After Saving My Possessive Best Friend, I Couldn't Escape (GL) - Chapter 43

Ye Yu’s belongings were overall sparse, even bordering on “simple.”

“Do you like minimalist style?” Fang Zhile asked casually.

Ye Yu was squatting on the floor. She turned her head, and strands of hair brushed her lips. Not wanting to speak and eat her hair, Ye Yu simply shook her head with smiling eyes.

Aside from the various brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones she needed for calligraphy, her clothing, personal items, and study supplies only filled two boxes. Fang Zhile looked at the scattered items on the floor—only five boxes in total, two of which were filled with gifts from other people.

And! Zhou Meize’s gifts alone filled an entire box!

“She likes giving you things?” Fang Zhile lifted Ye Yu’s hair away. Her movement was initially clumsy but slowed down when it reached Ye Yu’s cheek. She said sourly, “That’s a whole box.”

Ye Yu pretended not to understand. She turned around and said, “Look in the last box. There’s more than just that. I remember there’s a small casket…”

Before she could finish, a gust of air brushed her hair. Looking down, Fang Zhile appeared in front of her, holding the casket.

“Is this it! I’ve had my eye on it for ages! It’s full of jewelry. Tell me, where did you get it?”

Ye Yu looked inside. It was crammed with gold and diamonds. When she was little, Zhou’s mother thought gold was good for her. Later, Zhou’s mother grew fond of jade, and everything she gave—from inkstones to brushes, even cell phone charms—had to be made of jade. These recent years, seeing Ye Yu grow into a young woman, she finally started giving diamonds. The box, once opened, was dazzling.

“Auntie gave me these,” Ye Yu answered honestly.

Fang Zhile grunted, rummaging through it. She didn’t see any jade pendants symbolizing eternal devotion or diamond rings engraved with their initials. She casually placed the casket back into the box labeled “Zhou Meize.”

They were all flashy but impractical items—nice to look at but useless, and they took up space. Fang Zhile took them out one by one, looked them over, and eventually put them all back. If there had been an exquisite display piece, that would have been fine, but Zhou’s mother and Zhou Meize’s aesthetic taste were consistently the same: the expensive items couldn’t be displayed, and the slightly cheaper ones were bizarre. Zhou Meize herself was no better. Despite being an art student, the only painting she had given was in a dark style, which made the room look like a haunted house if hung up.

So, it wasn’t that Fang Zhile was petty and taking revenge; it was just that Zhou Meize’s gifts were too low. Realizing this, Fang Zhile comfortably changed her direction of attack.

“Finish this set of test papers.” Fang Zhile didn’t let Ye Yu continue unpacking. Once everything was sorted, she assigned her a test paper. Based on the math test Ye Yu had done in the milk tea shop, Fang Zhile had a clear idea of Ye Yu’s foundation: none. How did people in this world let her get away with having no foundation?

Ye Yu had planned to rest after unpacking, but the study-focused student was terrifying.

“They’re all basic problems. Don’t look at me like that. There are only thirty in total,” Fang Zhile thought, I am the cold and ruthless me now. “Seduction won’t work, okay? The exam is tomorrow. You must understand all these fundamental problems today.” Must. Understand. All of them.

Ye Yu instantly fell silent.

Although Fang Zhile sounded bossy, she ended up sitting down and explaining each problem to Ye Yu, one by one. Ye Yu usually intensely disliked anything involving numbers, but the difficult and headache-inducing concepts sounded different coming from Fang Zhile; she could actually listen.

“Not bad. You’ve learned the approach,” Fang Zhile said, looking at a correct calculation process Ye Yu had just written. She felt comforted and affectionately patted Ye Yu’s head. “So smart.”

Ye Yu looked up and scoffed, feeling a little proud, but deliberately played along to encourage Fang Zhile to keep teaching her. “That’s all because Teacher Fang teaches so well.”

Teacher Fang. Fang Zhile felt goosebumps all over. She smiled falsely. “Don’t be so polite. It’s a bit too early to be happy. Teacher Fang will be strictly supervising you in the future.”

“Let’s talk about the future later,” Ye Yu pressed. “When are you moving in?”

“I need to go back and pack my stuff,” Fang Zhile said. “How about next week? I’ll find a time to move in next week.”

“Next week is exam week,” Ye Yu pouted. “Monday and Tuesday are both exams.”

“There’s a three-day holiday after the exams and two more days of school,” Fang Zhile ran a hand through her hair. She still didn’t understand this tradition at Chunyang High School, constantly giving high school students three-day breaks. You’d think it was an art school where students needed time off to sketch. Aren’t they afraid the students will go wild? “Let’s move then. It’s only a few days away. Plus, I want to study tonight.”

