After saying goodbye to Ji Mu, Ruan Qingqing took the bus back ho.
"Qingqing?"
She took out her key and unlocked the front door. The lights in the living room were still on.
Ruan Chuyao, who had been waiting for her daughter for so ti, stood up with concern. "You must be exhausted. How did the exams go?"
"Not at all." Supporting her mother as she returned to her seat, Ruan Qingqing replied lightly, "There were a lot of questions I'd studied before. I think my score might go up a few spots this ti."
Touched by her daughter’s cheerful deanor, Ruan Chuyao smiled. "As long as you’re feeling confident."
Then she sniffed the air, clearly picking up a scent. "No wonder you ca ho late today. You ate out, didn't you?"
Ruan Qingqing answered sheepishly.
She'd inherited her mother's heightened senses, so even the smallest change wouldn't escape her.
"Yes."
Ruan Chuyao lightly tapped her daughter's hand, "Let guess. You ate with that boy, Mu Mu, didn't you?"
"...yes."
Hearing her daughter's shy confession, she couldn't help teasing, "What is it about that Mu Mu? You get so flustered just hearing his na."
"No, it's not like that!" Ruan Qingqing hurriedly tried to deny it, but her words didn't match her feelings.
Ruan Chuyao gave her a knowing look. With her sharp eyes, she could easily tell how her daughter felt about the boy. Even if she wasn't completely in love, she wasn't far from it.
And that surprised her. She could still sense her daughter's purity.
Any normal boy, faced with such a delicate flower, would find it hard to hold back. But nothing beyond friendship had happened between them, and that made Ruan Chuyao more than a little curious.
"Qingqing, didn't I tell you to invite him over soti?" she asked with a smile. "What's the delay? Afraid I'll argue with him?"
"Mu Mu is not that kind of person," Ruan Qingqing pouted.
"Alright, alright~" Ruan Chuyao found this amusing.
She hadn't even t him yet and she was already on his side.
Ruan Qingqing lowered her head in embarrassnt. After a mont of hesitation, she admitted, "The main thing is... I just haven't found a good reason to invite him."
Her mother gently patted her on the head. "It's okay. Let's leave it for now, then. You can bring him over when you've thought of sothing."
Leaving this topic behind, Ruan Chuyao suddenly rembered what she'd ant to say.
"By the way, Qingqing, I have to go to Yanjing for so business. While I'm gone, make sure you eat well and take care of yourself."
"But, Mom, your health..." Ruan Qingqing hesitated, clearly worried.
"It's just a trip, no big deal," Ruan Chuyao said gently. "I put so blood packs in the freezer. You need to drink at least one bag a day, don't skip any."
"Huh? Didn't you say before that I only needed to drink one every five days?"
"This ti is different," her mother smiled, masking the worry in her heart.
"Because... the full moon is coming soon."
…
Ti flew by.
The mundane days passed one by one, and the ti moved steadily toward April 30th. This was the last day of the May short vacation.
It was also the day when results from the six-school joint exams were released.
Many students pulled out their phones, refreshing the page nonstop to check their scores. The more confident ones skipped straight to the top 100 rankings to see if their nas had made the list.
In the middle of the crowd, Ruan Qingqing stood like everyone else, eyes fixed nervously on the school bulletin board.
As expected, Ji Mu had claid first place with a score fifty points higher than the top student from Yizhong. A ripple of gasps and admiration spread through the crowd.
Her lips curved slightly. For so reason, she felt proud.
Her eyes moved further down the list, and the feeling in her chest shifted to unease. Her hands clenched together, and her heart thudded louder with each line she passed.
Until, at the very bottom, she saw her own na.
Just barely, she had squeezed into the 100th spot by one point.
It was like a car speeding out of a mountain pass, the tension finally lifting from her chest.
100th place: Ruan Qingqing
...
In the corridor bathroom, she stood at the sink, a soft and joyful smile on her face.
Anyone could see the overflowing joy that radiated from her at that mont.
Although it was only the 100th place, compared to before, the progress this ti was a significant leap forward.
She hadn't even made the top 300 during the first joint exam.
"Should I tell Mu Mu?"
