Li Xiu retreated with a frown, his back pressing right up against a cold wall.

It was at this time that he suddenly realized how few people were in the complex, and that the air conditioning was turned too low…..

So low that the hairs all over his body stood on end.

Was this guy Wang Rongfa planning to cause trouble for him at the door of the Academic Affairs Office?

Thinking about the past troubles caused by this person, Li Xiu felt his stomach tighten.

He stared at Wang Rongfa in silence, but the more he looked, the more he felt that Wang Rongfa looked really strange.

Li Xiu wasn’t sure if it was because the events of the past few days had made him anxious, but as he looked, he felt that Wang Rongfa’s eyes, face, and posture were abnormal.

So abnormal that he didn’t look like a living person.

And at this moment, a call suddenly came from beside him: “Li Xiu?”

Li Xiu turned his head abruptly. At this moment, a tall, handsome boy was standing next to him with a smile, leaning over slightly to peer at him.

With his body still in shock, Li Xiu’s mind went blank. His expression was extremely stiff and he couldn’t even make a sound.

But the other party wasn’t really paying attention.

The boy looked at Li Xiu with a smile and spoke in a soft voice: “Ah, it’s really you. I found the right person.”

“Fang Qian’an didn’t come to school today and was afraid you’d be bullied, so he asked me to keep an eye on you.”

When he heard this, Li Xiu’s frantic heartbeat finally slowed a bit. Li Xiu blinked and calmed down somewhat.

He had never thought that Fang Qian’an consider things so carefully. And when he came to his senses after greeting Jiang Jun, he turned and looked toward the end of the corridor and found that Wang Rongfa had vanished.

Li Xiu thought to himself, was he worried about being discovered by Fang Qian’an’s friend, so he ran away as soon as he saw him coming?

But he didn’t feel relaxed at all.

He was a little concerned about the strange posture and expression Wang Rongfa had displayed just now. Even now, that gray face and cloudy eyes made Li Xiu feel uncomfortable all over.

Fortunately, the arrival of Jiang Jun relieved some of Li Xiu’s nerves.

“Thanks for coming specifically to find me…..sorry to trouble you.” Li Xiu thanked Jiang Jun in a low voice.

He would definitely be laughed at if he said so, but right now, he was very grateful for someone to accompany him out of the complex. On the way from the Office of Academics Affairs to the elevator, Li Xiu unconsciously took out his cell phone again.

Before today, Li Xiu’s cell phone, like his life, was a stagnant pool of water. But now, in the short amount of time in morning self-study, Fang Qian’an had sent him many messages.

[Fang Qian’an: Did you make a mistake and actually ignore me?]

[Fang Qian’an: I’ve discovered that you’re actually very cold and detached, ah. Why haven’t you asked me why I didn’t come to school?]

[Fang Qian’an: I would never give ordinary people this opportunity to be concerned about me, don’t you know?]

[Fang Qian’an: Shouldn’t morning self-study be over? How long will you continue to remain in seclusion, ah?]

[Fang Qian’an: Is learning that interesting?]

[Fang Qian’an: Want to see Angry Baby Shark? It made me laugh to death. So cute.]

[Fang Qian’an: Angry Baby Shark.jpg]

[Fang Qian’an: ……]

[Fang Qian’an: Why have you been particularly cold to me since we slept together one night?]

Staring at the pointless chatter on the phone, Li Xiu let out a sigh.

Was Fang Qian’an so noisy before? In a daze, Li Xiu felt like he was looking at the big yellow dog he had seen tied to the door of the grocery store before. It looked very fierce, but after carelessly feeding it, even if it just saw Li Xiu from a distance, such a big dog would start bouncing, whimpering, and rolling over.

It was so earnest that Li Xiu was unable to resist.

Of course, when he saw the picture of the angry baby shark, he still couldn’t hold back the slight upward tilt of his lips.

[Li Xiu: Thank you.]

[Fang Qian’an: ? ? ? ? ?]

