Chapter 578

Ji Ming definitely wouldn't share this kind of trouble with Fiya, but it seems Fiya has something she wants to share with him.

Thus, on a spring rain night still slightly chilly, with a few petals floating in the puddles, someone knocked on Ji Ming's dormitory door.

He, busy planning the subsequent game server opening plan, peered through the peephole and saw outside a black-clad person wrapped up like a zongzi.

And a string of voice he thought was convincing, deep and hoarse like a guy's, but really only able to fool his buddies.

"Teacher, open the door quickly—I'm a student here to ask you a question!"

……

"Very good, it's an ominous premonition."

But before the other party's second knocking attempt could startle the new teacher who had just moved in across the hall, Ji Ming still let Fiya in.

As for her coming to see Ji Ming in the dead of night, it wasn't to pay homage again to the Deep Forest legendary ruler Giuseppe, but rather—

"Waa waa waa, Ji Ming, please help me! Waa waa waa, being this king is really too unfair!"

Seeing Fiya before him, tearful and pear-blossom rainy, with two small rice cakes faintly visible straining under her thick robe, Ji Ming smiled in relief.

Gee gee, truly worthy of being the eternal emperor of Sun-Moon Star—Little Lion, this quick-glance person is spot on!

A hero's son, a good lad—he's had the influence of his father and elder brothers; this little lass might actually have the potential to become an excellent ruler.

Hey, just a few days have passed and she's already learned how to be a villain, trying to use her advantages to manipulate Ji Ming!

But unfortunately, although external commentary is harsh and extreme, it almost completely belittles Fiya's own abilities and efforts.

Even Ji Ming has to admit that, given Fiya's current level, she truly lacks the ability to fill the important role of king.

Fictional setting?

Delegate authority?

Of course!

If we really let this still-novice Fiya hold great power, we'd all be dead by tonight—better pack up our valuables and flee!

The most obvious manifestation is that Ji Ming merely pulled his collar down a little, and the Fiya who was covering her face and pretending to cry was instantly turned the tables on.

"Wow!"

Seeing the "Hurry up!!!!" almost jumping off her face, Ji Ming let out a long sigh, somewhat frustrated at her lack of resolve.

"You! You can't even resist this little temptation—how could you possibly become a qualified ruler?"

"I qwq……"

Seeing Fiya's cheeks instantly flush red, scolded by him to the point of almost crying, Ji Ming had originally intended to give her a sweet date.

But upon noticing that her gaze, though dodging, still hadn't fully shifted away, and after he let go she honestly conveyed a hint of regret.

"Hmph!"

He poured a cup of hot tea, bought a brand-new coat from the player mall, so Fiya could change out of her rain-soaked ill-fitting robe.

Ji Ming returned to his study, opened the safe, and took out a sealed exam paper, placing it in front of Fiya.

This is a baseline test of kingly work ability that he devised together with a junior boss, referencing thousands of years of earthly monarch wisdom.

Originally he planned to give it to Philip after Philip was enfeoffed as Crown Prince of the Radiant Crown in his homeland, to have him answer it.

Then, according to the test results, he would teach accordingly, launching Teacher Ji's Wise-Ruler crash course, and also give Big Fiya some last-minute pointers on leadership wisdom.

Who would have thought Big Fiya's fate was so thin—before the junior boss could even get his hands on the test paper, she was already gone.

It worked out perfectly—why not use this opportunity to give the equally eager-to-improve Little Fiya a baseline test, thus honoring a friend's request.

"Come on, do this test—high scores get rewards, low scores get punishment; call me when you're done."

……Three days later……

Well, it wasn't that exaggerated, but when Ji Ming opened his eyes again, it was indeed the morning of the second day.

He's getting older, approaching thirty—he's no longer the guy who could grind dungeons day and night and still have enough energy the next day to ace the morning shift.

He'd merely stayed up a little late, yet Ji Ming, dragging himself out of bed half-asleep, was yawning nonstop.

Bleary-eyed, he pulled open the bedroom door, intending to splash cold water on his face to wake up, but was startled by a long-haired figure with its back to him in the living room.

——A ghost!

No, if it were really a ghost, the main body's lightning aura would have scared it off from two kilometers away.

——A thief!

No, if it were really a thief…… rest assured, I will definitely fight to the death!

