Chapter 60: The Strongest Freshman (Third Update, Chapter Loan)
Boom!
Zhou Chichen slammed his palm hard onto the desk, his eyes blazing with murderous intent—so intense it felt like a physical force.
“One word at a time,” he growled, “Zhang Pianpian… this woman treats Songyang like she owns it!”
Today’s humiliation had been unbearable. He could already see the smug grins on his younger classmates’ faces, the pity in their eyes. His reputation—his authority—had been shattered.
Zhou Chichen whirled around, locking eyes with the student council president, Chu Chengxuan.
“President,” he demanded, voice cold, “are you just going to stand there and let this woman run wild in Songyang?”
Chu Chengxuan didn’t look up from his textbook, flipping pages with practiced speed as he studied. “Zhang Pianpian… she’s a mystery. Her wealth is unverified. And she’s clearly insane. Why stir the pot?”
“Besides,” he added casually, “she’s only got half a year left before university. By then, the upperclassmen will handle her.”
Seeing Chu Chengxuan’s complete focus on his revision, Zhou Chichen realized the man was entirely consumed by the upcoming college entrance exams—no time, no interest, in getting involved in a feud over some madwoman.
But the words still sent a chill through him.
Half a year…
Then he clenched his jaw.
“I’ll wait half a year. Then I’ll deal with Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen.”
At this moment, both Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen were nothing more than corpses in a tomb—protected only by Zhang Pianpian’s shadow. But once that shadow lifted, he’d show them no mercy.
Right now, though, the only one truly on Zhou Chichen’s mind was Zhang Pianpian.
As hatred and shame boiled in his chest, a thought flickered through his mind:
University life lasts ten years. By then, the gap between classes won’t be so wide.
Zhang Pianpian… I really, truly hope… you survive until I catch up to you in college.
---
Outside Songyang High School.
In a private room of a teahouse.
Zhang Pianpian glanced around. “No problems here. We can speak freely for now. There are some things I need to tell you.”
“Sis!” Zhang Yu grabbed her hand, eyes wide with emotion. “You’re really my real sister! Having a sister is amazing!”
Just then—crack!
Zhang Pianpian turned sharply. Bai Zhenzhen was already on her knees.
“I’ve received this great favor today,” Bai Zhenzhen said solemnly, “If you’ll have me, I wish to formally adopt you as my mother. From now on, I’ll obey you without question.”
Zhang Yu protested, “Wait—she’s my sister!”
Bai Zhenzhen smiled gently. “It’s fine, Yu. I don’t care about formalities. From now on, I’ll call her mom, and you can call her mom too.”
As the two argued, Zhang Pianpian spoke calmly:
“The bank balance data was fake.”
What?!
Both turned to her in shock.
Zhang Pianpian’s fingers danced across the air, drawing another seal—but this time, the number above her head read 250,000.
She explained, “The Weiya Charm I used earlier… I modified it myself. It shows a false balance.”
Zhang Yu was stunned. “Can seals really be altered like that? Can they display fake account balances? I never learned this in Dao Arts class—wasn’t it taught that the Eight Great Righteous Gods’ techniques must be used exactly as passed down?”
From thinking his sister was a billionaire, to realizing she was pretending to be one—Zhang Yu felt his world crumble.
Seeing their dazed expressions, Zhang Pianpian continued:
“Remember this: to beat the rich, you must understand how they think. They live by money. So money is their greatest strength—and their greatest weakness. It’s the easiest thing to manipulate. That’s using money against money.”
“And the foundation of all that? Information. To gain it, change it, intercept it… you need powerful seals.”
“Seals are the most advanced tool you’ll learn in high school. Remember this: seals are the most effective, the most powerful. Nothing—no martial arts, no Dao techniques—comes close.”
Zhang Yu watched as Zhang Pianpian solemnly began blowing air into a seal, her face serious. He could almost see the words “Blowing Seals” floating above her head.
The shock of the fake 2.5 billion had faded—but Bai Zhenzhen still clung to her, beaming.
“Mom,” she said sweetly, “what should we do next?”
Zhang Yu, watching her innocent smile, felt a chill run down his spine. It was like watching a thousand-year-old corpse awaken.
Zhang Pianpian spoke again, calm and firm:
“Only half a year until the college entrance exams. After that, I’m leaving for Kunxu Level Two University.”
“That means the time I can protect you? It’s only half a year.”
“After that, the student council will come after you—without my shield.”
“And there’s one more thing.”
“They believe I’m just like them—another wealthy family. They think you’re under my contract. They think you won’t even try for the Top Ten.”
