Chapter 19

【Flowers ×20】

【Rocket ×1】

【Yacht ×1】

…

Donations kept scrolling across Shi Jian’s personal livestream. Most viewers had originally just come to watch the chaos, but after such a brilliant performance, many chose to stay.

【Hahahahahaha, that “skinny down to a skeleton” line was gold. Never drink anything while watching Shi Jian’s stream—don’t ask me how I know.】

【Holding up your scene partner’s skull to make bone soup… why do I feel like the streamer is the scarier one?】

【This streamer is a hidden gem. I love horror game streams but I’m a scaredy-cat—finally found something that works for me. I’m totally calling myself an old fan now.】

【Those of us who followed the streamer since the newbie arc are proudly holding our chins high.】

The male classmate was worried Shi Jian might actually use his skull to make soup. He could no longer keep up with her performance and could only look pleadingly at the female teacher.

But the teacher didn’t make things difficult for Shi Jian anymore. She looked at Shi Jian like she had discovered a treasure.

“That’s enough for now. Congratulations, Shi Jian—you’ve passed the assessment. Welcome to our art class family.”

Shi Jian felt all eyes on her, and it thrilled her. Passing the test was part of her plan all along, so she put on a perfect smile, looking calm and collected.

Until a timid voice came from the side, “Shi Jian… could you please give me my skull back?”

Shi Jian turned toward the voice.

The skeleton classmate stood beside her, pitifully. He had no flesh on his face at all, but both Shi Jian and the livestream viewers could clearly read his emotions—

Panic! Anxiety! What am I supposed to do if she doesn’t give my skull back?!

Shi Jian: “……”

Crap, she’d totally forgotten she was still holding his skull.

Shi Jian had been fearless during the improv. More than scared, she was annoyed—annoyed that her scene partner had gone totally rogue.

Who wants to deal with a chaotic scene partner in the middle of an improv?

But now that she was reminded, Shi Jian finally noticed the heavy object in her hands.

As if she’d enjoy holding someone else’s skull! She instantly tossed it back like it was a burning potato.

Take it! Don’t come near me!

The skull landed perfectly on the skeleton’s head. The male classmate lit up with joy and gratefully said, “Thank you.”

He really thought it was gone for good.

Then, the male classmate quickly returned to normal human form.

Shi Jian was stunned. She clasped her hands behind her back—outwardly, she looked like a cool girl. Having aced such a difficult audition only made her seem more like a boss.

Inside, Shi Jian was screaming: Gotta hide my hands—my arm hairs are standing up!

She wanted to wash her hands. Help!!

…Shi Jian passing the assessment successfully made the Director of Academic Affairs the most displeased. He had come specifically to watch her make a fool of herself, but unexpectedly, she actually succeeded.

The director didn’t say a word—he just snorted coldly and turned to leave the art class.

While rubbing her hands hard, Shi Jian complained to Tang Tian, “Can’t compare to Butler Tang I met in the newbie instance. He’d show he was unhappy, but he’d still endure it, force a smile, and had top-tier service attitude.”

Old viewers in Shi Jian’s livestream figured that if Butler Tang heard her talking about him like that, he probably wouldn’t be too pleased.

That poor, wronged servant had been tormented by Shi Jian so badly, he didn’t even want to show his face anymore.

Tang Tian had met up with Shi Jian five minutes ago. Both had successfully transferred classes. Shi Jian briefly described her experience, and then it was Tang Tian’s turn.

The assessment for the sports class was even more direct and brutal than the art class.

Even now, Tang Tian couldn’t help but make a pained expression while recounting it.

“After taking us to the track, the coach made us run—with a man-eating plant right behind me. I don’t even know what it’s called exactly, but its mouth was full of sharp teeth, and it was fast.”

Really fast!

Tang Tian ran ahead while the man-eating plant chased her from behind. She could hear its mouth opening and snapping shut, teeth clicking together with a “kacha-kacha” sound. Her scalp went numb just from the sound. If she slowed down, she’d get bitten—maybe not die, but definitely end up maimed.

