Chapter 66

As the top student in the entire school, every move of his naturally drew intense attention.

Especially when he nearly fainted mid-exercise.

Many people watched as Lin Lei was escorted out of the formation, one side by Li Tie and the other by his cousin Fang Yifan, heading back toward the classroom building.

This caused everyone else’s calisthenics to fall out of sync.

After pretending to finish, as they returned to class in groups, they immediately began gossiping.

Everyone had something to say.

“What’s going on? The top student is pushing himself this hard? Is this even livable?!”

“Thank goodness we’re not in the same rat race as the rest of the country—if Lin Lei keeps this up, I’ll be having nightmares.”

“Exactly! It’s too intense!”

Everyone’s first reaction was that Lin Lei, this transfer student from out of town, was acting unethically—pushing himself to terrifying extremes. If this sparked a frenzy of overwork, they’d all be doomed.

“How is he still so tired?” Qiao Yingzi asked her friend Huang Zhitao as they walked toward the classroom: “I specifically gave him medicine and told him to get a good night’s sleep.”

“Who knows?” Huang Zhitao shook her head, baffled.

Lin Lei didn’t return for the first class; Qiao Yingzi grew uneasy and rushed over to Fang Yifan during break to ask what happened.

But she found Fang Yifan was gone too—her sense of dread deepened. When she met He Chen during the break, she couldn’t help telling him.

“He was drugged!” He Chen warned.

“What? I specifically told you to give him only half a pill for insomnia…” Qiao Yingzi gasped, then turned pale and sprinted toward the infirmary.

Seeing this, He Chen followed at a calm, unhurried distance.

Rest area in the classroom building.

Lin Lei, nearly fainted, was supported on either side by his homeroom teacher and cousin. After Fang Yifan repeatedly insisted it was due to studying too late, Li Tie had no intention of taking Lin Lei to the infirmary.

On the stairs, dazed and stumbling, Lin Lei slipped and nearly fell—Fang Yifan caught him just in time, but Lin Lei’s skull slammed directly into Fang Yifan’s nose, causing immediate nosebleed.

Yet Fang Yifan dared not cry out, insisting repeatedly that he was fine.

Lin Lei instantly became more alert and turned to support his cousin, who was pinching his nose and tilting his head back.

Li Tie told them to look after each other, then went to fetch supplies for Fang Yifan at the infirmary and called Fang Yifan’s mother, Tong Wenjie.

When Tong Wenjie arrived, she found Lin Lei already asleep on the couch in the rest area, while Fang Yifan sat beside him, nose stuffed, watching over him.

This filled Tong Wenjie with relief.

Clearly her advice had worked—her son truly treated his cousin as a blood brother, even if only by a quarter’s worth of kinship!

Such harmony between brothers made her happy.

“What happened to your brother?” Tong Wenjie asked her son, and seeing he was unharmed, inquired further.

“Nothing serious—probably just studying too late and not resting well,” Fang Yifan stuck to his story without blinking. When pressed about what time he went to bed, he lied smoothly.

“Around one, I think—I was half-asleep already, can’t remember clearly!”

“That’s pretty late,” Tong Wenjie didn’t question how Fang Yifan, who was asleep, could know these details. She accepted it instantly. Li Tie nodded in agreement and told Fang Yifan to return to class.

Fang Yifan shuffled slowly toward the exit, glancing back every few steps, nearly getting knocked over by Qiao Yingzi running up.

“Yingzi, you’re here! I’m fine—just bumped my nose when I was holding up Lei’er…” Fang Yifan beamed, eager to explain.

“Shut up! Did you follow my instructions and give him only half a pill?” Qiao Yingzi demanded sharply.

“I gave him exactly the dose you told me… plus half a pill more. Shouldn’t be a problem, right?” Fang Yifan mumbled.

“No problem? Look at him now—does he look fine? Are you just going to randomly give medicine? People’s bodies are different! Lin Lei is so thin and doesn’t exercise—he’s weak! I told you over and over: only half a pill! Yet you gave him extra—what were you thinking?!”

She stepped forward.

“Where are you going?” Fang Yifan panicked and grabbed her arm.

“To tell Aunt Tong the truth, then take Lin Lei straight to the infirmary!” Qiao Yingzi slapped his hand away.

“No!” Fang Yifan reached again, but her glare stopped him. He awkwardly retracted his hand and whispered pleadingly: “Don’t say anything—I’ll be dead if you do. Mom will kill me!”

Seeing her hesitate, he added pitifully: “Let him sleep a little longer—that’s all he needs. I made him drink more water too; it’ll flush out and nothing bad will happen.”

As he peered over, Qiao Yingzi followed his gaze—Lin Lei had been woken up, and she could faintly hear Tong Wenjie asking what time he went to bed; Lin Lei replied he’d slept at eleven last night.

“Better you die than someone else gets killed!” A voice behind them made both Fang Yifan and Qiao Yingzi freeze. They turned—He Chen was walking toward them, unhurried.

“What are you doing here?” Fang Yifan turned pale.

“What am I doing?” He Chen smiled. “Of course, delivering justice.”

As he spoke, he passed them and walked straight toward Li Tie and Tong Wenjie, who had turned to see the commotion.

Fang Yifan reached out to stop him—but dared not. He clenched his teeth in fury, glaring at Qiao Yingzi with suspicion and disappointment: his eyes screamed, “Why did you bring him here? Why did you tell him the truth?”

Qiao Yingzi felt helpless—she hadn’t told He Chen anything. He’d figured it out himself.

As Fang Yifan wavered between confessing and holding back, paralyzed by fear of punishment, he helplessly watched He Chen walk over, state the facts, and see his mother’s disbelief turn to fury—from He Chen to him. Then came her thunderous shout: “Fang Yifan!” He bolted in all directions.

Tong Wenjie once again launched into her famous scene—chasing him through campus in high heels, swinging to hit him.

This was the third time in just one month since school started!

Li Tie, watching the growing crowd of students, sighed in frustration. He glared at He Chen standing nearby: “Have you had enough? Go back to class!”

“Not even close! This is nothing! You don’t think this ends with a few self-punishments, do you?” He Chen sneered at her, then pulled out his phone from his pocket.

“You—” Li Tie’s eyes widened. She suspected what he intended—but couldn’t believe it.

Again?

“He Chen, don’t!” Qiao Yingzi guessed too and rushed to stop him.

They were both right—but neither could stop him. He Chen dialed 110 with practiced ease.

That’s right.

He called the police again.

“Hello, 110? I’m reporting someone drugging a minor!”