Chapter 2: beat up

Qingcheng Jiayuan.

Building C, 606.

When Qiao Sang returned with her mother, she was still a little dazed.

After all, she had endured nearly two hours of spit-flying lectures at school. If Lao Ban’s stomach hadn’t rumbled later, he probably would have continued his criticism and education.

Qiao Sang went to the bathroom and washed her face twice.

She looked at herself in the mirror; her facial features were delicate, exactly like her previous life.

She was just much younger, with a plump face and baby fat.

“Come out and eat,” her mother’s voice came from the living room.

“Coming.”

Qiao Sang responded, then quietly washed her face again.

Upon entering the living room, her mother Ye Xiangting’s sharp gaze fell upon her. “The dishes are cold. I just reheated them. Hurry up and eat.”

In fact, the original Qiao Sang’s family had many similarities to hers. Not only did her parents look alike, but both were from single-parent families.

The original owner’s father wasn’t missing, nor did he die young; it was simply a divorce.

They divorced when the original owner was 3 years old. Her father, Qiao Wangyang, remarried the year of the divorce and even had a daughter, who is now 14 years old.

This was quite intriguing…

Perhaps feeling guilty towards the mother, he left both the child and the house to her during the divorce.

Her mother, Ye Xiangting, did not remarry. She earned money and raised Qiao Sang by herself.

Fortunately, her mother was an E-level Beastmaster, owning a Faith Weng and a Fat Home Dove.

She usually earned money by renting out her Pet for others to fly and sightsee, leading a relatively relaxed and comfortable life.

Life hadn’t turned her into a haggard woman, but it had transformed her into a strong woman who was outwardly gentle but inwardly firm.

Qiao Sang deeply understood this.

Her mother accompanied her through two hours of Lao Ban’s scolding, yet she managed to resist beating her when they got home.

So strong!

But this really wasn’t her fault. The yu beast codex was in her mind and couldn’t be taken out. She hadn’t contracted any extraordinary creatures either. If she didn’t go to the Yu Beast Center for a check-up, she really couldn’t prove that she had awakened on her own.

Qiao Sang ate her meal, not daring to speak.

Although her mother was a strong woman, there was no guarantee she would remain strong indefinitely.

“Take a day off tomorrow. I’ll take you to the Yu Beast Center,” her mother said, looking at Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment. “What are we going to the Yu Beast Center for?”

“Didn’t you say you’ve awakened on your own? We need to get a check-up and a certificate so we can go to the Pet base to choose a Pet,” her mother explained.

Since she had awakened, it was naturally better to choose a Pet as early as possible.

Qiao Sang was shocked. “You believe me?”

A smile flashed in her mother’s eyes. “You’re my daughter. How could I not know you? Although you’re a bit silly, you wouldn’t lie about something like this at such a crucial moment.”

Qiao Sang felt a complex mix of emotions, unable to describe the feeling. In fact, her mother in this world not only looked like her previous mother but also had a similar personality.

“Mom, since you believe me, why did you watch me get scolded for two hours without saying anything?”

Her mother smiled, this time a very chilling smile. “Self-awakening is one thing; scoring zero on the exam is another. I haven’t even asked you yet, why did you score zero?”

Qiao Sang: “…”

…

…

The next morning.

At the entrance of the Hang Port Beast Center.

A plump extraordinary creature, about three meters long, entirely brown with red tail feathers, descended from the sky.

Qiao Sang excitedly dismounted from the Fat Home Dove. It was her first time experiencing such close contact with the sky, and it was incredibly thrilling.

She decided then and there that she must contract a Flying-type Pet in the future!

“Fat Home Dove, thank you for your hard work,” her mother said, stroking it.

“Jiu bi~”

The Fat Home Dove flapped its wings and nudged its large head against its mother, rubbing affectionately as if to flirt.

Her mother waved her hand, and a faint light shone on the Fat Home Dove. The next moment, it vanished from the spot.

No matter how many times Qiao Sang saw it, she found it magical.

These things couldn’t be explained by science in her previous life.

Entering the Hang Port Beast Center, her mother led her directly to service desk 37.

Before the Staff could speak, her mother said, “Hello, we’re here for a brain region scan.” She then gestured for Qiao Sang to take out her information card.

Qiao Sang obediently took out her information card.

The Staff scanned it. “Hello, 500 alliance coins.”

Humans, relying on the ability of Yu Beast, had already left Blue Star and developed and occupied three other habitable planets.

The unified currency used on all four planets was alliance coins.

After her mother paid, the Staff registered the information and handed the card back. “You can follow the Qiaoli Fruit inside.”

A green Qiaoli Fruit, less than a meter tall, appeared behind the Staff.

Its head was round, with a pair of green antennae with yellow tips, and it wore a Staff ID badge on its chest.

As a plant-type Pet, Qiaoli Fruit had a gentle temperament and was always popular, especially with girls.

“Qiaoli.”

It came before Qiao Sang, and its three-toed right hand made a gesturing motion, appearing very professional.

As the capital city of Zhehai Province, Hanggang City’s Hang Port Beast Center was naturally the largest Yu Beast Center in Zhehai Province.

Qiao Sang followed the Qiaoli Fruit for a full ten minutes before reaching the brain region scanning area.

The Qiaoli Fruit scanned its ID badge on the identity recognition device outside the door.

