Chapter 18

【The streamer made the female ghost cry from anger?】

【Unbelievable! Usually it’s the ghosts who scare streamers to tears, but now a ghost got so mad she cried.】

【Heh, then you really haven’t seen much—top-level streamers can scare ghosts into crying all the time. What’s so exciting about this?】

【Beep beep beep, my nitpicker detector is going off—so it’s a terminal case of elite streamer syndrome, huh? Sorry, this is a low-level streamer dungeon. Low-level streamers are all newbies who just started. If you don’t like it, go watch your elite streamer.】

【I think I get why the campus belle ghost is crying so hard… but that doesn’t stop me from laughing. Also, let me just say: well done!】

…

Shi Jian didn’t expect the campus belle ghost to actually cry. After half a minute of silence, realizing she really was crying, Shi Jian muttered, “Why are you getting all worked up?”

“If you’ve got a problem, go to the judges, go to the organizers.”

“Why are you crying? Is that supposed to affect me?”

Shi Jian felt like she was the innocent one here. She’d been peacefully sleeping her beauty sleep, and suddenly got dragged over.

Who was she supposed to complain to?

Crying did affect Shi Jian, though—the noise was making her head throb. So she cleared her throat and called out, “Hey.”

“Stop crying.”

Everyone was waiting to see how Shi Jian would comfort the campus belle ghost. Then they heard her say, “Losing to me isn’t a disgrace.”

Shi Jian tilted her long, pale neck and started introducing herself again, “I’m an artist, mainly an actress. I’ve also crossed over into singing and modeling. In my debut year, I won Best Newcomer. I’ve received the Most Popular Actress award multiple times, and I’ve starred in over twenty film and TV works—all as the female lead.”

That last part was very important.

Shi Jian figured, since the scenario had changed, the livestream viewers had probably rotated too. A reintroduction was in order.

Wasn’t this a great opportunity?

But the campus belle ghost was seriously lacking in sense. Her crying got louder and louder, until it was downright piercing.

Of course, Shi Jian held fast to the principle of “if you’re loud, I’ll be louder,” and her voice firmly drowned the ghost out.

Even while yelling, Shi Jian kept her expression flawless—she knew she was absolutely glowing right now.

Campus belle ghost: “……”

She wasn’t comforted at all. In fact, she cried even harder.

Her eyeballs even rolled out of her sockets like marbles and clattered to the floor.

Shi Jian: …Sanity points dropping fast, frantically swallowing.

She suggested to the ghost, whose eye sockets were now just two bloody holes, “Why don’t you put your eyeballs back in? You were kind of pretty before. Now? Don’t even try to compare with me.”

Seeing that the ghost wasn’t doing much, but also wasn’t stopping the crying either, Shi Jian spoke again.

“Fine, cry all you want—but send me back first, then cry.”

Shi Jian felt like she’d wasted too much time here. If she got back now, she could still catch a bit more sleep.

Lack of sleep easily ruins your complexion—even for a naturally gorgeous celebrity.The campus belle ghost’s crying quieted down. She picked up her eyeballs from the ground and reinserted them, then looked at Shi Jian and said, “You’re not human!”

How could such a vicious woman exist in this world?

The campus belle ghost let out an angry laugh. “You want to go back?”

“Then stay here a while longer.”

Shi Jian was being accused of not being human, and she could be even less so if needed. Seeing that the ghost had no intention of letting her go anytime soon, her expression changed.

Shi Jian spoke righteously.

“Which class are you from? It’s the middle of the night and you’re not sleeping. You’re still playing ball and disturbing others’ rest! A classmate wants to sleep and you won’t let them? And also—you’re not even wearing the school uniform?!”

Shi Jian looked over the campus belle ghost’s short skirt uniform—it clearly wasn’t Qing Shan No.1 High’s attire. It didn’t comply with student regulations. Not wearing the school uniform was punishable.

