Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Right, aren’t you all curious why Instructor Zhai left in such a hurry?” Zheng Lingling asked with a face full of question marks. “All the other classes are holding farewell gatherings for their respective instructors. Our class is the only exception. It’s just one night—no, just one hour, but Instructor Zhai was unable to spare us the time. He had to leave immediately after the training session ended. Why is this happening? Why didn’t the other instructors do that?”
“The instructors from other classes are not as good looking as ours too.” Tang Mengran replied as a matter of fact.
Zheng Lingling’s face turned black. “Can you please don’t be like Xu Tingting, always acting like you’re love-struck? Is there a connection between good-looking and being tied up? If Instructor Zhai was really that busy, why must he come and be our instructor? There’re a lot of people in the army. They could just send someone else here, couldn’t they? Was there a need to send Instructor Zhou here when he’s busy? He’s sent back eventually and Instructor Zhai came in his stead anyway.”
“Why do you care about this? Regardless, we’re the ones who benefited. If they sent another instructor who’s not so busy, they’re certainly not going to be as good-looking as the two instructors we had. Aiyah, we’re only high school students. These deep and complicated problems are not meant for us. Alright. While they’re having farewell parties, we’ll take the chance to recharge ourselves. I really wish tomorrow will come soon so that I can go home.” Tang Mengran kicked her legs. There’s nothing better than going home now.
Everyone was already tired out. The military training had finally ended. They felt more relaxed and were dozing off. When Tang Mengran, the little muddle-head, interrupted Zheng Lingling, everyone’s thoughts deviated toward that of Tang Mengran. They fell asleep soon after.
Fang Fang was the only one who was still thinking about what Zheng Lingling said the second before she fell asleep. Zheng Lingling’s words made sense. But why…
“Bye, see you on the weekend.”
“Please.”
After two weeks of military training, almost everyone became tanned and lost some weight.
According to her usual routine, Qiao Nan put the books that she wanted to bring home for the week in her schoolbag. When she reached the quad, she went to the residence of the Zhai family instead of heading home directly. She would place the items in the Zhai’s residence and then go there again to revise the next day, lest Ding Jiayi and Qiao Zijin disturbed her.
However, this evening seemed to be particularly quiet. It was like the calm before a storm, sinister and mysterious.
Just as she reached the quad, Qiao Nan felt strange, as if someone was hiding at a dark place, watching her.
Qiao Nan halted her steps and turned to look around. There was no one else on the empty path. Was she wrong and being paranoid?
“Zhu Baoguo, is that you? Hurry and come out. If I catch you, don’t blame me for adding more to your homework!” Qiao Nan raised her voice. Initially, Zhu Baoguo was supposed to go home together with her. However, he was not in a good mood. He looked quite unhappy and left first.
Qiao Nan was not a ‘real’ child. Hence, she certainly would not take such matters to heart.
However, at this moment, she suddenly felt that someone seemed to be tailing her. The first person Qiao Nan could think of was Zhu Baoguo.
Every time Qiao Nan threatened Zhu Baoguo with more homework, it always worked. This time, however, Qiao Nan did not sense any slightest movement from her surrounding after saying that. “Am I really being paranoid?” Qiao Nan scratched her head. Could it be that she had been tortured by the few dormitory mates till she had a mental breakdown?
Tang Mengran imagined things every day, and Fang Fang was like Sherlock Holmes, watching her and Brother Zhai’s every move. It nearly caused her to believe that Brother Zhai had a thing for her.
Great, she was almost suffering from paranoia now. She actually felt that someone was tailing her.
She had neither money nor beauty. Anyone following her would be wasting their time.
Shaking her head vigorously, Qiao Nan dispelled all these messy thoughts from her mind. She had been badly influenced.
With such thoughts in mind, Qiao Nan’s steps quickened.
What Qiao Nan did not know was that just as she left, someone ran out from the corner of the back alley. “Eh, where’s the wretched girl? Where did she go in the blink of an eye? Where is she hiding?”
Ding Jiayi was looking everywhere for Qiao Nan’s whereabouts, but Qiao Nan was nowhere to be seen.
Facing this situation, Ding Jiayi was furious.
Ding Jiayi eventually failed to resist Qiao Zijin’s cajoling and decided to tail Qiao Nan so that she could find out where her ‘headquarter’ was.
Qiao Zijin and Ding Jiayi discussed this at length. They knew that Qiao Nan was very careful and meticulous. Furthermore, Qiao Nan had long been guarding against them. Hence, they would certainly not succeed in finding the Qiao Nan’s ‘headquarter’ if they simply tailed her.
Qiao Zijin thought for a long time and finally found a way.
In the past, they always tailed Qiao Nan from home and lost her every time. Qiao Nan was most guarded when she was at home. Therefore, when Qiao Nan was not at home, that would be the time she would let her guard down.
As such, Qiao Zijin’s idea was to ambush Qiao Nan on her way home from school and tail her thereafter.
Qiao Zijin guessed that the ‘headquarter’ Qiao Nan used to keep the books would not be too far away from home. As long as they started to tail Qiao Nan from the second part of her journey, Ding Jiayi would definitely be able to find something.
True enough, Ding Jiayi discovered an irregularity.
Qiao Nan had clearly reached the quad, but she did not go home and took another path instead.
It was only at this juncture that Ding Jiayi realized that Qiao Nan had been doing things right under her nose. Qiao Nan had been going around in circles but did not leave quad!
“This wretched girl, who did she learn all these from? She’s so cunning. Did she find out just now?” Ding Jiayi was stuck at where she was, and she was getting anxious. Just as she followed Qiao Nan to the quad, Qiao Nan halted her steps and turned to look. Ding Jiayi was so scared that she panicked and fell into a small valley, straight into a rubbish dump.
The time Qiao Nan waited before she made a move again was the time Ding Jiayi was forced to squat in the smelly garbage dump.
At this moment, Ding Jiayi was stinking from the smell. It was so smelly that even a beggar would despise her.
Just when Ding Jiayi thought that she had failed in her mission again and had to do it again, Qiao Nan appeared!
Ding Jiayi had no choice but to squat in the garbage dump again. This time, she stared at Qiao Nan without blinking. She only dared to come out after confirming where Qiao Nan was headed to.
“So smelly!” Ding Jiayi turned pale as she nearly fainted from the garbage smell. She then looked carefully at the yards around her. “That wretched girl must have entered one of these yards. Hmm, this is…”
Ding Jiayi carefully observed and suddenly realized that this was near the place where Qiao Nan saved the life of Zhu Baoguo.
