Please, I'm Trying to Study, Your Highness! - chapter 29

Wednesday

Nanhua No.1 High School, Class 3, Grade 10.

Sunlight outside the window cast several bright stripes across the desks.

During the ten-minute break between classes, the classroom was noisy and chaotic.

After politely declining the invitation to chat from my two mischievous friends, Zhang Yuan and Wang Lei, I focused intently on working through the Physics Olympiad problem set.

Ever since I activated the [Thought Thief] skill at the café last weekend, my classroom experience these past few days has completely changed.

Tedious definitions and theorems are no longer obscure and hard to grasp.

It’s as if a soul-enchanting spell has been cast, automatically matching the three-dimensional models in my mind.

No longer do I need to passively accept and rote-memorize knowledge points; instead, I actively grow and construct my own system.

Is this what the world of academic elites is like?

My thought process when solving problems is so broad and flexible.

Problems that once required repeated deduction just to barely understand now reveal their solution paths almost instantly with a simple glance.

I can even come up with two or three different approaches at the same time, each concise and efficient.

Are those geniuses’ brains running in this state every single day?

Compared to them, ordinary people’s thinking is as slow as a crawling snail.

Looking down at the dense calculations on my scratch paper, a faint sense of dread quietly rose from the depths of my heart.

Thank goodness.

The [Thought Thief] skill appeared early enough.

If not, no matter how hard I tried, I probably wouldn’t be able to cross the chasm called talent.

When the transcript comes out after the college entrance exam, I’d be doomed.

As for the skill’s side effect-hearing sounds related to Qiao Nian every night…

Honestly, it’s laughable. It doesn’t affect me at all.

With the “Focus” buff, I study hard until three in the morning and then fall asleep instantly.

The quality of sleep is like that of a dead pig.

Even the stray cats’ mating calls downstairs can’t wake me, let alone any subtle noises from Qiao Nian’s side.

In summary, [Thought Thief] is an absolutely overpowered cheat skill!

It’s so strong it’s unreasonable-no wonder it got banned as soon as it launched.

A one-month trial card… tsk.

I really wish it could be permanent. Damn!

As this thought flashed through my mind, another, more practical problem surfaced.

I abruptly stopped writing and sat up straight.

The skill’s maintenance condition is to have five seconds of effective physical contact with the “Thought Source” every week.

Oh no, my “golden ticket”!

I immediately fished out my phone from under the desk, unlocked the screen, and opened the green social app called “WeiChat.”

I tapped on the cartoon rabbit avatar and quickly typed out a line:

“How’s your burn?”

Sent.

Time seemed to crawl by; the screen remained unresponsive.

The shouts from the playground outside grew even more raucous.

My fingers lightly tapped the cold back of my phone, again and again, the rhythm gradually speeding up.

This is my current lifeline, my super golden ticket-a cheat code for victory in the college entrance exam.

If she decides not to come to her part-time job this weekend because of the burn, or because her childhood friend’s girlfriend picked a fight and put her in a bad mood…

If the skill effect gets interrupted and I go back to seeing physics problems as if they’re written in an alien language, I’d be devastated.

Fortunately, my anxiety didn’t last long. The phone screen lit up, accompanied by a slight vibration.

[Qiao Nian: It’s completely healed! Not even a scar left. Thanks to Brother Huihui for helping me treat it in time that day.]

[Qiao Nian: See you at the café this weekend~ (happy bunny.gif)]

There was even an animated sticker at the end of the message.

A white bunny happily shook a carrot in its arms.

My anxious heart finally settled, and a wave of relaxation spread through my body as I let out a long breath.

That’s good, that’s good.

I typed “Mm” with one hand, about to send it-

Then suddenly remembered the “WeiChat” transaction record from that night.

Transfer amount: 5000.

Just for helping treat her wound and sending her home, she gave me a full five thousand yuan.

Such generosity.

This…

My thumb hovered in midair, hesitating.

It’s impossible to repay the kindness of an academic elite.