The ghost instinctively covered her clothes with her hands.

Shi Jian said, “You want me to report you to the dean?”

After successfully reporting the history teacher earlier, Shi Jian was now ready to report the campus belle ghost.

Shi Jian: Dean, this is your moment to show your authority!

And sure enough, the dean’s reputation worked wonders. Seemed like he was quite the tyrant at school normally.

The ghost’s expression changed immediately.

Shi Jian suddenly felt dizzy. The campus belle ghost began to blur, and when she came to, someone was shaking her by the shoulders. She heard Tang Tian’s anxious voice.

“Shi Jian, what’s wrong? Wake up, Shi Jian!”

Tang Tian was leaning over her bed, his delicate face full of panic.

Shi Jian saw Tang Tian, then looked around—her body bolted upright.

She was back?!

…

Shi Jian was no longer in that pitch-black corridor with only emergency lights. The ghost who bled from the eyes and lost her eyeballs while insisting on playing ball was gone. Under her was the warm bedding of her dorm. The other two roommates were still asleep. Tang Tian was next to her.

Still shaken, Shi Jian lowered her voice and gave a quick summary of what happened.

Tang Tian looked puzzled. “Campus belle ghost? You went into the hallway?”

“You never even left the dorm.”

“I had to pee just now and got up to go to the bathroom, then I heard something on your bed and came to check. No matter how I called you, you wouldn’t wake up—I thought you were having a nightmare.”

Shi Jian and Tang Tian analyzed it together. Most likely, the campus belle ghost had created some kind of dream-like scenario and dragged Shi Jian into it.

Her body stayed in the dorm, but her consciousness thought she was outside.

Shi Jian: All she did was go to a campus belle competition. She wasn’t even trying to look for any clues—and still ended up haunted.

What kind of messed up situation was this?!

Tang Tian also thought Shi Jian had gotten the short end of the stick. “Well, at least you’re okay.”There was the sound of one of the girls in the dorm turning over. To prevent these seemingly normal students from suddenly turning into monsters, Shi Jian and Tang Tian quickly fell silent and went to sleep.

Considering that even the gentle female teacher could instantly turn into a human-skewer enthusiast, the probability of students becoming monsters was still quite high.

Tang Tian hadn’t clearly understood what the campus belle ghost looked like the night before, but her curiosity was quickly satisfied.

Though Tang Tian wasn’t particularly eager to satisfy that curiosity.

…

Early in the morning, as soon as Shi Jian got up, the campus belle ghost who had insisted she pick up the ball last night was following behind her. She stuck to Shi Jian like a little tail—wherever Shi Jian went, she followed.

Shi Jian’s first reaction was to fling open all the dorm windows.

Let the sunlight shine on the ghost!

The campus belle ghost stood next to Shi Jian, completely unafraid of the sun. She even stretched her body forward and let out a mocking laugh. “You want the sunlight to hit me so I vanish into smoke? Useless.”

Shi Jian: “……”

Tang Tian stood nearby holding a mop, looking tense and ready to whack the ghost with it the moment she tried to hurt anyone.

Tang Tian had seen it all too. She exchanged a look with Shi Jian: this ghost… doesn’t seem like she’s going to do anything?

Not dangerous.

Shi Jian nodded.

Yes, although the campus belle ghost kept chattering non-stop, she showed no signs of attacking. And during the daytime, she wasn’t crying blood or dropping her eyeballs. If Shi Jian didn’t already know what she was, she’d just look like a very pretty girl.

Shi Jian didn’t know how this worked—though both she and Tang Tian could see the ghost standing next to her, the other students showed no reaction whatsoever.

But yesterday, when someone in the classroom yelled “I’ll kill myself,” the students had been equally numb.

So after confirming the ghost was harmless, Shi Jian and Tang Tian just went on with washing up and getting ready.

They still had to head to class for a test later.

This dungeon really tested your mental strength—nowadays, everyone could remain calm as long as nothing physically harmful was happening.

