Chapter 17
Cold sweat broke out on Shi Jian’s back. The room temperature was perfectly normal, yet she felt bone-chilling cold.
If she hadn’t resisted the temptation…
Then the one skewered like barbecue would’ve been her.
The streamers were naturally wary of the teachers at Qingshan First High, but not the students. After all, they looked harmless. The bespectacled, acne-covered boy even seemed like a weakling—aside from his excellent grades.
But it was exactly this “weakling” who led the streamers straight into a deadly trap.
The boy even glanced regretfully at Shi Jian and sighed. He was genuinely disappointed that she didn’t die—but at least someone else had taken the fall.
In Shi Jian’s personal stream room, viewers were cheering for her luck. Some asked:
【Did the streamer shake her leg today?】
Nope—Shi Jian’s legs had gone completely numb from fear.
Even though she didn’t like Zhou Xingxu, it was still shocking to witness someone who had been alive and talking just a minute ago die in such a gruesome way. It tested everyone’s nerves.
One male streamer who had been close to Zhou Xingxu completely lost it. He stood up and shouted, “To hell with this! I’m done with this exam—anyone who wants to take it, go ahead!”
“I want out of this instance! Let me out!”
Nothing around him changed, of course. Once a streamer enters an instance, the only way out is to clear it.
The broken streamer dashed into the hallway.
Shi Jian: Take me with you! I wanna run too!
It didn’t take long for the streamer to return to the classroom—but unlike when he had stormed out, this time he was dragged back like a dead dog by the dean.
His legs had been broken.
The dean wore a displeased expression. “How many times do I have to repeat myself? No running or shouting in the hallways…”
The streamer had run in the hallway and was caught—resulting in his legs being smashed.
Shi Jian: “……” Okay, don’t take her with you.
No matter how turbulent Shi Jian felt inside, her expression remained calm. Among the group of streamers all showing various degrees of fear and shock, her composed face stood out. Her viewership kept climbing rapidly.
“Student, is there a problem?”
The speaker was the history teacher—a woman with a kind smile. If not for the ruler still skewering Zhou Xingxu’s corpse and her head being twisted backward, she might have genuinely looked like a gentle teacher.
Shi Jian grabbed her pen and replied firmly, “No.”
She immersed herself in the sea of knowledge. For the first time, the test paper looked almost pleasant.
The horror show wasn’t over, but the exam still had to go on.
…
The results came out quickly—likely because this wasn’t a normal school. The scores were available not long after the test ended.
Tang Tian asked ShiTang Tian showed her score. “Sixty-five. About the same.”
Both scores were just barely passing, and the two of them finally breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the grade was enough to pass, it was fine—failing would definitely lead to trouble.
During the exam, both Shi Jian and Tang Tian relied on years of test-taking experience. Things like “when three answers are short and one is long, pick the long one,” “when in doubt, choose C,” “even if you can’t answer, fill the page—it shows effort and attitude, maybe the teacher will take pity…”
They’d clutched their books and crammed hard. The other streamers who had tried to cut corners earlier naturally didn’t have time to study. In the end, two of them failed the history test.
Failing didn’t kill them immediately, but one of the streamers said, “I don’t feel well. My chest hurts.”
“Same here.”
Shi Jian could clearly see that the ones who failed the test looked awful. Combined with what they said about not feeling well, it was obvious this was not a good sign.
The other team still wasn’t including Shi Jian and Tang Tian. So, the two of them started compiling intel.
Tang Tian talked while Shi Jian jotted things down.
“We now know for sure that cheating on the exam leads to death. So, absolutely no cheating. You cheat, you die.”
“Also, don’t shout or run in the hallways.” You’ll get your legs broken by the dean.
Shi Jian added, “Failing the test makes you feel physically unwell. If that stacks up, it might become dangerous. Plus, we’re required to get an A grade, right?”
Obviously, if you keep failing, there’s no way you’ll get an A. And even barely scraping by probably doesn’t count as an A either.
Tang Tian fell into thought. Shi Jian seemed to remember something. “I’m thinking of going to talk to the dean.”
Tang Tian: ?
“What for?” Tang Tian’s impression of Shi Jian began to shift. Dang, she’s bold!
