Chapter Ninety-Four: The Homeroom Teacher Is Looking for You

After Jiang Muwen finished speaking, silence fell over the other end of the call.

The sudden stillness made her heart skip with unease. She cleared her throat, then called out carefully, “Wen Yichen?”

“I’m here.”

When Wen Yichen’s voice sounded again, some of the anxiety in Jiang Muwen’s heart receded. “W-what did you want to tell me?”

“The things you said after getting drunk—you have no recollection of them at all?”

He did not answer her question directly, but asked once more to confirm.

“Mm.” Fearing that he might say something that would make things awkward, Jiang Muwen repeated herself quickly. “So I just said those things casually. Don’t take them seriously.”

What she feared most was that, under the influence of drink, she had gone and confessed her feelings to Wen Yichen. If he did not want her, then how could she ever bear to face him again?

It was a long while before a soft “All right” finally came from the other end of the line.

And yet, driven by curiosity, Jiang Muwen still very much wanted to know what Wen Yichen had meant by saying he had “thought it through.” What had they even discussed that afternoon, to make him brood over it until the dead of night?

“So what exactly did you mean when you said you’d thought it through?” Jiang Muwen asked awkwardly.

In truth, after returning home, Wen Yichen had also thought for a long time. It was true that he liked Jiang Muwen; it was true that she had taken the initiative to kiss him; it was true that the confession she had not finished that afternoon, and her unfinished “Should we try,” all of it was true.

But she had forgotten everything.

After a long pause, Wen Yichen’s voice drifted slowly through the phone, muffled and tinged with a trace of languidness. “Nothing much. I meant that I’ve thought it through. If you fail your exams again in the future, then we’ll just increase the tutoring. Senior year is coming soon, and you can’t let your classes slip.”

“...”

Seeing that Jiang Muwen did not speak, Wen Yichen asked again, cautiously, “I called so late. Did I disturb you?”

His voice was low and husky, and within that hoarseness there lingered an indescribable sensuality. To Jiang Muwen, it brought an inexplicable sense of comfort, as though he were right beside her.

The night was quiet, but Jiang Muwen’s heart beat faster and faster, unable to settle for a long time.

After a brief silence, Wen Yichen’s voice sounded again. “Are you asleep?”

He asked so softly, as if checking, or perhaps afraid of waking her. Such a faint question sent ripples through Jiang Muwen’s heart.

“Then good night.”

“No, I can’t sleep,” Jiang Muwen answered in a childlike voice just as Wen Yichen was about to hang up.

As soon as she finished speaking, a soft laugh came from the other end. It carried a trace of indulgence and a trace of tenderness, all of it transmitted through the receiver into her ear, making her heart melt along with it.

“Then do you want me to tell you a bedtime story?” Wen Yichen asked lightly.

“Okay.”

“Once upon a time, there was an idiot.”

“Why is it an idiot?” Before Wen Yichen had even finished speaking, Jiang Muwen had already cut in. Wasn’t that not how bedtime stories were supposed to begin?

“No reason. Do you still want to hear it or not?” Wen Yichen’s tone remained calm, revealing no reproach at all, only a faint thread of indulgence.

“Yes.” As she spoke, Jiang Muwen placed her phone beside her pillow, turned on speaker, and closed her eyes.

“Once upon a time, there was an idiot.”

Wen Yichen’s voice drifted slowly into her ears, as though he were right there beside her. She did not know when she had fallen asleep. She only knew that when she woke, the call had not yet ended. The other end remained quiet, and the time on the screen was still ticking forward second by second. It was a silence that was peaceful, and beautiful.

After the spring outing, First High School in A City once again returned to its tense rhythm of study, while Class A still remained wrapped in its lazy, languid atmosphere.

“Yin Luze, did you ever find that memory card later?” Gu Nianxi asked with concern.

For the past few days, she had been preoccupied with that memory card. For some reason, she felt that its disappearance was not as simple as Yin Luze believed.

“Nope.” Yin Luze replied breezily, as if he had already forgotten about it. He idly doodled on his textbook with scribbles only he himself could understand. “It fell in that hotel, didn’t it? Who would bother picking up something like that?”

Not long after he spoke, Xia Manman entered through the classroom door and walked straight over to Gu Nianxi’s side. Glancing at them, she said carefully, “Gu Nianxi, the homeroom teacher wants you all to come to the office.”

“All of us?” Gu Nianxi looked at Xia Manman in confusion.

Xia Manman averted her gaze. After glancing at Jiang Muwen, she looked back at Xia Manman and asked, “Who exactly does ‘all of us’ include?”

But Xia Manman did not name anyone specifically. She merely raised her index finger and made a small circle. The four included were Gu Nianxi, Jiang Muwen, Yin Luze, and Wen Yichen.

Wen Yichen naturally noticed Xia Manman’s gesture as well. He lifted his eyes, his gaze clear and calm without a single ripple, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

“Got it.” Gu Nianxi answered, thanked her, then looked toward the other three. “The homeroom teacher wants to see us.”

“Let’s go.” Before Gu Nianxi could finish, Wen Yichen said indifferently. He stood from his seat without the slightest hesitation.

The homeroom teacher had summoned four of them all at once; Wen Yichen knew it was certainly nothing good, yet his face still showed a composure that should not have been there at that moment.

The group walked in silence the whole way. Each of them was guessing what had happened, but no one asked. Perhaps they all already understood, more or less, that it was likely connected to the abandoned building.

Wen Yichen led them to the homeroom teacher’s office door. With his well-defined hand, he knocked lightly twice without hesitation. The next second, a steady “Come in” came from inside.

He gently turned the handle and pushed the door open.

The office was quiet. A cold, murderous atmosphere rushed toward them, making Jiang Muwen tremble. For a fleeting instant, she even had the absurd illusion that she was a brave warrior charging into battle.

“Teacher.” As he spoke, Wen Yichen stopped before the homeroom teacher.

The teacher looked up at them. Seeing that all four had arrived, she set aside her work, opened a drawer, and took out a small item. Then she flicked it lightly onto the desk.

It was the memory card Yin Luze had lost.