Chapter 2
Seven hours ago .
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The set-up for Shadow 1A’s was complete . The dining table and chairs were placed in their appropriate positions, sink, gas stove, and ventilation fans all prepared in the backroom . All that was left were the ingredients, tableware, and kitchenware, which had to be delivered before they could start their business .
There were still six hours left before the start of the event, and according to the delivery man, all the things they were currently lacking would arrive within forty minutes . There was enough time to make preparations before the operating hours .
The other classes who had also opened food and drink stalls had prepared all their equipment the day before, but Shadow 1A wasn’t just holding two jobs simultaneously – they had to plan and prepare as well as participate in the Trials . Under these circumstances, where they were short-staffed, they could only work against the clock, consolidating at every step .
Liu Yi Chen glanced at the clock on the wall, her heart that had been stretched taut easing temporarily, and she breathed a sigh of relief .
“We’ll make further preparations after our stuff’s delivered . ” She announced loudly, “Guys, you can take a break for ninety minutes . ”
Everyone let out a cheer . Some headed out of the classroom, intending on visiting the vendor stalls that had started operating ahead of schedule, but most of them remained in the classroom, laying over the desks or lying on the floor to rest .
Feng Ping Lan headed straight for the sick bay .
He stood before the door, knocking twice . There was no answer .
He pushed the door open . The room was empty, with not a single soul in sight .
This was his fourth visit to the sick bay, the fourth time he had missed him .
Ever since the Trials had ended, it had been a whole day since he had seen Quetzal .
He wanted to ask about the dream he had that night, whether it was just his own dream, or something that had really happened, but he couldn’t find Quetzal . At home, at school, there was no sign of Quetzal, and even if he asked Dongya, Byriel or the others, no one knew where Quetzal had gone .
Feng Ping Lan stood by the doorway, looking into that dark and murky room . The lights of the hallway illuminated from his back, his shadow projecting across the floor, stretching into a long, long silhouette .
For some reason, he felt as if Quetzal was present, although the room was completely empty .
He must be overthinking things…
He originally thought there was some kind of connection between the two of them, their hearts linked as one, where one would feel their heart ache if the other bit their finger, but it was all proven to be just wishful thinking on his part, in the end .
Feng Ping Lan chuckled lightly in self-deprecation . Looking at his own shadow on the floor, he lifted a hand .
The shadow of his hand moved forward, breaking away from the source of light, melding into the darkness of the room .
He took two steps forward, letting his shadow immerse in the dark shadows .
Feng Ping Lan closed his eyes, taking a deep breath .
He could feel it, as if Quetzal was by his side, situated in the same space he was in .
He took another step forward .
It didn’t matter if this was something he had conjured out of his imagination . He’d just regard it as practice, practice for how to deal with the longing when it was time for Quetzal to leave .
Another step .
His presence had strengthened, as if he was just within reach .
He extended his hand, his foot taking another step—
Clack!
A miniscule colliding sound rang out, and Feng Ping Lan opened his eyes .
“Quetzal?” Feng Ping Lan spoke expectantly into the dark room .
He turned his head, and realized the windows were open, the chilly winter air blowing into the room intermittently, flipping the pages of the book on the desk .
Feng Ping Lan gave a disappointed sigh . After standing there for a moment, he reluctantly turned to leave .
The doors closed, and the room fell into darkness .
A few seconds later, the sounds of gradually fading footsteps came from outside the door . It was until the footsteps travelled downstairs when the black shadows in the room rippled, soundlessly spinning into a tall and long silhouette .
A figure with stern and pale features stood by the window, his austere eyes as cold as ice lowered, and as he glanced into the darkened room, looking at the spot where Feng Ping Lan had stood, his eyebrows knitted together .
At the public square which was packed full of tents for the vendor booths, the crowds had started to gather . Although there were still six hours before the celebrations would officially start, some classes were already finished with their preparations, and had opened the stalls early .
A crowd had gathered at the center of the plaza, but there were no vendor stalls at the center, only a circular open space . Out of curiosity, Feng Ping Lan also moved closer to get a look .
Standing at the center was Seno, who had changed out of that same casual wear of his for once, switching to a formal suit . In his hands was a sapling . He walked to the middle of that circular vacant spot, bent down, and with a silver shovel, dug a hole, then planted the sapling .
Following that, Seno picked up a copper pot engraved in runes and embellished with precious stones, using it to water the sapling, before muttering an incantation formed from an ancient language . The copper pot was only the size of a fist, yet a steady flow of water trickled from it, and it was only till the chanting stopped did the water stop flowing .
