The bare branches of the plane trees swayed in the cold wind.
Pu Yu carried her suitcase to her counselor's office.
"Teacher Chen, I'd like to request leave."
Seeing her return with badly swollen, red eyes, the counselor was startled. "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"It's not my health. I need to go somewhere far away."
"Far away? Where? For how long?"
"Rinzhou." Pu Yu said the name softly. "As for how long... I don't know. Maybe three days, maybe five. If I can't find him... I might not be able to come back for a while."
"Rinzhou? That far?" The counselor set down her teacup, her expression turning serious. "Pu Yu, you should know how important your GPA this semester is. If you miss an exam or don't prepare properly, it'll affect your plans for your entire college education. What could be so urgent that you have to go now? Can't it wait until winter break?"
Pu Yu gripped the hem of her clothes so tightly that her knuckles turned white.
She knew what was at stake.
She had worked herself to the bone studying all year to earn a scholarship and build a good future.
But without Yuan Su, how could she have had a future at all?
"Teacher Chen." Pu Yu raised her head. Her eyes were red, but her gaze was firmer than it had ever been. "He spent two years and gave everything he had so I could have the chance to study here."
Teacher Chen froze, her pen suspended in midair.
Tears shimmered in Pu Yu's eyes, but never fell. "If I don't go find him, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. My grades, scholarships, my future-none of it will mean anything to me."
The counselor looked at her.
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