Every class at No. 1 Middle School had its own unique character.
For Su Ling’s Class 2, that specialty was suggestiveness.
As soon as Su Ling stepped out of the classroom door, she heard Sister Jing’s scream, causing her to instinctively quicken her pace.
It was currently the 30-minute long break between classes, and she figured Class 2’s group activity wouldn’t be ending anytime soon.
As she passed by Class 3, Su Ling stole a glance inside before immediately looking away.
Class 3’s specialty was the thrill of battle.
Inside the classroom, it looked exactly like a hot-blooded shounen anime filled with beautiful girls.
‘Looking at it that way, is our Class 2 actually considered “good” then?’
Su Ling was lost in thought when a soft voice suddenly drifted from behind her.
“Um, Su Ling.”
Su Ling stopped and turned around.
Standing there was a quiet, black-haired girl.
Her long, straight hair fell smoothly over her shoulders, the tips lightly brushing against the hem of her school uniform. It made her fair cheeks appear even more elegant and refined.
There were faint ink stains on her cuffs, but they didn’t look dirty at all; instead, they added a scholarly air to her appearance.
She was clutching a book with a yellowing cover tightly to her chest.
Her fingertips pressed gently against the edge of the pages, and her eyes were cast downward.
Su Ling could tell the book wasn’t new — it was likely a textbook passed down from an older sister at home.
Su Ling looked her over.
The girl wore the No. 2 High School uniform on top, which, while a bit old, was very clean.
However, on her lower half, her slender calves were wrapped in thin black stockings, paired with a pair of old-fashioned black leather boots.
Su Ling couldn’t help but wonder if those were her older sister’s hand-me-downs as well.
“Mo Ran, do you need something?”
This girl was the one who had just followed her out of the classroom.
Logically speaking, high-spirited young Witches of their age shouldn’t have any reason to skip out on Class 2’s group activities.
Su Ling looked at Mo Ran and tilted her head, a sudden realization hitting her.
‘Oh, is she here to get a freebie out of me?’
“That…”
“Ahem. Since we’re classmates, I’ll give you a 20% discount. But don’t even think about a freebie!”
Su Ling said.
Mo Ran was stunned at first.
Then, as if she had realized something, her small face turned visibly red.
Steam practically started rising from her forehead.
‘Is she a steam engine?’
“No, no! Su Ling, you’ve misunderstood! I’m not… oh dear, I just have a problem I wanted to ask you about.”
That was awkward.
Even Su Ling felt a bit embarrassed.
Although she was currently Ji Lingyuan’s exclusive girlfriend for 50 days, the problem was that her debts weren’t fully paid off yet.
She still had to earn money where she could.
As long as she didn’t let Ji Lingyuan find out, it would be fine.
Besides, her relationship with Ji Lingyuan was strictly a transaction.
Ji Lingyuan called her a girlfriend, but Su Ling had enough self-awareness to know that someone like her wasn’t worthy of being Ji Lingyuan’s actual girlfriend.
She knew her place very well.
However, Su Ling was quite surprised that Mo Ran hadn’t come to find her for *that*.
In a normal school, it was perfectly common for students to ask each other for help with schoolwork.
But the problem was, this was the Lower City of the Witch World!
Just look at the other classrooms along this hallway.
People were doing everything imaginable, but none of them were studying.
In the Lower City, studying was undoubtedly a luxury.
The time investment was long, and the returns were unstable.
It was never as comfortable as seeking instant gratification.
“Ahem… haha, well, don’t mind what I just said!”
Su Ling’s face was also flushed with shame, and she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
Nevertheless, she took the exercise book Mo Ran handed over.
It was a physics problem concerning Maxwell’s Equations.
Su Ling had been studying at No. 2 High School for 1 month, so she had some understanding of Witch knowledge.
She was completely clueless about Witch history or art, but she had discovered that Witch mathematics and physics were strikingly similar to the knowledge on Earth.
This realization made Su Ling suspect that the Witch World — or at least this planet she was on — was likely in the same universe.
After all, even if the terms in the Witch textbooks were different, she was an Industrial Engineering Master.
She could still recognize the formulas.
From these identical formulas, she knew that the universal laws observed on Earth applied perfectly to the Witch World.
This revealed a massive amount of information.
However, it also raised many questions.
The Witch Empire occupied 3 main universes.
The First Universe she was currently in was the origin of all Witches, and they had completed the unification of the universe 6,000 years ago.
How could a civilization like that overlook Earth?