Seno placed down the pot . The ceremony had taken four minutes from the start to finish, but he was already sweating profusely, weariness apparent on his face, as well as the satisfaction of successfully accomplishing something . He then habitually reached into his pockets to take out his cigarette box, using his mouth to take a cigarette out of the box . He was about to light it when he realized the bunch of students surrounding him were staring, so he embarrassedly put the cigarettes back in his pocket and prepared to exit .
“Seno-lǎoshī!” Feng Ping Lan waved at Seno with all his might, he was just too curious on what the sapling would be used for .
Seno paused in his footsteps, and recognized Feng Ping Lan, “You’re that… Yin Su Shuang’s student, the one who got cursed by the regression spell, who cleaned the toilets…”
“I’m Feng Ping Lan!” They had met more than a couple of times, how was it possible he couldn’t remember his name?
“Oh, mm . ” Seno replied, then looked at Feng Ping Lan, scratching his head, “Are… you fine now?”
“I‘ve already recovered! Thank you for your help before this!”
“Oh, that’s nice…” Seno nodded, then looked lazily at Feng Ping Lan, waiting for him to continue .
“What’s that?” Feng Ping Lan pointed at the sapling .
“A Christmas tree . ”
“That little?” That sapling was probably the size of his palm .
“It’ll grow . ”
“In ten years?”
“A little quicker than that…” Seno glanced at where the sapling was planted, an indistinct vibration coming from the flat and loose soil, “In ten seconds . ”
Seno took a step back, simultaneously pulling Feng Ping Lan to the outer ring .
The vibrations of the circular ground intensified, and the sapling at the center suddenly twisted upwards at a rapid rate, spiralling and growing, as if they were observing a high-speed time lapse film, surging above in just a few seconds, instantly transforming into a pine tree as high as eight stories .
“Wow!” Feng Ping Lan looked at the sight before his eyes, crying out in surprise, “Just too cool! Just too awesome! This is just— Eh? Teacher, your clothes?”
Seno had been wearing a formal suit before this, but he had changed back to his old T-shirt, short pants, and Birkenstock slippers somewhere along the way .
“When did you change your clothes?”
“I never changed in the first place…” Seno reached a hand into his pocket, taking out the cigarette box, “That suit you saw earlier was just something created by an illusionary spell . Gemi said I couldn’t be too casually-dressed during the Tree Planting Ceremony…”
Feng Ping Lan blinked . Just how lazy was this guy…
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The students that had been circling around by the side saw that the tree had stopped growing, and approached it once more, taking out delicately-packaged gifts to place under the tree before they left, perfectly content .
“What’s that for?”
“As long as you write down the recipient’s name and address and place them under the tree, the presents will appear in the recipient’s room at a specified time on Christmas . However, the recipients are only limited to those from the Shadow Academy . ” Seno licked his lips, looking extremely uncomfortable, “Is there anything else you need? I want to return to the staff room, I can’t smoke here…”
“Oh oh!” Feng Ping Lan paused for a moment, “Teacher, um, there’s something I’d like to ask you…”
He spoke out his own ideas, and Seno furrowed his brows a little, but still nodded his head in approval in the end .
“Thanks, Teacher!”
Seno gave him an airy wave, then hastened his footsteps to leave . Feng Ping Lan was left standing before the tree .
As the students placed their gifts in a pile under the tree one after another, looks of excitement and anticipation on each of their faces, looking forward to receiving presents of their own, looking forward to surprising the people who received their gifts .
Christmas, huh…
He remembered celebrating Christmas, a long long time ago . He could recall his mother buying a cake to celebrate Christmas, about two or three times .
Jing Lan-gē had always been absent, and he had only ever celebrated with his mom and dad .
Then his mom had gone absent, his dad too .
But he would still bring a cake home every Christmas, celebrating on his own . He figured that if they suddenly came home, they would then be able to celebrate together .
But never once had this assumption come true .
Feng Ping Lan glanced at that gigantic Christmas tree, gazing blankly for a moment, entranced by the presents that were gradually piling up .
“Hey! Feng Ping Lan!”
A shout rang out from his back, and Feng ping Lan turned to see Ivan and Igor, who were wrapped in scarves of the same style, walking over to him .
“What are you doing?” There was a gray ice cream cone in Ivan’s hand, and he glanced at the pile of gifts, asking eagerly, “Are you gonna give presents to a certain someone? Is it me?”
“I’m just taking a look!” Feng Ping Lan looked at the ice cream in Ivan’s hands, “You can eat ice cream?” While the demons could eat various foods as well, they usually had a preference for a certain type of food which they consumed as their staple, keeping to one food type and politely declining the others .
“Yup, this is sesame-flavored . ”
“Does it taste good?”
Ivan gave it two licks, the tip of his tongue sticking to the upper part of his mouth as he savored the taste, “The sesame’s aroma has been completely covered up by the taste of milk, and besides, it’s really icy and my tongue has even become numb . It tastes horrible . ”
“Why are you eating it, then?”
