Chapter 28: “My Name—Is Shanshan.”
The next day.
The so-called herbalism exam was an internal test within the herbalism field—a simple written test where scores were compared.
Participation was voluntary. As a low-tier subject in a subpar school, out of a thousand students, only two hundred had signed up.
Su Mu wasn’t sure if there were any top students among the two hundred, but she felt confident about winning the exam. While others might be studying herbalism for academic purposes, she was studying for survival. This fundamental difference meant Su Mu would be more relentless.
For the past two weeks, she had been sleeping around 3 AM. On days without tasks, she devoted up to eighteen hours a day entirely to her studies.
—Because she had worked hard and wasn’t lacking in intelligence, she was very confident.
At that moment, she was sitting in the classroom with a dozen other students from the Herbalism Class 2, listening to the advisor discuss pre-exam precautions.
“…That’s the basic situation. For the sake of your future, you must not cheat on the exam,” the advisor said, glancing at the time. There were ten minutes left before the exam started.
She looked up and, by chance, her gaze fell on Su Mu sitting in the front.
The counselor’s eyes darkened, and she said, “Su Mu, why are you here? Didn’t I say you were given a major demerit and couldn’t take this exam?”
Su Mu looked at her coldly. “Why? What does a major demerit have to do with the exam?”
“When I say no, it means no! I’m the advisor, not you!”
“Pfft!” Someone in the class laughed at the counselor’s words.
Su Mu looked over and saw it was her roommate Zhang Qi, who had thrown her things on the ground the day she transferred.
Noticing Su Mu’s gaze, Zhang Qi raised her eyebrows gleefully.
Since that day when Su Mu had kicked her, Zhang Qi had harbored a grudge. Although the advisor had given Su Mu a major demerit, Su Mu had moved out of the dormitory and never returned. Zhang Qi was still unsatisfied, as she couldn’t see Su Mu angry and humiliated.
Moreover, in recent days, Su Mu’s reputation at the school had skyrocketed. She was even rumored to be involved with Feng Sa from neighboring A University, supposedly as his girlfriend, earning envious looks from the girls. In class, she was increasingly gaining the teachers’ attention…
All of this made Zhang Qi both jealous and angry. She wanted to see the old, timid, and unremarkable Su Mu come to apologize to her, not this transformed and increasingly impressive Su Mu!
Unfortunately, for so many days, Su Mu would leave right after class, and Zhang Qi couldn’t even see her, let alone find a way to cause trouble.
Today, however, was different. In front of so many people, Su Mu was banned from the exam by the advisor!
Zhang Qi admitted she felt a deep sense of satisfaction!
Su Mu shifted her gaze back and coldly confronted the advisor, “Advisor, if you keep this up, I will report you.”
“Report me?” The advisor’s anger flared. “Fine! I won’t let you take the exam today! Let’s see how you plan to report me!”
Su Mu’s eyes darkened.
She was already on edge because of Man’er, tense and desperate. She needed to finish the exam to handle Man’er’s situation.
The situation with Man’er was like a ticking time bomb, and she needed to finish the exam before she could find a way to defuse it, if that was even possible. Now they were telling her she couldn’t take the exam?
She had prepared for this exam for so many days, burning the midnight oil countless times, all for this one exam. And now… she wasn’t allowed to take it?
The advisor pointed outside. “Now, get out! Show some respect for your teachers, can you? Su Mu, you don’t want to be expelled, do you?”
Su Mu didn’t move, her aura was intimidating, but with so many students in the class, the advisor couldn’t show any sign of backing down or fear.
“Not leaving? I’ll help you!” She reached out and threw all the pens on Su Mu’s desk to the floor!
With a “clatter,” the pen caps and bodies separated, rolling away.
“…” Su Mu.
“Heh.” At this moment of intense anger, she instead let out a cold laugh. “Fine, I won’t take the exam, advisor.”
The advisor looked down at her from above. “Get out of the classroom!”
“I can leave, but I have a few words to say to you. It’s very important and cannot be said in front of the classmates. The advisor wouldn’t refuse, right?” Su Mu stared into the advisor’s eyes, speaking each word clearly.
The advisor felt a chill down her back for some reason, but she didn’t show it. “Get out quickly! I have nothing to say to a student like you!”
Su Mu gave her a cold look and took out her phone to type:
[A million, for a chance to take the exam.]
The advisor was stunned, then burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Su Mu, are you out of your mind? Do you need to go to the hospital? You? Hahaha, you must be crazy poor!”
As the advisor, she naturally knew the financial situation of every student. The one in front of her was among the poorest.
“If you come outside with me, you’ll understand. It won’t waste much of your time, and what if it’s true?” Su Mu’s voice was calm, as if she wasn’t the one being ridiculed.
This calmness made the advisor a bit suspicious. She thought about it and felt she wouldn’t lose out either way. If Su Mu dared to trick her, she could just cause trouble and get her expelled tomorrow.
“Fine.” The advisor said with a malicious glint in her eyes. “Come out then. I want to see what excuses you have.”
The two walked out of the classroom under everyone’s watchful eyes.
The other students looked at each other, each with their own thoughts.
Zhang Qi couldn’t hold back any longer, her grin growing wider.
Su Mu, oh Su Mu, you were so arrogant before, but now? How come you’re not arrogant anymore?
Embarrassed in front of so many people, are you angry? Regretful? Desperate?
Still proud? Do you think the advisor will listen to you?
Hahaha! This is so satisfying!
Your desperate struggle is quite entertaining!
I can’t wait to see what expression you’ll have in class tomorrow!
She would look like a dirt-covered stray dog!
Wait, no!
Will we even see Su Mu at school anymore after this?
Zhang Qi’s eyes were filled with satisfaction. She felt even more confident about her already assured first place in the exam.
On the other side, with only two minutes left before the exam started, the advisor walked in as Su Mu closed the door to the empty classroom.
“Speak up! A million? You probably don’t even have a thousand!” the woman said impatiently.
Su Mu turned around, her eyes dark as a deep pool. She slowly smiled, a smile that sent chills down the spine.
The advisor frowned and was about to scold her when the next moment, the scene before her left her breathless with shock.
The once-cool and distant girl was suddenly surrounded by a radiant light. Various magical symbols formed a circle around her, glowing with a mysterious golden light.
Su Mu’s voice was as cold as the night, “Advisor, did I ever mention I have another name?”
“It’s—”
“Shanshan.”
