Chapter 26: Asking for Leave for You

3:23 PM.

Fire-Fang Dog approached Qiao Sang after finishing its weight-training session.

Having adapted to the training over the past few days, Fire-Fang Dog's physical strength had increased significantly; it could still stand firmly even after the session ended.

Qiao Sang took out the Qiyuan Milk she carried with her and handed it over.

With the current training intensity, Fire-Fang Dog needed to drink eight or nine bottles of Qiyuan Milk every day.

Watching Fire-Fang Dog chug three bottles in a row, Qiao Sang felt a twinge of economic anxiety.

Money was disappearing far too quickly. In less than a week, she was left with only about 30,000 Alliance Coins; she estimated that by the end of today, her assets would start with a "2."

She really had to find a way to make money.

It wasn't that Qiao Sang hadn't thought about asking her mother directly, but seeing her mother leave early and return late every day, only to come home and cook meals and energy food for the pets, she found it difficult to bring it up.

However, the high school entrance exam was still the priority; the matter of making money could be put on hold for a bit.

Once Fire-Fang Dog finished its milk, Qiao Sang took it and boarded the No. 28 bus.

...

Xinhai Bookstore.

Because it was a day off, the bookstore was quite crowded, mostly with students.

Qiao Sang stood in the junior high section on the second floor, browsing for what she wanted to buy. She planned to buy a set of past entrance exam papers to practice with.

Just as Qiao Sang finished her selection and was heading downstairs, a voice called out to her.

"Hey, beautiful!"

"Heroine!"

"Lady Knight!"

"The beautiful girl with the Fire-Fang Dog!"

Only then did Qiao Sang turn her head.

It seemed she was the only one in the entire bookstore with a Fire-Fang Dog by her side.

A girl with a bun hairstyle and airy bangs walked up quickly.

"Why are you ignoring me?" the girl complained.

She looked somewhat familiar...

Qiao Sang couldn't quite place where she had seen her, but she was certain they had met.

"Yip!" Fire-Fang Dog barked, clearly recognizing who this person was.

Fire-Fang Dog actually knew her?

"Oh, it's you. I didn't notice just now," Qiao Sang said calmly.

"I recognized you instantly, especially that Fire-Fang Dog next to you—it's too eye-catching," the girl laughed.

Qiao Sang blinked, gesturing for her to continue.

"I haven't thanked you for what happened on the bus last time, but I sent you a message and you never replied," the girl continued.

Qiao Sang remembered.

It was the person who had sat next to her on the bus the day she received the 50,000 Alliance Coins. Her name was Bai Yunmiao.

"I haven't been checking my messages much lately," Qiao Sang explained.

She had been busy training Fire-Fang Dog and studying these past few days, so she indeed hadn't looked at her phone much.

"A true heroine is different; you can even resist checking your phone. I can't do that," Bai Yunmiao said admiringly.

After saying that, she noticed the materials in Qiao Sang's hands and asked curiously, "Why are you buying entrance exam papers?"

"Isn't the high school entrance exam coming up in a few days?" Qiao Sang answered with a question.

"The entrance exam and you buying... Holy crap!" Bai Yunmiao reacted.

Unlike her suppressed volume when she was calling out earlier, this time her voice erupted without reservation, sounding particularly abrupt in the quiet bookstore.

The surrounding readers all frowned and looked over.

Bai Yunmiao quickly covered her mouth, then looked at Qiao Sang in disbelief, lowering her voice to ask, "Are you actually a junior high student?"

"Don't I look like one?" Qiao Sang felt a bit depressed. Did she really look that old?

"No, no, I just didn't expect it," Bai Yunmiao said, shaking her head hurriedly.

Now that she thought about it, the young girl in front of her did indeed look younger than her.

It was just that she hadn't associated her with a junior high student.

Who would have thought that the person who saw through the Eight-Tube Coral to catch the thief, and even contracted a Fire-Fang Dog, was a junior high student?

What did it mean for a junior high student who hadn't even graduated to have contracted a pet? It meant she was a self-awakened genius!

Their school didn't have a single talent like that.

No wonder she dared to contract a fire-type pet as her first, and had trained the Fire-Fang Dog to be so obedient. Bai Yunmiao discreetly glanced at the Fire-Fang Dog beside her.

"Why do you still have to take the entrance exam? A genius like you should be recommended for direct admission," Bai Yunmiao asked.

"Do you have some misunderstanding of what a 'genius' is?" Qiao Sang said helplessly.

What kind of genius has to worry about whether they can meet the minimum passing score for an entrance exam like her?

Bai Yunmiao took it as modesty and asked, "Which school are you planning to apply for?"

Qiao Sang replied, "Shengshui Middle School."

Bai Yunmiao looked at her with an "as expected" expression.

Qiao Sang didn't bother explaining just how poor her grades actually were. Thinking that time was precious, she said her goodbyes: "I need to go home and do some practice papers. I'll head off now."

As she turned to leave, Bai Yunmiao grabbed her arm and said aggrievedly, "Genius, you haven't told me your name yet."

Qiao Sang: "..."

...

...

On the bus ride home, Fire-Fang Dog was enjoying the scenery outside the window as usual, while Qiao Sang took out her phone to save Bai Yunmiao's name.

When she opened her messaging interface, she noticed a striking red "99+" in the top right corner.

Qiao Sang froze, then opened it.

Classmates she rarely contacted were all sending messages asking if she was okay.

In the eyes of her classmates, taking such a long leave of absence right before the entrance exams meant something major must have happened.

Qiao Sang felt a bit moved and replied to each one, saying she was fine.

After the moment of being moved, she saw a message from her mother sent two hours ago.

[When is the special recruitment period for Hanggang Sixth Beast Taming Middle School? I'll call the teacher to help you request leave.]

Qiao Sang panicked and quickly dialed the number.

The call connected after a moment.

"Mom, did you call the teacher?" Qiao Sang asked, feeling a bit guilty.

"I did."

"Mom, actually, I..."

"But it didn't go through."

Qiao Sang immediately abandoned what she was about to say.

"Actually, what?" her mother asked.

"Actually, I want to take the exam for Shengshui Middle School," Qiao Sang changed the subject.

There was a silence on the other end of the line. "Do the special recruitment periods for the two schools conflict?"

"No. Hanggang Sixth Beast Taming Middle School is on June 9th, and Shengshui Middle School is on June 10th. They are a day apart," Qiao Sang answered.

"Then that's fine. Go to both," her mother said.

Ye Xiangting hadn't asked about Shengshui Middle School's recruitment time at first because she hadn't paid much attention to it.

That day, she simply couldn't stand the attitude of the school teachers and that woman, and in a moment of impulse, she had wanted her daughter to apply for Shengshui Middle School's special recruitment.

After cooling down for two days, she knew in her heart that there was a 99.99% chance her daughter wouldn't get in, so she hadn't mentioned Shengshui Middle School to her daughter again.

But her daughter was clearly still thinking about it, and since she was the one who had brought it up first, there was nothing she could do.

Ye Xiangting was only relieved now that the recruitment for Hanggang Sixth Beast Taming Middle School was before Shengshui Middle School; otherwise, if Shengshui's recruitment came first and affected her daughter's mindset for the next day's exam at Hanggang Sixth, it would have been bad.

"Mom, don't call them. I've already asked my homeroom teacher for leave," Qiao Sang instructed.

"Oh, I see," Ye Xiangting replied.

Since she had already tried calling, she naturally didn't plan to call again. If it weren't for her daughter, she wouldn't want to deal with these teachers at all.

(End of Chapter)