As soon as Zhi Yao left, Lu Yunze heard Du Jia coughing and sobbing behind him. He turned around and saw that the girl with the purple hair, startled, had opened the locker and was planning to sneakily make her escape.
The two of them locked eyes, and for a moment, the air was tense.
“Uh, thank you, Chen Yunze, you helped me out again.” Jiang Sui forced a fawning smile. “I’ll never forget your kindness. Someday, I’ll be sure to repay you in full.”
“Wait, don’t leave so fast.”
As expected, he wouldn’t let me go that easily.
Jiang Sui obediently stood in place, watching to see what Lu Yunze was planning to do next. Even if he wanted to kill her, she could fight back—compared to Zhi Yao, dealing with someone who only had brute strength like Lu Yunze was much simpler.
Lu Yunze walked up, pointed behind him, and said:
“Let’s talk somewhere else.”
“Sure, alright.”
To avoid prying eyes, the two left the corridor where people could pass by at any time, and climbed up the stairs straight to the rooftop of the teaching building.
Hardly anyone ever came here. Once the door was shut, it became a perfect space for quiet conversation.
Stepping into this open, empty space, a comfortable, cool breeze blew by, lifting Jiang Sui’s long purple hair and letting it float and swirl in the air with a gentle rhythm.
Lu Yunze could certainly kill someone with a wind that strong, but the natural breeze here was just pleasant. If he weren’t watching, Jiang Sui felt like she could lie down and let the wind blow over her all day.
Suddenly, a gust of wind lifted the hem of her robe, which then settled tightly against her body again. The chill of the air outlined the lines of her figure, even tracing over the curves at her waist and hips, a subtle and shifting rhythm.
“So, what exactly did you call me up here for?” Jiang Sui had already recovered her composure, her tone and expression once again calm and collected.
But this time, Lu Yunze didn’t show that same gentleness as before. His voice was slightly colder.
“Enough, stop pretending. I know your real personality isn’t like that at all.”
“…Alright, I admit I am acting, but I really am not a bad person. Just don’t bully me, okay?” Jiang Sui still put on her helpless little-squirrel act.
Lu Yunze shot her a sideways glance, thinking, “If she was really a bad person, could she just be standing here like this? His fist would’ve reached her neck faster than Zhi Yao could have.”
“You called me up here, you’re not planning to get payment out of me, are you?” Jiang Sui probed, “I’m not as well-off as you, and I don’t have anything valuable on me. Look at this robe—it’s been patched up so many times…”
“Alright, alright, I’m not after your money or possessions.”
“Then you… aren’t planning to take advantage of my body, are you?” Jiang Sui’s face went pale, and she hugged herself instinctively. “You deliberately brought me to this kind of place because it’s empty, easy to make a move… I’ve never experienced this before…”
Her acting was so convincing, Jiang Sui almost admired herself, and Lu Yunze was even more speechless.
Even though she was wearing a robe now, covering her figure, Lu Yunze still remembered the first time they met, those impressive curves, and the sensation he felt when he caught her earlier.
According to the legendary cellmate Xiao Lin, a woman with that kind of figure couldn’t possibly have a bad body overall.
“What are you talking about? I’m not that kind of person.”
“If you really want me to pay with my body, it’s not impossible…”
“What?!”
What is she saying?!
Lu Yunze was completely thrown for a moment, thinking, “Everyone Jiang Sui hangs around with is a weirdo!”
The reason Lu Yunze helped her wasn’t because of what happened last time, nor was it because he coveted her body. It was simply because of the question she’d answered before.
“You’re Jiang Sui’s friend, right?”
“Yes.”
A Secret Arts Practitioner who appeared in Ankang Town, and now turned out to be Jiang Sui’s friend.
So it was her all along.
“What’s your real name?”
“You can call me Yan Zhe, or just Xiao Yan. As for why I joined this organization, I can’t reveal that for now.”
“When I returned to school, the Anniversary Celebration was almost over. You substituted for me in the performance, didn’t you?”
So that’s what he cared about.
Jiang Sui curled her lips imperceptibly and replied matter-of-factly:
“You pay, I work. I get how the world works. What, Chen Yunze, you’re not satisfied with my performance?”
“As long as no one finds out, it doesn’t matter if you don’t win an award. Chen Yunze patted her shoulder.
Zhi Yao might have guessed her identity, but as long as Chen Yunze made a move, he could easily cover the whole thing up.
“If that’s all, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.”
Thinking back to that confused and flustered little girl he’d spun in circles, Jiang Sui couldn’t help but smile.
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.” Jiang Sui adjusted her hood, tucking her wind-blown hair back inside. “With this, our cooperation is finished. I hope our next deal goes just as smoothly.”
“Jiang Sui asked about you.”
“She went home as soon as I arrived.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yunze finally relaxed and nodded.
Seeing this, Jiang Sui suddenly didn’t want to leave right away and teased:
“You’re worried about her safety, aren’t you?”
“That’s not nonsense, is it? She’s an ordinary person mixed up with Secret Arts Practitioners. No matter how you look at it, it’s dangerous.”
