Silent Crown

Chapter 154 The Beautiful Life of the Academy’s Disgrace 2

"You’re blocking the sun," Ye Qingxuan stated. "This is when the sun’s at its best and time is precious. I haven’t been able to relax in such a long time. Can’t you not bother me like this? And also, I’m busy even though I’m the concertmaster. I beat four people today. If this continues, the hospital will run out of beds."

Shirley froze, her face reddening. Angered by his nonchalant attitude, she pointed at the lazy youth, stammering, "You—you—you…don’t you feel any shame?!"

"No." Ye Qingxuan shook his head. "Why do I have to feel shame? I’m the concertmaster, I’m the best! If I feel shame, then won’t the others have to commit suicide or something?"

"You—you…" Shirley was too angry to talk and even her eyes were red. "You’re just…low-class!"

"Oh." Ye Qingxuan nodded lightly and went back to the sofa to sunbathe. He picked up the glass of juice and drank happily, smacking his lips. This was how life should be! This was how beautiful life should be! It was okay to be a bit low-class if he could enjoy this kind of life, right?

"So are you done?" He looked up at the girl who was close to tears and waved his hand, wanting her to leave quickly. "Tell the people who sent you that if they want to find trouble to come personally. There’s no point in bullying a girl."

Shaking but trying really hard not to cry, Shirley glared at Ye Qingxuan. "I’m not going to admit defeat. No matter how much you bully me, I am not going anywhere!" But as she spoke, she could not control the tears anymore.

Just as she was about to cover her face and run, a gentle voice sounded behind her. "Are you okay?"

Shirley turned around and saw a handsome blonde youth. He gazed at her caringly and, seeing her red eyes, he offered her a handkerchief and a bright sunny smile. "Don’t cry. Wipe your tears. Miss, don’t waste your beauty and youth on tears."

Shirley stared at him blankly. She took in the handsome youth’s warm smile, his bare chest, the gentle cascade of hair, and the words "I lost, I’m a pig" on his chest. The sun shone down warmly on his perky and lively…Butt, butt, butt…

Shirley looked down at the naked man and her shoulders shook. Her mouth fell open but her mind was blank. In the end…"Wah!!!" With a scream, Shirley covered her face and fled.

"…"

"…"

The two boys stood rooted to their spot, utterly confused.

"She left?" Charles asked softly.

"Yeah, she left." Ye Qingxuan nodded. "She was probably scared of the naked pervert."

"That’s bull! I’m wearing boxers!" Feeling wronged, Charles pointed at the skintight nude-colored boxers innocently. "Look, it even has my favorite elephant on it…"

"Wearing that is worse than going nude!"

"…" Charles gave him a glance that said, "You’re just jealous of me." He pushed Ye Qingxuan off the sofa and picked up the juice, freshly-pressed from the grapes he had taken from the academy’s backyard. "Junior, get me some ice!"

Annoyed, Ye Qingxuan pointed his finger to plaster Charles’s face with a rune effect, but Charles expected it and dodged it easily, cackling. "Aha, you missed! You’re still too amateur!"

Ye Qingxuan continued to sunbathe.

Charles layed down as well, getting into a comfortable position. They sprawled on the sofa like dead dogs, letting the sun fall on them. At times, they would raise their juices in unison. Throwing their heads back and taking large gulps, they let out satisfied sighs. Life was too beautiful!

"Sad that we don’t have money. Otherwise, we could dig a swimming pool!" Charles sighed. "We’re at the height of summer. Look at Old Phil. He always goes to the fountain in the School of Royal Musicians for a quick bath. It’s so embarrassing.

"But don’t worry, Junior. Wait until I get this research done and we’ll be rich! We’ll have more than enough money for a pool. We can even hold a bonfire party! All the junior brothers and sisters will wear bikinis and sit by the pool. And when you come out, they’ll call sweetly, ‘Senior Qingxuan…’"

Ye Qingxuan retched. "The girls are okay but why are the guys wearing bikinis too?!" Seeing that Charles was ready to explain, Ye Qingxuan quickly cut him off. He really did not want to know why guys would wear bikinis...

"Senior, what are you researching now?" he changed the subject.

"I found the mystery hidden in material!" Charles’s eyes brightened at the mention of his own research. "According to my hypothesis, all material is made from different microstructures. Even the structure of steel and copper are extremely different.

"We can perform an experiment and have these two dense materials crash against each other at a set speed in an environment with high temperature and pressure. The moment the structures break will create a really powerful energy, even if the material is smaller than a grain of sand.

