Chapter 90
Zhuang Chi agreed very quickly.
Of course. Going to school with Gu Ximian was, no matter what, better than waiting at home alone. Besides, Zhuang Chi was currently in a “ghost” state. The thought of being able to swagger around school and do whatever she wanted without being discovered made her feel a little excited.
She agreed on the spot, eagerly waiting until Monday to wake up early with Gu Ximian. Then, as she sat on the sofa, groggily rubbing her eyes, she saw Gu Ximian come downstairs with her schoolbag, gesturing as she unzipped it. “Get in.”
What could she say? It seemed Gu Ximian, seeing her as a light ball, often forgot that Zhuang Chi was actually a person.
In the end, of course, she politely declined Gu Ximian’s kind offer. Zhuang Chi followed Gu Ximian out of the house—a first for her since coming to this world—and looked out the window with great curiosity all the way in the car. When they arrived, Gu Ximian got out first, patiently holding the car door open for a moment longer. After confirming that Zhuang Chi was out, she gave a faint nod to the butler, who was already looking at her with a puzzled expression, then closed the door and turned to walk toward the school.
Zhuang Chi followed beside Gu Ximian, looking around everywhere. She didn’t know what this behavior looked like as a light ball, but in any case, Gu Ximian seemed quite worried she would get lost. She kept turning back to look at her, but since they were already at school where there were many people and prying eyes, she couldn’t call out to her. After Gu Ximian had turned back a few times, Zhuang Chi learned her lesson and obediently walked by her side. “Let’s go, let’s go. We’ll go to your classroom first. I can slip out and look around on my own after your class starts.”
She had only said it casually, but Gu Ximian raised an eyebrow. Although she didn’t say anything, Zhuang Chi could read the meaning in her expression and eyes: Don’t run off on your own.
“Alright, then I won’t look around.” Of course, Gu Ximian’s opinion was what mattered most. Zhuang Chi quickly changed her tune. “Then I’ll attend class with you! If the teacher asks a question you can’t answer, I can even help you check other people’s answers.”
Gu Ximian let out a soft laugh and shook her head noncommittally. Before Zhuang Chi could say anything else, she heard a greeting from nearby. “Good morning, Gu Ximian. You’re as early as ever.”
Zhuang Chi and Gu Ximian turned their heads together to see a few girls approaching to greet her. They were probably Gu Ximian’s classmates. Gu Ximian lowered her head slightly and returned a brief greeting, and the group walked toward the classroom together. Zhuang Chi looked at the girl walking beside her; she was so close that her arm would pass through Zhuang Chi’s when she waved her hand. Although there was no physical sensation, the sight of it was still strange, so she moved a little farther away.
Now that other people were present and the girls were chattering enthusiastically, Gu Ximian couldn’t look at Zhuang Chi too often. She would only glance at Zhuang Chi when the others’ attention wasn’t entirely on her, then quickly look away, as if just confirming she was still there was enough. Perhaps because Gu Ximian herself was exceptionally outstanding, these girls all seemed to like her very much and wanted to chat with her about everything. Although Gu Ximian was a person of few words, she still answered their questions, maintaining an appropriate, neither-too-close-nor-too-distant sense of distance.
“Speaking of which, when we were coming over just now, I think we saw you smiling,” one of the girls said, directing the conversation to Gu Ximian with a laugh. “Were you thinking of something happy?”
“…” Gu Ximian thought for a moment and replied in a serious tone, “I suppose so. I was thinking about my pet.”
“Pet”—Zhuang Chi silently floated in front of her and muttered under her breath, a little displeased, “…Couldn’t you have come up with a nicer way to put it? Bringing a pet to class is against the school rules, isn’t it?”
The girls had already started a discussion on the topic of pets, while Gu Ximian glanced at Zhuang Chi without a change in expression, her eyes curving into a slight smile.
“…By the way, Gu Ximian, since I’ve run into you, I think I should tell you something…”
Just before they entered the classroom, another girl in the small group stopped Gu Ximian. She looked a little nervous as she whispered, “It’s… that Wang Zi from Class Three. Before I left school yesterday, I accidentally overheard him and a few other boys planning to confess to you in public. Did you… did you know about this?”