Seeing that Shi Jian was ignoring her, the campus belle ghost took the initiative to declare her purpose, her tone filled with resentment.

“You’re feeling pretty smug, aren’t you?” She glared at Shi Jian.

“But even if you stole my campus belle title, I still have someone who loves me. My Haohao adores me!”

Shi Jian: “……”

This ghost was actually trying to show off her love life?

Shi Jian pointed downstairs and gestured to the ghost. “Look.”

Outside, a crowd of male students had gathered, all looking up at Shi Jian’s dorm window. As soon as she appeared, they went wild.

“Shi Jian!”

“Shi Jian-junior, over here! I brought you breakfast!”

“She looked at me—does that mean she’s interested in me?”Shi Jian straightforwardly told the guy, “No.”

Rejected directly by the goddess, the boy wasn’t upset—in fact, he got even more excited.

“I must be special in her eyes. Otherwise, why would she only reject me and not the rest of you… She’s so cool, I love her even more.”

Shi Jian spread her hands and told the stunned campus belle ghost, “I’ve never been short on love.”

To Shi Jian, affection was everywhere.

Shi Jian inserts-hands-in-pockets.jpg

Tang Tian noticed something in the crowd and let out a curious “huh,” then casually mentioned, “That guy holding the sign is also named Haohao.”

The campus belle ghost nearly leaned all the way out the window. That wasn’t just someone with the same name—that was her Haohao. The boyfriend she thought loved her deeply was not only downstairs but had even set up candles and was loudly confessing to Shi Jian.

“Shi Jian, I declare my love for you—”

Shi Jian and Tang Tian came to the same conclusion: “Men are reliable… when pigs climb trees.”

…

The campus belle ghost seemed to suffer a major emotional blow. From love to hatred, she even started sharing gossip about her ex-boyfriend with them.

“Haohao’s dad is on the school board. The board member has an inappropriate relationship with a certain history teacher—they often meet in secret…”

Turns out there was a lot of this kind of outrageous school gossip, and Shi Jian and Tang Tian listened with great interest.

It’s gossip—who doesn’t love that? Besides, with a bit of digging, they found out that the history teacher she mentioned was the same one who stabbed a streamer and gave Shi Jian a death exam question.

But seeing that the campus belle ghost had been following her around, and Shi Jian still had things to discuss with Tang Tian, she said, “Why haven’t you left yet? Go play or something. I’ll buy you candy later.”

Campus belle ghost: This feels like brushing off a child—and she was the child being brushed off.

The ghost sneered coldly, “Heh, I’m probably a lot older than you. Back when I was a star in the art class, you didn’t even exist yet.”

Shi Jian smiled, “Wow, so you’re pretty old then?”

Campus belle: Crap! Slipped up!

She glared fiercely at Shi Jian—and vanished.

Shi Jian and Tang Tian chatted about the upcoming exam. Neither of them felt very confident. At least Tang Tian had spent time studying; Shi Jian had been busy with the campus belle competition.

“…Guess we’ll just take it one step at a time.”

Back in the classroom, just before the math test, two students slammed their heads into the walls—one into the east wall, one into the west—creating a strange sense of symmetry.

Shi Jian: Math really is worth a few head smashes.

All the streamers were nervously taking the math exam. Nothing went wrong during the test, but their results came out soon after.

Though most of them were past the age of worrying about grades, Qing Shan No.1 High School had somehow given them grade anxiety.

Shi Jian held her breath. She wasn’t the type to pray to the gods, but even she muttered a few wishes in her heart.

When Shi Jian saw her score, she gasped in surprise. Her face lit up, and she quickly shared it with Tang Tian.

“I got 71 points!”The viewers in the livestream were a little charmed by Shi Jian’s reaction—her emotional expressiveness was top-notch. Even through the screen, some people couldn’t help but smile.

Who’s smiling at the corners of their mouth? Oh—it’s them.

