Return to School

When Jimo got back, he packaged up the complete electronic set of the business plan and sent it all to Chen Ziwu.

In case anything unexpected happened, Jimo specifically told him not to tell anyone they were working together.

From the reaction meme Chen Ziwu sent back, it was clear he was very unhappy. [Is working with me really that shameful?]

Jimo came up with an excuse on the spot. [I want to take first place. I don't want anyone else to know.]

It would be troublesome if Ke Yueyi got involved.

Only then did Chen Ziwu reluctantly agree.

With that done, the weight on Jimo's mind finally lifted. He could finally finish the assignment without a hitch.

Zhuang Zhe was even happier than Jimo that the assignment could be finished smoothly. He pushed the durian mille crepe cake he'd just bought in front of Jimo.

He took a bite of the cake and mumbled, "Have some, Jimo. The desserts from this place are pretty good."

The reason was that Zhuang Zhe's conscience had been tormenting him so much that he couldn't even play games without feeling on edge.

Jimo had done ninety percent of the group assignment by himself. Although Zhuang Zhe had wanted to help when he saw how busy Jimo was, he really wasn't cut out for it. After he finished writing something, Jimo still had to check it over, wasting even more time.

And so, during this time,

Jimo had neglected sleep and food to study,

while he had neglected studying to sleep and eat.

Seeing that Zhuang Zhe had crumbs all over his mouth, Jimo graciously took a piece.

"Thanks. This place really is pretty good."

The system couldn't help reminding him, [Host, don't you think it's been a long time since you checked on what the male lead was doing?]

Jimo froze. That was right. All his efforts were meant to help him get closer to the male lead. He was an ambitious person by nature, and once he got caught up in his work, he'd thrown himself into it heart and soul and forgotten all about the male lead.

He had put the cart before the horse.

Jimo quickly finished the cake and pulled up their chat, only to find that their last conversation dated back to when he'd gone to the milk tea shop off campus to see Jiang Wangshu.

They hadn't chatted in over half a month.

Strangely, Jiang Wangshu hadn't contacted him during that time either. Before, Jiang Wangshu had always taken the initiative to get in touch, or brought him a cup of milk tea whenever he happened to be passing by.

Jimo wondered whether Jiang Wangshu had quit his part-time job.

Jimo sent him a message and waited a while, but there was still no reply. He couldn't resist making a voice call.

Still, no one answered. Had something happened?

Jimo frowned, grabbed his coat, and headed straight for Jiang Wangshu's dorm.

When he got there, he found the door locked. Jiang Wangshu wasn't there at all.

Jimo knocked on the door next door.

"Sorry to bother you. Have you seen Jiang Wangshu? Do you know where he went?"

The person glanced at Jimo. "He asked the professor for a few days off. He said something had come up at home and he had to go back to deal with it. He still hasn't come back."

Jimo paused. "Did he say what it was about?"

"I didn't hear anything about that, but he left in quite a hurry."

"Thanks."

Jiang Wangshu hadn't mentioned it to him. Since he'd left in such a hurry, something unexpected must have happened. Could it have something to do with F4?

On second thought, Jimo didn't think that was very likely.

It wasn't until that evening, when Jimo was getting ready for bed, that he received a message from Jiang Wangshu.

[Gege, I barely looked at my phone today. Something came up at home and I was called back to deal with it. I should be back tomorrow.]

Jimo asked, [Is everything settled?]

[Yeah, it's settled for now.]

[Okay. What time will you arrive tomorrow? I'll pick you up.]

Jimo still felt uneasy. He lay there thinking for a while, unable to sleep, so he asked, [What's the male lead's relationship with his family like? Did anything important happen in the original novel?]

The system replied, [His dad is his only family, and they don't get along very well. His mother apparently ran off with someone when he was little. The original novel didn't go into much detail, so it probably wasn't an important plot point.]

[Oh, right.] The system suddenly remembered something and added, [His dad isn't his biological father. The Jiang family had no sons and was afraid people would laugh at them for having no one to care for them in old age, so his dad paid a little money to buy the protagonist from human traffickers.]

That was a little unexpected. Maybe that was why his dad and the male lead didn't get along.

In its childlike voice, the system said, [Host, this isn't important. Whether they're related by blood has nothing to do with the mission. The original novel only mentioned it in passing.]

Jimo closed his eyes. [Mm.]

Early the next morning, Jimo drove to the station to pick Jiang Wangshu up. This was his first time leaving the academy since he'd arrived here.