Gu Ximian’s brow furrowed, her gaze instantly turning cold. She shook her head. “I didn’t. Thank you for telling me.”
“It’s nothing. I’m glad I ran into you. Otherwise, if you didn’t know anything and were suddenly… That guy is so shameless.” The girl breathed a sigh of relief, then became indignant. “You should definitely try to avoid him. Who knows what a person like that might do if he goes crazy? I heard his family background is pretty tough, too…”
“Is that so.” Gu Ximian replied, sincerely thanking the girl. At the end of her sentence, she added noncommittally, “I’ll see just how tough his background is later.”
Alarm bells had been ringing in Zhuang Chi’s head during the first few sentences, but when she heard Gu Ximian’s last remark, she belatedly remembered that Gu Ximian was her female protagonist; no one in this world had a tougher background than her. Only then did she relax a little and follow Gu Ximian into the classroom. But even though she understood the logic, she still couldn’t calm down. In the end, she couldn’t resist crouching beside Gu Ximian and asking in a tiny voice, “That person the girl just mentioned… the one called Wang Zi, are you very familiar with him?”
Gu Ximian, who was busy taking textbooks and homework out of her bag, spared her a glance. Zhuang Chi let out a sound of understanding and added, “If you know him well, blink once. If not, blink twice.”
Gu Ximian paused, looking slightly helpless, but she still cooperated and blinked twice.
Zhuang Chi nodded in understanding, her brow furrowed. “Then why would he want to do something as difficult as confessing to you in public? He doesn’t seem like a good person. What should we do? Should we tell a teacher first?”
Gu Ximian sighed softly, shook her head imperceptibly, and opened her draft notebook. On it, she wrote two words: No evidence.
Zhuang Chi thought that made sense, but she also felt they couldn’t just ignore it. Just as she was about to discuss the matter further with Gu Ximian, a student came over, passing right through her. It looked like he was here to ask Gu Ximian a question, but his intentions were clearly elsewhere. Zhuang Chi wrinkled her nose and sullenly moved aside, coming to a stop on Gu Ximian’s other side, patiently waiting for her to finish her conversation.
As it turned out, Gu Ximian didn’t have a free moment until class started. Afraid of disturbing her, Zhuang Chi remained silent. She only found a chance in the small gap before the teacher arrived to start the lesson to tentatively ask, “When you’re in class, is it better if I don’t talk to you? Blink once for yes, twice for no.”
Gu Ximian pressed her lips together, turned a page in her textbook without changing her expression, and stubbornly refused to blink for a long time.
…When she finally did blink, it seemed to be only because her eyes were dry and she couldn’t help it, not like she was answering her. Zhuang Chi was baffled. After some thought, she decided that Gu Ximian might be subtly expressing “don’t bother me,” so she tactfully remained silent and began to wander around the classroom.
Although the classroom wasn’t large, it was surprisingly fun to explore. Her perspective was just like a proctor’s; she could see at a glance which student was daydreaming or dozing off. Zhuang Chi stood at the back of the classroom and watched a boy in the last row secretly finish a bag of crispy noodles, feeling a little envious. She thought about how it had been a long time since she had eaten anything. She didn’t know the principle behind it, but although she could pick up food, she couldn’t eat it. Now, even the sight of a bag of crispy noodles made her mouth water. If she told Gu Ximian, she’d probably be laughed at for being pathetic. She also thought about how the subjects Gu Ximian studied in high school were similar to what she herself had studied. Even though they weren’t from the same world, this aspect was quite rigorous.
Could it be that it was precisely because they were fundamentally not from the same world that she had become this ghost-like entity? Zhuang Chi wondered. She seemed to recall the notebook saying something similar in the museum, and she felt that…
As she mulled over these things, the end of the first class soon arrived. But Gu Ximian was a busy person even during the break. She was very popular in class, and there were always people who wanted to talk to her. Zhuang Chi saw this and thought about how the line she had written in her novel—that Gu Ximian had been popular since she was a child—had been thoroughly realized. In the end, she decided to consciously take a detour and not disturb the already busy-looking Gu Ximian.
