“Hey, look! That ugly monster is so dirty!”
“Tut-tut, how does he still have the face to come to school? If it were me, I would have long hidden at home!”
“Hiding at home? With his prostitute mother?”
There was another burst of laughter.
The boy had black-framed glasses and thick bangs. His head was lowered, with something sticky like egg white clinging stiffly to his hair. His entire being was cowering as he wore his school uniform, which was also messy. In fact, all the clothes on his body were soaked and muddy.
Everyone around him only had to take one glance before voluntarily moving to the side, holding their breath as they thought they smelled a strange odor from the boy. Their hurtful remarks weren’t concealed from the boy. They were filled with malicious intent, hoping to see him die on the spot.
At this age, children were supposed to be the most innocent, but who would have thought that it was the words of these people that were the most vicious?
Xu Sheng’s gaze was always lowered, and his bangs blocked his eyes. So, no one would have guessed that this person who covered his eyes all year round would have a pair of captivating pupils, completely grey like a pool of water.
Xu Sheng tightened his fists.
It would be good if they all died!
Xiao Chen looked out the window, his beautiful face involuntarily frowning when he noticed the teenagers downstairs.
The girl in front of him followed his gaze, and when she saw clearly what was going on, she couldn’t help but laugh mockingly. “Senior, do you also know him?”
“What?”
“It’s Xu Sheng, of course! I’ve heard that his mother is a prostitute.” The girl would score a ten out of ten for her sweet and crisp voice, but she didn’t know how unpleasant her words were.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Xiao Chen withdrew his gaze, his expression cold as he said, “Don’t say that about others!”
Ktf ulgi ogbhf. Ktlr kjr atf olgra alwf rtf rjk Vfclbg’r lcvloofgfca jqqfjgjcmf. Pc tfg wfwbgs, Vfclbg kjr jikjsr ufcaif, jcv tjv j rwlif bc tlr ojmf. Lf kjr qjalfca klat fnfgsbcf, rb atf ulgi’r fsfr gfvvfcfv jr rtf wegwegfv, “Tfr, rbggs.”
Wljb Jtfc rlutfv jcv rjlv rfglberis, “Gbc’a ajix jybea batfgr ilxf atja lc atf oeaegf!”
The girl nodded her head, biting her lip in shame and holding back her tears as she turned around and left the classroom.
Xiao Chen ignored her and peered downstairs.
The boy from before was already gone.
Xiao Chen’s thoughts scattered for some reason. He felt that his current self and his past self had become two people. Everything started a few days ago, when he wasn’t able to adjust to the way his past self lived.
In the eyes of all his classmates, Xiao Chen was a gentle person, but only he himself knew the hypocrisy that lay beneath the surface.
All of his kindness and friendliness merely benefited himself, while his true character was actually selfish and unfeeling. He just decorated himself with a tender facade.
If it was the past Xiao Chen who saw the scene downstairs, he might not have had to pretend to be unaware, and he would directly take the boy’s side.
But the present Xiao Chen’s heart couldn’t be moved by this demonstration of bullying on the campus.
“What, b*tch, you want to eat?” The yellow-haired boy blocked Xu Sheng’s way, and several other boys with colorful hair surrounded him.
Xu Sheng silently lowered his head, carrying his food in his hands. He had specifically picked a time with few people and had walked close to the wall to reduce his presence. But he knew that as long as he was on the campus, there would definitely be all sorts of probing eyes. Most of them were curious or disgusted. Even when he went to the bathroom, he would be locked in the stall. When he went to eat, there would be a lot of people bothering him. So, he should be used to it.
Yellow Hair had been a bully since his first year in high school, and from his perspective, Xu Sheng would always appear like someone who had lost his own parents.
Initially, he had no reason to bully Xu Sheng, and even if he was muddle-headed, he wouldn’t randomly build enmity with someone. But last month, he was reported when he beat up a boy in the small forest behind the school, where there were no security cameras or other people!
However, he distinctly remembered that Xu Sheng had passed nearby, so he immediately went to find trouble with him, refusing to listen to any explanation.
Xu Sheng was originally someone who didn’t speak much, so he wouldn’t take the initiative to defend himself. He knew the more fiercely he resisted, the more excited his attackers would be. All he could do was protect his head.
Yellow Hair sneered, violently shoving Xu Sheng. Xu Sheng’s balance was off and he staggered back two steps, but he held onto his bowl without letting the food fall, as if it would decide his life or death.
The people around the two couldn’t help but look over like they were watching a good show. They murmured as they discussed, and there was even a variety of gloating laughter. All of their loathing was directed towards the weak and lonely person in front of them. Yellow Hair enjoyed this attention.
