“Who are you going to find in the middle of the night?”
Xiao Chen looked utterly confused, but unfortunately, Gu Hantian had already walked away, leaving no one to answer his question.
Burning with suppressed anger, Gu Hantian strode fiercely all the way, reaching the Back Alley just before the school gate closed.
The Snack Street was nearly empty, with only a few used bamboo skewers scattered on the dark ground.
Gu Hantian pulled out his phone with a cold expression, typing furiously before deleting everything and leaving just three words: Get out here.
He hit send, and a beeping sound immediately came from a dark corner.
It was the notification tone for a received message.
Gu Hantian followed the sound. Though he couldn’t see anything, he knew someone was there.
The scumbag who had sent two messages insulting him and made him wait nearly a week outside the library had finally shown up.
Gu Hantian softened his breathing, his face cold as he stepped closer.
In the dead of night, the Back Alley was empty and desolate, filled with the stern atmosphere of early autumn.
Gu Hantian gradually reached the edge of the streetlight’s glow. One more step would take him into the pitch-black corner.
His eyes suddenly turned sharp. Just as he was about to grab the person, they grew restless first, shoving past his shoulder and dashing out.
“Don’t you dare run!”
Gu Hantian roared in anger and was about to give chase when a startled cry came from the Back Alley.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
The voice sounded somewhat familiar, making him pause.
The person who had run off earlier sped away even faster.
“Don’t—don’t come any closer!”
Gu Hantian recognized Qiao Man’s voice.
Ahead was the scumbag he’d been searching for a month without success, while in the back alley was a classmate he barely knew and had no particular fondness for…
“Help!”
At Qiao Man’s desperate cry, Gu Hantian halted and headed straight into the Back Alley.
His footsteps were distinctly audible in the silent alley. Qiao Man immediately signaled Huang Mao with her eyes to begin.
The bruises on Huang Mao’s face hadn’t fully healed, and the corner of his mouth was swollen again. Seeing her signal, he clutched his jaw with a pained expression.
“Are you sure this is just an act?” he asked repeatedly.
“Of course it’s an act! Did you think it was real?” Qiao Man retorted in a low voice before suddenly letting out a frightened cry, “If—if you come any closer, I’ll call the police!”
Huang Mao reluctantly raised the dagger in his hand.
When Gu Hantian arrived, this was the scene he witnessed—
The flickering streetlight cast deep shadows in the Back Alley, where a menacing Huang Mao stood, looking fierce.
His unfamiliar and unliked female classmate seemed to be in a perilous situation.
Gu Hantian’s pent-up rage flared at the sight. With a swift kick, he sent the fruit knife flying from Huang Mao’s hand.
Huang Mao let out a pained howl. Just as he was about to question Qiao Man about their supposed act, Gu Hantian dragged him over and started punching him.
Huang Mao: “Wait…”
Thud, one punch.
Huang Mao: “This is…”
Thud, two punches.
Huang Mao: “Just an act…”
Thud, three punches.
Huang Mao scrambled away, wailing, only to be yanked back by Gu Hantian.
Unable to bear it, Qiao Man turned her face away. After three seconds, she stepped forward and pulled Gu Hantian off.
“If you keep hitting him, he’ll die,” she urged.
Fighting was exhausting work. Gu Hantian breathed heavily, “Is this the guy who robbed you last time?”
“You remember him?” Qiao Man asked in surprise.
Gu Hantian: “I didn’t at first, but now it’s coming back to me.”
Qiao Man glanced at Huang Mao’s colorful, swollen face: “Ah…”
“He deliberately blocked you?” Gu Hantian asked.
Qiao Man hadn’t expected him to be so perceptive, directly providing her with a ready-made excuse.
“Yeah, coming for revenge. Good thing you were here,” she went along with it.
“We should still call the police.”
After saying this, Gu Hantian turned to leave.
Qiao Man immediately glanced at Huang Mao, casually kicking the fruit knife toward his hand – the implication was obvious.
Huang Mao… Huang Mao felt like he was about to die.
Throughout his life, he acknowledged having stolen, robbed, and deceived some naive girls – enough evil deeds to his name.
But no matter how many wrongs he’d committed, he should be punished by the law, not be forced to act in some absurd play with these lunatics in a dark alley at night!