Perhaps the Witches had found Earth but were simply observing it?
Or maybe Earth’s location was too remote and had been ignored?
Or perhaps Earth wasn’t in the First Universe at all, and the physical laws just happened to be the same.
Su Ling couldn’t figure it out.
But right now, she was too lazy to think about those deep questions.
In her current situation, her debt crisis hadn’t been resolved.
The hardships of life didn’t allow her the luxury of pondering such profound mysteries.
“Are you struggling with the formula derivation? Or is it something else?”
Although high school knowledge in the Witch World was somewhat deep, Su Ling’s background as a master of engineering allowed her to basically master Witch high school math and physics within 1 month.
She had even achieved decent results on the monthly exam 1 week ago.
Of course, that was limited to math and physics.
For courses like Witch history, biology, or even Magic manipulation, she basically scored zero.
There was no helping it. She wasn’t a Witch to begin with.
She could leverage her experience to study the sciences, but she was completely lost when it came to things inherently tied to Witches.
Mo Ran was one of the few top students at No. 2 High School, a rare talent who actually had a chance of getting into a Witch junior college.
It wasn’t strange for her to ask Su Ling about physics.
“Just this step.”
Mo Ran leaned in close to Su Ling.
Suddenly, a fragrance similar to orchids wafted toward her.
Every Witch had her own unique body scent.
This was something built into a Witch’s genes, and every scent was unique — much like a fingerprint. Sometimes, a Witch’s scent could even be used as a tool for identification.
Su Ling’s heart fluttered slightly.
She caught a glimpse of Mo Ran’s serious expression, which left her dazed for a moment.
“It’s a bit noisy here. How about we find a quieter place?”
Mo Ran paused, and then she heard the sounds of the group activities coming from the nearby classrooms.
Her small face turned red once again.
She nodded gently.
“I know a place. Su Ling, this way.”
As she spoke, she actually grabbed Su Ling’s wrist and led her toward the roof.
This sudden movement, along with the sensation of the girl’s long hair brushing against her face as she turned, caused Su Ling to drift off for a moment.
However, Su Ling quickly snapped out of it.
‘Am I…’
Su Ling looked at the girl pulling her along, her gaze turning complicated.
She had just allowed some improper thoughts to enter her mind.
‘Su Ling, Su Ling, you need to have some self-awareness.’
‘She’s a good girl. For someone like you… just forget it.’
Su Ling sighed softly.
Because the break was so noisy, Mo Ran didn’t hear Su Ling’s sigh.
Under the somewhat suggestive gazes of the surrounding Witches, Mo Ran pulled Su Ling onto the rooftop.
The rooftop was old, and thick dust shimmered with golden light under the sun.
It was afternoon, and the sun was a deep orange.
It felt warm and peaceful, as if they were standing inside an oil painting.
“I usually eat here. Hardly anyone ever comes up.”
Mo Ran wasn’t out of breath at all after running that distance.
In contrast, Su Ling was huffing and puffing after just a few flights of stairs.
She remembered then that Mo Ran was an all-around top student.
She had scored nearly 100% in physical education during last week’s monthly exam.
“Ahem, I’m fine. I just haven’t exercised in a while.”
Su Ling felt a bit embarrassed under Mo Ran’s worried gaze.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s get started.”
The reason Su Ling was willing to help Mo Ran was perhaps a sense of pity and hope — seeing such a pure lotus flower blooming in such a filthy swamp.
While Su Ling explained the formulas to Mo Ran, she couldn’t help but steal glances at the girl.
Mo Ran’s thin eyebrows were slightly furrowed in concentration.
Between her clean, fair face and the faint, elegant scent of orchids, Su Ling’s heart began to race once again.
‘What a pure and perfect girl.’
Perhaps because she had transmigrated from Earth, she hadn’t been fully assimilated by the Witches yet.
Meeting a high schooler like Mo Ran, who felt so much like someone from Earth, gave Su Ling an inexplicable sense of fondness.
She used to resent how teachers and parents favored diligent students, but now she was no different.
She truly felt a special kind of affection for Mo Ran.
“I see…”
Su Ling shared her insights with Mo Ran, who listened with a thoughtful expression.
There were only 5 minutes left before the next class.
“I understand now… Thank you so much.”
Mo Ran seemed to have grasped it, and her brow finally cleared.
She stood up and bowed repeatedly to Su Ling, making the latter feel quite bashful.