I deleted the cold reply and typed a new one.

[Okay, see you this weekend.]

I turned off the phone and put it back in the desk drawer.
“Brother Hui! Come on, let’s hit up the shop for a bottle of Coke.”

A heavy slap landed on my shoulder.

Zhang Yuan’s acne-ridden face and Wang Lei’s large head appeared on either side of me.

I capped my pen and stood up. “You guys go ahead, I need to stop by the office.”

“Tch, playing the good student again?”

Zhang Yuan rolled his eyes but didn’t insist, dragging Wang Lei out of the classroom.

The corridor was bustling with people and unusually noisy.

My thoughts drifted to Xia Shiyu.

That woman truly was a patient hunter.

Ever since she’d deliberately acted cold to create a sense of psychological distance, she’d stopped all her little moves and left me completely alone.

The hot-and-cold push-pull tactic was a killer move for hormone-driven boys in adolescence-always effective.

If it were anyone else, they’d probably already be hopelessly strung along, so desperate for a “result” that they’d throw themselves at her.

But I enjoyed the peace.

In fact, it was this sudden “calm” that let me focus entirely on studying, taking full advantage of the efficiency boost from the Thought Thief.

I arrived at the teachers’ office.

I raised my hand and tapped lightly on the wooden door three times with my knuckles.

“Come in.”

I pushed the door open.

Our homeroom teacher, Teacher Liu, was sitting behind his desk, wearing thick reading glasses, a red pen in hand as he graded papers.

He looked a little surprised to see me. “Lin Hui? Is something the matter?”

I walked up to his desk, head slightly lowered, wearing an anxious expression.

“Teacher Liu, about the physics competition group…”

My voice was deliberately lacking in confidence. “I didn’t perform well at the last city competition. I might have held the team back.”

The teacher paused in his grading.

He set down his red pen and comforted me in a gentle tone.

“Lin Hui, competitions require time and accumulation. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“Teacher, I’ve been thinking about my study direction lately. I might be more suited to focusing on consolidating my basic knowledge rather than competitions.”

I recited the explanation I’d prepared long ago. “So I’d like to apply to withdraw from the physics competition group.”

It was a lie.

Naturally, I couldn’t reveal the real reason.

Xia Shiyu was also in the physics competition group.

That meant sharing a space with someone like a ticking time bomb.

Since I couldn’t predict when she might use this against me and trap me in a difficult situation, it was better to get out early.

Cutting off this potential connection as soon as possible was the safest choice.

Besides, in Xia Shiyu’s eyes, quitting in a fit of pique because I was ignored fit perfectly with the behavior of prey who’s starting to waver.

It was a win-win.

Teacher Liu pondered for a moment, then made a few marks on a form. “Since you’ve thought it through, I’ll respect your decision. But…”

“Your math foundation is excellent, and your logical thinking is very strong. That talent shouldn’t go to waste.”

He opened another booklet, speaking in the firm, authoritative tone of an elder making arrangements for a junior.

“Teacher Zhang happens to have a math competition team. Your math grades have improved quickly lately-why not try switching to the math group?”

“Interacting more with the real top students will benefit your future development.”

Math competition group?

Hmm… that wasn’t so bad.

With the skill buff from the Thought Thief, interacting with those real academic stars could massively improve my math abilities.

Compared to physics, math was just as important for the college entrance exam.

And as far as I knew, Xia Shiyu didn’t care much for math competitions.

That was effective physical separation, too.

“Okay, Teacher. I’ll do as you say.” I agreed obediently.

“That’s more like it. Learning more is never a bad thing when you’re young.”

The homeroom teacher nodded in satisfaction and pushed a printed sheet toward me.

“I’ll talk to Teacher Zhang and add your name to the list. Fill out the form first.”

As I accepted the withdrawal application form, my eyes naturally drifted to the A4 sheet printed with the math competition team member list.

As I glanced over it, a familiar name caught my eye in the Team Leader column.

There, in bold Song typeface, were three clear characters:

Shen Ruanruan.