The Message's Return, Unknown Whether Early or Late

Early morning.

Within the Flame City Private Academy, the campus was filled with the clamorous sounds of students, the air tinged with the scent of youth.

"Ding ling ling~"

The bell for the first class rang, and Class 2, Grade 1 fell silent once more. Everyone returned to their seats.

Only the second-to-last seat by the window remained empty, and this seat belonged to Su Cheng.

That's right, Su Cheng was absent again.

To be precise, he hadn't come to school for several days in a row now. During roll call, the teacher would always pause for a few extra seconds on his name, a trace of worry flickering across her face.

The classmates, meanwhile, whispered and gossiped among themselves.

"He wouldn't be faking illness to skip school because he's afraid of getting a bad grade on the monthly exam, would he?"

"How could that be? With his abilities, he's a shoo-in for first place in the grade."

"That may be so, but who knows if he's in good enough form to do well lately." A few boys sat together, chattering away.

"In my opinion, he's just got a typical opportunist mindset. After cozying up to a wealthy woman, he's just coasting. Comes and goes as he pleases, doesn't take studying seriously at all."

"If that's really the case, that's just not right. Did we misjudge him?!"

"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let Li Guanqi hear you."

A group of girls also huddled together, chattering nonstop. Since Li Guanqi had also asked for leave yesterday, and the two of them were close, everyone pieced together these fragments of information, mixing in their own curiosity, speculation, and imagination.

And they arrived at that conclusion.

Li Guanqi silently withdrew her gaze, lowered her eyelids, and pretended not to hear the rumors.

She took out her textbook, mechanically flipping through the pages, but her mind was completely elsewhere. With each page turned, a deeper melancholy surfaced in her eyes, and her heart grew even more troubled.

Su Cheng had left quietly in the morning.

No one knew his whereabouts. Even Ji Qingyi and Liu Qingyue, who usually knew everything, were unaware of his current location because they had given up on continuous surveillance.

Li Guanqi had originally thought of sending Ya Ya to follow him, but on second thought, it didn't seem like a good idea. The only thing certain was that he would definitely return on the day of the competition.

The campus without Su Cheng seemed no different on the surface. Days still passed as calmly as water, everyone still played their unique roles, following the routine. But in Li Guanqi's heart, she felt something was missing.

Before, Su Cheng would always, intentionally or unintentionally, use all sorts of strange methods to turn her bland, monotonous life into something rich and colorful. He was like a stone thrown into the stagnant water of her heart, stirring up ripples. But now, the stone was gone, yet the ripples refused to settle, instead swelling into even more turbulent waves.

Lost in her chaotic thoughts, Li Guanqi stared blankly at the ring on her finger.

Her gaze fell on the mottled surface of the ring, and she unconsciously bit her lip.

Because now the ring was just like a certain someone. Even though she was no longer affected by negative emotions, it had taken root deep in her heart, impossible to forget.

With a sigh, Li Guanqi lifted her head, her expression returning to its usual detachment. Since he had decided to leave, what power did she have to stop him? Moreover, there were more important things waiting for her to do right now.

Thinking this, Li Guanqi picked up her pen and began taking notes with intense concentration. When Su Cheng returned, she would definitely teach him all the lessons from these past few days, exactly as they were.

The title of grade's top student wasn't earned for nothing. With the slightest slack, that throne might just be snatched away by someone else.

"Is student Su Cheng still not back in class?" On the podium, the teacher's words were like a stone tossed into a pond, causing all the students to turn their eyes in unison towards Su Cheng's empty seat. The murmurs rose once again.

"Reporting, teacher. He requested sick leave and hasn't returned to school yet," the class monitor stood up and answered seriously.

"Is that so? Still not better..." The teacher frowned slightly, a hint of barely perceptible concern in her tone.

She casually waved her hand, signaling the monitor to sit down, then raised the test papers in her hand, scanning the class. "The results of this test are out. Everyone performed very well, with an excellent rate of 90%! That's worth celebrating! Give yourselves a round of applause!"

