Caught red-handed, Su Huaiming gave an awkward smirk and immediately turned his head away.
The footsteps grew clearer. Fu Jingfan stopped beside him, pulled the baseball cap down over his head, and said softly, "Let's go."
Su Huaiming nodded, said goodbye to the housekeeper and Fu Xiaoxiao, and then dressed in a low-key outfit, covering himself up completely, before going out with Fu Jingfan.
The car drove for less than 20 minutes before stopping on the side of the street.
"This car is too conspicuous. The school gate is on the corner; we'll walk there."
Su Huaiming nodded.
Behind the flowerbeds by the roadside is Fu Jingfan's high school. Through the fence, you can clearly see the playground and the teaching building.
At this time, there were no students left inside, and the teaching building was completely dark, with only a few streetlights on.
As the two reached the corner, Fu Jingfan walked straight toward the guardhouse, not giving Su Huaiming a chance to stop him.
Su Huaiming hesitated for a few seconds, then pulled his hat brim down further before following.
Fu Jingfan and the security guard had a good relationship. The security guard was quite surprised and said, "Little Fu, what brings you here at this hour?"
"We'd like to go back to our high school for a visit," Fu Jingfan said politely with a smile.
Upon hearing the word "we," the gatekeeper's gaze fell upon Su Huaiming behind him.
Su Huaiming simply pulled down his mask and greeted the security guard with a smile.
The gatekeeper treated Fu Jingfan like a junior, looking at the two of them with satisfaction and laughing heartily.
He immediately came out, unlocked the padlock with his key, and said in a low voice, "No one is allowed in the school at night. You'll definitely be fine, Xiao Fu, but you'd better not get caught. There are security guards patrolling the school, so you two should keep a low profile."
Both of them agreed. After chatting with the gatekeeper for a few more minutes, Fu Jingfan entered the campus.
Once the security guard was out of sight, Su Huaiming asked curiously, "Have you known each other for a long time?"
"He was the gatekeeper when I was in high school," Fu Jingfan continued. "There were so many students in the school, but he remembered me because he caught me skipping class for three days in a row."
Upon hearing the word "skip class, "Su Huaiming was completely stunned.
In his eyes, Fu Jingfan was a representative of successful people, quite outstanding, and shouldn't have skipped class.
Fu Jingfan guessed what he was thinking and said, "I already know some of the lessons. I'm skipping class to earn money to pay for tuition."
Upon hearing this, Su Huaiming's heart sank again, as if he had been dragged back to that painful period of the past.
Fu Jingfan, however, had already recovered and continued, "After he found out the reason, he didn't let me go. Instead, he wanted to help me pay my tuition, but I refused. The next day, he changed the location where he climbed the wall."
At this point, Fu Jingfan smirked, "We were at an impasse for a whole semester, after which I finished my studies early and went abroad to study."
Su Huaiming's thoughts were disrupted, and he laughed, "The security guard must have had a real headache back then."
"I want to thank him and my teacher; they didn't report it at the time, taking a huge risk for me."
Fu Jingfan didn't remember the pain, but instead collected the trivial joys in the long river of time.
Su Huaiming nodded in understanding.
Hearing about Fu Jingfan's experiences, it's hard to imagine anyone remaining unmoved. Moreover, Fu Jingfan wasn't as powerful back then as he is now, making him even more pitiful.
The two walked side by side on the playground, the dim light casting long shadows beneath their feet, their heads close together.
There were no other sounds around, so I took a quiet stroll, and it felt surprisingly nice.
Su Huaiming looked around, covered his mouth with his hand, and said in a low voice, "Didn't the gatekeeper say there would be security guards patrolling? Aren't we too conspicuous walking around the playground like this?"
"It's alright, the campus is very large, and it would take the security guards quite a while to patrol the area, plus they're resting right now."
Su Huaiming asked, puzzled, "How did you know? Did you come here often before?"
Fu Jingfan smiled without saying a word, "When I wanted to calm down, I would come here for a walk, and I got used to it over time."
Su Huaiming nodded thoughtfully, and just as he was about to speak, his gaze suddenly fell on the bulletin boards on both sides of the playground.
In the darkness, he vaguely saw a familiar face.
He walked over, and Fu Jingfan's photo became clearer.
This is a display board for outstanding alumni. Fu Jingfan's position is at the very front. Everyone else has two or three people sharing a space, but Fu Jingfan occupies one space by himself. The introduction below is factual, but it looks quite exaggerated.
After browsing through it, Su Huaiming couldn't help but click his tongue in admiration.
Fu Jingfan is too abnormal; he's really leaving people with no way to survive!
With this text, combined with what the butler had said about Fu Jingfan's overly relentless struggle, Su Huaiming was not at all surprised that he had achieved what he had today.
He sighed a few more times in his heart, and when he looked up at Fu Jingfan, his gaze had changed.
"You're really..." Su Huaiming silently gave a thumbs up, "You've got something."
Fu Jingfan: "..."
He almost burst out laughing, raised an eyebrow, and said, "I'll take that as a compliment."
"That's absolutely a compliment." Su Huaiming wasn't in good health, and he couldn't even imagine what Fu Jingfan had done for him. "I'm completely in awe of you."
"So can I take that as you adore me?" Fu Jingfan looked at Su Huaiming with a smile, his gaze irresistible.
Fu Jingfan's understanding was spot on, yet it carried a different meaning. Su Huaiming's eyes flickered twice, and his lips seemed glued shut, unable to open.
