Chapter Twelve

The call from "Li Guanqi" —

To answer or not to answer?

That was the question.

Logically, he shouldn’t pick up.

But without the omniscient perspective, he couldn’t help but ponder and deliberate, and in doing so, he naturally arrived at a realization.

The deeper meaning he inferred was this: Gu Ruoxue had mentioned that no one would call her anytime soon.

Yet here was a call at noon. As a meticulous and serious woman, how could she make such a glaring mistake?

The only explanation was… she must have contacted someone in advance—perhaps Li Guanqi—and briefly explained the situation, only for the other party to disregard her request.

Instead, they called anyway.

So, what exactly did Li Guanqi want by calling?

Clearly, this call was meant for him!

Suppose Gu Ruoxue suddenly told her boyfriend not to call her for a while because she was lending her phone to someone else.

Her boyfriend might agree on the spot, but curiosity would undoubtedly get the better of him.

Hence, the call.

Alternatively, this could all be an act between Gu Ruoxue and her boyfriend—a roundabout way to make him back off by implying she was already taken.

After deducing these two possibilities, "Sherlock Orange" (as he mentally dubbed himself) felt an even deeper pang of bitterness. He wanted to say:

"You didn’t have to go through all this trouble. You could’ve just told me directly."

Why resort to such an indirect method?

Was it because this tsundere couldn’t bear to admit defeat but had no choice, hence this elaborate ruse?

The thought brought him some solace.

But now, he faced the immediate dilemma—

The phone was still vibrating insistently!

After a moment’s hesitation, he decided to answer. After all, he was curious: What did her boyfriend (or fiancé?) want with him?

Could it be like some cliché novel plot?

It wouldn’t be out of place in a story.

The beautiful girl’s fiancé suddenly appears, humiliates him, sends thugs to teach him a lesson, even targets the orphanage!

Thus, the seeds of vengeance are sown!

Eventually, he turns dark and rises to become the strongest in the world!

The thought made him suck in a sharp breath.

He flipped open the phone, pressed the answer button, and held it to his ear, holding his breath as he waited to hear the voice on the other end. He was determined to see if his suspicions were correct.

"Senior Gu."

But the next second, the voice that came through the phone made his eyes widen in shock.

Because it was unmistakably a girl’s voice.

And not just any voice—it was calm and gentle, like a spring breeze, soothing and refreshing to the soul.

Even with just that voice, he could tell this was undoubtedly a beauty on par with Gu Ruoxue.

Of course, such a girl would never spare him a second glance.

"Senior Gu?"

Li Guanqi’s puzzled voice came through again, slightly louder this time. "Can you hear me?"

But just as he was about to reply instinctively, he snapped back to reality and quickly snapped the phone shut, stuffing it into his pocket.

His mind was now flooded with confusion and bewilderment.

What in the world was going on?

This "Li Guanqi" was actually a girl?

You’ve got to be kidding me!

Not the starter-village villain?

How did this turn into a girl?

And another thing—

What kind of girl is named "Li Guanqi"?

If they ever got married, people would probably struggle to tell who was the bride and who was the groom just by looking at the wedding banner!

He rubbed his temples, frustrated. This completely overturned all his earlier deductions, leaving him both annoyed and in disbelief.

Just then, a senior girl walked past him, eating an orange. The citrusy scent wafted into his nose, and his pupils abruptly contracted.

A flash of insight struck him.

The smell of oranges…

Could it be…?

He frowned, lost in thought for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.

No way. That couldn’t be it.

Regardless, he needed to hurry to the music room.

What if another call came through?

He stood up and rushed toward the stairs, heading straight for the music room.

The so-called "music room" was practically a myth to him—he’d barely had any classes there. Every time music class was scheduled, the teacher would fall ill, and the homeroom teacher would replace it with math.

When he reached the music room door, he tentatively knocked.

"Come in."

A husky yet cool voice responded from inside. He carefully pushed the door open a crack and peeked in.

The room was spacious, filled with all kinds of instruments—guitars, bass guitars, drum sets, and some equipment he didn’t recognize.

At the very back, by the window, Gu Ruoxue sat on a bench, reading a book.

The winter sunlight spilled over her porcelain skin, giving her an aura of purity and grace.

"While I can afford leniency for first-time mistakes, my patience is not unlimited."

Gu Ruoxue looked up, her brows slightly furrowed as she fixed her gaze on Su Cheng, who was peeking through the door. Beneath her calm expression lurked a hint of warning.

Su Cheng immediately felt awkward, caught red-handed. He chuckled sheepishly, then fully opened the door and stepped inside, closing it behind him.

"I’ve never been here before, so I was just… curious. Wanted to take a good look."

At that, Gu Ruoxue stood up and walked to the power outlet, unplugging a freshly boiled kettle. She brought it to the table and began slowly rinsing a cup.

"Uh…"

Su Cheng fished the phone out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Here. Someone called you earlier."

Gu Ruoxue paused her task and took the phone from him.

She scrutinized the caller ID, noticing that Su Cheng had even answered the call for a few seconds. Her expression gradually darkened.

"Did you trigger any quests?"

Su Cheng quickly shook his head. "No, no! I just… accidentally pressed the answer button."

Gu Ruoxue gave a slight nod, then immediately redialed the number right in front of him. She held the phone to her ear, and within seconds, she spoke.

"Apologies. I didn’t have my phone earlier. What is it?"

"But I’m not in Yancheng right now."

"Mhm. Got it."

Su Cheng couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation, but he saw Gu Ruoxue’s expression gradually soften before she hung up and returned the phone to him.

"If this happens again, don’t answer calls from unknown numbers."