Shi Jian was suddenly overflowing with confidence: even though she had neglected her revision, she actually passed.

And she even exceeded the passing score by 11 points!

But Tang Tian didn’t look so good. She couldn’t bear it and told Shi Jian, “I got an 89.5. Our math isn’t like history—the full score is 150, and 90 is the passing line.”

Doomed.

Shi Jian, “……”

【???】

【Hahahaha, I’m sorry, I couldn’t hold it in any longer. I confess—I just love this kind of dumb beauty.】

【Let me snuggle my dumb wife a little. 90 is passing, you missed by quite a bit.】

【But I clearly remember people saying yesterday that Shi Jian was beautiful and smart—where’s the dumb part? She seems pretty clever when handling problems, just a little silly now and then. (dog head emoji)】

【Aaaaah, is no one actually worried about the streamer? Not passing the exam might not kill her, but there will still be consequences, like physical discomfort.】

…

This time, the majority didn’t pass the math test, so Shi Jian didn’t seem that dumb in comparison.

Only one person originally passed—the academic ace whom all the other streamers often asked for help. Now there was another: Tang Tian, who had missed the passing line by just 0.5 points.

Tang Tian examined her own paper carefully and managed to find a question where she wrote the word “solution.” Technically, the teacher should’ve given her 0.5 points.

After hearing Tang Tian’s reasoning, the teacher actually added it.

Shi Jian was genuinely happy for her. “You’re safe this time.”

Tang Tian grabbed Shi Jian’s paper, still unwilling to give up. “Let me take a look.”

Though both Shi Jian and Tang Tian knew this wasn’t the same—one missed by 0.5, and the other missed by dozens of 0.5s.

After the two of them pored over it tirelessly, eyes nearly crossing, they really did find a problem on Shi Jian’s paper.

There was a multiple-choice question Shi Jian had answered incorrectly, but the teacher hadn’t noticed. She should’ve lost four more points.

Shi Jian, “……”

Tang Tian, “……”

How could this happen? Instead of bonus points, she got points deducted?!

Shi Jian felt like it didn’t matter whether she faced the knife head-on or tried to dodge—either way, she’d get stabbed. She had already won the campus belle title and bloomed so beautifully. She wasn’t even afraid of death—what’s one little test?

So, Shi Jian gallantly comforted Tang Tian, “It’s fine.”

She waited calmly for punishment.

The two streamers who had failed the history exam before mentioned that they didn’t start feeling unwell until after the dean came over and scolded them about their scores.

Shi Jian glanced at those two streamers who had previously been dealt with. They sat in their chairs with pale lips and dark circles under their eyes.Shi Jian, “……” could no longer remain calm.

If she ended up looking as sickly as those two, she figured it wouldn’t be much better than dying—maybe even worse!

What made Shi Jian feel even more suffocated was that, before she could recover from the shock of those two streamers’ negative state, the dean had already come looking for her.

Although she had escaped the history teacher’s clutches yesterday, she had still successfully caught the dean’s attention.

The dean instinctively felt that Shi Jian was a bit tricky to handle, but no matter how tricky, she was in his hands now. Just a little cleverness, that’s all.

He stood beside Shi Jian with a gloomy face. “Student Shi Jian, I’ve seen your math results…”

“Teacher, would you like some water?”

The dean didn’t finish his sentence because Shi Jian handed him a bottle of water, interrupting his casting of the spell.

The dean stared at the bottle for a moment and didn’t take it, finding it a bit ridiculous. “…Are you trying to bribe me with a bottle of water?”

Shi Jian shook her head. “Of course not.”

She just wanted to stop him from saying the next words, so under the dean’s questioning gaze, Shi Jian seized the opportunity.

“I know I didn’t do well on this math test, but I’m different.”

The dean didn’t expect Shi Jian to bring up her poor performance on her own and wondered what she was going to say.

“How are you different?”

