Chapter 58

Chapter 58

◎ Worried! ◎

Just as Meng Qi was about to "go at it" with Ren Suiwu, Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming also dashed a few steps in that direction, but upon recognizing the tall figure, they immediately slowed to a leisurely stroll. Then they figured it might be better to hang back, and waited at a middle-distance spot.

No surprise, they had overheard Qi Yun and Ren Suiwu's conversation, so when Meng Qi dragged Qi Yun over to join them, the chill in their eyes toward Qi Yun had thawed, with a hint of sympathy peeking through.

Qi Yun's eyes swept over Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming one by one, and he said hi to them real polite, same as ever. Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming nodded in return, didn't give him the cold shoulder like they used to, or throw him a lukewarm look from up high.

Now that's a welcome change! Meng Qi had been longing for the day Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming would accept Qi Yun! Seeing this unfold, he was over the moon, a big smile instantly plastered across his face. He took Qi Yun's hand with one and clapped Kuang Hui on the shoulder with the other, asking with a smile, "Back to school?"

His voice went up at the end, super cute.

But—

Did he get so happy he lost his mind? Where else would they go if not back to school? That was totally a dumb question, so Kuang Hui blew him off, basically draped himself over Dong Jiaming's back as he took a step toward the school gate.

Meng Qi didn't look the least bit embarrassed about being brushed off. Instead, he turned his head and shot Qi Yun a grin, then followed Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming's lead toward the school.

The early morning sunlight spilled sideways across the world, wrapping the four boys, walking in staggered steps along the tree-lined path, in an agate-colored coat, making them look like elven princes fresh to the mortal world—noble, mysterious, and stunning, with a kind of magic that made people's hearts race, that had a group of people in the distance whispering about them.

But Kuang Hui shot them a death glare, and the chatter instantly died, and the world went quiet again.

Nice. Gotta learn that!

Meng Qi lifted his eyelids and took a quick peek, silently filing away the look on Kuang Hui's face when he did it.

Qi Yun was in a different major from the other three. They had morning classes, but he didn't. They hadn't taken more than a few steps together before it was time to split up: Qi Yun headed back to his dorm to rest, while the others went to the lecture hall.

But Meng Qi couldn't stand to let Qi Yun leave. He still had stuff to ask Qi Yun, and he wouldn't rest easy until he got it straight.

Kuang Hui hooked his toe into the back of Meng Qi's knee, and with a little nudge, Meng Qi stumbled forward a step, instantly putting some distance between him and Qi Yun.

Then Kuang Hui called out, "Quit dragging your feet, let's move. You trying to make me and Little Mingming late with you?"

Meng Qi shouted back to Qi Yun, "Don't rush to say yes to Brother Wu, okay? We'll talk it over later—there's gotta be a better way!"

Qi Yun smiled and waved him off, walking backward a couple of steps, then without a word, he turned and bolted.

Meng Qi figured out Qi Yun's decision from his actions, and it made him real worried. He kept spacing out in class, and almost missed the teacher's pop quiz roll call because of it.

The non-major teacher was a bit older. Whether he actually forgot that, by custom, you take roll at the start of class, or purposely waited until halfway through, either way, he didn't slap his forehead until the class was more than half over, then, like he just woke up from a dream, he grinned at the few students left and said, "Let's do roll call now, and take a little break while we're at it."

What kind of decent teacher uses roll call to relax? That one line got a whole roomful of gasps.

Of course, there were also some snickers from the schadenfreude crowd, laughing at the students who'd been sitting there but snuck out the back when the old teacher wasn't paying attention.

Kuang Hui and Dong Jiaming exchanged glances and smiled too, their expressions tinged with a hint of slyness, as if proud of guessing the teacher's intentions. After laughing, they both looked at Meng Qi, presumably seeking an ally.

But Meng Qi wasn't laughing.

He was fretting, his brows twisted like a pretzel, his gaze unfocused as he stared blankly at a corner of the room, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Kuang Hui pursed his lips and looked away.

The old teacher didn't follow the usual order when calling names. He jumped from number 3 to 41, then from 41 to 29, keeping everyone on their toes... But as luck would have it, the fifth name called was Meng Qi.

The fifth name on the roster was also Meng Qi.

The first time the teacher called his name, Meng Qi didn't react. The second time, he blinked but still didn't answer "Here." It was clear he heard someone calling him but had no idea why...

How clueless could he be? Kuang Hui couldn't help it—he smacked the back of Meng Qi's head, then raised the hand that had done the smacking and loudly answered "Here" on Meng Qi's behalf before the old teacher could mark him as absent.

