back into the car did she take out her phone again.
The game screen was still there.
She called out to the system, [Have I managed to suppress the female lead?]
Tao Shushu stated confidently, [So your priority level has increased.]
This world revolved around the female lead, but her advanced Primary Clarity Card had taken effect yesterday. If Su Momo could have solved the problems and gained attention, she definitely wouldn't have chosen to faint.
Moreover, encountering the female lead today didn't cause the game to crash.
The system, unable to feign ignorance any longer, had to reply, [Yes, the female lead's main focus at this stage is the school environment and high-society circles. The embarrassment at the banquet significantly reduced her opportunities and admirers, and today's forum discussions have also lowered her prestige among classmates. In other words, the influence of the female lead's halo has diminished.]
Tao Shushu happily informed her cub, "Cub, from now on, I can often find time to visit you!"
The international class was not far from Tao Shushu's classroom. Worried that the female lead's halo might affect the game, she rarely checked her phone during school hours.
Now that the female lead's influence had weakened, she could safely recharge by frequently interacting with her cub.
The system was exasperated. The female lead had been dealt a blow, yet Tao Shushu’s focus remained on the game. Though this aligned with its original intention, it couldn’t help but think, Darling, where’s your ambition?
Tao Shushu replied, I’m studying while raising my cub. Balancing both.
The system: […]
Nan Yuan frowned slightly. "Shushu, your important matters come first. I’ll wait for you whenever you come. You don’t need to worry about me when you’re not here."
Tao Shushu noticed the tangled little thread in the chatbox, a symbol of inner conflict. She knew her cub actually wanted companionship but was too considerate to say it out loud.
"Cub, I want to visit you too," Tao Shushu thought for a moment. "But I might not be able to talk to you."
"You can pat my head," Nan Yuan said. "That way, I’ll know when you’ve come and when you’ve left."
Since her cub had said so, Tao Shushu, the obsessive head-patting maniac, immediately reached out and tousled Nan Yuan’s hair.
"By the way, cub, your hair has grown a bit long," Tao Shushu said, brushing aside the strands on Nan Yuan’s forehead.
"Can you cut it for me, Shushu?" Nan Yuan asked.
Tao Shushu hesitated. Performing such a precise task through the screen might be beyond her abilities.
In the base, everyone cut each other’s hair, it was a simple task, not something that required following trends.
But the thought of someone else cutting her cub’s hair made Tao Shushu feel inexplicably uncomfortable.
Before she could respond, Nan Yuan said, "After my evolution, my hair has been growing very fast. It’s troublesome to keep cutting it. Let’s leave it for now."
Tao Shushu agreed and casually opened the system shop, browsing the ancient-style clothing she had seen before.
Her cub would look absolutely stunning in it.
But the price was a hefty 100 gold coins.
Tao Shushu decided to dream a little. Maybe by the time her cub’s hair grew long enough, she would have saved up 100 gold coins in spare change.
Nan Yuan picked up the little lion to show Tao Shushu. "It’s shedding season. A single stroke and a handful of fur comes off."
The little lion didn’t dare struggle, letting Nan Yuan pull out a large tuft of fur.
The joy of petting a shedding little lion was real. Tao Shushu reached out and, through the screen, gave the little lion a thorough rubdown.
Nan Yuan kept his head lowered, watching intently.
He observed the angle at which the lion’s long fur was pushed aside.
At that moment, Nan Yuan knew with absolute clarity: she was looking at the silly lion in his arms, her hand resting on the little lion’s rising and falling back.
Nan Yuan had already formed some suspicions before, and now they were further confirmed.
Shushu could touch him and speak into his ear.
But it seemed Shushu wasn’t in the same environment as him.
Her fingers always lifted the fur at the same angle.
She didn’t follow the curve of the lion’s breathing.
Nan Yuan knew he couldn’t touch her hand, but he still gently scratched the lion’s head from a slight distance.
Maybe it was for the best. His world was full of dangers, and he hoped she could stay in a safe place, forever happy and free from hardship.
After pulling out a lot of the little lion’s fur, Tao Shushu said, "This is a lion we’ve raised together, but it still doesn’t have a name. Cub, what do you think we should call it?"
Nan Yuan was pleased by her question.
"Whatever you decide," he said.
Tao Shushu thought for a moment. "Let’s call it Golden Fur."
Sorry, Golden Fur, she thought. I’ll keep working on my language skills.
"Very fitting," Nan Yuan said. "Golden Fur must really like its name too."
It wasn't Nan Yuan's turn to patrol today, so Tao Shushu had sent him to bed early.
She didn't rest though, instead taking out her books to study.
Chatting with the cub for a while before studying made her efficiency incredibly high.
After memorizing everything Li Xin had taught, Tao Shushu took out her Chinese materials and thoroughly reviewed her notes.
Once revision was done, she hurriedly completed the homework assigned by her teachers for the day.
By the time everything was finished, it was already late at night.
Tao Shushu stretched and walked to the bedside.
Looking at the screen where the cub and Golden Fur were sleeping peacefully, she whispered goodnight.
Another night of sweet dreams.
When seeing Tao Shushu off, her mother smiled and said, "Shushu, you've been waking up early for three days straight. Should I ask for a leave so you can sleep in before going to school?"
Tao Shushu looked helplessly at her doting mother. "Mom, no need. I absolutely love studying now."
"But..." her mother wanted to say more.
Tao Shushu signaled to her father with her eyes, grabbed her backpack and ran off. "Mom, I'm going to school!"