In the livestream, the old fans got excited again.

“I! Am! Dif! Fer! Ent!” had returned.

Last time this phrase left Steward Tang so aggrieved he couldn’t breathe. Would this time break new ground too?

Although not long ago, Shi Jian had just failed to take advantage of a loophole.

The audience’s curiosity was piqued, and a wave of gifts flooded the livestream.

Under everyone’s gaze—including the dean’s—Shi Jian spouted nonsense once again. “I’m different because I know my score isn’t great. I plan to transfer to the art program. A 71 might not cut it for general academics, but it’s enough for the art class.”

Shi Jian remembered the campus belle ghost had mentioned being in the art program, which meant Qingshan No. 1 High School had one.

She didn’t think she could rely on her scores to reach an A. In that case, why not return to her original path?

Shi Jian had previously attended an art program, and later, with outstanding grades, she swept entrance exams across top universities that year, earning the media’s title of “exam tyrant.”

Later, Shi Jian even found out that junior students would repost her photo before art school entrance exams.

“Repost Shi Jian and you’ll pass the art exam! Guaranteed high scores!”

…

The dean stared at Shi Jian in silence for a moment. He didn’t say she couldn’t transfer to art—in fact, he seemed to think of something, and his expression could even be described as pleased.

Like he was preparing to watch a good show.

He asked Shi Jian, “You haven’t transferred yet, right? When are you planning to?”

“Our school does cultivate talent in multiple areas. Although it’s a shame that you don’t put effort into cultural subjects, I can understand.”Shi Jian’s eyes lit up when she heard it was allowed. “I’ll transfer right now.”

She hurried to it.

Shi Jian knew there were likely pitfalls ahead, but what could be worse than being forced to pick up math halfway through?

Tang Tian thought for a moment and raised her hand too.

“Teacher, I want to transfer to athletics.”

Shi Jian: ?

Tang Tian leaned over and whispered to Shi Jian, “Before I started working, I was a track and field athlete. I just didn’t make it onto the national team because of an injury. I feel like if this goes on, I won’t pass the exams.” She had barely scraped by both times.

Shi Jian: So a failed national team athlete ended up working an office job, huh? That’s a plot twist.

The dean glanced at the others. “Anyone else want to change majors? Just so you know, there’ll be a small test.”

After two rounds of testing, everyone shuddered at the phrase “small test.” Some hesitated but chose to stick with cultural subjects and accept the pain of failing math. Others felt it was worth a shot—maybe they’d find a new path forward.

Three streamers decided to switch majors—one chose athletics like Tang Tian, the other two chose art.

The dean assigned two student leaders to guide Shi Jian and Tang Tian. One group headed to the art class to be tested by the teacher, the other went straight to the sports field. Probably to watch Shi Jian’s show, the dean even strolled along behind her group.

Shi Jian and Tang Tian exchanged well-wishing glances.

…

“You’re here to transfer majors? What are you transferring to? Our art program offers broadcasting and hosting, acting, and music.”

The elegant and refined female teacher asked warmly after hearing their intent.

Of course, neither the streamers nor the viewers believed any of that kindness and gentleness from the teacher.

First, a slightly chubby male streamer spoke up. “I’ll pick broadcasting and hosting.”

He couldn’t do acting or instruments—broadcasting seemed the easiest.

The female teacher shook her head with visible disappointment. “Your voice isn’t suitable at all.”

“Is our broadcasting and hosting program some kind of no-threshold major?”

The students below all banged their desks at the same time, unified and synchronized, chanting, “No no no!”

The female teacher asked, “Then what should we do?”

The students shouted in unison, “Help classmates improve their vocal quality!”

Immediately, several students with sneering faces rushed over like wild dogs from the wilderness. They grabbed the aspiring broadcasting male streamer and dragged him off to the side.

Shi Jian was stunned by the uniform shouting. Her brain stalled a little. How do you improve vocal quality?

