The students of Pluto Academy could roughly be divided into two groups.
One consisted of children from wealthy, influential families, sent there for higher education. Their goals were to earn good grades and build valuable connections. Good grades helped them succeed, while good connections benefited their families. After all, many children of prominent families chose to study there, and cultivating friendships could bring unexpected rewards.
The other consisted of scholarship students who had used their grades as a ticket in. Most came from middle-class families and wanted a higher education to broaden their horizons and pursue their futures. Some were students from genuinely impoverished backgrounds who excelled academically. Waived tuition and fees, along with generous subsidies and scholarships, were no small temptation to them.
Although both groups were students at the academy, and most got along harmoniously and treated one another kindly, there were always one or two scumbags who reached out with malicious hands in dark corners where no one paid attention.
As a scholarship student, Gao Wen had never particularly stood out. But after she kindly helped a boy in her class, he fell for her.
The boy might have thought he had hidden his feelings well, but Liu Fan, the Liu Group heiress who had a crush on him, disagreed.
When Liu Fan saw the boy she liked staring at a penniless scholarship student every day, she understood what he was thinking.
He ignored her advances, yet favored a scholarship student with neither power nor influence?
A habitual school bully, she did not dare cause trouble for the boy, but she would not let the scholarship student off.
And so, over the next month, Gao Wen endured a horrific ordeal she would never forget.
Having filthy water thrown on her and being slapped became routine. Being stripped naked and filmed was all too common, too.
Verbal and physical abuse followed her like a shadow.
Gao Wen considered telling her teachers and classmates. Though introverted, she was not afraid of the videos of her being leaked.
She knew those videos would not stain her life. They would only be darts pinning Liu Fan and the others to a pillar of shame.
But Liu Fan, a seasoned offender, was not easy to deal with either. She whispered into Gao Wen's ear, "If you dare breathe a word of this, you'll see your grandmother's corpse tomorrow. I mean what I say. Or perhaps I could bring your good friend Nie Xuzhi over to keep you company?"
With her vulnerabilities firmly in Liu Fan's grasp, Gao Wen chose to stay silent. She could not afford that gamble. She could not drag her elderly grandmother or Nie Xuzhi into this.
She considered taking leave and dropping out, but threatening, abusive messages always arrived on her phone without fail.
Unable to bear it all, Gao Wen finally jumped from a rooftop on a dark, windy night. Aside from a farewell letter to her grandmother, she left nothing behind.
Having finally remembered this plotline, Jiang Nian patted her chest in lingering fear.
Thank goodness. Thank goodness I remembered. If I'd only remembered after it happened, Gao Wen's body would already have been cremated.
Hearing this, Tong Chuhe glanced thoughtfully at Gao Wen across from her.
She knew of Liu Fan, whose reputation had always been poor. She just had not expected her to go so far as to treat a human life as worthless.
If this was true, she could not simply stand by.
Jiang Nian felt much more relieved after remembering the plot. Knowing what happened meant she would have a chance to save Gao Wen.
The pressing task now was to get their tents and dinner sorted out.
"Then let's go pick up our pots, bowls, and utensils! Fair warning, though, I'm not much of a cook. I can only help with the odd jobs. You won't mind, will you?"
After speaking, Jiang Nian looked pitifully at Gao Wen and Nie Xuzhi.
Of course, Gao Wen and Nie Xuzhi did not mind, assuring her that they could handle the cooking. The four of them then headed toward the supply distribution area, laughing and chatting.
Once they had collected everything, they went to the campsite, found an unoccupied corner, and began pitching their tents.
Jiang Nian looked at Tong Chuhe. "Chu He, have you pitched a tent before?"
Tong Chuhe nodded. She occasionally went camping outdoors with her friends.
"So have I. Let's hurry up and finish, then go help Gao Wen and Nie Xuzhi."
Jiang Nian had just noticed that Gao Wen and Nie Xuzhi seemed somewhat troubled as they faced their tent.
Fortunately, Jiang Nian and Tong Chuhe both had camping experience. They pitched their tent in no time, then got up to help Gao Wen and Nie Xuzhi next door.
Once the tents were up and they could finally start preparing dinner, Jiang Nian volunteered to go gather firewood.
"I'm not very good at cooking, so leave all the odd jobs like gathering firewood and washing dishes to me."
Nie Xuzhi had wanted to accompany her, but Jiang Nian kept insisting she could go alone. So they watched her skip off toward the woods.
"Somehow, this doesn't seem very reassuring..."
Nie Xuzhi murmured.
Tong Chuhe could not pinpoint what felt off either, so she could only shake her head silently and start preparing the food.
It was not until an idle Shen Hui wandered over and learned what had happened that he spoke with a blank expression.
"Didn't she say she has no sense of direction?"
Only then did Tong Chuhe and the other two realize.
Oh, right!
Shen Hui sighed. Although there probably was not any danger around here, what would they do if that girl got lost and ended up in some remote corner of the mountains?
"I'll go find her. I can pick up some firewood for Ji Ci while I'm at it. Which way did she go?"
Gao Wen pointed in the direction Jiang Nian had taken, and Shen Hui set off to find the directionally challenged girl.
Meanwhile, what was our Jiang Nian doing?
She was looking for Liu Fan.
The moment she remembered the plot and saw how Gao Wen's story ended, she had been furious.
Even if someone like Liu Fan suffered retribution for her wrongdoing and was punished by the law, would that erase the harm her victims had suffered?
No.
Not only would it remain, it could even gnaw at their hearts on any night in the future, leaving them in unbearable agony.
Jiang Nian was no villain, but she would not claim to be some innocent, kind soul who never fought with anyone, either.
Even if Gao Wen's ordeal had not happened yet, Liu Fan had already bullied plenty of people in elementary and middle school.
Although she could not take revenge on Liu Fan for things that had yet to happen to Gao Wen, surely it was not excessive to vent a little anger on behalf of those Liu Fan had bullied before?
If she did not make Liu Fan suffer a setback, she would not be able to sleep tonight.
She was not worried about locating Liu Fan, either.
She might have no sense of direction, but the system did!
Even if her system was usually not much use, surely it could at least serve as a GPS.
System, where's Liu Fan? Why don't I see her? You didn't send me the wrong way, did you?
Jiang Nian questioned the system in confusion.
The system answered, utterly speechless.
[Host, my directions were correct. Liu Fan is 500 meters north of your previous location.]
Jiang Nian furrowed her brows.
But I don't see anyone.
At the end of its rope, the system shouted helplessly, "Look at where you're going! Is that north?!"
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