They thought that was the end of it, but Kuang Hui forgot that everyone in the room, except the teacher, knew Meng Qi. So as soon as he answered for him, the other students all turned to look at their direction, probably wondering why Meng Qi hadn't responded himself, or maybe just curious to see the spoiled brat Meng Qi's defiant attitude.

It made Kuang Hui want to glare again.

But this time, his glare failed because the old teacher had noticed something was off. He paused the roll call, fixed his gaze on Kuang Hui, and asked, "You're Meng Qi, right? So you are here. Why didn't you answer when I called your name the first time?"

Hearing his own name from the teacher again, Meng Qi blinked, then stood up under Kuang Hui's stunned gaze, answering respectfully, "Sorry, teacher, I didn't hear you call my name."

Nine years of compulsory education had taught Meng Qi to always respect his teachers, so even though he didn't understand why the teacher was asking, he answered honestly and earnestly.

But being too earnest came off as insincere, and the old teacher wasn't buying it. He probably thought the three students sitting together were playing a trick on him.

"If you're Meng Qi, then who's this student next to you?" The teacher looked at Meng Qi, then shifted his gaze to Kuang Hui, his smile fading.

Meng Qi lowered his eyes to meet Kuang Hui's, who already looked resigned to his fate. Before Meng Qi could answer, Kuang Hui stood up and said, "Teacher, my name is Kuang Hui, student number 23071301, the first name on the roster."

"You're Kuang Hui? Good. You're honest and helpful, but I'm still going to mark both you and Meng Qi as absent." The teacher offered no explanation, simply announced the decision, and began making notes in the roster.

"Why?" Kuang Hui protested. "Meng Qi and I are both here. We just answered for each other—that doesn't violate classroom rules..."

"But you both deceived me. I've spent my life in academia without ever cheating, and I can't stand seeing it happen under my nose. So this absence will be recorded." The teacher closed the roster, signaling that his decision was final.

Only then did Meng Qi realize he had "messed up." He also understood why Kuang Hui had looked so exasperated when he stood up to answer. He felt stupid for disrupting Kuang Hui's attempt to help him, and he could only imagine how Kuang Hui felt—lucky he didn't get a glare.

Was there still a way to fix this?

Apparently, in college, too many absences could lead to failing a course. He couldn't let Kuang Hui, who ranked first in their year, fail because of him. This might even become the only blemish on Kuang Hui's college record. Thinking this, he quickly raised his hand high and pleaded sincerely, "Teacher, this is all my fault. I wasn't paying attention in class. Kuang Hui had nothing to do with it—he's really innocent... Could you mark me absent twice and let Kuang Hui off?"

Kuang Hui turned to Meng Qi and muttered, "Shut up."

Meng Qi didn't look at him, keeping his eyes on the teacher.

The classroom fell silent. Everyone except Dong Jiaming stared at Meng Qi—some with disdain, some with admiration, others indifferent.

The teacher pursed his lips, thought for a few seconds, then asked Meng Qi, "Are you saying you were distracted, but Kuang Hui was paying attention?"

Meng Qi nodded without hesitation, "Yes."

He was certain of this, even though he had been zoning out for half the class and hadn't noticed whether Kuang Hui was paying attention. Kuang Hui was a dedicated student—eight out of ten times Meng Qi had glanced at him in previous classes, he was focused, rarely distracted.

Surely it was the same this time.

The teacher looked at Kuang Hui and asked, "Do you agree with Meng Qi's statement?"

Kuang Hui frowned. "I was paying attention, and I remember every word you said. But I think you should still mark me absent, since I did help him cheat."

"Must a guarantor bear joint liability?" the teacher suddenly asked Kuang Hui.

Kuang Hui paused for just a second, then answered clearly, "Not necessarily. Joint liability for a guarantor has preconditions—it must be explicitly stated in the contract. Otherwise, it's assumed the guarantor only provides a guarantee without bearing joint liability."

Kuang Hui's answer was almost a perfect replica of what the teacher had lectured in class.

The old teacher was extremely satisfied with Kuang Hui's performance, nodding at him repeatedly. "It seems you really did listen attentively to the lecture. Good, good. In that case, I won't mark you absent. After all, you're here in person, and you probably didn't sign a joint liability contract with Meng Qi before class."

Meng Qi: ...

There's really no way not to give Kuang Hui a thumbs-up. Using knowledge to change your fate on the fly—badass!

Meng Qi truly wished he and Qi Yun could also change their fate in an instant, just like Kuang Hui did...

"Author's Note"

Like, being a TA is way more satisfying than writing novels! It's amazing how every line gets a response. I'm gradually sinking into it and can barely pull myself out. I've even thought about my future career direction from this (wailing loudly).

Thank you all so much for your support. I will keep working hard!