Luckily, Tang Tian was already trained in sports, and with the added motivation of being chased, she burst out with an incredible speed.

Tang Tian added, “Oh yeah, the male streamer who was with me also passed the test—he had an item that could boost his speed.”

Just hearing about that man-eating plant made Shi Jian feel physically uncomfortable. She wanted no part of imagining being chased. But the mention of the speed-boosting item reminded her—

Shi Jian: Didn’t she have a speed-boosting item too?

Those bubblegum pink high heels from her newbie starter pack had a speed-boost attribute.

Thinking about those heels, Shi Jian instantly wilted. Aside from the time she showed them off to Zhang Dong, she hadn’t taken them out since. Better to just leave them locked away in the dark forever!

Out of the five streamers who wanted to transfer classes, three had completed their assessments.

Whether it was sports or art, both had significantly lower academic demands. Both Tang Tian and Shi Jian felt a huge weight lifted from their shoulders.

At least they wouldn’t have to study so hard.

When Shi Jian was packing up to move to the art class, she naturally ran into the other streamers. The ones who had failed the first assessment looked pretty gloomy. The ones who had failed twice in a row were already showing signs of facial swelling and a purplish tinge.

…

Though Shi Jian and Tang Tian weren’t in the same class anymore, they still agreed to walk back to the dorm together. On the way, they chatted about how the other streamers were doing.

It wasn’t looking good.

But neither Shi Jian nor Tang Tian could do anything about it—they were still struggling to survive themselves.

“Don’t you feel like something’s off? Like… something is secretly watching us?”

Tang Tian had just switched to a lighter topic, asking Shi Jian to help her decide whether to eat soup dumplings or pan-fried buns tomorrow. As for Shi Jian’s unwavering vegetable salad—well, she’s a celebrity, so of course she has to eat grass.

Then suddenly, Shi Jian tightened her grip on Tang Tian’s arm and said that line.

Tang Tian: ?

“Really?”"I didn't feel anything."

Tang Tian looked around in confusion. She didn’t sense any danger—just suddenly noticed, “There aren’t many students around.”

Maybe it was because they came out later, but the path from the teaching building to the dorm, which was normally full of students in groups, now had only a few scattered figures.

After years of battling wits with paparazzi, Shi Jian had honed her sensitivity—something was watching her, and more than one at that.

Shi Jian exchanged a glance with Tang Tian and whispered, “Let’s hurry back.”

Speed up!

Actually, Shi Jian didn’t even need to say it—Tang Tian had already made a new discovery. The greenery that looked lush and full of life during the day now appeared sinister and claw-like at night. Within it, pairs of glowing red eyes flickered faintly, watching them—chilling to the bone.

Shi Jian, Tang Tian: !

Tang Tian was ready to unleash the same speed she used when being chased by the man-eating plant, dragging Shi Jian toward the girls’ dormitory. Shi Jian just let herself become a soulless leg-accessory—until suddenly, they heard a sound.

"Slurp——"

"She’s really pretty."

Were they talking about her?

Shi Jian instantly revived and replied without missing a beat, “Pretty good taste.”

Tang Tian: It should’ve been scary, but why did it stop feeling scary the moment her pretty roommate spoke?

"I’m a ghost, I’m a ghost—it’s me!"

A petite figure popped out of the bushes—straight bangs, school uniform—it was the campus belle ghost. She enthusiastically waved at Shi Jian and ran over.

The others, owners of those glowing eyes, also stepped out. They weren’t the monstrous figures Shi Jian feared—they looked like high schoolers too, just not in No. 1 High uniforms.

The campus belle ghost led Shi Jian and Tang Tian aside, her expression now unusually flattering.

“They’re all my friends. No harm meant. Don’t be scared. They just wanted to see what the new campus belle looks like, so I brought them along.”

Here’s the full story: A bunch of ghosts from the nearby vocational school came to mock the campus belle ghost after hearing she didn’t get the campus belle title. So she got mad and brought up Shi Jian’s self-introduction—popular celebrity, actress, that whole thing.

