87: Chapter 87 The Childhood Sweetheart Who Flees in Disarray

In the shadow by the equipment room, the air still seemed to hold some of the heat from the lingering intimacy.

Huang Mao leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

He looked down and tidied his clothes.

Actually, there wasn't much to tidy.

That girl Su Muxue had done a flawless job of cleaning up after the "service," even smoothing out the wrinkles on his clothes.

His current actions were purely a subconscious cover-up.

Like a child who had done something bad, he felt the need to touch his nose or scratch his head to calm the lingering sensation and the persistent sense of awkwardness in his heart.

Sage mode was still in full effect.

His mind was crystal clear, and he even felt like solving a couple of advanced calculus problems to cool down.

Even though the Department of Literature didn't require advanced calculus.

"Phew..."

Huang Mao patted his cheeks, forcing his expression back to his usual "Extra A" bland state.

He wasn't exactly panicking.

But it was quite troubling.

He had just settled things with the campus belle, only to have his "affair" with the maid caught red-handed by his childhood sweetheart.

If this plot were in a Galgame, it would be the perfect prelude to a bad ending; a cleaver might even appear in the next second.

But life goes on, and people still need to be coaxed.

"Better go check on that silly girl first."

Huang Mao muttered to himself and stepped out of the blind spot that had brought him both pleasure and pain.

The sunlight was a bit blinding.

He squinted slightly, adjusting to the change in light.

The playground was still noisy, with the "thump-thump" of basketballs hitting the ground and the shouts of boys rising and falling.

But that excitement belonged to them; Huang Mao only found it noisy right now.

His gaze, like radar, precisely cut through the crowd and swept toward the row of steps behind the court.

In that corner, a "mushroom" was growing.

An Ran was curled into a small ball, her hands tightly clutching her knees and her head buried in her arms.

It was as if she carried a "shut-in" barrier around her; even the passing wind seemed to veer away.

She looked like a tattered doll abandoned by the whole world, exuding an indescribable sense of desolation and grievance.

Huang Mao's heart skipped a beat.

This reaction was even more severe than he had anticipated.

Usually, although this girl was loud and boisterous, she was so thick-skinned that wind could blow through her head; situations where she curled herself into a ball like today were few and far between.

Huang Mao sighed, but his pace didn't falter.

He crossed the court, ignoring the curious glances from around him, and walked straight up to An Ran.

He stood still in front of her.

His shadow stretched out, perfectly covering An Ran's curled-up body and shielding her from the somewhat harsh sun overhead.

Huang Mao didn't speak immediately.

He was organizing his words.

How should he start?

"Yo, growing a mushroom here?" — No, that's too punchable.

"Did you see everything just now?" — Too blunt, like rubbing salt in the wound.

"Let me explain, I was actually practicing yoga?" — Who was he trying to fool?

After much thought, Huang Mao decided to test the waters in the safest way possible.

He leaned down slightly, trying to make his voice sound as usual—easygoing and teasing, with a hint of subtle concern.

"An Ran?"

He called out softly.

"What's wrong? Did you play too hard and get low blood sugar?"

"Want your big brother to go buy you some sugar water?"

This was their usual way of interacting.

Teasing and roasting each other, yet caring for one another.

He tried to use this familiar method to break the frozen barrier between them.

However.

The moment his voice fell.

An Ran, who had been as still as a statue, suddenly shuddered.

It was a stress response.

Like a grazing rabbit suddenly hearing the sound of a shotgun being cocked.

A second later, An Ran jerked her head up.

Their eyes met.

Huang Mao froze.

An Ran's large eyes, which usually sparkled with energetic light, were now clouded with a gray mist.

They were filled with terror.

Yes, terror.

Along with deep helplessness and a sense of daze as if her worldview had collapsed.

She looked at Huang Mao as if she were looking at a monster in human skin.

This childhood friend who grew up with her, bought her snacks, let her copy his homework, and carried her to the infirmary when she was hurt...

And that man in the shadows just now, enjoying another woman's service with a look of pleasure...