Was this acting? This was clearly humiliation! Torture!!!
Seeing him lying motionless, Qiao Man quickly called out to Gu Hantian: “Wait, don’t go yet!”
Gu Hantian stopped: “Something else?”
“I…” Qiao Man’s mind raced before finally saying, “I want to discuss our group assignment with you.”
“Now? Here?”
Even Gu Hantian was shocked, his usually cold prince-like face showing a trace of disbelief.
Qiao Man declared righteously: “Mager once said that learning shouldn’t be confined by time or place, we should pursue it day and night.”
“Who’s Mager?” Gu Hantian frowned.
Qiao Man had made it up – she didn’t know either.
But the stalling bought enough time for Huang Mao to struggle up, grabbing the knife and lunging toward Gu Hantian.
“I’ll stab you to death!”
Shouting the lines Qiao Man had prepared for him, his rage ignited genuine killing intent.
“Watch out!”
Qiao Man cried out, shoving Gu Hantian aside as Huang Mao’s knife thrust straight toward her.
Gu Hantian stumbled from the push, and when he regained his balance, he saw the fruit knife about to pierce Qiao Man’s abdomen.
Everything seemed to enter slow motion.
He clearly saw Qiao Man desperately grabbing the blade in panic, but her strength wasn’t enough to stop the knife’s forward momentum.
Snapping back to reality, Gu Hantian slammed into Huang Mao.
Caught off guard, Huang Mao was sent flying while the fruit knife halted in Qiao Man’s palm.
Qiao Man stumbled backward from the momentum, and Gu Hantian quickly caught her, preventing her fall.
“Qiao Man… Qiao Man…” he breathed rapidly, “Are you okay?”
Qiao Man’s brow was tightly furrowed as she stared blankly at him, clearly terrified.
Gu Hantian took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: “Don’t panic, I’ll call an ambu—”
Before he could finish saying “ambulance,” Qiao Man had already raised the fruit knife.
The flickering streetlight suddenly stabilized, revealing the children’s version blunt-tipped fruit knife clearly to both Qiao Man and Gu Hantian.
Gu Hantian fell silent.
Huang Mao, who had been knocked into the garbage pile, also saw it. After a moment’s silence, he closed his eyes, a hot tear tracing down his cheek.
He remembered now – that hooded guy who beat him up earlier seemed to have swapped his knife.
Damn it, no wonder the weight felt wrong.
While Gu Hantian remained silent, Qiao Man had already figured out what happened. Noticing Gu Hantian still frozen in his phone-calling pose, she kindly said: “Looks like I got lucky. No need for 120.”
Gu Hantian: “…”
“But you still need to take me to the hospital. I’m injured,” Qiao Man added.
Gu Hantian immediately focused: “Where are you hurt?”
Qiao Man raised her right hand – the one that had caught the blade.
Gu Hantian examined it – fair and tender, without a single wound.
“Here,” Qiao Man moved her palm, “it’s red from being pressed.”
Gu Hantian: “…”
Qiao Man also felt this excuse was too ridiculous. After thinking for a moment, she added, “Although there’s no injury, my nerves are completely frayed. I need to get some medication for treatment.”
This excuse was somewhat more acceptable.
Gu Hantian called for a car and personally drove her to the hospital.
In the middle of the night, the emergency department was nearly empty.
After getting her medication and leaving the examination room, Qiao Man saw Gu Hantian sitting in the waiting area of the lobby.
Noticing her gaze, Gu Hantian stood up: “Got your medicine?”
“Mm.” Qiao Man nodded.
Gu Hantian: “It’s getting late. I’ll have someone take you back to school.”
“The school gates are already closed,” Qiao Man said.
Gu Hantian: “It’s fine, you can still get in.”
After saying this, he paused for a second, “I originally thought about getting you a room in a hotel near the school, but upon consideration, you might prefer to stay in a familiar environment tonight.”
No, I’d much rather stay in a seven-star hotel’s premium zero-pressure presidential suite.
Looking at Gu Hantian’s expression, it seemed even after tonight’s events, he still wasn’t planning to invite her to the birthday party.
