Chapter 46

Qin Rui blocked the doorway. "I heard Classmate Shushu is very strong."
His smile was flawless. Though his words were directed at Tao Shushu, his eyes were fixed on the class representative.
The class representative, frightened, tugged at Tao Shushu’s arm.
Tao Shushu blocked Qin Rui's line of sight. "Class Monitor, you can head back first. I'll help Senior Qin Rui with this task."
After persuading the class monitor to leave, Tao Shushu's mind raced. Qin Rui must know something and was plotting something, he was far more capable than Su Momo.
"Tao Shushu, someone wants you to drop out of the competition. I've handled it for you," Qin Rui said.
Tao Shushu glanced at him. Qin Rui had even found out about this. Luo Liming was young, but his methods were sharp. No matter what, Qin Rui was just a high school student. She had no idea how he had negotiated with Luo Liming.
"Should I say thank you, then?" Tao Shushu asked.
"No need. I hope you can focus on your studies. Drama performances and tutoring others are a waste of time. I won’t indulge you a second time."
"What do you mean?" Tao Shushu frowned. "Trying to act like my dad?"
Qin Rui looked at her meaningfully. "I’ll take care of Su Momo for you too. But if you can’t prove your capabilities, I’ll deal with you as well."
Qin Rui methodically organized the lab equipment. "I won’t give you many chances."
Fury surged through Tao Shushu. "So, Senior Qin sees me as a rival? I’m flattered. Let’s see who comes out on top."
As she reached the door, she yanked it hard. "Oops, sorry. I broke the lock. I’ll definitely send someone to rescue you."
Leaving Qin Rui locked alone in the lab, Tao Shushu finally vented her frustration and calmed down.
After running several hundred meters away from the lab building, she still didn’t rashly check her phone or speak to the system. Qin Rui was far more cunning than Su Momo. Ever since his return, the plot had started to shift.
At that thought, Tao Shushu suddenly remembered something. She had sent a message asking Li Anyu if she knew anything about Qin Rui, but Li Anyu never replied. That wasn’t like her at all.
Tao Shushu decided to leave the school and called Li Anyu.
"Anyu, are you okay?"
"I’m so excited! I won tickets to my idol’s concert! Ahhh!"
After congratulating her, Tao Shushu asked, "Did you see the message I sent you yesterday?"
"What message? The last one I have is from yesterday morning. What’s wrong?"
"Never mind, maybe I forgot to send it."
Hanging up, Tao Shushu felt a chill. That message about Qin Rui had definitely been blocked by some external force. Qin Rui’s true colors were starting to show. He must have a system similar to hers.
Su Momo had a top student system, but she was a fake prodigy. Qin Rui was the real deal, and he saw her as a rival.
Tao Shushu suddenly wondered: Why was he pushing her to study?
[System, is there a third system in this world?]
This time, the system remained silent for a long time. [No detection of such.]
Tao Shushu couldn’t relax. For now, she couldn’t dig deeper. The only thing she could do was study hard and seize more initiative.
Driven by determination, Tao Shushu spent the entire weekend grinding through practice problems. But perhaps due to her restless mood, her error rate actually increased.
This wouldn’t do, midterms were just around the corner.
Scratching her head, Tao Shushu flopped onto her pillow and opened a game to check on her cub.
Over, with Nan Yuan, preparations for the leap were proceeding smoothly.
The day to leave the barren planet had been set, but the amount of supplies and weapons to bring still required careful planning.
The cub had a pile of decisions to make. Within the ten minutes Tao Shushu was online, four groups of people came to Nan Yuan one after another, each asking a series of questions.
But the cub calmly and efficiently handled every issue.
The survivor's map indicated that the outside world was even more turbulent than the barren planet. He bore the responsibility for the entire base, yet he remained unruffled.
As Tao Shushu watched, her anxious mood gradually settled.
She reached out and ruffled the cub's hair, unable to resist messing it up.
Just then, another group of people came in with questions.
Tao Shushu pouted and pulled out a handful of fur from the golden-maned lion crouching nearby.
Nan Yuan cast a shadow over the golden-maned lion.
Tao Shushu paused, noticing the cub crouching beside the lion.
"Shushu, what's wrong?"
The cub sensed her unhappiness.
Tao Shushu hesitated for a moment. "I'm so annoyed, cub."
Her tone carried a hint of grievance and coquettishness she hadn't even realized.
Nan Yuan curled his fingers slightly, then sat cross-legged on the ground, pulling the now fully grown golden-maned lion in front of him. "Shushu, are you facing some problem?"
He imitated the casual posture from Cheng Feimao's frivolous book, revealing his face. It seemed this was all he could do, he still hadn't managed to enter Shushu's world to solve the problems she encountered.
Tao Shushu was charmed by the cub and the fluffy lion. She smiled faintly. "Cub, do you ever feel tired, leading so many ordinary people in their struggle to survive?"
"Not really. I know that every time night falls, Shushu will appear. So, I want to live each day well, to present a beautiful answer sheet to Shushu." He wanted to hear her encouragement, her exclamations of surprise, to let her know that he, too, could accomplish things, to bring her happiness in whatever way he could. That was why he never felt tired.
He only felt that time was too short, never enough to spend with her.
Tao Shushu was deeply moved. "The cub is amazing every day."
"Shushu is amazing too. So, what is it that's making such an amazing Shushu unhappy?" Nan Yuan asked.
It should be fine to talk to the cub about it, right?
Tao Shushu gathered her thoughts. "I have an enemy. He helped clear out some unpleasant people around me, but his goal was to make me focus solely on competing with him. He makes me very uncomfortable."
