23
The next day was Saturday.
The Si family had invited guests over for dinner, and Si Xiuyuan had called Pei Jiamu over as well. Since their homes were only a short distance apart, Pei Jiamu wasn’t in any rush and strolled over at an unhurried pace.
Before he could even step through the door, Yan Yixin suddenly rushed out with red-rimmed eyes and slammed straight into him.
“Watch where you’re going!” Yan Yixin snapped at him, shoving him aside. “Don’t mess with me!”
Pei Jiamu was completely baffled.
Had she swallowed dynamite first thing in the morning?
He’d heard that Yan Yixin was coming today too, and he’d wanted to have a talk with her about Wu Jiao.
Even though he’d known Yan Yixin for years, didn’t get along with her, and their relationship was lukewarm at best, Pei Jiamu had never truly thought of her as a bad person.
But the way she treated Wu Jiao was seriously disrespectful.
“Wait, Yan Yixin—”
“Are you going to defend Wu Jiao too?!”
“Huh?” Pei Jiamu was taken aback.
“What’s so great about her?! All of you keep helping her! It was never like this before! What kind of love potion has she fed you?!”
Yan Yixin hurled the gift box in her hand viciously at Pei Jiamu.
Pei Jiamu caught it. When he looked up again, she had already disappeared.
Used to Yan Yixin’s spoiled tantrums, he greeted the Si family’s housekeeper, exchanged a few pleasantries with Yan Yixin’s parents, and went upstairs. Si Xiuyuan was standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.
He casually handed the gift box to Si Xiuyuan: “From Yan Yixin. And I’m not the one to blame, but who pissed her off?”
Si Xiuyuan didn’t say anything. He gave Pei Jiamu a look, then turned and walked away.
Pei Jiamu: ?
“Hey, you didn’t take your thing!”
Why was everyone brushing him off today? Had he violated some heavenly law?
Ever since the day Wu Jiao was locked in the restroom and smashed the glass window, the already fragile connection between her and Yan Yixin had been completely severed.
Wu Zihui’s business had visibly slowed down. She started traveling frequently for work, busy every day and completely frazzled.
Wu Jiao knew it was her own fault, so even when she got sick, she didn’t dare tell Wu Zihui.
It was only because Wu Zihui found out from Si Xiuyuan that her daughter was ill that she dropped everything, flew back overnight, and took her home.
Seeing Wu Jiao suffering, her mother’s heart ached the most.
When Wu Jiao woke up, Wu Zihui was sitting nearby, handling business calls, the exhaustion in her eyes impossible to hide.
“Mom, I’m sorry,” Wu Jiao called out, her voice catching.
Wu Zihui immediately broke into a smile and responded.
She seemed to sense something and comforted Wu Jiao. “Mom’s fine. It’s Mom who let you down. From now on, tell Mom everything. I don’t want you to suffer in silence. In front of me, you don’t have to be so mature.”
Mother and daughter held each other close, their hearts laid bare, each feeling the other’s love.
Fortunately, Wu Jiao was resilient. She recovered quickly, and her period soon returned to normal.
Not only that, but after she got better, all the troubles that had been weighing on her seemed to vanish as well.
During a break between classes, she went to fill her water bottle and happened to overhear that Luo Yihuan had transferred to another school.
“He left in a hurry. I heard he didn’t even come to school—his parents came to pack up his things.”
“How could that be? He didn’t do anything that serious—why would he transfer? Did Wu Jiao do something behind the scenes?”
“I doubt it. If Wu Jiao really wanted to do something, she would’ve done it a long time ago. Why would she bother making him apologize publicly? I think it’s someone else. Maybe someone higher up in the school.”
Whether he left or not, Wu Jiao didn’t pay it too much attention.
But strangely, Yan Yixin hadn’t come to school for several days either.
When Yan Yixin was at school, Wu Jiao wasn’t actually that worried. But with her absent, Wu Jiao felt uneasy.
The calm always comes before the storm.
This plot point actually existed in the original story too but back then, both Yan Yixin and she had transferred schools.
That was because they had bullied Mo Li, Si Xiuyuan found out, and he privately pulled some strings to interfere with Yan Yixin’s family business. When her parents realized something was wrong, they immediately brought Yan Yixin to apologize in person.
Both Yan Yixin and she were forced to transfer.
But now the plot had changed. Yan Yixin’s situation was unknown, and she hadn’t transferred.
“I feel like something big is going to happen.”
Xiao E comforted her: It’s okay, host. Don’t be scared. Brother Xiuyuan is in your class, and now Gao Tianchi is coming to school too. You have even less to worry about.
Gao Tianchi coming to school did help ease a lot of Wu Jiao’s anxiety.
Her desk finally had someone sitting next to her again.
Not only that, but he had also taken full responsibility for the club activities. He taught with dedication and seriousness, and now the students who had wanted to switch clubs decided to stay.
Wu Jiao was genuinely happy that Gao Tianchi was attending school. She neatly stacked his handouts and caught him up on the lessons.
“Luckily, it’s not too much.”
