Popularity is everything; I play a super genius.

Chapter 18 The Face Behind the Mask

Her little mouth kept chattering away, never stopping.

Saki didn't even have a chance to interject.

Fortunately, Bai Lili appeared in time, which cured Qi Ji's habit of occasionally feeling embarrassed for others.

"Su Shi, Su Shi! You're amazing! You got second place!"

Bai Lili jogged over, her face showing genuine happiness for Su Shi.

Su Shi waved his hand, about to say a few words of modesty, when he suddenly realized something: "Wait! What number? What number did you say I am?"

"Secondly!" Bai Lili thought this was a matter of course.

After all, the first place winner is Saki!

That's a monster that belongs to a different category now.

"Second?! Then who is first...?"

"Of course it's Qi Ji! Su Shi, you have no idea how powerful Qi Ji is! Let me tell you, we encountered a horde of Void Beasts in the rift, and their leader was a second-tier upper-level..."

Bai Lili, bursting with a desire to share, pulled Su Shi aside and began to recount, like spilling beans, how Qi Ji displayed his divine power, how easily he defeated the Scorpion King, and how he guided Huo Mu and Sha Na to achieve self-breakthrough...

Su Shi stood frozen in place, her face beneath the mask alternating between red and white.

His earlier remarks, "I'm number one" and "You can only compete for second place," now seemed to transform into countless invisible slaps, relentlessly striking her own face.

Viewers in the live chat couldn't help but laugh at the contrast between his appearance before and after the lawsuit.

"Hahahaha! Public execution!"

Even masked characters have differences!

"The smile doesn't disappear, it just moves on!"

Suddenly, standing on the outskirts of the crowd, I saw my name at the top of the list.

A+, tied for third place with Wuma Ling from Class 1.

She subconsciously looked at Wu Ma Ling, only to find that he was also looking at her.

"Aya." The girl gave her a somewhat awkward smile.

She quickly averted her gaze and coldly tossed out, "Don't call me by that name."

Then, as if fleeing, they quickly left.

The next moment, I saw Saki.

Thinking of something, she quickly stepped forward and expressed her gratitude to Qi Ji.

Along with it, there is also fire and wood.

With his A grades, Huomu successfully made it into the top ten of both classes.

Both of them were well aware that they could never have achieved such a high score on their own.

The person I need to thank the most is undoubtedly Saki.

Qi Ji simply waved his hand dismissively, "Why thank me? You earned this yourselves, it's your own ability, but—"

As Qi Ji spoke, he suddenly changed the subject, revealing his true intentions.

"If you really want to thank me... then please treat me to dinner."

"Huh?" She was stunned for a moment, then a blush of embarrassment appeared on her face.

Given her current financial situation, it would be difficult for her to take Saki to a decent restaurant, but if she just goes to the cafeteria...

That's too shabby and too impolite!

"Next time...can I invite you again next time?" she said in a slightly embarrassed voice.

Huomu, however, did not have so many concerns.

In his view, if someone is willing to have a meal with him and let him treat them, it means that the other person considers him a friend.

Since we're friends, there's no need to worry too much about treating each other!

Although he has never made any friends.

But he felt that way by putting himself in their shoes.

and so--

"How about ramen?" Hōki suggested.

Upon hearing this, Shana looked at Huomu with an incredulous expression.

I thought to myself, what nonsense is this guy talking about!

Who would treat someone to ramen when they're having a meal?!

As the former eldest daughter of the Wuma family, Setsuna's mind simply did not allow her to have such undignified thoughts.

However, the next moment, she heard Qi Ji readily agree:

"Ramen? Sure!"

Saki even put his arm around Hōki's shoulder, as if afraid the other would change his mind, and pulled him towards the cafeteria: "Come on, come on! I'm starving!"

Huo Mu was flattered by Qi Ji's intimate treatment!

He originally thought that Qi Ji was a very aloof genius who was distant from people and treated everyone with the same indifference.

After all, at noon on the rooftop, the other person gave him a very impatient and unapproachable feeling.

but……

It seems he misunderstood?

At the time, the other person was simply in a bad mood because their afternoon nap was disturbed.

Huo Mu suddenly felt a little happy, as if he understood Qi Ji better!

"..."

Watching Sakiji embrace Himuki and happily walk away.

For a moment, I was stunned and thought, "This works?"

Should I follow suit and treat Saki to ramen?

It can save a lot of money...

……

Saki was in a good mood.

Getting a shot of Huomu on camera and getting a free dinner was a win-win situation!

When the two arrived at the cafeteria, Huo Mu eagerly went to queue at the window, but Qi Ji grabbed him.

"Wait a minute." Saki glanced at the time. "Let's wait another ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Huo Mu asked, puzzled.

"After 7 p.m., many unsold dishes in the cafeteria will be discounted."

Saki lowered his voice and shared his valuable life experience.

"That includes ramen, which can be about a third cheaper!"

Witnessing this, the comments section burst into laughter:

"Here it is! Your brother Ji's money-saving tips!"

"Huomu: I've learned something!"

As the comments on the screen showed, Moki Makoto had an excited look on his face, as if he had "learned something".

"Is there really such a good thing?" He immediately rubbed his hands together, looking expectant, and sat down with Saki in an empty corner of the cafeteria, starting to count down the time eagerly.

If it were someone else, they definitely wouldn't have the nerve to treat someone to a discounted meal.

But Huo Mu had no such thoughts at all. Instead, he admired Qi Ji even more, feeling that Qi Ji knew a lot!

Being with him makes me feel like I'm improving every moment!

At seven o'clock sharp, the two rushed to the discount window and successfully bought a large bowl of ramen after the discount.

While eating noodles, the lower half of Saki's mask automatically disappeared, revealing his thin lips and handsome jawline.

Huo Mu was stunned, both amazed by the magic of the Qi Ji mask and shocked by the handsomeness hidden beneath it.

Even if you only catch a glimpse of half a face, you can clearly feel that extraordinary handsomeness!

The comments section also erupted at that moment:

"Wow! So handsome?!"

"What do you think? In all the anime I've watched, not a single masked character is ugly!"

"Hilarious! If I had a face like that in real life, I'd love to show it off to everyone every day. Wear a mask? Are you kidding me!"

"Saki-san...your face..." Hōki couldn't help but ask.

"What's wrong?" Saki asked, slurping up his noodles.

"N-nothing..." Huo Mu scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "I just... I thought you always wore a mask because you had an injury on your face, or... it wasn't convenient for you to see people."

After all, unlike the Thousand Faces family, wearing masks is a family tradition.

A genius who isn't from a family of chameleons and always wears a mask is bound to arouse speculation—

Is it because of any damage to one's appearance or something unsightly?

……

……