Chapter 76: Being Handsome Really Helps [Seeking Tips]

The ordinary students who had paid their fees seemed to have noticed Xue Jiayi, the only one who hadn’t. Most of their gazes held no sympathy—only schadenfreude and disdain. The few with any compassion simply turned their heads away, choosing not to look in her direction.

Such was the cruelty and indifference of this society. After all, they were merely classmates, not relatives, and without any special bond, no one would help another for no reason. There is no love without reason, and even less help without reason.

Xue Jiayi did not resent Tang Shen. Lending her money was a kindness between classmates; not lending was his right. Besides, Tang Shen had already explained himself—what was there to blame? She could only fault herself; if she had worked a little harder, perhaps she could have scraped together the money.

“Everyone, gather up. We’re heading to the gymnasium, where the awakening serum will be distributed according to the list,” the homeroom teacher announced, clipboard in hand.

At once, the students grew restless, eyes alight with excitement. The moment that would decide their fates had arrived. Would they be as insignificant as insects or soar as dragons? The answer would soon be revealed.

But just as quickly, all movement ceased. Every eye turned toward a single spot.

An unnerving silence fell over the classroom—so still that you could hear a pin drop.

Tang Shen looked at the girl beside him, who seemed to have lost all hope in life, and couldn’t help but smile wryly. She, too, sensed the sudden stillness, looked up in confusion.

“Hm?”

Everyone’s attention was fixed because a graceful figure was walking toward Tang Shen. It was none other than Bai Xue.

Her skin was like porcelain, her beauty reminiscent of a masterpiece.

Bai Xue’s heart pounded with nerves; it had taken a great deal of resolve to approach him. Her bright eyes locked onto Tang Shen’s handsome features.

“Tang... Tang Shen,” Bai Xue stammered, experiencing nervousness for the first time in her life. Even among her powerful family members, she had never felt this way, but now her mouth was dry and her classmates’ stares made her feel exposed and uneasy.

“Yes?” Tang Shen responded, puzzled. A sudden thought flashed through his mind—could this be a confession? Was this the legendary ice-cold campus beauty, with her powerful background and ever-composed demeanor, actually about to do something so impulsive?

Surely not! To think his good looks could draw even the school’s most unattainable flower to confess to him. Or perhaps it was something else entirely. Better to ask first.

He inquired, “Class president, is there something you need?”

“I... I...” Bai Xue hesitated, then finally mustered the courage to speak, a blush blooming across her snow-white cheeks. “Would you be willing to join the Bai family?”

The courage it took to utter these words was immense—especially for a girl like her, known all her life for her intelligence and poise, always the center of attention wherever she went.

Now, she had said such a thing to a boy.

If her elders ever found out, they would surely be furious enough to cough blood.

A collective gasp swept through the class—even the homeroom teacher was stunned. No one had expected the young lady of a genetic aristocrat family to act with such boldness. In her memory, Bai Xue had always been calm and distant from everyone.

Truly, what girl is immune to youthful longing?

Usually, after awakening, students would receive invitations from the state, gene martial halls, and prominent families. But the awakening hadn’t even happened yet! That Bai Xue would take such a daring step was nothing short of shocking.

Tang Shen, too, was taken aback, then gave a helpless smile. “I haven’t awakened yet. What if I fail? Would the Bai family want a useless person?”

It was a practical, honest question.

Bai Xue pressed her lips together, opened her mouth, and then, to everyone’s astonishment, lowered her noble head. Her blush deepened, and in a barely audible murmur, she said, “They might not, but I do.”

Tang Shen: “...”

The entire class: “...”

Everyone was dumbfounded. They had thought that, no matter how much Bai Xue admired Tang Shen, there was no way she would do this. Even if the entire Bai family were present, they would never believe their heiress would act so boldly.

But Bai Xue had done it.

She had confessed, and her words carried far more weight than any ordinary declaration of affection.

Even Tang Shen was stunned. He had never imagined Bai Xue would actually say such a thing.

He had no idea that Bai Xue had investigated him in secret, knew all the details of his life, down to what he ate each day (except, perhaps, in the virtual world).

From the moment she began having him investigated, this outcome had become inevitable.

What’s more, her words carried a deeper promise: even if Tang Shen failed to awaken, she would still choose him.

For the direct heiress of a genetic aristocrat family, especially one as powerful as the Bai family, such a promise was thunderous in its significance.

The implications contained within her words exceeded anything anyone could have imagined.

Tang Shen was reeling. In his memory, he and this young lady had hardly interacted at all, so why would she make such a pledge?

Was he truly so irresistibly charming? So stunningly handsome that every beauty who saw him would fall at his feet?

But he hadn’t even revealed his best assets yet!

Could it be that this heiress had somehow secretly witnessed his “gift” and recognized his extraordinary talent?

A thousand wild thoughts flashed through Tang Shen’s mind.

Meanwhile, the boys in the class were nearly driven mad with envy. Bai Xue’s beauty was unrivaled, her temperament cool yet her disposition universally praised, her family background formidable—a girl destined to soar to the highest heights. And she had just confessed to a boy.

Any man would find it hard to refuse: beauty, wealth, and status all within reach.

Such things were the pursuits of a lifetime for many.

Yet now, they were being offered to Tang Shen—all he needed to do was accept.

The differences between people, the greater the contrast, the wider the chasm. The saying had never been more apt.

Was being handsome really so useful? Could it put food on the table?

Today, Tang Shen had shown them: being handsome truly did have its benefits, and could indeed feed you.

It was as if each boy present had been dealt a crushing blow—a ten-thousand point blow to their pride.

As for the girls, their expressions were complex, some even admiring Bai Xue’s courage. Even if they adored Tang Shen, if he failed to awaken and they succeeded, few would dare to make such a pledge.

For the gap between an ordinary person and a genetic warrior was not just a divide, but an impassable chasm.

The bashful campus flower, so different from her usual cool self, was now even more dazzlingly beautiful—captivating every man’s gaze.

Everyone awaited Tang Shen’s response...