Chapter 121: I Believe in You
At this moment, the entire Class 1-3 was thrown into a state of chaos!
The main reason was that most of the students had never expected the so-called "clown," Dematero, to ever bask in the limelight.
Shock, envy, and jealousy filled the room.
Even Yannis couldn't raise her head in the face of reality.
In a fit of frustration, she stomped her foot hard, spat out the bitter words, "A fool’s moment of glory," and threw the pristine book to the floor before storming out. It was as if staying one more second in Dematero’s presence made her skin crawl!
Dematero, however, remained unfazed. He chuckled, nonchalantly picked up the book, dusted it off, and enthusiastically announced, "Who wants to read the story I’ve had published? It’s a rather captivating romance!"
One had to admit, after his 'rebirth', Dematero’s skin had thickened considerably. In the past, he would never have promoted his work so brazenly.
But his courage was indeed something to behold. Knowing full well that his story was designed to toy with the readers' emotions, he still dared to hype it up so boldly. Was he truly unafraid of backlash?
After Dematero finished speaking, the boys in the class erupted in playful banter, relinquishing negative thoughts in exchange of potential fun—
"Alright, let me have a look! I love a good romance story..."
"Well, well, Dematero, you’ve really outdone yourself. I’ll need to see what you’ve written to actually get published!"
"Luck has indeed come for you, hasn’t it? You’ve certainly made a splash today. Come on, let your dear old dad have a peek at what masterpiece you’ve cooked up."
"Fair play to you, mate. Now, with that first paycheck, you’d better treat us all. If you do, I might even start calling you ‘father’!"
...
As the boys teased, Dematero responded playfully, exchanging jokes with them.
Most of these boys weren’t the kind to fawn over girls excessively. In fact, they’d been quite put off by the arrogance Yannis had displayed in the class group chat, where she openly ridiculed Dematero.
They had sided with Dematero from the beginning though some held unassuming notions towards him, they were still eager to see him prove himself, to fought Yannis.
Still, no one expected Dematero to rise so dramatically, and so swiftly.
His revenge and instant payback style had every boys thoroughly entertained. Had his triumph taken longer, it wouldn’t have been nearly as satisfying.
Soon, the book—purchased by Xanthia on behalf of Dematero—was being passed around the back row like wildfire. Although the rightful owner of the magazine was Hannah, she didn’t dare utter a word.
Even her gaze towards Dematero had shifted.
Previously, she had believed that aside from being somewhat handsome, Dematero had nothing going for him. Even his so-called "good temper" had appeared, in her eyes, as a sign of weakness—a pushover personality, someone who wouldn’t resist, and was, therefore, ripe for being bossed around.
But now, as Dematero confidently proved himself and walked right up to their faces with his newfound success, Hannah suddenly realized there was something of a "manly" air about him. On top of that, he was talented... How intriguing!
Hannah’s nature was a bit "chameleon-like"—classic behaviour of showing arrogance to the weak and deference to the strong.
She even internally mocked Elena for being short-sighted. Such potential should’ve been kept dangling, not dismissed outright. What a waste.
Meanwhile, as some of the boys cheered Dematero on and exaggerated their flattery, the majority of the girls in the classroom fell into an awkward silence.
Particularly those who were on good terms with Elena and Yannis. They had previously participated in mocking and despising Dematero, often ridiculing Xanthia’s taste in men.
They had seen Xanthia as the epitome of foolishness—how could she possibly believe in someone like Dematero, a boy who couldn’t succeed at anything but was always first in bragging?
Well, now they were paying the price. Cold, hard facts had slapped them in the face, leaving them silent and humiliated. In their hearts, they raged—
"So what if he got published? That doesn’t change the fact that he’s a loser!"
"Ugh, I can’t stand Dematero’s smug face. He’s the most petty guy I’ve ever met!"
"This mysogynist..."
"Honestly, it’s just luck that he got something published. He really thinks he’s something special now, doesn’t he?"
"A man with talent but no character. He’s the worst kind of underdog, thinking he’s made it after a small success. People like him... they’ll get what’s coming to them!"
"Sure, Xanthia might have seen his talent, but she completely missed what a vile creature he really is. I bet he’ll stop respecting her now that he’s on the rise."
...
At this moment, if there was one girl in the class whose mood had soured the most, it would be Elena.
Xanthia could attest to that, having heard the countless system alerts in her mind. Honestly, Dematero, her human-shaped summoned beast with his ‘heavy punches’, was doing as much damage as a swarm of tiny gnats.