Jimo waited in his car by the exit, the window rolled down as he watched people come and go. The moment Jiang Wangshu came out, he spotted him.

Jiang Wangshu was empty-handed. After so many days away, he hadn't brought anything back.

Leaning against the car door, Jimo waved at Jiang Wangshu.

The moment Jiang Wangshu saw him, his eyes lit up. He jogged over, two dimples appearing at the corners of his mouth, giving him a sweet look.

"Gege, you're here. I could have just taken a bus back myself."

Although he said that, anyone could see that Jiang Wangshu was overjoyed.

Easton Academy was in a remote location, quite a distance from the station. Taking public transportation meant making a transfer, so a fair amount of hassle was unavoidable.

"It's fine. Don't you have class this morning? It'll be faster in my car."

"Yeah!" Jiang Wangshu nodded obediently.

"What happened at home? Do you need my help?"

Jiang Wangshu paused. "It's nothing. It's already been settled."

Jimo handed him the breakfast he'd bought on the way. "You haven't eaten breakfast yet, have you?"

Jiang Wangshu was taken aback. He accepted it, but then he just stared at the breakfast in his hands for a long time without eating.

Jimo turned the steering wheel and glanced at him in confusion. "Don't you like it? Why aren't you eating?"

Jiang Wangshu sounded a little puzzled. "Gege, why are you so good to me?"

Even his biological father had never treated him this well. As far back as Jiang Wangshu could remember, it seemed he had never been someone worthy of love.

He didn't have many friends either. Even though he tried very hard to do everything right, maintained his friendships with his classmates, and studied hard enough to get into Easton,

strangely, things didn't seem to be getting any better.

Sometimes he even wondered if his life was so cheap that he had managed to grow up despite his father's torment.

Apart from the auntie who sold fried dough sticks at the intersection, Jimo was the first person he'd met who treated him well. This kindness was different from the loving look the auntie gave him every time she saw him.

Jimo kept his eyes on the road ahead and answered Jiang Wangshu's question with a smile.

"Haven't you noticed that you're good to me too? It goes both ways."

"Really?"

But he'd been good to his father and his classmates before, and he hadn't received the same treatment in return.

He thought back to this trip home, to the sight of his drunken father, whose every word had been a threat. Only then had he learned that his father had also taken up gambling. This time, his father had wanted only one thing.

Money.

He wanted Jiang Wangshu to hand over money.

Sometimes Jiang Wangshu really did wonder whether he was his father's biological son.

Jiang Wangshu hadn't wanted to hand over the money Jimo had worked so hard to help him win, so he hadn't been able to leave the house. After several days of struggling over it, someone from the academy had come.

It had been those informers.

In the end, some kind of agreement had been reached, and only then had he been allowed to return to school.

Jiang Wangshu closed his eyes, unwilling to recall those unpleasant experiences while he was spending time with Gege.

He looked at Jimo's profile. "Then will you always be good to me?"

Jimo couldn't help laughing a little at the childishly innocent question. Without thinking, he said, "I will. I'll stay by your side and keep you company."

Jiang Wangshu lowered his eyes. Dark currents swirled in their depths, like a bottomless spring.

Jimo wondered why Jiang Wangshu had gone quiet, but then he saw him look up with a somewhat shy smile.

"Me too, Gege. I'll always be good to you."

Jimo smiled and said indulgently, "What's gotten into you today? Hurry up and eat. It's getting cold."

Traffic was light, and it was still early when they reached the school. Jimo had originally wanted to take Jiang Wangshu straight to the Medical School, but Jiang Wangshu insisted on coming with him to the parking lot, saying there was enough time.

Jimo checked his watch. He was supposed to sign the contract with Chen Ziwu at nine, and there was still plenty of time, so he agreed.

There was a parking lot below their dorm building. Jimo rarely drove, so he usually left his car there and paid it no mind.

He deftly backed into a parking space, prompting Jiang Wangshu to take another look at him.

Gege seems to know how to do everything.

After parking, the two got out of the car, chatting and laughing. When they looked up, they saw Chen Ziwu standing below Jimo's dorm building, watching them.

It was still more than half an hour before their agreed meeting time.

Chen Ziwu walked over and glanced at Jiang Wangshu. He finally remembered that Jimo also had a special-class student he was close to.

He'd seen how close the two were that night at the riding club.

A malicious smile appeared on Chen Ziwu's face. He recalled a piece of gossip he'd heard at the student council a couple of days ago. It seemed to concern this special-class student.

Jimo still seemed unaware of it.