“I was curious . Also, Igor said I shouldn’t waste the food, so I have to eat at least half of it . ” Ivan licked it again, then turned, “Alright, half of it is gone, it’s your turn to eat it . ”
Igor looked at that perfectly intact ice cream, and gave a small sigh . However, he still took the ice cream quietly, licking it in silence .
Ivan continued, “I’ll be taking a look at the gaming stalls, want to come along with me?”
“Okay!”
Pulling Feng Ping Lan and Igor along, Ivan started to sweep through the stalls along the way . He was interested in many things, especially the food, no matter if it was to eat or to drink, he would buy some, then take one or two mouthfuls for a taste before dumping them on Igor .
Igor was a slow eater, and very quickly, the bags of food they were carrying increased .
“Is this really okay?” Feng Ping Lan looked at Igor . “Um, the bags have gotten as many as the strings on tassels!”
The bags hanging on both of Igor’s arms were raised to the level of his chest, a piece of crepe and a string of braised meatballs in each of his hands, the fresh milk on the crepe dangerously close to falling off .
“We have enough money . ” Igor murmured in reply .
That wasn’t the point!
“Can you eat all of it?” Feng Ping Lan asked . 70% of the food in the bags were yet to be eaten . Looking at Igor’s slightly distressed look, Feng Ping Lan scratched his head in embarrassment, “Actually, I’m a little hungry… hahaha!”
“If you do not mind…” Igor lowered his head to look at the crepe in his hand, “You can eat the desserts . ”
“Oh! That’s great!” Feng Ping Lan happily received the crepe . There was a strong fragrance of honey and cream coming from the crepe in Igor’s hand, he had been eyeing it for quite some time .
“…If it’s possible, would you mind taking the cream puffs, frozen treats and milk tea?”
“Yay!”
Igor divided the bags containing the food and gave them to Feng Ping Lan, a faintly relieved expression showing on his monotonous face .
They had already gone through half of the vendor booths . There weren’t just bags of food hanging off Igor’s arms – there was a Japanese pinwheel stuck on his back that would play music whenever he turned; a large string of various key rings hanging off his waist, which would let out a sound or give out light in the wake of the movement of his footsteps; a gaudy handmade necklace hung around his neck, and there was even a cap with an LED light embedded on it placed on his head . As the lights shifted, the cap started to play continuous Christmas songs .
“You treat Ivan really well . ” Feng Ping Lan helped him pull a balloon that could make cat noises with one hand, holding on to the cream puffs on the other, and spoke smilingly, “You’re just like his older brother . ”
Although Ivan was about several times Igor’s age, Ivan was just like a beloved little brother in front of Igor .
“…Ivan is the older brother . ” Igor said as he did his best to eat the kiln-baked pizza, “Not only did he teach me many things, he has always protected me…”
“Is that so!” Feng Ping Lan nodded .
It had been almost four months since he joined the Shadow Academy, and he had started to get a sense of the Summoners’ society . Apart from the contract he had made with Quetzal and the others under special circumstances, which was why their relationship was different from any other ordinary Summoner and their Contract, the most unusual would be Ivan and Igor .
Ivan was Igor’s Contract, but his appearance had been transformed to look exactly like Igor . Apart from their hairstyles, height, and temperament, the two were just like twin brothers . They interacted just like real brothers, much closer than close relatives .
Had Ivan been forced to change his appearance, or was it out of his own will? When did they bind their contract?
“Um, when did you bind your contract with Ivan?” Only when Feng Ping Lan opened his mouth did he realize that, to the Summoners, one’s family background was something extremely private, and unless they took the initiative to mention it, inquiring about these matters was something that was utterly rude . “Uh! That was unbecoming of me, never mind! I’m sorry!”
Igor did not react, merely swallowing the pizza in his mouth before he spoke, “Ivan was the one who chose me . ”
“What do you mean?”
“The Mikhaelvich Family’s first Summoner, my ancestor of twenty-one generations ago, was the one to summon Igor . He established the rule in his contract that any Summoner who made a contract with Ivan had to be chosen by Ivan himself . ”
“That’s allowed?” Feng Ping Lan was surprised, he knew that Summoners had the initial superiority when they made a Contract, but from what he had experienced in the past few months, no Summoner would let their Contracts have such a huge privilege . “Then, your great-great-great… ancestor must have been very close to Ivan to have created such a rule that he could choose a compatible partner!”
Igor paused for a moment, and he looked at Feng Ping Lan, a faint smile rising on his indifferent face, “That is also what I believe . ”
“When did you guys establish your contract?”
