Chapter Twenty-Two: Humiliation at School

Chapter Twenty-Two: Humiliation at School

“Pfft!” The employees couldn't hold it in any longer. “Boss~!” Their faces were full of grievance, struggling to stifle their laughter.

“What are you laughing at?” Shi Bai slammed the table heavily. “We’re all being serious here!”

The employees quickly calmed down again.

Shi Bai continued editing.

“Look at this line: The old farmer taught the protagonist to chop trees since childhood. The protagonist doesn’t realize that this is actually a supreme blade technique, and the old farmer is the number one swordsman in the martial world.”

“How did you all come up with chopping trees! How can it be so brilliant? Do you realize how many readers this will attract? What we want is a comic that nobody reads!”

All the employees lowered their heads.

Shi Bai said, “Since the old farmer is now Doggie, let Doggie teach the protagonist martial arts. Think about what he could teach.”

The employees scratched their heads in confusion. “Doggie teaching martial arts?”

“What could he possibly teach?”

...

“Dog Fist?”

“Beautiful!” Shi Bai clapped enthusiastically, walked over and patted Liu Dafu, who handled the sewage pipes. “Good job!”

Liu Dafu scratched his head, grinning sheepishly, but his smile was full of confusion.

Shi Bai continued, “We have Dog Fist. Are there any other moves? Speak out and let me hear.”

Seeing Liu Dafu praised for his suggestion, the employees immediately began brainstorming. The warehouse manager Wang Xiaodong said, “Dog wagging its tail?”

Others quickly chimed in.

“Handstand urination?”

“Playing dead?”

“Lazy dog rolling over?”

“Excellent, excellent!” Shi Bai applauded nonstop. “See! You’re already on the right track!”

The employees exchanged silly smiles, feeling as if a herd of wild beasts ran through their minds, suddenly realizing they were acting like a bunch of fools.

Shi Bai pressed on, “Now, we have the moves. Let’s look at the next line: The old farmer tells the protagonist to venture out into the world, but the protagonist refuses. The old farmer reveals the truth—he has already mastered the blade technique.”

Page (1/3)

“Look how brilliant that’s written! Go out and wander the world—it creates anticipation, readers are eager to know what happens next. We can introduce a slew of exciting storylines after that. With this kind of story, it’s bound to become popular!”

Shi Bai said excitedly, “Change it. Make it so that Zhang Doggie learns Dog Fist but doesn’t want to venture out. Then Doggie says, ‘If you don’t want to go, then we won’t go.’”

“!”

“!”

“!”

“!”

“!”

...

“Boss!” Zhang Dacui nervously adjusted his slipping glasses. “If we don’t go, isn’t the story over?”

“That’s right!” The others agreed. “If the hero doesn’t venture out, what’s left to write?”

While the employees argued, Shi Bai merely smiled faintly, crossed his arms and paced in the conference room. “Don’t you understand what I mean yet? How many times have I told you, I don’t want a brilliant story—I want trash, the kind nobody reads.”

He raised his eyebrows, “If it ends, it ends. At most, just add a line at the end: ‘End of Part One. Stay tuned for Part Two.’”

“What?!” The employees nearly exploded. “This thing will have a Part Two?!”

Shi Bai shook his head calmly. “Of course it will. As long as you pay, any anime website will accept it.”

Now the employees finally understood what Shi Bai was up to. He wanted to make a parody, to spend money, though they couldn’t figure out why.

But thinking it over, he must be a rich kid. The eccentric amusements of the wealthy—how could ordinary folks like them ever comprehend?

So they nodded helplessly. “Let’s do it that way.”

“Good, the content of Part One is settled.” Shi Bai snapped his fingers. “Now, figure out the art style. Remember, don’t make it good—make it bad. I want a losing business.”

With that, he left the meeting room. “Carry on, I have something else to do.”

The employees immediately started chattering. “What’s with this young boss anyway?”

“Too much money to burn!” said cashier Liu Xiaoyan. “Have any of you ever seen a company opened in the presidential suite?”

The employees nodded in agreement. “That’s right! I specifically asked, the rent here is ten thousand a day!”

“My God! That’s almost half a year’s wages for me!”

At that, they all lowered their heads.

Page (2/3)

“Sigh! The world of the wealthy, we truly don’t understand.”

Shi Bai left the hotel with nowhere particular to go. In this era, there weren’t many entertaining places, and going alone seemed pointless. After some thought, his mind was still on those people at school, so he had lunch and headed back to school.

But as soon as he reached the gate, he ran into Liu Feifei, returning from lunch.

Liu Feifei, upon seeing Shi Bai, turned her face away and quickened her pace with a huff, her long ponytail drawing a proud arc in the air.

She still couldn’t let go of the fact that Shi Bai had stolen her first kiss.

One of her close friends, noticing her attitude, glanced at Shi Bai. “Feifei, what’s wrong? Who is that? Did he upset you?”

Liu Feifei glared at Shi Bai again. “Ignore him, he’s an idiot!”

Shi Bai instantly took offense, catching up in a few strides. “Hey! Who are you calling an idiot?”

Liu Feifei stared at him with wide eyes, lifting her chin. “I’m talking about you! So what, idiot!”

“Damn!” Shi Bai clenched his fists. “What did I ever do to you to make you hate me so much? You were the one who rushed over that day, and I never even blamed you for stealing my first kiss!”

“Ah~!” Liu Feifei shrieked, covering her ears. “I don’t want to hear it, I don’t want to hear it! Go away, go away!”

Shi Bai was both helpless and angry at her reaction. It was clearly just a misunderstanding, and the fault wasn’t his, yet this woman always gave him the cold shoulder and looked down on him.

“That’s enough!” Shi Bai glared at her. “If you don’t want to see me, you can transfer schools.” With that, he strode toward the school without looking back.

But Liu Feifei wasn’t having it. She quickly caught up. “Why don’t you transfer? You’re a grown man—after bullying a girl, this is your attitude? Telling her to transfer?”

Her friend came up too, giving Shi Bai a sideways glance. “Exactly! Are you even a man?”

Shi Bai hated that phrase most of all—“Are you even a man?” So what if he was? Did being a man mean he had to always indulge women he had nothing to do with, no matter how unreasonable or dramatic they were?

He couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “Oh? Want to test it?”

Liu Feifei’s friend blushed deeply. “You… pervert!”

Shi Bai grinned mischievously. “What, scared? Didn’t you question if I’m a man? Now that I give you the chance, you call me a pervert?”

Her friend’s face turned even redder. “Shameless!” She grabbed Liu Feifei, ready to go inside.

Seeing they had given up, Shi Bai didn’t want to say any more. He raised his leg to head inside, but just then, a burly male student suddenly rushed over.

“Damn it!” The guy grabbed Shi Bai’s arm, twisting it behind his back. “You dare bully Feifei!”