A clip was placed around the male streamer’s neck. He looked like he was struggling to breathe and kept yelling that it hurt. But the clamp, which seemed easy enough to remove, wouldn’t come off no matter how hard he tried.

Shi Jian and another streamer went to help remove it but still couldn’t do it.

“I… I don’t want to transfer anymore. I want to go back. Director, can you please help me get this thing off?”

After realizing that human strength couldn’t remove it, the male streamer turned to the dean for help. His voice now sounded like pure, textbook "clip voice."The dean said gleefully, “They don’t want you here. You do have to go back to the cultural studies class. But this clamp won’t come off—you’ll have to wear it. Transferring classes isn’t something you can do or undo just because you say so.”

“If everyone did that, how much work do you think our teachers would have?”

Over on the other side, the female teacher acted as though nothing had happened and proceeded to ask the second streamer.

“What major do you want to transfer to?”

“…Acting?”

This male streamer had decent looks, so the teacher didn’t make it difficult for him on that front. She instructed him:

“Come on, cry for me in ten seconds.”

Shi Jian could cry in less time, but the male streamer couldn’t. Even after a full minute, he couldn’t squeeze out a single tear.

Then the female teacher put a drop of chili water into his eyes. In her words: “Let me help you with some eye drops.”

“It hurts! My eyes!”

“My throat feels awful…”

Two streamers in a row not only failed to transfer but also paid a painful price.

Now it was Shi Jian’s turn. The female teacher asked, “And you? What major are you transferring to?”

Shi Jian took a deep breath and looked ahead again, those beautiful eyes filled with—

Fearlessness.

She faced the seemingly ordinary art test like it was nothing. “Acting.”

“Give us an improvised performance.”

“Sure.”

A handsome male student volunteered to act with Shi Jian. The teacher gave the prompt on the spot—no prep time. Shi Jian had to perform immediately with an unfamiliar partner, and do it well.

The female teacher said, “Act out a long-awaited reunion with your lover.”

The dean watched, completely relaxed, ready to see Shi Jian be put in her place.

The viewers saw Shi Jian instantly get into character. She gazed at the male student in the distance. First disbelief, then her radiant face lit up with ecstatic joy. She ran toward him like a flame, reckless and unrestrained, as if even the end of the world couldn’t stop her from embracing her lover.

“Darling, is it really you?”

Shi Jian reached out, trembling fingers brushing the other’s face, her eyes tracing his features again and again.

The male student responded emotionally, “Yes, it’s me…”

Some viewers were already swept up in the scene. This was completely unrehearsed—what a performer! The streamer is incredible!

No wonder she was a famous actress—definitely leading lady material.

Shi Jian continued to deepen the emotion. “It’s been so long, you…”

But before she could finish her line, in the next second, the male student suddenly turned into a skeleton. In other words, Shi Jian was now gazing lovingly into the eyes of a literal skeleton.

“……”Livestream viewers: [Damn! This is way too sinister!]

Was this supposed to be a trap?

Even longtime fans were on edge. Ahhh, baby, don’t let your leg shake now!

The female teacher was already thinking about how to punish Shi Jian, but Shi Jian didn’t pause for a second. She continued affectionately, full of sorrow, “You’ve… you’ve gotten so skinny, you’re just skin and bones.”

Literal bones—no issue there.

Even the skeleton hadn’t expected Shi Jian to keep going. Under the teacher’s signal, he had to keep reacting, so his skull fell off.

Let’s see how you handle this!

Shi Jian crouched down, picked up the big skull from the ground. “Darling, it’s okay. I’ll boil bone soup for you to nourish you.”

“Look at this big bone I got!”

Shi Jian held up the skull and presented it with a sincerely loving and concerned expression—but paired with what she was holding, there was an inexplicable aura of menace.

Skeleton: “……”

A chill seeped deep into his marrow—for that’s all he had left.

That was his bone…

How did it become something she bought?