What's wrong with Fu Jingfan lately?
It looks so much like...
Su Huaiming's thoughts raced, but he couldn't find a suitable adjective, so he forcibly changed the subject, "Because you're so capable, that's why the security guard said it was okay for you to sneak in?"
"That's just an exaggeration." Fu Jingfan paused, then continued, "It could also be because I donated a lot."
Su Huaiming's gaze fell on several brand-new teaching buildings. "Did you donate all of these?"
Fu Jingfan nodded. "I donate money every year, part of which helps students from disadvantaged families, and the other part is used to improve students' learning environment. The school also wanted to..."
At this point, Fu Jingfan suddenly stopped, his expression turning strange.
Su Huaiming's gossip radar clicked, and he pressed, "What else are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing." Fu Jingfan tried to change the subject, but seeing Su Huaiming looking at him with bright eyes, he could only sigh helplessly.
"They even want to erect a statue for me."
The atmosphere froze upon hearing this. After a full ten seconds, Su Huaiming pursed his lips, his expression slightly ferocious.
"Laugh if you want to." Fu Jingfan put his hands in his pockets and turned around.
Su Huaiming couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing.
Fu Jingfan is still alive and well, young and strong. The sight of him facing his own statue on his high school campus is quite comical.
After he finished laughing, he didn't stop at all, and said gloatingly, "I think this is a good thing, why are you stopping it?"
Fu Jingfan didn't want to answer and walked forward. Su Huaiming followed closely behind, circling around Fu Jingfan, as if he wouldn't be done until he answered.
Fu Jingfan felt dizzy from the swaying, so he raised his hand to press down Su Huaiming's head and asked, "Then how about I give you this opportunity?"
Su Huaiming casually slapped Fu Jingfan's hand away, annoyed that he had messed up his hairstyle, and snorted, "How could you give me something like this?"
As Su Huaiming spoke, he walked backwards, his legs wrestling, causing him to lose his balance and fall uncontrollably backwards.
Su Huaiming's eyes widened in fright, and his hand instinctively reached out, trying to grab something.
A pair of warm hands reached out, Fu Jingfan grabbed Su Huaiming's wrist, put one hand on his shoulder, spun him around, and said in a tone that sounded like he was scolding a child, "Walk properly."
Su Huaiming felt embarrassed but couldn't afford to explode, so he muttered something under his breath and walked away without looking back.
Fu Jingfan was stunned for a few seconds upon seeing this, then couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Su Huaiming's demeanor just now was almost identical to Fu Xiaoxiao's, and he strongly suspected that Fu Xiaoxiao had learned it from Su Huaiming.
Seeing that Fu Jingfan hadn't caught up, Su Huaiming turned around and looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Looking at Su Huaiming's delicate features, Fu Jingfan, with a strong survival instinct, didn't say anything, pretended nothing had happened, and took a step to catch up.
The two came down from the playground and walked along the path. Su Huaiming looked at the teaching building next to them and asked, "Where is your classroom?"
"My classroom is over in the old building," Fu Jingfan suggested. "I'll take you there."
Just as Su Huaiming was about to nod, he suddenly felt a blinding gaze shining directly at him.
Su Huaiming instinctively closed his eyes and put his hand in front of him.
Before he could even react to what was happening, he heard someone shout, "Who goes there? Don't move!"
Su Huaiming tensed up, his heart pounding with panic.
He had spent almost his entire life in a hospital bed, with limited mobility, had never made a mistake, and had absolutely no experience in dealing with such situations.
Before Su Huaiming could figure out what to do, he felt his wrist being grabbed and a force pulling him backward.
Su Huaiming instinctively followed, leaving the flashlight beam behind him.
With Fu Jingfan's help, Su Huaiming felt much more relaxed, but his breathing was still erratic from the intense running.
Su Huaiming reached out a hand, pulled down the brim of his hat, and then pulled off his mask.
After running a few more steps, he turned to look at Fu Jingfan.
Mingming was running with someone, his breathing remained perfectly steady.
Fu Jingfan had a high, straight nose and a resolute profile. The wind ruffled his hair, revealing sharp features and thin, tightly pursed lips, making him appear ruthless and indifferent.
Before Su Huaiming could react, Fu Jingfan suddenly turned around.
His eyes were jet black, yet they reflected a glimmer of light within, softening his sharp features. His gaze was intensely focused as he looked at him.
Su Huaiming's mind went blank for a moment, and he heard his heart pounding again, whether from running or from Fu Jingfan, he didn't know.
Su Huaiming didn't know where they were going, nor did he have the energy to ask. Fu Jingfan held his wrist and led him through the vast night.
The light and shadow shifted on Fu Jingfan's face, Su Huaiming stared at him blankly, as if he had traveled through a frozen corridor of time and returned to Fu Jingfan's student days—his face hadn't changed much, only slightly more immature, brimming with youthful spirit.
By the time Su Huaiming tried to get a better look, Fu Jingfan had already stopped. Only then did Su Huaiming realize that the two of them were standing in front of a courtyard wall.
"I'll take you over there." Before Su Huaiming could respond, Fu Jingfan grabbed Su Huaiming's waist with both hands and lifted him up.
Su Huaiming felt as if he had turned into a feather and gently landed on the wall.
After regaining his balance, he turned to look at Fu Jingfan.
Fu Jingfan displayed his height advantage, his arm muscles were strong and beautifully defined. He gripped the edge, pushed off the wall heavily with his feet, bent his body naturally, and leaped up in a very cool posture.