Wen Qian was so startled she nearly let go and fell off—there was actually someone else here!
What was going on? Why was there an NPC in a tree? Was the game bugging out?
Little Wen, still maintaining her polite and well-mannered personality, spoke up.
“Classmate Chu, please move a bit. I need to come up.”
The person in front of her frowned, clearly not willing to help, but Wen Qian had no time for him to think it over.
Faint footsteps sounded from below. Her expression changed. She tightened her grip on Chu Lingyu’s arm and—using both hands and feet—climbed up onto the tree branch, forcefully squeezing out a small spot right next to him.
The muscles in the arm she was gripping tensed, veins tracing up from his wrist into the sleeve of his uniform jacket. Chu Lingyu’s breath faltered for two seconds.
The girl beside him seemed to have no concept of boundaries. She crowded right against him without letting go of his arm, even hooking her other hand over his shoulder, practically hanging off him.
Chu Lingyu, who had been about to jump straight down from the tree, froze like a statue.
Sometimes Wen Qian thought this game wasn’t very smart; other times she thought it was too smart.
—Just earlier, she’d been complaining about not running into anyone. The next moment, a student council member had been sent her way. Fine, that was still reasonable.
But she never expected that while escaping, the game would toss another NPC into her path—in a tree, no less.
Look how frightened the NPC was. He was practically shaking!
Wen Qian patted his tense arm like she was comforting a scared pet, and received a fierce glare in response.
She paid it no mind, focused only on triggering a quest from him—after all, if the game placed him here while she was fleeing, it had to be for a reason. This NPC probably needed help.
No way he’d just naturally be here!
“Good afternoon, Classmate Chu,” she said breezily, like she was commenting on nice weather. “Didn’t expect to meet you here. What a coincidence…”
After some casual small talk—thinking the atmosphere was set—Wen Qian finally sprang her trap.
“Do you need help with something?”
Chu Lingyu’s expression never relaxed once. He glanced at the girl who was wobbling at the very edge of the branch and snorted.
“Help me?” His hoarse voice echoed in the little private space under the crown of the tree. “How about helping yourself first?”
His gaze dropped to her hand gripping his arm. “Let go.”
Chu Lingyu grabbed his jacket, preparing to jump down, but the moment he moved, he was stopped—Wen Qian didn’t let go.
Of course she wasn’t letting go. She was terrified the moment she did, she’d fall. The branch might be thick, but there was no way it could comfortably hold two people.
Since she came up second, she barely got any space to stabilize herself. The only reason she could lean naturally against the trunk—
Was because she was using Chu Lingyu as a stabilizer.
When he spoke, she wavered a little. If this was a quest…
But once she noticed there was no special marker above his head, she dropped that hesitation instantly.
“No way.”
She hugged his arm even tighter, determined to live or die together with him.
“Alright, stop being difficult. If you move around and break the branch, when we fall, I’m using you as a cushion.”
The kindhearted girl who had just offered help was now issuing cold-blooded threats.
Wen Qian peered nervously at the approaching student council members, while still trying to coax the stubborn NPC who refused to issue a quest.
Chu Lingyu tilted his head. When the girl leaned closer, her loose hair brushed his cheek—ticklish.
A faint sweet citrus scent lingered around her, from some kind of body wash or shampoo.
“Do you have a death wish?” he said coldly.
“Not really. What I do want is to know what you need me to help you with.” Wen Qian looked troubled. “You really don’t need help?”
She had thought Chu Lingyu was different from other NPCs—after all, he appeared with a quest right from the start, unlike the others who required multiple triggers.
So why couldn’t she trigger a quest now?
Was that love-letter quest just a newbie bonus?
Not far away, the sound of crushed leaves and conversation approached. Both of them froze and looked toward the sound.
Student council members—badges pinned to their chests—entered the small grove and stopped under their tree.
Wen Qian slowed her breathing. Chu Lingyu, recognizing them, let out an annoyed breath.
“Student council?”
Wen Qian immediately caught the displeasure in his tone and felt a spark of shared resentment.
“So they’re from the student council?” she whispered seriously. “Why are they here? Are they looking for you?”
She sounded perfectly natural—like nothing was off.
Chu Lingyu’s expression darkened.
And Wen Qian continued pouring fuel on the fire.
“They even searched all the way here. Why are they after you? Are you not supposed to be found?”
Chu Lingyu grew more irritated, silently cursing Bai Qi and Lu Yanbai over and over.
“Classmate Chu,” Wen Qian whispered urgently, “do you need help now? If not, I’m leaving. This spot is too cramped. I can’t sit properly.”
“Tch.” Chu Lingyu grabbed her arm. The moment he touched her skin, his fingertips flinched like he’d been burned, but he still held on.
“Don’t move.”
He didn’t care about those student council people. Their authority intimidated normal students, but Chu Lingyu never bothered with things like that.
And they wouldn’t dare put on airs in front of him anyway.
What annoyed him was Lu Yanbai behind them.
It didn’t take a genius to know Bai Qi and Lu Yanbai had sent them searching. Skipping class wasn’t a big deal—why make such a fuss?
Wen Qian fell silent just as he asked—she wasn’t planning to let the group find them either.
She obviously knew exactly why they were here.
Moreover—
【Quest Received — Request for Help
The person beside you seems troubled. Please assist him.
Hint: Stay quiet until the student council members leave.
Reward: EXP +20, Gold +5】
Wen Qian sighed inwardly. Forced quests were always so cheap.
As the student council group, unable to find anyone, finally walked away, Chu Lingyu curled his lip.
“Lu Yanbai must be insane,” he muttered angrily. “Doesn’t he have enough student council work? Why bother me?”
The real culprit sat right next to him, silent.
She didn’t dare speak, terrified he’d discover who was really responsible for this whole situation.
But staying silent too long might look suspicious…
“Ahem—yeah,” Wen Qian said righteously. “Lu Yanbai—just hearing that name, you can tell he’s not a good person.”
Chu Lingyu turned to look at her. Wen Qian broke into a cold sweat.
After a moment, he nodded, satisfied. “You’ve got good judgment.”
He casually draped his uniform jacket over Wen Qian’s shoulders, rolled his sleeves to his forearms, then pushed off the branch and jumped to the ground, landing with bent knees to absorb the impact.
He looked up at her—still stuck on the tree—and raised his hands slightly, arms open.
“Come down.”
Wen Qian nodded, grabbed the jacket he’d forgotten, and tossed it toward his open arms.
It fell squarely over his head.
She coughed lightly, turned her gaze away, and clung to the trunk as she carefully climbed down.
After much struggling, she finally reached the ground—only to see Chu Lingyu already turning to leave without a word.
Was it her imagination? He seemed… unhappy?
Was it because she threw the jacket on his face? It wasn’t her fault—he had his arms so wide open!
Did he really need that dramatic a pose just to catch a jacket?