“They all said I was bluffing. But now they believe me.”

The campus belle ghost gave Shi Jian a thumbs-up. “You really are the undisputed belle of No. 1 High. Could we maybe… work something out? Let them look a bit longer? And if you could say hi, that’d be even better.”

Shi Jian’s expression eased. She glanced at the anxious vocational school ghosts peeking over. Instead of saying yes or no, she asked a question:

“Made a decent profit today, huh?”

The campus belle ghost blurted out without thinking, “Not bad, small business.”

Then instantly slapped a hand over her mouth. Crap—she’d let it slip again! How did Shi Jian know she was charging admission!?

Shi Jian: That wasn’t hard to guess. A woman (ghost?) who refused to admit Shi Jian was prettier than her suddenly praising her? She was clearly profiting.

Shi Jian’s tone turned cold. “You’re actually using me for business?”

Tang Tian, who knew ghosts came in all shapes and personalities, still found this ridiculous. How could someone use Shi Jian like that!?

The campus belle ghost shrank her neck, guilt all over her face.The next second, Shi Jian’s voice rang out again. “You’re making money off me, and you’re not giving me a cut?”

“Split the money!”

“You take 2, I take 8.”

Non-negotiable.

Campus Belle Ghost: ?

Tang Tian: ?

Live stream viewers: ?

……

Shi Jian was never someone who treated money like dirt. She always thought the most ridiculous persona in the entertainment industry was the "indifferent and pure" type.

Indifferent and pure? Then why are you even in this industry? Everyone loves money—it’s basic human nature. Now Shi Jian knew even ghosts liked it too.

With money, they could buy pretty little dresses, nice jewelry, cute hair ties, and do all sorts of skincare and beauty treatments...

Shi Jian: Since the Campus Belle Ghost was making money off her, didn’t she deserve the biggest share?

The Campus Belle Ghost was unwilling, but she had to admit she was in the wrong here. Besides, the vocational school ghosts were already getting impatient—where was the promised meet-and-greet? So, gritting her teeth, the Campus Belle Ghost pulled out a few notes and handed them to Shi Jian.

“Here, now go say hi to them.”

Shi Jian was ready to cooperate once the money was in hand, but then she looked closely—

It was spirit money, different from regular currency.

What the hell kind of underworld nonsense was this!?

Shi Jian nearly flung the spirit money away in fright, but Tang Tian's eyes lit up and she stopped her.

Tang Tian told Shi Jian, “Wait.”

“This stuff is valuable—it's the currency ghosts use.”

According to Tang Tian, in her last instance, she ran into an experienced streamer. When that streamer was in danger, he took out a whole box of this kind of money—and the ghosts let him go immediately.

“Real money’s useless to us now. We use points for purchases. But this money can be stored in your inventory and used in other worlds too.”

“In critical moments, you can use it to buy your life from the right ghost!”

The “inventory” referred to a storage slot in the app where items could be kept—currently holding those Barbie-pink high heels with the speed boost.

Having learned something new, Shi Jian now looked at the ghost currency with a completely different attitude.

She then professionally greeted the vocational school ghosts, striking poses for them to admire. If people didn’t know they were ghosts, it would've looked just like a celebrity fan event.

Immediately after, Shi Jian launched a new business.

She asked the Campus Belle Ghost, “Do you have any more friends like this? Bring them too.”

“Not only can we chat, we also offer photos, autographs, and other personalized ghost services.” For an extra fee.

“We’ll stick with the previous revenue split.”Of course, Shi Jian’s condition was that any ghosts brought in had to appear in normal human form. The Campus Belle Ghost was thrilled to hear they could keep making money and patted her chest to guarantee it.

Live stream viewers: Good grief! She’s really setting up a full-on fan meet!

Shi Jian had another question for the Campus Belle Ghost: “What’s your name?”

The Campus Belle Ghost was momentarily stunned, then replied a bit shyly and awkwardly, “Xiao Hua.”

Shi Jian: ??? Just how obsessed is she with being a campus belle?

