"Everyone, go downstairs to the hall for photos. League Branch Secretary, get everyone organized."
As soon as she finished speaking, the scrape of desks and chairs dragging across the floor came from the classroom next door, followed by noisy clusters of students passing through the corridor.
Zeng Xiao propped up her chin. "I'm so jealous. I want to go take photos now too."
She didn't want to sit through morning study. She was sleepy.
Gu Wang was even sleepier. His eyelids kept drooping. He held out for a while, then thought of the Original Host's persona. If I don't sleep now, when will I? He put his head straight down on the desk. There was still more than half an hour left of morning study.
Half asleep, Gu Wang heard Zeng Xiao chatting with her deskmate again.
"Why can't they retouch ID photos? They always stretch my face so wide."
"Your face isn't exactly small to begin with."
"...Are you asking for a beating?"
"I want to ask the photographer to print two extra copies of Wangwang's and the class monitor's photos later. I want them."
"You've got some nerve. You even want both?"
Gu Wang: "..."
When Gu Wang's class went downstairs, the previous class had just finished. The middle-aged photographer was adjusting his lens. Their League Branch Secretary went over and handed him the class roster, asking him to follow its order.
Shen Zhao belonged to the previous class. Instead of returning to his classroom, he leaned over the stair railing and talked to Gu Wang. "Wangwang, got any plans for National Day?"
It took Gu Wang a moment to remember that today was Sunday, and that after today came the seven-day National Day holiday. He shook his head and asked Shen Zhao, "You have plans?"
"Yep! Song Zhiyan and I agreed to roam King's Canyon together! Want to join us, Wangwang?"
"..." For a moment, Gu Wang genuinely didn't know what to say. He looked up at Shen Zhao and asked, "Aren't you going to study?"
Shen Zhao blinked. "Oh, right. We need to study."
Seeing Gu Wang watching him silently, he suddenly lost his nerve. He called out to Song Zhiyan to make his position clear. "Song, you dog, I can't roam the Canyon with you over the holiday. I need to do practice problems."
Song Zhiyan was fixing his hair using his phone. He didn't even turn around. "I never agreed to roam the Canyon with you. I'm doing practice problems."
Ever since he became Meng Ou's deskmate, he had felt increasingly overwhelmed by the pressure. He was even sleeping less often in class.
Shen Zhao's eyes went wide. He all but spat at Song Zhiyan, then turned to Gu Wang. "That's not what that dog said last night! Believe me, Wangwang!"
Gu Wang nodded. "I believe you."
Shen Zhao pouted. Having finished fixing his hair, Song Zhiyan glanced at him. "Go back and do your practice problems."
Shen Zhao chuckled twice and went up two steps, then suddenly shouted, "Simp, simp, keep on trying, and you'll end up with nothing!"
He was quick, taking off before Song Zhiyan could react. Gu Wang froze for a moment too, then burst out laughing.
Meng Ou wasn't far away and heard him too. She glanced over, then swiftly looked away. Song Zhiyan gritted his teeth. "I'm going to beat him to death later."
He was about to discuss the precise method with Gu Wang when the photographer craned his neck up ahead. "Song Zhiyan! Where's Song Zhiyan?"
"Wangwang, I'm going to take my photo." He raked through his hair a couple of times and squeezed through the crowd to the front.
Gu Wang coughed twice and moved aside, afraid of disturbing anyone.
The hall was crowded. A cleaner was sweeping nearby without paying attention, sending dust into the air. The students around her waved their hands and moved away.
Gu Wang stepped back twice and blinked. It felt as though something had gotten into his eye.
When Song Zhiyan came back from taking his photo, he found Gu Wang rubbing his eye nonstop.
"Wangwang, what happened to your eye?" Song Zhiyan asked.
Holding back tears, Gu Wang covered his right eye and said in a muffled voice, "The cleaner was sweeping just now. Dust got in."
"Gu Wang! Gu Wang, come take your photo!" Gu Wang was next after Song Zhiyan. After the photographer called, several boys and girls in their class called too. Song Zhiyan turned and shouted, "Take theirs first. Gu Wang will do his later."
The photographer didn't mind. He shook the roster in his hand. "Zhang Ya. Where's Zhang Ya?"
"Here, here!"