Elena, though calm on the surface, was clearly battling a storm within. Her negative emotions were skyrocketing!
Dematero, as he basked in his moment of high-profile glory and metaphorically kicked the girls while they were down, was causing them to explode with pain coins.
Their resentment was rising as fast as Dematero’s success, with many of them finding this newly triumphant Dematero even more detestable than the "clown" he once was!
But none suffered more than Elena.
Her eyes glinted with hostility—
"I really want... to kill him..."
Regardless of her emotions, she knew fully well that such unwise decision of becoming a murderer would crumble her future.
Dematero, a worthless nobody, had managed to turn the tables so quickly? And now bragging in front of her?
Neither Xanthia nor Elena had been directly involved, maintaining the aura of untouchable angels from afar. Only Yannis had confronted Dematero directly, and as it stood, both Yannis and the other girls who had joined forces against him had been thoroughly trampled beneath his feet.
That’s not an exaggeration. Dematero’s defeat wasn’t physical, but psychological. And for these girls, it was a humiliating blow.
Still, Elena maintained one thing: no matter how talented Dematero might be, his character was lacking.
He was too miserly, had no grace, and the moment he achieved a small victory, he rubbed it in the faces of those who once looked down on him. Such behaviour—what future could there be in it?
A sane girl wouldn't stake their future for him.
Elena believed that once Dematero proved himself, he would become so inflated with pride that he would completely lose his sense of humility. It was like when she rejected him, and he immediately shifted his affections elsewhere—it was nothing more than childish spite, so immature and emotional.
How could a boy like him ever make anyone feel secure? He might get angry one day and actually hit someone, becoming the very image of an abusive man like most men in this patriarchal damned country. How terrifying!
In fact, Elena hadn’t been entirely indifferent to Dematero at first. She just wanted to test him, to get to know him better. But the more familiar she became with him, the more she concluded that he was a scumbag to boot. So, when he recklessly confessed to her, she took the opportunity to clean up that rubbish.
Never in her wildest dreams did she expect that this pitiful, lowly boy could one day rise enough to spit on her face!
And now, Dematero did something that left the whole class feeling awkward, yet also impressed by his audacity.
He walked directly over to the fourth group, towards the northeast corner near the water dispenser. This area was the gathering spot for the beauties of Class 1-3.
Among these beauties, Lhoraine’s looks were slightly less striking, but she was the class’s cultural committee member—highly talented, which more than compensated for her appearance. Lhoraine could definitely be considered a beauty as well.
Attracted by these girls, the water in the classroom’s dispenser seemed to deplete faster, and there were often boys fighting to be the one to refill it. They thought that by showing off their strength in this way, one of the girls might notice and develop feelings for them—what a coup that would be!
Of course, only a few boys entertained such fantasies. Most were simply experiencing the stirrings of adolescence, feeling an inexplicable urge to show off in front of pretty girls.
The truth was, the frequency of boys getting water in Class 1-3 had gone up noticeably. Only the boys who had no interest in girls at all kept to their normal routines—such as Glen, the “Philosopher,” Felizidad, the “Gaming King,” Sunny, the “Soccer Baby,” and Makarios, the "Master".
Yes, Makarios, who despite privately critiquing girls with a sharp tongue, had incredible self-restraint when it came to real-life girls. You’d rarely see him with a lecherous look. He always remained serious, scholarly even, as though he were determined to be the most impartial judge of the imperial supreme court, never allowing his personal feelings to interfere with his objective evaluations of the girls.
So, Dematero’s approach to the “beauty forbidden zone” in the northeast corner of Class 1-3 naturally drew everyone’s attention.
Many began to speculate—based on Dematero’s past behaviour, being the type to gloat and hold grudges—was he about to confront the class beauty, Elena?
Several boys were already clenching their fists. If Dematero dared to humiliate Yannis, they wouldn’t care, but if he were to strike against Elena, they would not stand idly by!
Yet Dematero completely ignored Elena. Instead, he turned to Xanthia with a flattering smile—a smile so bright, so warm, it was as though he were offering up his very heart to her.
"Xanthia, I didn’t let you down! I’ve done it; I’ve proven your judgement right! Could you reward me with something?"
This was the bold and embarrassing act that left the class awkward yet astonished. Dematero had really gotten too big for his boots—after successfully publishing a novel, he now had the audacity to ask for a reward?
Such pride was immense!
