Before he could say anything, the group leader clapped his hands to signal everyone to quiet down. After explaining the precautions and schedule for the university visit, they soon arrived at their destination.
As soon as the school bus stopped, Jiang Qiao was the first to get off, walking ahead with her head down. She walked so fast that Ye Qingqing had to chase after her, panting: “Hey, young lady, what’s wrong now? Who upset you?”
She had been sitting in the front, wearing headphones and video chatting with her boyfriend, completely unaware of what had happened in the back.
“Nothing happened,” Jiang Qiao continued walking with her head down, saying, “Go have fun, I want to walk alone for a while.”
Hearing this, Ye Qingqing didn’t insist on following her.
University A’s campus was enormous—so large that there were even traffic lights on the roads. Everywhere were handsome boys and beautiful girls, radiating a youthful charm different from high school students.
Jiang Qiao found a lawn and sat behind a large rock. She opened her backpack, took out a pack of soda crackers, and happily munched on them with a crunching sound.
[Sea salt flavored soda crackers are truly divine, no arguments accepted,] she said with a blissful expression.
Though 166 had some understanding of her mood swings, it still couldn’t get used to them: [Weren’t you angry when those people mocked you like that?]
[Why should I be angry?] Jiang Qiao replied matter-of-factly. [They were talking about “Jiang Qiao,” not me.]
[Then what about Lu Xun ignoring you? Weren’t you angry about that either?]
Jiang Qiao lowered her head and brushed the cracker crumbs off her pants: [He’s the male lead, I’m the villainous female supporting character. Isn’t it perfectly normal for him to ignore me?]
Jiang Qiao found it strange: [From what you’re saying, do you actually want Lu Xun to pay attention to me?]
166 immediately refuted: [No, no, no, don’t overthink it,] it said. [I just thought… never mind, forget I said anything.]
Jiang Qiao smiled and stopped paying attention to it.
After finishing the soda crackers, she opened a pack of spicy strips, eating while sucking her fingers and occasionally glancing around furtively, afraid someone might see her—looking rather shady.
166: [………………]
Seeing Jiang Qiao’s carefree demeanor, 166 thought it must be due to its own inadequate upgrade that it was overthinking things.
For a moment, it had actually thought Jiang Qiao had genuinely fallen for Lu Xun, and that Lu Xun seemed to…
How could that be possible? Lu Xun was the male lead, and the male lead would only like the female lead. That was the very meaning of protagonists and the protagonist halo.
166 reconfirmed the world’s principles and felt it needed to return to the main System for another upgrade.
After finishing the pack of spicy strips, Jiang Qiao felt bored and called out to 166 a few times, but only emptiness echoed in her ears—no response.
Gone again?
Jiang Qiao raised an eyebrow. Even as partners, this electronic little idiot couldn’t even say goodbye before leaving.
After several packs of snacks and half a bottle of drink, she was full. Lying on the yellowing lawn, she spaced out.
Jiang Qiao had deliberately chosen this hidden spot, blocked by artificial hills and large rocks where no one would disturb her. Having slept late last night and woken up early this morning, she gradually fell asleep while lying there.
She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing. Groggily opening her phone, she saw over a dozen missed calls—some from Ye Qingqing, and the rest from… Lu Xun!
Jiang Qiao jolted awake, sitting up abruptly. The sudden movement made her dizzy.
This physical condition…
After recovering slightly, she also sobered up from the shock and disbelievingly checked the number several times.
Confirmed. It was really Lu Xun.
Lu Xun… would take the initiative to contact her?
Jiang Qiao’s mind went blank for a moment. When she regained her senses, her finger hovered over Lu Xun’s number for a few seconds before swiping downward and making the call.
The other end picked up instantly: “Qiao’er, where have you run off to!”
“I—”
“I’ve called you so many times and you didn’t answer! I was so worried I thought you’d been kidnapped!”
“No, I—”
“Send me your location. I’ll come find you right now. Don’t wander off anymore.” Ye Qingqing waited a few seconds. “Say something!”
Sis, did you even give me a chance to speak?
Jiang Qiao sighed weakly. “I was waiting for you to finish.”
Ye Qingqing: “…………………”
“………I was just worried about you, and now you’re upset?” Ye Qingqing showed no sign of guilt.
Jiang Qiao played along: “Yes, Qingqing is the best~”
She asked why Ye Qingqing had called. Ye Qingqing said it was almost noon and she wanted to have lunch together, but after several unanswered calls, she’d nearly gone to find a teacher in panic.
Jiang Qiao rubbed her temples. “Please don’t. Spare me. I’ll report my whereabouts to you everywhere I go from now on.”
This wasn’t some elementary school spring outing where you report someone missing to a teacher and have your name blasted over a loudspeaker.
Just imagining the scene made Jiang Qiao cringe so hard she wished she could bury her head in the ground. “You didn’t actually tell a teacher, did you?”
Ye Qingqing stayed silent. A bad feeling suddenly crept into Jiang Qiao’s heart. “You really went to a teacher?”
“No…”
Jiang Qiao breathed a sigh of relief, only to hear Ye Qingqing hesitate and say, “I went to your straight-A student instead…”
Jiang Qiao: “……………”
Jiang Qiao: “!!!”
Remembering those missed calls, she finally understood why Lu Xun had contacted her.
Hanging up, Jiang Qiao collapsed onto the grass with a numb expression.
It’s over… I’ve embarrassed myself again. Lu Xun must think I’m an idiot.
After sending her location, Jiang Qiao waited where she was. Out of a desire to save face, she never called Lu Xun back, instead sending a text to clarify that she wasn’t lost, let alone kidnapped.
Lu Xun never replied.
Jiang Qiao sighed. It seemed Lu Xun had only reached out out of humanitarian kindness, not because he particularly cared about her well-being.
Meanwhile, Ye Qingqing glanced guiltily at the expressionless straight-A student after Jiang Qiao hung up.
“Um, sorry about that, straight-A student. Qiao’er seems fine. Sorry for wasting your time…” Ye Qingqing said awkwardly.
“It’s fine.”
Lu Xun’s tone was icy. Ye Qingqing couldn’t tell if he was angry—after all, the whole school knew Lu Xun didn’t like their Qiao’er.
Thinking this, Ye Qingqing hurriedly added a few more “sorry to trouble you”s.
For some reason, the straight-A student’s expression seemed to grow even colder, tinged with an indescribable… confusion, just like when he’d seen Qiao’er calling her back earlier.
Of course, Jiang Qiao had no idea Lu Xun had been right there when she called Ye Qingqing back. She was still agonizing over whether to call Lu Xun.
If she called, she feared his sarcasm. If she didn’t, it would be out of character for her, since she usually clung to him relentlessly.
While she was tangled in these thoughts, Ye Qingqing arrived.
“Why are you lying here? Isn’t it cold?” Ye Qingqing was speechless at her sprawled posture. “Get up. Let’s go eat.”
Jiang Qiao followed her movements, letting herself be pulled up bonelessly before leaning into her, causing Ye Qingqing—who was only a few centimeters taller—to stagger under her weight. “I’m really done with you, young mistress.”
“Don’t be obsessed with me—I’m just a legend.” Jiang Qiao spoke with grave sincerity.
Ye Qingqing rolled her eyes.