Chapter 10: Reluctance

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After finishing his words, Leng Shucheng didn’t even look at Wen Xiao’s reaction and simply turned around to return to his seat.

Wen Xiao was full of questions, staring at Leng Shucheng’s departing figure. Even when this young master said “thank you,” he always wore a reluctant expression, as if Wen Xiao had forced the words out of him.

The next class was Chinese. Wen Xiao flipped open the textbook, finding the material far too simple for him.

He pushed the book aside, overhearing classmates discussing where to go for fun tomorrow. He suddenly recalled that today was Friday and tomorrow was a holiday.

“Quiet down, everyone.” Wen Xulai came to the podium with a textbook in hand and cleared his throat softly. “I know everyone is excited for the weekend, but chatting should wait until after class. Please focus during lessons.”

“Next week is the midterm exam, a time to assess what you’ve learned over the past two months. Everyone needs to be mentally prepared.”

Wen Xiao heard a chorus of complaints from the class and thought to himself that a dislike for exams was probably a shared sentiment among all students.

“The exams will cover five subjects: Chinese, Mathematics, English, Science, and History. Don’t be nervous during the tests. Afterward, the school will organize an autumn outing to Moon God Valley as a form of relaxation...”

No sooner had Wen Xulai finished speaking than a thunderous cheer erupted from below, with some students even tossing their textbooks into the air.

Wen Xiao felt overwhelmed by the noise and covered his ears with his hands.

Moon God Valley was essentially a large amusement park. He hadn’t been there in his previous life, but that didn’t mean he wanted to go now.

“Are you going?” Song Jingbai asked quietly beside him.

It was a bit noisy around, and although Wen Xiao didn’t clearly catch Song Jingbai’s voice, he could guess the gist from his lip movements.

Still, he wanted to pretend not to hear.

Suddenly, Song Jingbai leaned in close, nearly whispering right into Wen Xiao’s ear, his voice cutting through the background noise.

Though soft, it sent a tingling, almost ticklish sensation to Wen Xiao’s ear.

Instinctively, Wen Xiao stepped back and covered his ear more tightly, resembling a frightened cat.

“No!” Wen Xiao refused outright. “Why would I go on an outing with a bunch of elementary school kids?”

If there were any strange activities, wouldn’t he be digging a hole to bury himself?

Song Jingbai laughed and said, “I’m not planning to go either, so we can stay on campus together.”

Wen Xiao turned and lay his head on the desk, ignoring him. Who wanted to stay on campus with the F4?

Later, during class, Wen Xiao was called over by the homeroom teacher. Wen Xulai even came to ask if he could keep up with his studies.

Wen Xiao looked at the Chinese textbook, filled with characters he could recognize even with his eyes closed, and found it difficult to say he couldn’t keep up. But seeing the skepticism on Wen Xulai’s face, he didn’t bother to explain.

After leaving the office, Wen Xiao suddenly felt hungry and went alone to the cafeteria. He grabbed a few small dishes and sat in a corner.

Once he was sure no one was paying attention, he was about to start eating when he heard the sound of a tray being placed on the table opposite him.

Song Jingbai quietly sat down without waiting for Wen Xiao to speak and immediately brought up a topic.

“Are you really sure you have no problems with the midterm exam? The students at the bottom have to take turns cleaning the classroom.”

“I definitely won’t be at the bottom.”

Wen Xiao picked up a rib, quietly eating and giving Song Jingbai a small whirl of his hair to signal he didn’t want to chat.

“I know,” Song Jingbai said unexpectedly, nodding.

Wen Xiao almost wanted to tap him on the head with his chopsticks. How could Song Jingbai always seem to know everything about him?

“Because I trust my deskmate,” Song Jingbai smiled brightly and began eating as well. “But you’d better not get first place, or you’ll attract trouble.”

Wen Xiao didn’t take it seriously, wondering how much trouble anyone could cause. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a familiar figure approaching, and he almost wanted to take his plate and leave.

Why did it have to be Huo Zhanyan again?

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Huo Zhanyan’s tray was piled high with food, clearly matching his large appetite.

“What are you doing here?” Wen Xiao almost wrote “unwelcome” across his face.

“I can eat with whoever I want and sit wherever I want,” Huo Zhanyan said, settling in as if his seat was glued to him.

“You have to see if the other person is willing first, and I’m definitely not willing,” Wen Xiao emphasized the last three words.

Huo Zhanyan didn’t take it well and pointed at Song Jingbai. “Why can he sit here but I can’t?”

Wen Xiao only realized then that although he was initially reluctant when Song Jingbai came over, he hadn’t actually kicked him out. That inexplicable change annoyed him, and he didn’t want to respond.

“None of your business.”

Song Jingbai smiled at Huo Zhanyan. “Because we’re friends.”

Huo Zhanyan considered the word “friends” and then looked at Wen Xiao with a hint of hope in his eyes.

“Are we friends?”

Wen Xiao rolled his eyes and glared at him. “Do you think so? Move aside, I want to eat.”

