CDJMM – Volume 2 – Chapter 9 The State Slaps and Teaches the Scum a Lesson (9)

Let’s rewind the clock a few days, back to May 19th, before the special task force had even been established.

At that time, Comrade Canned Food, who had not yet been ensnared by the net of the state machine, had already been discharged from the hospital and was now forced to pick up a family-drama script to battle his troublesome Aunt.

This matter has to start from the reason why Le Jing fainted.

Although the will of the world made Le Jing faint during the exam to maintain the storyline, even fainting has to follow some basic rules. The will of the world couldn’t just knock someone unconscious or kill them because it didn’t like the look of them. That would violate the internal algorithmic logic of the world’s will (or, in other words, the system program).

Therefore, it arranged a logical reason for Le Jing’s collapse: acute food poisoning caused by eating undercooked string beans brought by his Aunt Xie Yan. He fainted suddenly in the exam room, was rushed to the hospital by the teacher, and ended up missing the following exams. This way, his grades matched the plot requirements of the original story.

In response, that “wonderful” relative, Mrs. Xie Yan, delivered a tearful and heart-wrenching speech to Xie’s mother and the neighbors: “Those beans were grown by me! I eat them all the time, they’re so fresh and tender! Even I, an old woman, eat them without any problem. How come this healthy young lad ate them and ended up like this? Sigh, it’s all my fault! If only I hadn’t brought you those beans. I’ve been cooking for half my life, and now I can’t even stir-fry beans properly… wuwuwu…”

Before the neighbors could say anything, Mother Xie’s temper completely dissolved, and she began crying along with her sister: “Elder sister, please stop crying. Xiaojing and I both know your intentions. He won’t blame you for this. You didn’t mean for it to happen, it’s just our bad luck this time.”

After saying that, she even shot Le Jing a look: “Quick, comfort your aunt.”

For the first time, Le Jing experienced what it truly meant to be “at a loss for words, choked with grief.” It was also the first time he’d ever seen such a pushover like Mother Xie.

If it were his biological mother, Ms. Chen Mansi, she would probably already be secretly plotting how to kill and dismember someone by now. Don’t misunderstand—this wouldn’t be out of motherly love seeking revenge for her son. No, it would purely be because this gave the ever-bored Ms. Chen a righteous excuse to kill someone.

No wonder, in the original story, Mother Xie was tricked out of all her property by her elder sister, ultimately losing her life.

At this point, System No.77, who was always clamoring for Le Jing to slap scum and show off, gave an uncharacteristically bizarre response:

【Host! I’ll help you call the police! We’ll get your aunt arrested! Don’t bother with these trivial matters. Your future lies in the stars and the sea! You are the man who will help Huaxia cheat!】

Le Jing raised his eyebrows. “You’re not urging me to slap scum for the ratings anymore?”

Before 77 could answer, the livestream audience jumped in eagerly:

【Chèn Shí Yún Rǎn: Who cares about ratings ahhhh!!! For someone as knowledgeable and thoughtful as the streamer, you should be building socialism ahhhh!】

【Yú Jìngqiū: 77, how did the country react to that letter?? When will they come find the streamer???】

【Zhèn Jìngjì: I don’t even bother with my neural-brain games anymore, I just camp in this livestream every day, scratching my heart and lungs, desperate to know when the streamer will finally connect with the nation and help them cheat to rewrite world history (Little Yellow Chicken.jpg rubbing hands in anticipation).】

【Yuè Yǔ: This is my first time seeing a transmigrator voluntarily exposing himself to help the nation cheat!! This unexpected plot twist, I! Really! Love it!】

【Shì Yī Yī Bùshì Yī Yī: Once upon a time, I was just a vulgar woman obsessed with scum-slapping and face-smacking. But now, my ideological level has been elevated! Scum-slapping is nothing compared to the nation turning on cheat mode (thumbs up).】

【Lùzi: From Starblog, is this that new streamer who handed himself over to the nation? 666!】

【Nuò Nuò: I’ve already transcended the lowly pleasures of scum-slapping. Now I’m just a blood-and-iron straight woman who only wants to witness the rise of a great power ╮(╯▽╰)╭】