It was the same for the next three classes in the morning. Zhuang Chi thought that since there were books to read at home, she should be able to find even more at school. Sure enough, she found a small bookshelf in the corner of the classroom. Taking advantage of the fact that anything she held would become invisible along with her, she picked out two books from the book corner when no one was looking. Then she sat cross-legged on the floor by the bookshelf, reading idly while half-heartedly listening to the lecture. It had to be said, this feeling of openly slacking off without worrying about being called on by the teacher was quite enjoyable.
Happy times passed quickly. When the bell rang for the end of the last class of the morning, Zhuang Chi stretched contentedly, thinking that she could consider taking a nap somewhere sunny in the afternoon—after all, even if she lay on the teacher’s podium now, no one could give her any trouble. As she was thinking this, she looked up and saw Gu Ximian get up and walk straight toward her. Zhuang Chi thought, is she coming to the book corner to get a book? She quickly and stealthily stuffed the book in her hand back onto the shelf. Just as she put it back, she saw Gu Ximian stop in front of the book corner, her brow slightly furrowed. She actually started to speak to her, her voice low, “Why didn’t you come over all morning—”
“—Is Gu Ximian here?”
Before she could finish, she was interrupted by a male voice from the doorway. Zhuang Chi and Gu Ximian turned to look at the same time and saw a tall high school boy peering into the classroom. His eyes lit up when he saw Gu Ximian, and he seemed to be trying his best to appear polite as he said with a smile, “…Gu-Gu Ximian, can you come out for a moment? I… have some academic questions I’d like to ask you.”
His eyes darted around as he spoke, and his voice became muffled, especially during the last part of the sentence. It was obvious he was lying. Seeing him constantly glancing down the hallway, and hearing the noisy chatter from outside, Zhuang Chi had a feeling that the moment Gu Ximian stepped out, she would receive a “welcoming gift.” Gu Ximian had clearly sensed it too. She didn’t walk over, but simply stood where she was, her voice clear and calm when she spoke, “Wang Zi, I believe I’ve already rejected you before.”
She said this from a distance, so if the boy named Wang Zi could hear her clearly, so could everyone else in the class. The boy’s smile immediately faltered, and he looked around awkwardly, clearing his throat. “…No, just come out for a second.”
Gu Ximian’s brow furrowed. Zhuang Chi could almost feel her patience draining away. When she spoke again, she wasn’t very polite. “Go out for what? Whatever arrangements you’ve made, they will be a pointless waste of effort.”
Wang Zi’s expression grew uglier, his face flushing red. Noticing he was an Alpha, Zhuang Chi’s guard shot up, and she subconsciously moved to stand in front of Gu Ximian. Male Alphas in high school were the most impulsive and quick to anger. Having been “rebuffed” like this by Gu Ximian in front of so many people, a sensible person would have known to back down. But looking at this Alpha’s expression—
Perhaps it was to be expected. While Zhuang Chi was still thinking this, the Alpha suddenly strode over from the classroom door. Zhuang Chi couldn’t touch him, so standing in front of Gu Ximian was useless. She could only watch as he passed through her and went straight for Gu Ximian, grabbing her wrist. His tone carried a hint of unquestionable ferocity. “I told you, just come out!”
Not expecting him to lash out so suddenly, Gu Ximian tried to wrench her hand away in shock and anger, but her strength was no match for an Alpha’s. Not only did she fail to break free, but her wrist was gripped even tighter. The force was so great that she winced in pain, her brow furrowing. She gritted her teeth and ordered Wang Zi to let go, but he ignored her and dragged her toward the door. The other students in the classroom were stunned by this sudden turn of events. Some had already slipped out to find a teacher, while most just watched, at a loss, hesitating over what to do.