These two images collided and tore at each other in her mind, eventually turning into a mess of mush.

"You..."

An Ran opened her mouth, her voice trembling violently.

She wanted to ask "why."

She wanted to ask "who was that."

She wanted to ask "what were you doing."

But the words reached her lips and seemed to get stuck, unable to come out.

A strong sense of shame washed over her like a tide.

She felt so dirty.

Not her body, but her eyes were dirty, and her heart was dirty too.

She had seen things she shouldn't have seen and known secrets she shouldn't have known.

For a pure-hearted Sports Student who still had her first kiss and zero dating experience, this level of shock was a total dimensional strike.

"Don't... don't come over!"

An Ran suddenly shrieked.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a clear sob.

The next second.

Her body reacted before her brain did.

With a whoosh.

She sprang up from the steps like a coiled spring.

No hesitation, no pause.

Turn.

Step.

Sprint.

The movements were fluid and the explosive power was staggering—truly the ace of the Sports Department.

"An Ran!"

Huang Mao instinctively reached out to grab her.

But his fingertips only brushed the ends of her flying ponytail.

Smooth and cool.

Then, a gust of wind.

An Ran was like a startled fawn, rushing toward the playground exit without looking back.

She even stumbled at the turn because she was running too fast, nearly falling.

But she didn't even stop, using her hands and feet to regain her balance and continuing her accelerated escape.

As if some monstrous beast were chasing her from behind.

The wind whistled in her ears.

Tears fell unbidden from the corners of her eyes, hitting the scorching concrete and evaporating instantly.

While running, An Ran desperately cursed herself in her heart.

An Ran, you coward!

You absolute coward!

Why are you running?

He's the one who did something wrong!

That woman is the one who's shameless!

You're the childhood sweetheart! You were there first! You're the one most qualified to stand by his side!

According to the script, shouldn't you rush up, slap him, and demand answers?

Or dominantly declare your sovereignty and chase that vixen away?

But what about you?

You actually ran away?

Like a deserter, abandoning your armor and fleeing in panic!

"Ugh..."

A suppressed whimper escaped her throat.

She sadly realized that all her tsundere traits and all her toughness had become a joke at this moment.

In the face of a true emotional Shura Field, she didn't even have an entry ticket.

She was afraid to face the truth.

Afraid to hear Huang Mao personally recount what he and that woman were just doing.

Even more afraid...

Of seeing Huang Mao look at her with cold or impatient eyes.

So she chose to escape.

As long as she ran fast enough and didn't listen to explanations, that cruel reality couldn't catch up to her.

This was the ostrich mentality.

This was the cry of a losing dog.

...

By the playground.

Huang Mao remained in his reaching posture, frozen in place.

Watching An Ran's stumbling figure gradually disappear at the end of his vision, his hand slowly dropped.

"Sigh..."

A long sigh squeezed out from his chest.

He didn't chase after her.

He knew An Ran too well.

This girl was currently in a state of extreme chaotic overload.

If he chased her now, she wouldn't listen to anything he said.

Instead, she might do something even more extreme because her emotions were too high.

Rather than adding fuel to the fire, it was better to let her cool down first.

"Really..."

Huang Mao gave a bitter laugh, turned around, and sat on the steps where An Ran had just been sitting.

A trace of warmth still remained under his seat.

He rubbed his temples, feeling a sharp pain in his head.

...

Not far away.

On a bench.

The two people who had been silently watching the commotion here now had varying expressions.

Leng Qingxuan looked in the direction where An Ran had disappeared, her gaze complex.

There was a hint of sympathy from shared experience, a touch of schadenfreude, but more than anything, a sense of helplessness like a fox mourning a dead rabbit.

"Look what you guys have done."

Leng Qingxuan glanced at Su Muxue beside her, her tone a bit cold.

"Scaring her like that, are you satisfied now?"

"That's his childhood sweetheart who grew up with him; their emotional foundation is deeper than ours."

"If you really break her heart, I'll see how you explain it to Huang Mao."