That wouldn’t do. She still needed to attend the birthday party to have her first confrontation with the female lead, find a way to lock the female lead in the wine cellar, conveniently trap the male lead who would come looking for her, and drink with Jiang Sui before hiding in a dark corner for some intense borderline behavior…
Forget about that last plot point for now. In any case, her role in the birthday party was crucial – she absolutely had to go.
Qiao Man thought for three seconds, then suddenly spoke just as Gu Hantian was about to leave: “Why don’t you like me?”
Gu Hantian paused, raising his eyes to look at her.
“Don’t lie, I can tell,” Qiao Man met his gaze directly.
Gu Hantian fell silent.
“Is it because of the books you saw me borrowing on the first day of school?”
Since he wouldn’t say it, Qiao Man took the initiative to say it for him.
Gu Hantian indeed looked over at this.
Qiao Man laughed lightly, her expression indifferent: “Setting aside that those books were borrowed by mistake, even if I really wanted to read them, Gu Hantian, what business is it of yours what my private sexual preferences are? What right do you have to dislike me because of that?”
“That’s not the reason,” Gu Hantian frowned.
Qiao Man raised an eyebrow: “Then what is the reason?”
Gu Hantian fell silent again.
Qiao Man showed disappointment: “If you don’t want to say, then forget it.”
She turned to leave.
“Who sent you?” Gu Hantian suddenly asked.
Qiao Man stopped: “What?”
“Who sent you to get close to me?” Gu Hantian looked directly into her eyes, “Don’t deny it. The fact that I like caissons is something very few people know, but from the first day we met, you’ve been deliberately or inadvertently using this to get close to me. Clearly someone instructed you.”
Qiao Man laughed.
Under the hospital’s cold fluorescent lights, the handsome man and beautiful woman stood in quiet confrontation, the very air tense between them.
After a long while, Qiao Man put away her smile, looking at Gu Hantian with aristocratic pride: “Classmate Gu, I’m disappointed in you.””
Gu Hantian: “?”
“No one sent me. But I did want to get close to you. The reason I wanted to get close to you is because when I was visiting the North Campus before, I happened to see you reading books about caissons in the library.”
Gu Hantian was taken aback.
Qiao Man: “I’ve always been fascinated by caissons and even considered studying architecture. But due to my mother’s dying wish, I ultimately had to choose economics. When I discovered you, also an economics major, shared this interest in caissons, I wanted to become friends. Later, attending classes together made me want to get closer to you.”
Gu Hantian’s expression gradually softened.
Qiao Man delivered her concluding statement: “You come from a privileged, wealthy family, so you assume everyone approaching you has ulterior motives. But unfortunately, you’re wrong this time. There are people in this world who want nothing from you—they simply wish to be your friend.”
Gu Hantian pressed his lips together: “I’m sorry…”
“No need to apologize. I was the one who failed to recognize my place, forgetting this world is divided into hierarchies. Someone like me, relying on school scholarships, shouldn’t have presumed to befriend a young master like you.”
As she spoke, Qiao Man pulled a small box from her pocket and handed it to him. “Your birthday is coming up, right? I saved for ages to have a purchasing agent buy this. It’s expensive to me, but probably cheap in your eyes. Keep it if you like it, or just throw it away.”
With that, she walked away with an air of noble indifference.
Watching her retreating figure, Gu Hantian clenched the box tightly before finally giving in to the impulse to chase after her.
“Qiao Man!”
She stopped walking.
After a moment, Gu Hantian cleared his throat: “Xiao Chen is planning a birthday party for me. You’re welcome to come if you’re free.”
Qiao Man’s lips curved slightly. After a hesitation, she turned back: “Would it really be alright for me to attend?”
“All friends are welcome,” Gu Hantian said earnestly, his features growing even more handsome in his sincerity.
Qiao Man smiled, agreed, and left.
Gu Hantian watched until she disappeared from view, then exhaled slowly as he looked down at the box in his hand.
Having grown up in excessively privileged circumstances, most friends around him—aside from carefree types like Xiao Chen—had ulterior motives. He never expected to encounter someone who genuinely wanted to connect with him at this age.
A sudden warmth surged in the cool male lead’s heart. Cradling this emotion, he solemnly opened the birthday gift.
It was a pair of cufflinks engraved with a distinct brand name—
‘LU’
Gu Hantian: “?”