Nan Yuan lowered his gaze, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. "I believe Shushu can arrange her life perfectly well at her own pace. Such a person is not worth considering."
"Exactly!" Tao Shushu agreed. "So I've decided to defeat him thoroughly so he stops bothering me."
"But my progress has been quite slow recently," Tao Shushu said with frustration. She deliberately omitted the detail that their competition was about academics, not wanting to damage her maternal image in her cub's eyes.
"Shushu is worried that if he can't defeat you, he might harm your friends, which is putting too much pressure on you. I believe Shushu can knock him down in one go, just like dealing with Bloodsucking Grass, leaving him no chance to harm your family," Nan Yuan comforted her.
Tao Shushu thought seriously about it, she was indeed somewhat concerned that Qin Rui might harm the class monitor and others.
They were her friends and shouldn't have to face such troubles because of her.
"You're trying hard to protect your friends, and I believe they will all stay safe," Nan Yuan said.
Tao Shushu nodded firmly. "Right, I need to knock him down in one go."
"Mm, and you can even use him to clear away other obstacles for you," Nan Yuan's voice was calm, but his palms were clenched into fists, his desire to find Shushu growing stronger day by day.
"But if you can't manage it, that's fine too. The most important thing is your safety and your friends' safety."
Tao Shushu nodded. "Thank you, cub. I know what to do now."
After chatting with her cub for a while, Tao Shushu miraculously regained her calm.
Qin Rui was just an enemy, after all.
How hard could it be?
Tao Shushu felt she was quite clever, surely, she wouldn't lose to someone like Qin Rui.
Her fighting spirit restored and her impatience gone, she took out the test paper again. This time, she didn't fixate on answering quickly but instead analyzed each question carefully, reading the conditions thoroughly, discerning the question-setter's intent, and providing precise answers.
When she put down her pen, the countdown timer for one and a half hours had just reached zero.
Tao Shushu called out to the system, [System, come grade this.]
The system dutifully graded the paper. [Host, you got the last multiple-choice question wrong, but all the others are correct.]
[Okay.] Tao Shushu faced the mistake calmly and didn't rush to check the correct answer. Instead, she reread the question and realized she had fallen for the trap set in it.
She laughed at herself mockingly and reinterpreted the question.
This time, she got it right.
By the time she arrived at school the next day, Tao Shushu's mood had completely stabilized. When she saw Qin Rui at the entrance checking for latecomers, she even managed to give him a rare smile. "Senior Qin, that day I went to the security office, but the guard happened to be away. By the way, how did you get out later?"
Qin Rui narrowed his eyes at Tao Shushu. "I don't mind whatever little tricks you like to play, as long as you show your real ability in the exams."
Tao Shushu didn't even glance at him as she stepped squarely on his foot and walked over it. "Senior is so tolerant."
Since Qin Rui said he didn't mind, she certainly wouldn't hesitate to inflict a little extra harm on him.
Tao Shushu hadn't originally intended to clash with Qin Rui so openly, but Qin Rui had bluntly stated his intentions.
Tao Shushu didn't like Qin Rui, and since neither of them was hiding their feelings, there was no need for fake politeness.
After stepping on him, Tao Shushu walked to the classroom feeling refreshed and ready for morning study. She had plenty of texts and vocabulary to memorize and wouldn't waste her time getting angry over Qin Rui.
Su Momo, who was behind Tao Shushu, witnessed her stepping on Qin Rui.
Su Momo stared at Qin Rui in astonishment, only to see him expressionlessly wiping his handmade leather shoes, his face icy cold. His gaze was so sinister it sent shivers down one's spine, unlike the campus student council president heartthrob, he more resembled a killer.
He didn't seem particularly angry, but he wasn't exactly pleased either.
Hadn't Qin Rui been helping Tao Shushu earlier? What was going on today? Su Momo watched with a faint smile. If Tao Shushu and Qin Rui had a conflict, she could seize the opportunity to win Qin Rui over.
Last time was an accident she hadn't controlled properly, but it wouldn't happen again.
Su Momo took out a mirror to touch up her makeup, deepening her lipstick color before swaying her hips as she walked toward the school gate.
"Senior, that brute Tao Shushu stepped on you and just walked away like that. I have wet wipes here, do you need one?"
Qin Rui looked coldly at Su Momo and extended his foot. "I do."
Su Momo froze. After all, she was the campus goddess, what did Qin Rui mean by this? Treating her like a shoe-shining girl?
Her body stiffened, and she forced an awkward laugh. "Handmade leather shoes can't be cleaned with wet wipes. I didn't know better."
"Growing up in the countryside, it's understandable you wouldn't know," Qin Rui said.
At this, Su Momo's expression went beyond mere embarrassment. She bit her lip. "Senior, I'll be going now."
Qin Rui was highly popular, and Su Momo needed campus influence at the moment, so she didn't dare offend him.
But Qin Rui wasn't about to let her off. "Su Momo, you're late. Points deducted."
The incident at the school gate, involving prominent figures like Su Momo and the student council president, quickly spread across the forums once again.
This time, Tao Shushu felt a chill watching it, Qin Rui's attitude toward Su Momo was like a cat toying with a mouse.
He could easily crush her, yet he chose to tease her repeatedly.
It somewhat resembled her own tactics of suppressing the female lead to diminish her protagonist aura.
She only acted that way toward Su Momo because of their grudge. But why was Qin Rui doing it? Could it be that Su Momo possessed something Qin Rui needed?