The Cannon Fodder’s Survival Guide at the Noble Academy - Chapter 14
◎ If you’re slandered, just go crazy ◎
The two of them arrived rather late; outside, a long line had already formed.
From time to time, someone dashed past. In this fiery, bustling crowd, the unhurried An Tang and Jia Yu looked like complete outliers.
Checking his watch, An Tang asked doubtfully, “Why are there so many people? Isn’t it not time yet?”
Jia Yu spread his hands. “Well, it’s the president’s assistant. In this school, the number of people confessing to the president could fill an entire class.”
An Tang thought he was exaggerating and laughed softly.
Before long, a staff member came up to them.
“Are you here for the interview?”
Already tired, An Tang sat down. It was the hottest part of the day, and the two of them hadn’t brought umbrellas when they came—so hot and stuffy it was hard to breathe.
Seeing An Tang not in the mood to reply, Jia Yu gave the staffer a nod. “Yes.”
The other gave him a skeptical look. “Student Council assistant? Usually only good-looking ones come to compete. Mostly girls. Boys… well, it’s fine too.” His eyes slid toward An Tang, who was sitting in profile so only half his face showed. That one looked good.
But he couldn’t just bluntly say, “You don’t have the face for this, leave.” He glanced back at Jia Yu and lightly shook his head.
“Hm.”
Was there some other vacant spot? An Tang frowned, waving his hand in the heat. This guy talked too much—just hand over a number so he could go buy water already.
“Then go to the front to register.”
The place wasn’t big, but the rules sure were. An Tang sighed and pushed himself upright against the wall.
“Where?”
He turned to the dazed staffer, waited a few seconds, then repeated patiently, “Where in the front? It’s all blocked off.”
“Then… wait, I’ll bring the registration form over.” The flustered staffer rushed off.
That left An Tang utterly baffled, while Jia Yu looked like he’d seen through it all.
“What was that about?”
“Click, tsk tsk tsk.” Jia Yu shook his head. “You, old man, please sit.”
An Tang blinked. “You’ve finally gone crazy?”
Before Jia Yu could explain, the staffer returned, panting, holding a form.
“Here, sign here.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Once they’d both signed, the staffer beamed. “This ties to my performance evaluation after all.”
An Tang didn’t understand what his registration had to do with someone else’s performance evaluation. He asked Jia Yu, but he didn’t know either.
So An Tang went to buy some water, gulping it down. The chilled liquid eased the sweltering heat.
A little while later, he saw the staffer return to open the door, ushering people in by groups, handing out cards and counting.
When it was his turn, An Tang’s sharp ears caught the number—“99.”
Ninety-nine? He was the ninety-ninth person? That many?
His brow furrowed. How much time would that waste? The exam was tomorrow. If he weren’t afraid of Fu Jiyu’s retaliation, he wouldn’t even be standing in this line.
But now… An Tang leaned slightly to peek inside. Fu Jiyu wasn’t there. Could he make a run for it?
His gaze shifted back to the doorway—already shut.
The half-lifted butt landed back on the bench, glued tight. Fine, guess he was stuck in this den of thieves.
Propping his chin on the bottle cap, he yawned a few times out of boredom.
Among a crowd full of tense faces, he stood out starkly. Quietly, eyes turned toward the two of them.
Inside the surveillance room—
“I think these two are good. To be the president’s assistants, they need to be calm, unflappable.”
One voice praised. Another immediately objected: “They look like slackers. What if they’re lazy? What if they abuse their power? Don’t just decide from one glance.”
“What do you mean? Who do you want to sneak in?”
That lit the fuse. “What did you say? Slander! I should say you’ve taken a liking to him!”
The words dropped like water on gunpowder—snuffing it out instantly. The room fell silent.
Many people sneaked nervous glances at the man in the center. He had been watching the big screen all along without speaking.
The member who had just spoken shivered, wanting to explain, but was promptly sent out.
Everyone knew: Fu Jiyu hated the very idea of guys… being into guys. Just hearing it made him uncomfortable.
“I… he, I—” The one who first praised An Tang was also kicked out. The two of them stood outside, glaring at each other like enemies.
Inside, Fu Jiyu finally lifted his gaze from the screen. His lids half-raised, he casually swept his eyes across the room.
“No relationships between members of the same department.”
“Yes.” Everyone replied in unison. When he left, the room finally breathed again.
“Scary. Feels like Liang Chen is finished.”
“Didn’t the last one get kicked out for being caught in a romance too?”
…
Meanwhile, An Tang discovered a terrifying truth—he’d drunk too much water. He needed the bathroom. But the door was shut, and his seat was in the back. To get out, he’d have to walk the gauntlet of the entire crowd under everyone’s stare—pure social death, ranking number one on the list of “most embarrassing life moments.”