She really wanted to share this surprise with him right away, but rembering that he was probably in another city participating in a math competition at that ti, she decided not to.
I'll tell him tonight.
If it weren't for the boy's constant and dedicated help, her grades might still be diocre today.
Many tis, Ruan Qingqing felt deeply grateful to have t her light in the darkest part of her life.
It was Ji Mu who helped her beco braver, shedding her old timid and cowardly self. He made her life better.
"Mu Mu."
The light reflected in her clear eyes, warmth curling up into her smile.
How can I ever repay you for all the kindness you have shown ?
…
"I don't even know how Ruan Qingqing managed to do so well."
An indignant female voice ca from the bathroom.
"I was one point away from making the top 100, damn it!"
Several consoling voices followed.
"She just got lucky, you'll definitely beat her next ti."
"Exactly, if it wasn't for Ji Mu giving her special coaching, there's no way she could have made it into the top 100."
Listening to their complaints, Ruan Qingqing remained calm.
No matter how good you are, there will always be people who criticize you behind your back.
So she didn't care about the opinions of anyone except the people who mattered.
She turned off the faucet and was about to leave, but froze as she caught their next words.
"Honestly, I think Ji Mu is pretty pathetic. He runs over at her beck and call, such a simpleton."
"I wonder how many tis Ruan Qingqing had to sleep with him for him to teach her so diligently."
"Why don't you try it? Maybe he's the kind of guy who doesn't turn anyone down."
"Yeah, maybe next ti you'll be the one in the top 100."
"Forget it, he's so ugly, I can't bring myself to do it."
"..."
Ruan Qingqing licked the corner of her lips, her expression unchanged, but sothing cold began to spread in her eyes.
She turned and walked back inside.
The girls inside had been chatting excitedly, but when they saw her suddenly approaching, they all fell awkwardly silent.
"Just now..." Ruan Qingqing's soft voice sounded after a mont of silence. "Who said Ji Mu was pathetic?"
The girls looked at each other, none of them speaking up.
"Co on, you heard it, so what are you afraid of?"
The one with heavy makeup shrugged off her friend's hand and boldly stepped forward.
"I said it." She raised her chin contemptuously. "Afraid to admit it? Did I say sothing wrong..."
Slap.
The sound rang out as Ruan Qingqing struck her across the face.
The girl reeled from the blow, the words dying in her mouth, pain and disbelief flooding her expression.
"You!"
She lunged forward, trying to retaliate, but Ruan Qingqing was faster.
In less than a tenth of a second, a pair of hands closed around her throat and slamd her against the wall.
She clawed and struggled desperately to free herself, but she couldn't move those hands that felt like iron clamps.
"Let… let… go… ugh—"
Ruan Qingqing's hands slowly tightened around the girl's neck, gradually turning her face blue.
"I didn't even want to deal with you all, but why... did you have to talk about Mu Mu?"
Her expression remained blank, her tone still soft, but madness leaked through every word.
None of the others dared even step forward to pull her away.
"Tell why. Can you?"
The girl's eyes widened in terror, the intense feeling of suffocation quickly overwhelming her mind.
In her vision, those black and white eyes flashed with a crimson murderous intent, like a demon awakening from the abyss, ready to tear her to pieces at any mont.
Her body trembled all over, an indescribable fear gripping her heart.
"I'm... I'm... sorry..."
Her apology ca out in broken gasps. Her legs gave out.
A stream of liquid ran down her thighs, followed by the stench of urine.
No one laughed.
The others only shrank back, terrified.
The girl's complexion beca increasingly ashen. A growing wave of dizziness overwheld her mind, and just before she lost consciousness, the hands around her neck finally loosened.
Cough... cough...
Coughing and gasping, she collapsed in the puddle. The overwhelming sense of impending death caused her body to convulse uncontrollably even now.
"I don't want this to happen again," Ruan Qingqing's soft, lodic voice sent chills down their spines. "Otherwise, I cannot guarantee what I might do."
The girl's throat tightened and she dared not speak. Even her rapid breathing beca cautious.
What the hell had happened to Ruan Qingqing?
The change from before to after made her seem like a completely different person.
It was... terribly unfamiliar.
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