Chapter 2604: Chapter 825: The New Transfer Student

Zheng Qing laughed.

As it turns out, people can still laugh when they’re fuming.

Rumors can be excessive, but shouldn’t cross the line.

The one Fat Man just mentioned crossed the line.

"A witch? Me?"

The young teaching assistant pointed at his own nose, his grin twisted, and his voice shrill due to agitation: "Widespread? And many people believe it?"

Xin Fat Man innocently shrugged.

He leaned slightly back to avoid being sprayed with spit.

"Many people have seen you brazenly running around the academy in a dress... although you covered your face at that time." His chubby face was plastered with an insincere smile.

"That was a doll in a dress! A prank! Many people at the school were fooled!"

Zheng Qing gritted his back teeth, trying hard to resist the urge to look around — he feared losing control completely if he saw the strange grins on his classmates’ faces — while continually reminding himself that ’Jiang Yu knows it’s a rumor’, then finally managed to somewhat control his emotions: "Why would anyone believe such absurd rumors?"

"Because this rumor can explain many unreasonable things."

Xin Fat Man spoke rapidly, raising his fingers one by one: "For instance, your relationship with Su Councilor... Many people are willing to accept this rumor because they don’t want to believe the wizard world’s number one beauty had a child with an unfinished student; the public prefers to believe you are a witch, Su Councilor’s best friend, helping her escape the constraints of an ancient family.

Moreover, your good relationship with other wizard families’ witches follows the same logic. Only when you are a witch does it make sense that those well-born witches close to you aren’t pulling each other’s hair out in public — because you’re female, they don’t need to be jealous of each other; because you’re female, you can maintain good relations with so many witches at once.

Besides, for wizards, a warlock turning into a witch or a witch becoming a warlock isn’t difficult, which is another crucial reason — because it’s easy, the possibility is high — compared to having a child with Su Shi Jun, becoming a witch is evidently easier.

More importantly, gender swapping among wizards has always been a highly sensational topic within the Alliance. Do you know the "Rainbow Wizards Group"? It’s a minority wizard group composed of those ’gender fluid communities’... This group insists on statements like ’Every wizard’s gender freedom should be respected’ and ’A witch in the mind is also a type of witch’, and it provides magic potion, legal, and public opinion support to any wizard attempting to change their gender.

In sum, every supporting group has its own hopes — rather than saying they believe you are a witch, it’s more accurate to say they wish you were a witch.

Edgar Allan Poe once said, public opinion often only creates sensational topics without wanting to delve into the truth; even if public opinion really does uncover the truth at times, it’s usually just riding the wave of a hype.

The analysis was smooth and thorough.

The Fat Wizard spoke until his mouth was dry but was quite satisfied.

He grabbed the water cup on the table, gulping down half of the tea, then looked at Zheng Qing with satisfaction: "...Maybe you think they’re just using this lively public sentiment to make their demands known or accepted by more people, but that doesn’t change the fact they ’believe’ you now; does that make sense to you?"

Zheng Qing took a deep breath.

The reasons in Fat Man’s analysis were too coherent, and for a brief moment, he felt a little shaken, as if he was about to be convinced.

"Don’t get bogged down in those trivial details."

Xiao Xiao’s voice suddenly echoed like a ghost in Zheng Qing’s ear: "As parties involved, you should take a higher perspective on these rumors... Public opinion likes compromises. If someone claimed Zheng Qing liked eating children’s hearts, there would certainly be people scoffing and continuing to care about how many witches he’s danced with; but if someone said Zheng Qing is actually a witch, many would immediately give up analyzing those dancing witches and instead study whether he’s really a witch."

Zheng Qing was startled by the sudden appearance.

"When did you get here?" He quietly tucked the charm gun back into the drawer.

"When Fat Man mentioned the ’Rainbow Wizards Group’."

Doctor Xiao adjusted his glasses, his tone cheerful: "He was right about one thing, complex topics like ’psychological witches’ that involve mismatches between soul and body have always attracted considerable social attention. The discussions it sparks can indeed drown out the fact that you’ve danced with a few witches."

Zheng Qing didn’t know if he felt worse about ’him dancing with several witches’ or ’him being a witch’ being the topic of discussion; but that morning, he fully understood Linda Barnes’ words — public opinion is easily disrupted, and so is the public’s perception.

Facing those furtive glances and sneaky discussions in the campus, he could only force himself to keep recalling Jiang Yu’s words from yesterday, ’they’re just rumors’, and strive to focus on his studies.

Until Thursday afternoon.

Like Wednesday, Thursday afternoon was an elective class.

Only for the rest of the class, Thursday’s elective class was about volunteering for the Edge Academy’s preparatory students, while Zheng Qing’s Thursday afternoon ’elective class’ was teaching.

That afternoon, when the sullen warlock started explaining the drawing techniques of basic runes to the preparatory students of Edge Academy with his prepared lesson notes.

A parrot with three heads flapped its wings and flew into the classroom.

"Mr. Zheng!"

"Vice-President Korma asked me to deliver a message to you!"

"Starting from this class, Edge Academy has accepted a new transfer student!"

Its three heads spoke these three sentences in sequence — Zheng Qing recognized this budgie, as a former honorary president of the First University student council, it now manages the affairs of Edge Academy’s student council.

Zheng Qing maintained his ’authority’ as a teacher with a nod, indicating he understood, while quietly grumbling why Korma entrusted this matter to a bird.

The budgie’s three heads collectively turned to the back:

"Come on in!"

"Don’t be shy!"

"We’re all outliers!"

It cordially beckoned.

The next second, the crisp sound of clopping entered Zheng Qing’s ears, and he inexplicably felt a bit flustered. Before he could gather his thoughts, a brown pony happily trotted into the classroom, swishing its tail.

"Hello, Mr. Zheng!"

Luna Huisu cheerfully greeted him.