Applause echoed through the classroom for a long time. When everyone quieted down, the teacher showed a gratified smile and continued, "Although student Su Cheng was absent due to illness, after making up the exam, his score still stands head and shoulders above the rest, securing first place in the grade! I hope everyone will follow his example and learn from his spirit of diligent study and perseverance!"

As soon as these words were spoken, many students below the podium whispered to each other. Some looked surprised, others widened their eyes in disbelief.

The teacher timely raised her voice: "Additionally, considering that student Su Cheng has missed several days of important classes and notes due to illness, I'd like to ask a student to help deliver the materials from these past few days to him and tutor him, to help him catch up quickly. Is anyone willing to volunteer?"

"I'm willing."

Before the teacher could finish, Xu Tianyi stood up without hesitation. As the class's study committee member, looking after students who fell behind was part of her duty.

"Let me go!" Before the words had fully left her mouth, Zhao Yan also jumped up, her gaze burning as she stared at the teacher. "Teacher, please let me go. I know where Su Cheng lives, it's on my way."

Having said that, she didn't forget to wink and make faces at Xu Tianyi, hinting for her to be sensible and not compete.

Xu Tianyi shrugged her shoulders, but there was nothing she could do. She could only sit back down resentfully, watching as Zhao Yan triumphantly collected all the notes and materials.

The first class ended, and break time arrived. In the classroom, the topic of discussion returned to Su Cheng.

"This 'Su Daiyu', taking so many sick days one after another, really is frail and sickly."

"Who says otherwise? He just recovered not long ago, and now he's fallen ill again."

"Pfft, I think he's just faking it! But it's not really surprising. What do you expect from a bookworm? How strong can their constitution be?" A few girls huddled together, discussing in low voices.

"Hey, who gave you permission to talk about Su Cheng like that?"

Xuan Ying stormed over menacingly, glaring angrily at those girls. "He studies so hard, it's normal for his health to be occasionally poor! Besides, you look like a bean sprout yourself, what right do you have to laugh at others?"

"Who are you calling a bean sprout?"

"You! Got a problem? Bring it on!" Xuan Ying rolled up her sleeves, adopting a fighting stance. Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, the class monitor quickly stepped in and barely managed to separate the two groups.

"Honestly, she really does look a bit like a bean sprout," the Wang Guancong duo huddled together, whispering.

"I remember her family runs... the Flame City vegetable market!?"

"Doesn't that make it even more fitting?"

"I have always believed that the purpose of education and reading is to help us establish correct values, understand reason, and learn to respect others, not to judge or comment on others. I feel it's entirely unnecessary to give people nicknames based on their appearance or to mock them. That being said, this girl does somewhat resemble a bean sprout."

After the loud discussion by the duo Wang Guancong and his companion, the entire class could hear it. This made 'Bean Sprout' stomp her feet in anger, yet she could do nothing about it. In the end, she could only run into the bathroom to secretly wipe away her little tears, probably already regretting giving others nicknames.

……………………………………

Meanwhile, in a certain second-year classroom, the atmosphere was completely different.

Even during the break, it was eerily quiet, with only the occasional rustle of pages turning.

Students only dared to lower their voices and exchange a few words on their way to the restroom.

The culprit behind this strange atmosphere was none other than Ji Qingyi, sitting alone by the window.

She gracefully flipped through her book, her slender fingers lightly tracing the pages. An air of noble elegance was evident between her brows, like an unapproachable flower on a high peak. The aura she emitted was chilling, making others afraid to disturb her peace. Even the teachers would lighten their footsteps and fall silent when entering or leaving the classroom.

Suddenly, Ji Qingyi closed her book and took out her antique smartphone from the drawer. She tapped the screen with her delicate fingers, awakening the dormant device.

Whenever she encountered a gap in her knowledge or a difficult-to-understand question, Ji Qingyi would turn to a search engine for help.

In the face of this omnipotent tool, even the most peculiar queries could basically be resolved.

However, when her recent search history appeared before her eyes, Ji Qingyi slightly furrowed her brows.

"How many pregnancies can a girl have at most?"

"Can men give birth now?"

"What preparations are needed to have a child?"

"Is having eight children within the normal human range?"

"How can a girl get pregnant?"