Before Xanthia could respond, Luciel couldn’t help but chastise him: "Dematero! Even if you’ve successfully published something, that’s your own achievement. How does it benefit Xanthia? Why should she reward you?"
Luciel feared that Dematero, now full of himself, would directly ask Xanthia to be his girlfriend. That would be absurd!
Elena seized the moment. Acting as though she and Luciel were Xanthia’s loyal protectors, she coldly mocked Dematero: "I knew you were the type to get a little success and completely lose your head. Don’t come here asking Xanthia for her hands!"
Dematero didn’t care at all about Luciel’s scolding. He knew she genuinely wanted to protect Xanthia. But Elena’s taunts—he wouldn’t let those slide. Pointing his finger at Elena, he replied in an even colder tone:
"Shut up, you pathetic gold-digger! You have no right to speak here. I’ve already deleted you from my world, so stop trying to make yourself relevant. It’s annoying. You’d do well to pretend I don’t exist in your world either."
After delivering this harsh blow to Elena who were now in the state of agony, Dematero patiently explained to Luciel: "I’m not going to ask Xanthia to be my girlfriend. I’m not even going to pursue her. I just want her to accept everything I give her as a gift. I’m going to earn a lot of royalties—more than I can spend. So, I want to spend it on her."
Luciel was left dumbfounded. Maybe Elena’s view of Dematero was right—this boy was talented, but mentally, he seemed a bit off. What kind of reward was that? Assumption, it was basically asking for permission to be her devoted puppy!
Ah, she had never met a boy like this before!
"Dematero, don’t take things so far. And you’re a bit overconfident. Let’s see if you can actually make more money first. You’re giving gifts, but you must be expecting something in return, right? I get it—you’re just trying to lower her guard," Luciel pointed out his hidden motive.
But then she saw something that confused her even more—Dematero shook his head.
"I give gifts with no expectations. Someone has already repaid all her debts on her behalf, but I didn’t even get the chance to apologize to that person. Everything I do now is to have no regrets."
In Dematero’s heart, his true love was still the girl from his memories, the one who had died young. But she would never reappear in this world. This was his own choice, and the responsibility he had resolutely shouldered.
Luciel’s mind was a jumble. Every time he came out with his cryptic speeches, she felt utterly lost.
Yet she could sense that Dematero’s sincerity towards Xanthia was genuine. And it seemed it wasn’t even about Xanthia herself, but rather a way to repay a debt to someone else. In that case, could Xanthia accept this on behalf of that person?
At that moment, Xanthia finally spoke: "Dematero, as long as you keep writing, that’s reward enough for me. If you really want to give gifts, then do as you please. As long as you’re happy."
True to form, after Xanthia generously granted Dematero the "right to give gifts," her deskmate Elena was left completely speechless, on the verge of crying!
Elena felt utterly defeated. What kind of turn of events was this? Since when, she who make the right decision for herself, was now in the theatre making her the antagonist?
But what upset Elena most was that Dematero—this boy who used to be obedient and mild, whose heart’s true love had once been her—had now taken off as soon as Xanthia picked him up, like a stock she’d dumped that suddenly hit the limit up!
Anyone with stock market experience knew that when a stock you’ve just sold off skyrockets, it’s the most soul-crushing thing.
Elena had officially reached her breaking point, she can't control her emotions now. Even when Dematero had verbally lashed out at her earlier with bad words, she’d kept her composure. But now, seeing how respectful he was towards Xanthia—it was simply too much!
She slammed her hand on the desk and, pointing at Dematero, burst out, "I get it now. You’re doing all this on purpose! Just because I rejected you, you’ve been holding a grudge? I’ve never seen a man so petty in my life. You’re disgusting!"
Then she turned to Xanthia and said, "Xanthia, you should keep your eyes open. From the beginning, Dematero’s just been using you to get back at me. Don’t be fooled by his twisted behaviour—I don’t believe for a second that a man would ever be so selfless without expecting something in return!"
Suddenly, Dematero burst into laughter, as if struck by a fit of madness. Yet, there was something of the wild, carefree scholar in his laughter. He pointed at Elena and said to Xanthia:
"Look at her. Even she has moments of panic. This is it—I’m utterly satisfied today! Xanthia, do you trust me or her?"
And then Xanthia heard a delightful sound from her system: Elena’s Pain Points.
She smiled softly, a picture of angelic grace, with just a hint of playful malice—
"Dematero, I trust you."