However, Su Cheng didn’t take the phone back immediately. Instead, he asked curiously, "So… is she a friend of yours?"

Gu Ruoxue replied flatly, "A neighbor."

She offered no further explanation, so Su Cheng wisely dropped the subject. Instead, he shook his head.

"Maybe I’ll just buy my own phone after school today."

But Gu Ruoxue stopped him. "No one can help you get a SIM card right now."

Su Cheng froze, then remembered his current circumstances. He’d mixed up his thoughts.

With an awkward chuckle, he admitted, "Ah, right. Forgot about that. Sorry."

He took the phone back from her and stuffed it into his pocket. Gu Ruoxue then handed him the charger, which he also pocketed.

Gu Ruoxue placed her schoolbag on the table and took out a small white paper bag from it. As she opened the bag, a sweet, pastry-like aroma wafted through the air, accompanied by a soft rustling sound.

Su Cheng noticed that the pastries were local specialties—likely purchased from the souvenir shop near the hotel.

Seeing this, he felt it would be impolite to intrude further, so he said, "You should rest now. I should go get lunch."

However, to his surprise, Gu Ruoxue spoke up, "There isn’t enough time. Just eat here."

"Huh?"

Su Cheng was taken aback. He glanced at the pastries on the table and asked uncertainly, "This is lunch?"

"Or what else?"

Gu Ruoxue lifted her gaze, her clear, bright eyes fixed on him.

Suppressing the odd feeling in his chest, Su Cheng cleared his throat and said, "Well… our school cafeteria actually has a pretty good variety."

"I don’t really like their cooking. Never mind."

Gu Ruoxue shook her head, then took out a red banknote from her bag and placed it on the table. "Could you get me a meal instead? Something light. Keep the change as your payment."

"Friends don’t need payment. Besides, I’m going anyway," Su Cheng protested, shaking his head.

"Then how about this…"

Gu Ruoxue rested her chin on her hand, seemingly deep in thought, before continuing, "Get two meals—one of the most expensive dishes today and one light one. Then return the remaining money to me. How’s that?"

Su Cheng hesitated. He felt that refusing again would be ungrateful. Her intention was obvious—one meal was clearly for him.

But…

He still didn’t want to take advantage of her.

"If you don’t agree, then forget it."

Her tone was calm and indifferent as she picked up a pastry with slender fingers, taking a small, deliberate bite. She made it seem like this was her lunch now, showing no trace of disappointment or frustration.

Su Cheng sighed in resignation and finally gave in.

……

About ten minutes later, Su Cheng returned with several takeout boxes and set them in front of her—stir-fried greens, winter melon meatballs, white mugwort tofu, and rose-flavored silver ear soup. Considering her appetite, he had chosen small portions of light dishes.

For himself, he had gotten a minced eggplant rice bowl.

He handed her the chopsticks and urged, "Eat while it’s hot. It won’t taste as good when it cools down."

Gu Ruoxue glanced at the fifty-something yuan in change and the eggplant rice bowl before saying, "Thanks for the trouble."

"No trouble at all. If anything, I should be thanking you."

Su Cheng shook his head.

Gu Ruoxue pressed her lips together, silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at him. "Let’s do this from now on at lunch. I don’t like crowded places."

Su Cheng paused, then nodded in understanding.

She simply didn’t like the cafeteria.

Soon, the two began eating. Su Cheng kept his head down, quietly devouring his meal, while Gu Ruoxue ate in silence, occasionally sipping her soup or picking at the greens.

After the meal, they worked together to clear the table, their movements surprisingly in sync—almost like the saying, "Men and women working together makes the task effortless."

Still, Su Cheng couldn’t shake off a surreal feeling. Even while eating, Gu Ruoxue carried herself with grace, her every motion refined and pleasing to the eye. It was almost unreal.

The epitome of elegance.

"Here."

Gu Ruoxue poured a cup of black tea and handed it to Su Cheng.

He accepted it, watching the steam rise from the cup before saying gratefully, "Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

Her reply was indifferent as she took a sip from her own cup before setting it back down.

Following her lead, Su Cheng also took a sip.

Then, Gu Ruoxue handed him a piece of fruit.

At this moment, the question that had been nagging at Su Cheng could no longer be contained.

He set down his cup and asked seriously, "Why?"

"Why what?" Gu Ruoxue responded.

"Why are you so nice to me?"

Su Cheng frowned at her.

To this, Gu Ruoxue showed neither embarrassment nor surprise.

"Am I being nice to you?"

She countered.

"Yes, very." Su Cheng nodded firmly.

He couldn’t comprehend her kindness at all.

Gu Ruoxue rubbed her temples as if easing a headache before replying softly, "Su Cheng, let me ask you something—do you not have any friends?"

Her blunt question left him speechless.

Su Cheng thought back carefully before realizing with a jolt—he truly didn’t have a single friend.

Not even a casual acquaintance.

It was a pitiful and lonely reality, but it also explained his isolation…

Was she implying that this was just how friends normally treated each other?

"But…"

"You’re thinking about ‘that matter,’ aren’t you? Since I’m aware of it and have benefited from it, I’ll see it through to the end. Besides, I believe this is the right thing to do."

"But there are only three days left. Do you have any leads?"

"Not yet."

Gu Ruoxue shook her head, her tone firm and serious. "But until the very last moment, we can’t jump to conclusions. So, for the remaining time, I need you to stay calm. I don’t want fear or anxiety clouding your judgment. Understand?"

Hearing her resolute words, warmth surged in Su Cheng’s chest. He nodded. "Yeah, I understand."

"Eat the fruit. You need vitamins."