Chapter 7. The Schoolgirls' Attack

    Bai Zhe prepared breakfast the next morning as usual, but he did not touch any of the food. This was because it still contained contaminants that he had to eliminate if he ate it. He would eat only when he had to have a meal with his parents and avoided eating whenever he could.

    He left a note on the table as usual before using the floating technique to jump from roofs and rooftops, as he always did to go to school. He was more careful this time. He did not want anyone to see him.

    After arriving at school, Bai Zhe spent time practicing his qi on the rooftop until it was nearly time to take his exam. Then, he stopped and went to the room where the exam was being given. The exam lasted until 3 p.m.

    “Bai Zhe looks relaxed. That’s strange,” a male classmate of Bai Zhe told his friend who was standing next to him.

    “Right. He usually looks like he’s taking bitter medicine when he does an exam. Why does he seem different today?” The person who was speaking to him agreed with his friend that Bai Zhe was really different today.

    Bai Zhe could not care less about his classmates’ conversation, because it was utter nonsense. He would rather spend his time doing something else.

    ‘I need to buy a smartphone and a laptop today, so I can use them to research this world,’ the boy thought while he was calling a taxi to go to the shopping mall.

    ‘Well, this sort of vehicle is convenient. I should buy one for use in the future,’ thought Bai Zhe. That was just his first impression after sitting in the car.

    It was not long until the taxi arrived at the mall. Bai Zhe, whose face was now as pale as a sheet, paid the fare and hurried to get out of the vehicle. He gingerly staggered over to a bush before squatting and trying to cover his mouth. Yes, he was carsick. Though he really wanted to vomit, his stomach was empty. There was nothing to be retched up anyway.

    ‘Bloody hell, I have ridden in carriages and carts. I have even flown in the sky. But I’ve never felt this sick. Maybe I underestimated this ‘car’ thing too much. I should probably ride it more often.’ He mentally cursed the taxi. He intended to familiarize himself with cars in order to overcome carsickness.

    Right after fully recovering from his nausea, Bai Zhe headed to the mall’s information counter to ask for the electronics department.

    ‘Hmm. That is Xi Lua’s grandson.’ Bai Zhe noticed a small stage set up in the mall’s assembly area. The person standing on the stage was Xi Mo, whom he had met the other day.

    He saw a lot of women lining up and handing pieces of card to Xi Mo for him to write his name on. Bai Zhe knew that this was an autograph signing event for artists or celebrities.

    “Hello, Mr. Xi Mo,” said Bai Zhe, walking up to Xi Mo, without any of the security guards in the area being able to grab hold of the boy. The only thing they could grasp was the empty air. This situation really caught the attention of Xi Mo’s fans.

    When Xi Mo and Qi Fong recognized the owner of the voice, they signalled the guards to let Bai Zhe pass.

    “Hello Master Bai, are you here to do some shopping?” Xi Mo stood up before extending his hand.

    Bai Zhe shook the model’s hand, knowing from this body’s memories that this gesture was to accept the other party’s friendship.

    “I’m here to buy some necessities. I spotted you, so I came to say hi because we’ve met before. But I think I’m disturbing your fans. So, I better get going,” answered Bai Zhe.

    Bai Zhe turned to look at Xi Mo’s fans who were waiting to meet the model, feeling the frustration directed toward him.

    The moment Bai Zhe directed his smile to the fans, their displeasure completely disappeared. Many of them had to lower their heads, their faces and ears turning red.

    “All right, you have fun,” said Xi Mo as Bai Zhe walked off.

    The fans started talking about this mysterious boy whom Xi Mo called ‘Master Bai.’ One of them could not hold back her curiosity any longer, so she asked him about it.

    “I’m sorry. This might sound impolite, but who is this Master Bai you talked with earlier?” the fangirl asked.

    “Oh, he is the calligrapher whose works were announced as national treasures the other day,” answered Xi Mo.

    The fans understood immediately. They remembered the news, but it did not show the face of the artist of the 2 pieces of art.

    “It turned out that that boy is the artist.”

    “Here, I took his picture. He’s quite handsome, actually.”

    “Let me see. Hey, his uniform looks like the one used by the junior high in my neighbourhood.”

    “Huh? But he looks so mature. And he’s tall, like a high school boy.”

    “Ah, if I had known, I would have asked him for an autograph.”

    While Xi Mo’s fans were talking about Bai Zhe, the boy arrived at the electronics department. He was wandering around in the smartphone zone.

    “Hello, may I help you? If you want any particular model or brand, feel free to ask.” A pretty salesgirl approached Bai Zhe promptly.

    “I want a smartphone. Which model is popular?” asked Bai Zhe.

    “Oh, we have a variety of models. Let me assist you.” She looked very enthusiastic because her heart was racing when she was near this boy who was a customer.

    Bai Zhe asked the salesgirl many questions and had her teach him how to use a phone. The salesgirl patiently taught him the basics of how to use one step by step. One thing that made Bai Zhe feel uncomfortable was that she was too close to him—so close that he could smell the faint scent of her perfume.