Although they were love rivals, seeing An Ran flee in such a pathetic state didn't bring Leng Qingxuan much joy of victory.

Instead, she felt like she was also an "accomplice."

Su Muxue, however, looked perfectly calm.

She gently smoothed her skirt, that gentle and proper smile still hanging on the corners of her mouth.

It was as if everything that had just happened was within her expectations.

"Sister Qingxuan, you're overstating it."

She said softly.

"This is merely a necessary 'desensitization treatment'."

"Sister An Ran's personality is too simple and straightforward; if she isn't made to face reality early, she'll only get hurt more later."

"If necessary, I can provide her with some appropriate 'guidance' at any time."

Speaking of which, she turned her head and looked at Leng Qingxuan, a meaningful light flashing in her eyes.

"Just like what I did to you last night, Sister Qingxuan."

"Only by lancing the boil can the wound heal quickly, right?"

Leng Qingxuan's face flushed slightly as she remembered her stubborn behavior from yesterday.

It seemed somewhat similar to how An Ran was now.

"You..."

Leng Qingxuan grit her teeth and turned her head away.

"Fallacies and heresies."

Su Muxue wasn't angry; she just smiled gently.

Her gaze crossed the crowd and landed on the man sitting on the steps, whose back looked a bit lonely.

Her eyes instantly became soft as water, filled with heartache.

"Compared to Sister An Ran..."

"I'm more worried about Master's state right now."

"Master is such a gentle person; seeing his childhood sweetheart scared away must make him very sad, right?"

"As a maid, I should be by Master's side at a time like this to share his burdens."

After saying that, she turned to Leng Qingxuan and asked politely:

"Sister Qingxuan, do you want to go over together?"

Leng Qingxuan instinctively twisted her ankle.

"Hiss..."

She was still basically in a semi-crippled state.

And...

She hadn't figured out how to face Huang Mao yet.

Comfort him? Or question him?

Neither seemed quite right.

"I won't go over."

Leng Qingxuan waved her hand irritably, feigning reserve.

"My legs and feet hurt, I don't feel like moving. Go by yourself, and don't bring me up when you talk."

Su Muxue nodded, as if she had long expected this answer.

"Alright, I'll go over then."

"When class is over, I'll come back to help you to the cafeteria for lunch."

With that, she walked with light steps toward Huang Mao.

Watching Su Muxue's back, which seemed to carry its own holy light, Leng Qingxuan ground her teeth in frustration.

"Maybe I'll be able to walk by myself by the end of class."

...

Just as this Shura Field drama had finished its curtain call.

No one noticed.

On the large tree in the corner of the playground.

That small black thing that had been hovering in the shadows moved.

"Buzz—"

The extremely faint sound of propellers spinning was drowned out by the noisy cicadas and human voices.

The palm-sized micro-drone, like a mosquito that had eaten its fill, slowly rose higher.

Its red indicator light flickered once, as if confirming that the footage had been saved.

Then, it nimbly turned around in the air.

The fuselage tilted, and it accelerated.

Turning into a streak of black light, it zipped over the playground's wire fence and over the lush treetops.

Flying toward the grandest and most modern building in the center of the campus.

That was the new office building of Xinghai Private University.

It was also the headquarters of the Student Union.

The drone skillfully bypassed several flagpoles and spiraled up along the building's outer wall.

Finally.

It hovered in front of a half-open window on the fourth floor.

"Buzz, buzz, buzz..."

It seemed to be waiting for its master's call.

A few seconds later.

A fair, slender, yet powerful-looking hand reached out from the window.

It firmly grabbed the drone's body.

The propellers stopped spinning at the same time.

The owner of that hand pulled the drone back into the room.

This was a spacious and bright office.

A sign saying "Department Head's Office" hung on the wall.

Behind the desk sat a girl with shoulder-length short hair, a face as cute as a doll's, but eyes that held a stubborn and sharp look.

She wore a slightly oversized Student Union uniform with her sleeves rolled up, revealing a section of her fair wrist.

She was Xiao Xiao.

The Head of the Discipline Department of the Xinghai Private University Student Union.