【Yī Rén Wèi Lái: Blood oath! Streamer, stop wasting time! Hand yourself over to the country as soon as possible! With the nation as your backer, your aunt is nothing but cannon fodder!】

【Wǒ Zì Yāoráo Wǒ Zì Shēng: Same here from Starblog. Didn’t the streamer say he’d use his transmigrator advantage to give the nation cheat codes? Why is the livestream name still so… emmmm】

【Tiān Yuán: System, remember to change the livestream name.】

【System Notification: System No.77 has renamed the livestream from “Cannon Fodder’s Counterattack: Slap Scum and Show Face” to “Crossing into the Eighties and Nineties: Helping the Nation Cheat.”】

【Host, do you know how many viewers are online right now? That’s right—ten million!!! And the number is still skyrocketing! Your personal fan count has already hit a staggering two million! You are now without a doubt the number one rookie on the Golden Chart!】

Even 77’s usual cold mechanical tone couldn’t hide its excitement:

【All of this began when you chose to send that letter to the nation! Host, do you realize you’re already trending on StarNet?! Huaxia people across eight human-populated planets, including Mother Earth, are flooding into your livestream! In just these few seconds, the online viewership has grown by another two hundred thousand! Host, you’re really on fire now!】

Le Jing: “…”

I used to think that so-called scum-slapping was a waste of time. Now I must admit, System, maybe your earlier demands had some merit.

System: 【???】

During this period, Le Jing had been deeply engrossed in studying, so much so that he unintentionally neglected Xie Yan—the very culprit who, in the original book, caused the tragic downfall of the original host. At the core, it was still because of his arrogance.

It was arrogance that made him dismiss Xie Yan, this petty and scheming little character, leading to his own downfall.

Even though, strictly speaking, even if it hadn’t been Xie Yan, the will of the world would still have arranged some obstacle to prevent him from passing the exam, in order to maintain the plot.

But this time, his food poisoning truly was the result of his own arrogance. When he was gazing at the stars above, he forgot to watch the stones under his feet.

Where he fell, that’s where he had to stand back up again. Le Jing resolved to take this lesson to heart. He would never again underestimate any so-called “small character.”

“Alright, you two have cried enough, haven’t you?” He folded his arms, speaking impatiently to the two sisters who were sobbing their hearts out and making the neighbors laugh.

Mother Xie paused mid-cry, looking at him in shock. “Xiaojing?”

Even Xie Yan was taken aback, her eyes flickering as if some nasty scheme was forming in her mind.

Le Jing couldn’t be bothered to play family-drama games with her, so he decided to crush the matter head-on with brute logic: “I don’t care whether Aunt did it on purpose or not, but the fact is that I got sick and missed the exam.”

“Mom, do you realize? With my grades, I could have gotten into the Hongzhi Class this time. I had already spoken with the teachers. I was supposed to take the science stream’s monthly exams to get in. Once in Hongzhi, not only would I get a thirty-yuan stipend each month, but I’d also be guaranteed a spot in university in the future.

But now, because of Aunt’s undercooked beans, my future is ruined. If I can’t get into university, I won’t find a job, and in the future, I might not even have money to support you.”

Le Jing smiled, calm and almost indifferent: “But it’s fine, isn’t it? After all, there’s still Aunt.” He cast a meaningful look at Xie Yan, whose eyes were darting nervously. “Since Aunt’s carelessness destroyed my entire future, then you, as her elder sister, taking care of her in her old age shouldn’t be too much to ask, right?”

“You child, how can you say something so terrifying! How did I destroy your future…”

Le Jing cut her off flatly: “Enough, Aunt. No need to explain. I admit it, I’m petty. This is a hurdle I’ll never get over. From now on, I’ll never be able to trust you like before.”

He turned to his mother, delivering his ultimatum: “Mom, it’s up to you now. Do you want me, your son, or your sister? If you feel your sister is dearer, then I’ll leave right now and never stay in this house again. If you feel your son is dearer, then sever ties with Aunt from this moment on—no more contact ever.”

