Mu Wannuo pulled Ning Chuxue by the hand, walked into the elevator, and left the scene.
The elevator door slowly closed. At the last moment before it shut, Ning Chuxue saw an old man with white hair directing the crowd to disperse.
That old man was Professor Hu.
Qian Sheng, the center of the commotion, had already left as well.
“Sister Muwan…”
The elevator door closed completely. With a slight vibration, a faint, barely noticeable dizziness washed over Ning Chuxue.
She was very nervous now, her hands lightly tugging at the hem of Mu Wannuo’s clothes, like a frightened little rabbit.
What scared her wasn’t Qian Sheng’s sudden appearance, but those burning gazes from just now.
She felt like an animal trapped in a cage, violated by the spectators’ eyes as if she were on display.
Being the center of attention like that was a terrible feeling.
“Poor thing, what’s wrong?”
Mu Wannuo noticed the slight pull on her hem. She turned around and saw Ning Chuxue looking terrified.
Startled, Ning Chuxue quickly let go of the hem, her voice trembling slightly. “No… I’m fine.”
Her flustered denial couldn’t fool Mu Wannuo.
“If anything feels wrong, you have to tell me right away. Your illness is really rare. What if it’s a hidden symptom?”
Mu Wannuo didn’t press further, but she made a mental note of what had just happened.
‘I have to make sure something like this doesn’t happen again.’ Mu Wannuo silently repeated to herself.
Seeing that Mu Wannuo was still by her side, Ning Chuxue’s racing heart finally calmed down.
“I know! If anything feels off, I’ll definitely tell you!”
Having someone familiar nearby gave her some comfort.
Fear seemed like an instinctive reaction, making her tense.
But deep down, Ning Chuxue knew she shouldn’t be afraid.
It was like an acrophobe looking down from the rooftop of a twenty-story building.
Even though they knew the safety measures were solid and there was no way they’d fall, that instinctive fear was still impossible to resist.
Ning Chuxue felt she was experiencing something similar.
‘Maybe it’s the influence of this body?’
She wasn’t sure, but that explanation could serve as a temporary hypothesis.
Ding
The vibration stopped. With a chime, the elevator door slowly opened.
The third floor was the office area. There was a long corridor, lined with all kinds of offices—private ones, meeting rooms, and so on.
Only a few people were in the hallway. Ning Chuxue stuck close behind Mu Wannuo.
Her legs were already aching, but stubborn as she was, she didn’t say anything and forced herself to keep going.
She panted heavily, following Mu Wannuo down two hallways and around a corner, until they finally stopped in front of a door with a nameplate that read “Director Zhang.”
Ning Chuxue finally got to lean against the wall and rest.
Seeing her exhausted, Mu Wannuo understood without saying a word.
Was she worried?
Of course she was. How could Mu Wannuo not be worried?
But knowing the current “Ning Chuxue” as she did, even if Mu Wannuo wanted to carry her, Ning Chuxue would refuse.
Watching Ning Chuxue lean against the wall, trying to hide how tired she was, Mu Wannuo shook her head helplessly. “Poor thing, learn to rely on big sister a little more.”
Ning Chuxue realized her little secret had been exposed. Her face flushed bright red, and she snapped back in embarrassment, “I-I don’t need you to worry about me!”
Mu Wannuo stepped forward, reached out, and lovingly ruffled her hair. She only pulled her hand back when Ning Chuxue strongly resisted.
Then, ignoring Ning Chuxue’s pout, she walked to the door with the nameplate, bent her index and middle fingers, and knocked with her knuckles.
Knock knock knock
Three soft sounds.
Within three seconds, the door opened.
The person who opened it was a young girl with messy black hair that looked like it hadn’t been cared for in a long time.
“Hello, please—”
The girl started to receive the visitors with her usual politeness, but when she saw who it was, the words she’d repeated so many times got stuck in her throat.
Noticing her reaction, Mu Wannuo took the initiative to ask, “Hello, is Director Zhang in?”
“Ah! Oh, yes, yes she is.”
The girl snapped back to reality, turned around awkwardly, and went to find the Director Zhang that Mu Wannuo had mentioned.
Curious, Ning Chuxue poked her head out to look inside the room.
Seeing that flustered back view, she felt a strange sense of familiarity.
“You’re… the girl from earlier!” Ning Chuxue immediately recognized her.
It was the same girl who had tried to step in and stop the conflict downstairs but was held back.
At the time, Ning Chuxue had been so nervous that her wandering gaze had happened to catch this girl trying to intervene.
Meeting her again now was an unexpected surprise.
Hearing the commotion, the girl turned around again.
From the doorway, which could fit two people standing side by side, she saw Ning Chuxue’s little head poking out.
Her loose silver-white hair hung down, finally touching the floor.
Add to that the flush of red from her earlier embarrassment spreading across her pale, exercise-worn face.
“Cute.” That was the girl’s evaluation of Ning Chuxue.
She was mesmerized, her mind blank, completely forgetting what she was supposed to do.
“Seen enough?” A voice as cold as ice snapped her back.
The girl turned her head and met Mu Wannuo’s icy gaze.
Mu Wannuo’s face was calm and expressionless, but the girl could feel a strong hostility.
“Sorry! My apologies…” The girl didn’t dare linger. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she quickly turned and went to find Director Zhang.
Only when the girl shifted her gaze away from Ning Chuxue did Mu Wannuo’s hostility fully dissipate.
Ning Chuxue, acting as if nothing had happened, pulled her head back and crouched down on the ground to rest.
After a while, the girl came out of the inner room, accompanied by a woman who looked to be in her thirties.
“Good evening, Director Zhang.” Seeing the most senior person present, Mu Wannuo offered a polite greeting.
Director Zhang’s black hair was mixed with some white, not from age but from overwork.
Their positions were not equal—Director Zhang was already at the associate professor level, while Mu Wannuo was just a lecturer.
Even so, Director Zhang showed no arrogance. She warmly pulled Mu Wannuo into the room.
Turning sideways, her peripheral vision caught Ning Chuxue following behind Mu Wannuo. A near-certain guess formed in her mind.
“This must be Ning Chuxue, Miss Ning, right?”
Hearing Director Zhang call her name, Ning Chuxue instinctively hid behind Mu Wannuo, trying to minimize her presence.
Ning Chuxue, so lively around people she knew, was extremely shy around strangers.
Mu Wannuo nodded. “Yes. I came to pick up the Admission Confirmation Letter.”
The Admission Confirmation Letter was an essential step for entering the Noble Academy—everyone had to go through it.
As she spoke, she glanced at the girl standing beside Director Zhang. “This must be Director Zhang’s prized student, Ying, right?”
Mu Wannuo made no effort to hide her hostility. Her sharp gaze made Ying extremely uncomfortable.
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