He Qinghuan had gone to Li Shuya's office. Coming downstairs, he spotted Song Zhiyan holding Gu Wang's head while still on the staircase. Their faces were practically touching.
He Qinghuan's eyes narrowed slightly. He was only a few steps away, but Gu Wang had his back to him, and Song Zhiyan's view was blocked. Neither noticed him.
Song Zhiyan blew hard into Gu Wang's right eye a few times, then held his face. "Any better? Try blinking?"
As soon as Gu Wang blinked, tears fell. His voice was hoarse, and he lacked his usual composure as he spoke. "I'll go sort it out in the restroom myself. Let the League Branch Secretary know."
Water rushed in the restroom. Gu Wang bent over and splashed handfuls of water at his eye, rubbing it and pulling at his eyelids, but it still felt as though something was in there. The plot has barely started, and I haven't even gotten into A University yet. Am I going to go blind already?
The mirror wasn't big enough or bright enough, so he even noticed someone coming up behind him.
As Gu Wang wiped the water from his face, the other person washed his hands. After drying them under the hand dryer, he placed one hand on Gu Wang's neck and pulled him directly in front of him.
He Qinghuan's face was inches away. His ink-black eyes reflected Gu Wang's wet eyes and stunned expression.
Wet and still ill, Gu Wang looked indescribably soft, making him particularly tempting to bully.
Gu Wang wanted to leave, but a warning squeeze to the back of his neck stopped him. He stiffened and looked warily at He Qinghuan.
Looking at Gu Wang's damp eyes, He Qinghuan lifted his chin with his other hand and soothed him softly. "Don't move. Let me take a look."
Author's note: Gu Wang: Mom, save me. He Qinghuan eats people.
Chapter 25
Gu Wang held his breath, but his trembling eyelashes gave him away.
He Qinghuan gently rested his hand on Gu Wang's eyelid. A tiny black speck was caught among his lashes. He brushed it away easily with his fingertip, but didn't release Gu Wang immediately.
Gu Wang blinked. Feeling that whatever had been stuck in his eye was gone, he wanted to make an immediate escape.
Gu Wang's face was small. He Qinghuan held one side of it in a single hand, his eyes slightly darkened. The tips of their noses almost touched.
"You're afraid of me?" He Qinghuan said slowly, his tone a statement.
Too many people feared He Qinghuan. He had seen plenty of looks of fear and awe. No matter how well Gu Wang hid it, or how briefly that trace of fear lingered in his eyes, He Qinghuan could catch it in an instant.
Especially when it came to Gu Wang's emotions.
Droplets still clung to Gu Wang's face, and his lashes were wet too. His entire face was spotless. He tried to turn away, but He Qinghuan stopped him.
Are you done yet? Gu Wang frowned.
He Qinghuan lowered his eyes slightly, his voice soft with an almost imperceptible edge of danger. "Wangwang, you can't be afraid of me."
He released Gu Wang and went out ahead of him.
Leaving Gu Wang behind.
Gu Wang looked at himself in the mirror. He Qinghuan had pressed the corner of his eye in warning earlier, and now it was red. Gu Wang rubbed his face, dismissed the signs that were gradually beginning to show, and couldn't be bothered to think further.
He Qinghuan had guessed right. He was afraid of him.
Precisely because Gu Wang didn't belong in this book, he knew the entire plot in advance. He also knew better than anyone just how frightening He Qinghuan was.
He Qinghuan's mother had died giving birth to him. She had been an only child, so everything from her side of the family went to He Qinghuan too. The family relationships on that side were relatively uncomplicated, but the He Family was a disgraceful mess. He Zhiyan had slept around and fathered illegitimate sons and daughters even before marriage. After He Qinghuan's mother died, he refused to remarry, but changed women almost daily, sowing his seed everywhere.
The resulting offspring were an odd assortment with every kind of personality. He Zhiyan allowed them into the household, but wouldn't register them as family. He gave them every luxury, but they weren't to covet what didn't belong to them.
Such as the position of head of the He Family.
But there were still some brainless ones. Several boys discussed how, if He Qinghuan died, there would be no heir, and the He Family would be theirs for the taking.
They pushed He Qinghuan down the stairs. He survived by sheer luck and spent three months in the hospital.
On the day he returned from the hospital, He Qinghuan slowly walked up to the boy his own age sitting surrounded by people in the living room. Before the boy could react, with his guard completely down, He Qinghuan dragged him straight to the lake in the courtyard.