“Haha, it’s nothing. We’re classmates; we should help each other out.”
Su Ling scratched her head and smiled.
Seeing that she understood, Su Ling prepared to leave, but Mo Ran suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Su Ling looked back instinctively, her eyes filled with confusion.
She saw Mo Ran looking at her with a very complicated expression.
“Su Ling… Have you thought about where you want to go after the exams next month?”
The College Entrance Examination was only 1 month away.
Upon hearing the question, Su Ling looked lost.
“I don’t know…”
Currently, only her math and physics were passable.
She was completely lost regarding the other subjects.
However, she wasn’t willing to be trapped in the Lower City forever, nor did she want to be a fan-service girl for the rest of her life.
Although her terrible family situation had forced her down that path, to be honest, she hadn’t been repulsed by it at first.
After all, when she first transmigrated, she still had the mindset of a virgin from Earth.
Arriving in a Witch World populated almost entirely by beautiful girls had actually given her a sense of anticipation.
Sometimes, she even enjoyed it.
But her logic told her that this wasn’t the right path.
No matter what, she had to think about Miao Miao.
If people found out her sister was that kind of person, what would Miao Miao think?
So, Su Ling still held a sliver of hope for the Witch College Entrance Examination.
At least she still had 1 month.
She probably couldn’t get into a regular university, and a Witch Academy that trained transcendent sequences was out of the question.
As for a junior college… it was a stretch.
Even an all-around student like Mo Ran only barely had the confidence to get into one.
That only left vocational schools…
“With my grades, I’ll probably only get into a vocational school. Learning a trade isn’t so bad.”
Su Ling smiled.
At least it was an honest path.
“Then I’ll help you,” Mo Ran said suddenly with great seriousness.
“Su Ling, for the next month, you help me with math and physics, and I’ll help you improve in the other subjects. How does that sound?”
Su Ling was stunned for a moment.
“I want to get into a university, but my math and physics are too poor. I’ve been looking for someone to tutor me.”
Mo Ran’s gaze flickered nervously.
She couldn’t afford tutoring fees.
When she saw Su Ling’s excellent math and physics scores 1 week ago, she was incredibly surprised, but an idea had taken root in her mind.
She wanted Su Ling to tutor her.
In truth, she had been conflicted.
She had been Su Ling’s classmate for 3 years, and her impression of Su Ling had never been good.
The old Su Ling was wild — a total madwoman.
Once, Su Ling had gotten into a fight with another Witch and ended up biting the girl’s ear off.
Mo Ran had been there to see it, and she’d had nightmares for 1 month because of it.
To be honest, she was still a bit afraid of Su Ling. Although Su Ling seemed like a different person this past month — becoming gentle and seeing her grades skyrocket — Mo Ran had heard the rumors about Su Ling’s side-hustle.
Her impression of the girl was very complicated.
But there was only 1 month left until the exam.
She could get into a junior college now, but she wasn’t satisfied with that.
She wanted to push for a university.
If her talent was good enough, she might even be able to get into a Witch Academy with enough effort.
Therefore, she took this chance to try and approach Su Ling.
She hadn’t expected Su Ling to mention *that* immediately… She had been completely stunned, and once she processed it, she felt a wave of shame and anger.
‘Who’s like you?!’
But…
She stole a glance at Su Ling.
‘She really is beautiful…’
With that white hair and those pink cherry-blossom eyes, she looked like a heroine stepped out of a manga.
Even a nerd like Mo Ran, whose head was filled with nothing but grades, couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat.
‘Mo Ran, Mo Ran, this is all a temptation!’
‘She’s one of *those* people. Don’t be seduced!’
‘There are plenty of beautiful older girls in university. Stay steady!’
“Su Ling… what do you think? Is it okay?”
Su Ling didn’t know what was going on in Mo Ran’s head.
She just rubbed her chin and fell into thought.
She was an Industrial Engineering Master from Earth, after all.
If she transmigrated only to end up in a vocational school, it would be quite embarrassing.
She should at least aim for a junior college, right?
1 month… that was enough.
She had survived university, after all.
Every time finals week approached, hadn’t she always pulled it off with a last-minute sprint during the final week?
Her peak achievement was once watching 10 hours of videos at three times the speed in a single night to achieve a 61-point miracle.
Of course, her teacher had probably been just as exhausted.
Ultimately, she had confidence in her ability to learn.
1 month? She had never had such a luxury of time before.
Finally, she looked at Mo Ran and nodded.
“Okay.”
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