The Campus Belle Ghost started imagining wildly: She asked for my name—does she want to be friends? Should I say yes or play it cool?

She was tied up in knots.

Shi Jian had no idea what the ghost was imagining. She simply grabbed a piece of paper and drafted a basic collaboration contract. Even with a profit split, there had to be a formal agreement—and for that, she needed the ghost’s real name.

Though Shi Jian didn’t know whether such things held any legal force among ghosts, proper procedures were still necessary.

……

Shi Jian’s special meet-and-greet event was booming. With her money-making buff active, the Campus Belle Ghost quickly spread Shi Jian’s reputation as No.1 High’s campus belle.

Driven by curiosity—and rave reviews from ghosts who’d seen Shi Jian—the ghost crowd grew lively and endless.

“Line up properly, one by one. No pushing, no trampling.”

Tang Tian even played the role of event staff to maintain order.

Shi Jian not only gave the Campus Belle Ghost a share of the profits but, without question, gave Tang Tian a cut too.

Just showing up was worth something—and Tang Tian was helping out. She couldn’t let her work for free.

Live viewers had never seen anything like a celebrity meet-and-greet inside a game instance—especially one held for ghosts. Shi Jian’s stream, already popular, now exploded with traffic.

Shi Jian was thriving in her element at the event, making money and gaining visibility—a win-win.

The Campus Belle Ghost was also fired up: Forget crappy men, ditch heartache—ghost girls should focus on getting that bag!

But even she had her moments of gloom. Shi Jian hadn’t intended to get too close to any of the ghosts in the instance—after all, they were fundamentally different beings, and not exactly friends. But the Campus Belle Ghost, sporting a big bump on her forehead, snuggled up to her pitifully like a puppy. As her business partner, Shi Jian couldn’t just ignore her.

“What happened?” Shi Jian asked, a bit helpless.

The Campus Belle Ghost pouted and whined, “Got hit by the school doctor.”

Shi Jian: “? Aren’t you a ghost? How can anyone… another ghost even… hit you?”

The Campus Belle Ghost replied, “She’s way stronger than me. I can’t beat her.”

From her explanation, Shi Jian learned that ghosts had hierarchies—some were more powerful than others. The Campus Belle Ghost belonged to the weaker kind; aside from luring Shi Jian into illusions, inviting her to play with a ball, and losing an eyeball, she didn’t really have much combat ability.

But teachers like the history teacher and the school doctor were serious threats. The dean of students was one of the top-ranking ghosts in Qingshan No.1 High.

The school doctor, whom Shi Jian hadn’t encountered before, was the aunt of the Campus Belle Ghost’s ex-boyfriend. Because the ghost had dated her nephew, the school doctor had always resented her. Now that they’d broken up, she took the opportunity to bully her, saying cruel things.

Though Shi Jian also disliked the school doctor’s behavior, there was nothing she could do. She told the ghost clearly, “I can’t help you.”

Nor would she.

Shi Jian herself wasn’t strong or skilled—definitely weaker than the Campus Belle Ghost.

If ghosts were fighting ghosts, what could a human like her possibly do?The Campus Belle Ghost hadn’t really expected Shi Jian to help.

“I’m just saying it out loud; it feels better to get it off my chest.”

……

Even Shi Jian didn’t expect that she would unlock the school doctor ghost the very next day.

During the big break running exercise, one of Tang Tian’s roommates suddenly had severe abdominal pain. One of the teachers pointed at Shi Jian and Tang Tian.

“Aren’t you two in the same dorm with her? Take her to the school infirmary to get checked.”

They gave Shi Jian and Tang Tian no chance to refuse.

“…”

They couldn’t refuse either; the student code also included a rule about classmates helping each other. Who knew if refusing would be used against them?

On the way there, the two whispered. Shi Jian frowned, “The school doctor in the infirmary is probably a ghost too.”

Tang Tian sighed.

Shi Jian chatted more with their dorm mates and learned there was more than one school doctor in the infirmary.

