Schedule

Since that day, Xiao Yuehua had become increasingly curious about Nangong Li.

Aside from the negative labels circulating online—”The Movie King’s Son,” “Incompetent Second-Generation,” and “Watered-down Deduction Level”—her only other impression of her tutor was that of a “poker-faced, poison-tongued” man.

In truth, Xiao Yuehua had known of him years ago, long before he entered the race for “Movie King,” long before he was trampled into the dirt, back when he was still active as a “genius.”

Born into a prestigious Deduction family, a genius in his own right, collecting achievements until his hands were full, and possessing striking good looks—under such conditions, it was easy for the young Xiao Yuehua, who already harbored dreams of the Deduction path, to look up to him.

It was a mix of admiration and jealousy. She admired his talent, but envied his birthright and natural gifts. Many times, she had thought that if she possessed such talent, or if her own family supported her dreams as his did, perhaps her goals would be easily within reach.

However, a few years later, when Nangong Li suffered a pathetic and crushing defeat in the Movie King competition, and the news attacking him rained down like a relentless storm, Xiao Yuehua’s admiration vanished. In its place was a tiny, hidden, and somewhat ugly sense of satisfaction—the dark joy of the unfortunate watching the lucky fall.

That envy had remained buried in the depths of her heart until today. Yet, upon actually interacting with Nangong Li, her thoughts shifted once more.

On the path of Deduction, Nangong Li did not seem to have had smooth sailing. Contrary to the rumors that he spent his days in luxury, stacking his Deduction power and realm through exorbitant, priceless potions, his approach to Deduction—and even to life itself—was rigid to a fault.

Every tutoring session, no matter how early she arrived, she always found him already waiting in the Deduction Room, studying a script. Although his words were infuriating and his tone often arrogant and biting, he was never without substance. He could always pinpoint the fatal flaws in her Deduction with surgical precision.

It was different from what she had imagined.

Perhaps… just perhaps… could he be a gentle person? His words and deeds made that seem unlikely. Or perhaps he’s just responsible? Even though he completely ignored her outside of their scheduled sessions…

Regardless, she felt that if she understood him better within the academy, it might make it easier to deal with him. After all, if he truly was dangerous, she could detect it early.

“Hello, I’m Xiao Yuehua from the first-year class. Do you happen to know Professor Nangong?”

“Professor Nangong? Oh, I know him. That second-gen… ahem, the famous one. You know, ‘Watered-down Meatball’—that’s his nickname.”

…

“Professor Nangong? He’s certainly a hottie. As for his character? I’m not sure, but I heard a rumor from another class that some person’s classmate’s friend’s sister had her heart broken by him.”

…

“His level? Well… he is a professor, after all, so he’s definitely better than us students. As for how he compares to other professors’ classes… I can’t tell. I don’t understand a word he says anyway.”

It was impossible to get any useful information from the underclassmen; it was all just online slander and tabloid gossip. After thinking it over, Xiao Yuehua decided to seek out the seniors—the upperclassmen who had remained at the academy for advanced studies after graduation.

“Professor Nangong? Why, do you have a crush on him?”

The senior before her flashed an intrigued look and teased her with a smile. Xiao Yuehua’s face instantly flushed bright red as she waved her hands in frantic explanation.

“That’s impossible! Senior, don’t talk nonsense!”

How could she possibly like that arrogant jerk? If she didn’t desperately need the status of a student-assistant, she wouldn’t even meet him a second time. “It’s because I’m currently Professor Nangong’s assistant, so I wanted to ask about him.”

“Professor Nangong’s assistant?”

To her surprise, the senior looked genuinely shocked. “Then you’re receiving one-on-one guidance from the professor every day?”

“Yes, it’s really—”

Xiao Yuehua sighed, about to complain, but the senior patted her shoulder with a laugh, cutting her off.

“Then you are truly lucky.”

“Lu…cky?”

“Yes.” The senior stood up and poured tea for both herself and Xiao Yuehua, settling in as if for a long talk. “You’ve just entered the academy, so you might not understand yet. That man may look cold on the surface, but his reputation among the upperclassmen is actually quite good.”

“Huh?” Xiao Yuehua’s eyes widened.

“Surprised?” The senior smiled. “Actually, you’ll realize it yourself sooner or later. The Academy is completely different from your high schools. The atmosphere here is, in truth, quite cold.”

“How could it be…”

“Because the Deduction Method requires too much. Time, energy, scripts, venues, and the potions to accelerate Deduction power—everyone needs these things, but the sources are limited. So, in the academy, except for special guests and student-assistants, everyone else is a potential competitor.”

“Is that so?”

“Exactly. Beyond that, there’s the need for guidance when you hit a wall in your training. Professors have their own lives; their time for pointing students in the right direction is limited. Therefore, even a professor’s guidance is a resource that requires fierce competition. Many ill-tempered professors can’t even be bothered to answer a student’s question.”

“Are you saying… Nangong…”

“Yes. Only Professor Nangong is different. Although many people are intimidated by his usual cold attitude, if you actually summon the courage to approach him, he will always resolve your doubts.”

Xiao Yuehua listened in stunned silence. She hadn’t expected a simple chat with a senior to reveal the darker side of the academy, let alone…

“Professor Nangong is actually… warm-hearted?”

“He is.” The senior nodded with a grin. “Even though he speaks a bit harshly, he never insults people without cause. In fact, many girls in the academy actually like that side of him.”

“I-is that so? He’s popular?”

“They call him the ‘Iceberg Type’ or something…”

Hearing this, Xiao Yuehua felt a strange sensation in her heart—like the feeling of a favorite eraser being given away by her mother to a neighbor’s child. It was uncomfortable. She brushed it off, assuming she simply couldn’t stand hearing others praise that cold professor.

“But speaking of which, the Professor is also quite pitiful.” As she spoke, the senior sighed.

Pitiful?

Xiao Yuehua couldn’t connect those two words at all. That man acted as if he were above everyone else all day; how could he be called pitiful? Seeing that Xiao Yuehua didn’t believe her, the senior shook her head.

“Do you know about the competition Professor Nangong participated in two years ago?”

“I know. The Movie King Selection Night. Professor Nangong was defeated in the first round. The outside world says he’s a fake genius.”

“Yes, the media wasn’t entirely wrong. The Professor actually isn’t a genius—he is the ‘Hard-working’ type.”

“What?”

“Look at this.” The senior pulled out a document from somewhere. It was a schedule, a repetitive loop between the library, the Deduction Room, and the office. The records were incredibly disciplined, with almost no variations.

“This is…”

“This is a schedule the students kept so they would know where to find him for help.” The senior blew on her tea and shook her head, letting out a heavy sigh. “For two whole years, the Professor has never once stepped outside the academy gates.”