Since Fang Zhile had put it that way, Ye Yu couldn’t be so direct. Her eyes darted around, finding a different angle. “Then go see your room.”

Fang Zhile’s eyes lit up, and her short hair bounced playfully. “My room? The one across from your bedroom?”

Fang Zhile had noticed it earlier. It was like an esports room, filled with advanced electronic equipment. On the oversized desk sat a high-definition 32-inch curved screen and a 27-inch all-in-one computer. The main unit was likely hidden underneath, leaving only the monitors, speakers, and keyboard on the desktop.

“The smell of cash power,” Fang Zhile exclaimed with feeling. It had been over a month since she’d seen such a comfortable room, coupled with the valuable real estate. “Ah, my girl is the best.”

“What ‘girl’?” Ye Yu came in from behind, carrying a bowl of washed fruit.

Fang Zhile picked up a cherry tomato, looking around, and finally made a decision. “I’m moving in on the night the exam finishes.”

Ye Yu’s eyes curved into a smile. “Okay.”

The cherry tomatoes had been soaked in cold water, making them sweet and refreshing. The two shared them quickly.

The sky had darkened. In the late summer evening, the cicadas were silent. The extremely green leaves on both sides of the road were poised, waiting for the autumn wind to sweep in and turn them brown.

Fang Zhile was walking home, her WeChat filled with several messages from Wei Youqing. She had been adhering to the code of conduct for good employees the past two days, checking the milk tea shop’s operational status at regular intervals. Wei Youqing, in turn, perfectly embodied the good qualities of a modern milk tea shop owner: refusing to bow to any authority—oh, because she was the authority—simply keeping the shop closed.

During this time, Fang Zhile also received greetings from the owner’s wife, Zhishu. Zhishu didn’t ask where Wei Youqing was, but sent her two small red envelopes, euphemistically calling them compensation for Fang Zhile’s salary since the shop was closed for two days.

“Look, look,” Fang Zhile scrolled through the red envelopes she had opened, scoffing at Wei Youqing’s profile picture. “The boss’s wife is the boss’s wife. Black-hearted boss, gentle boss’s wife. The ancient wisdom doesn’t lie.”

[Zhishu]: Xiaole, I have some leads on the matter you asked me to look into, but the situation is quite complicated, and some information involves client privacy. Is it convenient for you to take a call now?

Fang Zhile stared at the message, her mood instantly lifting three notches. She immediately initiated a voice call.

Zhishu answered quickly. She seemed to be leaving her office, as the background noise shifted from noisy to quiet.

Zhishu briefly explained the investigation. “Based on the existing non-confidential data and facial analysis, that man appeared in all the projects involving Sun Qiang.”

That man was a nephew of the Sun family, nameless, with a vague identity, a minor leader in a transnational human trafficking group responsible for the market south of Jing City. He used the Sun family’s cover to conduct human trafficking activities and also provided the Sun family with the convenience of murder and robbery. Before facial recognition technology was fully developed, the massive amount of surveillance data didn’t serve its intended purpose, and his close meetings with Sun Qiang never attracted police attention.

“Tell me, how did you know all this?”

Fang Zhile didn’t hide too much. “I don’t know if the boss told you, but we have a few ‘delinquent girls’ at our school who cause a lot of trouble, and their methods… basically flirt with criminal law. I figured if the son is like the father, the reverse is also true. A father who raises his daughter like that can’t be good himself.”

Zhishu was older than her and viewed the problem more shrewdly and cautiously. “Here’s the thing. I can compile the non-confidential information for you. I don’t know what you plan to do, but you’re just a student. Even if you report it to the police, it might lead nowhere. Can you accept that outcome?”

Fang Zhile didn’t hesitate. Ye Yu’s smiling face as she saw her off earlier flashed in her mind. Protecting her smile, cleaning up the garbage—she was obliged to do it.

“I accept.”

The information from Zhishu’s company could provide direction for the investigators. As long as the “black face” finished collecting the crucial evidence, she could launch a thorough cleanup storm against the Sun family.

Zhishu respected her choice. “When are you free these next few days? I’ll put it on a hard drive for you.”

Fang Zhile considered the upcoming exam week. “Thursday, maybe. We have the afternoon off on Thursday.”

“Good. Let’s meet at the milk tea shop on Thursday afternoon.”

Hanging up the phone, Fang Zhile raised an eyebrow. Oh? The milk tea shop? Zhishu didn’t have the keys to the shop. This meant her boss would be properly dealt with within the next four days? She felt a small anticipation building up.

