Chapter 123: What competition?

Mu Youyu frowned, moved the phone away, raised the volume, and repeated: "I said Yu Yu is with me; she came from A City, and just arrived she fainted from low blood sugar! Do you know what's happened recently with Sheng Luo or the Yu family?"

"What..."

Mu Youyu clicked her tongue impatiently, thinking of Yu Yu on the hospital bed, raised her hand to hang up, then instead called Feng Cen.

Feng Cen has wide connections in Sheng Luo, is also the female school tyrant, and besides, the Se Clan is the third of the four great noble families in A City, so she might be able to dig up useful information.

Just as her finger pressed the hang‑up key, an incoming call from Jiang Liangjin popped up on the top of the phone screen.

She hesitated zero seconds, quickly hung up Liu Wanwan's call, answered Jiang Liangjin's, and told him to come to the school infirmary.

After hanging up his call, Liu Wanwan called back; this time the background music was much softer and the voice clearer: "What's wrong? Youbao! It was too noisy in there just now, I couldn't hear clearly."

Mu Youyu briefly said: "…Yu Yu, with me, fainted."

"What?"

Liu Wanwan's voice instantly rose, full of disbelief: "Xiao Yu is with you? Wasn't she supposed to be at the competition? How did she end up looking for you?"

Mu Youyu's heart sank sharply, her brows knitting tighter: "Competition? What competition? When was that?"

Liu Wanwan's tone also carried doubt: "Just last week, didn't she tell you?"

"No, please tell me in detail."

On the other end of the phone, Liu Wanwan also sensed something off, her tone instantly turning serious: "Last week she messaged me on WeChat, saying she was going to B City to take part in a National Youth Art Competition, lasting about a week! I'd even wished her to win a prize, and she replied happily back then—she should have gone to the competition site the day before yesterday! How could she suddenly run over to your place?"

B City? She should have reported in the day before yesterday?

Mu Youyu knitted her brows tighter: "Did she mention the exact address of the competition? Or who she was going with?"

"She didn't give a specific address, just said the school arranged it uniformly, so an art teacher was taking her." Liu Wanwan's voice held confusion: "By the way, why did Xiao Yu faint?"

"Low blood sugar; she's currently getting an IV at Lan Lin."

Mu Youyu recalled Yu Yu's voice when she answered the phone, paused, then added: "She called me four times; when I picked up, her voice sounded especially aggrieved, saying she wanted to see me. When we met, her mood was terrible, and she fainted as soon as she stood up."

"Did she cry?" Liu Wanwan's voice suddenly rose again: "Xiao Yu is so gentle; she never even argues with people normally, so why would she suddenly feel wronged? Could it be that something went wrong with the competition? Or…"

Liu Wanwan didn't finish the rest of her sentence, but Mu Youyu had already guessed it.

She tightened her grip on the phone and asked in a low voice: "This is also what I wanted to ask you—do you know what's recently happened in Xiao Yu's family?"

But the Yu family is a scholarly lineage, and Yu Yu is their only daughter; although the household is somewhat strict, they hold high standards for her studies and conduct.

Yet she has been pampered since childhood, always well protected.

To her, Liu Wanwan, and Feng Cen—these few close friends—Yu Yu is like a little sun that doesn't like to show emotion, forever calm and gentle, rarely revealing such a fragile, wronged side.

"I don't know—I finished the end‑of‑August start‑of‑term exams and went out to play, and besides, aside from last week I haven't been in touch with her." Liu Wanwan felt helpless.

She added: "You should ask Feng Cen instead—she started her senior year early."

Mu Youyu thought of a better idea: "…I'll have someone look into it first, then ask."

After hanging up Liu Wanwan's call, she sent a message to her bodyguard, then, hearing movement, walked back to the school infirmary.

Just then she saw Jiang Liangjin walk in.

The bright lights of the infirmary fully outlined the youth's refined and extraordinary silhouette.

A few strands of wine‑red bangs on the youth's forehead swayed lightly with his movements, adding a touch of carefree unrestraint.

His skin is very fair, forming a stark contrast with his head of fiery red hair, yet it looks neither abrupt nor out of place; instead, it makes his deep‑brown eyes appear even clearer and colder.

"How did you come here? Are you feeling unwell?" The youth's gaze swept over her face, noticing her gloomy expression, and his tone instantly softened a bit.

Mu Youyu made a silent gesture, pulled him onto a seat in the hall, and lowered her voice to explain: "It's not me; it's a friend of mine who fainted from low blood sugar and is now receiving an IV inside."

Jiang Liangjin sat beside her, hearing that, his deep‑brown eyes twitched slightly: "Fainted?"

He gave a rough explanation.

Before Jiang Liangjin could reply, a male voice came from the doorway: "Hey, A Jin said she was here, but you're taking too long to come out…"

The words stopped; he instinctively turned his head and saw the two people pushing the door open.

Yu Ci wore a loose, light‑brown embroidered‑pattern short‑sleeve, the collar casually pulled open to reveal a distinct collarbone; his ink‑colored bangs were tousled by the wind.

Seeing the two of them there, he gave the person beside him an expression that said, "I told you they'd be here."

Following behind him, Gu Xingnan wore an identical light‑brown embroidered‑pattern short‑sleeve, the cut exactly the same, yet he somehow projected a completely different aura.

His brows and eyes are delicate, with long, dense lashes; his thin lips are pressed tight, making his jawline clear, yet his face shows little expression, wearing a cold stare like a fine porcelain doll.

Noticing Yu Ci's triumphant look, he remained helplessly silent.

Yu Ci then turned to Mu Youyu, a smile on his face, his voice bright: "Why did Youbao come here?"

Mu Youyu lifted her chin, gesturing to the infirmary bed, expressionless: "My friend from A City fainted from low blood sugar and is getting an IV."

Seeing her complexion not good, Yu Ci's smile faded a bit: "Fainted? Is it serious?"

"A bit; the school doctor said she'll wake up after the IV."

Gu Xingnan heard this; his cold little face didn't relax, yet he spoke first, his tone gentle—utterly at odds with his expression: "Then we still have two classes left; we won't be attending."

Mu Youyu: "…"

Jiang Liangjin: "…" How is that different from what he's paying attention to?

Yu Ci immediately agreed, clapping his hands: "Exactly, anyway it's just a free‑practice class; staying here to keep you company is the same, perfect timing to see how your friend is doing."

As he spoke, he started to walk inside, but Gu Xingnan raised a hand and pressed his shoulder: "Inside is getting an IV."

Mu Youyu was about to say something more when her phone suddenly vibrated—a message from her bodyguard.

She quickly opened it, and her already gloomy expression grew even darker.

The message said: Yu Yu had registered for the National Youth Art Competition a month earlier; the competition is in downtown B City, with check‑in dates from September 1 to September 7.

After the August 31 start‑of‑term exam results came out, for some unknown reason, at 11 p. m. she was still loitering outside a restaurant, didn't go home, and afterward stayed a day at the home of a green‑haired student in Sheng Luo's senior year.

This segment was captured by the restaurant's outdoor surveillance, and a surveillance video is attached below.

Mu Youyu didn't open it, but continued reading.