“But if they find out you’re aiming for the Top Ten… they won’t care about my protection. They’ll come at you with ten times the force.”
She locked eyes with Bai Zhenzhen, piercing through her soul.
“So… what’s your plan?”
“Wait to die? Flee Songyang? Or risk everything—your life, your future—to go for the Top Ten?”
Bai Zhenzhen met her gaze without flinching, her expression serious.
“I want to get into the Top Ten Elite Universities.”
Zhang Pianpian turned to Zhang Yu.
Zhang Yu said, “Sis, stop teasing. Me and A-Zhen are both ready for anything. We’re set on the Top Ten. Just tell us what to do.”
Zhang Pianpian gave a slight nod.
“Your current strength is too weak.”
Seeing their defiant glares, she added coldly:
“To succeed as poor kids in the Top Ten… you’re not even close. Not yet. And you don’t even have a way to break through the rich’s blockade.”
“First… become the strongest freshman in Songyang.”
“When you’ve won first and second in every competition this year—when you’re the undisputed top freshman—then I’ll tell you the next step.”
Zhang Yu and Bai Zhenzhen froze.
All remaining competitions?
That meant beating every high school student in Dao Heart, Physical Strength Level, Martial Arts, and Dao Arts—across all three top schools?
Especially Dao Arts… that was a death sentence for poor students.
But at least the next event was the Martial Arts Competition—where both had some edge.
After that, Zhang Pianpian handed Bai Zhenzhen a contract.
“Sign this. You’re now an official intern of the Songyang City Inspection Department.”
Once the contract was signed and confirmed, she dismissed them.
Bai Zhenzhen, however, stayed behind, rubbing her hands nervously.
“Uh… um… about that… Lushu…” she said, pointing shyly at Zhang Yu, who was idly playing with his own Lushu. “Do interns get one too?”
Zhang Pianpian shook her head. “The Inspection Department isn’t that extravagant. No Lushu for interns.”
“And one more thing,” she added. “Don’t tell anyone about my relationship with Zhang Yu.”
“Also… your parents have already been moved to a safe village. You don’t need to worry.”
Zhang Yu froze for a second, then nodded.
Finally, Zhang Pianpian urged them to go back and study, to train hard.
Watching their retreating figures, she picked up her phone.
A woman’s voice answered: “Hey? Piànbǎo? What’s up?”
Zhang Pianpian said simply: “Lend me some money.”
The woman sounded surprised. “You were saving for the Celestial Spirit Root, right? Need more to cover the full price?”
Zhang Pianpian replied calmly: “Had a little incident today. Spent some on spiritual communication. Can’t repay this month’s loan interest.”
“Wait… what kind of incident required spiritual communication?”
Zhang Pianpian’s gaze drifted toward Zhang Yu’s head.
Songyang City Inspection Department Outsourced Employee (Expand Details)
Songyang City Inspection Department Outsourced Employee | Hardened Disciple | Physical Education Talent Student | Songyang City Extreme Poor Population | Loan Slave | Card Slave | ???
When Zhang Pianpian focused on the ???, the system returned:
Unknown Potential. Cannot be defined.
She turned to Bai Zhenzhen.
Songyang City Inspection Department Intern (Expand Details)
Songyang City Inspection Department Intern | Sword Grade | Fist Grade | Palm Grade | Sword Grade | Spear Grade | Medicine Grade | Score Tyrant | Loan Slave | Card Slave | Dao Arts Are Useless Theory | Songyang Black Sheep | She Is Poor…
With another flick of her fingers, two seals flashed in the air.
Above Bai Zhenzhen’s head, a new label appeared:
Unknown New Type of Spiritual Root: Hidden Evolutionary Type — No data available.
The Lushu in her hand shimmered with faint light, pulsing with hidden energy.
When the seals were complete, both labels—??? and the Unknown Spiritual Root—vanished completely, hidden from view.
Zhang Pianpian spoke into the phone:
“They’re better than I expected.”
“Maybe… they can actually keep up with me.”
On the other end, the woman gasped. “Wait… I’ve never heard you say that about anyone. I’m getting excited to meet them.”
—
For those who’ve been eager, I’m lending you one chapter today—three updates totaling nearly ten thousand words. But tomorrow’s two updates will be shorter, I apologize. I write slowly, and pushing too hard risks breaking the story. My top priority right now is maintaining quality and steady pacing. Sorry, sorry, sorry.
Lastly… a quick plea for the monthly votes at the start of the month. Thank you.
(End of Chapter)
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