No, no, no, this excuse is way too lame. Even if it had some slight plausibility as a reason, it’s still really hard to say out loud, right!?
But no matter how much time she gave herself to come up with another reasonable explanation, Su Wanli just couldn’t think of one…
Besides, she had already been silent long enough since the start. If she dragged it out any longer, even Meng Huange would start to lose patience!
Su Wanli bit her lip fiercely, giving herself a pep talk.
At this point, no matter how lame the excuse was, she had to come up with something to get by. Any holes in her story she’d just have to fill with her own confidence!
“Ahem, well, speaking of which…”
Su Xiaoli cleared her throat, then flicked the strands of hair near her ear toward the back, fixing her gaze straight on Meng Huange’s eyes.
“Meng Wange, don’t you have anything to say about the portrait you painted of yourself?”
“…You mean the portrait I painted for you?”
Since she’d already started, there was no turning back now. The direction of the conversation had clearly shifted toward the topic of posture.
Su Xiaoli nodded modestly toward Meng Wange.
“That’s right. Almost everyone else, including myself, only painted the person’s front-facing image. But you immediately came up with a creative and eye-catching method—your mind’s pretty sharp.”
“It was Miss Su’s request. If I couldn’t surpass others in painting technique, then I’d have to find another way—paint something unique.”
Meng Wange thought for a moment and then earnestly explained to Su Wanli—
“As for the content of the painting… of course, it was a rather risky situation, but Miss Su’s expression at that moment was truly beautiful and impactful, leaving a very deep impression on me.”
“…Hmph, I’m always beautifully impactful every moment, no need for you to specially remind me.”
Su Wanli, who had become somewhat resistant to flattery, merely lowered her head slightly, coughed twice, and then resumed control of the conversation’s pace.
“I just suddenly thought that rather than continuing to adjust that boring front-facing portrait, trying your method might be better.”
Meng Wange raised an eyebrow, a slight smile appearing in her eyes as she looked at Su Xiaoli.
“You mean…?”
“If we’re talking about the images that left the deepest impression on me, I only experienced them today. You could say the posture was a little indecent, but artistically it might be a very bold innovation.”
“A little indecent…”
“Ahem, you mean that one, that one from noon? I said it was memorable, but I don’t remember all the details clearly, so why don’t you just demonstrate it again for me here?”
…I know! I know this reason is super lame, but I really can’t think of anything else right now!!
Su Xiaoli forced herself to say these words seriously, but Meng Wange didn’t immediately catch on. Instead, she furrowed her brow slightly, as if thinking something over.
No, she couldn’t give her any time to think. Once Meng Wange realized the truth and started asking more questions, her lame plan would immediately be exposed!
“Hey? Meng Wange, what are you hesitating about? Don’t tell me you’re shy?”
Su Xiaoli crossed her arms, raised her eyebrows, and raised her voice a few degrees.
“Or are you trying to preserve your image? Just now you boasted that you’d teach me everything you know to the best of your ability, yet you can’t even manage this little thing?”
“No, Miss Su, I’m just recalling what happened today that left a deep impression on you.”
Meng Wange shook her head, smiling slightly as she looked at the Physical Education Mat by Su Wanli’s feet.
“But since it’s a somewhat indecent posture, let me guess—are you referring to that moment when we hid on the mat to avoid the PE teacher’s gaze?”
Su Wanli took a deep breath and nodded coldly at Meng Huange, disguising herself as a high-cold artist who sought aesthetic value with single-minded focus.
“That’s right.”
“…I see. The dim light, the dust swirling wildly, and the equally tense atmosphere—all exactly like the painting I created. It’s a scene that could definitely inspire creativity.”
“Mm-hmm, exactly, you get it. That truly is a memorable scene. Even I felt a surge of artistic impact at that moment…”
Su Wanli nodded vigorously, silently grateful that Meng Wange had found her an excuse.
“Well then, no time to waste. It’s already so late, so let’s move quickly. Meng Huange, just pose on that Physical Education Mat over there the same way as before. It won’t take long.”
“All right, Miss Su.”
Watching Meng Huange obediently nod before dragging the mat over to the window and carefully laying it flat, Su Wanli silently breathed a sigh of relief.