Mother Xie froze on the spot, completely at a loss. “Why are you suddenly saying things like this? How did it get this serious? Don’t talk nonsense, you’re just a child…”

Le Jing let out a derisive laugh, not bothering to argue further. He simply nodded. “So, you’ve chosen your sister. Fine then. I’ll leave right now. I won’t stay at home anymore. From now on, you and your sister can live happily together.”

“Hey! Where are you going?” Mother Xie grabbed his arm tightly, unwilling to let him go.

Le Jing turned his head and gave her a look colder than she had ever seen before—like he was staring at a stranger. “My mother gave me up for her sister. Why should I stay at home?”

Taking advantage of her momentary daze at his expression, he quickly pulled free and bolted downstairs, ignoring her desperate cries echoing behind him.

He had already decided—he’d stay at a guesthouse for a few days, giving his muddle-headed mother the cold shoulder. Let her think hard about what mattered more: her sister or her own son. If, by then, she still couldn’t make sense of it, then they would no longer need to meet again. Le Jing would simply send her living expenses every month, to honor the bond between her and the original host as mother and son.

The incident of Le Jing collapsing in the exam hall caused a huge stir throughout the entire grade. Many students had heard the loud sirens of the ambulance driving into the school, and after some inquiry, learned that a boy from Class 9, Grade 11, had fainted during the exam.

Word spread like wildfire. Soon, the story of “Le Jing fainting due to food poisoning” evolved into a rumor that: A boy in Grade 11 collapsed in the exam hall, vomiting blood, because the exam questions were too difficult. (… )

This slightly ridiculous rumor, however, became incredibly popular among high school students burdened with heavy academic pressure. The more it spread, the wider its reach—eventually even students from other high schools in Baicheng had heard whispers of it.

Without realizing it, Le Jing had gone viral. But that was all for later. For now, as he hadn’t returned to class yet, he had already become a hot topic in the teachers’ office.

Two days after the monthly exams ended, teachers had worked overtime to finish grading all the papers. With the results tallied, they began marveling over the score sheets.

What amazed them wasn’t the student who took first place with 650 points, but rather the student who scored 448 points—ranking 258th out of 500 science-track students: Le Jing.

He had fainted during the politics exam and was rushed to the hospital by the proctor, missing the rest of the English, biology, and chemistry exams.

To get into Hongzhi Class, Le Jing had deliberately taken the science stream’s monthly exam. The subjects were: Chinese, English, Math, Politics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology. Chinese and Math were each out of 120, English, Politics, Physics, and Chemistry out of 100, Biology out of 70—a total of 710 points.

At that time, Politics was a compulsory subject for both science and humanities students. This meant that during the national college entrance exams, science students had to take 7 subjects, while humanities students only needed 6. The full score for humanities was 640.

So, despite missing English, Biology, and Chemistry, and only completing 30 points’ worth of questions in Politics, Le Jing still scored 468 points. Except for losing two points in Chinese, all his other subject scores were perfect.

Wang Lei sighed regretfully: “What a pity. Otherwise, Chang Jingchen would definitely have ranked first in the whole school.”

The Politics teacher reassured: “It’s fine. There’ll be plenty more monthly exams. Next time, Chang Jingchen will definitely make it into Hongzhi Class.”

The Geography teacher also marveled: “Oh my, in all my years of teaching, this is the first time I’ve seen such a brilliant student. You know that new student, right? He acts so arrogant, but in the end? He only scored two points higher than Chang Jingchen. And remember, Chang Jingchen missed four exams!”

Wu Zhongming sneered: “So what does that prove? Money can’t buy intelligence. No matter how rich they are, stupid is still stupid.”

Meanwhile, Wen Wenzhong had been eavesdropping outside the office and heard everything clearly.

Swaggering into the classroom, he strutted up to Li Yian, who was lounging lazily with his legs crossed. This guy had been insufferably smug ever since learning that Chang Jingchen had missed his exams due to illness.

“Trash,” Wen Wenzhong spat. “What are you so proud of? Chang Jingchen missed four subjects and his total score is only two points less than yours. Do you realize how stupid that makes you look?”

Li Yian: “…”