Don't Look Challenge

The system's notification sounded, and Wen Nan fell into thought.

The first task would end in 25 minutes. In other words, he needed to meet his final target—the Cold and Scheming Straight-A Student—before then.

It shouldn't be difficult. Not long ago, his phone had filled with messages from various targets, and one had come from that straight-A student—

[Nine, tonight at nine. Back door of the classroom. Wait for me.]

It was now more than an hour past the time they'd agreed to meet. Unlike Little Chili, who'd bombarded him with messages urging him to show up, this straight-A student hadn't sent another message after that one. Even though Wen Nan hadn't replied at all, she hadn't asked him about it.

Looks like he'd have to go to the classroom's back door and meet his final target.

But...

There was another thorny problem: his maxed-out charm was about to expire.

Wen Nan wasn't sure whether showing up with only 4 points of charm would change how the other person treated him.

Still, no matter what, he had to go.

But before that... he needed to take care of things here.

The school infirmary.

The school doctor finished treating Wu Yuwei's injured knee and went to take care of other things, leaving Wu Yuwei alone on the edge of the hospital bed, silently shedding tears.

Alone in the quiet hospital room, the more she thought about it, the sadder and more wronged she felt. Tears streamed down her face like beads from a broken string, and she couldn't stop them.

After some time, a figure slowly approached and sat down beside her.

Recognizing the person, Wu Yuwei threw herself into their arms, clinging tightly as she poured out her feelings. "He... he actually... rejected me..."

The other person raised a hand and gently stroked the back of Wu Yuwei's head. "He rejected you, so what? You have plenty of other admirers. It's not like he's the only one."

Wu Yuwei shook her head hard. "But I can't accept it. That was my first confession, and I even gave him my first kiss. Why didn't he choose me? If he wasn't going to choose me, fine, but why did he choose Liu Qi? How could I lose to a girl like Liu Qi? What does she have that I don't?"

The other person listened patiently, then asked bluntly, "So you're crying this hard just because you lost to Liu Qi, not because Ye Jiu doesn't like you?"

Wu Yuwei was stunned by the question. "I... I don't know..." She thought for a moment, then asked, "Is it wrong that I don't want to lose to Liu Qi?"

The other person shook their head. "There's nothing wrong with that. But it's nothing to cry over, either."

As they spoke, they took out a packet of tissues and pressed it into Wu Yuwei's hand. "All right, stop crying. Sitting here feeling sorry for yourself won't solve anything. Tears are the epitaph of the weak and the useless. If you can't accept it, then find a way to win him over again. Wasting your time here won't make Ye Jiu like you any more."

The words stung, but Wu Yuwei clenched the tissues in her hand and gritted her teeth. Sure enough, she stopped crying.

The person smiled with satisfaction and gently wiped the tear tracks from the corners of Wu Yuwei's eyes. "Good girl. Rest a little longer. I have something to take care of in the classroom. I'll be right back."

With that, the person stood up and walked slowly toward the door.

Wu Yuwei looked at their back, then suddenly remembered something. "The thing you were looking for... did you find it?"

The person looked back and smiled at Wu Yuwei, nodding. "Mm. I found it."

The moment the black fog dispersed from the sky, Little Chili, Qiqi, and Aunt Mei all returned to their original appearances.

Qiqi wrapped her arms tightly around Aunt Mei's neck and affectionately nuzzled her shoulder. "Auntie, what made you come to the school today?"

Lin Xuemei reached up and ruffled her hair. "I was meeting a client near your school today. I finished early, so I thought I'd stop by and see you."

Then, pretending to be annoyed, she complained, "I didn't expect both you and Xiao Jiu to be so busy. I messaged you both, and neither of you replied! I waited in the car for ages. If a kind student with glasses hadn't come over to show me in, I was about to head straight back."

As Qiqi and Lin Xuemei chatted, Wen Nan remembered Little Chili was still standing by the wall. He turned around, intending to say something to her, but saw her hurrying away.

The aggression she'd shown when they first met had vanished without a trace.

Little Chili bent down to pick up the badminton racket on the ground and strode off the court on her long legs, practically fleeing. She looked so desperate to get away that it was as if she were afraid Wen Nan would chase after her.

I'm not going to eat you... Why are you acting like a rabbit that's spotted a hungry wolf?

Wen Nan grumbled to himself, shook his head helplessly, and turned to walk toward Qiqi and Aunt Mei.

When Aunt Mei saw Wen Nan approaching, her eyes immediately crinkled with a smile. She offered him the pastries in her hand. "Xiao Jiu, I brought your favorite snow maidens. Want to take them back to the dorm and eat them?"

Wen Nan lowered his eyes to look, and for a moment, he lost focus.

What beautiful white snow maidens. No, what round snow maidens. No, forget it...

Wen Nan finally fixed his gaze on his toes and stiffened his neck. "Thank you, Aunt Mei."

"Brother, why is your face so red?"

Qiqi reached out and poked Wen Nan's cheek. Wen Nan caught her finger and popped it into his mouth.

"Hey! Are you a dog? Auntie, he's biting me! Do something about my brother!"

Aunt Mei smiled and shook her head helplessly. She was used to the two kids fooling around. Remembering something else, she glanced toward the wall. "Where did that girl go? Is she your classmate? Should we call her over and share some pastries with her?"

Thinking of the pretty, long-legged girl from earlier, Qiqi immediately pouted. "She's not our classmate. She doesn't even go to our school."

"Is that so?" Aunt Mei looked meaningfully at Wen Nan. "I thought she was Ye Jiu's new girlfriend."

At that, Qiqi jumped up in a panic and grabbed Wen Nan's arm, pulling him against her. "My brother's mine. Nobody's taking him away!"

Aunt Mei tapped Qiqi on the forehead. "You silly girl." Then she turned to the young man beside her, who was half a head taller than she was, and softly asked, "You're on break this weekend. Will you come home?"

At some point, Aunt Mei had started using "home" when talking with Ye Jiu to mean her own place, instead of saying "my home" or "our home." It was as if that home belonged to all three of them: her, Qiqi, and Ye Jiu.

"Why even ask? Of course he's coming," Qiqi answered for him.

Aunt Mei smiled at Qiqi, but in the end her gaze settled on the young man before her. She asked again, "Will you come?"

Wen Nan nodded. "Mm."

Aunt Mei's eyes crinkled into a smile again. "Good. I'll be waiting for you."