"Using my calculations, I created an equation. To put it simply, it’s e=m…ah, whatever, you don’t care about this stuff. Just know that I’m working on something great in the basement!"

"No, don’t!" Ye Qingxuan jumped up in fright. "If you’re going to do anything, go to the backyard of the School of Revelations. Don’t mess with this house anymore. Look at how sad it already is. If you make something explode and it collapses, we won’t have anywhere to sleep!"

"Aww, you should support my research…"

"Support your *ss!" Ye Qingxuan rolled his eyes. "Go ask the Professor if he supports you."

Charles shrugged and glanced toward the library. He froze when he did not see the figure behind the window. "Where did he go?"

Ye Qingxuan pursed his lips. Lying on the sofa, his nostrils to the sky, he forced out, "The school board!"

"The qualifications audit again?" Charles furrowed his brows. "Aren’t they tired by now?"

"Who knows?" Ye Qingxuan said lightly. "Maybe they’re bored. Anyway, it’s not the first time they’ve made things hard for us."

"They’re not just making things hard for us. They act like we’re lice in their hair and the disgrace of the academy. They’d love it if they could kick us out." Charles shrugged. "But don’t worry. Professor is retired from the military. The school board can’t do anything to him without Principal Maxwell’s permission. They can just reduce our budget and insult us.

"Budget thief, unaccomplished and useless, weird clowns…the money we get every year is less than the other schools’ cafeteria allowance! They just can’t get over the fact that we don’t kiss their *sses."

"What a group of idiots."

"Yeah, a group of idiots." Charles nodded. He picked up the juice and clinked glasses with Ye Qingxuan. Downing the drink, he felt much better. But his eyes grew curious after he gazed around. "Where are they?"

"Who?" Ye Qingxuan asked.

"The challengers," Charles said. "Didn’t they swarm over like flies when they heard that you showed up again? I thought they wouldn’t give up until they took the concertmaster title from you. How come only a girl came to challenge you today?"

"Oh, those people." Ye Qingxuan squinted his eyes as he enjoyed the sun. "There was probably a dozen challengers today."

"Huh? Where are they? How come I don’t see any of them?"

Ye Qingxuan grinned. "They all lost." Under the blazing sun, the youth hummed Bolero’s melody and the faint water vapor around his fingertips transformed into thread that extended in all directions.

With a snap of the finger, the aether began to ripple vaguely. Before them, various lost figures emerged from the shadowy forest. The ones that were bent on beating the disgrace of the academy and restoring the glory of pure blood now looked bedraggled and travel-worn.

Their pristine school uniforms and gold-lined jackets were torn by the thorns and branches. Their faces were covered in cobwebs and dust and their eyes were terrified. This was a forest that they would never be able walk out of. They were like insects stuck in an endless loop. They would walk down the paths that seemed to be familiar and follow every branch, but would never be able to find the way out. They were lost in utter darkness.

Even the afternoon sunlight became eerie after filtering through the dense treetops. The only sounds in the silence was the cold wind and soft writhing of insects and snakes. Some of the students were roaring something, but their voices were unclear. Others were running, finally collapsing after using all their strength. Confused and dazed, they were like bugs thrown into a glass box. They could flap their wings as hard as they could, but would not be able to find help. All twelve of them were trapped in a forest of only a few dozen square meters. They could not perceive that they often brushed shoulders with each other. Manipulated by the youth, they were like puppets stuck in a maze.

Charles’s eyes brightened. "Rhythm level?"

"Yeah." The seemingly tired youth on the couch squinted as he enjoyed the sun and focused on controlling the enchantment at the same time. "I told the Professor that I reached the Rhythm level this morning and asked if there was anything I could practice with. He gave me the control of the nearby Requiem enchantment. It’s kind of hard but good for practice."

Charles rubbed his hands together and got closer. "Is it fun?"

"Yeah." Ye Qingxuan nodded.

"Let me play with it!" Charles fluttered his lashes.

The youth rolled his eyes. "You just want to go to the girls’ shower house."

"…I can’t believe you think I’m like that. You break my heart!"

"You have a heart?"

"Of course!" Charles puffed up his chest and stated, "Touch it if you don’t believe me. Feel my beating heart! Can you feel my absolute sincerity?"

Ye Qingxuan felt the urge to hit him again.

"Ah, whatever." Charles shook his head, sighing. "Remember to come to the basement tonight."

"Huh?"

"I finished modifying the skeleton. If you have time, come try out your new clothes."