MRSG Chapter 36

Zhou Mu had never been so humiliated in his life!

He ran the whole way, not daring to go too fast in case it exposed him as inhuman. Only after escaping the security guard’s line of sight did he stop, still shaken, wiping his face and removing his disguise.

Lord Cong arrived a step later and glanced back to make sure the guards hadn’t followed. “Huff, huff… That guy just now didn’t seem like Chun Shijiu…”

Even he could tell something was off—after all, he was Chun Shijiu’s longtime rival.

Zhou Mu ignored that, fuming. “Why didn’t you make sure what was going on?! Why were security guards even there?!”

Lord Cong: “……”

Feeling wronged, he muttered, “I don’t know either—it was Chun Shijiu who picked that place.”

Zhou Mu growled, “I’m furious! I’ve never been chased like this in my life! It’s all because of that Chun Shijiu. And he had the nerve to play dirty and bring backup to ambush us!”

Lord Cong didn’t dare respond. He thought to himself, Aren’t you also the backup I brought?

“Let’s call it a day. I’ve still got homework to do,” Zhou Mu said darkly. His expression was fierce, but his words kind of killed the momentum.

Lord Cong hesitated. “Do you want my physics notebook from my second-year…?”

Zhou Mu gave him a cold glare.

Lord Cong immediately shut up, silently cursing himself for showing off.

But Zhou Mu really wasn’t great at physics. After flipping through it briefly, he muttered, “Bring it to me tomorrow!”

Lord Cong: “Got it, got it.”

The way they spoke, it sounded almost like a shakedown.

……

The Next Day

Lord Cong brought his physics notebook to the sophomore floor to find Zhou Mu, but he wasn’t in the classroom. Their class had P.E. this period, and everyone had rushed to the sports field as soon as the bell rang.

Lord Cong looked down, texting Zhou Mu to tell him he’d left the notebook in his desk drawer.

“Not bad—your instincts are getting sharper.”

A cold voice came from behind.

Lord Cong turned around to see Chun Shijiu standing there, arms crossed and smirking.

Startled, Lord Cong didn’t know what he meant, but he kept a straight face. “Your eyes, on the other hand, have always sucked.”

Chun Shijiu’s class was just upstairs. He’d seen Lord Cong down here and assumed he had identified last night’s mysterious fighter as You Qi and had come to settle the score. But no—Lord Cong was just here to see his classmate Zhou Mu.

Chun Shijiu misinterpreted his words, thinking Lord Cong was mocking him for failing to track down the mysterious person who had gone toe-to-toe with You Qi.

“Heh! Getting help doesn’t prove anything. Let’s settle this ourselves, just the two of us,” Chun Shijiu said. At that moment, the class bell rang, and the noisy students all filed back into their classrooms. He pointed up. “Rooftop?”

Lord Cong narrowed his eyes and lifted his chin. “Fine. Let’s end this today!”

Both of them marched toward the rooftop with serious faces.

Lord Cong  kept his hand in his pocket, deleting the half-written text and quickly typing: [Rooftop duel with Shijiu, send help help help!]

Chun Shijiu, meanwhile, had his hands behind his back and was already calling You Qi. When the call connected, he loudly and clearly announced, “We’re settling things on the rooftop—a fight to the death!”

Lord Cong glanced at him weirdly. What the hell is wrong with this guy?

Chun Shijiu glared back fiercely.

That period, Zhou Mu’s P.E. class was playing volleyball in teams.

Despite looking harmless and delicate, Zhou Mu played with surprising aggression and energy. He even bumped into You Qi a few times. You Qi, being careful, absorbed the force and brought Zhou Mu down with him onto the mat each time.

“You’re good,” You Qi said, helping him up. “You okay?”

Zhou Mu had deliberately used very little strength, worried about hurting his deskmate. Blushing slightly, he replied, “Just a little sore.”

You Qi gently rubbed the spot for him.

Just then, Zhou Mu’s phone buzzed. He glanced at the message and quickly dismissed it, putting his phone away. He raised his hand and asked the P.E. teacher for leave, saying his stomach hurt and he needed to go to the nurse’s office.

He patted his belly. “Ugh, I ate too much and then exercised—feels awful.”

Everyone knew Zhou Mu had a big appetite and could chow down fast in the cafeteria. It made perfect sense that he’d feel sick after overeating and running around.

“I’ll come with you,” You Qi offered.

“Nooo, that’s even more embarrassing! Imagine going to the nurse’s office for eating too much,” Zhou Mu said with a pout. “Just wait, okay? Meet me at the snack shop after class.”

You Qi: “……”

As soon as Zhou Mu left, You Qi got a phone call, too. He hadn’t planned to answer, but after a moment’s thought, he changed his mind and asked the teacher for leave. He used the same excuse—worried about Zhou Mu and wanted to check on him.

You Qi was a model student, so the P.E. teacher only had the tiniest bit of suspicion. These two deskmates are awfully close… Still, he agreed.

Once out of sight, You Qi changed direction and sped toward the academic building, heading up the right-side staircase. He was fast and soon reached the top floor.

In their school, both ends of the building had staircases, but only one door led up to the rooftop.

As You Qi reached the final floor, he saw Zhou Mu approaching slowly from the opposite corridor—his pace far more relaxed than You Qi’s.

You Qi’s first thought was pure confusion: Wait… wasn’t Zhou Mu going to the nurse’s office?

