But… the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
Why? Xiaoxi, why is this happening?
Aren’t we already together? Why do you still have to interact with other women?
Didn’t you promise me? Why betray me like she did?
Didn’t you vow to marry me and stay by my side forever? Why do you run away the moment I get close?
Hey… Xiaoxi, you’re all I have left in this world…
So… you can’t leave me…
If you dare to walk away, then I’ll have no choice but to…
On the afternoon of September 5th, Xia Mengxi finally endured the last moments of the week’s classes, so excited that she almost jumped out of her seat, ready to bolt away at the speed of five centimeters per second.
Not that the classes were unbearable—she didn’t care about grades at all, so skipping or attending made no difference to her. The real reason for her excitement was the upcoming relaxing weekend, and the fact that the following week would no longer torment her with her frail, sickly constitution.
“Time flies so fast. Unknowingly, the first week of the new semester is already ending on Friday.”
“Yeah! It really did go by quickly.”
Xia Mengxi wholeheartedly agreed with Lin Xue’er’s words. After all, this week had been particularly tough for her. Still, the latter three days felt much lighter compared to the first two.
Perhaps because Li Siqi noticed her relationship with Lin Xue’er, she stopped seeking her out after Tuesday.
As for the student council president Jiang Wanning, just as Xia Mengxi had expected, she used her authority on Wednesday to summon her. But Xia Mengxi countered with her own prepared response, rejecting Jiang Wanning outright. Realizing the futility of her actions, Jiang Wanning made no further moves afterward.
All in all, this week had been relatively peaceful and smooth for her.
“By the way, Xue’er, since we’re getting out early today, why don’t we head home first and go out to have some fun?”
“Where do you want to go, Xiaoxi?”
Though Lin Xue’er had already been successfully “conquered,” there was still a crucial emotional knot left untied. So Xia Mengxi thought for a moment and decided to take Lin Xue’er on a date to strengthen their bond.
However, wandering around the school might lead to encounters with other targets, so she opted for an off-campus outing.
“How about the commercial street in town?”
“Hmm… that’s fine, but I’m worried your health might not hold up.”
No matter what they did, Lin Xue’er always prioritized her well-being first-a thought that warmed Xia Mengxi’s heart.
“Don’t worry, Xue’er. We don’t have to go to crowded places, and I’m not the type to push myself too hard. If I get tired, we’ll just find a spot to rest.”
“Alright, but if you feel unwell at all, you have to tell me, okay?”
“Got it!”
Hand in hand, fingers intertwined, the two walked off campus alongside the flood of students leaving school.
Given the distance to the commercial street, they chose not to walk or squeeze onto a bus. Instead, they relied on modern technology— hailing a ride through a ride-hailing app.
Thanks to the car, the nearly half-hour journey was cut down significantly.
“Seems not all schools let out early on Fridays…”
The first thing the two did after getting off at the designated drop-off point on the commercial street was to look toward the places they planned to visit next.
At this moment, the street was sparsely populated. Thinking about it, it made sense-it was a weekday afternoon past three o’clock, and the vast majority of people were still at work or in school. Who would have the leisure to wander around here?
“Let’s go to that big mall over there, Mengxi. That way, you won’t have to worry about sweating too much.” “Sounds good, Xue’er. You’re so thoughtful.”
Lin Xue’er smiled faintly, tightening her fingers around Xia Mengxi’s intertwined hand, and strode forward.
Once inside the mall, their presence already stood out due to their uniforms, but their looks and demeanor further drew the attention of passersby.
“What’s
up
with those two girls? Are they celebrities?”
“No, no, I recognize their uniforms. They’re students from that private girls’ high school east of town.”
“Huh? East? There’s a school there… Oh! That one?”
Overhearing the conversation between the two women, Xia Mengxi suddenly recalled something—what kind of school was hers, exactly? Of course, she knew it was a private girls’ high school, but the question was… wasn’t the campus area a bit excessively large? And more importantly, why did a school have an Underground Prison?
Xia Mengxi had long harbored doubts about the school, but she had never had the time to look into it until now.
Come to think of it, the girl beside her had once used the excuse of studying abroad as an exchange student to cover up her disappearance. Now that the other girl seemed to hold her in such high regard, could she perhaps extract some information from her?
After a moment of consideration, Xia Mengxi decided it was worth a try. After all, it didn’t involve Lin Xue’er’s personal affairs, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
So, with their fingers still entwined, she lightly tapped the back of Lin Xue’er’s hand and asked, “Xue’er, did you hear what those two women were saying just now?”
“Hmm? I did. Why?”
Lin Xue’er looked at her with a hint of confusion, prompting Xia Mengxi to continue.
“Nothing much. It’s just that when they mentioned our school, their tone seemed a bit…” “That’s pretty normal. Our school didn’t have the best reputation before it was rebuilt.”
“Rebuilt?”
Lin Xue’er nodded and began explaining the school’s history.
Before its reconstruction, their school had not only been a girls’ academy but also a renowned elite institution. Countless young women from wealthy or influential families had been sent there to study in those days.
“An elite school… No wonder the campus is so huge. By the way, Xue’er, if it was so famous and attracted such high-profile students, why did it decline so much that it had to be rebuilt in modern times?”
“I’m not sure about that, but there are a few rumors.”
Some said the school’s principal had offended someone untouchable, making people too afraid to enroll, which naturally led to its downfall.
Some say that while the school appears to be a school, its true purpose was to provide a legitimate pretext for various influential figures to establish connections. However, as times changed, such blatant behavior had to be abandoned.
Others claim that there is something unclean within the school-something that has claimed many lives. After word spread, no one dared to study there anymore.
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