X
Wu Rui ascended the stairs, heading directly to his room.
Before settling down for the night, he decided to spend some time on his phone.
He primarily used his phone for reading novels and manga, rarely playing games; even then, he would only play a few rounds if invited by friends.
He opened Zhong Tian’s manga, *The Inarticulate Him and Her*, and began reading the latest chapter.
The newest chapter concluded swiftly, leaving him momentarily stunned, prompting him to repeatedly confirm if it was indeed the most recent release.
It seemed he had become rather engrossed.
‘Indeed, this only proved how remarkably talented Zhong Tian was as an artist.’
He then opened Zhong Tian’s fan group and scrolled through the chat history.
It was much like any other day: the usual antics unfolded, game discussions continued, and those who posted suggestive images were promptly muted.
As he scrolled, a group announcement caught his eye.
[Group Announcement: We warmly welcome Teacher Kezhong to our chat! (At Teacher Kezhong’s personal request, the group albums ‘Cosplay’ and ‘School Uniforms’ have been deleted. We appreciate your understanding, members.)]
“Ah?”
Zhong Tian had joined the group?
This was…
His surprise wasn’t merely at Zhong Tian’s presence in the group; what truly astounded him was that, with the artist himself among them, the members could still carry on with their usual shenanigans.
Wu Rui found himself momentarily at a loss for words, unsure how to react.
‘…Quite impressive, really.’
Shaken by this revelation, Wu Rui set his phone aside, opting to go to sleep.
****
The following morning, Zhong Tian, as was her custom, woke fifteen minutes early and departed Li Jianren’s dorm via a familiar path.
Upon seeing Zhong Tian leave, Li Jianren knew it was time.
He removed his headphones, shut down his computer, and in his groggy state, nearly followed Zhong Tian instinctively by climbing out the balcony.
He stood in silence for a few seconds before heading to wash his face.
‘Clearly, staying up all night gaming was not a good idea.’
‘Never mind, I’ll catch up on sleep in class.’
Wiping his face, he headed out the door.
****
Zhong Tian noticed that Li Jianren had slept through almost the entire English class.
‘That guy must have stayed up late gaming last night…’
Upon reflection, with his newly acquired computer, it would be uncharacteristic for him *not* to pull an all-nighter gaming.
‘Staying up all night and still not sleeping during lunch? What’s he thinking…’
Knock, knock.
The window beside Zhong Tian was tapped.
She turned her head to see Bai Ruijin.
“What is it?”
“Um, it’s about the Literature Club. Could you please call Li Jianren for me?”
She gestured towards Li Jianren, who was deeply engrossed in sleep, sprawled across his desk.
Zhong Tian nodded, then patted his shoulder.
In an instant, Li Jianren shot up from his desk, his eyes wide, and with remarkable speed, snatched his English textbook and ballpoint pen, adopting the posture of someone diligently listening and taking notes.
However…
“Class is already over…”
Li Jianren blinked, glanced around, and upon comprehending the situation, put down his pen and English book, ready to lie back down.
“Hey, Bai Ruijin has something to discuss with you.”
“Oh!” The sleepiness that had just clouded Li Jianren’s face vanished instantly. “I’ll be right out!”
“…”
Zhong Tian rather admired Li Jianren’s ability to shake off sleepiness so instantaneously; if Zhong Tian felt tired, there was virtually no way to regain her energy other than by simply sleeping.
‘So, when Li Jianren claims to have a body of steel… there’s actually some truth to it…’
Li Jianren left the classroom and stopped in front of Bai Ruijin.
“What is it?”
“Well… the Literature Club is holding a brief meeting during the last self-study period this afternoon,” Bai Ruijin explained. “It’s to discuss the arrangements for the inter-school sports event…”
“Oh—thank you! I would have completely forgotten if you hadn’t reminded me.”
“Alright, then… when the time comes… let’s go together, shall we?”
“Sounds good,” Li Jianren nodded. “It’s settled then.”
“Well… goodbye for now.”
“Yeah, goodbye.”
From her seat, Zhong Tian had attentively listened to the conversation between the two, separated only by a wall.
‘Hmm, Bai Ruijin’s getting bolder and bolder.’
‘A good sign!’
Observing them return to their respective classrooms, Zhong Tian, despite maintaining her usual impassive demeanor, felt her spirits lift considerably.
