Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Alright, Let’s Go

“…” Xu Yannuo nodded.

After the two of them finished whispering to each other, Zhang Qi turned back to look at them, her face full of concern. But she didn’t dare to speak to Chen Ciyi, so she could only look at Xu Yannuo. “Nuo Nuo, don’t go out tonight.” Zhang Qi paused, unsure how to put it. “You’ve already helped me so much. I don’t want to burden you anymore. I—”

Xu Yannuo cut her off, glanced around, and whispered, “It’s fine. We’ll go and make sure they stay quiet for the rest of the semester.”

Later, seeing Zhang Qi still looking troubled, Xu Yannuo didn’t continue the topic. Instead, she forcibly shifted the conversation and chatted with Zhang Qi about how Zhao Ying had taken the day off for a dance competition and how it might have gone. Once they started talking about people around them, the mood shifted more smoothly. Seeing Zhang Qi’s expression ease a bit, Xu Yannuo then brought up the K-pop magazine she’d read that morning, asking Zhang Qi which idol was the most handsome. After discussing it for a while, they both turned to look at Chen Ciyi, who was sitting beside them spinning a pen with his head down. Finally, they reached a unanimous conclusion. Xu Yannuo grabbed a workbook to cover her and Zhang Qi’s faces, avoiding Chen Ciyi’s gaze as they whispered: compared to all those types of fresh-faced idols, the most handsome one was actually Chen Ciyi right beside them. Tsk tsk!

The two were chatting when Sister Hua walked to the back door of the classroom, glanced at Zhang Qi, and then called Xu Yannuo out.

Xu Yannuo froze for a moment before realizing Sister Hua was calling her. She quickly responded with an “Oh,” stood up, and followed Sister Hua to the office.

Normally, she was so well-behaved, sensible, and inconspicuous at school that even after a year of high school, this was the first time Sister Hua had sought her out. All the way down the corridor, she nervously reviewed her recent behavior, but there shouldn’t be anything amiss—she’d been completely normal at school, doing nothing out of the ordinary. Only Chen Ciyi knew what she’d really been up to, but he wouldn’t blab. Recently, Zhang Qi had also learned a bit about her, but Zhang Qi wasn’t the type to report to teachers either. By the time she reached Sister Hua’s office door, Xu Yannuo still hadn’t figured out what Sister Hua wanted to talk to her about. But there was no point overthinking it—she’d find out soon enough.

After following Sister Hua into the office, Xu Yannuo turned to close the door and then trailed behind Sister Hua to her desk. None of the other teachers were in the office at the moment—it was just Sister Hua and her.

Sister Hua didn’t give her much time to feel apprehensive and got straight to the point. “Don’t be nervous. I called you here because I wanted to ask about Zhang Qi.”

Oh, so it was about Zhang Qi, not her. Xu Yannuo felt relieved, but also a bit worried. Had Sister Hua also noticed that Zhang Qi wasn’t acting normal?

“I think she’s been acting strange emotionally these past few days. You and Zhao Ying are usually with her all the time—have you noticed anything unusual about her?” Sister Hua asked.

Based on her own experience in middle school, even if she reported it to the teacher, it wouldn’t do much good, and it might even become widely known. Zhang Qi could even end up being isolated. She was thinking about how to phrase it in a way that would make Sister Hua believe her while also sounding reasonable.

Seeing that she hadn’t responded for a while, Sister Hua began to guide her: “Don’t be nervous, just say whatever comes to mind. You’ve just entered the second year of high school, and although you’re not facing the pressure of college entrance exams yet, emotions are still very important for your current studies. Has Zhang Qi said anything to you recently? For example, has anything happened at home, or has there been any unpleasant incident with classmates at school?”

Hua Jie looked at Xu Yannuo with a face full of patience: “No matter what happens, you can tell me. You’re still children, and some things might be difficult for you to handle on your own. So whatever it is, you can talk to me. Just focus on your studies, and I’ll help communicate and resolve the rest for you.”

Xu Yannuo shook his head, “She didn’t say anything. Zhao Ying and I have both noticed that she’s been off emotionally lately, so we asked her about it. She said it was nothing, just that she misses her parents a bit. Her parents aren’t around here; she lives with her grandparents. Her parents originally said they would come back during the summer vacation, but they ended up having to work overtime and couldn’t make it, so she’s been feeling pretty down.”

Sister Hua nodded, “Oh, I see. Alright then, when she goes back, tell her that if there’s anything she needs from the teacher, she can come to me anytime.”

“Okay.”

Sister Hua smiled, “If everything’s fine, then go back to class.”

“Okay, goodbye, teacher.”

After speaking, Xu Yannuo left Sister Hua’s office and, after closing the door, immediately returned to the classroom. Back in the classroom, Xu Yannuo told Zhang Qi about what had just happened. Zhang Qi was a bit flustered at first, but after hearing Xu Yannuo explain that Sister Hua didn’t say anything in the end, she felt slightly relieved.

In the evening, after Xu Yannuo and Chen Ciyi escorted Zhang Qi home, the two of them went to the abandoned park behind the school—the agreed-upon meeting spot at the back of the hill.

However, the girls who had bullied Zhang Qi didn’t show up that night. Only the two boys who had been called by those girls to provoke them at the classroom entrance that day were there. With no girls present, Chen Ciyi had no qualms about taking action. Xu Yannuo didn’t even need to lift a finger—he could just sit back and relax.

Xu Yannuo, feeling bored while waiting, took out her phone, opened the stopwatch, and started timing. The two high school seniors initially kept bragging and making bold threats, but after Chen Chiyi swiftly kicked the first guy and proceeded to dominate the fight without saying a word, Xu Yannuo stopped the stopwatch—1 minute and 36 seconds.

Watching the two high school seniors lying on the ground, unable to get up, Xu Yannuo couldn’t help but laugh. It really was true that a good dog doesn’t bark. But before she could finish laughing, she glanced at Chen Chiyi and burst out laughing even harder. Thinking about it the other way, her deskmate seemed like a dog too.

Chen Chiyi crouched down, looking at the two seniors lying on the ground, and patted one of them on the cheek. Before he could even speak, the guy immediately nodded repeatedly. “Don’t worry, we won’t say a word about what happened tonight.”

Chen Ci chuckled, “Of course you two motherfuckers wouldn’t say anything. Getting beaten up by a freshman must be real fucking honorable, huh? Gotta spread the word everywhere?”

The boy’s face instantly turned red then pale, unable to utter a word. Chen Ci smirked, “From now on, keep your fucking noses clean and don’t mess with my classmate again. If you see her, walk the other way.”

The two boys nodded frantically in agreement once more.

Chen Ci waved his hand dismissively, “Alright, get lost.”

Hearing Chen Ci’s ultimatum, the two immediately struggled to their feet and scrambled away in a panic.

The whole ordeal turned out quite satisfactorily—those two boys never showed up at Class 8’s doorway again. Even when they crossed paths in the cafeteria at noon, they kept to themselves, no longer mingling with those girls. Whenever they spotted Zhang Qi, they’d lower their heads and deliberately choose a more distant table to eat at.

But Xu Yannuo still felt that Zhang Qi was acting strange. To be precise, after being normal for two or three days, she started behaving abnormally again, just like before. Sometimes she wouldn’t eat lunch with them, and other times she would find excuses to leave alone in the evening.