Shi Jian only looked bold—she was actually scared stiff. But she remembered what happened back in the Rose Castle. The butler had to stick to his in-universe role, so she figured, “Shouldn’t the teachers also have to stay in character?”
“I want to test if there’s a loophole we can use.”
Tang Tian thought Shi Jian made a good point. “I’ll come with you.”
Viewers in Shi Jian’s personal livestream immediately recalled the Rose Castle arc: the diva actress and her tragic doormat butler.
【Are we about to scam ghosts again?!】
【Love to see it—time for the streamer to unleash her verbal warfare!】
The dean’s office was easy to find, not far from their classroom. When Shi Jian showed up, the dean looked a bit surprised.
After all, it was usually him who went looking for students. Rarely did one come knocking on their own—and a “special” one at that.
“You need something?” The dean stared at Shi Jian with interest.
Shi Jian had already braced herself. She got straight to the point. “Sir, I think some things happening here are really inappropriate. Like what happened to Zhou, and the student who had his leg broken today… isn’t this corporal punishment?” Not just corporal punishment—this was life-threatening.
Shi Jian’s eyes blazed with righteous fury. “May I ask—have the teachers at our school even obtained teaching licenses?”
“Teachers are not allowed to physically punish students. That’s basic knowledge covered in teacher certification exams.”
If Tang Tian weren’t standing right in front ofBut the dean only let out a cold chuckle. “Teaching license?”
“What’s that supposed to be?”
Just two sentences perfectly exposed the nature of this shady school. The dean told Shi Jian:
“We only follow the teacher’s code. Disciplining disobedient students and making sure they get good grades—that’s our duty.”
Tang Tian: “……” Yeah, this isn’t looking good.
Shi Jian: “……” Nope. This teacher doesn’t play by any rules!
It was clear now that the experience she’d gained in the Rose Castle was completely useless here—she couldn’t bluff her way through this one. The teachers in this place were nothing like those in the real world.
Knowing when to quit, Shi Jian left the dean’s office with Tang Tian, doing her best to keep their retreat looking dignified.
As they walked down the corridor, Tang Tian tried to comfort her. “Actually, it’s normal. What matters is that we tried—it just shows that path doesn’t work.”
Shi Jian noticed that Tang Tian had a pretty good mindset. Tang Tian added, “He mentioned something about a teacher’s code, right?”
“Then maybe there’s a student code too?”
The two exchanged a look, thinking the student code might be another important clue.
But back in the classroom, and in everyone’s backpacks, they’d already looked around and hadn’t found anything like that. So Tang Tian suggested they split up and search separately.
…
Shi Jian seemed to have decent luck. She didn’t even walk that far down the floor when she spotted a fairly large noticeboard. As always, it was white background with red text. At the very top were four bold characters: 《Student Code》.
Shi Jian skimmed over it quickly. The school had strict rules for managing students, but the most important message of the Student Code was: study hard, and only those with good grades will have a bright future.
Shi Jian: Gotta call Tang Tian over—tell her I found it.
But just as she was about to leave, a sound came from behind her.
The history teacher in the flower-patterned dress was suddenly standing silently behind her. Shi Jian originally thought to pretend she hadn’t noticed, but the history teacher called her name.
“Shi Jian, I have a question for you. In history, there was a famous figure who went on seven voyages to the Western Seas…”
【Why is there a surprise pop quiz?!】
【This streamer’s really going through it. I can’t tell if her luck is good or bad.】
【Seems to be normal here—I’ve seen other streamers get random quiz questions too. If they answer wrong, it triggers a death match... Hope she survives this one!】
【This one’s actually pretty easy.】
Shi Jian was speechless at the sudden pop quiz. She really shouldn’t have thought her luck was good. Fortunately, she did know the answer to this one.
Not hard at all.
With a confident smile, Shi Jian turned to the history teacher, who was smiling while waiting for her response. Her voice was clear and crisp.
“It’s…” Zheng He!
But the history teacher shook her head. “Don’t be so hasty—haste makes waste. My question is, state the first year of the voyage, and the final year of the last voyage.”
Her voice grew sharper, filled with an eerie sort of excitement. Her mouth stretched open, revealing unnaturally white and creepy teeth.Shi Jian, “...Let me think.”
