Chapter 98: Bad News

Sports Class usually ended early.

Although there was a rule to gather at the very end of class, as long as enough people left, the PE teacher wouldn’t bother stopping them.

Besides, it was the final week of the semester, and this was the last class of the day.

So as soon as the bell rang signaling the end of the first period in the afternoon, Su Yao heard someone say they could all disperse.

Coincidentally, a shuttlecock fell to the ground.

When she bent down to pick it up, the girl across from her had already walked over to the nearby bench and sat down to rest.

Su Yao squeezed the shuttlecock in her hand; she actually still felt a bit reluctant to stop.

Even though her body was beginning to feel a trace of fatigue, that feeling of emptying her mind and focusing entirely on the birdie flying through the air was wonderful.

It gave her a passion reminiscent of the very first time she ever played.

Exhaling softly, the breath turned into a white mist in the cold air.

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she also walked off the court.

Seeing that the others weren’t still up there, some boys who had been waiting a while came forward.

One of them, more daring than the rest, stepped right up to where they were and asked.

“Excuse me, are you guys still playing?”

Everyone exchanged glances, then shook their heads.

When they saw this, the boy smiled happily.

“Then we’ll take this court.”

With that, he cheerfully returned to his friends, only to be grabbed around the neck by someone as if being asked a question.

Su Yao didn’t pay much attention to them.

Once she stopped moving, her mind had already drifted elsewhere.

“Su Yao, Luo Yu, you’re really not joining us?”

“Mm, it’s more important not to fail.”

That was just an excuse, a polite pretense.

What the two of them were actually going to do was a mystery.

The girls were curious but didn’t ask further.

After seeing Luo Yu pull Su Yao away, several of them immediately started gossiping.

“Do you think those two are secretly dating someone?”

“Could be.”

“Should we follow them and check?”

“Yeah, let’s go!”

Ji Yun glanced at them, then looked toward the backs of Luo Yu and Su Yao.

She sighed softly and changed the subject.

“How’s everyone preparing for the finals?”

At that, the girls fell silent, their eyes lowering guiltily.

Ever since university started, they no longer had to stick to a strict 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. schedule.

There weren’t mountains of assignments to complete, no endless drills to drown in.

Having more free time clearly made everyone lazier.

Once someone relaxed from a high-pressure environment, it was easy to catch this “laziness disease,” even though they had been fairly “disciplined” in high school.

But after truly experiencing this kind of relaxation, going back to the old grind felt nearly impossible.

Still, this was their first university final exam; passing was manageable, even if the scores might look ugly.

After leaving the badminton court with Luo Yu, Su Yao said thank you.

“No need. I don’t want to go anyway. They always eat so much at once when we go out, nearly a hundred yuan every time. I only make fifteen hundred a month, can’t afford their lifestyle.”

Luo Yu pouted, clearly a little resentful.

It was obvious she wanted to spend without worries, but she had been taught to budget carefully—never spend next month’s money this month.

If truly broke, then ask the family for help.

Su Yao agreed completely.

A hundred yuan was a lot!

At that moment, she felt grateful she hadn’t gone with them; otherwise, she wouldn’t know how much she would’ve spent.

She didn’t even count as low income yet—more like an untested product.

Right now, everything was money going out.

Cutting expenses and increasing income was very necessary.

“So… I’ll head off first?”

“Okay.”

Luo Yu answered briefly.

Su Yao noticed she seemed in a hurry, like she had plans with someone.

This made Su Yao glance at Luo Yu again.

Compared to before, she looked much more refined today.

Her hair was carefully combed, and she hadn’t moved wildly during the game, probably trying not to sweat.

She had put on something on her face, making her skin look paler, and the dark circles from late nights were concealed with makeup.

Noticing Su Yao staring, Luo Yu showed a rare feminine softness, turning her head slightly to whisper.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, nothing.”

Su Yao smiled faintly and started walking, waving as she headed toward the court where she had seen Mu Nanqiu earlier.

But she didn’t find him there.

He must have left long ago; the place was now filled with boys playing ball games.

After leaving the gym, she made her way to the library and messaged Mu Nanqiu on her phone.

“I got out early. On my way to the library now.”

“Okay, wait for me, I’ll be there soon.”

His reply came within three minutes.

Su Yao stared at the message, wondering what Mu Nanqiu was up to.

Thinking about that woman clinging to him, Su Yao recalled that when she last saw Mu Nanqiu, the woman wasn’t there.

She couldn’t help but wonder—was she really just a female classmate?

She trusted Mu Nanqiu and thus believed Gu Qin was just a regular classmate, but the way that woman acted made Su Yao think twice.

“Junior?”

Su Yao didn’t feel the call was for her and kept walking, but someone stopped her.

“Are you the junior who was with Ah Qiu that day?”

“Ah Qiu?”

Su Yao looked at the girl in front of her, hesitated for a moment, then realized Ah Qiu probably meant Mu Nanqiu and nodded.

Sizing up this senior, Su Yao recalled that when she had gone around campus with Mu Nanqiu taking pictures, they had met a few of his classmates.

This girl seemed to be one of them, and the leader type at that.

“Hello, that was me.”

Being suddenly approached by a stranger, Su Yao felt a bit awkward, but the girl opposite her was different—she smiled and said,

“Do you know where Ah Qiu went?”

Su Yao’s eyes flicked sideways, looking at the angled scenery, and replied,

“No idea.”

“Oh? I thought you two were really close. He usually doesn’t show much expression. Oh right, today a woman named Gu Qin came, seems to be Ah Qiu’s friend, followed him to class for quite a while. Haha, I’ve got something to do, so I’ll stop here. Bye.”

With a cold smile, the girl patted Su Yao’s shoulder lightly and left.

Su Yao stood there in a daze, feeling a chill breeze brush over her.

It seemed to seep into her body, and combined with the sweat she had just wiped off, she suddenly felt a wave of unease spread throughout her.