Lu Yunze scratched his head, then his expression grew serious.
“Jiang Sui always considered you a friend. Your presence wouldn’t directly endanger her, right?”
“Lu Yunze, you worry about her so much… do you like her?”
“Eh?!”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, Chen Yunze was stunned for a moment, then started to stammer.
“No, how did you come to that conclusion? Can’t I just care about her as a friend?”
“Explaining is covering up, and covering up means you have something to hide. Lu Yunze, your face is so red.”
“So what if it’s red? It’s not because of you! Believe it or not!” Chen Yunze turned his head away. Now he finally understood why Jiang Sui could become friends with someone like Xiao Yan.
The girl before him might not be as lively and open as Jiang Sui, but inside, she definitely had a little mischievous demon. Dealing with people like this was definitely interesting.
After appreciating his current state for a while, Jiang Sui finally withdrew her gaze:
“Relax, I won’t hurt anyone, least of all Jiang Sui. Friendship isn’t just a word to me.”
Only after watching her gray-white robe disappear from the rooftop did Chen Yunze lean against the railing, muttering to himself:
“It’s precisely because you’re friends that you can’t help but worry.”
Stories of being stabbed in the back by friends—those are the headlines you always see in the news.
Lu Yunze let out a long sigh, then left the rooftop as well. Time to attend the Closing Ceremony of the Anniversary Celebration.
And so, things ended just like that ~ as if.
When Lu Yunze appeared at the venue, he instantly became the center of attention.
At first, he didn’t react, until the Closing Ceremony was over and Principal Wang appeared before him.
“Student Yi, your piano performance was truly astounding.”
“Ah, thank you, sir.”
Since Principal Wang wouldn’t let go of his hand, the flustered Chen Yunze could only force a smile.
“How did I never discover we had such talent at this school? Nearly let a gem get covered in dust. Let’s exchange contact information—I know several great piano masters. Maybe I can introduce you, and you could become their disciple.”
“Uh…”
Isn’t that a bit much?
Lu Yunze was stunned, thinking, “What exactly did Xiao Yan do up there?”
If it was just Principal Wang, that’d be one thing, but all the other leaders, and even the students, came up to congratulate him one after another as if he’d just put on the most perfect show.
Later, Lu Yunze watched the video recording himself and thought the performance was just so-so. He really couldn’t understand why everyone was so over the top. Was it really the first time they’d heard a piano performance?
Thinking maybe Xiao Yan had done something, Lu Yunze went to ask Jiang Sui. But the girl just smiled, transforming into an emotionless answer machine, joining in with the rest of the students.
Since he couldn’t get any clarity, and couldn’t ask the mysterious person directly, Lu Yunze finally gave up and decided to accept the praise as a bonus reward for capturing Jin Ke.
Two days later, Lu Yunze was attending class. When Yin Yu, the old man, finally announced the end of the lesson, he got up to go to the restroom.
“Hey, look, isn’t that her?”
“Why is she here? Scouting new prey?”
“Tsk, must be here to catch Chen Yunze. Don’t get too close, who knows if she still has the scent of blood on her hands.”
It was Zhi Yao. She had suddenly appeared.
Though he couldn’t quite hear what the girls in the back row were gossiping about, Lu Yunze could guess what they meant.
Lu Yunze and Zhi Yao weren’t even in the same department, and their classes never overlapped, so they’d never had class in the same room.
If she showed up specifically, it was obvious she was looking for Chen Yunze.
“What’s up?”
“Well, Lu-gege, this is my apology gift.” Zhi Yao spoke with a little tremble. “I shouldn’t have attacked you that day.”
“It’s fine, I’m not mad. After all, we’re family.”
Just as Lu Yunze finished speaking, the chattering started again behind him:
“See? She really did hit him.”
“Told you, she’s a devil.”
“Poor Chen Yunze…”
Lu Yunze turned to look, and the girls were all smiling at him.
Wait, since when did Zhi Yao’s reputation with the girls become so terrible?
“It’s fine, we’re family. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Then, Lu-gege, please accept this.” Zhi Yao presented her gift.
Was it really necessary to give it in the classroom, with everyone watching?
Lu Yunze had no choice but to accept it. After Zhi Yao left, he opened it up to see what it was.
“Let’s see what little Zhi Yao’s gift is.”
Soon enough, Xiao Lin and the others gathered around.
“Let us see what it is!”
“What’s so special? If Zhi Yao made it herself, how bad could it be…”
But when they saw what was inside, Chen Yunze was dumbfounded.
It was actually a piece of Great Snake Whip!
What the—!
Lu Yunze slapped his forehead.
“What’s wrong, Lu-dage, don’t you like it?” Xiao Lin and the others were practically drooling. “If you don’t want it, why don’t we help you out?”
“That’s right, Zhi Yao’s cooking is always great!”
Well, in a way, that was true.
Since they were so enthusiastic, Lu Yunze simply handed the whole Great Snake Whip over to them. Xiao Lin and the others were thrilled, saying they’d take it back to the dorm and enjoy it together.
“Hey, don’t eat too much at once,”
Lu Yunze said as he started looking around for a nearby pharmacy.