Though angry, Huo Zhanyan was more puzzled, which made him forget to be mad.

When he snapped out of it, he was sitting alone at another table, staring at his full tray but unable to eat much.

He wanted to sit with Wen Xiao and Song Jingbai just like friends.

Friends?

Huo Zhanyan scratched his head in frustration.

Wen Xiao glanced at Song Jingbai, who was smiling slyly like a fox, and couldn’t help but say, “We’re nowhere near friends.”

Song Jingbai stared at him. “But you didn’t object just now.”

Wen Xiao thought these guys were shameless despite their youth. “That was just to annoy him. Who said I agreed?”

After the meal, Wen Xiao ran into a familiar classmate at the door.

Descending the stairs, he suddenly remembered they’d met before at the art classroom entrance, and he had thought Song Jingbai was bullying him.

Recalling the classmate’s panicked expression and Song Jingbai’s strange words when burying the kitten outside, Wen Xiao grew more suspicious that Song Jingbai knew something.

Thinking this, he ran after him and finally saw the boy in the cafeteria. Placing a hand on his shoulder, the boy was so startled he dropped his tray.

“You...” Wen Xiao started to speak, then realized something: “The cat in Wei Nanxing’s desk...”

Before Wen Xiao could finish, the boy’s expression betrayed him.

Children’s faces are the hardest to hide secrets. Once they’ve done something wrong, even slight probing can reveal their guilt.

Especially timid children.

But if he was so scared, why would he kill the kitten and put it in someone else’s desk?

“Who made you do this?” Wen Xiao softened his tone, sensing the boy’s fear, then suddenly said a name.

“Was it Wei Chuan?”

As soon as he said it, the boy’s eyes widened, and with surprising strength, he shrugged Wen Xiao’s hand off and dashed toward the exit as if fleeing a deadly beast.

Wen Xiao saw his reaction and realized his guess was probably right. Even if it wasn’t Wei Chuan, it was definitely related to him.

Wei Chuan was Wei Nanxing’s older half-brother and the most legitimate heir of the Wei family.

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However, the Wei family’s heir position was not stable. Wen Xiao had heard that Wei Nanxing’s father was a womanizer who had fathered not just thirty, but at least twenty illegitimate children scattered about.

Wei Chuan’s actions were clearly targeted at Wei Nanxing.

Since Wei Nanxing liked cats, they killed the kitten and placed it in his desk—a perverse and malicious act.

Wen Xiao unconsciously returned to the classroom and saw a young girl standing at Wei Nanxing’s desk, looking so frightened she was about to cry.

Approaching closer, he realized her belongings had fallen under Wei Nanxing’s desk and she couldn’t retrieve them.

How did Wei Nanxing manage to scare her to tears? Was it just his gaze?

Wen Xiao recalled seeing Wei Nanxing feeding cats before, his face dark and intimidating. He thought Wei Nanxing was indeed formidable in appearance.

He squatted down and reached under the desk, grabbing a folded paper crane. As he was about to stand, he noticed Wei Nanxing had also lowered his head.

When he raised his eyes, their foreheads gently touched.

Wen Xiao immediately stood up and touched his own forehead, utterly baffled by Wei Nanxing’s sudden gesture.

Did Wei Nanxing think he was an animal, rubbing heads like that?

He handed the paper crane to the girl and was about to leave when Wei Nanxing tugged at his sleeve.

“I... cat,” Wei Nanxing said.

This time Wen Xiao truly didn’t understand, so Wei Nanxing wrote a line on paper: “I can’t find the cat.”

The handwriting was crooked but carefully written, stroke by stroke.

Wen Xiao was stunned. The two kittens should have been returned. Wen Xulai wouldn’t harm them.

But if the kittens continued to roam the school, what if Wei Chuan, the cat-abusing psychopath, targeted them again?

He did not want the same thing to happen twice.

* * *

Several elegant ladies gathered around a mahjong table, chatting idly.

“Mrs. Huo, I heard your Zhanyan just started school and is already at the bottom of the class. He’s only in elementary school; you must be worried sick,” said a woman in a dark green robe, her tile-pushing movements deliberate.

“The child is still young and doesn’t like studying. He needs time,” a heavily made-up woman smiled faintly. “Mrs. Xu, your child doesn’t seem to be a good student, but surprisingly, his grades are decent.”

The woman sitting opposite her darkened her face, about to retort when the heavily made-up woman’s phone rang.

She glanced at the caller ID and put on a polite smile. “My son called from school. Excuse me for a moment.”

Chen Ning took her phone and stepped out of the private room, lighting a cigarette. She thought about Mrs. Xu’s sharp tongue, always hitting sore spots unnecessarily.

Did she not know her own son’s grades?

Still, she was genuinely surprised that Huo Zhanyan had called her. That brat probably got into trouble at school again.

“Why aren’t you saying anything? Your mother’s busy,” Chen Ning said after a long silence, thinking he had dialed the wrong number.

“How can I make him willing to be friends with me?”

Chen Ning nearly dropped her cigarette when she heard those words.