Chapter 14: Meeting My Wife: Day 14

Chen Keshan had been given a formal demerit.

For seriously disrupting the New Student Welcome Party.

Her little gang of followers had also received stern warnings.

When the notice came from the Academic Affairs Office, Jiang Wan was still trying to find some leverage from the girl who had promised to accompany her on piano but never showed up.

But the resolution arrived swiftly and without warning.

Word was, someone had marched straight into the Academic Affairs Office with airtight evidence.

Guan Shaorong let out a triumphant whoop when she heard. “Serves them right for acting so high and mighty!”

Jiang Wan didn’t feel any particular thrill about it. She was just puzzled by the identity of the whistleblower.

Whoever it was knew about the bad blood between her and Chen Keshan, had gotten their hands on the surveillance footage, and wasn’t the least bit intimidated by Chen Keshan’s backer, Brother Qin…

She lowered her eyes, lost in thought, a suspicion quietly taking shape in her mind.

Jiang Wan wasn’t the type to stew in uncertainty. She turned to Bei Huai at once.

“Classmate Bei Huai, were you the one who reported Chen Keshan?”

The girl was lounging with her chin propped on one hand, eyes half-lidded as she gazed out the window.

Sunlight filtered through in mottled patches across her face, softening the usual chill in her brows and eyes.

Jiang Wan’s clear, sweet voice sounded close by. Bei Huai turned her head languidly toward the girl who was watching her expectantly, curling her lips in a lukewarm smile. “And if I was? What if I wasn’t?”

Jiang Wan tilted her head, pondering the question earnestly for a moment before answering. “If it wasn’t you, I’d be happy—but just because Chen Keshan finally got what was coming to her. If it was you, though, I’d be even happier. Because you’d have helped me out.”

“Sharp tongue,” Bei Huai said after a brief pause. She turned her face away with a cold sniff.

Her tone was as unfriendly as ever—if you overlooked the faint pink flush at her ear tips.

“So that’s a yes, Classmate Bei Huai?” Jiang Wan latched onto the key detail with keen insight.

Bei Huai gave a small lift of her chin, her answer conveyed in a soft huff through her nose.

“Thank you, Classmate Bei Huai.” Jiang Wan broke into a smile, her eyes sparkling like rippling autumn waters, warm enough to melt anyone who looked. The glimpse of her little tiger teeth only made her seem more adorably mischievous.

Bei Huai stared, momentarily dazed. Before she could muster a reply, Jiang Wan spun on her heel and walked off without so much as a backward glance.

???

Just a thank you?

She hadn’t exactly planned on Jiang Wan finding out when she’d done it, but somehow, receiving that simple gratitude left her feeling even more irritated.

The more she dwelled on it, the worse it got. Bei Huai flopped onto her desk, a stuffy ache building in her chest, full of frustration and grievance.

Class had already begun—it was physics.

The girl ahead of her sat ramrod straight, absorbed in the lesson.

Bei Huai started to reach out and tap Jiang Wan’s shoulder, but she halted abruptly midway, as if struck by a sudden thought. Her hand hovered in the air.

Then she quietly pulled it back.

She never paid attention in class anyway; daydreaming was no big deal for her. But Jiang Wan was different. The good student deserved to focus without distraction.

After mulling it over for a while, Bei Huai sourly slumped back down onto the desk.

Annoying Pest. The contact name was perfect.

Last time she’d helped, there had at least been milk tea. This time? Nothing.

Thank you, thank you. As if those words were supposed to mean something!

Did Jiang Wan think she cared that much about them?

When the bell rang, Jiang Wan turned around to find Bei Huai looking utterly dejected.

Her gaze was dark and brooding, the picture of a wronged spouse.

Jiang Wan: ???

She cleared her throat. “Ahem, Classmate Bei Huai, are you free this weekend? We could go out for a meal. My treat—as thanks.”

“You think a single meal means anything to me?”

“So… no time, then?”

“Yes!” came the instant reply.

Jiang Wan: “…”

Classmate Bei Huai’s tsundere streak was as hilarious as it was endearing.

Suppressing a laugh, Jiang Wan nodded. “All right, then. It’s a date.”

Bei Huai pressed her lips together, fingers brushing her earlobe as she glanced away, feigning indifference.

The two of them savored this quiet moment of harmony, oblivious to what was unfolding elsewhere. Chen Keshan nestled in a man’s arms, tears streaming down her face like pear blossoms in the rain.

“Brother Qin, I’ve never been so humiliated before. You have to stand up for me.”

The man pinched her cheek and gave a noncommittal smile. “They’re cracking down hard from the top right now. You want me to be the one who sticks his neck out? Pretty bold of you, huh?”

His drawled words hung light in the air, but Chen Keshan shivered nonetheless.

She flashed an ingratiating smile. “Brother Qin, I don’t want much. Just help me get some payback—teach that bitch a lesson. It won’t cause any real trouble.”

“Please~ Brother Qin~” She poured on every ounce of her charm, desperate for this cold-hearted man to soften, if only for a moment.

“If she crosses me again, I won’t go so easy on her.” Qin Xiang eyed the girl desperately trying to seduce him, his gaze darkening.

~~~

High school evening self-study sessions consisted of two periods, which meant they wrapped up around nine-thirty.

Normally, Jiang Wan walked with Guanguan to the bus stop, where they would catch their separate buses home. But Guanguan had family matters to attend to these past couple of days and had taken leave from school.

A few classmates had invited Jiang Wan to walk with them, but she’d turned them down. For her, spending time with near-strangers felt more awkward than going alone. Besides, it wasn’t that late, and with so many students heading home, nothing was likely to happen.

Today, however, things took an unexpected turn. The physics teacher had kept her behind after class to go over her test paper for half an hour, leaving her head spinning.

By the time she made it out of the school gates, it was well past ten.

She’d called her mom from the office to let her know she’d be late, just in case she started worrying at home.

The night was pitch-black, the sky like a thick, unyielding sheet of ink without a single star in sight. The streets stood empty, the streetlights flickering ominously. It all looked rather eerie.

Fortunately, the bus stop was less than a ten-minute walk from school.

Jiang Wan tugged her collar tighter and quickened her pace toward it.

As she walked, a sudden chill ran down her spine. Something felt off.

It was as if… someone was following her.

She picked up her speed, glancing cautiously around while quietly tapping three numbers into the phone in her pocket.

If anything went wrong, she could hit call and alert the police in an instant.

But maybe she was just imagining things, she told herself.

The very next moment, though, she sensed the person behind her speeding up as well—and drawing closer.

Her heart began to pound thump-thump-thump, racing wildly with no rhythm to it. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, and her palms grew slick with sweat.

No matter how level-headed she tried to be, she was still just a sixteen-year-old girl. How could she not feel afraid?

In the enveloping darkness, it felt like some dreadful trap lay in wait, ready to snap shut the moment she stepped into it.

Jiang Wan clenched her jaw, fighting to suppress the terror surging inside her.

She worried that even if she bolted, she wouldn’t be able to outrun her pursuer and might end up getting grabbed instead.

Taking a few deep breaths to steady herself, she pulled out her phone and pretended to make a call, forcing her voice to sound casual and loud. “What? You’re right up ahead? I told you there’s no need to pick me up—ah, there you are!”

With that, she broke into a near-run, praying her follower wouldn’t notice there was no one in front of her.

But in the next instant, a firm hand seized her arm.

Jiang Wan’s body went rigid as a flood of horrifying possibilities flashed through her mind. Before she could react, a familiar voice sounded right beside her.

“Why are you running? Didn’t you see the pothole up ahead?”