The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 109: Mrs. Zhang, you wouldn’t want your son to fail, would you?

Chapter 109: Mrs. Zhang, you wouldn’t want your son to fail, would you?

The layout of Academic Residence is different from other places.

In other communities, the entrance usually has a flat space, and those with some spare cash might build a flower bed, or to appear particularly distinctive, they would erect a stone slab with a few words inscribed by some third- or fourth-rate calligrapher.

However, at the entrance of Academic Residence stands a huge blackboard, with rows of chalk-written words side by side.

"This month’s top comprehensive high school student: Building 7, Unit 2, Apartment 502XXX"

"This month’s top comprehensive junior high student: Building 3, Unit 1, Apartment 201XXX"

"This month’s top comprehensive elementary student: Building 3, Unit 2, Apartment 602XXX"

...

"This month’s last place comprehensive elementary student: Building 1, Unit 2, Apartment 303XXX"

All the names were blurry and indistinct, but Liu Zheng didn’t care much, since his kids didn’t live in this community.

Oh, he didn’t have kids at all.

Well, then it doesn’t matter.

"Huh?"

Liu Zheng’s eyes flickered as he seemed to catch sight of his delivery address.

"Eating sashimi while being last in the rankings, if I were the parent, the bowl would have been sent flying."

He shook his head.

Even though he was an orphan, he still had a guardian, and that was the director of the orphanage.

Thanks to that old-fashioned man, his childhood might have been materially impoverished, but his spirit was quite defiant.

Of course, this "spiritual nourishment" mostly referred to supplementary educational books.

As long as a teacher said it was useful, the old man would buy it for him.

Even those private tutoring classes, as soon as Liu Zheng mentioned them, the old man would sign him up.

And if he didn’t mention them, the old man would still go ask the teachers about them.

The old man believed that with a saturation bombing of practice problems, even the narrowest fate could be blasted into a smooth path.

"Lucky you died early, old man."

Liu Zheng smiled.

"Otherwise, you’d be seeing white hair sending off black hair."

He leaned forward, sprinting towards the entrance like a gazelle.

"Stop! What are you doing?"

The security guard in the guardhouse bellowed, immediately charging out.

Under the wide-brimmed hat was a book, the face on it drawn with a 0.5 black ink pen.

"Delivery from Bloody Restaurant, I’m running late, I’ll register when I come out," Liu Zheng shouted back.

"I don’t care if you’re late or not. You have to register to enter the community, it’s a rule," the security guard said unyieldingly.

"Bro, help me out, I’ll bring you a pack of smokes later," Liu Zheng coaxed, winking and fingering a few banknotes.

"You’re insulting me," the security guard said, looking disgusted.

"What do you think this place is? This is Academic Residence. Our homeowners are cultured and civilized people, and so is our property management," he said with pride.

"You..."

Liu Zheng, seeing his path blocked by the security guard, took a deep breath, ready to force his way through.

"I advise you not to act rashly. It’s true we value civility here in Academic Residence, but we also understand physics," the security guard warned, as he extended his hand from his sleeve, revealing a pair of compasses.

The sharp points met, creating sparks.

"You’ve got it all wrong, I’m just in a real hurry. How about this, I’ll leave this here as a security," Liu Zheng said, after some thought, pulling out the "Jiahe New Residence Honorary Homeowner Medal."

"Oh? So you’re an honorary homeowner," the security guard pondered for a few seconds, then picked up the medal with the pointed end of his compasses.

"Fine, I’ll let you in this time, but remember to complete the procedures when you come out," the guard conceded, stepping aside.

"Absolutely, absolutely," Liu Zheng replied, overjoyed and rushing into the community.

With this delay, he now had only five minutes left to deliver the food.

Luckily, Building 1 was just at the entrance of the community.

He sprinted into the building and dashed up the stairs in a few strides, reaching the doorstep of Apartment 303.

"Open up, delivery!"

Liu Zheng pounded on the door frantically.

Muffled sounds of scolding and crying came from within.

No one responded, and after a flurry of knocking, the door remained tightly shut.

With only 3 minutes left until the deadline.

"Open the door, I’m here to tutor your child."

With his brain working at high speed, he blurted out this excuse.

The shouting and crying inside the house suddenly ceased, and all became silent within.

The next second, the door was violently pushed open.

Fortunately, Liu Zheng’s reaction was swift, and he stepped back just in time to avoid being struck directly.

"Where’s the tutor?"

A disheveled woman loudly inquired.

Then, she saw Liu Zheng.

Initially startled, her look quickly turned to one of anger.

"I know you are in a hurry, but please don’t rush just yet,"

Liu Zheng interjected before she could explode in anger.

"You..."

Of course, the woman wasn’t about to simply shut her mouth.

"I’m a delivery person from Bloody Restaurant, but at the same time, I have also worked as a tutor. Out of the more than twenty kids I’ve mentored, five of them were admitted to prestigious universities, and more than half of the rest also improved their ranking by ten to twenty places,"

Liu Zheng said.

He wasn’t lying; to earn his living expenses in university, he did many part-time jobs, and tutoring was one of them.

Moreover, he did quite well, even gaining a bit of a reputation in the tutoring circles near his university, albeit a mixed one.

Liu Zheng had a good reputation among his students but was quite unpopular with the parents.

This was because he would often bluntly tell them they shared responsibility when parents blamed the school or their child for poor academic performance.

"So..."

"Sign for the delivery first, then we can talk about your child’s education."

Liu Zheng gestured to stop her from speaking further.

His manner might have been impolite, but the confidence he exuded made it hard for the woman to refuse.

"If you turn out to be a fraud, I will make sure you pay for it."

The woman glared at him and accepted the delivery.

Liu Zheng said nothing and just blocked the doorway, waiting.

Finally, the deadline reached zero.

"We can begin now."

Liu Zheng stated.

"Then please come in."

The woman maintained basic politeness, not yet convinced he was a charlatan.

"Just a moment."

Liu Zheng straightened his clothes and his messy hair, trying to appear more refreshed.

While each student has different tastes, a neat and professional appearance could always garner more trust.

Seeing his actions, the woman’s expression softened a bit.

"Where’s the child?"

Upon entering the living room, Liu Zheng asked directly.

"Xiao Bao, come out and meet our guest,"

the woman called out.

A chubby boy, resembling a Michelin tire, hesitantly walked out from the bedroom.

He went behind the sofa, using its back to hide himself.

Liu Zheng noticed that the boy was closer to him than to his mother.

It was clear that the parent-child relationship in this household was not harmonious.

"Would you mind stepping aside for a moment?"

Liu Zheng requested.

"What do you mean? I’m his mother; what can’t I hear?"

The woman responded indignantly.

"To understand your child’s situation, I need a quiet, private conversation space."

"Your presence may affect the way your child shares with me. And looking at your current state, you are likely to interrupt our conversation at any moment."

His words were polite but the message was blunt.

As a result, the woman’s temper flared immediately.

In a literal sense.

Black fur began to grow all over her body, sleek as satin.

Her eyeballs turned a grayish-green, like two pieces of jade.

Sharp fangs protruded from her mouth, and her fingernails grew longer.

"How do I know you’re not planning to run away the moment I leave?"

She growled the words, sounding as if she was ready to pounce at any second.