Popularity is everything; I play a super genius

That's why even my fiancé, Su Shi, finds me annoying and keeps avoiding me..."

"?!"

The moment Qi Ji heard the word "money," his gaze snapped up from Bai Lili's chest: "Bai Lili, what did you just say?"

"Huh? Oh, I was saying that Su Shi has been avoiding me."

"Not this sentence, but the previous one."

"My classmate Su Shi thinks I'm annoying..."

"One more sentence!"

"...Is your family very wealthy?"

Looking at Qi Ji's inexplicably understanding gaze, Bai Lili felt as if she had vaguely grasped what Qi Ji meant.

Then, a look of disbelief mixed with delight immediately appeared on his face:

"Huh? Could it be... Saki-kun, are you willing to accept my money?"

"If you need any amount, Saki-kun, that's fine too!"

Upon hearing Bai Lili's outrageously extravagant remarks, the live chat immediately exploded with comments:

"Any amount is fine??? Rich lady! Food! I'm hungry!"

"Is this what a top-tier rich, beautiful, and successful woman looks like?"

"Approachable! Approachable because of its billion-dollar system! Approachable because of its E-value!"

"I really want to be taken care of by Miss Bai Lili!"

"Su Shi! You deserve to die! You even look down on someone as wonderful as Bai Lili!"

"Is it possible that behind the mask of 'Su Shi' (a pseudonym for a woman who seeks to hide from the world) is actually a sweet and lovely young girl? Is that why she's been hiding from Li Li all this time?"

As the eldest daughter of the Bai family, Bai Lili lacks many things in her life, but she is never short of money.

She even felt that the most useless thing in the world was money.

Because there's simply no place in her life where she needs to use money.

For example, when she goes out shopping, everything she likes is free.

The shopkeeper wouldn't accept money from me.

Unexpectedly, this seemingly useless item came in handy at this time.

Bai Lili was overjoyed!

"Saki-kun, please accept this!"

The very next second, Miss Bai eagerly shoved a bulging, faintly fragrant purse into Qi Ji's hand, as if afraid he might change his mind.

"If that's not enough, I'll get you more tomorrow! I have plenty of these at home!"

Saki weighed the money pouch in his hand, feeling the warmth emanating from it. A genuine smile involuntarily spread across his handsome face beneath the mask.

"Bai Lili... no, Boss Bai."

I promise you, I'll make you feel like you got your money's worth every penny you spent!

When it comes to getting paid to do something, Qi Ji values ​​integrity above all else!

Witnessing Miss Bai display her financial power, Huo Mu suddenly looked at Setsuna and muttered to himself:

"By the way, it seems we didn't have to kneel down just now."

In a flash, she snapped, "I didn't kneel! Don't drag me into this, you idiot!"

……

Back in the classroom, Ms. Tsukimi Ren maintained her ever-present languid posture, leaning against the podium with a romance novel in her hands that seemed to last forever.

Only after the school bell rang did he, without looking up, explain the contents of this month's task to the whole class:

"Take a batch of medicine to the front-line outpost, and escort a traveling caravan along the way."

"Liuli will distribute the medicine shortly. Everyone should take a backpack, pack it carefully, and don't lose it."

After finishing speaking, he briefly gave a few more instructions.

After everyone had received their medicine, Ms. Tsukimi took the lead and walked ahead, flipping through a novel.

……

I saw that Saki had also put on his backpack and was standing in the middle of the group.

The other students in Class 8 breathed a sigh of relief, and relieved smiles appeared on their faces.

Last week's Rift Assessment showcased Saki's undeniable strength.

This mission seems simple, but it involves leaving the city and crossing rifts, and no one knows what they might encounter.

Although it was a class-wide activity with a teacher leading the group, there shouldn't have been any problems.

However, the one leading the team is Ms. Tsukimi, who is always engrossed in reading a romance novel!

This guy's irresponsible behavior is really hard to believe.

In comparison, they felt that Saki was the one who could bring them a real sense of security.

……

When the students of Class 8 walked out of the academy, a small caravan consisting of several mule carts had been waiting for them for a long time.

The caravan owner was a kind-looking middle-aged man, with two children who looked no more than seven or eight years old standing close together, appearing somewhat timid.

As a teacher, Tsukimi glanced over and immediately frowned.

