“Stay Firm And Don’t Waver! Stay Firm!”

Principal Liang reported Hong Xiaofu's incident to the authorities. The story of what had happened also started spreading among the students. 

"Hey, have you heard about it? The Mascot of Class 16 has an amazing Awakening power, he can make people get on their knees!" 

"That Hong Xiaofu? Are you serious? That power will rule the world!" 

"That goes without saying, the live video has been circulating. I heard that the Class Mentor of Class 15, Zhang Yang, has acknowledged him as his big brother!" 

"Hahaha! That's awesome! Zhang Yang is one of the strongest Awakeners in our school right? He actually called Hong Xiaofu his big brother?!" 

"Yup, he made such a cool entrance and ended up kneeling before Hong Xiaofu. How can it not be true?" 

As the saying goes, repeated false reports will lead one astray. At first Zhang Yang was trying to win Su Ying over. However, after what happened and the news had passed from mouth to mouth, the story had turned into Zhang Yang taking the initiative to kneel and begging Hong Xiaofu to be his follower.

The news was shocking. 

The whole school talked about it, and all the group chats were in an uproar. 

Zhang Yang of Class 15 had been burying his head between his arms from the sheer embarrassment. He was, after all, an Awakener of the Strengthening System with an Integrated Constitution, belonging to one of the best categories of Awakeners. Why did he have to be Hong Xiaofu's follower?! 

"I cannot deal with this!" Zhang Yang was throwing a tantrum—he could not contain his anger. He complained, "What's wrong with me? Why did I kneel down, twice!? What is this all about?! Does he have real power to make people kneel down? No way, I don't believe that! Over my dead body!" 

Of course, whether he believed it or not had nothing to do with the fact that he had decided to look for Hong Xiaofu on his own. 

Who knew if that power was real? 

In such circumstances, it was better to believe it than to be sorry. What if it was really true? It would be a tragedy! 

Zhang Yang encouraged himself. 

"Stay firm and don't waver! Stay firm! Just keep an eye out for him and see if this is real! It will be a disgrace if something goes wrong! If his power is fake, we'll talk about it again!"

He had been feeling down all day and had finally managed to pull through until class was over. 

Just as he was leaving, carrying his bag, Zhang Yang saw Hong Xiaofu and Su Ying chatting happily as they walked out of school together. He had really wanted to go forward and say hi to her, but he had seen Hong Xiaofu beside her… 

Yup, it would never be too late to revenge. He just had to be firm and not waver.

"Xiaofu, are you going to work on the games tonight?" Su Ying asked as they walked. 

Hong Xiaofu had to work, while Su Ying would continue with night study. 

Whether or not one would be exclusively scouted by Qinghua University, the general knowledge learned in literacy class still had to be revised. It was generally acknowledged that, even if one could directly enter Qinghua University, it didn't mean that one should stop studying at home. They had to keep learning and bettering themselves. Qinghua University placed high emphasis on one's potential. 

If no improvement was made during that period, the school would reject them: that was why Zhang Yang was still around.

"Yup." Hong Xiaofu giggled and nodded, "Managing my living expenses is still my priority. I don't even know if my power is true. In the case that it is not, and I don't have a plan to support myself, wouldn't I be in deep trouble? I can't stop working." 

Su Ying almost teared up at his optimism. 

Awakening was supposed to be good. Who knew it would play such a bad trick on him? If the power was not real, it would be another concern to deal with.

They went their separate ways—back home for their meals. Just as Hong Xiaofu had stepped foot into the yard, his younger sister Shen Xiaoling sprinted outside. She smiled brightly and held Hong Xiaofu's hand, "Brother! You are back. How was school today? Did anything fun happen?" 

"Yes, of course." Hong Xiaofu brought Shen Xiaoling into the house and told her what had happened in school. He first explained the Awakening Systems, before continuing, "Su Ying has Awakened, she has the power to control ice. If nothing goes wrong she should have secured a place at Qinghua University."

"Wow!" Shen Xiaoling exclaimed loudly when she heard the news. Her eyes were twinkling and she screamed, "That's so good! What about you, brother? What's your potential score?" 

Hong Xiaofu felt a tinge of sadness. But he was a positive person by nature, so he replied, "Actually, I have also been Awakened. It's just that my powers seem a little... special?" 

Brother Xiaofu had Awakened?!

Shen Xiaoling jumped up, "Brother Xiaofu! You have been Awakened?! What are your powers?!" 

Xiaofu was slightly embarrassed. He rubbed his nose lightly and replied, "I… I think it is to make people kneel down…" 

Shen Xiaoling fell silent.

That power sounded quite… unreliable?

"Is this real?" Shen Xiaoling asked curiously, "Brother how do you use this power?" 

"Do I look like I know?" Hong Xiaofu shook his head and said, "I don't know how this power is supposed to work. It is like… a passive kind of power. I have no idea." 

Actually, the main thing about having Awakening powers was knowing how to use them. 

For example, if one's memory improved, it meant that one could basically remember everything at first glance, as if they were a mobile hard disk that could store information. 

As an Awakener with ice powers, Su Ying was able to discover her powers right away. Although the effects were rather subtle at the start, it was nonetheless a clear sign. 

It was different for Hong Xiaofu. He did not feel anything at all. 

"That is such a pity…" Shen Xiaoling said with a pout. She brightened up almost immediately, "Brother you shouldn't be worried. You still have me around, right? I heard the youngest age one could be Awakened is twelve. I'll be twelve in two months, I would be able to take that test then! If I have Awakening potential, I can support you after I have been Awakened!" 

Hong Xiaofu patted on Shen Xiaoling's head and scolded jokingly, "What nonsense is this? Do you think I need you to support me? Even if I don't have the powers, don't I still have my academic results? Our society works fine, as long as we are educated we won't starve to death, okay? I will work hard to be admitted to Shencheng Engineering University and study hard to get the scholarship… that is not a small amount of money either." 

Shen Xiaoling held her chin, pensive, before speaking again, "That's right, my brother is so smart, it won't be a problem!" 

Hong Xiaofu giggled as he patted Shen Xiaoling's head, "Alright, you shouldn't be anxious about that. Go do your homework, I'll make dinner. I still have to work later on." 

Shen Xiaoling replied sweetly, "Okay!"