Zhou Mu thought You Qi’s expression looked a little strange too—why was he in the school building during class?

The moment their eyes met, time seemed to stop.

It was over in a flash, though it felt longer.

After a beat, You Qi raised his hand and asked, “…Is your stomach feeling better?”

He cared so much.

Zhou Mu had already reached him and replied with a shy smile, “It doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Neither of them asked the other why they were there.

Even though, in those five seconds, their minds had each raced faster than the other’s.

And both landed on a bizarre, but somehow reasonable conclusion…

Zhou Mu didn’t slow down. Once they met up, he confidently led the way toward the final short staircase to the rooftop. You Qi silently walked alongside him.

Zhou Mu pushed open the iron door to the rooftop, and the dazzling noonday sunlight spilled over both of them. He squinted slightly, courteously let You Qi go in first, and then turned to close the door behind them.

At that exact moment, Zhou Mu had his back to You Qi—an apparent opening.

At that same moment, Chun Shijiu and Lord Cong saw the two of them and shouted in unison, “Why’d you bring someone?!”

Right after shouting, even Chun Shijiu sensed something was off…

Everything happened in a flash—

You Qi suddenly grabbed Zhou Mu from behind, aiming for his arm joint, but Zhou Mu’s vulnerable posture was a total feint. With unbelievable agility, he twisted out of You Qi’s grip, caught You Qi’s wrist in a counter move, and slammed him hard into the door!

“So it was you.”

You Qi, now pinned, finally realized why the opponent last night had seemed so familiar—he never expected it, or rather, he never would’ve suspected Zhou Mu.

Zhou Mu also now understood why You Qi had felt somewhat familiar. That familiar, thrilling excitement bubbled up again. “So you’re not human either.”

Office 404 had all kinds of monster protection laws, and a key one protected students with school IDs. To ensure a safe study environment, the office helped them hide their identities—using tech provided by He Shi.

That’s also why even Zhou Mu, with his sharp senses, hadn’t discovered You Qi’s true identity.

Chun Shijiu and Lord Cong were beginning to understand what was going on…

“Despicable!”

“Coward!”

They each cursed the other.

Then Chun Shijiu shouted, “You Qi, get him!!”

Lord Cong, not daring to tell Zhou Mu what to do, meekly added, “Young master, you can do it…”

You Qi and Zhou Mu locked eyes.

Both of their feelings were complicated. Angry? Maybe not quite, though they had both hidden their identities—and Zhou Mu had definitely twisted the facts.

Surprised to discover they were the same kind? Also, not really… instead, a sense of unfinished business from the night before was reigniting.

It was even a little funny. Zhou Mu had been worried about scaring his human deskmate—turns out he wasn’t human either.

After a few silent seconds, the two beasts decided at the same time: Let’s finish this fight first!

You Qi shoved Zhou Mu back and summoned the wind to attack him. In the sunlight, Zhou Mu’s form overlapped with the fierce opponent from the night before—You Qi couldn’t even begin to describe his awe. Is this really my sweet, cake-stuffed, tummy-rubbing deskmate?

Zhou Mu, for his part, was stunned to find out his doting deskmate could fight so well!

He’d been so careful this whole time—worried any small slip would spook You Qi. Even when eating, he’d held back. But now, letting the wind pull him into You Qi’s arms, he countered with a heavy strike.

Even You Qi was knocked several steps back by Zhou Mu’s strength.

They’d only just started the fight last night before it ended—now Zhou Mu’s eyes gleamed with admiration: another great quality in his deskmate—he can take a hit!

Though they were holding back because they were on the school rooftop, as two naturally talented beasts, they could already sense each other’s strength.

After a few intense exchanges, You Qi was sure now—his cute deskmate wasn’t just a demon. He was a ferocious beast, the kind at the top of the food chain.

Thinking back on Zhou Mu’s usual behavior now… it all seemed different.

You Qi even thought he’d been a bit of an idiot. He couldn’t help but laugh softly.

Zhou Mu, fired up, leapt like an animal and pinned You Qi to the ground. He thought: Even though I haven’t fought in a while since moving, my power’s still just as awesome.

Then he heard You Qi laugh, and his nose scrunched up. He’d fought prey before, but never his deskmate.

Zhou Mu growled, “What are you laughing at?!”

When the deadly beast and the sweet deskmate merged into one image, You Qi realized—he could never see Zhou Mu the same again. “I just remembered—I used to think you didn’t understand much because you grew up abroad.”

Zhou Mu had never felt ashamed about luring prey. The blushing and shyness had always been part of his act. But now, remembering his ‘poor me’ routine made his ears burn a little.

You Qi noticed the bright red tips of Zhou Mu’s ears right in front of him, and the dewy shimmer in his eyes as he looked over. You Qi suddenly couldn’t focus at all…

Chun Shijiu was freaking out. “Enough talking! Get up and hit him!! You’re gonna lose if this keeps up!!”

“….” Lord Cong opened his mouth but didn’t speak.

At that moment, the iron door clanged loudly—someone was violently forcing it open from outside. All four were caught off guard.

“What’s all this ruckus?! Who dares—everyone stop right now!” The Director of Discipline had heard a few words outside and burst in anxiously. When he saw two students grappling on the ground, he gasped. Fighting during class time? Extremely serious!

“What class are you from? Fighting is strictly—” The director’s sharp eyes caught more detail on second glance. He froze, then suddenly roared, with a sharp pivot: “—strictly forbidden! No dating on campus!!”