Nine Star Hegemon Body Art

The third week Xu Tingsheng was at the school, Xiang Ning began to feel rather chaotic.

At times, she would feel as if there had only been a minor spat and a cold war between the two…rather than a very serious breakup.

When she had left that day, Xiang Ning had never said the words ‘break up’.

In truth, though, they should have broken up.

Yet, it had become rather strange now. They were like a little couple who, having had a spat, wanted to make up but were stubbornly holding on. Then, Uncle was acting cool while being shameless while Miss Xiang was being angry and stubborn while slowly succumbing.

This sort of feeling was actually not bad…

Had this occurred a little earlier, with Xu Tingsheng coming to do an internship at her school as she had requested a few times last year, Xiang Ning would definitely think of this as interesting, happy times.

That sort of feeling of keeping it a secret and secretly laughing at the thought of it in the middle of the night-how captivating it was! Miss Xiang was seventeen, in her first ever love relationship…naturally, she looked forward to these sweet moments between lovers.

Yet, after she daydreamed for a second, sobriety would come with the pain and bitterness that she felt just so real. Those lies that she was not willing to believe even now-Uncle had really said them.

Finally, one day, when evening self-study with Xu Tingsheng standing in for the Language teacher had ended.

He left the office a little later, walking in the corridor that had already turned dim.

A familiar voice behind him said, “Hey.”

Xu Tingsheng looked back.

“You’ve really affected me,” Xiang Ning said in as neutral a tone as possible.

“Got it. You should get back to your dorm,” Xu Tingsheng turned and left.

The next day.

Yet another day passed.

He really didn’t appear again.

Only when the teacher in charge of their class introduced the new internship teacher, an English student from a university in Yanjing and a cute girl…was Xiang Ning certain that after she had said those things, that person had really left just like that, without even bidding the students farewell.

Some students missed Xu Tingsheng as they asked about him a few times.

The teacher said, “You guys are so stupid. That’s Xu Tingsheng! How could he really become a teacher?”

“Why did he come for an internship then?”

“Maybe to remedy his lingering regrets. In a teaching program and nearly having graduated, he must have wanted to experience being a teacher at least.”

The teacher said that it was Xu Tingsheng’s lingering regrets towards the profession of a teacher. Xiang Ning zoned out. He came, but ignored me, not doing anything too…was it because of his final, lingering regrets?

Using a series of simple interactions to say farewell?

Xiang Ning did not feel relieved of a heavy burden as she might have expected. She did not know just what it was she was feeling.

……

Xu Tingsheng left Yanzhou’s first-tier senior high, his internship period not reaching the fourth week.

He was very satisfied in having been able to see Xiang Ning everyday during this time…he was actually well aware sometimes that he could not stay for too long. Yet, at other times, he would think to indulge himself, hoping that this period could go on for a little longer.

Even without Xiang Ning’s words, he had actually been urging himself to leave too. It was just that maybe, by accident, he would let it drag on for yet another day, for a few more glances at her-when she wasn’t noticing.

Having experienced that helpless parting in his previous life, when the future was uncertain in this one, Xu Tingsheng indulged himself for once.

In the four years since his rebirth, besides letting himself run free to dote on Xiang Ning, Xu Tingsheng had actually never really indulged himself before. Most of the time, he repressed many things, bore many people on his shoulders, guarding them behind him…

He had created all the conditions and exerted the greatest effort for those he cared about to be fulfilled, happy.

Yet, this time, he had to face an opponent who knew him thoroughly and was more powerful than him. Xu Tingsheng had neither told anyone near him about this nor looked for anyone to face this together with…this was his fight and his alone.

As for Zhou Yuandai’s situation, while he was not privy to the specifics, from the information he currently grasped, Xu Tingsheng could actually already deduce this: She had also been reborn, reborn from an earlier era as he period of foreknowledge had already expired.

Meanwhile, her personality and principles in handling matters were completely divergent from Xu Tingsheng…she was a selfish, vicious, extremely inflated, virtually even perverted person.

In her eyes, she was a god. So, when her time ran out and she had lost her foreknowledge, despite possessing great wealth that could shock the world, she was still very panicked…because this was the true pillar of support in her heart.

Then, she had discovered Xu Tingsheng. From doubt and observation to deducing and probing, and on to confirming and making her move.

She was definitely nervous and excited, having finally found another method with which to continue her life as a ‘god’-extending her ‘omnipotent’ foreknowledge by controlling and threatening Xu Tingsheng.

This control had to be absolute, because he actually posed the greatest threat to her.

At the same time, Zhou Yuandai had to worry about exerting too much force and accidentally shattering this ‘Aladdin’s lamp’.

It was precisely because of this that she had not been hasty, having first spent a large amount of time to understand Xu Tingsheng, even taking the initiative to get into contact with him.

As a result, she had realised: She could not truly control this man through forceful methods or even threatening him with his life. The allure of wealth and power were even more useless. As she saw it, this person with foreknowledge was foolish to an unsalvageable extent. Wealth and power, even life had never been the most important thing to him.

So, the only way was to use those he cared about most, those he viewed as being even more important than his own life, to threaten him, to force him.

Thus, she had threatened him with Xiang Ning’s safety but would never truly harm her unless there was no choice but to do so. Zhou Yuandai was well aware that if things really reached that stage, it would be impossible to control Xu Tingsheng no matter what as he would rather destroy himself than give in.

This was very simple logic, just like how bank robbers could not kill all the hostages before they managed to get the police to acquiesce with their threats.

……

Xu Tingsheng who should be feeling very chaotic, despondent and on tenterhooks appeared very calmly at Yanzhou University’s campus. Besides attending lessons, he spent his time writing his thesis.

Gradually, the number of meals and alcohol gatherings began to increase. Unknowingly, university graduation was already right around the corner.

Time is always like this, flowing along soundlessly much of the time. Then, suddenly, it places a set point in front of us. Soon, Xu Tingsheng would be ending his second university journey.

The greatest thing that had happened to Room 602 this year was that Li Xingming had successfully passed the civil servant exam. Also, he had made it directly to the city government’s office. Passing the written test and interview, all that remained was approval from the top…

The boy who had been frenziedly seeking a relationship since his first year of university but had ultimately been rewarded with nothing at all had tried before, had been silly before. At the end of it all, he had concluded: Why does this old man need some dogshit love?

After letting love go screw itself, Li Xingming had focused intensely and passionately in his final year of university on a single matter, succeeding in it. Everyone was excited and happy for him.

“The first glass is to Bro Yao. Bro Yan, are you seeing this? Say, aren’t I great?” As they were secretly cooking hotpot and celebrating in the dormitory, Li Xingming yelled towards Tan Yao’s upper bed.

After getting inebriated, everyone grew topsy-turvy and began singing.

“My bro sleeping in my upper bed,

Sleeping in my lonely memories.

My bro who split me cigarettes,

Split me happy moments past.

Every time I see the setting sun,

Every time I hear the evening bell,

Bits and pieces from the past arrive,

Before the sadness can overcome me,

……