The word “let” had barely left her lips in front of the history teacher, and by the time she said “me think,” Shi Jian had already put distance between herself and the teacher.
Time to run!
Shi Jian lowered her head and walked away quickly, utterly frustrated: What kind of ridiculous question was that? How was she supposed to know the exact years of Zheng He’s voyages?
The history teacher froze for a second, then suddenly threw her head back and let out maniacal laughter. A huge globe appeared in her hands out of thin air—but at the top of the globe was a silver needle half the length of an arm, more like a skewer than anything else. She clearly didn’t believe the little meat skewer could escape and immediately took off after Shi Jian, lightning fast.
Her voice rang out, full of certainty: “Where do you think you’re going? You won’t get away.”
A chase scene was always the most nerve-wracking, and viewers in the livestream chat were already on edge, as if they were the ones being hunted.
Shi Jian’s adrenaline was through the roof. The click-clack of high heels hitting the tile behind her echoed like they were hammering directly on her heart.
I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die!
She felt like she was about to be caught—but then she saw the dean’s office just ahead.
Without hesitation, Shi Jian threw open the door and dashed inside. Out of breath, the first words out of her mouth were:
“Director, aren’t students not allowed to run in the hallway?”
The dean had been absorbed in studying a pile of axes and hammers on the floor, trying to figure out which tool was better for cracking open a student’s bones. Suddenly, Shi Jian burst in, bringing a gust of wind with her.
The dean was confused. Hadn’t she just left? She looked so disappointed when she walked out—why was she back?
Still, he instinctively replied, “Correct.” Running is not allowed.
That was all Shi Jian needed. She righteously declared, “I’m reporting the history teacher. She was running in the hallway—and in high heels!”
Shi Jian: Director, are you gonna do something about that?
The history teacher, who had just caught up, globe in hand and ready to skewer Shi Jian: ???
Completely stunned.
…
Shi Jian had suddenly remembered the rule about not running or making noise in the hallway. If that was the case, surely teachers had to follow it too?
And the history teacher hadn’t just run—she’d sprinted. In high heels, no less.
There were students and cameras as witnesses! As for Shi Jian? She had only walked quickly, never run.
No one expected Shi Jian to actually go tattle to the dean about the history teacher. The room fell into stunned silence—except for the livestream chat, which exploded:
【Holy crap holy crap, why didn’t I think of that? This streamer is sharp—beauty and brains!】
【This is getting good. The history teacher’s face is priceless.】
【Director, punish her properly! No double standards—if students get their legs broken for running, what about the teachers? (dog head emoji)】
【Flowers ×10】
【Rocket ×2】
【Yacht ×1】【Heavens! A yacht just appeared—poor me can only watch rich people with envy.】
Now that Shi Jian had exited the newbie instance, traffic in her livestream had increased significantly, and the number of gifts had also gone up. Still, the sudden appearance of a yacht was a major flex.
The yacht gift was worth a full 500 points before the platform took a cut. Some struggling streamers wouldn’t even earn that much from an entire broadcast—despite risking their lives.
Shi Jian had no idea any of this was happening. She was busy trying to stay alive.
Seeing that the dean hadn’t responded yet, Shi Jian deliberately added fuel to the fire: “Our director has always been impartial and just.”
The hat of righteousness had now been firmly placed on the dean’s head, and since the history teacher had indeed violated the rules—he saw her running with his own eyes—he couldn’t just ignore it.
“...”
The dean had no choice but to respond sternly, “I understand. This matter was indeed the history teacher’s fault. Thank you, Student Shi Jian, for reporting it.”
No reward for the report!
“You may go. I’ll have a word with the history teacher.”
That was exactly what Shi Jian wanted—a safe exit from danger, for now.
The history teacher could only watch helplessly as her would-be skewer target walked away gracefully. She couldn’t do anything about it, not while her colleague wanted to “talk.”
...
“That was way too close!”
Tang Tian saw Shi Jian and the history teacher enter the dean’s office just as she came upstairs. After she heard the whole story, she was terrified on Shi Jian’s behalf.
During the break, the two of them managed to revisit the student handbook. It didn’t give them any new leads, but at least they’d gained more insight into all the self-destructive behaviors to avoid at Qingshan No.1 High.