He closed the novel and muttered something in a not-so-quite-loud voice:

"Ah la ah la~~ Why are there still children around?"

Speaking of which, my personal favorite things are flowers, the moon, and romance novels.

The thing I hate the most is, without a doubt, human beings.

And among humans, the one I hate the most is—

"As expected, it has to be the most troublesome child."

Upon hearing Yuejian's outrageous remarks, the live chat immediately erupted into a heated argument:

Has anyone asked you what you like or dislike?

"Are you kidding me? What have humans done to you? What have children done to you? Aren't you human yourself?"

"Damn! She's just like my teacher!"

"What kind of bullshit is that? What makes this idiot even qualified to be a teacher?!"

"No, upstairs, although I also dislike this teacher, at least this time she didn't say anything wrong, right? It's not like we're going on a picnic. Taking kids on missions is abnormal in the first place."

Upon hearing this, Qi Ji secretly clicked his tongue.

Having seen the character card for Lao Yue, he knew that Lao Yue ultimately died saving the children in the city.

They died a horrible death...

Therefore—

What an awkward adult!

Faced with Ms. Tsukimi's blunt words, the caravan owner was momentarily embarrassed and quickly explained:

"I'm so sorry! Mr. Tsukimi, it's my fault for not explaining this to you beforehand!"

These two children are the children of soldiers stationed at a frontline outpost. Their parents were seriously wounded in battle, and I'm afraid...

I brought these two children along so they could see their parents one last time...

If you find it inconvenient, we can discuss the compensation further, perhaps adding 20%, what do you think…

Tsukimi waved her hand, frowning as she interrupted him:

"Don't make it sound like I only asked for more money."

"It's fine to bring it, but if something unexpected happens along the way, and it slows us down or causes trouble—"

He glanced at the two children who were cowering behind the caravan owner, shrugged, and said...

"I won't care about them."

"Yes, yes, yes! Don't worry! I will definitely keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't cause any trouble!"

The caravan owner quickly assured him and held the two children tightly to his side.

……

……

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Chain Reaction

Upon hearing this, Ms. Tsukimi glanced at the two little ones, said nothing more, and turned her attention back to her romance novel.

After following the caravan for a few steps, the guy felt that reading a novel while walking was too inconvenient.

He glanced at the mule carts piled high with goods and addressed his students:

"Someone, can you make room for me up there?"

However, thanks to the good reputation he has built up in Class 8 since the start of the semester.

Without a doubt—

No one paid any attention to them.

Tsukimi was a little embarrassed and was preparing to take matters into her own hands and be self-sufficient.

However, there are still some honest children in the class.

For example, Huomu is a fool who never knows how to refuse others.

He rushed forward and quickly hoisted the goods onto his shoulder, making room for Tsukimi to sit.

"idiot."

Setsuna, standing nearby, rolled her eyes at him, thinking that this guy really was an idiot.

"We have a whole day's journey ahead of us! Are you really going to help this scoundrel of a teacher carry goods for the entire day?"

"Weight training!"

Huo Mu chuckled, not at all bothered by it, but rather pleased that he had become someone "useful" to others.

Teacher Tsukimi was naturally not going to be polite about Hōki's realization.

He leisurely sat on the mule cart, crossed his legs, and began reading a novel, thoroughly enjoying himself.

……

The group slowly made its way towards the entrance to the rift on the outskirts of the city-state.

In this world plagued by disasters, while the Rift is a threat, it is not all bad.

Some stable fissures with multiple exits have become natural "teleportation channels".

For example, the two exits of this rift are nearly fifty kilometers apart in the real world, but by passing through the rift, the distance is shortened to one-half of the distance.

It greatly shortened the distance between city-states and strongholds, supporting the fragile cross-regional trade of this era.

This mission requires traversing three rift passages that are rated as Class D.

Because of the presence of the sparse rocks, this level of crack is not considered dangerous.

The biggest trouble actually comes from the journey itself.

As is well known, the terrain inside most fissures is extremely poor.

Twisted vegetation and jagged rocks are everywhere.

In many places, the caravan's four-wheeled mule carts couldn't pass, and the trainees had to manually help.

The group trudged along, carrying the mule cart, but Teacher Tsukimi remained leisurely lying on the lifted cart.