“We established the contract the moment I was born . ”
He recalled what his family had told him of the scene at the time . Ivan had pointed at his mother’s stomach, and announced that he, who was still living in his mother’s womb at the time, would be his contractor . Before he was even born, the first part of the contract had been fulfilled by his mother, Kaja, and was only completed when he was born .
Everyone around him had said that Ivan was sly and treacherous, a selfish and merciless demon . That Ivan must have had a motive for choosing him as his contractor, just like how he had originally deceived his ancestor into drawing up a contract which benefited him . Everyone had warned him to put his guard up against him, to establish boundaries between Ivan and himself, else he would be harmed one day .
But he had always believed that it was not as his family described…
“Wow! That’s really amazing!” Feng Ping Lan said enviously, “To have an older brother the moment you were born, you wouldn’t be bored for each day while growing up!”
Igor stared blankly for a moment . Another smile rose up on that tranquil, inarticulate expression .
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“That is true . ”
“Igor! Igor!” Ivan’s shout traveled from the front, and there he was standing in front of a vendor booth, waving excitedly, “Hurry up! Over here over here! I want this one!”
Igor hurried over to complete the task the little unruly devil Ivan had set for him .
Feng Ping Lan observed Ivan and Igor’s interactions, and after a moment, subconsciously reached into his pocket to take out his phone . There were no missed calls, nor any messages .
As he had expected…
Although it came as no surprise, he couldn’t help but sigh .
Hurriedly shoving his phone back into his pocket, as he looked at Ivan and Igor then glanced at the tent of Shadow 1A’s vendor stall, he forced a smile .
As if! This year was different!
—Then, what about the next?
A tiny voice surfacing in his heart, a cold breeze seemed to have suddenly dug into his ear, causing an uncomfortable shudder in him .
Ivan and Igor returned with their loot, cutting off Feng Ping Lan’s thoughts .
“Hurry, hurry! We only have one minute left! We’ll get scolded by Xiao Liu if we’re late!” Ivan urged, then took the lead to rush forward .
The three hurriedly headed for the tent which led them directly to Shadow 1A’s vendor stall .
Six hours ago .
Feng Ping Lan, Igor and Ivan stepped into the tent, and instantly sensed something wrong with the atmosphere .
The three of them were only five minutes late . The students in the classroom did not speak, all of them circling the place near the entrance, without a single trace of the merry atmosphere of a celebration about to start .
“Uh, sorry we’re late…”
Feng Ping Lan was about to apologize, but Byriel shot him a look, smilingly placing a finger to his lips, then gestured for him to enter the room .
With Feng Ping Lan as the lead, they stepped into the classroom, Ivan second, Igor last .
They had originally intended on slipping in quietly, acting as if they had been in the classroom all this while . But souvenirs covering all over Igor’s body twinkled with a dazzling light, performing various sounds and movements at the same time that it was really hard to keep a low profile .
Fortunately, no one took notice, nor did anyone denounce them .
“I was under the impression the humans would decorate the pine trees during Christmas, but I didn’t think they would dress up as Christmas trees themselves . ” Conglong looked at Igor, clicking his tongue in wonder . “Do we have to place gifts by his feet?”
“That’s just the stuff Ivan bought . ” Feng Ping Lan replied quietly, “What happened? Weren’t we supposed to start our preparations for the backroom?”
“We’ve a slight situation . ” Conglong lowered his voice to answer, pointing at where the entrance was, “That woman has been making a lot of calls for some time now, and said a lot of words that would definitely get a show banned on TV . ”
“Is that so?” Feng Ping Lan took a few steps forward, craning his neck forward .
He saw Liu Yi Chen gripping her phone, looking at it with a grave expression on her face, and while it was a distance away, Feng Ping Lan could clearly see the veins of the hand holding the phone bulging .
“Fucking asshole! Pick up my calls!” Liu Yi Chen slammed her phone down at the table in a rage, “Why haven’t our ingredients and tableware arrived? Did the delivery man evaporate into thin air?!”
In the normal course of events, all their goods should have been delivered an hour ago, and the students tasked with collection had gone ahead to wait for him at an earlier time . However, the scheduled time had passed, but no one came . She had called the student in charge of this, but absolutely no one had picked up her calls; she had contacted the seller, but the other had given the reply that she had to inquire about the delivery status from the delivery man .
But the delivery man’s contact number was on the receipt, and the receipt had been taken by the student in charge of collecting the goods . After contacting the logistics company with great difficulty and getting in touch with the delivery man, he told her the goods had been signed by a student an hour ago .
The students and the goods had vanished into thin air, just like that .
Just then, hurried footsteps rang out, and a student ran into the classroom, gasping for breath .
“Class Rep!” The student sent out to take a look hurriedly crashed in, looking as if he had been using all his strength to rush back, “I, I found them!”
