On the way from home to school, still simmering with anger, Chu You kept her lips tightly pressed together, not sparing Lin Mo even a glance.
When she walked into the classroom, a few scattered eyes landed on her briefly before quickly shifting away.
Chu You was indeed very beautiful, but after the two fighting incidents spread around the school, most people regarded her as a troublemaker to be avoided.
Especially after the incident in the small woods where she brutally beat Lu Ran, that invisible barrier between her and others became even more pronounced.
But Chu You didn’t care at all.
She had never really had anything in common with these sixteen or seventeen-year-old kids; coming to school was purely to complete the task Lin Mo had assigned her.
Yet, there were always exceptions.
“Big Sis You, good morning!” Xia Ji greeted her cheerfully, waving her hand vigorously. “You’re back!”
Chu You, however, kept a cold expression, as if she neither saw nor heard Xia Ji, and walked straight past her, quickly returning to her seat.
Seeing this, Xia Ji’s smile stiffened slightly, and she slowly lowered her hand.
She stood there somewhat awkwardly, looking at Chu You’s indifferent profile, her eyes clearly filled with hurt.
After a moment, she timidly stepped a little closer, cautiously poking Chu You’s arm with a finger and whispered, “Big Sis You… did I do something wrong to make you angry?”
Finally not treating her like air, Chu You turned her head, her sharp black-and-white eyes locking onto Xia Ji’s for several seconds before asking back, “What do you think?”
Xia Ji felt even more uneasy under that gaze, pressing her lips together.
“I—I really don’t know why you’re angry… Sorry, Big Sis You, no matter what it is, I apologize. Can you forgive me?”
Looking at her innocent and humble demeanor, Chu You sighed lightly in her heart.
From any angle, Xia Ji appeared to be an inexperienced, harmless, kind girl.
But the things that happened after she disappeared were like a thorn lodged deep in Chu You’s heart, impossible to let go.
Seeing Chu You remain silent, Xia Ji hurriedly added, “Big Sis You, do you blame me for not visiting you in the hospital?
Actually, I went! But the hospital staff said you had already been discharged and gone home. I didn’t have your phone number, so I couldn’t reach you. That’s why…”
At that moment, Chu You suddenly interrupted coldly, “So, Xia Ji, why do you think I was hospitalized?”
Hearing this, Xia Ji tilted her head in confusion, looking at Chu You with clear eyes and replied naturally, “The teacher said you were sick in the hospital? Could it… be something else?”
Her expression was utterly genuine, without a trace of deceit or guilt.
Chu You silently studied Xia Ji, seeing only pure confusion and concern in her eyes—no flaws.
Could it really be a coincidence?
A flicker of hesitation appeared in Chu You’s heart, and her gaze toward Xia Ji softened, losing some of its previous coldness and scrutiny.
“Big Sis You?” Xia Ji called softly.
After another moment, the icy frost on Chu You’s face suddenly melted away, and she burst out laughing—a sound that made the previously tense atmosphere seem like a joke.
She raised her hand and affectionately pinched Xia Ji’s soft cheek, her tone returning to its usual casualness: “Did I scare you? Silly girl, I was just teasing you! Hahaha…”
Xia Ji was stunned at first, seemingly not reacting to the sudden change, then pursed her lips, frowned slightly, and tugged Chu You’s hand away with a hint of displeasure, softly complaining, “Big Sis You! Really… don’t joke like that.”
“All right, all right, I won’t anymore~”.
Chu You nodded obediently in apology, then naturally reached out to ruffle Xia Ji’s hair, her gesture carrying a hint of comfort.
However, the smile lingered on her face only briefly before fading away.
She looked at Xia Ji, her eyes dimming with restrained emotion, and asked, “By the way… why didn’t you come to school that day? I heard something happened to you?”
At the mention of that day, a clear trace of fear flashed in Xia Ji’s eyes.
She instinctively wrapped her arms around herself, as if still feeling that chill.
“Big Sis You, actually I…”
Xia Ji bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before reluctantly starting, “I lied to the Swordbearers before.”
She explained in a low voice, speaking slowly as if struggling to piece together an unpleasant memory.
“When they questioned me, I said I ran back to the shop because some small-time thugs scared me, and then I dozed off… But that wasn’t true.”
Her voice dropped even lower, with a barely noticeable tremor: “That night, I encountered something really terrifying!”
“That night I got off work very late, and there was no one around on the way home. Suddenly, a thick fog rose up… so thick that I could barely see the road.”
Her voice trembled with lingering fear.
“In the fog… there was a very scary thing… probably an Aberrant!”
She swallowed hard and struggled to continue: “It… it could talk. Its voice was extremely harsh, like nails scraping on a blackboard, and it was broken and intermittent.”
“It told me that if I didn’t want to die, I had to stay obediently in the part-time shop until someone found me. Even the story I told the Swordbearers later was all taught by it.”
“Big Sis You…” Xia Ji grabbed Chu You’s wrist tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the grip, her tone full of anxiety.
“W-Will I… be caught and executed because of this?”
“Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
Chu You first reassured Xia Ji, then frowned slightly and lowered her head, lost in thought.
The era of large-scale Aberrant invasions ravaging cities had long passed.
Nowadays, ordinary city residents might never see a living Aberrant in their entire lives.
Encountering an Aberrant and obeying its commands out of fear sounded plausible enough.
But…
If the Aberrant Xia Ji met was one of Lu Ran, Chen Xinyu, or another subordinate of that mysterious “Professor,” then why didn’t they just capture her outright?
Xia Ji was just a regular high school girl; there was no need to go through such trouble.
On the other hand, if Xia Ji’s confession was fabricated… then why go through all this fuss?
There was no way to verify her experience that night; she could have easily used the same excuse she gave the Swordbearers to brush off Chu You.
Could it be… Xia Ji was hiding some unknown secret?
Chu You’s thoughts spiraled into a mess.
With the information at hand, she couldn’t make an accurate judgment.
Just then, a third voice suddenly interrupted her increasingly anxious thoughts.
“Chu You?”
Instinctively, Chu You turned to look.
The homeroom teacher, Xu Guangming, was gazing down at her, half of his face cast in shadow, his tone filled with concern: “How’s your health? Feeling better?”
This thinning-haired middle-aged man was a very responsible teacher.
During Chu You’s “illness,” he had called Lin Mo almost every day to inquire about her condition.
“Thank you for your concern, teacher…” Chu You stood respectfully from her chair and smiled in gratitude.
“I’ve recovered; there’s nothing serious.”
Old Xu nodded and gently instructed, “Good to hear. Catch up on the lessons you missed by reviewing Xia Ji’s notes. If you don’t understand anything, feel free to come to the office and ask the subject teachers anytime.”
“Okay!” Chu You obediently nodded.
“I understand, teacher.”
“All right, let’s start class.”
Old Xu smiled warmly, hands behind his back as he walked toward the podium.
“Ding ling ling ling……”
The class bell rang just as Old Xu left.
After watching him walk away, Chu You hurriedly sat down and pulled out her phone.
She opened her messaging app and tapped on Lin Mo’s familiar avatar, then quickly typed and sent a message.
【Check Xia Ji’s detailed background, as detailed as possible from birth until now!】