Chapter 24

Zhao Jiu looked at the large iron gate; the lights in the dormitory lobby inside flickered and went out, leaving only a few street lamps.

Zhao Jiu: "..."

He turned and headed back to the boys' dormitory, at which point the butler called.

"Young Master, you aren't coming back?"

Zhao Jiu walked into the dormitory; the lights in the Grade 2 boys' dormitory hallway were on, and the entire corridor looked empty. It was likely much the same on Su Li's side.

"Mm. Not coming back. I'm staying at school to study."

The Midterm Exam was approaching, and he didn't want his grades to look too unsightly.

The butler thought of the heavy workload at No. 1 High School and felt a pang of sympathy, then said, "Do you need me to find you a tutor?"

Zhao Jiu: "No need."

In their situation, finding a tutor would easily lead to problems being discovered.

Zhao Jiu was about to hang up when he remembered Su Li's muffled voice; he pursed his lips and said, "Find someone to help Su Li from Class Thirteen, Grade 2, replace her ID card."

The butler: "Huh?"

Zhao Jiu: "And the household registration book while you're at it."

The butler: "Why are you replacing someone else's documents?"

Besides, it wouldn't be troublesome for her to go replace these things herself.

Zhao Jiu thought for a moment and said, "She lost her documents and is afraid of being scolded by her family."

The butler understood; so he was just helping a classmate: "Very well, I'll have someone handle it immediately."

Zhao Jiu hung up the phone.

Su Family

Su Lin brought Su Cheng home without saying a word the entire time; Su Lin just silently opened the door and walked inside.

Su Cheng was a little panicked. Su Li had said so much, and her father hadn't spoken a word the whole way; she didn't know what he was thinking now.

Fang Lan was waiting at home, and seeing only the two of them, she hurriedly asked, "Where is Xiao Li?"

Chengcheng said Su Li was eating with a few wealthy boys and wouldn't come back even when called.

She was both angry and anxious, not understanding how a child who had been so obedient since she was little had suddenly become like this.

Su Lin frowned: "She didn't come back?"

Hearing this, Su Cheng looked up. Was Su Li planning to stay out all night?

"Didn't you go to pick her up?" Fang Lan asked, puzzled.

"Xiao Li had an argument with Dad, then left. She probably left with those boys," Su Cheng interjected at this moment.

Fang Lan was stunned for a long time and asked, "An argument?"

How did they end up arguing?

Su Cheng nodded.

Su Lin didn't speak; Su Li's accusations were still ringing in his ears.

"Call the school and ask first." He pursed his lips.

Fang Lan picked up her phone to call. Su Li had been timid since she was a child; with school out on Friday and the entire dormitory building empty, how could she have the nerve to stay at school?

At school

The Dormitory Manager received Wang Laoshi's call, turned on the hallway lights, and headed to the second floor.

Su Li had just finished washing up when a "bang-bang" knocking sound suddenly came from the door.

"Su Li, are you there? It's the Dormitory Manager."

Su Li was wiping her hair and opened the door, puzzled.

The Dormitory Manager said, "It's good you're here. Why didn't you tell your parents you weren't going home?"

"Your parents called the school. They must be worried to death."

After saying this, she dialed a number, and once the call went through, she handed the phone over.

Su Li looked at the connected call and pursed her lips. Su Lin wouldn't call her, so this call must be from Fang Lan. She took the phone, and Fang Lan's voice came through.

"Xiao Li, are you at school?"

Su Li leaned against the wall.

"Mm."

Listening to her voice, Fang Lan could clearly feel that her mood was not very high.

"Why are you arguing with your father? Come home immediately."

Su Li lightly rubbed her fingertips against the Dormitory Manager's phone and said, "I won't be going back on weekends anymore. I'm staying at school to study."

She was still a High School student; before graduating, she couldn't truly leave home, so all she could do was stay a little further away from them.

After saying this, she hung up the phone and returned it to the Dormitory Manager.

Fang Lan looked at the phone; Su Li had never hung up on her before. She looked at Su Lin again, only to see him with his lips pursed and brows furrowed, saying nothing.

"What exactly happened?"

Su Lin looked up: "She's staying at the dormitory?"

Fang Lan: "Yes."