[Fang Qian’an: Wow, you finally responded to me. Right, what are you thanking me for? Did you get the cocoa?]

Looking at Fang Qian’an’s messages on the screen of his phone, Li Xiu suddenly felt a sense of warmth in his heart.

[Li Xiu: Thank you for sending someone to keep me company.]

Just as he was about to keep messaging, Li Xiu sensed someone approaching.

He took a subconscious breath and turned his head.

Jiang Jun was poking his head over beside him. He didn’t seem uncomfortable to be caught peeking at someone else’s cell phone. Instead, his smile became even brighter.

“You have a pretty good relationship with him, ah?” Jiang Jun said with a smile.

Li Xiu’s eyelashes fluttered as he subconsciously avoided Jiang Jun’s gaze.

“It’s fine.”

The boy chose his words carefully.

“Aiya, don’t be nervous.” Jiang Jun didn’t seem to mind Li Xiu’s reticence at all. “If nothing else, that guy has never been so obsessed with someone since he was a child. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had me guard you.”

As he spoke, Jiang Jun reached out to place a hand on Li Xiu’s shoulder.

The overly intimate gesture made Li Xiu shudder, and he instinctively avoided it.

“Ah?”

Jiang Jun’s eyes opened wide and he raised that hand in surprise. 

Only then did Li Xiu realize that his avoidance was too blatant. He looked at Jiang Jun somewhat stiffly: “Sorry, I’m not used to…..”

“Ai, it’s okay, I understand.”

Before Li Xiu could finish speaking, Jiang Jun was already laughing to himself.

“I was too abrupt,” the handsome boy said with a rueful smile.

“I’m not him, after all…..I get it.”

Li Xiu frowned slightly at Jiang Jun’s pointed words.

He wanted to explain, but the relationship between him and Fang Qian’an was so complicated that it was indeed a bit difficult to explain clearly.

“Don’t mind me, I’m just used to being carefree. Come on, let’s not waste any time. This place is too spooky, I’ll take you out first.”

The moment Li Xiu hesitated, Jiang Jun had already touched the back of his own head, speaking cheerfully. He looked as if he had already gotten over this episode  — however, when he walked forward again, that hand seemed to disobey Jiang Jun and hooked Li Xiu’s arm again. 

But this time, out of embarrassment, Li Xiu didn’t move away from the other party.

Li Xiu tried his utmost to center himself, and walked stiffly for a short distance, linked together with Jiang Jun. When he saw they had reached the elevator door, he took the opportunity to let go. Just in time, a sharp, fierce argument was heard from the elevator entrance.

“Fuck you. A good child of Laozi’s has disappeared in your school, and you guys just want to dress up and pretend…..”

“Mr. Wang, calm down a little.”

“Calm down my ass. That person hasn’t been seen in so many days, and you just found out now? Ah, is this how your school should act!? You are all so irresponsible and you still want me to calm down—”

“That isn’t the case. The head teacher also called your home a few days ago when he found that Classmate Wang was absent from school. You also said at the time not to worry…..”

“How can this be the same? He did go out to play a lot before, but how could he disappear like this now? And your school has lost so many lives during this period. Damnit, don’t you know that if my family’s Rongfa is gone, you animals at this school will have to pay for it with your lives? I will make you pay with your fucking lives!”

Li Xiu and Jiang Jun couldn’t help but slow down amidst the cursing of a man and woman and the servile persuasion of the dean. 

The familiar name once again reached his ears, and he didn’t have to listen carefully to know that these were Wang Rongfa’s parents troubling the school leadership.

Li Xiu stood there with a pale face.

Only then did Li Xiu realize that Wang Rongfa had been missing for many days without leaving any trace for his parents or the school. 

Initially, the parents and school thought the situation was the same as before: that the second generation rich kid skipped school to go play outside and didn’t bother to go home. It wasn’t until many days passed and not a single expense appeared on Wang Rongfa’s credit card that his parents realized something was wrong.