【Really, I'm feeling a bit nauseated】

"Don't shout, I recognize who that is."

Ji Ming finally remembered that he had left Fiya at home last night to do the test, but he had to stop invigilating halfway through because he couldn't stay awake and went back to sleep.

So the situation now is……

"Fiya?"

He tentatively called out, but there was no response at all.

"Fiya??"

Ji Ming began to feel a little scared, so he stepped a bit closer.

"Fiya???"

He simply directed his lightning straight to her front, shocked to discover she was actually dead!

Ah, she isn't dead yet, but looking at that face, she's probably not far from death.

She had already suffered such a calamity in her homeland, so her complexion was poor to begin with.

Now, after staying up all night racking her brains over the problems, her little face is utterly withered.

"……"

Startled by the lightning, she silently glanced at Ji Ming, then finally collapsed heavily onto the table, a strand of saliva hanging from the corner of her mouth.

Then it was hysterical.

"Ah! I can't, I just can't do it……"

Good, this time the little girl really broke down and cried.

Ji Ming, being kind-hearted, felt sympathy again; he had originally planned to suffer a bit more himself, spending a hug to comfort her.

But after habitually pulling out the exam paper she had pressed under her head to check, Ji Ming also broke down.

——What the heck! What is all this nonsense!

Such a command ability that even struggling to arm-wrestle with A Dou, placed in Huaxia it's enough to look down on even a township civil servant job!

Damn it, you still have the nerve to cry?

Get out of the Sun Castle right now! I will let the Salted Fish Great General be crowned king; he is the people's choice!

However, no matter how fancy his thoughts, Ji Ming definitely couldn't say that; he could only speak earnestly.

"Fiya, I can understand your feelings, but crying won't solve the problem."

Fiya didn't speak, just humming while lying face down on the table, pretending to be dead.

Thus Ji Ming continued his earnest instruction.

"You're already a big kid; adults need to learn to heal themselves, otherwise what would others do when they want to rely on you?"

This time Fiya made a move, but instead of sitting up to retort or plead, she shrank back like a turtle.

"What's wrong? Do you still think you're a child, trying to act shameless in front of your elders?"

Having said that, Ji Ming felt that his position as an 'elder' was indeed rather vague, making it hard to be persuasive.

Simply put, he just brought out Philip's big banner.

"Sigh, Philip always praises you in front of me as a sensible sister; how could you be so upset over a minor setback..."

Now Fiya reacted, she directly lifted her head from the cover made of her disheveled long hair, her eye sockets slightly red.

"Don't you dare mention my brother!"

She casually wiped the tears from her face, took several deep breaths, and stared at Ji Ming's eyes.

"Besides, don't think I don't know; this is just the goading tactic, you're trying to coax me, right!"

He's getting worked up!

"Hmph, since you can still get angry, that means there's still hope."

Seeing Fiya already anxious and about to break down, Ji Ming picked up the exam paper, intending to take advantage of the best teaching moment to quickly fill in a bunch of dummy answers.

"Remember, nobody likes someone without responsibility, especially me! Since you've become king, you should..."

The original is being read!

"Shut up!"

However, he still underestimated Fiya's temperament and decisiveness.

Or rather, he made the mistake of path dependence, actually trying to use the method for dealing with Ai Lin nuo against Fiya, who is completely different.

Because after Ji Ming's words were laid bare, Fiya did not soften like the somewhat timid Ai Lin nuo due to childhood experiences.

As a favorite of countless people, she had been confident since childhood; she suddenly stood up and walked toward Ji Ming without hesitation.

"What are you trying to do!?"

Now it was Ji Ming's turn to panic; although he didn't immediately jump up to flee, he couldn't help but lean away.

"What am I trying to do? Hah!"

Probably he finally went mad; Ji Ming saw this fierce expression on Fiya's face, the lady of the household, for the first time.

She slapped the table with her palm, pressing down from above until her index finger could touch Ji Ming's nose tip.

"Tell you, I am the Sun King of Glory! You, a mere subject, dare to lecture the king; the king wants to ask what you're trying to do."

Um……

Ah?

Ji Ming was dazed; for a moment he really didn't know how to answer.

But just like in countless previous scripture debates, silence meant retreat, meant giving up the right to speak.