“Yo! Alright! You want to eat? Believe me or not……..” His voice hadn’t faded yet before a figure squeezed through the crowd and entered the enclosure.
“What are you doing?! Fighting is not allowed on campus!” Xiao Chen hardened his expression and held out his hand to stop Yellow Hair from going any further.
The surroundings were instantly as quiet as a chicken.
Few people here did not recognize Xiao Chen, and even Yellow Hair knew him. Xiao Chen’s face was just too flawless, and he would dazzle others when he walked by them. He was the chairman of the second year student union, and also the top student in his year. Within the entire school, at least 80% of the girls were his fans, and even 50% of the boys were bewitched by Xiao Chen’s face. Surprisingly, Yellow Hair was part of that 50%.
Xu Sheng’s head was still lowered, behaving like he had seen a stranger. But the grey eyes beneath his bangs widened slightly, and the hands tightly clasping the bowl shook.
How could there be someone willing to help him…
Xiao Chen’s eyes widened. He faced Yellow Hair, his pure eyes reflecting the other’s figure, and said, “In the future, don’t bully other students!”
Yellow Hair stared at Xiao Chen and gritted his teeth. The crowd around them was unable to believe what they were seeing. Yellow Hair could only avert his gaze and reluctantly say, “You’re lucky this time!”
Yellow Hair looked back at Xiao Chen and Xu Sheng every three steps as he led his group of brothers to slowly leave.
Xiao Chen’s eyes raked through the students who had observed the confrontation. Everyone lowered their heads when Xiao Chen looked over, wishing they were invisible and reducing their own presence. Each tore off their previous attitude of scorn.
Xiao Chen calmed down and returned to his cold face. He turned around and inspected the bullied, timid boy, feeling a little distressed. There was something on the boy’s hair, making his looks fit his position as a punching bag for the bullies.
But somehow, Xiao Chen felt intimate with the boy when he saw him. Even as a person who loved cleanliness, he didn’t detest the boy because of his sorry appearance.
When Xiao Chen extended his hand, the boy suddenly raised his head and awkwardly stared at the hand in front of him. It was also at this moment that Xiao Chen finally saw the boy’s face clearly.
Along with very white skin, he had high cheekbones, a straight nose, and big eyes which reflected Xiao Chen’s outline. His face was comparable to a celebrity’s.
Xu Sheng was taken aback, with shock written across his face. As if he had seen Wen Shen, he ran away with all his might, leaving Xiao Chen standing alone.
No, he can’t get used to this kind of gentleness, this kind of gentleness is addictive!
After a long time, Xu Sheng’s footsteps stopped in front of the campus bulletin board. On it, there was a list of the most outstanding students of each grade. In the column for the second year students, first place was Xiao Chen. In the photo, the corners of the boy’s mouth were slightly raised, and his eyes were curved into crescents. Even if it was a one-inch photo, it captured a fresh aura.
Xu Sheng’s right hand couldn’t help touching the photo, handling it cautiously as if it were a precious treasure. His eyes held an obsessive love, like a dying man who had found salvation at the brink of death. This was his god and his light.
Xiao Chen.
He spoke softly.
And for the rest of his life, these two words would be deeply imprinted in his entire existence.
Do you know? If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
T/N: Below and in the future, you will find detailed explanations of the pop-up translator’s notes. I’m doing this so it doesn’t disrupt the overall reading experience. Anyways, welcome to the world, or worlds, of Dating the Strongest Boss! Let’s have a great time together! ＼（＾○＾）人（＾○＾）／
Yellow Hair’s name
No, it’s not actually Yellow Hair. That’s his hair color. His actual name will be revealed in the future.
The origins of “as quiet as a chicken”
安静如鸡, the crowd is acting like a chicken because they stop chattering when someone important appears. The phrase “as quiet as a chicken” originated from a post on Weibo made by Jolin Tsai, a famous Taiwanese celebrity. She commented that the chicken must have a special meaning in Mainland China. As context, chickens in rural China can sometimes be observed walking around, until you make a strange noise. Then, they’ll freeze and not let out any other sounds. The post was deleted soon afterwards, but not before a netizen caught it. From that point, it was extensively memed and claimed a spot in Internet sayings. It’s popularity has spurred spin-offs such as “loneliness like a dog” and “cuteness like a goose”.
Random funny chicken meme, not clickbait!
The text says “Doesn’t your conscience hurt?” This sentence comes from an online post in 2017. Netizens showed evidence that Du Fu wrote many poems for fellow Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai in his life, but Li Bai not only did not appreciate it, but also wrote the poem “My Gift to Wang Lun”. Wang Lun was a local poet, and not as famous as Du Fu and Li Bai. BL jealousy alert (¬‿¬)! So many netizens said, “Li Bai, doesn’t your conscience hurt?”
