Chapter 07 Cowardly with a Thief's Heart
The first light of dawn had just started to brighten the sky, and there were very few pedestrians on the street as Xu Yi and Lisa stood in front of the bus stop sign waiting for the school bus.
They attended Saint Anna High School, an aristocratic school that provided a bus service for the students every day.
Given Xu Yi and Lisa's family circumstances, they naturally had nothing to do with the word "aristocrat," and their admission into Saint Anna High School was based on their academic achievements.
As an aristocratic school, it also needed academically excellent students to maintain its reputation, otherwise, with only those "aristocratic kids," Saint Anna High School would have long become a joke.
Studying at Saint Anna, they not only did not have to pay tuition fees, but they also received scholarships every year.
The school bus had not yet arrived, and Xu Yi took out a notebook and began to sketch and doodle with a pencil.
"What are you doing?" Lisa turned her head and asked, puzzled.
"Artistic creation," Xu Yi replied without looking up.
Lisa tiptoed to sneak a peek and was dumbfounded. "This is artistic creation?"
"Malevich, you know?" Xu Yi asked.
Lisa shook her head.
"A famous abstract painter, we're on the same path," he explained.
Lisa looked at the crooked stick figures on the sketchbook and rolled her eyes. "My three-year-old brother must have studied at the same school as you guys, right?"
Xu Yi snapped the notebook shut with a clap. Of course, it was not because he couldn't continue painting due to Lisa's teasing, but because the system's voice had once again spoken.
"Painter Entry Experience +1, Current Progress: 2/100."
With the gain of experience, he naturally acquired some knowledge about painting in his mind, and he felt his hands becoming more dexterous.
If he were to draw again now, he would at least be at the level of simple sketching.
This was the domineering aspect of the Entry: there was no need for apprenticeship or fear of reaching a bottleneck.
As long as he persisted in drawing and filled up the progress bar, he could become a qualified painter.
The priority, of course, was to complete the Psychic Entry, but it was also time to prepare the "Scholar" and "Painter" Entries in advance.
"Psychic Painter" sounded like some kind of supernatural profession, and Xu Yi was very curious about how powerful such a high-level Entry could be.
The blue and white school bus slowly approached from a distance and stopped in front of the bus stop. The door opened automatically.
Xu Yi was the first to head towards the school bus. The moment he stepped onto the stairs, his footsteps suddenly halted, and he looked up towards the end of the bus.
"Sorry, I just remembered there's something very important I left at home," Xu Yi apologized to the driver and then stepped off the school bus.
Xu Yi grabbed Lisa, who was about to board. "You're coming with me!"
"What did you forget?" Lisa asked curiously.
"I forgot to bring a fountain pen, but I suddenly remembered there's a spare one at school," Xu Yi said offhandedly.
"You're acting so weird today!" Lisa muttered under her breath.
Xu Yi had his reasons for what he did. The moment he set foot on the school bus, the system sent him another notification.
[Psychic Entry Experience +6, Current Progress: 10/100.]
He gained 6 points of experience in one go, which was more than all the previous gains combined, indicating there must be a "supernatural object" on the bus.
If it had been just him, it would have been fine, but with Lisa by his side, he hesitated for a moment and then chose to abstain.
A chill suddenly surged into his pupils, like icy water dropping into his eyes, and Xu Yi blinked several times.
After the Psychic Entry reached one-tenth of the threshold, his eyes began to change.
He looked towards the school bus to see a girl sitting by the window at the back. Her golden-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders; she had delicate features and fair skin.
Information about the girl automatically surfaced in Xu Yi's mind.
Maria, his classmate, came from a family that owned a cosmetic surgery hospital. She was a loner who liked to eat strawberry ice cream and chocolate tarts.
The girl was a complete rich beauty, but in Xu Yi's view, a faint black shadow crouched behind her, barely visible.
Xu Yi could not clearly discern the appearance of the shadow, as the Psychic Entry had only been developed by a tenth and his ability was insufficient.
"Why does he know so much about Maria's information, even what she likes to eat?" Xu Yi suddenly paused in thought.
Various images began to emerge in his mind, "he" stealing glances at Maria in the hallway, "he" eavesdropping on Maria and her best friend talking on the playground, "he" writing a love letter then burning it...
"Damn it! All bark and no bite!" Xu Yi cursed internally.
Although he had disdain for the original's actions, he had to admit that the original had good taste, Maria was definitely goddess-level.
On the school bus, Maria gazed out the window in a daze, while her best friend Lily was visibly excited.
"Maria, that handsome guy was looking at you earlier! He's wearing our school's uniform, but I've never seen him before, is he a new transfer student?"
"I don't know his name, it would be great if he's in our class!"
Lily noticing Maria hadn't replied, frowned slightly, "Maria, what's up with you today?"
Maria finally snapped back to reality, apologizing repeatedly, "Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night."
In fact, it wasn't just last night, she hadn't been resting well for quite a while.
At night, she always felt like something in the mirror was spying on her, initially, she thought it was an illusion, but as time passed, this feeling became more and more real.
......
Saint Anna High School.
Under the grand white arch, Lisa and Xu Yi waved goodbye to each other.
Xu Yi was a junior, and Lisa was a year below him, their classrooms were not in the same location.
Walking along, Xu Yi suddenly felt a chill approaching from behind, and he swiftly turned around.
"Classmate! We just wanted to say hello..." Lily's extended hand halted mid-air, startled by Xu Yi's overreaction.
Xu Yi, realizing it was Maria and her best friend, relaxed his tense body and smiled to ease the awkwardness, "Good morning!"
"Good morning, classmate, are you the new transfer student?" Lily quickly brushed off the previous incident and asked eagerly.
Xu Yi said self-deprecatingly, "Am I really that invisible in class? Almost a year as classmates and you still don't recognize me?"
Lily stared with wide eyes at Xu Yi's face, then suddenly exclaimed, "You're Xu Yi, the Asian nerd!"
After speaking, Lily realized she had misspoken and quickly covered her mouth, "Sorry, I didn't mean that, it's just... you've changed so much!"
Xu Yi simply smiled and said nothing, he was well aware that if it weren't for his face, she would never have apologized; Lily was not one to be trifled with.
"You look a bit pale, are you feeling okay?" Xu Yi suddenly turned his head, looking at Maria to the side.
Maria was taken aback, not expecting Xu Yi to suddenly talk to her. Although they were in the same class, they had hardly spoken throughout the year.
Her heart warmed a little because even her best friend hadn't shown her much concern.
"I'm fine." Maria shook her head.
Xu Yi nodded and did not press further.
Being too inquisitive was a big taboo in casual relationships, it was best to stop at the right moment.
He was a bit puzzled. With Maria's looks, if she were in the future, she would definitely be a campus goddess, surrounded by droves of eager suitors.
But why did the present Maria seem so self-effacing and reclusive?
"Maria, have you forgotten what I told you?" a sinister male voice suddenly came from the side.
The instant the voice sounded, Maria's body trembled slightly, and her complexion turned pale.
Before she could speak, her backpack was yanked violently, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground.
Xu Yi looked behind Maria and saw a stocky boy standing there, a mocking smile hanging on his lips.
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