The two kept an optimistic attitude, thinking the chance of running into the high-ranking school doctor who bullied the Campus Belle Ghost was small.

But that’s exactly what happened. Tang Tian and Shi Jian planned to just take their classmate to the school doctor’s office and quickly leave. However, the female school doctor sitting there didn’t immediately examine the student but instead approached Shi Jian and looked her over.

“So you’re the new campus belle?”

“I heard you’re good friends with Xiao Hua. I gave Xiao Hua a good beating. Are you here to get revenge for her?”

Shi Jian’s eyelid twitched. Under Tang Tian’s signal, she saw the female doctor speaking to her while holding a bloody human finger, feeding it to a giant rat in a transparent box by her feet.

The rat’s sharp teeth quickly bit the finger to pieces and swallowed it.

Shi Jian: !

The female student screamed in terror, “What is that?!”

The female school doctor smiled, waiting for Shi Jian’s reply.

Shi Jian stiffened, forced a smile, pretending not to understand, “Yes, I’m the new campus belle.”

“But not friends with Xiao Hua…” Not friends at all—what kind of scenario was she imagining?

Shi Jian quickly distanced herself. She wasn’t friends with the Campus Belle Ghost. She hadn’t come to the infirmary by choice—it was another teacher who half-forced her to come.

Besides, she was here to escort a classmate with abdominal pain.

So don’t cause trouble with her. She was innocent and definitely not dating the other party’s precious nephew!

Shi Jian spoke nothing but the truth.

Yet before Shi Jian could finish, the female school doctor stood up, scrutinizing Shi Jian’s face.

“Just so-so, not that pretty.”

“Come, let sister make you look better.”

Saying that, she excitedly spread her hands, and her palm swept heavily down toward Shi Jian’s delicate cheek.This slap would definitely leave a swollen face.

The female school doctor smiled with a fierce, dazzling grin: she hated girls who were prettier than her the most. She wanted to tear that face apart, then throw the other girl to the rats, to see how the little bitch would still manage to mesmerize men.

Tang Tian’s heart clenched, “Damn!” Without hesitation, she rushed forward to stop it.

The livestream audience didn’t expect the female school doctor to immediately try to slap Shi Jian, and they instinctively showed sympathy on their faces.

Shi Jian stood there, looking stunned by the incoming slap, but in her mind she was thinking: just so-so, not that pretty...

It was like a loudspeaker blasting a hundred times right next to her ear.

Like being struck by heavenly thunder!

Tang Tian failed to stop the female school doctor because the slap about to fall was suddenly caught by a slender hand.

It was Shi Jian.

Shi Jian acted fluidly—while grabbing the hand, her other hand fiercely slapped the female school doctor back, pushing the stunned woman back into her chair.

Shi Jian pinned the female doctor down with her elbow, raising an eyebrow.

“You just asked if Xiao Hua is my friend?”

“Yes, she is my friend. You bullied my friend, so you have to pay the price. I’m here to stand up for her.”

After saying this, Shi Jian swung her palms, slapping the female doctor hard and fast, hitting from both sides.

Shi Jian: Called her ugly? She’s asking for it!

Tang Tian was dumbfounded, her mouth wide open.

The Campus Belle Ghost ran in, tears of blood streaming down her face, screaming heart-wrenchingly as if confessing.

“Shi Jian, I heard everything. How could you do this for me? I’m so touched, sob sob sob…”

“I promise to be your friend. We’re sisters for life. If anyone ever breaks your wings, I’ll destroy their whole heaven!” [Note]

Shi Jian had no time to pay attention to the emo Campus Belle Ghost because the female school doctor snapped out of it. She struggled desperately, trying to scratch Shi Jian with long nails, aiming at her face each time.

“Ahhh! I’ll kill you!”

The female school doctor had never suffered such humiliation. Shi Jian felt like her face was almost scratched several times. The doctor’s eyes grew crazed, and all her weakening strength surged back.

Shi Jian grabbed the female doctor’s hair, bared her teeth, and said, “Let’s see who kills who!”