“Where are they!”
“At the command center… they’re filling in the forms at the office!” The male student exhaled heavily, “Forms that are related to ‘imported goods’…”
“What?” Liu Yi Chen frowned, “Why is there a need to fill up the forms? Where’s our stuff?”
The male students swallowed a mouthful of saliva, giving her an utterly wretched look, “…They’ve been detained…”
The moment he spoke those words, the entire class was thrown into an uproar .
“Detained?!” Liu Yi Chen stared, slamming the desk agitatedly, raising her voice to roar, “Are our goods ammunition or heroin or what?! Why were they detained? Who detained them?!”
“It, it’s the Food Sanitation Team!” The male student continued to tell them of the information he had gathered, “They said our food and tableware didn’t meet the standards of their preliminary inspections, so they were detained, the students who went to collect them are filling in the forms related to product information…”
“The Food Sanitation Team? What’s that?” She had never heard of such a thing .
“A small group in charge of checking and investigating food sanitation . It’s a newly established group – from what I’ve heard, it’s a cooking patrol team which exists to uphold the quality of the vendor stalls’ food and drink, as well as the prevention of health hazards to students by contaminated products . During this period of celebration, the Food Sanitation Team will have the same rights to correct and expose any wrongdoing as the Discipline Inspection Committee, although their scope of influence is limited only to things related to food and beverage . ”
Liu Yi Chen stared blankly for a second, “Would the Student Council have that many idlers to do such a thing?”
“The Food Sanitation Team isn’t part of the Student Council . Apparently, someone brought up this suggestion on their own accord . They were willing to take charge of this task themselves, and since it was something similar to volunteer work, it was easily approved…”
Such a sudden and perplexing misfortune stunned Liu Yi Chen on the spot . She had arranged and planned every detail, step, and point-in-time down to the very second, but something unforeseen had still occurred in the end .
How could this be…
Feng Ping Lan questioned . “Did any of the other classes have their goods detained?” He had taken a tour around the public square, and nearly all the food and beverage stalls had started their business ahead of schedule . It appeared that no one had been affected by this .
The reporting male student said quietly, “This… Only our class has been examined at the moment…”
Hearing this, Liu Yi Chen’s expression turned ugly, “Who’s in charge of the Food Sanitation Team?”
“Where is the person in charge of Shadow 1A’s vendor booth?”
Almost as if echoing Liu Yi Chen’s question, a conceited and gloating inquiry of someone thriving on drama rang out .
Everyone turned to see a row of students in regular school uniforms and black armbands step impetuously into the classroom .
They were headed by the presidents of the Supernatural Research and Drama Research Clubs, Cao Ji Xian and Reina .
Liu Yi Chen rolled her eyes with all her might, her eyeballs nearly rolling to the back of her head . When she saw both of them appear, the anger that was initially present in her turned into absurdity and contempt at her sudden realization .
“I’ve really had enough…”
“We’re the investigation group tasked with checking the food sanitation of the School Festival’s vendor stalls . ” Reina spoke arrogantly, placing her right hand on her waist at the same time, the words ‘Food Sanitation Team’ printed within circles on her armband, “Are you guys done setting up your stall? Is this the slum housing style? That’s quite creative . ”
“Sorry, we forgot to put up the ‘Whores Forbidden’ sign . ” Liu Yi Chen called out, “Someone, come and show the guests out . ”
Reina’s embroidered eyebrows bristled, “You’d better clean your mouth!”
Cao Ji Xian sneered, “It’s no use even if you chased Reina out, because I am here!”
“So you admit to that woman being a whore?” Liu Yi Chen humphed coldly . “While we don’t have any signs aimed at you, that doesn’t mean you’re any better, it just means you don’t have any ability to distinguish the signboards . ”
“Watch your attitude!”
“Spare us your villainous opening remarks, let’s get straight to the point,” Her expression turned cold, glaring viciously at them, then roared harshly, “Return our goods to us! You dirty little despicable—”
“Class Rep! Calm down! Calm down!”
“We didn’t steal them! They were lawfully detained!” Cao Ji Xian refuted boldly, “The Food Sanitation Team exists just to inspect all catering-related ingredients and utensils, preventing low-quality goods from leaking into the celebrations as well as harming the health of our guests, students and teachers, a protection team that defends the beauty of food—”
“Bullshit!” Liu Yi Chen snarled, cutting off Cao Ji Xian’s self-delusions, “Those armbands look super hideous! You even suck at art design! You’d better learn how to distinguish between good and bad! Bunch of scumbags—”
Liu Yi Chen became increasingly agitated as she spoke, her hand placed on the dinner table gripping onto the decorative flower vase, ready to lash out .
“Class Rep! Calm down!”