****
‘Zhong Tian has been watching Li Jianren and that girl this whole time…’
While Zhong Tian observed Li Jianren and Bai Ruijin, Wu Rui, in turn, was surreptitiously studying Zhong Tian’s expression.
Zhong Tian’s expression remained as unreadable as ever; it was impossible to discern what thoughts occupied her mind.
Yet, for her to gaze so intently for such an extended period, something of significant interest must have captured her attention.
Wu Rui felt a pang of curiosity, though he knew he could only indulge it to a certain extent.
After all, it was someone else’s business, and he felt it would be rather impolite to pry or inquire solely out of curiosity.
‘Hmm… my own gaze is probably a bit impolite too…’
He belatedly withdrew his gaze, just as Zhong Tian turned her head, shifting her attention to the lesson schedule on the blackboard.
“History…”
He muttered to himself, tilting his head as he retrieved his history textbook from the neatly stacked books on his desk.
‘I should buy a book stand tonight. It would make finding books easier without tilting my head, and it would look much neater.’
The class bell rang, and the history teacher entered the classroom right on time, commencing the second lesson of the afternoon.
****
Writer’s block had struck…
Yu Yinlian, who had managed to stockpile six or seven chapters in one go, now paused, staring blankly at her computer screen.
The opening plot was complete, but she wrestled with how to develop the subsequent events, struggling to conceive a suitable point for the narrative to progress.
‘Writing… it’s so difficult…’
She raised a hand to lightly thump her head, wondering if her brain felt sluggish because she hadn’t been eating properly lately.
‘Time for a break.’
‘When in doubt, sleep on it!’ she thought, recalling a popular meme.
‘Perhaps a good sleep will bring inspiration!’
With that thought, she set an alarm on her phone and returned to bed, drifting off to sleep.
****
As the afternoon classes concluded, during the break before the final self-study period, Li Jianren left his classroom and waited downstairs by the school building.
Bai Ruijin did not keep him waiting long; she descended the stairs and took her place beside Li Jianren.
“Oh, you’re here.”
“Mm.”
“Alright! Let’s go!”
Li Jianren, with his usual inexplicable high spirits, cheerfully led Bai Ruijin towards the Literature Club, chanting a rallying cry.
****
“You two are the earliest ones here, it seems.”
Upon their arrival at the Literature Club, the Literature Club President, who had been waiting in the activity room, set down her book and smiled at them.
“My goodness, someone’s actually reading in the Literature Club… Oh, it’s just the President. Never mind, then.”
“I know the books here in our Literature Club aren’t to most members’ tastes, but you don’t have to be so sarcastic, Li Jianren.”
“No, no, just kidding,” Li Jianren said, picking a chair and rocking it back and forth. “Besides, I genuinely enjoy the books the President has collected here.”
“Me too,” Bai Ruijin echoed.
“Leaving Bai Ruijin aside for a moment, have *you* actually read any of the books I’ve kept here?” The President swept her long hair over the back of her chair, then leaned back, adding, “I don’t recall ever seeing you with a book.”
“That’s because you weren’t around at the time,” Li Jianren retorted.
“Alright, then I’ll just *assume* you’ve read them.”
“What do you mean, *assume* I’ve read them? I clearly *have*!”
Li Jianren continued to rock his chair, the amplitude growing so wide that Bai Ruijin, watching from the side, felt a flicker of alarm.
“Oh, right, President. Our Literature Club has to help out with the inter-school sports event again this year, just like last time.”
“Indeed. Since we’re half-department, half-club, we have to take on school affairs.”
“Ugh, the main thing is, a literature club like ours has to set up the venue alongside the work-study department. It’s like we’re abandoning our pens for swords, transforming into Taisugi High’s elite task force!”
“Haha, just think of it as physical exercise.”
“Once I’ve trained for these three years, I’ll immediately go film *Superman 2*—Ah—!”
“Whoa—!”
Thud!
Li Jianren, rocking his chair, finally tilted too far, and amidst his and Bai Ruijin’s startled cries, he toppled straight backward with the chair.
Just then, the other members of the Literature Club walked into the activity room.
“…”
“…”
“Hello, everyone.”
“Hey! At least get up before you greet us!”
****
You think this chapter was thrilling? Wait until you read After Running Away, the Sadistic Heroines All Went Crazy! Click here to discover the next big twist!
Read : After Running Away, the Sadistic Heroines All Went Crazy