Tao Shushu headed to school in high spirits. It seemed that since having the cub, she no longer found waking up early for school painful.
She enjoyed mastering knowledge and using principles to explain the world, but perhaps because her previous life in the apocalypse had been too harsh, she had always been reluctant to study seriously, especially when it involved waking up early for morning self-study, which always put her in a bad mood.
Now, just thinking about being able to see the cub as soon as she opened her eyes made waking up early less painful.
Come to think of it, studying hard could free her from the plot's constraints and ensure her happy life. Tao Shushu had once thought that outsmarting the female lead and her suitors might make her bitter.
But because of the cub, she miraculously remained peaceful.
Studying hard meant she could feed the cub, dress the cub in nice clothes, and ensure the cub no longer had to worry about nighttime beasts.
She was taking on part of the cub's future, yet she didn't find this responsibility heavy. Instead, she looked forward to making the cub's life more comfortable.
Tao Shushu chuckled softly and prepared to start her day of learning.
For most students, mornings were the sleepiest time, and nothing was more stimulating than gossip.
As the female lead, Su Momo was always at the center of gossip.
The two students in front of Tao Shushu huddled together, scrolling through the forum.
"Su Momo dropped out of the physics competition class."
"Why? I thought she was really good at physics. What a shame to lose a top contender."
"No idea. Rumor has it she’s not in great health, and she also has to prepare for the school anniversary performance. She’s just too busy."
"Wait, is studying really more draining than performing?" the girl in front asked pointedly.
"Well, that depends on the person. I’d rather do a hundred frog jumps on the school anniversary stage than solve a single physics problem!"
As soon as the girl finished speaking, Fang Le, the class culture and arts committee member, popped over. "Young one, I’ve heard your wish. Our class is also participating in the school anniversary performance, so you’re up!"
Tao Shushu thought back carefully, the original story did mention the school anniversary.
To describe Huiwen Highschool’s anniversary in one word: star-studded.
On that day, successful alumni would return to campus, networking with each other and building connections with the younger generation.
Since Huiwen students generally started from a high baseline, the number of accomplished alumni was especially impressive.
The school anniversary fell one week after the monthly exams, and each year included a fixed segment to honor outstanding students.
In the original story, Su Momo first captivated the audience with a piano solo, then went on stage six times to receive awards for topping individual subjects, and finally claimed the overall highest score award, earning praise as a talented and beautiful academic prodigy. But what stunned everyone the most was her fluent language skills when, as the host, she interacted with overseas alumni.
Her American accent was impeccable, and her switch to a refined British tone was equally elegant.
She flawlessly rolled her Rs while greeting a senior studying abroad in Russian.
Finally, her red lips delivered a stream of romantic French, instantly winning over a crowd of influential figures who became her devoted admirers.
Recalling these descriptions, Tao Shushu felt a slight cringe, it felt like a brutal assault on the Chinese language knowledge she’d worked so hard to acquire.
She quickly recited a required poem to cleanse her mind.
Afterward, she thought to herself, I never expected failing the competition would hit Su Momo this hard. She’s giving up the physics contest, which took up so much space in the original plot, just to chase a small opportunity at the school anniversary.
But it’s a good thing she quit. If she’d held on a few more days, her Primary Clarity Cards wouldn’t have been enough.
As Tao Shushu pondered this, the culture and arts committee member approached with a smile. "Shushu, I’ve always thought someone as pretty as you would make a stunning princess."
Tao Shushu shook her head repeatedly.
"Come on, Shushu. We’re performing an English play and even hired a professional foreign coach to help with pronunciation. It’ll really improve your spoken English," the committee member persuaded.
Suddenly, Tao Shushu remembered a detail from the novel: as the host, Su Momo had shared her views on the long journey of academic research in English.
Two years later, an internationally renowned scholar won the highest global award in physics. During his acceptance speech, he quoted Su Momo’s words, crediting the "Eastern genius" for inspiring him to persevere and succeed.
This served as the perfect icing on the cake for Su Momo, whose research achievements flourished two years later.
Tao Shushu thought it over. This could be a chance to undermine Su Momo. If they were competing in spoken English, it should be about real skill, what good was copying and pasting? Wasn’t she afraid of tripping over her own words?
She nodded in agreement.
[Activate English Competition Questline. Win first place in the school English speech contest, reward: 500 gold coins. Win first prize or above in the city-level English competition, reward: 1,000 gold coins. Other quests will be randomly triggered.] The system suddenly chimed in.
Tao Shushu grabbed the literature committee member’s hand. “When can we start practicing?”
Tao Shushu now had three academic goals: the physics competition, the English speech contest, and placing first in the monthly exam.
Each one was incredibly challenging.
Tao Shushu suddenly felt the weight on her shoulders grow heavier.
She opened her phone, deciding to check on her cub to give herself some motivation.
On the screen, Nan Yuan was battling a pack of badgers.
He was collecting energy orbs and gathering food.
Tao Shushu rubbed her cub’s head and spent some in-game currency on a health potion.
Nan Yuan smiled toward the front.
Tao Shushu couldn’t resist and fiercely pinched the chubby cheeks of her three-heads-tall cub.
Filled with renewed vigor, she logged off, picked up her books, and started studying hard.

Author’s Note:
Shushu: A wave of clothes (crossed out) gold coins is waiting for me to earn. I’ll do my best! (clenches fist)
Silly author: Me too, I’ll try my best to update more, weakly.