Byriel smilingly stepped forward, stopping Liu Yi Chen by pulling her backwards, seizing the flower vase in her hands with one hand and covering her mouth with the other . Liu Yi Chen tried to struggle free, but nothing could surpass a demon’s strength .
“Stay put . ” Byriel whispered by Liu Yi Chen’s ear, “I don’t want to harm you . ”
Liu Yi Chen glared angrily at Byriel, her eyes filled with provocation and resistance .
Byriel gave a wry smile, then spoke again, “Let me tell you a secret . ” He paused deliberately, “I can unbutton a skirt without using my hands . ”
Liu Yi Chen raised her eyebrows, giving him a disbelieving look .
“Want to give it a try?”
Liu Yi Chen stared at Byriel, who had that fashionable smile from start to end, the smile that could woo a crowd of people, which made it hard to sense the truth behind his words .
At last, she decided not to risk her own reputation and became silent, no longer moving recklessly .
“Good child . ”
Feng Ping Lan took Liu Yi Chen’s place, walking forward to ask . “Then, what was your reason for detaining our ingredients?”
Seeing Feng Ping Lan throw his hat in the ring, Cao Ji Xian, who had once suffered losses under him, wavered slightly, but immediately bounced back .
Cao Ji Xian pushed up his glasses, flattering himself as a professional as he spoke, “There’s something wrong with the ingredients your class brought in, too much pesticide residue . In addition, we suspect the food was genetically modified . ”
“You’re just jealous of that fact that the gherkins’ genetics are better than you—” Liu Yi Chen struggled free of her constraints, bellowing, but her mouth was immediately covered up .
“What about the tableware?”
Reina reached out her slender, freshly-manicured fingers, gracefully waving it in the air, “An excess of the plasticizer component . ”
“A bitch like you has too much plasticizer in your chest—” Breaking free once more and shouting, then her mouth getting covered up .
“Additionally, the kitchen implements had an excess of heavy metal composition . ” Cao Ji Xian said, “In short, everything is unqualified, they need to be detained . ”
Reina continued, finishing off Cao Ji Xian’s sentence, “We’re the hosting school, surely we have to be a little more careful, so as not to affect the school’s reputation if one of our guests consumed something bad . “
“Your existence is a blight to our school’s reputation—”
“I see . ” Feng Ping Lan nodded, “So, you guys were able to inspect so many things within just an hour? That’s amazing!”
Cao Ji Xian and Reina stiffened, a trace of guilt flashed across their eyes .
“You guys didn’t even inspect them, did you!” Liu Yi Chen pried off Byriel’s hand to question .
“We haven’t done a thorough examination!” Cao Ji Xian defended, “The Food Sanitation Team aims to prevent trouble before it happens, conducting inspections directed against questionable goods . ”
“What are your standards of something questionable?”
The corners of Reina’s lips curled into an unbridled smile, “The Student Council trusts our professionalism . Thus, the Food Sanitation Team is allowed to make direct judgement . ”
“That’s just free appraisal of evidence . ” Feng Ping Lan laughed in spite of himself .
Although they were being picked on, he didn’t seem to be very angered, he just felt that it was unexpected, a little interesting, even .
“However, we won’t keep it forever, they’ll be returned in three days at the latest . ” Cao Ji Xian had taken the upper hand, but was still showing off his cleverness, insincerely courteous as he spoke .
“Three days? The event will be over by then!” Feng Ping Lan scratched his head .
Aiya, looks like they were in quite a pinch .
“We’re just performing our administrative duties according to the legal proceedings, you can appeal to the Student Council if you have any complaints . ”
“Um, is there a detailed overview of the Food Sanitation Team’s regulations and rules of implementation, such as the units for inspection, the items and contents of your tests, or sequence of procedures?”
“We certainly do!” As if he was just waiting for Feng Ping Lan to voice this question, Cao Ji Xian shouted loudly, pleased with himself, and a little lackey behind him immediately handed over an A4-sized paperback notebook .
“These are all the rules the Food Sanitation Team has drawn up in the light of this celebratory event . All the particulars have been recorded in detail within . ” In other words, they were implying that it was impossible to find any loopholes . “Based on the fact that this is your first offense, you can have this booklet . You may consult it if you ever wish to open your stall again, so as not to make a second offense . ”
“Oh oh! Thanks!” Feng Ping Lan took the booklet in reverence .
He flipped through the rules, the requirements and specifications of the food and tableware written inside in clear detail, so detailed that no restaurant in the entire world would be able to pass these standards . And yet, whether they would be inspected seemed to depend on the Food Sanitation Team’s whims . As long as the Food Sanitation Team did not spot check, even if they did not meet the regulations at all, it did not matter .
