From Slacking Off To Becoming A Top Student - Chapter 1 - Chapter 1 – That’s Not How You Play with a Phone

Shenhai No. 2 High School.

In a certain senior class.

Chen Xiaoxin was seated in a cramped corner of the classroom, right next to the water dispenser and some brooms. At first glance, he appeared to be quietly sitting at his desk, attentively listening to the teacher at the podium. But if you looked a little closer, you’d notice that his hands—hidden beneath the desk—were fiddling with something. His eyes would occasionally glance downward.

“I’ve got a good hand here; I can’t pick up this card!”

Counter with a Super Double—silent profit! Eh? You also played a Super Double? Think you can beat me?

A single six—idiot.

Though Chen Xiaoxin looked like he was seriously paying attention, in reality, he was sneakily playing Dou Dizhu (landlord card game), and watching the “Slacking Points” on his system interface tick upward. He felt nothing but sheer joy.

That’s right!

Chen Xiaoxin had a system—a “Slack-Off and Win” anti-pressure learning system. As long as he slacked off each day, he’d earn corresponding Slacking Points. Once enough points accumulated, he could use them to draw rewards or directly exchange them for skills.

Naturally—

On the day he acquired the system, Chen Xiaoxin also received a special skill from the system’s gift pack, called “Neural Perception.” Since activating this skill, he had been able to slack off at school for nearly a month without being caught by either the teacher or the student council. Not only that, but his success rate for grabbing seats on the bus had also significantly improved compared to before.

+1 Slacking Point
+1 Slacking Point

Winning round after round of Dou Dizhu and racking up points like crazy while everyone else was still burning themselves out? Chen Xiaoxin was happily cruising on the path of lazy success.

But right at that moment—

Chen Xiaoxin suddenly shivered. A chill ran down his spine. His instincts screamed danger was approaching!

With practiced speed, he locked his screen and slid the phone into a hollowed-out section in the middle of his textbook—something he had carefully carved out earlier. It fit the phone perfectly, and when the book was closed, it looked completely normal—no one could tell there was a phone hidden inside.

“Mr. Zhu.”

“Sorry to interrupt your class.”

The homeroom teacher had appeared at the classroom door, interrupting the math teacher mid-lecture.

“No worries.”

The math teacher smiled and stepped aside.

As the homeroom teacher entered the room, a very pretty girl followed behind him. Every student in the class turned to look—especially the boys. All eyes were on her.

Except for Chen Xiaoxin, who didn’t even glance up. He was already back in the game, focused on the thrilling final round of cards.

“This is our new classmate, Yan Xiaoxi,” the homeroom teacher said seriously from the podium.

“She’ll be studying with you and taking the college entrance exam together. Let’s all give her a warm welcome.”

As soon as the words fell, the classroom erupted in thunderous applause. Even Chen Xiaoxin was affected—he glanced up briefly to size up the transfer student.

She looked to be around 150 cm tall, black hair tied up in a ponytail, a slightly lifted T-shirt suggesting she wasn’t exactly busty. But her fair skin and delicate, upturned nose gave her an unmistakable youthful charm.

“Hello, everyone,” she said sweetly.
“My name is Yan Xiaoxi. Please take care of me from now on.”

Her voice was sugary sweet, and her looks just as lovely—enough to leave the boys in the class completely dazed. But Chen Xiaoxin didn’t care in the slightest. He was the Landlord in this round, and victory was within reach.

He had a bomb and a straight left in his hand—totally unbeatable. And now it was his turn.

Boom! Here comes the straight! What are you gonna do now? I’ve still got a bomb!

Huh? A King Bomb? No panic—he still has seventeen cards!

Seventeen cards, and you think you can beat me? If you manage to take me out with your seventeen cards, I’ll eat this phone on the spot!

“Yan Xiaoxi.”

“You’ll sit next to Chen Xiaoxin.” The homeroom teacher pointed to the empty seat beside him.

As soon as he said that—Chen Xiaoxin instinctively turned to look at the homeroom teacher, face full of confusion and disbelief. But what hit him even harder was that he actually got wiped out by those seventeen cards.

I…
My tokens!
I saved those up for a whole week! Two hundred million Happy Beans—gone!

“Teacher Tian?”

“Is Yan Xiaoxi settled in? What about the student next to her—what’s his character like?”

The principal had pulled the homeroom teacher aside for a private conversation, his expression unusually serious and focused, clearly treating the matter with great care.

“Rest assured, Principal.”

“I followed your instructions exactly. I arranged for Yan Xiaoxi to sit next to Chen Xiaoxin. His grades aren’t great—he ranks near the bottom of the class—but his character is solid. He’s especially attentive in class… he just doesn’t get it. But that’s not the main thing. What really matters is—he strictly follows the school rules!” the homeroom teacher explained.

“Good, good, good!”

The principal let out a sigh of relief. “Now I can finally relax.”

The homeroom teacher hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking, “Principal… what’s Yan Xiaoxi’s background? To have you this nervous?”

“She?” The principal smiled.

“She placed third in the National High School Math Olympiad, and second in the National High School Physics Competition. But that’s not even the key point. What really matters is—her father is a high-ranking government official.”

After hearing this, the homeroom teacher broke out in a cold sweat. Yan Xiaoxi wasn’t just a top student—she was basically a living, breathing golden Buddha.

No way, no way!

I have to speak with Chen Xiaoxin later. Whatever happens, nothing weird better go down between them.

“Teacher Tian!”

“Yan Xiaoxi… she honestly doesn’t even need to attend classes. Whether she comes or not, it won’t make any difference. But what you must ensure is that the class atmosphere stays stable. I’ll handle school discipline—you make sure the classroom environment is steady. We need to work together on this.” The principal said earnestly, “You get what I’m saying, right?”

“Don’t worry, Principal!”

“I promise I’ll handle it!” The homeroom teacher instantly perked up and solemnly assured him.

Back in the classroom, math class continued.

And for once, Chen Xiaoxin was actually paying attention—not by choice, but out of caution. His new deskmate had just arrived, and he hadn’t figured out her personality yet. In case she reported him to a teacher, he had no choice but to pretend to be studying. Once he figured her out, then he’d make his next move.

Meanwhile—

Yan Xiaoxi sat there blankly. Surrounded by a new environment, she looked a little out of it.

To her, it didn’t really matter which school she went to. After all, she knew she’d still rank first in the entire province. In fact, she didn’t even need to attend high school anymore—she already had guaranteed admission offers from top universities like Qinghua and Beijing University. But in the end… that felt like it was missing something. So she turned down all the offers and decided to keep going to school—and win valedictorian the proper way.

Hmm!

As expected of the best high school in Shen City—the students were all so focused, the learning atmosphere was intense.

Snapping back to her senses, Yan Xiaoxi quietly observed the rest of the class. She noticed that everyone was paying close attention to the lecture, and the room radiated a kind of motivated energy.

Bzzzt bzzzt—

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She took it out to check—it was a WeChat message from her mom.

Mom: Sweetheart, are you getting used to the new school?

Yan Xiaoxi pursed her lips and lowered her head, quickly typing a reply on her phone.

Suddenly!

A mysterious voice drifted to her ears.

“That’s…not how you play with a phone.”