It was normal. After all, who knew if they would incur the Alpha’s wrath by stepping in? He already looked like he was on the verge of going crazy. In this situation, such a calm thought popped into Gu Ximian’s mind. And she had heard before that his family had some background, so probably no one wanted to offend him—perhaps this thought painted others in too vile a light, but that was human nature. When faced with a sudden incident, how many people would be willing to step in and help without a second thought? Gu Ximian couldn’t help but have such pessimistic thoughts.
This is terrible, Gu Ximian thought. It was the first time she had brought Z to school, and she had been thinking of talking to her more. But now she was caught in such an embarrassing situation. She wondered what Z would think. Would she, like the teachers, parents, and everyone else, tell her earnestly that she shouldn’t have provoked him, that an Omega shouldn’t go head-to-head with an Alpha, that appropriate compromise and showing weakness were acceptable, and that ensuring her own safety was what’s most important…
“Smack.”
As her mind wandered, Gu Ximian suddenly heard a faint impact. Then she felt Wang Zi, who was forcefully pulling her forward, stop. He looked around furiously and shouted, “Who threw that? Show yourself!”
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what he was talking about. Just then, another small impact sound was heard, followed by the sound of something landing. This time, Gu Ximian saw it clearly: it was chalk.
Someone was throwing chalk at Wang Zi, hitting his head with steady, accurate, and ruthless aim. One piece after another, they didn’t stop no matter how much he yelled.
By the time he was tired of shouting, he still hadn’t found the “culprit.” The pieces of chalk seemed to be falling from the sky, thrown from a place where no one was standing. Wang Zi had a bellyful of anger with no one to vent it on. Annoyed by the constant pelting of chalk, he wiped his face and was about to shout again when a small box half-full of chalk dust was suddenly overturned, landing squarely on his head. Not only did it cover his face in dust, but it also made him cough repeatedly. He hurriedly raised his hands to wipe it away, finally letting go of Gu Ximian’s hand.
Zhuang Chi resentfully squeezed between him and Gu Ximian, patting the chalk dust off her hands. She had been extremely anxious just now, but she couldn’t touch this person. Even if she picked up a tool, it would just become invisible with her. It would only reappear when she let go, so she was just as helpless. In a moment of desperation, she had the bright idea to throw things at him. As she was busy looking for chalk pieces, she turned her head and saw a new, unopened box of chalk on the teacher’s podium.
For a moment, the thought “Wasn’t this spot empty just now?” flashed through her mind, but the situation didn’t allow her to dwell on it. The timing of the chalk’s appearance was too perfect, almost as if it had been prepared just for her, so Zhuang Chi didn’t hesitate to borrow it. To be honest, if she wasn’t worried that he would extort Gu Ximian if she actually injured him, Zhuang Chi really wanted to throw the books from the bookshelf to vent her anger.
The Alpha choked on the chalk dust for a while, and the teacher finally arrived belatedly. After briefly understanding the situation, he knew who was at fault and took the dusty Wang Zi to the office for a reprimand. Zhuang Chi wasn’t very interested in what happened next. From the moment Wang Zi let go of Gu Ximian’s hand, she had been hovering around her, looking at the red mark that had appeared on her fair wrist. She subconsciously wanted to rub it for her, but when she reached out, she realized she couldn’t touch her. She could only feel both heartbroken and guilty. “How could that person be like that! And he even grabbed you—I should have started throwing chalk at him from the beginning. I shouldn’t have let him get close to you…”
“Next time I see him, I’ll know to stop him in advance… but it’s best if there isn’t a next time.” Zhuang Chi was a little dejected, muttering, “If only I had noticed something was wrong sooner. I’m sorry, Gu Ximian. Does it hurt a lot?”
Gu Ximian was a little dazed. She looked at the light ball hovering near her wrist, speechless for a long time.
So that’s what Z was thinking, Gu Ximian thought. While she was throwing the chalk, the light ball looked like it had bristled, as if its fur had stood on end.
She remained silent, which made Zhuang Chi extremely worried. But when Gu Ximian spoke again, she wasn’t answering her question. Instead, she said softly and out of the blue, “That question you asked me before, I’ll answer it now.”
Before Zhuang Chi could recall what question she had asked Gu Ximian, she saw Gu Ximian look at her and gently blink twice.
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