Chapter 38: My Life is Over
"Everyone in our group already knows about it." Qiao Sang remarked, feeling exasperated.
"Well, you know what they say, joy is better when shared." Fang Sisi responded with a mischievous smile.
Qiao Sang couldn't hold back her laughter. "Haha, you're not wrong."
"Hahahahaha..." Fang Sisi laughed along with her.
Even though she had told this story to many people, it still cracked her up every time.
After the two of them finished laughing, Qiao Sang asked, "Why didn't our homeroom teacher just buy a bottle of Su-Root Gel?"
Su-Root Gel is extracted from the Su-Egg Pot. Each time the Su-Egg Pot sleeps, it closes its shell, and in the morning, when the shell opens, a small amount of gel seeps out—this gel is known as Su-Root Gel.
The gel has a miraculous effect on promoting hair growth, making it far more efficient than hair transplants.
"A bottle of Su-Root Gel costs as much as our teacher's half-year salary. Hair transplants are way cheaper." Fang Sisi explained.
Indeed, anything related to extraordinary creatures is ridiculously expensive these days.
Although hair is as precious as life to a middle-aged man, our teacher still has a family to support. He couldn't possibly splurge on a bottle of Su-Root Gel for himself.
Thinking about it this way, Qiao Sang started to feel sorry for their teacher.
During the third period, the Beast and Nature class was taught by Mr. Ji, a teacher who loved to ask questions, especially to students with poor grades.
Qiao Sang was frequently called on in the past. Since she had been absent recently, the pressure had been shared by those ranking near her.
"Spotty Bud evolves into Poison Powder Jasmine in the Lianke region." Mr. Ji said as he revealed the answer to the second fill-in-the-blank question on the test.
After finishing, he adjusted his glasses and asked, "Who knows what Spotty Bud evolves into in the Liaoxi region?"
Some beast species have fixed evolutionary forms, while others evolve into different forms depending on the materials and environment.
Spotty Bud falls into the latter category, with four known evolutionary forms depending on its environment.
The students all stared intently at their test papers, desperately avoiding eye contact with Mr. Ji.
Qiao Sang didn't have the test paper since she missed last week's class, so she was sharing Fang Sisi's.
Mr. Ji's gaze shifted towards the area where Qiao Sang, Fang Sisi, and the other underachievers were seated.
Guo Linze, seated nearby, grew nervous. He had been called on many times during Qiao Sang's absence.
His eyes darted around until they landed on Qiao Sang, who was seated in front of him.
"Qiao Sang, you don't have a test paper, right? You can use mine." Guo Linze whispered, tapping her on the shoulder.
You've had this paper for ten minutes, and you're offering it to me now?
Just as Qiao Sang was about to refuse and turn her head, her eyes met Mr. Ji's.
"Qiao Sang, why don't you answer?" Mr. Ji called out.
Qiao Sang: ...
Guo Linze, you sneaky little...
"Ice Powder Jasmine." Qiao Sang stood up and answered.
Seeing her answer correctly, Mr. Ji followed up, "What about in the Xilu region?"
"Grass Powder Jasmine." Qiao Sang replied.
"Very good. You may sit down." Mr. Ji nodded approvingly before asking, "Now, who can tell me in which region Water Powder Jasmine evolves?"
As soon as Qiao Sang sat down, she grabbed Guo Linze's test paper and quipped, "Then I won't hold back."
Guo Linze, caught off guard, tried to stop her, but his hand only hit the desk, making a noticeable sound.
"Guo Linze, you answer." Mr. Ji ordered.
Guo Linze: ...!
Soon it was recess.
"Qiao Sang, the homeroom teacher wants to see you." The class representative, Ma Xiao, approached.
The inevitable moment had arrived.
Qiao Sang put down her book and, with a much different mindset than before, headed to the teacher's office.
"You've been absent for quite a few days. Fill out a leave slip." The teacher said, opening his drawer and placing a slip on the desk.
Qiao Sang couldn't help but glance at the teacher's head.
Still a wig. I wonder what it looks like underneath...
"Qiao Sang." The teacher called her name, his tone slightly stern.
Qiao Sang quickly picked up a pen and began filling out the slip.
"Is your mom okay now?" The teacher asked.
Qiao Sang paused before replying, "Yes, she's fine."
After finishing the slip, the teacher handed her a notebook.
"You've missed quite a bit of review material. This is a former student's notebook who scored 632 on the high school entrance exam. Take it home and study."
The full score for the entrance exam is 650, so scoring 632 is impressive.
Qiao Sang hesitated for a moment before accepting it—this was precisely what she needed right now.
"Thank you, Teacher."
The teacher waved her off, signaling that she could leave.
Qiao Sang left with mixed feelings. The teacher might have his flaws, but who doesn't? At least he genuinely cared for his students.
Even though it was her fault that he lost his precious hair, he didn't take it out on her.
Feeling overwhelmed, Qiao Sang asked, "Teacher, is your hair okay?"
The teacher's expression froze, and he stood still.
After a moment, he took a deep breath and said, "Do you really think your mother would keep you out of school this long just because she was sick?"
Qiao Sang: ...
After school, Qiao Sang decided to come clean with her mother. Some things are better said by her than by the teacher.
But when she got home, her mother wasn't there yet.
"Fire fang Dog, you clean this side, and I'll clean that side," Qiao Sang handed a wet cloth to Fire fang Dog and pointed to the right side of the living room.
She had already planned it out—once her mom saw the spotless room, the mopped floors, and dinner ready, whatever anger she had would dissipate.
"Yap!"
Fire fang Dog happily took the cloth and got to work. It placed its right paw on the cloth, pushed off with its left, and slid forward with the cloth underfoot.
"Yap!"
"Yap yap~"
Fire fang Dog happily barked as it worked, making the chore look like a fun game.
What a good kid.
Qiao Sang felt a wave of satisfaction as she took the mop and started cleaning the left side of the living room.
The golden hues of the sunset streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on the floor, illuminating the girl and her Fire fang Dog.
Everything was peaceful and perfect.
Fire fang Dog happily slid across the floor, moving faster and faster.
Crash!
A loud noise shattered the tranquility.
Qiao Sang looked up to see shattered porcelain pieces all around Fire fang Dog.
Her heart sank. She quickly dropped the mop, ran over, and picked up Fire fang Dog to check it over.
"Are you okay?"
"Yap!"
Fire fang Dog barked loudly and wagged its tail, indicating it was fine. It pointed to the broken pieces on the floor.
"Yap yap."
"Yap yap."
"Yip yap."
After explaining, it felt a bit guilty, and its ears drooped.
"The vase breaking doesn't matter as long as you're okay."
After comforting Fire fang Dog, Qiao Sang finally looked at the shards on the floor.
She remembered that this vase was something her mother brought back from a trip to the Lianbo region.
It even had the signature of her mom's favorite Beast Master on the bottom...
Click.
Just then, the door opened.
Qiao Sang turned to face her mother, and four words echoed in her mind.
My life is over...