The other team of streamers had apparently been scared straight after what happened that afternoon. One by one, they started studying diligently. Rumor had it there would be a math test tomorrow.
Shi Jian and Tang Tian, fellow sufferers, buried themselves in lifeless studying too. Despite how bizarre the school was, it even had campus announcements.
Of course, the broadcast voice was completely flat and lifeless.
Shi Jian took a moment to listen—
“Zhang Xiaoli from Class 2, Senior Year 3, sent in a message to motivate herself: ‘Study or die!’”
“Zhang Xiaoli is full of spine and ambition. Let’s give her a round of applause and learn from her spirit.”
“Duan Zhuo from Class 1, First Year, is about to celebrate his sixteenth birthday. His birthday wish is to snag a full set of 53 Exam Papers and the Huanggang Secret Collection...”
“53s are ridiculously hard to get. I even had to enlist family and friends to try and snipe a copy at the exact restock time—still couldn’t get one. In the end, I had to buy from a scalper at a high price. Let’s all send our warmest wishes to Duan Zhuo: may he forever have an endless supply of fresh test papers.”
Shi Jian, “...” Is that a blessing... or a curse?
That said, it did seem like everyone truly wanted an endless supply of fresh test papers.
One other announcement caught Shi Jian’s attention. It stood out amid the fervent love of learning because it was unusually short—and the broadcaster sounded reluctant even saying it.
“The School Belle Selection Contest will soon take place in the school auditorium...”
Shi Jian felt her DNA awaken. The flawless persona she was about to lose to studying returned at full speed.
The School Belle Selection Contest?Shi Jian wasn’t entirely sure, so she turned to ask Tang Tian, who was behind her. Tang Tian was so fed up with doing questions she was about to puke, but she had indeed heard it. “Yeah, I think they said there’s going to be a School Belle Contest.”
Tang Tian glanced at the clock.
“It starts in ten minutes.”
Shi Jian: Tomorrow there’s a math test, and in this place, not studying properly could cost your life—not passing also means failing the instance—so choosing between studying and going to the School Belle Contest doesn’t seem like a hard decision at all.
Shi Jian didn’t hesitate even for half a second. To hesitate would be disrespectful—to herself!
She stood up, glowing with energy, and said to Tang Tian, “You keep studying. I’m gonna check out that School Belle Contest real quick. I’ll be back soon.”
Of course Shi Jian was choosing the contest. A School Belle Contest without her? That’d be a total flop.
Passing the instance was optional. But being the school belle? That was non-negotiable.
...
“Where’s Shi Jian?”
The freckled female streamer—who had assumed a leadership role in the group from the moment they entered the instance—noticed Shi Jian had disappeared.
The others replied, “No idea.”
“Probably went out. Been gone a while.”
The freckled streamer didn’t say much, but both the audience and other streamers knew what she was thinking—
She figured Shi Jian was courting death, wasting time. If she wasn’t back yet, she was probably already dead in some dark corner of the school.
Freckled streamer: “Forget her. Let’s focus on studying. Who knows how to do this question?”
Only the viewers who were jumping between streams wanted to scream: Do you guys even know how happy Shi Jian is right now?!
And as viewers, they were having a blast too.
[Especially switching from Shi Jian’s stream to this one—what a contrast. I’m off, going back to her stream!]
[Hurry! Don’t miss the gorgeous girl singing!]
The viewers were basically enjoying god-mode vision.
While the streamers in the classroom stared blankly at their math books, assuming Shi Jian was probably long gone, there she was—standing under the stage lights, smiling faintly, eyes sparkling.
While the other streamers were practically on their knees begging the top student, “Please save me! Just give me the method—blessings upon your whole family!”
Shi Jian was belting out a song on stage, proving with her voice that she wasn’t just pretty—she could sing too.
Charm, full throttle.
Her personal livestream tips even hit a new peak. Viewers felt like they weren’t watching a beauty contest—it was a full-blown concert by a superstar!
They’d saved money on concert tickets, so they rewarded her with virtual gifts instead, expressing their joy from having their eyes and ears purified.
Audience: How can someone look that good in a school uniform?
Shi Jian managed to be both stunning and innocent—all in one.
