Era of Mist

Chapter 146: Chapter 145: Digging and Filling Pits

”Oh—uh... huh?” Shi Tiexin was a little dazed. ”What exhibition and judging? What awards? What are you talking about?”

”I’m talking about the calligraphy competition, of course! My old army buddy just called me—you, you’re a finalist!” Situ the Bald was beaming. ”You’ve got some nerve, kid! Sneaking off to enter the city-wide calligraphy competition, and then you get insanely lucky and actually get picked as a finalist for the afternoon exhibition. This is a first in the history of the Orphanage!”

The old bald head patted Shi Tiexin’s shoulder, his face alight with excitement. ”If you can win an award this time, I’ll put you straight into the Orphanage’s Hall of Fame! Come on, take a few more pictures of him! Get his good side, make him look handsome!”

SNAP, SNAP. A teenager holding an old-fashioned camera circled Shi Tiexin, capturing the Iron Tyrant’s heroic figure from every angle.

But after the boy had taken a few pictures, Shi Tiexin waved a hand and said to him, ”That’s enough. You can go outside for now.”

The teenager froze for a second, but then, without hesitation, he turned and walked out of the office.

The sickeningly sweet smile on Situ the Bald’s face slowly vanished. He sensed something was amiss from Shi Tiexin’s serious expression. Once the teenager had closed the office door, he finally caught on. ”I was talking about the calligraphy competition. What were *you* just talking about?”

Although the old bald head hadn’t seemed to get the news yet, Shi Tiexin had no intention of hiding it from him.

”I have two pieces of news for you, one good and one bad. Which do you want to hear first?”

The old bald head got angry. ”The hell? Good news and bad news? You’re pulling that routine on me? Just spit it out!”

”So, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

”The bad news first—actually, forget it. You don’t have to tell me, I’ve already guessed.” Situ Zhennan’s gaze was sharp as a tack. ”Kid, you shouldn’t be back at this hour. According to your schedule, you should still be on duty. So tell me—you got fired from the security team, didn’t you?”

Before Shi Tiexin could even answer, the old bald head put on a deeply pained expression. ”You little brat, do you have any idea how much trouble I went through to get you that trial position? And you just get yourself fired and come back here. What am I supposed to do nowww...”

Shi Tiexin cut him off immediately. ”No, I wasn’t fired. Everything’s going fine.”

The old bald head’s expression instantly changed, becoming calm and nonchalant. ”Then it’s nothing serious. Go on, tell me your ’bad news.’ Let’s have a little laugh.”

”Today at the qualifiers for the Minor Provincial Exam, I put several students from the Star Worker School in the hospital, and as a result, I’ve completely lost the chance to take part in the exam. On top of that, I got into a direct conflict with He Chong. There’s a small chance his father will stoop to getting involved personally, but I’m telling you in advance so you don’t get caught off guard.” Shi Tiexin patted Situ Zhennan’s shoulder. ”That’s all.”

Situ Zhennan’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

After a long moment, the wide-eyed Situ Zhennan finally snapped his jaw shut. A vein throbbed on his forehead, his face turned beet red, and he opened his mouth to roar, ”You little bastard! Do you ever use your brain before you do things?! You—”

”I did think about it. It had to be done.”

”Bullshit—! Get lost—! You considered jack shit—!” THUMP. Situ Zhennan collapsed onto the sofa. Even his beloved couch couldn’t lift his spirits; he just slumped into the cushions, sighing. ”Sigh... It’s over... Kids are kids, always unreliable, always getting me into trouble... What am I going to do about job placements this year? It’s over, it’s all over...”

Seeing Situ Zhennan so utterly dejected, Shi Tiexin couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. ”You don’t have to be so pessimistic. I’ll take responsibility for my own actions. If the He Family really wants revenge, they can just come for me.”

