Class Assignments

"Uh..."

Chu Mo opened his mouth, hesitating. He didn't know what to say or whether he should help keep it a secret.

After all, Jiang Ruowan had just said she'd kept it from Jiang Nannan because she was afraid she'd worry. Should he help keep it from her?

"Is my mother the one who doesn't want you to tell me?"

Jiang Nannan wasn't stupid. She could tell from his hesitation.

"Yeah, sort of. But I'll see this through to the end. I definitely won't let anything happen to your aunt."

Since she'd already guessed, Chu Mo went along with it. At most, he'd tell her half the truth and keep the other half secret.

"All right. Mother's always been like that. Even when something's wrong, she keeps it to herself and only talks about it when she can't hold on any longer."

Chu Mo's nod hadn't surprised Jiang Nannan. She knew Jiang Ruowan's personality very well.

She understood that her mother hadn't told her because she didn't want her to worry, but why had she told Chu Mo? Was he really her biological son?

"Are you sure she's all right?"

"Yeah, don't overthink it. If anything were really wrong, your aunt would tell you. After all, a daughter is her mother's little angel."

Hearing Chu Mo's sweet talk, Jiang Nannan looked unconvinced.

"Heh, I think I'm not the little angel here. You are."

"All right, all right."

Chu Mo could only comfort her from the side.

After lunch, the three of them sat on the bed and chatted.

Before long, afternoon had arrived. Seeing how late it was getting, Chu Mo stood up.

"It's getting late, so I won't keep you any longer."

Hearing that he was leaving already, Jiang Ruowan hurried to her feet and walked over, trying to persuade him to stay despite her reluctance. "Ah, Xiao Mo, are you leaving? Won't you stay for dinner?"

"No, thanks, Auntie. I'll come again next time. As for your illness, I left you a few pills to keep it under control for now. I'll go buy the medicinal herbs we need with Xiao Lu tonight and help prepare the medicine. I'll have Nannan bring it to you tomorrow."

"Oh, you're not coming back?"

Jiang Ruowan's gentle expression froze. Her tone made it clear she wanted him to stay, but after waiting a moment, she realized it was wishful thinking.

Her face immediately fell, revealing her wounded, helpless side.

"Shrek opens tomorrow, so I need to get settled in. I'll come see you next time, Auntie."

Chu Mo nodded and answered calmly.

After putting everything away and seeing that there was nothing else to do, he turned to leave. He'd barely taken two steps when he heard something behind him.

Tap, tap!

Smack.

Two thin but bony, icy-cold hands clasped his.

"Mm, see you next time. Auntie will miss you, too."

"Mom!"

That single handclasp had taken all the courage Jiang Ruowan could muster. When her daughter called out, she immediately pulled her hand back with a tremble.

Chu Mo turned around and met Jiang Ruowan's gentle smile, as well as the somewhat resentful look in Jiang Nannan's eyes.

"Mm."

Once he had recovered, he turned and left, afraid something else might happen.

He didn't turn around until he'd completely left Jiang Nannan and her mother's place. After making sure nothing else had happened, he finally let out a breath, feeling that the whole thing had been strange.

"Why did Auntie keep asking what kind of girl I like? And whether there's a girl I'm interested in?"

Was she trying to set him up with Jiang Nannan?

He thought back to Jiang Nannan's pretty face, perfect waist, and snow-white skin. Her reputation as the Outer Court's top beauty was well deserved.

Before he could think further, a Chat Group ping interrupted him.

Ding Ding Ding~

He opened the chat interface and saw a question from Meng Hongchen.

[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: @Chu Mo, why's the group leader so quiet today? You haven't even sent a message.]

[Ice Frog is Stronger than Poison Frog: @Chu Mo, @Chu Mo, @Chu Mo!]

She kept tagging him, making Chu Mo laugh. Did that count as spamming?

[Dong'er is Not a Girl: Heh, like he has time. He's already gone on a date with the Outer Court's top beauty. He might not even be free tonight.]

[Revenge Girl: ? A date? Didn't Chu Mo say he was just going to visit a former patient?]

[Ya: You're not coming back tonight?]

[Chu Mo: No, I've already seen Nannan's mother. Her illness seems to have flared up a little, so I checked on her. I'm on my way back now.]

[Ya: Ah, then why don't you stay at Nannan's place? Keep an eye on her and come back once she's better.]

Tang Ya wasn't trying to drive Chu Mo away. She was just worried. Her best friend's mother was ill, and she was afraid something might happen.

Sitting on the bed, she looked at the pills Chu Mo had left her. There were quite a few, and they could also speed up cultivation. After all, with her innate Soul Power at level nine, gaining a lot in one night wasn't unusual.

Still, she looked a little downcast. She'd finally found someone to rely on, gained a new secret, and made a friend who didn't care about her identity.

Just then, the door clicked open.

Hearing the sound, Tang Ya hurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes and pulled herself together.

Huo Yu'er walked in, smiling brightly and carrying grilled fish.

"Sister Tang Ya, I'm back!"

"Here's your grilled fish."

"Thanks, Xiao Yu."

Tang Ya smiled and reached out to take the grilled fish.

"You look so happy, Xiao Yu. Did something good happen?"

Huo Yu'er was unlike her usual weak, pessimistic self. A smile kept appearing on her lips today.

Realizing she'd been found out, Huo Yu'er's little face turned red, and she stammered, "Yeah, I—I saw the class assignments on the way back. Wang Dong, Brother Chu Mo, and I are in the same class."

Tang Ya sat on the edge of the bed, gently swinging her legs as she returned to her lively-girl demeanor. She listened while eating the grilled fish.

"Heh, what a coincidence. He'll be able to look after you, too. Which class did they put you in?"

Huo Yu'er nodded. Being in the same class meant she wouldn't be so lonely. She had friends now, and people who cared about her and helped her. All she had to do was keep those relationships going.

"Class One."

"Huh?"

Hearing that it was Class One, Tang Ya froze. So it was the class led by Zhou Yi, the expulsion fanatic.

Huo Yu'er tilted her head, not quite understanding why Tang Ya had reacted like that when she heard which class she'd been assigned to.

"Haha, that class isn't exactly great. Your homeroom teacher is Zhou Yi, an old woman with a terrible temper who loves expelling students. If it weren't for Bei Bei, I might've been expelled myself."

Tang Ya smiled as she talked about the homeroom teacher she remembered.

"Ah, how can someone like that be a homeroom teacher?"

Huo Yu'er was completely baffled.

"Sigh, there's nothing we can do. I heard she has a powerful husband. Anyway, it's best not to provoke her. We can stay out of her way and avoid getting kicked out of the academy because she abuses her authority."

Tang Ya finished her grilled fish and spoke earnestly.

"I understand, Sister Tang Ya. If she has a bad temper, I won't go out of my way to upset her."

Huo Yu'er shrank her neck. She wasn't the sort to stand up for herself unless someone pushed her too far.

Knowing the woman had a bad temper, she naturally wouldn't provoke her. But just after saying that, she suddenly thought of something.

"Oh, right! I'll tell Brother Chu Mo about this. Boys are usually more hot-tempered."

"Heh, you really do care about him."

Tang Ya propped her chin on her hand and watched Huo Yu'er.

"Mm, after all, Brother Chu Mo gave me pills that can speed up my cultivation."

Huo Yu'er replied matter-of-factly, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.