“Qiaoli.”

Once the door opened, it called out to Qiao Sang.

Her mother calmly said to Qiao Sang, “Go in.”

Her mother’s face was calm, but her eyes held anticipation. It was clear that although her mother believed her, she was still nervous before getting the results.

Qiao Sang followed the Qiaoli Fruit inside.

What met her eyes was a short-haired female researcher in a white lab coat and a Bubble Bell floating in the air.

Qiao Sang had just read about Bubble Bell, this extraordinary creature, in a book the day before, and she didn’t expect to see a live one so soon.

Bubble Bell had no gender differences and belonged to the Superpower System, making it a relatively rare Pet.

In fact, extraordinary creatures of the Superpower System were generally quite rare.

There weren’t many in the Pet base either, perhaps only five or six a year, starting at millions of alliance coins, which most ordinary families couldn’t afford.

She’s a rich woman.

Qiao Sang immediately labeled the short-haired female researcher in the white lab coat before her.

The short-haired female researcher was busy typing on the computer and didn’t seem surprised to see the Qiaoli Fruit and Qiao Sang enter, apparently having already received Qiao Sang’s login information in advance.

“Go sit over there,” she said, pointing to a single sofa nearby.

Qiao Sang went to the designated spot and sat down.

It was just an ordinary sofa, nothing special about it.

“Bubble Bell,” the short-haired female researcher called out to her partner without looking up.

“Ling.”

Blue light suddenly emanated from Bubble Bell’s body. Before Qiao Sang could understand what it was doing, a silver helmet connected by more than a dozen equipment lines floated over from dozens of meters away and landed on her head.

This scene made Qiao Sang’s eyes light up.

This ability was so convenient, it was practically a lazy person’s artifact!

“Don’t move.”

The short-haired female researcher still didn’t look up, but Qiao Sang knew the words were for her.

The silver helmet on her head didn’t obstruct Qiao Sang’s vision. She clearly saw the short-haired female researcher slowly frown as she looked at the images and data transmitted from her equipment.

Qiao Sang immediately tensed up.

There wouldn’t be any problems, would there?

The short-haired female researcher had a serious face, and when she was expressionless, she resembled a school’s dean of students, let alone with her current stern expression.

Especially with her identity and what she was doing, it made Qiao Sang’s heart pound in her throat.

“Did you awaken on your own?” the short-haired female researcher suddenly spoke.

“Yes, older sister, is there something wrong with me?” Qiao Sang asked nervously.

“No, don’t be nervous.” The short-haired female researcher noticed the girl’s unease and forced an unnatural smile on her stern face, as if to comfort her.

Quite frightening…

Qiao Sang became even more nervous.

“Including you, there are only 6 children in our city who have awakened on their own this year. Your grades must be very good, right?” the short-haired female researcher asked.

Top students don’t necessarily awaken on their own, but those who successfully awaken on their own are all top students.

Qiao Sang: “…”

You can say she’s smart or talented, but why bring up her grades?

Qiao Sang knew she was trying to alleviate her nervousness, but if you’re not good at small talk, don’t force it…

“I’m basically third place,” Qiao Sang said, her face not flushing and her heart not pounding.

“Third place in the whole school is still good. Many first and second place students can’t awaken,” the short-haired female researcher said, her smile stiff but her voice gentle.

“I’m already first place in this mock exam,” Qiao Sang said, no longer nervous.

“After awakening, the brain region will develop by 2%. For those who awaken on their own like you, it’s usually around 5%. It’s normal to make sudden progress,” the short-haired female researcher explained Qiao Sang’s first-place exam result.

Qiao Sang: “…”

About two minutes passed.

The short-haired female researcher looked up and called out, “Bubble Bell.”

“Ling.”

Bubble Bell used its Superpower to put the equipment from Qiao Sang’s head back in its original place.

“Congratulations, your self-awakening was very successful. There are no other problems with your brain region; it’s just that the fluctuations in your brain region are a bit large. You need to rest well recently and eat more dried fruits.”

The short-haired female researcher took out a certificate, signed it, stamped it, stood up, and handed it over.

“Thank you.”

Qiao Sang took the certificate, and the stone in her heart finally completely dropped.

…

…

“How was it?” As soon as they stepped out, her mother rushed forward and asked nervously.

Qiao Sang sighed and handed her the result in her hand.

Her mother’s face instantly turned pale, and for a moment, she didn’t dare to take it and look.

“Mom, just look,” Qiao Sang pushed the certificate forward a little more.

Ye Xiangting’s heart grew cold. She hadn’t awakened on her own and had scored zero…

In fact, even if she hadn’t scored zero, her daughter’s previous grades wouldn’t have gotten her into a good Yu Beast high school. The prerequisite for attending a Yu Beast high school was to awaken the yu beast codex through magnetic waves and then reach the score line.

The middle school entrance exam had a total score of 650, and last year’s lowest score line was 332.

If she had studied hard and still couldn’t get in, at least she would have tried. But her daughter actually scored zero and even lied…

Ye Xiangting instantly questioned her own parenting.

Time for a beating.

This child couldn’t be left unpunished.

Qiao Sang saw her mother take the certificate and look down at it, and she couldn’t help but straighten her back.

“Slap.”

Qiao Sang was stunned.