    ‘This must be his first smartphone. Judging from his clothes, his family must be very rich and also strict.’ The reason why she thought that was that Bai Zhe looked like a wealthy person’s son. His mannerisms and his speech were different from her other customers.

    “You can learn the rest from video clips on the internet,” the salesgirl said.

    “Oh, I have to activate my phone number and register for an internet package too, right?” asked Bai Zhe.

    “Yes.” The salesgirl was still smiling.

    “I will buy the phone you recommended to me then,” Bai Zhe said.

    “Thank you very much. You can come to me if you have any problem with inserting a sim card or activating the internet,” said the salesgirl.

    “Sure thing. I have to bother you now. Do you mind, well…recommending a good laptop?” asked Bai Zhe.

    “Of course. For general use or gaming?” asked the salesgirl.

    “Umm, just for general use and surfing the internet,” answered Bai Zhe.

    “Then I recommend this model.” She guided him to a laptop; it was the best-selling model, suitable for general use.

    Of course, Bai Zhe asked about the basics of how to use it and how to connect to the internet; the rest he would learn on his own from the internet.

    “Here are your products, sir.” The salesgirl handed the bag which contained the laptop and the smartphone to Bai Zhe.

    After Bai Zhe took the bag and left the department, a salesman, who was her friend, came up to her to ask about the customer who had just made purchases.

    “Wow, you got yourself a customer with deep pockets. He was just a junior high school student, but he had money to burn,” said the salesman.

    “His family must be very strict. He barely knew how to use a smartphone or a laptop,” she said.

    “You were very patient today, weren’t you? You usually walk away when a customer asks a lot of questions,” he teased.

    “Hehehe. It was because I thought he was a rich kid, so I gave him the whole nine yards. He tipped me 2,000 yuan,” said the salesgirl.

    “Lucky you. You should buy me dinner,” the salesman said.

    “Nope. I will keep it in case of an emergency. There’s no use in buying you dinner. Hehehe,” said the salesgirl.

    …………..

    As for Bai Zhe, he went to the shop of a mobile service provider to activate his SIM card and register himself for an internet package. He asked the staff in the shop to teach him how to insert the sim card and connect to the internet on his smartphone.

    After he finished his errands, Bai Zhe headed back home and used the internet to learn in detail about how to use his smartphone and laptop.

    4 hours later

    Bai Zhe could deftly use the smartphone and laptop. His thought of learning on his own through the internet had to be halted suddenly when he sensed that his parents were in front of the apartment.

    He quickly hid the smartphone and laptop. His parents would mistakenly think he was a spendthrift if they knew he had bought these things.

    Creak.

    After the sound of the key turning was heard, the door was opened. Bai Lian Hua and Bai Qing Yun entered the apartment and found that Bai Zhe had poured them two glasses of cold water.

    “Thanks a bunch.” Bai Lian Hua gently patted Bai Zhe’s head with affection. Bai Qing Yun, on the other hand, used his palm to muss the boy’s hair.

    “What do you want today? And why aren’t you studying for your exam?” asked Bai Qing Yun.

    “I already did. I guarantee you that for this midterm, I will be in first place for my year,” said Bai Zhe.

    “Don’t brag. Your scores each semester will not be any different from any other semester. It’s good enough not to fail. We will not scold you if you have a low grade or score. Those kids who have a good score have time to study, but you don’t. You have to use your time to make a living. So don’t put so much pressure on yourself, understood?” said Bai Qing Yun. Bai Zhe felt a warmth spreading in his chest from his dad’s words—warmth he had never received from his real parents when he was in Da Xian.

    “Once in a while, you speak well,” teased Bai Lian Hua before her husband carried her to their bedroom. After a while, she came out of the room with marks along her neck and her face as red as a tomato.

    ‘Hope there will not be any more kids,’ thought Bai Zhe. Even though he had lived a long life, one thing that he had never done before was taking care of a newborn. It was because his partner had passed away before they had had a child, and he had stayed single since then.

    The second day of the midterm examinations

    Ten female students approached Bai Zhe when he arrived at school. Their eyes looked very serious—as if they wanted to pump some sort of truth from the boy.

    “You are Master Bai, aren’t you?” one of the girls asked.

    “Huh?” Bai Zhe exclaimed with confusion before he realized that he had stolen Xi Mo’s spotlight yesterday.

    ‘Are these schoolgirls fans of Xi Mo who are displeased with me? But they don’t have any bad intentions radiating from them. Maybe they aren’t, then,’ thought Bai Zhe.

    “Is this your picture?” Another schoolgirl stuck her phone out in front of Bai Zhe’s face. A picture of him shaking hands with Xi Mo was displayed on it.

    “Oh, well, yes, it is. If you guys have anything to tell me, please quickly do so. I want to meditate before taking the exam,” said Bai Zhe.

    “This place isn’t very appropriate. Can you follow us to the back of the school building?” a girl who looked like the leader of this group of fans said.

    “Sure. But you better hurry,” Bai Zhe agreed and followed the group of schoolgirls.