After calling the police, they came to the school to investigate. And when the surveillance footage was checked, the results showed Wang Rongfa entering the school a few days ago…..and no record of him leaving at all.

Wang Rongfa had disappeared at school.

No wonder his parents were as agitated as they were now.

If not for the security guards who were blocking them, the Wang family would have attacked the school leaders directly.

“Mr. Wang, in fact, you know that the school monitoring is not comprehensive. Coupled with the fact that Classmate Wang often skipped school before, we are not certain that he actually disappeared at school. And we already informed you before. Don’t you think it’s inappropriate to curse and brawl now, ah?”

Seeing the conflict between the two sides becoming increasingly intense, someone from the school could only begin to toss the blame.

Sure enough, in the next second, the parent who had finally been restrained by a security guard was so furious that he lost all control.

“Fuck your mother, what nonsense are you still going on about…..you want to pass the blame, right? Ha, let me tell you, my family is in the media. I intend to thoroughly expose this matter and let everyone know what a cesspool this shabby Qiming school is…..”

“Pfft.”

Li Xiu suddenly heard a cold chuckle in his ear.

He could help but turn his head and glance at Jiang Jun.

In front of him, the boy was always all smiles and even a little lacking in nerve.

But now, as he looked at the raucous Wang family not far away, his eyes were particularly cold. 

Only then did Li Xiu discover that in fact, Jiang Jun’s facial features were sharp. Once he stopped smiling, he appeared unusually disagreeable and grim.

“In the beginning, he just ran a few local newspapers, but later on they made money by currying favor with the Xiao family. He became a contractor later on, euphemistically known as a real estate developer…..”

Jiang Jun said this in a mild voice, his face full of disdain.

“The newspapers owned by the Wang family have already been packaged and sold, but he still has the nerve to say he works in media. It’s ridiculous. Things aren’t like they were over a decade ago, who would read his stuff now…..”

The boy spoke very briskly, but Li Xiu had no time to listen carefully. In fact, Li Xiu’s back was entirely soaked in cold sweat.

If Wang Rongfa had been missing for so long…..

Then what about the figure he had seen just now?

Had he seen wrong?

No, he and Rong Wangfa had looked at each other for so long. It was impossible to mistake him.

Or was it that Rong Wangfa was deliberately playing tricks?

Then what on earth was he thinking, hiding without a word in the school complex while his parents searched for him outside?

He knew that the “Wang Rongfa” he had seen was probably not the Rong Wangfa he knew.

But Li Xiu still couldn’t help but prevaricate, trying to find a scientific explanation for the figure he’d seen.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Jiang Jun seemed to notice Li Xiu’s abnormality, and waved a hand in front of him.

“I…..”

“Wow, just as expected.” Before Li Xiu could speak, Jiang Jun came over and stared at him for several seconds. “…..you really are timid.”

The boy’s voice was very low, and there seemed to be a hint of indescribable pleasure in it.

Li Xiu felt vaguely uncomfortable, but in the next second, Jiang Jun returned to his cheerful and friendly appearance. He pulled Li Xiu by the hand: “Just a group of people quarreling can scare you like this. No wonder he wanted me to look out for you.”

As he spoke, the boy had already pulled Li Xiu to the other end of the corridor.

The corridors of the building were so complicated that Li Xiu was in a daze and couldn’t even figure out which way Jiang Jun was taking him. After all the twists and turns, the two of them arrived at another elevator.

The elevator hall here looked no different than the other elevator halls in the complex, but whereas other elevator halls had two elevators, there was only one here.

There was a long, narrow corridor in front of the elevator, and while walking through it, Li Xiu found that all the office doors here were locked tightly.

Ding-dong—

When they got there, the elevator stopped right at their floor.

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T/N: Finally done with a wedding where I was the maid of honor, which took up most of my time this month. It went great! And updates will be regular from here on out!

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Chapter 39 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 41