So after Ji Ming had tried this trick countless times without success, this time it was finally his turn to be overwhelmed by someone else taking the high ground and unleashing a fierce barrage!

"As a Divine Chosen, Thus we will have Cultivation: Zhen Shen fallen, the Holy See destroyed, everyone is striving to save their comrades, yet you hide in the dorm enjoying peace alone; that's inhumane!"

"As a teacher, with the school in disaster and students and faculty in peril, everyone is striving to support each other, yet you don't even attend the student listening session; that's unkind!"

"As a subject, with the king humiliated, the ruler young and the state doubtful, everyone..."

An awkward pause, but Fiya, thinking quickly in her anger, immediately cut off this unfavorable topic and instead shouted.

"... As a friend of my royal brother, my respected elder brother, yet you stand by and do nothing; this is disloyal, moreover unjust!"

Afterward there were many more critical words; Fiya's speech grew faster and faster, more and more confident, even glaring with anger to the point that she herself believed it.

"You are clearly disloyal, unjust, inhumane, unkind—a bad lot—but the king still bears no grudge, lowers his noble self to visit you personally for advice."

"And you? You rely on favors and abuse grace! Facing the king's reprimand, you still maintain this indifferent attitude, unrelated to yourself, hanging high."

After cracking out tons of moral damage with crackling sounds, Fiya finally leaned close to Ji Ming's ear and unleashed her final whisper.

"Ji Ming, Divine Chosen, don't you feel ashamed?"

"I..."

The Divine Chosen pressed his lips together, stumbled a bit, and finally, questioned by her, broke down and cried on the spot.

"Waa waa waa!"

Seeing him actually cry from her words, tears streaming, Fiya's face instantly changed expression.

Just as she was about to say something nice to make amends, she suddenly felt...

Hey?

Ji Ming usually wore a smile, as if everything was under his control.

Now this tearful, helpless appearance was a striking contrast...

It seemed especially flavorful!

Especially when, after wiping away tears several times, she spoke in a wronged tone, admitting she was wrong and willing to do anything just to beg His Majesty's forgiveness.

"Anything!"

Fiya couldn't help but turn up the corners of her mouth, her breathing quickening a bit.

However, she didn't rush to open the champagne; instead, she kept adding skills, maintaining a continuous sense of pressure.

"Arrogant man, do you finally know you were wrong?"

"Hmph, but wanting This King to forgive you isn't that easy—you'll have to pay a heavy price!"

But while she struggled to focus and steady her voice—furious yet irresistible and undeniable—

Even in the action where she was bound to lose focus, Fiya couldn't help grabbing Ji Ming's hand and whispering.

"Ji Ming, This King has always doted on you the most—you, today, just submit to This King……"

"Pfft!"

Then she saw Ji Ming, who had been pretending to cry, finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing on the spot.

"Hey, what are you doing… how can you, at a crucial moment, let the little head control the big head and switch to extortion themes……"

Moreover, this time he really couldn't hold it in; Ji Ming laughed for a while before finally stopping, composing his expression, and speaking seriously.

"Fiya, congratulations, you passed this makeup exam!"

"Ah?"

Fiya hadn't even processed what had happened, her mind still fantasizing about the exciting plot to come……

How did it suddenly disappear!

Hope that when someone listens to ASMR in the middle of the night, the battery of their Bluetooth earbuds will cut out just like this (hands clasped).

But Ji Ming ignored her, already leisurely beginning his post-exam summary.

"First, I must admit, you truly have the talent to be a king; under pressure, you even picked up that divine skill of PUA without a teacher—decisive action, good rhythm control, your future is limitless."

"But your willpower isn't enough—perhaps because this is the first time you've used the skill, you were a bit too rushed; if you could proceed step by step, seeking steady progress, the effect would definitely be better."

Now Fiya finally understood—everything before had been Ji Ming's deliberate act!

He was deliberately feigning defeat, putting on an act for himself!

But as the loser, she still clung to a last flicker of victory fantasy, unable to help asking.

"So… were all those just part of the exam? In fact, you didn't really……"

Ji Ming laughed.

"Of course! I'm already in my thirties, I've seen too much—how could a little girl like you possibly break through my defenses?"

Then Fiya's smile vanished; after a long while, it turned into a regretful, painful sigh: "Alas!"

Damn it, I can't eat it anymore!