While the other streamers were suffering in the heat, dying for a drink but holding back—too lazy to go, and too scared to run into a teacher demanding random quiz questions now that it was dark—
Shi Jian, stepping off stage, was greeted with seven or eight water bottles being handed to her—all from male students.“Shi Jian, want some water?”
“Drink mine, it’s the expensive kind!”
“Do you not know how to take turns? What grade are you in—do you have any manners?”
Not only were they scrambling to offer Shi Jian water, but there was also a male student holding a mini electric fan beside her, his face full of flattery and eagerness.
“Shi Jian, that performance must’ve been exhausting. You must be hot, right? Here, cool off with this.”
Shi Jian remained calm in the face of all the attention, not even slightly flustered—because this used to be her daily norm. And this? This was nothing compared to the kind of scenes she was used to.
She first thanked the boy holding the mini fan. “Give it to me. I’ll use it myself.”
Then she glanced at the crowd offering her water and gave a disapproving look. “You’re being a bit too noisy.”
The group of boys—who just moments ago looked like they were about to brawl like roosters—immediately fell silent at her casual remark. Not even the discipline director could silence them this effectively.
One of them, a tall and slightly handsome boy, offered, “Shi Jian, would you like to hear me play the guitar?”
...
Shi Jian’s journey to becoming the school belle of Qingshan No. 1 High School went ridiculously smoothly. No obstacles at all—she simply introduced herself and sang a song.
[LOL, who’s feeling good right now? Oh right, it’s me!]
[There’s no pain without contrast. The other streamers are suffering, and I’m loving this huge gap.]
[Same here.]
[If I were there, I’d be handing water to Shi Jian too. I’m ready, big sis!]
[Who just spilled their bitter tea on me? Oh—it was the comment above.]
[Everyone else is grinding miserably, the vibe’s so tense. But Shi Jian’s stream? A whole different mood. I love the chill vibe—give us more!]
[Same streamers, but totally different lives. Their story is ‘My Bitter Struggle to Study at Qingshan High’—Shi Jian’s is ‘My Glamorous Days as School Belle at Qingshan High.’]
Unsurprisingly, Shi Jian won the title of Qingshan No. 1 High School's school belle.
Carrying two bottles of ice water and a mini fan, she returned to the classroom in great spirits and handed the items to Tang Tian. “For you.”
The water and fan had been bought at Shi Jian’s request by the male students—though they’d all volunteered to deliver them, she didn’t trust any of them enough and insisted on going with them.
Seeing Shi Jian back in one piece, Tang Tian let out a breath of relief. She took the ice water and couldn’t hide her joy.
“How did you know I was hot and thirsty!”
Tang Tian wasn’t one to take advantage either. She slid her notebook over to Shi Jian. “I took notes while you were gone. Even if you don’t understand them yet, start memorizing the formulas. Even just plugging numbers into the steps gets you partial credit.”
While all the other streamers assumed Shi Jian had died somewhere in the campus, the supposedly-dead Shi Jian reappeared full of life, chatting and laughing with Tang Tian.
The freckled female streamer couldn’t help herself. She came over to talk to Shi Jian.
“Where did you go just now?”
Shi Jian had nothing to hide. “I went to the School Belle Contest. Took part in the competition.”
Freckled streamer didn’t get it. “Why would you do that?” Then, as if something clicked in her mind, she added, “Did you get any useful info?”Under the freckled girl streamer’s hopeful gaze, Shi Jian thought for a moment and answered, “The sound system on the school stage is a bit outdated, and the stage floor is quite slippery.”
You have to walk carefully on it.
Freckled girl streamer: ??? Instantly suffocated.
She thought Shi Jian was deliberately refusing to share any clues.
Freckled girl streamer: If she didn’t go looking for clues, why would she go to that school belle contest? Don’t tell me… she really just wanted to be the school belle in this dungeon?
Yes. Shi Jian really did just want to be the school belle in the dungeon. She hadn’t thought any deeper than that.
...
It wasn’t until 11 p.m. that the students were allowed to head to their dorms to rest.
At No. 1 High School, the dorms were four-person rooms. Shi Jian and Tang Tian were once again lucky enough to be assigned to the same one.
The room was a regular girls’ dorm—definitely not as comfortable as the big bed in the Rose Castle—but Shi Jian still fell asleep quickly.
