Chapter 31

The incident of a Foreign Languages Department freshman being taken away by the police for investigation was nothing more than casual gossip for most students at Capital University. Aside from giving them an extra topic for after-meal chit-chat, it had no impact on their lives whatsoever.

The school responded swiftly, rapidly containing the spread of information. Without anyone deliberately hyping it for attention, only a handful of people knew that Duan Qian had been taken away over financial fraud.

Lu Wuqi was among those who knew the details more clearly, since she had deliberately ensured that Duan Qian saw that phishing post—and watched him take the bait.

The clueless Duan Qian believed his talent and appearance had won the favor of a rich second-generation heir. So when the other party invited him to join the company, he agreed without much hesitation.

After discovering the company’s extraordinarily high investment returns, Duan Qian gritted his teeth and took out a loan to buy in as a shareholder. He obtained so-called original shares and pocketed some of the returns.

Duan Qian wasn’t entirely foolish. During his meeting with that rich second-gen, he had slept with her and even used illegal recording devices to capture intimate videos.

Convinced he held a lethal handle over her, Duan Qian grew even bolder and more confident. He began roping in relatives and friends to invest, raising a substantial sum with those tantalizing return rates.

His status as a Capital University student lent his pitch far more credibility. In less than a week, he had pulled in nearly a million in investment funds.

That was where the problem arose. While some fell for the outrageous returns, others grew suspicious. Duan Qian got hauled off by the police because someone spotted the red flags and reported them.

One investigation led to another, unearthing a whole network of connections. With a team operating behind the scenes, Duan Qian was swiftly detained for questioning.

Later, the police used clues from interrogating Duan Qian to nab a bunch more people and recover nearly ten million in ill-gotten gains, handily meeting their annual quotas.

Duan Qian’s ultimate fate unfolded exactly as Lu Wuqi had predicted: Capital University expelled him, and he received a criminal sentence for suspected illegal fundraising, disseminating pornography, and fraud.

In consideration of his cooperation with the police—which painted him as something of a victim too—he only earned half a year of prison tears. That was far better than the near-life sentences handed to the ringleaders.

But all of that was far in the future. By then, Lan Xu had long since forgotten the news story she’d glimpsed before the New Year.

–

Lan Xu woke up in her girlfriend’s bed, staring at the ceiling for a moment before reluctantly stretching. She shifted from lying down to sitting up.

“Lu Wuqi, what time is it?” Lan Xu gripped the bed’s guardrail and leaned over to peer down.

“Eight-oh-seven. Want to get up for breakfast?” Lu Wuqi paused her typing, scooted her chair back a bit, and looked up to meet her girlfriend’s gaze.

Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Lan Xu said, “Let’s eat out in a bit. My afternoon exam starts at one. Factoring in time to turn it in early, I should be done by two-thirty.”

“Oh, right—what time’s our flight?” Lan Xu suddenly asked.

“Six o’clock. If we book a driver in advance for takeoff time, we should get home around nine,” Lu Wuqi replied.

Lan Xu’s luggage had already been moved to Lu Wuqi’s dorm the day before. After the exam, they could head straight to the airport.

“Got it. I’m getting up now.” Lan Xu blinked hard to shake off the sleep, then nimbly descended the vertical ladder to freshen up.

–

The final exam went smoothly. When Lan Xu emerged from the exam hall, her face lit up with a brilliant smile.

There were no major traffic jams on the way to the airport. By four-thirty, Lu Wuqi and Lan Xu were already waiting in the departure lounge—half an hour ahead of schedule.

They barely filled their stomachs with the airport’s pricey beef noodles before boarding a flight that wasn’t even a minute late. They even arrived in Lin County ten minutes early.

The pre-arranged driver was an old acquaintance. Lan Xu chatted with him the whole way, so the forty-odd minutes flew by. It felt like they’d blinked, and suddenly they were home.

“Lu Wuqi, in three or four days, I’ll have to go stay at my grandparents’ place. You get what I’m saying, right?” Lan Xu stood at the entrance to her building, lugging her suitcase. White puffs of breath escaped her mouth with every word in the cold air.

“I’ve got no plans for the next while. How about we hit up the local mall these next few days and pick up some New Year’s goods?” Lu Wuqi of course understood. “High schoolers should still be in finals right now. If we time it for meals, we might even snag some of those familiar starchy sausages and oden.”

“Sounds good. Tomorrow’s Thursday—meet at noon?” Lan Xu said with a beaming smile, clearly pleased with Lu Wuqi’s response.

“Sure. Want me to walk you to the door?” Lu Wuqi picked up Lan Xu’s suitcase and headed up ahead of her.

There was way more stuff to bring back for winter break than for New Year’s. Better to help her girlfriend carry it up.

Lan Xu didn’t have time to protest and could only follow behind Lu Wuqi, climbing the four flights of stairs in one go.

“Whew, since you’re already here, wanna say hi to my parents before you go?” Lan Xu panted lightly as she rummaged in her backpack for her keys.

“Sure.” Lu Wuqi took a couple of deep breaths to steady herself.

Just as Lan Xu lined up the key to insert it, Mother Lan—alerted by the noise—opened the door first.

