"I'm a guy, you're a girl. You get that, right?"
Chen Yuying's brain froze for a brief moment upon hearing this opener.
"Huh? Uh…" She blinked in confusion before nodding blankly. "Uh-huh, yeah, I get it. Huh? Wait, what else would I be thinking?"
So many filler words, yet all they did was reveal the countless question marks filling her head.
She had been expecting something big, but not this kind of big.
Lin Li let out a sigh. The mission still wasn't completed. As expected, he really had to go through with this—the most degenerate form of education.
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.
Even if a thousand stand against me, I shall press forward!
A man lives between heaven and earth—how could he cower forever beneath others? Being born into humble beginnings is no shame; a true man must know when to bend and when to stand tall.
System, you think you can trap me with this little obstacle? A biology lecture isn't enough to take me down!
But before diving in, Lin Li had something to say:
System, fuck you.
"No, you still don't understand." Lin Li shook his head. "First of all, I'm not a pervert. Second—remember my first point—I am really, truly not a pervert."
He instinctively took a step back, widening the distance between them while mentally stacking armor buffs.
Chen Yuying: "?"
"And now, let me educate you on the differences between men and women!"
"Men—though they have no redeeming qualities—do have one strength. Women, on the other hand, not only lack that strength but also have one deficiency. However! Nature is fair—because women are granted two advantages in return!"
"Now, let's analyze why men and women are the perfect match. The answer: Men like to grasp onto a woman's two strengths, using their own strength to make up for a woman's deficiency!"
Chen Yuying: "???"
She was stunned, staring blankly at Lin Li.
Meanwhile, Lin Li was also staring—actually, he was looking past her, toward the invisible system interface between them, silently praying.
A few seconds later, a message popped up:
[Mission Five Completed.]
Hell yeah!
I'm a genius!
A victory for child prodigies!
As expected, since Chen Yuying already understood the concept, all he had to do was lead her thoughts in that direction. That counted as a successful education—no need for a middle school textbook lecture with scientific terminology.
But before Lin Li could celebrate, he quickly covered his ears.
"AHHHH!!! PERVERT!!!"
Almost simultaneously with the system notification, Chen Yuying's face flushed red, and she let out a piercing scream.
After all, the mission's completion meant she had fully understood what Lin Li was implying.
Sigh.
He had even stepped back to give her more personal space, yet she still called him that.
Why do I keep backing away, creating more distance between us? Isn't it exactly to make her feel safe?!
The classroom's remaining students—a boy and a girl—immediately turned to look, drawn by the sudden scream.
The boy, especially, shot up from his seat, looking like he wanted to play the hero. "Class rep! What happened? Did Lin Li do something to you? Do you need me to call the teacher?"
See?
This is why Lin Li could never vibe with people like this.
Running to the teacher for every little thing—Lin Li's two most hated types of people were snitches and people who stopped him from snitching.
Ignoring Wang Yuezhi, the classmate who had spoken up, Lin Li turned to Chen Yuying and calmly explained,
"Class rep, relax. Relax. There's a reason I said that, okay? Don't jump to conclusions—I'll explain, and you'll understand."
From a safe distance, he raised both hands in a calming gesture.
Realizing she had shouted too loudly, Chen Yuying quickly covered her mouth, her face turning even redder in embarrassment.
She turned toward Wang Yuezhi and waved her hands. "It's nothing."
Wang Yuezhi reluctantly nodded and sat back down—but Lin Li could tell the guy was still watching him.
Ha.
A hopeless simp. But simps never end well.
Chen Yuying then turned back to Lin Li, still flustered but now with her hands on her hips. "Give me an explanation!"
"The tape is in Bai Bufan's bottom drawer. Here!" Lin Li blurted out before his brain could catch up.
It took him a second to register what he just said.
Chen Yuying's face—which had just started to cool down—turned bright red again.
Damn.
Her reaction time is faster than a traffic light!
Wait, focus. Now's not the time to be entertained.
"Not that kind of 'tape'!"
"Ahem—so, class rep, my earlier statement was a necessary lead-in for what I was about to explain. Let me emphasize once more—I am not a pervert." Lin Li spoke with deep sincerity.
But the doubt in Chen Yuying's eyes didn't fade.
A normal person wouldn't feel the need to keep repeating that.
"The next part needs to be said quietly. I don't want anyone eavesdropping. Can you sit down?" Lin Li had backed himself up against the storage cabinets. It was tiring to talk from so far away while keeping his voice low.
He returned to his seat and gestured toward Bai Bufan's chair.
Perhaps curiosity overpowered her suspicion, because Chen Yuying sat down. She sat like a proper lady—only using the edge of the seat. Except she sat on the half farthest from Lin Li.
Didn't seem very ladylike after all.
Not far away, Wang Yuezhi's stare intensified.
Ha.
Chatting secretly with your crush—how's that feel, buddy?
But first, Lin Li needed to fix his reputation.
"Class rep, you definitely understand what I meant earlier. And that desire—when uncontrolled—leads to certain crimes." Lin Li spoke seriously. "The case I helped the police solve was exactly related to this issue."
"Here's what happened. A while back, I picked up one of those small business cards people throw around—you've probably seen them before. I was curious—"
"Wait! Don't call me a pervert! One last time—I am not a pervert. My curiosity wasn't about what you think!"
Predicting her reaction, Lin Li cut her off before she could say anything.
Chen Yuying pursed her lips, skeptical but letting him continue.
"My actual interest was in whether I could get the people behind those cards arrested! So, I started investigating. I followed the leads, tracked down the establishment linked to the cards, and spent my evenings and weekends gathering intel—staking out the location, taking pictures, even interviewing customers.
After enduring great hardships, I finally collected enough solid evidence to report to the police. Thanks to my information, they easily busted the entire operation! That's why the officers came to the school today—to commend me for my efforts."
"Really?"
Of course, Lin Li was talking pure nonsense, but the story was so fresh, so wild that Chen Yuying listened in awe.
"Of course! In fact, the commendation letter is probably already posted on the school's announcement board. You can check it yourself. It won't have the case details, just a general statement that I assisted the police—since, you know, this isn't exactly the kind of thing you openly advertise."
Chen Yuying nodded in amazement. If it was on the announcement board, then it had to be real.
Great. She bought it.
Lin Li was very pleased.
He couldn't possibly tell her the real version.
Bai Bufan might have no shame, but he did.
"But I still have a question."
"What?"
"Then why did you have to start your explanation with that… weird perverted speech?" Chen Yuying asked, baffled.
"First, I am not a pervert. Second, as I said before, it was a necessary setup to help you understand the case's root cause. I suffered for this knowledge, okay? Lastly—I AM NOT A PERVERT." Lin Li declared, full of conviction.
Chen Yuying wanted to nod, but something still felt off.
"Then why didn't you just start by explaining the case?"
Lin Li froze.
Then he nodded.
"Long ago, Nuwa sculpted mankind from clay—"
"OH MY GOD, YOU'RE REALLY STARTING FROM THERE?!"