Gao Tianchi looked at the mountain of materials piled up in front of him. “…”
“By the way, tonight is math self-study. We have study groups. You’ve been assigned to the same group as me and Si Xiuyuan. If you want to switch groups, I can talk to Teacher Qin for you.”
“No need. I’ll stay in your group.” Gao Tianchi declined the offer.
But everyone else was in pairs. The three of them in one group made things a bit inconvenient.
Before, Si Xiuyuan would just sit in Gao Tianchi’s seat. But now that Gao Tianchi was actually there…
So the three of them shared two desks.
Si Xiuyuan smiled. “Three people—seems a little cramped, doesn’t it?”
Two tall guys squeezed into one desk did look a bit pitiful.
Si Xiuyuan suggested, “How about you sit between us, Jiao Jiao?”
Gao Tianchi had no objection and nodded. He just glanced at Wu Jiao. She naturally didn’t mind either, nor did she notice that Si Xiuyuan had completely dropped the formal address and was now calling her “Jiao Jiao.”
Besides, Gao Tianchi wasn’t much of a talker. With Wu Jiao in the middle, she could easily talk to both sides.
Maybe because Wu Jiao’s grades had been steadily improving, Si Xiuyuan had been assigning her less and less work. She’d been feeling a lot less stressed lately.
After asking Si Xiuyuan a question, she deliberately glanced over at Gao Tianchi.
He was writing so fast!
Not only that—when she looked closer, he got everything right!
Oh my god. She was done for—competing with these geniuses.
Seeing her sneak a look, Gao Tianchi put down his pen and pushed his test paper over, placing it in front of her so she could see it clearly.
He hadn’t been to class, yet he could solve everything. No wonder he didn’t bother coming to school!
Wu Jiao excitedly handed the paper to Si Xiuyuan and praised, “Look! Teacher Xiao Gao is amazing!”
“Really? Let me see.”
Si Xiuyuan took it, glanced over it, nodded, and handed it back. “No wonder Jiao Jiao calls you Teacher Xiao Gao. You really are impressive.”
Gao Tianchi gave a small “mm,” then said, “It’s nothing. You’re very impressive too, Si Xiuyuan.”
Their eyes met in mid-air. Neither spoke, yet it felt as if they had already said everything in that single glance.
In that flash of tension, Wu Jiao suddenly sensed something off between the two of them.
But these two had never even interacted before! How could this be? What on earth had happened?
Wu Jiao felt the pressure mounting.
After evening self-study ended, Wu Jiao called out to both of them.
“Do you have any time next weekend? I’d like to treat you all to a meal. Mo Li and Pei Jiamu will be there too.”
She had been grateful for Si Xiuyuan and Mo Li’s help last time, and later Mo Li told her that Pei Jiamu had also lent a hand.
She really appreciated them, but as a senior in high school, she had so little time. She was afraid they might also be busy, so she wanted to ask in advance.
“We’ll figure it out when the time comes,” Si Xiuyuan said.
Gao Tianchi didn’t agree right away either. Just managing to come to school already required sacrificing a large chunk of his time.
But Wu Jiao looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes, and he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
Soon, the weekend passed, and the second week arrived.
The weather was gradually turning cold. During the change of seasons, the weather was unpredictable—when it said it would rain, it rained.
Dark clouds hung low. The forecast had predicted heavy rain for the day. Everyone had assumed this PE class would be a washout, but somehow, class ended without a single drop.
During their PE class, the boys played basketball and the girls played volleyball. Afterward, the equipment was supposed to be returned by the two class sports representatives.
Wu Jiao was about to go buy some water when the boys’ sports rep called out to her.
He was clutching his stomach, looking very anxious. “Class monitor, can you please return these balls for me? I have an emergency.”
Xiao E: “Triggered: Reformation Task — ‘When nature calls, don’t panic — I’ll panic for you!’ Help the sports rep return the equipment. Morality points +5.”
“Wow, host! Your morality points are already 385 — almost 400! Even though you’re still far from 1000, you’ve completely become a student with the qualities of diligence and kindness!”
Wu Jiao: “…”
“Okay, give them to me. Go, hurry.”
It was the third period in the afternoon, already the free time before evening self-study. There was still plenty of time. Wu Jiao took the balls from him and headed toward the equipment room.
On the girls’ side, Mo Li was still waiting for her classmates to return their volleyballs. She had finally collected them all when raindrops began to fall from the sky.
Si Xiuyuan had just bought some water when he happened to catch a glimpse of Wu Jiao walking briskly away, carrying balls.
She’s pretty strong, he thought with a smile.
Meanwhile, Mo Li struggled past Si Xiuyuan, awkwardly carrying her balls.
Seeing that she was having a hard time, Si Xiuyuan voluntarily took the balls from her hands. “I don’t have anything else to do. You can go rest, Miss Mo.”
“No, no, I’ve got this,” Mo Li said, sweating profusely, not wanting to trouble him.
She had felt dizzy and groggy all day—probably a mild cold. After exercising and sweating, her whole body felt weak.
“Then let’s go together. You can help me carry a few.” Si Xiuyuan didn’t insist. Instead, he took most of the balls, leaving Mo Li with just two.