This was Li Bai’s (imagined) response: 
The text says “cold”.
BTW, any other Chinese person who remembers reciting Li Bai’s and Du Fu’s poems when they were younger? Li Bai’s 靜夜思 had my head spinning.
maybe he wants to jump off the Abyss of No Return, love, to fall in love with the one student who is kind to him?
I love your footnotes about all the chicken memes, they are very cute. Also I feel bad for Du Fu being ignored by his crush like that
IDK, I had an extensive discussion on this quote with other translators but nothing came up…
haha, wait for more chickens in ch. 2! the author really likes her philosophy and chickens
😂
Aww thanks for the search involved in the footnotes!
It’s always so funny to see how memes work in other countries (ㆁωㆁ)
I’m excited for another QT, let’s see where it’ll go~
Thank you for the chapter!
Most of the time it refers to the darkness of human hearts. So if you’re confronted with a ‘darkness’ for a long time, the ‘darkness’ will notice you and you’ll most likely will start to resemble it or at least won’t be able to get rid of your own ‘darkness’…
So maybe it could mean that Xu Sheng is like the abyss that got stared at by Xiao Chen and now he won’t let go of him… or it just means that XS had to see too much ‘darkness’ so now he’s also not completely sane anymore and so he becomes obsessed with XC?
🤔🤔🤔
This novel seems super interesting, I’m looking forward to it! Thanks for translating it!
And thanks for the memes XD
Your first explanation makes a better sense.
I didn’t expect this to be opened with a bullying scene…
Anyway, thank you for the update.
I’m gonna keep checking to see if this is my cup of tea.
Ohhh. New novel!! It seems really Interesting and a little Dark. Let’s see.
I feel sorry for Xu Sheng.
Thanks so much for picking this up~~~ It sounds interesting hehehe…
I love the chicken memes I have it as a sticker pack on Telegram ~~~ (A pity none of my friends play along with me in using them T___T…….. but then again all of our Chinese is pretty bad so it’s understandable why they don’t do so….)
Also this reader did use to study Li Bai’s 靜夜思 as well during the compulsory years of Chinese education~~~ But my Chinese is pretty terrible so I didn’t understand anything hehe… I just remember the poem wholesale due to how easy it is to recite o:
Ah, our precious stickers! I will send you this because I don’t have a sticker: (◉Θ◉)
look at that chicken’s eyes staring at you
New novel It was very interesting and the chickens also xD.
The meaning of the first sentence:
«Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht
dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt
der Abgrund auch in dich hinein».
He who fights against monsters should beware that he
himself does not become a monster. If
you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
Thanks for the translation!
If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you
lolz Selena from ML moba game also says a line like this: “When you gaze into the Abyss, the Abyss gazes back”
AHHHH YANDERE YUM YUM!
” If you gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you”
so deep, chilling ooh~
Thank You Creps~
Really looking forward to this novel. Btw you name remind me of mahwa i read looooong ago. I miss lark😢 and somehow mc gave me same feeling as him when he was in human world.
The manhwa Crepuscule? Congratulations for correctly guessing the origins of my name. My younger self decided to spell Crepuscule wrong so this is what happened. Through it stuck because I dropped that manhwa after a few chapters.
I didn’t get to finish it either. Looking forward this novel very much. 😊😊😊
Ahhh!! I’m already excited just from the name
And so, the ML obsession developed (0)/
Sentence below
<< Few people here did not recognize Xiao Chen, and even Yellow Hair knew him. >>
Did not or did recognize?
i think the sentence is right..? it means many people know him and very few people didn’t know him … sort of like saying he is popular? typical school grass…
Oh! Thank you for another QT, and this smell really good! The thing already go intense and I love it! The best part for me was the abyss part, I love this sentence, it say so much things about the person itself. Waaaa~
+1 i agree, i think that’s what it meant~
“When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.”
One of Selena’s dialogue from the game Mobile Legends
“When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back.”
One of Selena’s dialogue from the game Mobile Legends.
Thanks for your efforts in the footnotes❤ Also, this beginning looks very interesting what with the bullied-ML tropes, hypocrite-but-not-really MC, hehe ヘ(^_^)ヘ
Thanks for the chapter! 💜
Oh.. this looks good.
so… xiao chen reincarnated to his past self?
I think the quote meant that since Xu Sheng was in the abyss and the dark side(bullying etc) for a long time, it kinda… became a part of him? Basically making him into a yandere and not so mentally healthy💀
Ty for the chapter!💜💜💜
So, I read the names wrong and thought Xu Sheng was the Shou. Now I need a lot of time to brainwash myself to reverse their position.
Kinda remind me of the novel “Falling in love
-“Falling In love inside an urban legend”