After tidying up at home, Fang Zhile completed a comprehensive science test and a Chinese test. She hadn’t written the essay yet. Seeing that it was already one o’clock in the morning, she quickly lay down and closed her eyes. Her busy body finally relaxed, but her cerebral cortex remained active. Also, Fang Zhile was worried about the exam tomorrow. She woke up naturally before six o’clock, feeling strangely energized, so she used the time to memorize a few ancient Chinese texts.

At seven sharp, she rode her bicycle to school, eating a pancake as she went, filling her stomach with cold air.

“Ugh, these miserable little days,” Fang Zhile rubbed her stomach as she entered the classroom, faint dark circles under her eyes from lack of sleep.

“You stayed up late studying!” Zhou Yunyi immediately looked worried. “What should I do? I didn’t stay up late.”

Fang Zhile was speechless. “Is staying up late a good thing? I just didn’t keep track of time.”

Zhou Yunyi clearly didn’t believe her, scanning her suspiciously, acting as if Fang Zhile had been secretly studying behind her back. “What time did you wake up this morning?”

“A little past five?” Fang Zhile hadn’t checked precisely. Her alarm was set for 6:30, and it rang only after she had memorized three ancient texts. Based on her confidence in her memorization speed, Fang Zhile figured it wasn’t earlier than 5:30. “Around 5:30, I guess.”

Zhou Yunyi’s heart seized up upon hearing this. She moved away, then moved away again.

“If you move any further, you’ll fall off,” Fang Zhile pushed aside the book in front of her and reviewed a formula one more time. “Hey, let me ask you a question.”

Zhou Yunyi remained silent for two seconds, then said faintly, “What?”

“How are we seated for the exam?” Fang Zhile gestured. “Are the desks spread out in one classroom, or are we in different exam rooms?”

“We’re definitely in different exam rooms,” Zhou Yunyi said strangely. “We’ve been doing that since the first year of high school. Did you forget?”

“I forgot,” Fang Zhile accepted the reminder gracefully. “Thanks for the reminder. My memory is terrible.”

Zhou Yunyi didn’t think anything of it, explaining, “Our school has many teaching buildings. The floor across the hall is empty. For our exams, half of us stay here, and half go there.”

“The tiered lecture hall,” Fang Zhile remembered. They went there for school assemblies. Thousands of people would cram into the super-large lecture hall, so tightly packed that they almost sat on each other’s laps. “That’s good, then. It’s an exam, not an assembly. It’ll be spacious.”

Spacious enough not to sit on anyone’s lap. Zhou Yunyi and Fang Zhile smiled knowingly at each other.

At that moment, the homeroom teacher walked in, holding a list. She knocked on the blackboard.

“Students, quiet down. I’m going to read out the exam room arrangements.” The homeroom teacher’s presence was always strong. She looked gentle, but she could control this group of unruly kids. No one dared to make her angry, and everyone quieted down when she spoke.

“Ranks 1-10 go to the tiered lecture hall. Ranks 11-20 stay in this classroom. Ranks 21-30 go to Laboratory D. Ranks 31-40 go to the library.”

Fang Zhile and Zhou Yunyi exchanged a look. Well, speak of the devil. Both of them had to go to the tiered lecture hall.

“Why is that? I want to go to the library too!” Someone complained, resting their head on the desk. “It’s not fair. The worst students get the best place.”

“Anyone with an opinion, stand up and speak,” the teacher pointed her teaching wand. “Don’t dawdle. The exam starts in an hour. You have half an hour to clear your desks, grab your pens and paper, and go to your exam rooms. Hurry up!”

Zhou Yunyi had already packed everything. All her supplies were in a transparent file bag, ready to go.

Fang Zhile grabbed three pens. “Let’s go.”

As soon as they left the classroom, Zhou Yunyi complained bitterly, “I still think it’s unfair. Why do the bottom 10 go to the library?”

“Is the library a particularly great place?” Fang Zhile didn’t think there was much difference between the four locations. It wasn’t the field versus the washroom next to the toilet. Every place was the same. “Why are you all talking about this?”

“Of course we talk about it. The library has individual seats, little sofas,” Zhou Yunyi muttered. “Plus, it has aromatherapy, good air conditioning. It’s the most comfortable place to sleep.”

Fang Zhile replied casually, “Then that’s great. Let them get a good sleep.”

“Pffft.” Zhou Yunyi laughed. “Your mouth is the meanest.”

