14 – Speak for the Wolf Cub
When Fu Yao returned to the classroom, everyone was studying on their own, as the entrance exam was scheduled for the next day to assess how much students had learned over the summer break.
Many were still concerned about Fu Yao, their eyes following her closely.
Yet her gaze lingered on only one seat—Jin Zhi’s.
Jin Zhi didn’t seem to have returned yet, but he had clearly run back earlier. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn’t have been slower than her. Where had he gone?
Feeling worried, she simply took her seat.
Beside her, Qin Ke, who had a baby face, gently nudged her arm.
Fu Yao turned to her, immediately recognizing the girl who had taken her to the infirmary earlier. “What’s wrong?”
Qin Ke introduced herself, “Hi, I’m Qin Ke, your roommate… Are your injuries okay? I saw they needed stitches.”
Fu Yao shook her head gently. “It’s fine, but… where’s Jin Zhi?”
Qin Ke looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected Fu Yao to ask about Jin Zhi. “He hasn’t been here since earlier. I’m not sure where he went.”
Suddenly, a mocking laugh cut through the sound of flipping pages from the front row, loud enough for everyone to hear:
“Maybe he went to steal from someone again? He’s never around during this time anyway. Who knows what that mad dog is thinking, hahaha!”
The words seemed intent on cementing Jin Zhi’s reputation as an irredeemable troublemaker, making Fu Yao feel an instinctive discomfort, her expression darkening slightly.
Instead of confronting the boy directly, she leaned closer to Qin Ke and whispered, “accidentally” raising her voice just enough:
“After Jin Zhi accompanied me to the hospital earlier, he saw me get stitches and medication, paid for everything, and then left on his own. I think this was just an accident on my part. He’s resistant to others getting close, but deep down, he’s not a bad person.”
“I actually think he’s quite decent. How bad can someone who takes responsibility for their mistakes really be? If he really stole money, why would he willingly pay such expensive medical fees? Has anyone actually seen him steal?”
Her words weren’t loud, just naturally “accidental,” but in the quiet environment, it seemed everyone could hear them. Those who didn’t soon learned through whispers.
It felt like juicy gossip had just dropped, and the previously silent classroom erupted into discussion.
“Wow… Jin Zhi actually secretly accompanied our new goddess to the hospital? I’m jealous. But I never expected him to pay the medical bills.”
“But she has a point… No one has actually seen him steal. It’s all hearsay. I think it started with Su Hangyi spreading it, but the money was indeed found in his bag, and a few hundred was missing.”
“If he didn’t steal, where did he get the money? Stitches and medication cost two or three hundred, right?”
“Who knows? But accompanying Fu Yao to the hospital and paying for it… I never expected that. Suddenly, he doesn’t seem so annoying anymore…”
“I still find him annoying. He never talks to anyone, avoids contact, and hits people if they get too close. He’s like an outcast. But Su Hangyi is annoying too—always talking and targeting him.”
…
Hearing these discussions, Su Hangyi realized things were moving in an unpredictable direction and couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger.
He was about to continue speaking when the back door quietly opened, and he saw a boy with dark eyes standing at the entrance, his clothes stained with unnatural-looking mud.
The boy was staring at him with a gaze that sent chills down his spine, startling him into silence.
The boy glanced at Fu Yao again, his emotions complex, clenched his fists, and returned to his seat.
Seeing Jin Zhi return, Fu Yao noticed the emotional colors surrounding him had calmed considerably, which put her at ease.
Study period passed quickly, and soon many people gathered around Fu Yao, crowding in.
Through the gaps between people, she caught Jin Zhi looking at her, but as the crowd grew thicker, she lost sight of him.
Still, she knew he had left the classroom.
Many boys and girls surrounded her, mostly offering condolences and small gifts.
Fu Yao wore her signature smile, politely declining at first but eventually accepting them with a helpless sigh.
“Thank you all, you’re too kind.”
Her smile was captivating, appealing to everyone.
Earlier, during morning reading, so many people had escorted her to the infirmary with such fervor that she, standing out in the crowd with her striking appearance, had become widely known throughout the school.
Outside the window, many onlookers marveled.
“She’s so beautiful, even more stunning than celebrities on TV, absolutely unreal!”
“Ahhh, this beauty is actually in Class A—gorgeous and top of her class, a true goddess!”
“Unbelievable, folks, I’m going to pursue her!”
…
At the center of the crowd, Fu Yao carried herself with grace and elegance, every smile and gesture flawless and impeccable. Like a proud, untouchable swan, she was the star of the show just by sitting there.
But now, she was hungry and wanted to eat.
Unfortunately, she couldn’t show impatience and had to find a way to excuse herself.
Just then, Qin Ke, with her doll-like face, stepped forward, took Fu Yao’s hand, and began leading her out. “Alright, alright, everyone, let’s not bother Fu Yao anymore. It’s mealtime, and hunger won’t help her wound heal. You wouldn’t want her to take half a year to recover, would you?”
The crowd, reasonable enough, realized they were disrupting Fu Yao’s routine and quickly dispersed.
Even as they scattered, their eyes remained fixed on Fu Yao.
Fu Yao stood up, bowed slightly, polite and composed, her smile perfectly measured. Her elegance and gentleness seemed innate.
She was truly breathtakingly beautiful.
Fu Yao followed Qin Ke out, and as she passed Jin Zhi’s desk, she noticed him recording something.
+3+4+5+3+3… After a series of additions, the result was 31.
-2-1-3-1-1… After a series of subtractions, the result was -12.
Below that, there was another entry: -300 (290+10), resulting in -312.
And below that, yet another: -5000.
Fu Yao didn’t catch the rest.
Jin Zhi seemed to sense her gaze and quickly closed his notebook, turning to leave without a word.
As he left, he accidentally knocked two math workbooks wrapped in a snakeskin bag out of his drawer.
But Jin Zhi, perhaps in too much of a hurry, didn’t notice.
Fu Yao saw the colors around him shift entirely to a guilty green, though she couldn’t tell what he was feeling guilty about.
Fu Yao: “…”
Qin Ke was at a loss for how to comfort Fu Yao.
“Uh… let’s eat, let’s eat. He’s always had a weird temper, but you also said you think he’s a good person. You’ll get used to it after a while.”
Fu Yao: “Yeah, let me help him pick up his notebooks first.”
After saying that, she crouched down. These two workbooks—one English, one math—belonged to two different people.
But neither was Jin Zhi’s notebook.
She memorized both names.
One was Chen Chang, and the other was Shen Yao.
After putting the notebooks back in the drawer, Fu Yao asked Qin Ke if she knew these two.
Qin Ke was surprised: “You don’t even know them? Oh right, you’re new here.”