“You’re… back.” Spotting Lu Wuqi outside too, Mother Lan paused. “Little Lu, you’re here as well?”

“Hello, Teacher Du. Xuxu had a lot of luggage, so I just helped carry some up,” Lu Wuqi said with a bright smile. “Teacher Du, I’ll head out now—the driver’s waiting downstairs.”

“Ah, okay, sure. Be safe on the way back,” Mother Lan replied a bit stiffly. Once she saw Lu Wuqi descending the stairs, she shot her daughter a glare. “What’s wrong with you, kid? If you had a lot of stuff, you should’ve told us. I could’ve had your dad drive to pick you up from the airport.”

“It’s fine. I’m used to coming back with Lu Wuqi, and she helped with the bags anyway,” Lan Xu said candidly. “Round trip would’ve taken nearly two hours. You and Dad are both working today—better use the time to rest.”

Mother Lan couldn’t voice what she really wanted to say, so she played dumb instead. “Alright, come on in. Get settled and hit the hay.”

“Coming!” Lan Xu replied cheerfully.

Truth be told, her mom playing dumb worked out great. No need to hide or pretend about certain things anymore!

–

College winter break started a tad earlier than high school’s. When Lu Wuqi and Lan Xu showed up at the school gate, they were greeted by a dense cluster of snack stalls, the familiar aromas assaulting their noses.

“Mmm, same old taste.” Lan Xu nibbled daintily at a starchy sausage on a bamboo skewer that had zero meat flavor.

“Lu Wuqi, try a bite.” She held up the skewer.

Lu Wuqi didn’t stand on ceremony. She blew on it and chomped off nearly a third, cheeks bulging as she chewed slowly. “This our lunch? No little diner?”

“Mm, if we went home now to grab our old uniforms, think we could sneak into school? I still have money left on my meal card,” Lan Xu whispered.

“With our school badges too, sneaking in shouldn’t be hard,” Lu Wuqi swallowed and offered solid advice. “But we’re too late now—they’re already at dismissal time. Maybe this afternoon.”

“Lu Wuqi, I think I’ve got a way to sneak in without uniforms or badges.” Lan Xu tugged her girlfriend’s sleeve and nodded toward the distance.

Curious, Lu Wuqi turned and quickly spotted two very familiar backs amid the swarm of students.

Wasn’t that their old class teacher and Teacher Yi? What were they doing at the school gate?

“Lu Wuqi, wanna go?” Lan Xu blinked at her, eyes gleaming with gossip-hungry mischief.

“Let’s.” Equally intrigued, Lu Wuqi agreed crisply.

The two deftly avoided the teachers’ line of sight and sidled up close without being spotted, ears perked.

“Yixuan, is this your hometown delicacy? Pretty tasty.” Yi Rushi held a multigrain pancake loaded with toppings, savoring and praising it.

“Yi Rushi, didn’t you see it?” Ye Yixuan’s eyes twinkled with teasing. “The sign says Shandong-style multigrain pancake. You think that’s Lin County food?”

Yi Rushi, mid-bite, nearly choked, looking sheepish. “Did it? I didn’t notice the sign.”

“Well, local foods do get adapted with regional twists when they spread elsewhere. The innovated version could barely count as a new local specialty,” Yi Rushi babbled, trying to salvage her fumble.

“Just say what you mean—no need to beat around the bush,” Ye Yixuan said, looking away. “I’ve got proctoring this afternoon. No time for games.”

“This isn’t a game. I’m serious. I want a chance to pursue you again.” Yi Rushi spoke faster than usual, shedding her usual poise in front of students.

“Yixuan, I’ve deeply reflected and realized my mistakes. I won’t interfere with your choices anymore. You can develop wherever you want—teaching or full-time translating, whatever. I support it.”

Yi Rushi’s voice grew softer, clutching the pancake wrapper tightly as she awaited Ye Yixuan’s reply.

Ye Yixuan turned sideways. After a brief silence, she let out a soft sigh. “Yi Rushi, I reached out not to get back together—just to be friends.”

“Aren’t we doing fine now? You’re the high school teacher here; I’m at Capital University.” Ye Yixuan suddenly chuckled.

“There’s that saying—we both have bright futures ahead.”

“Yi Rushi, some things can’t be fixed just because you want to. I’ve put down roots in Lin County, same as you’ve done in the capital.”

“Let’s… just be friends…”

Atchoo!

Lan Xu, who had been listening raptly, got blindsided by a sudden sneeze. She nearly dropped her last bite of starchy sausage—and drew a bunch of attention.

Among those staring were, coincidentally, Ye Yixuan and Yi Rushi.

“Lu Wuqi, Lan Xu?” Ye Yixuan called out their names. As their homeroom teacher for two full years in high school, she could identify them from a profile glance alone.

“Hey, Class Teacher, Teacher Yi—what a coincidence! What brings you two here?” Lan Xu looked over with feigned delight, desperately fighting the urge to curl her toes in embarrassment.

“Quite the coincidence. A high school teacher showing up at her own school’s gate isn’t exactly common,” Ye Yixuan said, a hint of helplessness in her eyes.

Lan Xu and Lu Wuqi were her prized students. If nothing else, she could tell truth from lies by their expressions.