“Thank you, Si Xiuyuan.”
Gratitude welled up in Mo Li’s heart, and her already flushed cheeks turned even redder.
The two of them headed toward the equipment room together.
The sports equipment room at No. 1 High School was huge, like a long corridor about fifty meters long, with two entrances.
The volleyball court and the basketball court were some distance apart, located on opposite sides of the equipment room.
Volleyballs went in the door near the volleyball court; basketballs went in the door on the other side.
The wind grew stronger and stronger. The trees along the shaded path swayed wildly. In the distance, excited shouts from students could be heard.
Scattered raindrops drifted in the wind, carrying a slight chill. Wu Jiao was pushed forward by the gusts, her hair and clothes whipped into disarray.
It really is about to pour. I need to return these quickly, then get back to the classroom, grab an umbrella, and go eat. I’m hungry.
Wu Jiao’s arms were sore from carrying the balls all the way. She barely managed to squeeze herself and the balls through the half-open door of the equipment room.
The wind was so strong that Wu Jiao didn’t even have to use her legs. A few steps and she was swept inside.
It felt kind of fun—like someone was pushing her from behind, or like she had become a celestial being in a cultivation novel, the wind rising beneath her feet.
After setting down the balls, Wu Jiao turned around and an even stronger gust of wind hit her face.
Bang! The iron door of the equipment room slammed shut.
Wu Jiao: “…”
Now this wasn’t fun anymore.
Wu Jiao walked over and pushed the door. The old-fashioned iron door could only be opened from the outside. Now it was completely shut.
She didn’t linger. Turning around, she quickly walked toward the other door.
With the door closed, no light came in. The equipment room was very dark. Wu Jiao groped her way forward along the equipment racks, praying that the other door hadn’t been shut as well.
Si Xiuyuan and Mo Li arrived at the equipment room one after the other.
The wind was too strong. Si Xiuyuan went in first to return the balls, telling Mo Li to hold the door open from outside—if the wind blew it shut, they’d be in trouble.
Mo Li was holding the door with her hand when a sudden gust of wind knocked over a row of hula hoops and shuttlecocks placed at the entrance.
Mo Li casually picked up one hula hoop to prop the door open, then quickly bent down to gather the scattered items.
After she finished, she turned around—only to see another hula hoop rolling toward her feet. She was wondering about it when a loud crash echoed.
—The iron door in front of her slammed shut.
Mo Li: “…”
She turned around and ran straight into Si Xiuyuan, who had just come from inside.
Mo Li gave an embarrassed smile. “Sorry, I didn’t expect the wind to be this strong.”
Si Xiuyuan was briefly startled, then smiled and shook his head. “It’s okay. Let’s go check the other door. Hopefully, that one is still open.”
The two of them walked one after the other toward the other end.
Si Xiuyuan led the way. “Watch your feet and your hands. The edges of the metal racks are sharp.”
“Okay.”
Mo Li followed behind Si Xiuyuan, looking at his silhouette in the dim light filtering through the dusty windows. He walked steadily and quickly.
Neither of them spoke. The equipment room was so quiet that they could hear their own breathing.
Mo Li was afraid of the dark. She also had mild claustrophobia.
When she was very young, her parents had gone out to work and, afraid she might run into trouble, locked her alone in the house.
The power was always out back then. In the darkness, it felt as though countless pairs of demonic eyes were staring at her. She needed to go to the bathroom, but no matter how she cried and screamed, no one came to help her.
In this situation, Mo Li couldn’t help but recall those painful memories from the past.
Distracted, she let Si Xiuyuan’s tall figure drift farther and farther away from her.
“Si Xiuyuan—”
Mo Li was scared. She called out to him.
Si Xiuyuan turned his head. “I’m here. What’s wrong?”
“Could you wait for me? I…”
Mo Li found it hard to speak, but he clearly sensed her discomfort and responded immediately.
“Okay.”
Si Xiuyuan answered softly and stopped where he was.
“Thank you, Si Xiuyuan. You’re really so kind…”
Mo Li quickened her pace and walked ahead of Si Xiuyuan.
The distance between them suddenly closed. Si Xiuyuan’s tall figure loomed over her. Even though she couldn’t make out the expression on his face, just the silhouette of his frame made her feel incredibly safe.
“I’ll walk slower. Call out to me if you need anything.”
They had already covered most of the long corridor. Soon they would be out.
“Okay.”
Mo Li lowered her head.
Thank goodness it was so dark in here. He couldn’t see her slightly flushed cheeks or her shy expression.
She lifted her head, wanting to take the chance to get a closer look at Si Xiuyuan.
She was always looking down. She had never really studied anyone else’s features. Especially when their eyes accidentally met, she would always quickly look away. But this time… maybe she could sneak a glance.
Mo Li looked up—and in the darkness, met two pairs of glowing eyes.
One pair held a gentle, smiling warmth. The other pair was wide open, staring right at her.
Wait—why were there two pairs of eyes besides Si Xiuyuan’s?!
Her heart nearly stopped from the shock. Mo Li couldn’t help but scream.
“Ahhh! A ghost!”
**