”Get lost! Stop acting like some big shot! ’Take responsibility for my own actions’? What kind of world do you think you live in?” Situ Zhennan scratched his head in frustration. ”Fifteen is fifteen. A minor is a minor. Hot-headed and reckless, not thinking about the consequences. Sigh, it’s my fault too. I keep forgetting you’re not even thirty...”

’Hey! What’s that supposed to mean? Do I really look that old?!’

”Right, wasn’t there supposed to be good news?” Situ Zhennan was practically melting into a puddle of slime on the sofa. He spoke listlessly, as if suffering from heart failure. ”Go on, spit it out. Maybe it’ll jump-start my heart...”

Seeing Situ Zhennan in this state, Shi Tiexin felt a little guilty and said nonchalantly, ”I passed the qualifier for the Minor Provincial Exam.”

”Oh.” Situ Zhennan gave a deathbed nod. A moment later, his head snapped back up. ”What did you say? You passed?”

”That’s right. I passed. The Minor Provincial Exam is in three days.”

”HO—LY—SHIT!” With a single motion, Situ Zhennan sprang up from the sofa, his eyes burning with fervor as he stared at Shi Tiexin. ”You actually passed the qualifier? This is great! This gives me a chance to create some buzz... Right, what are your odds of passing the Minor Provincial Exam?”

’Odds?’

Shi Tiexin did a quick mental calculation. ”Fifty-fifty.”

”A fifty-fifty chance of passing the Minor Provincial Exam?!” Situ Zhennan’s voice jumped an octave. ”You’re that badass?”

’No, it’s not a fifty-fifty chance of passing the Minor Provincial Exam. It’s a fifty-fifty chance of taking care of He Chong and landing at the top of the final rankings.’

But Shi Tiexin was in no mood to correct him. Actions spoke louder than words, after all. He just asked, ”So, those are the two pieces of news, one good and one bad. What’s your move?”

’The first time was a misunderstanding. This time, I’ve laid it all out. There are no more misunderstandings.’

’Situ the Old Bald Head, what are you going to do?’

’Are you still going to put me in the Hall of Fame? Or are you going to have my memorial photo taken? Or maybe tie me up and drag me to Vice President He to beg for forgiveness?’

Hearing this, Situ Zhennan was reminded of the bad news. He paced back and forth anxiously. ”You little brat, couldn’t you have discussed this with me before you acted?”

Shi Tiexin remained silent.

He had, in fact, thought through his actions today. As long as he, Shi Tiexin, showed up at the testing machine for the Minor Provincial Exam qualifier, He Chong would have come after him—regardless of whether he was just showing him up or competing for first place. Given He Chong’s nature and the dazzling brightness of Shi Tiexin’s crystal sphere, it was a one-hundred-percent certainty that he would have been ganged up on again and prevented from even reaching the exam hall.

Rather than give his opponent time to gather reinforcements and set an ambush, it was better to launch a preemptive strike and disrupt his rhythm. His entire future was on the line. He couldn’t hesitate; it had to be done.

He truly hadn’t considered discussing it with Situ Zhennan. Having fought his own battles since childhood, he was used to handling everything himself.

Besides, he had a feeling that if he had actually discussed it with Situ Zhennan, the man would have likely tried to stop him. And then, the last of the bonds between him and the Orphanage would have been severed.

Situ Zhennan was, after all, the man who had raised him. He didn’t want to lose that connection.

Besides, no matter how big a guy Shi Tiexin was, he was still a fifteen-year-old boy. There were times when the blood rushed to his head.

Now, what was done was done. It all depended on Situ Zhennan’s reaction.

Situ Zhennan paced in circles, scratching his head anxiously. After a long moment, he stopped short and said with fierce determination, ”Let’s go. We’re leaving right now. You’re coming with me to the Cultural Exhibition Hall in the Upper City District! Just being a finalist isn’t enough—you have to win! Only if you win an award will I have something to work with, some way to salvage this and smooth over the fallout from this incident!”

No sooner said than done. Situ Zhennan grabbed Shi Tiexin and pulled him out the door, slinging the camera over his shoulder and making a beeline for the sky-rail station.