10. Schemes

It was just after math class, and the three of them had returned from the office. As soon as class ended, everyone’s attention shifted to these three. Leading the group was Pei Huan, looking relaxed, even humming a little tune, strolling along at ease. Trailing behind was Ji Qinshu, who entered with her head lowered, but everyone could sense the relief radiating from her. As for Yuan Tao, though her expression was still somewhat troubled, she walked behind Ji Qinshu and Pei Huan at a steady pace. The classroom instantly buzzed with excitement. Some students approached Ji Qinshu with questions, but she was never the most outgoing, and being suddenly surrounded left her flustered and unsure how to handle the noisy group before her.

In the end, it was her deskmate who stepped in to disperse the crowd, leaning in to ask, “It’s settled?”

Ji Qinshu nodded. “Yes.”

“That’s good,” her deskmate said, visibly relieved.

Pei Huan hummed her little tune as she tidied the books scattered on her desk, clearly in a great mood.

Li Xuan, after watching her for a while, finally asked, “So what happened?”

“The three of us spent nearly an entire class period checking the surveillance footage, but we didn’t find any evidence of Ji Qinshu taking the class funds. But you—” Pei Huan shot him a look, her expression less than friendly, “while I was gone, you snuck into my desk and ate my chips, didn’t you?”

“I did not!” Li Xuan quickly shook his head. “It wasn’t me.”

“If it wasn’t you, was it a ghost? I only had one bag of chips and you still had to steal it.” Pei Huan put on a show of mock heartbreak.

Li Xuan stared at her, speechless. “That’s a bit much, Pei Huan.”

In the end, the missing two hundred yuan was found by Yuan Tao tucked away in a compartment of her own backpack. She had no recollection of ever placing it there and sat awkwardly at her desk, casting a sidelong glance at Lu Yinghuai, only to find he wasn’t looking her way at all. She felt both relieved and a little disappointed.

Throughout the entire incident, Lu Yinghuai hadn’t said a word. Yuan Tao had expected him to help, but he hadn’t done anything—not even offering a word of comfort afterward. Still, he hadn’t spoken up for Pei Huan either, and with this thought, Yuan Tao’s tangled emotions finally eased a little.

After lunch break, Yuan Tao walked to the podium. Swallowing her pride was difficult, but she’d promised earlier and couldn’t go back on her word; otherwise, the reputation she’d worked so hard to build would be ruined in an instant.

Everyone had just woken up from their nap and, upon seeing Yuan Tao at the podium, were initially puzzled. But it didn’t take long for them to realize what she was there to do.

Clearing her throat, Yuan Tao began, “I wish to offer a formal apology to Ji Qinshu for wrongly accusing her this morning, both myself and Tao Ranxi did so without any evidence. We were in the wrong.”

Pei Huan unscrewed her water bottle and took a leisurely sip, watching the apology unfold from her seat.

“Not bad, you actually managed to embarrass our campus belle like this,” Li Xuan commented nonchalantly.

“How is this embarrassing? Besides, she and Tao Ranxi were the ones making others uncomfortable to begin with,” Pei Huan replied lazily.

Ji Qinshu listened from below, her expression still timid, but after Yuan Tao finished, she spoke softly. The class could just about make out her words.

“It’s fine. I’m glad you realized your mistake. I forgive you and Tao Ranxi,” Ji Qinshu said gently. She never spoke loudly, and this was as much volume as she could muster.

Tao Ranxi shot Ji Qinshu an unfriendly look, snorted, and said nothing. Yuan Tao, after a few more gentle words to Ji Qinshu, stepped down from the podium. The class’s attention lingered on the three of them, and Ji Qinshu, embarrassed by the stares, simply bowed her head and started working on a test paper.

Today it was Pei Huan’s turn to clean the classroom. She was slow by nature, so while everyone else finished and left, she was still sweeping the floor, meaning Lu Yinghuai had to wait to mop until she was done. Ji Qinshu, the subject of the day’s gossip, was also left behind in the classroom.

When only the three of them remained, Ji Qinshu stood up and gently tugged on Pei Huan’s sleeve. Pei Huan looked up. “What is it?”

“Thank you for today,” Ji Qinshu whispered.

Pei Huan grinned broadly. “It’s nothing. I couldn’t just watch you get bullied.”

“If it weren’t for you, I really don’t know what I would’ve done. My deskmate helped too, but Yuan Tao and Tao Ranxi just wouldn’t believe me.” As she spoke, Ji Qinshu began to cry. Pei Huan, seeing this, fumbled to wipe away her tears, but Ji Qinshu only sobbed harder.

“I’m just a scholarship student, it’s not like I committed a crime. I have a clean record—I never steal or cheat—yet they have no proof and still won’t leave me alone.” She cried as though determined to let out all the grievances she’d held back throughout the day.

Pei Huan’s heart ached at the sound of her sobbing. Although Ji Qinshu had seemed calm that afternoon, she was clearly still upset. Pei Huan pulled her into a hug, gently patting her back and soothing her softly, “It’s okay, it’s all taken care of now. Don’t cry.”