Gossiping about people behind their backs can lead to awkward encounters with the actual person. As they were talking, several students walked toward them—all with long hair, clearly from the art class. Zhou Yunyi’s face immediately turned pale.

Fang Zhile was talking to Zhou Yunyi and stepped aside without looking up.

“Hey, why aren’t you moving?”

Fang Zhile subtly directed Zhou Yunyi with her eyes. Zhou Yunyi looked at the art class students, her back slightly stiff.

Fang Zhile looked up and saw the person in the middle smiling at her, holding a file bag.

“Ye Yu? Are you in the tiered lecture hall too?” Fang Zhile asked, then immediately felt stupid. The top ten students from every class were here.

“Yes,” Ye Yu said. She looked at Fang Zhile’s empty hands, took out an eraser and an answer sheet pen from her bag, and handed them over. “Let’s eat lunch together.”

“Mhm!” Fang Zhile accepted the stationery from Ye Yu naturally.

The two groups passed each other. Zhou Yunyi let out a long breath after Ye Yu and her classmates walked into the classroom. She pulled Fang Zhile aside and whispered, “How do you know them?”

“The art class?” Fang Zhile smiled. “The one who spoke to me is my neighbor.”

Future neighbor is also a neighbor.

“Neighbor?” Zhou Yunyi was instantly alert. She lowered her voice. “Their families are quite influential. I thought they were coming to cause trouble for us. You scared me.”

Fang Zhile watched her extreme caution and narrowed her eyes.

“Tell me the truth.”

Fang Zhile remembered the time when Sun Li’s group kicked her stool, and her books were vandalized. Zhou Yunyi’s reaction clearly indicated she knew something.

“Did you see something?” Fang Zhile scrutinized Zhou Yunyi’s expression.

A bead of cold sweat formed on Zhou Yunyi’s forehead. She pulled Fang Zhile toward the triangular space under the stairs.

“I’m only telling you this. You absolutely must not say I told you.”

Fang Zhile nodded. “Don’t worry. I can keep a secret.”

Zhou Yunyi clutched the stationery in her hand, her expression terrified. “My family is actually quite well off. When I first started high school, a few girls from the art class cornered us and said they wanted to teach us a lesson. But when they were about to get violent, they saw my branded shoes and let me go.”

Fang Zhile’s face darkened. “And then you didn’t say anything?”

“Those few people didn’t do anything,” Zhou Yunyi suddenly looked up. “I walked to the office door, intending to report to the teacher, but then I saw them coming back. They said it was just verbal abuse and a warning. They got mad at me for being let go and then went and told those art class girls that I was going to snitch.”

Fang Zhile’s eyebrows nearly reached her temples.

“So after that, I didn’t dare interfere with things like that again…” Zhou Yunyi’s voice got quieter and quieter. She cautiously eyed Fang Zhile’s expression. “You’re not going to blame me for not helping, are you?”

“There were reasons. I understand.”

Fang Zhile shook her head, lamenting the moral decline of the times.

The two were standing under a narrow staircase, at the very corner of the first floor of the tiered lecture hall. The staircase design was bizarre. It looked like they had installed a staircase here for convenience, but the area was insufficient, resulting in a steep and narrow structure.

Fang Zhile had just said, “It’s getting late. Let’s go to the exam room,” when she heard giggling from behind, accompanied by a girl’s suppressed sobs. Human hearing and analytical skills are powerful. Fang Zhile immediately felt that the sounds were abnormal.

Fang Zhile looked back, but Zhou Yunyi pulled her arm. “Aiya, let’s hurry.”

“Are they bullying someone?” Fang Zhile frowned.

“They probably are, but it’s probably just name-calling,” Zhou Yunyi pulled her quickly toward the classroom. “No one usually comes to these two floors. No people, no supervision. This kind of thing is normal. The exam is about to start. It shouldn’t be a big fuss. Let’s not get involved.”

Zhou Yunyi had been the “kind-hearted man” who was bitten and the “farmer” who rescued the snake. Coupled with her naturally timid personality, any courage or sense of justice she might have had for her friends had long since vanished. Now, she just wanted peace and to avoid danger.

She pulled Fang Zhile with great force, and before Fang Zhile could react, they had already walked several steps.

“Wait, I still don’t think that’s right…”

The preparatory bell for the exam rang. The teacher came out and called for students, pointing at Fang Zhile and Zhou Yunyi, urging them sharply, “Hurry up! What are you doing out here!”

Fang Zhile could only let Zhou Yunyi pull her along. Before entering the classroom, she quickly told the invigilating teacher about the sounds she heard on the staircase and glanced one last time toward the narrow stairs.