    All of them walked to the back of the school building. As far as Bai Zhe knew, this place was quite deserted. Many boys and girls usually gave their confessions to people they liked here.

    “All right. Whatever it is, say it,” said Bai Zhe.

    “Bai Zhe, did you wash your hands?” one of the schoolgirls asked.

    “You don’t think that I am the kind of person who doesn’t wash his hands after he touches a celebrity because he wants to preserve the smell, right? That is rather bizarre,” answered Bai Zhe.

    “I don’t believe you,” said the girl who was standing nearest to Bai Zhe. She grabbed his wrist. Then, she smelled it and her expression changed, which startled Bai Zhe.

    ‘Did she really catch the scent of Xi Mo? I thought I used qi to clean it all. His smell should not linger,’ thought Bai Zhe.

    Suddenly, his hand was pulled back and forth. After they smelled Bai Zhe, the demeanour of the 10 schoolgirls changed. They spread out and surrounded Bai Zhe.

    ‘What is this strong force of desire?’ Bai Zhe felt desire rushing toward him, along with a hunch that warned him to quickly leave this situation.

    The schoolgirls tried to find the source of the scent they had perceived when they smelt Bai Zhe’s hand. Their hearts were racing. Their bodies were moving uncontrollably. It was not long before their reason and logic were extinguished.

    Bai Zhe did not want to do anything aggressive because he was afraid he would hurt these schoolgirls. Still, if he did not do anything, the virginity of this body might not remain.

    “Hey! What are you searching for?” He pushed away the hand of a girl who was trying to unbuckle his belt.

    ‘Why can’t these girls seem to control themselves? Wait…’ he thought. Then, he realized that ever since he had practiced qi to the point that his body expelled a certain level of pollution, the body would release a sweet scent that affected the opposite sex. It made them go crazy. At the moment, he was unable to learn the skills to control this.

    Flap.

    “Hey!” Bai Zhe came to his senses when his shirt was pulled off so violently that his buttons flew off, revealing his pectoral muscles and six-pack.

    ‘I’m in danger now.’ Bai Zhe did not waste time. He released his deadly psychic power to a level that could make people lose their consciousness.

    Thud.

    The schoolgirls who had lost their self-control started to feel nauseous. They finally passed out one by one. Bai Zhe used qi characters to erase their memory about the situation that just happened.

    ‘That was a close call. I should be more careful when I’m around girls,’ thought Bai Zhe. He realised he should accelerate his practice of qi, so he could reach the level where he could proceed with Tai Si Kong’s scent-concealing technique.

    “Oh.” He then recalled Tai Si Kong’s prophecy.

    [Lives pass by, destiny occurs. Women are different from times past. If you meet ten maidens, you better rush away, if you do not wish for shame.]

    ‘The prophecy is so accurate, it is scary. I should hurry and try to remember the rest of these predictions that Tai Si Kong told me. How many of them were there?’ he thought, pulling his pants, which had been pulled down to his ankles, up. He then collected his buttons and started fixing his clothes. Bai Zhe did not know that a male student walked past just when he was pulling up his pants and buttoning up his shirt.

    ‘That is Bai Zhe.’ The boy was Bai Zhe’s classmate. He was hiding and spying on Bai Zhe who was putting his clothes on, unconscious girls on the ground in a circle around him.

    ‘This guy is amazing. Looks all quiet, but he is a playboy. I should ask for his tactics.’ The boy waited until Bai Zhe walked away. He came out of his hiding spot and quickly followed the boy, only to find that Bai Zhe had disappeared after he had walked around the corner.

    The sound of the bell woke all of the 10 girls up. They screamed as if it was the end of the world. The girls sprang up before running toward their examination room, definitely forgetting about meeting Bai Zhe that morning.

    The second day of the midterm examinations was a piece of cake for Bai Zhe, apart from the distressing situation in the morning. He was confident that he could get full marks in every subject.

    The boy continued writing his novel right after he got back to the apartment, thinking that he would have finished it by today. He wrote it until the early hours of the morning, and that was why his first novel was finished this quickly.

    ‘It’s done. Let’s call Xi Lua then.’ He dialled the number on Xi Lua’s business card that he had gotten earlier.

    Someone picked up the phone after a short time. An elderly woman’s voice rang, greeting him politely and asking about the purpose of his call. Bai Zhe immediately told her.

    “My name is Bai Zhe. I’m calling for Chairman Xi,” answered the boy.

    “Oh, what is your business with him? The chairman is in a meeting. Whatever your business is, you can tell me, and I will let him know when the meeting is over,” the older woman replied.

    “Yes. Please tell him that I’ve finished writing my novel. If he has time, we could arrange a meeting. I will take the manuscript for him to have a look,” said the boy.

    “I will let the chairman know,” Xi Lua’s secretary replied.

    “Thank you so much,” said the boy before hanging up.

    Xi Lua’s secretary called him not long after to set up an appointment.

    It was scheduled after school at the company.

    ‘I should get some sleep tonight,’ he placed a sheet on the floor before lying down. As his qi was not strong, he could not stay up all night so often. Letting his body actually sleep was the best way to make his body healthy.