The lake shimmered, rippling with silvery points of light beneath the winter sun.
He Qinghuan forced the boy's head underwater. When he was almost suffocating, he let him surface for a breath, then shoved him down hard again the next second.
Ripples spread across the disturbed lake.
He Qinghuan looked indifferent, without any particularly obvious viciousness. Yet that very calmness made the people standing in the doorway behind him even more afraid.
This was someone who had grown up with him, too.
Yet their neighbor, He Qinghuan's childhood friend Yue Feng, lounged over the courtyard wall and drawled, "You could just kill him. You're still too softhearted, Huan."
He Qinghuan lifted his eyes and glanced at him, hauled the person beneath his hand out of the water, and tossed him onto the ground. He chuckled. "No rush. We have plenty of time."
Yue Feng paused, then clicked his tongue.
They had only been fifteen then.
The book described some of He Qinghuan's methods for dealing with these people in detail and skimmed over others. Quite a few had left a deep impression on Gu Wang. In his vengefulness, unpredictability, and danger, He Qinghuan rivaled the male lead, if not surpassed him.
He pulled out a tissue and dried his face, deciding not to think about why He Qinghuan had changed his attitude. As long as it wasn't hatred, it... wasn't a bad thing.
When he left the restroom, Wen Ting immediately looked over. "Wangwang, hurry! You're the only one left!"
Gu Wang sat down in front of the backdrop, and the photographer quickly took several shots. Zeng Xiao immediately followed him over. "Sir, could you print two extra copies of his photo?"
Gu Wang: "..."
The photographer laughed. "What do you want two extra copies for? It's not like you can eat them."
Zeng Xiao answered instantly. "I can! I can eat them!"
Everyone got four copies, paid for out of the class fund. It was understandable if the photographer didn't want to print extras.
Anyway, there was no telling whether she got her wish, but she skipped all the way back to the classroom.
With the holiday approaching, the passes were processed quickly. They took photos in the morning, and each class monitor went to collect them that afternoon.
Li Shuya tagged the League Branch Secretary, Wen Ting, in the group chat, asking her to collect the photos and passes from the logistics office and have everyone attach their photos. From then on, they would use the passes to enter and leave school.
Wen Ting had just typed "Got it" when she saw He Qinghuan's profile picture pop up. The person who almost never spoke in the group replied, "Okay."
Wen Ting: ...Wasn't I the one she tagged?
He Qinghuan left. Gu Wang lay over his desk, playing with a pen, and even rolled his eyes once he was gone.
Song Zhiyan popped up from behind and sat in the seat in front of Gu Wang. It was the afternoon break. The student who sat there liked basketball and was usually dominating the court at this time.
Looking mysterious, Song Zhiyan lowered his voice and asked, "Do you know why we need passes?"
Gu Wang straightened up and propped his chin on his hand, asking hoarsely, "Didn't they say it was for safety or something?"
Almost everyone at their high school was a day student. There was one dormitory building, housing only students who lived very, very far away or had come a long way from elsewhere to study.
"More or less." Song Zhiyan nodded. "But do you want to know why they want to keep us safe?"
Gu Wang looked at Song Zhiyan, and Song Zhiyan looked at Gu Wang. Both fell silent for a moment.
After asking, Song Zhiyan also realized how stupid his question was. Why would the school want to keep them safe, honestly? He cleared his throat and whispered, "Skip that last question. Shen Zhao heard from his class monitor that apparently some guys from nearby No. 3 Middle School pretended to be students here and came in to pick up girls. Old Ma caught them red-handed." Old Ma was their dean of studies.
Gu Wang said, "...Why go to someone else's school to pick up... look for girls?" He didn't think "pick up" sounded very nice, so he changed his wording halfway through.
Song Zhiyan snorted. "No. 3 Middle School barely has any girls. It's packed with boys. Their academic classes aren't great, but their sports and art programs are top-notch in our city. Their school has loads of rich kids, all pampered young masters. We can't compete. They come in and get a girl every time."
Gu Wang looked at him. "You're pretty rich too."
Song Zhiyan couldn't help laughing twice. "I do all right."
After saying that, he apparently thought of something, and his expression suddenly dimmed. "Having money, having-"