“All foodstuffs and tableware ordered from outside the school stands the chance of being spot checked by the Food Sanitation Team . ” Feng Ping Lan looked at the clauses written in the booklet, and asked, “So everything that has nothing to do with food and beverage won’t be inspected?”
“That’s right . ” Cao Ji Xian pushed up his glasses, revealing a conniving expression, “But all the materials brought into the school that have to do with food and beverage, even if they haven’t been spot checked, will need a stamp of approval on the packages before they can be used . ” He glanced deliberately at Feng Ping Lan, “This is to prevent someone from attempting to illegally smuggle something into the school grounds . ”
“Oh…” Feng Ping Lan nodded his head .
The students of Shadow 1A let out disappointed tsking sounds behind him . It seemed many had thought of the same plan as he had .
Feng Ping Lan stared at the booklet, keeping his silence, seemingly as if he was trying his best to study the rules written in the booklet to find a way around it, but had fallen into deep contemplation instead .
Cao Ji Xian let out a victorious chuckle, “Take your time researching it . Our Food Sanitation Team still has many official duties to deal with; you’ll have to excuse us . The vendor stalls were all wonderfully prepared this year, you guys should have plenty of time to take a look around . ”
“If you have any questions, you can always consult the Food Sanitation Team . ” Reina laughed gently, then turned, just in time to meet Renier’s gaze, “Sorry~ Renier, but business is business . ”
Renier glared resentfully at his own sister, muttering, “No wonder Jason dumped you…”
Reina’s face contorted abruptly, “Shut up!”
The two leaders turned, and the Food Sanitation Team left majestically, leaving Shadow 1A at a complete loss of what to do .
Only when Cao Ji Xian and Reina were far away did Byriel release Liu Yi Chen .
Liu Yi Chen was boiling with anger . Although she was itching to rush over, catching up the Food Sanitation Team’s ranks to give them a ruthless beating, there were more important problems to deal with at present .
“What do we do now?”
“Is it too late to place another order?”
“Even if we did, it’s hopeless if the guys from the Food Sanitation Team say they want to spot check…”
Every word and action from the students of Shadow 1A, their numerous and disorderly voices, gave away everyone’s feelings of unease .
“Should we get Class Advisor to appeal for us?”
“Class Advisor told us from the start that he wouldn’t be involved in any student activities, and besides, it feels pretty lame to get help from our class advisor…”
“How about we change the theme . ” Conglong spoke out in the midst of the confusion, telling them about a bold and imaginative idea, “Our restaurant can apply the stories from fairy tales, just like our play . Our food and tableware are all gone, anyway, why don’t we just claim that this is a stall with ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’ as its main theme, and all the tableware and food are invisible to the eye that only intelligent people can see—”
“They’ll just pay us with the Emperor’s gold coins that way!”
“Does anyone have any other ideas?”
A helpless question rang out once again .
“Why are they causing trouble for us?”
Hearing this question, Liu Yi Chen jolted slightly .
She knew the reason . Cao Ji Xian was aiming at their Society Research Club . A while back, she had accused the Supernatural Research and Drama Research of their inappropriate applications of public funds during the joint club meetings .
She was the one to lead them into their current circumstance . If she hadn’t believed herself to be so infallible, so vengeful, this wouldn’t have happened—
Two gentle taps came from her upper arm, and she turned her head to see Byriel holding an unwrapped lollipop, placed above her left shoulder .
“What?”
“Have some candy . Don’t read too much into it . ”
“What do you know!”
“The girls I have dated would sometimes reveal that kind of expression . In less than five minutes after showing me that look, they’d start to say something negative . ”
“I’m not on a date with you!”
“Oh, at a later date, then . ” Byriel smiled, “Don’t read too much into it, there’s still a chance of turning it around . ”
“Why are you so sure?”
Byriel pointed at Feng Ping Lan .
Feng Ping Lan was still flipping through the booklet, an eager expression on his face, not a single sense of despair of someone at the end of his rope .
After a moment, he shut the booklet with a clap .
“Is there a way?” Liu Yi Chen hurried to ask .
“The Food Sanitation Team put quite a lot of effort in drawing up the regulations . They have rules to perfectly counter each ingredient and cutlery that would be brought in from outside, every step of the testing process was even lined up very clearly, they must have consulted a specialist . They’re quite serious!” Feng Ping Lan praised .
“Don’t feed another’s arrogance!”
“However . They placed all their focus on the goods coming from outside the school,” Feng Ping Lan threw the little booklet to one side, “So the goods that already exist within the school grounds are not included in their scope of investigation . ”
“Oh oh!” Everyone’s eyes lit up, as if they had seen a glimmer of hope .
