Xiaorui shook his head but then nodded and quietly said, "Sister Zhong, Hong Keng didn't do it on purpose… Could you… not punish him?"
Zhong Guan looked at Xiaorui's hopeful eyes and sighed. "You're still young. There are things you don't understand yet. Go out now."
"But…"
"Leave." Zhong Guan's command brooked no argument.
"Alright… I understand." Xiaorui nodded, placed a small white chip on the desk, glanced at Zhong Guan one last time, and slowly walked out.
Zhong Guan took the receiver, skillfully connected it to the computer, and stared at the screen for a few minutes before sighing slowly.
I woke up in the dormitory at eight in the evening. The others had likely gotten used to my "dragon's head but not its tail" school style. By the time I woke up, they had all left, leaving me alone to stare blankly at the moon.
"Today… was really unlucky…"
I complained to myself. Then, I channeled a bit of true energy to soothe the bruise on my chest. Soon, the energy transformed into a warm sensation, spreading throughout my body. I let out a comfortable sigh.
Then I couldn't help but think again about Cong Lei's smile, which both stimulated and infuriated me. If it weren't for that girl, would I have suffered such severe internal injuries? What's worse is that mental attack; even now, my mind is still filled with her smile, leaving me dazed and unsure of my thoughts.
"Damn it, I'll make sure to kill you next time we meet…" I cursed fiercely at the moon, and oddly enough, it seemed like her smile appeared even in the moon's glow.
"This is just too damn eerie…" I turned away and washed my face to look more presentable, then headed out of the dormitory.
After such a long nap, everything that needed to be digested had been, and I pinched the meal card in my pocket, heading towards the cafeteria. Just a few steps away, I heard someone calling me from behind: "Young Master Hong, Young Master Hong… I finally found you! Why are you still here?"
I turned around to see Tieniu from the dormitory. Beside him was a tall, thin person, with long limbs, probably another basketball player like Tieniu. However, my first impression of him wasn't great. His eyes occasionally displayed disdain when looking at me. I gave him a casual glance and then smiled at Tieniu, "Hey, Tieniu… why haven't you eaten yet?"
Tieniu hurried over, slightly out of breath, and said, "Forget that for now. Do you know how many days you've been absent? The homeroom teacher is furious and wants you to see her as soon as you wake up."
The homeroom teacher? Oh, the short one! So what if I go? What's there to be afraid of? It's not like she's going to eat me.
I smiled, "No problem. I'll go right now. There's a reason for the leave, after all."
Tieniu initially looked worried, but seeing my confident expression, he said, "I hope you really are fine. Otherwise, I think Old Jiang won't let you off easily this time. If you don't graduate, I'd like to see how you handle that." Old Jiang is what we call our homeroom teacher behind his back.
I continued to smile, dismissing his concern. Graduation? That's impossible.
I waved my hand and said, "Alright, go eat first. I'll be right back." With that, I walked between the two of them, but the tall guy suddenly gave me a strange smile and said, "Taking such a long leave, this classmate has quite the nerve. But I wonder, what exactly were you doing?"
His voice was sharp, with an undertone I couldn't quite place. I smiled slightly and replied, "You don't need to worry about that, I'll handle it myself." With that, I walked towards the administrative building without looking back.
Even from ten meters away, I could still feel the tall guy's gaze on me. I felt a bit uneasy. What kind of people does Tieniu know… so strange.
Arriving at the administrative building, I finally found the office of Homeroom Teacher Old Jiang. I pushed the door open to find him sitting there, reading documents with his glasses on.
I knocked on the door and said, "Sir… Teacher."
He looked up, momentarily stunned, then put down the documents and nodded at me, "Come in."
I walked up nonchalantly and stood before him. He looked at me and asked, "Do you know why you were called here?"
"Yes," I nodded in acknowledgment.
Old Jiang stared at me for a while, then said slowly, "Don't you have an explanation?"
I stuck out my tongue and smiled, "Didn't I already say? I had a family issue, so…"
With a "thud," Old Jiang slammed his hand on the table, then turned to me with a serious expression, "Classmate Hong, I hope you can be honest with me now. I've investigated, and your so-called 'family issue' is entirely fictitious. Are you still trying to deceive me?"
I secretly wiped away sweat. When did Old Jiang become so sharp? It wasn't apparent when he was teaching, but it seems he has this side to him.
Seeing his stern look, I knew my prepared excuses wouldn't work. I quickly thought of my mentor and decided to change my approach.
"I'm sorry, Teacher. Actually… if it weren't for a real issue, I wouldn't have taken such a long leave. It's just that this matter couldn't be delayed… I didn't want it either…" I quickly put on a sorrowful expression and forced out a couple of tears.
This obviously presented me as having a "hidden truth." Old Jiang, seeing this, hurriedly said, "Classmate Hong, what exactly happened? Sit down and tell me properly. The school and I will support you."
Seeing an opportunity, I sat down on a nearby chair and started my sob story.
...
Twenty minutes later, I walked out of Old Jiang's office feeling relieved. I was secretly proud of the things I'd said earlier. Although I had to defame my mentor a bit, gaining Old Jiang's "understanding" and extending my leave were worth it.
Though I've made countless grand statements in my life… I don't want to repeat those lines here. Just watch the VCR:
"Teacher, please believe me, I didn't take leave without reason. It's due to unavoidable circumstances. Although I have parents like other students, they've hardly paid attention to me due to business issues since I was young. At six years old, I was sent to my mentor…"
I mixed some truth with fiction and then continued.
"...My mentor has been very good to me, but in recent years, his health has deteriorated. He used to carry me for two miles, but now he can't even carry a bag of sweet potatoes. Every time I see him coughing, it feels like my heart is being cut…"
I managed to squeeze out a couple of tears, and Old Jiang quickly handed me some tissues.
I felt secretly pleased. To be honest, I do have a mentor, but he isn't as frail as I described. He taught me abilities and is healthier than I am.
"...So, the reason for my leave was solely for my mentor. He treated me like his own grandson, and I consider him like a grandfather. Now that he's unwell, how can I forget him for my own sake? Teacher, please forgive me. I have no choice. If anything happens to him, I'll regret it for the rest of my life…"
I appealed emotionally, and even I almost believed my own words.
Unexpectedly, not long after, such lies would turn into reality, and I would regret ever saying them.
Old Jiang's nature was quite soft, and he was easily deceived by my vague explanations. As I left, he even asked me to provide my mentor's address so he could visit if he had time. However, I knew there were things that couldn't be revealed, so I mumbled a few vague responses and made my exit.
Throughout the process, he didn't bring up my leave again. I knew that after my "persuasion" that night, there would be no further worries. It turned out he tacitly approved of my leave, which could be indefinitely extended.
When I came out of the office, I felt in good spirits. I hadn't expected the issue to be resolved so smoothly. Old Jiang was easier to fool than rumored. After taking care of this, I was starving and headed towards the cafeteria. Though the food there wasn't great, I decided to have a big meal to reward myself for getting through this ordeal.
As I descended the administrative building and passed by the sports field, a sudden sense of unease washed over me.
I quickly glanced around, feeling a sense of impending danger. Just as I realized something was wrong, I heard a "whoosh" and felt a heavy impact on my back. My body was thrown forward, and with a "thud," I crashed to the ground.
The hunger I'd been enduring was suddenly compounded by the strike, almost causing my internal organs to be jolted out. I quickly jumped up, and under the moonlight, I saw the stunning face of Zhong Guan.
However, that beautiful face bore a faint, cold disdain towards me.