Luckily, Jia Yu had the same need.
Scooting closer, Jia Yu whispered, “An Tang, you need the bathroom too, right?”
Perfect. An Tang squeezed his hand. “You too, right? Let’s go together.”
One person being stared at was unbearable. But two people walking together—that was confidence, like “the whole world is mine.”
The stares would be split, no longer machine-gun fire piercing him. Straightening his back, An Tang muttered to the guard at the door and successfully made it outside.
The air was hot and restless, but free.
Sun blazing, clouds drifting, leaves floating, cicadas crying.
His good mood stopped short at the sight of long lines outside every restroom.
He and Jia Yu split up. Jia Yu chose to wait. An Tang, too anxious, went to another building.
The moment he stepped inside, he nearly collided face-to-face with someone.
Startled, An Tang quickly sidestepped.
Before he could apologize, the other snapped, “Don’t you watch where you’re going? How could you not see me? You’re not blind!”
Stunned, An Tang froze. What really struck him speechless, though, was the face.
Wasn’t this the strange guy he’d seen onstage before—the one he had pegged as the story’s protagonist shou? Why was he here?!
When An Tang stayed silent, the other muttered a few more things under his breath. The words went in one ear and out the other, but his brain caught enough to know they weren’t nice.
Slowly, An Tang frowned.
He wanted to ask the guy’s name, but when he looked up, the man was gone.
Like a ghost. An Tang muttered irritably to himself.
The urgent pressure forced him to drop the thought. Just as he unbuttoned, a tall figure stepped up beside him, blocking the light and casting half-shadow.
He always chose the stall at the end, away from people, but he could clearly feel those eyes fixed on him.
! Startled, An Tang zipped back up.
He inhaled sharply, turned, ready to curse—but the fire in his chest vanished when he saw the man’s face.
“Ha…ha…” He laughed awkwardly. “You’re here too, President…”
A glance around confirmed it was just the two of them. Laughing weakly, he backed away and picked the farthest stall.
“President, if you liked that spot, just say so. You go first, I’ll be over here.”
The zipper slid again—only for the shadow to follow like a ghost.
His shoulders trembled. Anger seethed under his skin. What the hell was this guy doing?! He almost wanted to piss right on his face.
Forcing a smile, he asked through gritted teeth, “President, did you need to discuss something with me? Isn’t this place… not very suitable?”
“You can go on with your business first.”
How the hell am I supposed to do it with you here?! An Tang wanted to smash a brick on his head to wake him up. “Your presence gives me too much pressure.” He tried to be tactful.
“Stomach issues?”
An Tang went rigid. He couldn’t believe his ears. Did that really come out of the usually icy, strict president’s mouth? Totally out of character!
“Want me to hold it for you?”
“No, no, NO!” An Tang’s pupils shrank. He fled in panic. Better to hold it than deal with possession by some ghost. And if you talked to someone possessed, would you also get possessed?
Thankfully, this building had plenty of stalls. This time he was smart—he waited at the entrance a few seconds, making sure no “car crash” would happen again, before going in.
Relief washed through him. Humming a little tune, he went to wash his hands.
One glance sideways—and he nearly jumped.
Why was Fu Jiyu here AGAIN? Why so many ghosts today?!
He scrubbed fast, adjusted his expression in the mirror, and put on his most professional smile as he left.
“President, I’m done. What did you want to talk to me about?” You’d better have something serious to say, or my fist—size of a sandbag—is coming your way…
“Why didn’t you curse him back?”
“Uh? Uh…?” His clenched fist slackened. He was dumbfounded. Curse who? Which “him”? Who??
Brain in overdrive, he mentally pulled out every face he’d seen today, scanning them one by one.
Not this one… not that one… not him either… who?
“He cursed you. Why didn’t you curse him back? Are you deliberately playing the victim?”
Body stiff, brain at capacity, An Tang still couldn’t think of a response.
So this… this must be what it feels like to be wrongly slandered as some pitiful weakling…
An Tang laughed angrily. Was this guy brain-damaged?
“You think I’m deliberately acting pitiful?”
“If you want to pick a fight, just say so. Don’t play the big bad wolf.”
“This is absurd. First, I don’t even know that guy. Even if I did, he might not know me.”
“Second, what does my behavior have to do with you?” Why are you being so presumptuous?
An Tang managed to keep a shred of reason. Though punishment deadlines had passed, who knew how much power the president really had? He lowered his voice.
“So not cursing back is a crime now? Fine, give me a hard time then. Eliminate me. Whatever.”