Ji Qinshu wept for quite a while before finally stopping. She dabbed at her tears with a tissue. Pei Huan rummaged through her pockets, pulled out twenty yuan, and handed it over. “Go buy yourself some milk tea. Something sweet will cheer you up after a rough day.”

“I can’t accept this.” Ji Qinshu shook her head in alarm.

“It’s nothing,” Pei Huan insisted, tucking the bill into her hand. “Go on.”

In the end, Ji Qinshu accepted. After packing her bag, she said goodbye to Pei Huan before leaving. Pei Huan watched her go, then hurried to finish sweeping. Only then did Lu Yinghuai get up to grab the mop. Pei Huan looked apologetic. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

Lu Yinghuai lowered his head as he mopped. “Even if you hadn’t been comforting her, I still might not have been able to mop yet.”

“That’s not fair, Lu Yinghuai,” Pei Huan replied with her usual composure. “You should be tolerant of me, not just criticize me all the time, or I’ll get upset.”

Lu Yinghuai glanced up at her. Even in silence, his eyes betrayed his disdain, and Pei Huan, dissatisfied, pursed her lips and resumed sweeping.

Once Pei Huan finished sweeping, Lu Yinghuai quickly finished mopping. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and left the classroom, while Pei Huan dawdled, slowly packing her bag. Just as she was about to leave, the front door of the classroom slammed shut with a bang. The back door had already been locked after school. Pei Huan tried the door and jiggled the lock, confirming she was indeed locked in.

What rotten luck.

By now it was after six; even if there were still teachers in the office, they’d have gone to dinner or home by now. All the students had rushed out at the end of school. Even if Pei Huan shouted out the window, there was no guarantee anyone would hear.

The whole building was eerily quiet, with only the distant shouts from the senior-year building drifting over.

Pei Huan took out her phone and messaged Tang Yue and Shen Qinshi, telling them she was trapped in the school building. Both seemed busy. She then texted Wang Xun and Li Xuan. Li Xuan had already taken the high-speed train to a neighboring city, and Wang Xun wasn’t replying. Pei Huan felt a bit adrift and could only hope a security guard doing rounds would find her.

A few minutes later, Tang Yue replied, saying she was tied up but would send someone to help. Pei Huan didn’t ask who and, left with nothing to do, sat by the window, staring out at the dusk.

If no one came, she really might have to spend the night here.

By nearly seven, the sky outside was growing dark. Pei Huan sighed and sat for a while longer when hurried footsteps echoed in the corridor. Thinking the security guard had arrived, Pei Huan’s eyes lit up.

The door opened quickly, but instead of a guard, it was Lu Yinghuai. Pei Huan was momentarily stunned.

The setting sun hung behind him, casting him in silhouette as he walked toward her. She couldn’t make out his expression, but sensed he wasn’t pleased.

“Come on,” was all he said.

Pei Huan slung her backpack over her shoulder and followed him out. The security guard, upon seeing her, couldn’t resist saying, “Young lady, if you get locked in, why not just call your homeroom teacher?”

Only then did Pei Huan realize she’d forgotten that option in her panic. She laughed awkwardly, “I was so scared I just forgot.”

“If your classmate hadn’t told me you were locked in, I wouldn’t have come round so early,” the guard teased.

“Thank you, sir,” Pei Huan said gratefully.

The guard chuckled. “Alright, it’s late. Hurry home and be careful on the road.”

“Will do, Uncle.”

As she finished speaking, Pei Huan saw Lu Yinghuai already walking away and hurried to catch up.

Walking beside him, Pei Huan asked curiously, “How did you know I was locked in the classroom?”

Lu Yinghuai’s face was dark, and he didn’t answer.

It was rare to see Lu Yinghuai in such a mood. Not knowing what she’d done wrong, Pei Huan fell silent.

“If I hadn’t known, would you really have stayed alone in the classroom until eight or nine, waiting for the guard?” Lu Yinghuai’s voice was cold.

“I guess so,” Pei Huan replied uncertainly.

Lu Yinghuai shot her a displeased look. “You sent messages to so many people—why not me?”

Pei Huan looked at him. “Even if I messaged you, you might not have come. Besides, I didn’t want to bother you.”

“If you don’t message me, how do you know I won’t come?” he pressed, stubbornly.

“Aren’t you the type who doesn’t get involved in other people’s business?” Pei Huan asked, bewildered.

Lu Yinghuai was silent for a moment, then looked away, ignoring her and walking on.

Sensing his mood was off, Pei Huan tentatively tugged his sleeve. “Are you upset?”

“No,” he replied, his tone cold.

“If you’re not upset, why do you look so sour?” Pei Huan said.

“You think I don’t care about others, so why do you care what I think?” he shot back with a mocking snort.

“That’s just the persona you put on,” Pei Huan retorted quickly.

Lu Yinghuai fell silent again.

After a moment’s thought, Pei Huan decided to try and smooth things over. “Let me treat you to something to eat, okay? Don’t be mad.”

After a long pause, Lu Yinghuai finally replied, “Alright.”