"If she doesn't come back, then she doesn't come back. I'd like to see what kind of mess she can make of herself out there alone!" Su Lin stood up and said, "Chengcheng, go back to your room and sleep. Teacher Zhou will be here at nine tomorrow!"

Su Cheng was stunned for a moment, hurriedly nodded, and then returned to her room.

Although she didn't know what was wrong with her father, he was clearly acting as if he were in a huff with Su Li.

Su Cheng closed the door and suddenly realized: Teacher Zhou was only tutoring her tomorrow?

And Su Li had no one to tutor her and could only rely on herself to study.

In the school, the Dormitory Manager did not think too much of it, assuming it was just a typical argument with family, and turned to leave.

The dormitory corridor was quiet, and after the lights suddenly went out, it looked exactly like a scene from a horror movie.

Su Li turned and entered the dormitory; after speaking her mind completely, her heart felt strangely empty.

She closed the door and leaned against it; it turned out she had still held expectations for them before.

She rubbed her cheeks, not intending to think about this matter anymore.

The Midterm Exam was coming soon, and it was hard to say when they would return; she could not hold the little Su Li back, as her resilience was far less than her own.

Su Li hurriedly started grinding through practice problems.

The next morning.

Zhao Jiu was woken up by his phone ringing.

"Su Li?"

Su Li: "Boss, today at 5:30, we're reviewing biology in the small woods."

Zhao Jiu glanced at the time—it was 5:00—and as he pressed a hand against the edge of the bed and was about to climb up, Su Li's voice came from the phone again.

"By the way, do you know our school has another small woods?"

Zhao Jiu paused for a moment, and the words Qian Lei had said surfaced in his mind: the small woods where that Jin Xun went on a date with someone from another class?

"It's the stretch between our teaching building and the School Cafeteria. At night, they call it the 'dating holy land'."

Zhao Jiu pressed his hand firmly against the bed frame: "Hm?"

Su Li said while brushing her teeth: "We'll finish reviewing biology in the woods behind the dormitory building in a bit, then head over there."

Zhao Jiu moved his legs to the floor: "Go... go there to do what?"

Su Li: "I just remembered, the main body of Grade 1 and Grade 2 students have all gone home, so the teaching building isn't open; only the Grade 3 one is."

"That dating holy land small woods has denser trees, and there's a small pavilion on the side with a stone table underneath, which is perfect for doing homework. Plus, there's a small lake right across from it, so it's cool."

Actually, they could also read in the School Cafeteria, but the cafeteria aunties liked to come out and chat after they finished their work.

She was afraid Gouzi was thin-skinned and couldn't handle the aunties' nagging. After all, he had just kicked someone in the cafeteria yesterday.

Zhao Jiu stood up silently, took his own toothpaste and toothbrush into the bathroom; he knew it, Su Li calling him to the woods was purely for studying.

But...

Zhao Jiu still couldn't help but ask: "Doesn't your school forbid puppy love? Why would such a place exist?"

A pavilion and a lake—was this providing a venue for people?

And it was at the very edge of the school; late at night, the teachers couldn't be bothered to go over there.

Su Li finished brushing her teeth, moved the phone a little further away, and then started washing her face.

"The person who designed the school probably only thought about how to make the school look good and forgot to prevent students from having puppy love."

Zhao Jiu: "..."

Su Li came out after washing her face and looked at the mosquito coils Liu Jiajia had bought in the corner.

She sent a message to Liu Jiajia: "Jiajia, I'm taking two pieces of the mosquito coils from the corner. I put the money on your bed."

There were many mosquitoes by the lake.

Liu Jiajia: "No need, just take them and use them."

Su Li noticed she had replied: "Why are you up so early?"

Liu Jiajia: "I haven't finished the cram school homework yet, I'm catching up."

Su Li felt a moment of sympathy, packed up, grabbed some toast and milk, and went to the small woods behind the dormitory building.

Biology had a lot of things to memorize, but it wasn't as difficult as physics and math; reviewing for an hour every morning and grinding through the problems once or twice was enough to recall everything.

She opened her workbook and recalled while reading.

Not long after, Zhao Jiu came out of the dormitory and walked to the small woods; his secretary was chewing on toast while reading, looking very normal, as if she had already moved past yesterday's grievances.

Zhao Jiu sat down, took out his book, grabbed a slice from Su Li's toast bag, and started eating.