Lin Qinghe slipped into a bathroom stall, locked the door, and quickly jumped up, grabbing onto the wooden partition. She easily landed in the adjacent stall.
As expected, Lin Qinghe heard the approaching footsteps of several girls and their hushed whispers.
"I saw her go in. This time we added red medicine to the water. She's wearing a white dress. If we splash it all over her, she'll be so embarrassed when she comes out."
"Quick, let's splash it..."
From the next stall, Lin Qinghe heard the splashing sound of water and sighed helplessly.
Their methods of tormenting her were endless, but they weren't very bright.
After a bucket of water was thrown in, the stall fell silent. Those outside noticed something was amiss and whispered, "Are you sure Lin Qinghe went in? Why is there no reaction after splashing such a big bucket of water? Could it be that no one is inside?"
"I definitely saw her go in with my own eyes! And... the door is locked, she must be in there!"
As the girls argued in hushed tones, Lin Qinghe calmly emerged from the adjacent stall and asked faintly, "Are you looking for me?"
The three or four girls outside looked as if they had seen a ghost.
They swallowed, exchanged glances, and likely out of guilt, turned and ran before Lin Qinghe could say another word.
Watching their hasty retreat, Lin Qinghe's lips curled into a smile. "You little girls, trying to prank me? You're still a bit short of the mark. If it weren't for wanting to appease You Rong before, I wouldn't have let you..."
Mentioning You Rong, Lin Qinghe remembered the frustrating matters related to him. She also recalled that today was the end of the Math Olympiad competition, and You Rong would be back in class tomorrow. She would have to continue to suppress her frustration.
The more Lin Qinghe thought about it, the angrier she became, yet she couldn't do anything about You Rong.
If possible, she really wanted to slap You Rong twice to vent her anger!
The next day.
Lin Qinghe attended her morning class as usual. Before entering the classroom, a familiar-looking girl from her class patted her shoulder and said with a smile, "Qinghe, you're here. Come with me to the opposite teaching building. The teacher needs a small blackboard to write down the key points, and asked us to get it."
The opposite teaching building was disused, and many of the school's teaching equipment, desks, and chairs were stored there.
The girl's explanation was reasonable, yet Lin Qinghe still felt something was amiss.
Lin Qinghe initially wanted to refuse, but she thought about You Rong returning to class today. If she wasn't "tormented" a little, it would be hard to play the victim in front of him. So, she decided to play along.
Lin Qinghe smiled slightly, "Okay, I'll go with you."
"Yes, let's hurry. The teacher will need it for class soon. We don't want to be late coming back."
Lin Qinghe pretended not to see the triumph in the girl's eyes and nodded, "Yes, okay."
Following the girl to the opposite teaching building, she led Lin Qinghe upstairs to a classroom piled high with teaching equipment. The girl pushed open the door and turned to Lin Qinghe, "It's this one. Let's go in."
Lin Qinghe followed the girl into the classroom filled with teaching equipment. She looked around but couldn't see the small blackboard the girl mentioned.
Before Lin Qinghe could ask, the girl spoke first, "The teacher said it was in this classroom. Maybe it's blocked by other things, and we can't see it. You go check over there, and I'll search here to see if I can find it."
Lin Qinghe feigned not being suspicious and replied, "Okay, I'll go look over there."
As soon as Lin Qinghe walked away, she mentally counted to three. With a "bang," she heard the expected sound of the door being locked.
She turned around. In the classroom piled high with equipment, the girl was nowhere to be seen. She was alone.
After locking the classroom door, the girl no longer hid her true intentions and triumphantly called out to the inside, "Lin Qinghe, people like you deserve a lesson! You stay in there. If you're lucky, someone will find you soon. If you're not lucky, you can spend the night in there! I heard someone died in this teaching building, and it's haunted at night. Be careful!"
After speaking, Lin Qinghe heard the girl's footsteps fading away.
Lin Qinghe rolled her eyes and stood in the classroom, which was filled with various teaching equipment, including a skeletal model, creating a slightly terrifying atmosphere. She found a chair, brushed off the dust, and sat down, completely unfazed.
Such deceitful ghost stories might fool girls aged eighteen or nineteen, but to her, it was a cold joke.
Lin Qinghe calmly opened her backpack. Inside were a bottle of water and two or three small bread rolls.
Ensuring that she wouldn't starve even if she had to spend the night there, she leaned on the desk and started to catch up on sleep.
After all, she needed to be well-rested to have the energy to play the victim for You Rong.
-------------------------------------
During the lunch break.
You Rong unconsciously glanced out of the classroom multiple times. He then looked down at his wristwatch, his handsome brow furrowed.
Lately, whenever he came to school, Lin Qinghe would never miss bringing him various things during lunch break. Although he always threw them directly into the trash and didn't care for them at all.
But... why hadn't she come today?
Didn't Lin Qinghe know he was back at school today?
Impossible. She gave him a pen to wish him luck in the Math Olympiad, so she must have known the date of the competition.
Why didn't she come? Had her interest waned after three minutes?
A fleeting image of Lin Qinghe's wronged expression, her eyes red as she said he was too cruel for throwing away the pen, flashed through You Rong's mind.
Was she angry?
As he thought about it, You Rong irritably ran a hand through his black hair and suddenly realized.
Why did he care if Lin Qinghe came to find him or not?!
He clearly detested her and didn't want to see her again!
You Rong's expression suddenly turned grim. He slightly closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, he had suppressed all his chaotic thoughts.
You Rong didn't realize that as the bell for the afternoon class rang, a deep sense of disappointment welled up within him.
The teacher arrived and began the lesson. You Rong stared at his textbook, unable to focus on a single word or hear a single sentence.
After a while, You Rong suddenly stood up, causing all his classmates and the teacher to look at him in confusion.
The teacher asked in confusion, "Student You Rong, is there something you need?"
"I..." You Rong lowered his gaze. "I'm not feeling very well, teacher. I'll go to the school infirmary and come back."
The teacher, naturally, didn't doubt You Rong, who was an excellent student. "Alright! Go quickly. If you're sick, rest well in the infirmary, or you can go home to rest. You won first place in the Math Olympiad. You must have studied very hard before, you must be exhausted."
You Rong replied, "Okay, thank you, teacher."
You Rong left the classroom. He was initially walking directly towards the school infirmary. Midway, his steps faltered for half a second, and he changed direction, heading towards Lin Qinghe's classroom.