Admittedly, the plan was full of holes, but as long as it succeeded, that was what mattered. Next, once Meng Wange posed on the mat for a bit, the mission reward would be theirs to claim with ease.
However, for some reason, Meng Huange didn’t immediately get on the mat. Instead, she smiled and gestured to Su Wanli to go first.
“Well? What do you mean? Hurry up and pose—we need to finish quickly.”
Hearing this, Meng Huange tilted her head in confusion.
“Miss Su, didn’t you just say you wanted to experience the feelings from that original perspective?”
“Exactly.”
“Dim light, dust swirling wildly, the tension of being watched, the cramped space, the safety of being wrapped up, and the release of breaking free.”
Meng Wange counted off these sensations, then smiled and spread her hands toward Su Wanli.
“Besides, the most important thing is that if you don’t stay in your original position, what you see will be a completely different picture, right?”
Su Wanli silently swallowed, looking at the serious Meng Huange and then down at the neatly placed Physical Education Mat by the window.
“…Alright, I guess that’s how it is?”
Just then, a series of notification sounds rang out from the chat group.
Du Xinxin typed the last few lines:
“So, Meng Huange is actually a distant cousin of the Su family. There’s no special relationship between them. Those rumors are just baseless hearsay.”
“Sigh, a distant cousin…”
In the empty Classroom of Class Three, Year Two, Zhang Shiyu rested her chin on her hand, chewing on a lollipop as she said to the two beside her with a puzzled expression—
“Is that really true? But I always feel like Miss Wanli’s attitude seems off.”
Wen Manman silently shook her head at Zhang Shiyu.
“What the Miss says goes. Besides, she said if we ask any more questions, she’ll check how many people there are in our families.”
“That’s why it feels even weirder! It’s like trying too hard to cover something up. Also, do you remember the wet school uniform jacket hanging behind Meng Huange?”
“You mean maybe when the teacher did a surprise inspection, they really were huddled together in the Equipment Room and got all dusty?”
“That could just be Meng Wange having a little tumble and getting dust on herself. We weren’t there at the time, so we have no idea what actually happened.”
“On-site integration…”
Zhang Shiyu took the lollipop out of her mouth and held up one finger to the other two—
“Then let’s go back to the scene and take another look. Maybe we’ll find some traces left by Miss Wanli!”
“…No way, after all, it’s something Miss Wanli doesn’t want us to know.”
“Hey, if she really gets angry, that won’t be good. Besides, the Equipment Room is dirty and messy. We probably won’t find anything anyway.”
Tch.
Zhang Shiyu silently stood up and waved her hand at them—
“If you’re not going, I’ll go by myself.”
Du Xinxin and Wen Manman sighed as they followed Zhang Shiyu out of the Classroom and toward the Equipment Room.
Of course, even though they were willing to walk a few hundred meters, none of the three actually had much hope. After all, they weren’t professional detectives, and that environment made it difficult to find any clues. Even if there were some, there were likely other explanations.
But…
“Miss Su, is this posture okay? Or should it be a bit higher up?”
Hearing the strange voice, Zhang Shiyu and the others exchanged glances, then slowed their pace and quietly approached the window of the Equipment Room.
“No, no, your legs shouldn’t move! Just like this! Then press your body down a bit more…”
“Like this, dangling…”
“Not enough, a little more…”
Wen Manman silently bit her lip—
“…I didn’t expect Miss Wanli really is the one down there.”
Du Xinxin immediately made a shushing gesture, telling Wen Manman to be quiet, while Zhang Shiyu swallowed nervously and pressed her ear to the window.
“Ahem, Miss Su, is this how you want it?”
“Yeah, that’s right! Like this! Hold it a bit longer!”
Cut.
W-What? I always thought Miss Wanli had no interest in things like this, but this time…
Du Xinxin suddenly squeezed over from the left, trying to get some space—
“Tell me what’s going on in there, let me hear too!”
Wen Manman squeezed in from the right, wanting to press her ear against the glass as well—
“I already took notes for you all at noon, so now it’s my turn to listen!”
“Hey, don’t push! We’ll get caught if you do.”
As Zhang Shiyu and the others pushed against each other, the Equipment Room’s window finally gave a piercing creak under the strain and was pushed all the way down in one go.
“Knock.”