Beauty sleep, as a proper female celebrity deserves.
She woke up again because she felt the ground shaking beneath her, as if her bed were about to collapse. When she opened her eyes, she was shocked to find that she wasn’t in bed at all—it felt more like she was in the dorm hallway.
The hallway was dead silent. The lights weren’t on, and only the faint green glow of emergency exit signs lit the space.
“Tang Tian?”
Shi Jian gathered her courage and softly called out.
There was no response—only her voice echoed again and again through the corridor, repeatedly calling Tang Tian’s name.
Shi Jian was starting to feel scared. And worse—off in the distance, a rubber ball came rolling toward her.
A girl appeared out of thin air across from Shi Jian—dressed in a school uniform skirt with straight-cut bangs. She looked directly at Shi Jian and said:
“Help me pick up the ball.”
Her tone left no room for refusal.
Middle of the night. Girls’ dorm. A little girl playing with a ball. Every horror trope in the book was present.
Shi Jian: !!!
Stiff with fear under the girl’s piercing stare, Shi Jian slowly bent down and picked up the ball. But she never handed it back.
Because the ball, like a wild horse off its reins, suddenly sped down the stairs as if it had a mind of its own, screaming “I’m free now!” in its energy.
Shi Jian let out a little “Ah!” and gave the girl an apologetic look. “Sorry, slipped from my hand. It rolled down the stairs. You can still catch it if you go now.”
Straight-bangs girl: “……”
Livestream viewers: “……”
That wasn’t a slip—that was clearly a full-on throw!
If Shi Jian had even used slightly less force, the ball never would’ve flown that far.
...
Of course Shi Jian wasn’t about to play ball with that girl. Even though she didn’t watch many horror movies, she knew one thAccording to Shi Jian’s plan, the best outcome would be for the other girl to chase after the ball, while she found a place to hide.
The reason Shi Jian judged the straight-bangs girl to be a ghost was because she had no shadow.
Shi Jian’s own shadow was clearly cast on the ground under the faint green emergency lights—but the straight-bangs girl had none at all.
Time to go. Time to go...
However, the girl didn’t go chasing after the ball like Shi Jian had hoped. What kind of ghost would that be? That would be too humiliating—like a dog chasing after a toy. Instead, blood began to seep from the corners of the girl’s eyes, trailing down her cheeks.
She spread her arms and chanted, “I hate you. I’m going to kill you. I will reclaim the honor that belongs to me!”
Shi Jian: Oh my god.
She instinctively dodged, but still managed to ask, “Who even are you?”
“Do I even know you?”
This level of resentment seemed totally out of nowhere—just like how she’d gone to sleep fine in her bed, only to wake up to this hellish scene.
The straight-bangs girl froze, momentarily forgetting to attack, and asked back in disbelief, “You don’t know who I am?”
Shi Jian searched her memory and found nothing. “Am I supposed to?”
The straight-bangs girl said, “...I was the previous school belle. I came in second in this round’s competition. Before you arrived, the title was always mine. How could you not know me?!”
Her voice grew increasingly shrill and manic, and her final outburst was nearly a scream that cracked from emotion.
Shi Jian thought she had woken up for no reason, but in reality, the school belle ghost had gone all out trying to wake her up.
The ghost had never seen a girl who slept like Shi Jian did—like a rock.
No matter how much she blew cold air at her neck or rustled books loudly, Shi Jian didn’t stir. In the end, the ghost had to rock Shi Jian’s entire bed back and forth for ages—so hard she nearly shook her own head off—before Shi Jian was finally dragged into this space.
What the ghost never expected was that not only did Shi Jian beat her and steal her title, but she didn’t even know who she was.
After just a few exchanges, Shi Jian wasn’t that scared anymore. The fear had temporarily subsided.
Her mind was full of: Oh, just another sore loser who can’t handle being less pretty than me.
Shi Jian said blandly, “I’ve never bothered to notice others. When it comes to beauty, I’ve always been number one. I’ve beaten too many girls to remember them all.”
It sounded outrageously arrogant—but she was just stating facts.
“Waaahhh…”
At first, the ghost’s eyes had only shed slow streams of bloody tears—but now it was like a floodgate had burst.
She was so angry at Shi Jian, she burst into miserable sobs.