Finally, under the Vice Principal’s phone urging, Mu Wannuo had to leave Director Zhang’s office to attend a meeting. As she left, her eyes were full of reluctance as she looked at Ning Chuxue.
“Don’t worry, I’ll stay right here and not go anywhere.”
Ning Chuxue sat obediently on the stool, her hands on her knees, squinting slightly at Mu Wannuo. She looked like a gentle, obedient younger sister next door.
Even Ying, who had been staying out of sight all along, wished she could go over and hug her. But as soon as that thought arose, she felt a chill on her neck. Ying turned her head to look at Mu Wannuo and found her staring back.
‘How terrifying—did Teacher Mu trigger some sensitive nerve?’
The feeling of oppression that had just disappeared surged up again.
To protect her own life, she had to suppress the urge to hug Ning Chuxue. But this also aroused Mu Wannuo’s vigilance.
She turned around again at the corner of the threshold. “Chuxue.”
“Sister Mu Wan, why are you back?” Ning Chuxue’s confusion was undisguised as she watched Mu Wannuo return.
“I still don’t feel at ease.”
Mu Wannuo said with a worried expression. Then, she turned to look at Ying standing nearby.
“Especially…”
She didn’t name names, but Ying could tell she was being referred to. Noticing Mu Wannuo’s hostility, Ying instinctively stepped back a few paces, and at the same time a guess appeared in her mind. ‘Could it be that Teacher Mu is protecting that little one named Ning Chuxue?’
Instantly, Ying’s interest in Ning Chuxue increased again. But now she also had to avoid a certain very persistent teacher, so she didn’t dare act too conspicuously and suppressed that feeling of interest.
“Sister Mu Wan, what’s wrong?”
Ning Chuxue waved her hand in front of Mu Wannuo’s eyes. In her view, Mu Wannuo had been absentmindedly looking elsewhere the whole time. Little did she know, that was Mu Wannuo and Ying silently vying with each other, simply excluding Ning Chuxue.
Mu Wannuo snapped back to attention and looked at Ning Chuxue, who was full of questions and looking dazed and silly. Like a well-trained, docile cat, very obedient.
Mu Wannuo picked up her bag, rummaged through it, and pulled out a black lump. There was a small wire on it, and the rest was wrapped in a black substance.
“Poor little thing, hang this around your neck.”
“What is this?”
“A little toy.”
With that, Mu Wannuo didn’t give Ning Chuxue a chance to resist. She took the initiative to squat down and pierced the small clip on the back through Ning Chuxue’s clothes, then pinched it shut.
“Don’t take it off.”
Looking at the head full of jet-black hair in front of her, Ning Chuxue felt something strange.
“Okay.”
She thought this might reduce Mu Wannuo’s worry a little, so she agreed without thinking. Ning Chuxue also believed that Mu Wannuo would never do anything to hurt her.
With Ning Chuxue’s assurance, Mu Wannuo finally stood up with peace of mind and walked toward the door. Before leaving, she cast a meaningful glance at Ying. But in her look at Ying, there was also a hint of threat.
Ying guiltily turned her head away, not daring to meet her eyes.
Mu Wannuo withdrew her gaze, switched expressions in a second, and waved at Ning Chuxue. Her expression changed from a death threat to a gentle smile. “Chuxue, be careful.”
The speed of her face-changing was extremely natural, making Ying click her tongue in admiration on the side. She had never seen the usually stern Teacher Mu show such a gentle side. Her love for gossip was burning!
“That’s what I should be saying!” Ning Chuxue found it strange—it felt like she was the one going out. “Sister Mu Wan should be careful too. I’ll wait for you here.”
If an outsider were to evaluate this scene, they’d think it was a farewell for a month-long separation. In reality, it might not even be half an hour…
Ying, who had never interrupted the whole time, couldn’t help but complain about Mu Wannuo’s extreme protectiveness. It was too abnormal.
Only after Mu Wannuo completely disappeared behind the door did Ying take a deep breath. The pressure Mu Wannuo gave her was really too strong. She looked up at Ning Chuxue.
At this moment, Ning Chuxue was curiously fiddling with the black object hanging on her chest. Occasionally she scratched her hair and then tapped the object. Her silver-white hair was tousled from scratching, but she herself seemed not to care.
Now, Ying had only one thought: ‘Well, since Teacher Mu isn’t here, it should be okay to go say hello now…’
After psyching herself up, she quietly approached Ning Chuxue.
“Hello…” She was just about to greet her, but what happened next left her speechless.
“Waaaaaah—”
The sudden sound startled Ning Chuxue. She subconsciously screamed, and her body twitched reflexively. This was understandable—when a person is focused on one thing and suddenly interrupted by an external disturbance, it’s easy to get startled.
“Um… Miss Ning…”
Ying felt embarrassed; she hadn’t expected to startle Ning Chuxue.
Ning Chuxue’s consciousness gradually returned. “Wh-what’s wrong?”
When she saw that the person greeting her was Ying, Ning Chuxue’s agitated emotions completely calmed down. Ever since the incident with the thugs, she had fully understood Ying’s character—she was a good person. So now being alone with Ying, Ning Chuxue didn’t feel too restrained.
“Miss Ning is so cute! Can we be friends?”
Ying’s eyes sparkled as she approached Ning Chuxue’s face with starry eyes, acting completely familiar.
“Ah? I…” Seeing the extremely enthusiastic Ying, it was Ning Chuxue’s turn to be at a loss for words. No one had told her that the senior sister who looked so full of righteousness would be a social terror!
“Is it okay?” Ying’s face came even closer; the distance between them was less than a finger’s length. Without Mu Wannuo’s threat, she had completely let herself go.
“Miss Ning is so cute, of course you’ll agree, right? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you at school from now on!” Ying raised her hand and flexed her nonexistent muscles, trying to look more reliable.
Faced with this overly enthusiastic eccentric, Ning Chuxue’s brain instantly crashed, not knowing how to respond.
Just as her brain crashed, Director Zhang also came out of the office. She came out empty-handed, scanned everyone present, and found that Mu Wannuo was not there.
“Eh? Miss Ning, where is your sister, Teacher Mu?”
After Director Zhang came out, Ying quickly switched to a very obedient expression, like a good little kid. Ning Chuxue knew she was pretending. But at least she was saved…
Ning Chuxue let out a sigh of relief, stood up from the chair, and answered politely, “Big Sister went to attend a meeting.”
Director Zhang was stunned for a moment, then quickly remembered something.
“There is a meeting today, but I didn’t expect it to be moved up.”
She thought for a moment and then continued, “Miss Ning, your seal might have been left in the archive room. I’ll go get it now. Please sit here for a moment; I’ll be right back.”
Although Ning Chuxue nodded obediently, Director Zhang was still a little uneasy. She cast a meaningful look at Ying. It meant: “Keep an eye on Miss Ning so she doesn’t wander off. She’s unfamiliar with the environment here; it’ll be troublesome if she gets lost.”
Ying keenly caught that message from her gaze, and then she made a confident salute, as if to say, “Guaranteed to complete the mission!”