“The tableware and kitchen implements can be borrowed from the Home Economics classroom . ”
“The shops in the central dining hall are still open, I think, we can purchase the ingredients from them, and borrow some from the Home Economics classroom . ”
The atmosphere rose with enthusiasm once again, and everyone started to rack their brains, thinking of any resources they could use in the school .
“Class Rep?” Feng Ping Lan called out to Liu Yi Chen, asking smilingly, “What should we do next?”
Liu Yi Chen immediately dispatched their forces, starting to give her orders, “The students in charge of reception will stay here . The others will disperse to search for ingredients and tableware on campus, come back in forty minutes . ”
“What sort of ingredients and equipment should we take? Are we going to make light meals?”
“No, we’re currently in a state of emergency, just bring everything we can borrow, anything we can use to the classroom, we’ll make do with whatever we have!”
The students scattered at her command, leaving Liu Yi Chen, Feng Ping Lan and a couple of students behind on the scene .
“Hopefully, we’ll be able to get through this . ” Liu Yi Chen furrowed her eyebrows, biting her lip in contemplation .
“What’s wrong?”
“I’ve been practising making light European meals before this . Now that we’re suddenly altering the dishes, I’m uncertain of my ability to cook something that will pull in the crowds . ”
Because they hadn’t had the manpower to engage and arrange the decorations, their main strength had been on the dishes . If their menu wasn’t delicious enough, they wouldn’t attract any customers even if they managed to open their business by a narrow squeak…
“Oh . Personally speaking, even if all our ingredients and equipment arrived without a hitch, we might not be able to pull anyone in, hehe . ” Byriel pointed out bluntly with a smile .
“Why!”
Byriel took out his phone, taking a look at the messages on it, and said languidly, “Ever since this morning, I’ve received invitations from ten lovely girls who hoped that I would spend my time during the celebrations with them, or at least to dine with them . How pure and sweet, am I right?”
“Now is not the time to show off your superficial morals and exuberant appeal to the opposite sex . ”
“Everyone talked about the vendor stalls they wished to visit, but no one wanted to come to Shadow 1A . ” Byriel placed his phone before Liu Yi Chen, “Everyone wants to go to the restaurants with gorgeous, beautiful scenery, and good sound and light effects . ”
Liu Yi Chen glanced at the screen of his phone, turning her head away, “Perhaps that’s just the minority…”
“Byriel’s right . ” Feng Ping Lan spoke, “I took a stroll around the vendor stalls in the public square earlier, and most of the restaurants‘ main selling points were their landscaping and how novel and interesting their activities were . None of them promoted their own menus . The food sold in those restaurants taste ordinary, but with flashy packaging and freebies, it’s good business . ”
Earlier, when he was helping Igor finish up the remaining food, he had eaten quite a few items . None of them could be considered delicious, and they were completely the level of an amateur .
“So?”
“We need to think of something more eye-catching, more amusing, more attractive…” Feng Ping Lan muttered as he pondered .
He entered a state of sluggishness as he reflected, staring at a spot in the air, unmoving, sometimes mumbling to himself, looking like a mental case .
Liu Yi Chen did not interrupt Feng Ping Lan, she had gotten used to this partner who looked foolish, but displayed talents that exceeded many expectations .
”We don’t know what the ingredients that’ll be brought back can be made into, neither do our customers—” Feng Ping Lan paused for a moment, “That’s what makes it attractive!”
“What do you mean by that?”
“We can display all the ingredients we’ve collected, and let our customers choose the ingredients themselves, anything weird and unusual can be cooked in the pan!” Feng Ping Lan said excitedly, “Let’s hold a Dark Hot Pot Convention! You’ll have to finish everything you’ve cooked up yourself! Measured by how fast you can eat, the team that finishes their food the fastest wins a prize! This way our stall won’t be just a restaurant, it’ll also have an element of entertainment!”
“That doesn’t sound too bad . ” Liu Yi Chen pondered for a moment, “However, that’s just making everyone cook hot pot . If we let everyone choose their own ingredients, very few would deliberately choose the unusual ingredients, and it’ll turn into a regular steamboat restaurant in the end . We’ll need to integrate something much more intense, much more exaggerated, so much so that it’s a key element that brings a sense of dread, in order to display the stimulation and quintessence of Dark Hot Pot…”
Feng Ping Lan scratched his head .
Much more intense, much more stimulating, so much so that it was a key element that brought a sense of dread, huh…
He looked to the front, where a slender snow-white silhouette came into view, and something akin to white lightning struck onto his head .
Feng Ping Lan hesitated for a second, and in the tone of a brave warrior determined to cut his own wrist, finally spoke, “Dongya . ”
“Hm?”
Feng Ping Lan took in a deep breath, then, as if he was a doctor who was about to inform his patient of his terminal disease, declared gravely, “You’ll be serving as the chef . ”