Chapter 113: The Stalking Squad

It was the final class on Saturday morning.

With only a few minutes remaining until dismissal, a buzz had already begun in the classroom, as many students discreetly packed their belongings and engaged in hushed conversations.

“Hey, are you heading straight home after school?”

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“Get online when you get back!”

“I know, I know.”

****

“Where are you planning to grab lunch?”

“Anywhere is fine, I suppose; I probably won’t make it home in time anyway…”

****

Zhong Tian remained silent—having no one beside him with whom to share whispers—and simply packed his books.

The last lesson was history, and everyone knew the history teacher was always in a greater hurry to leave than the students; at that moment, he was glancing at his watch periodically while lecturing.

In the final minute, having just concluded the lesson’s content, he deftly flicked the chalk into its box, wiped his hands with a cloth, and declared, “That concludes today’s class…”

As he spoke, he paused, then checked his watch.

“Class dismissed!”

No sooner had his voice rung out than the dismissal bell chimed, and Class 3 of the second year, indeed the entire school building, burst into a lively commotion.

Li Jianren, along with several classmates, as if on cue, dashed out of the classroom before the history teacher, startling him.

Su Linxi, having finished packing her things, stood at the back of the classroom, silently awaiting Zhong Tian.

“Um… Linxi, you should head home first,” Zhong Tian said, approaching her. “I have something to do this afternoon; I’m going out with friends…”

“…Could you tell me what it is?”

“Hmm… it’s a bit complicated to explain in detail…”

“Oh, what is it, what is it? Tell me, I want to hear!”

Beside them, Jiang Nanjin, her face alight with curiosity, suddenly popped up.

“It’s about… Ren.”

“About Ren?”

“Oh, right, I haven’t told you the full story yet…”

“Well, spill it then.”

“To put it simply, the situation is… Li Jianren is going on a date with a girl who likes him.”

“Whoa—” Stars seemed to sparkle in Jiang Nanjin’s eyes. “That’s quite the bombshell.”

“…Bombshell…?”

“How is that not a bombshell?” Jiang Nanjin’s spirits seemed incredibly high. “So what are you planning to do? Stalk and spy on them?”

“Please don’t phrase it so strangely…”

“Oh, oh! You absolutely must take me along!”

“Huh?”

“Zhong Tian…” Su Linxi tugged at Zhong Tian’s sleeve. “I want to go too.”

“Huh??”

Zhong Tian nearly dropped his composed persona.

He could somewhat understand Jiang Nanjin wanting to come, but what was up with Su Linxi?

‘Why were they both suddenly so nosy?’

“…Fine, just make sure you don’t get discovered then…”

“Yay!” Jiang Nanjin pulled out her phone. “I’ll ask Lin Yu if she’s free to come.”

“Hey, why are you recruiting more people?!”

“Hello? Lin Yu?” Jiang Nanjin dialed the number. “Long story short, Li Jianren’s going on a date. Wanna come stalk them?”

“I told you not to use such strange words!”

“Oh, you have extra classes this afternoon? That’s tough. Should I bring you some milk tea or snacks later?” Jiang Nanjin chuckled into the phone. “Alright, alright, we’ll talk later.”

She hung up and told Zhong Tian, “Lin Yu has extra classes, what a shame.”

“…”

“So, are there any other people?”

“And the friend of the girl he’s dating…”

“Don’t call her ‘that girl’,” Jiang Nanjin waved her hand. “Tell me her name.”

“She’s from the next class, named Bai Ruijin.”

“Oh, Xiao Bai, I know her.”

“You know her?”

“Yes, I do. Isn’t her best friend Zheng Qiao? The girl who’s even stronger than Long Tao,” Jiang Nanjin explained. “Zheng Qiao and Lin Han were middle school classmates; Lin Han told me herself.”

“Hmm…” Zhong Tian nodded. “The Zheng Qiao you mentioned is also joining our… operation.”

“Don’t make it so hard on yourself; just say ‘stalking’!”

“…”

“Let’s go then!”

“Don’t make it sound like a spring outing…”

****

Outside the school.

Bai Ruijin was waiting for Li Jianren at their agreed meeting spot.

Earlier that morning, Li Jianren had contacted her via WeChat, saying he needed to go back to the dorms to retrieve something.

She glanced back, but the bustling crowd made it impossible to spot Li Jianren.

‘I’m getting nervous…’

She took a deep breath, completely unaware that four people inside the school gates were secretly observing her through the railings.

“Why isn’t Li Jianren here yet? He ran pretty fast earlier, didn’t he? Why is he making the girl wait?”

“He probably went back to the dorms.”

Jiang Nanjin and Zhong Tian discussed this, while Zheng Qiao, standing nearby, wore a peculiar expression.

“Um, Zhong Tian… how did two more people join us…?”

“They…”

“We’re comrades who support Xiao Bai and Ren’s romance too, you know!” Jiang Nanjin bounced up behind Zheng Qiao and playfully squeezed her shoulders. “For such a big event like a date, we absolutely have to come and watch!”

“Uh… and you are?”

“My name is Jiang Nanjin, and I’m Zhong Tian’s friend,” Jiang Nanjin said with a smile. “You could also say I’m Xiao Bai’s friend.”

“Could also say? What does that mean…?”

“Alright! Stop asking! Any more questions would be rude!”

“Huh?”

“He’s here.”

Su Linxi, who had been silent throughout the conversation, suddenly spoke, drawing everyone’s attention.

Outside the school, Li Jianren had, at some point, made his way through the crowd and arrived beside Bai Ruijin.

“Here I am, here I am.”

Li Jianren was now wearing his rimless gold-framed glasses, and his hair seemed to have been styled, making him appear much tidier than usual, transforming him into a refreshingly handsome young man.

“Good morning… Jianren-kun…”

“It’s almost lunchtime, no need for ‘good morning’ anymore. Let’s go.”

Seeing the two depart, Jiang Nanjin exclaimed, “They’re off! Let’s quickly follow them!”

“Don’t be so loud…”

“What’s there to be afraid of? There are so many people at the entrance right now, and it’s so noisy. How could anyone possibly hear us?”

With that, Jiang Nanjin led the way, with the other three following behind, exiting the school gate with the crowd.

They deliberately kept a distance from the dating pair, and even made sure to walk in the shade of the trees; anyone unaware of their true intentions might have thought they were a brotherhood preparing to assassinate Li Jianren.

“Prepare to strike! Prepare to strike!”

‘Don’t actually get into character, hey!’

Because Zheng Qiao was present, Zhong Tian couldn’t openly retort to Jiang Nanjin’s words, so he could only suppress his thoughts, which felt rather uncomfortable.

“By the way, where are they going now?”

Jiang Nanjin turned back to ask.

“They’re planning to have lunch at a place called ‘Cat Paw Cafe’.”

“A cafe for lunch?”

“They do have some snacks, and while main dishes are fewer, it’s definitely enough to fill up,” Zheng Qiao, a regular, explained. “People mostly go there for the cats; eating is secondary.”

“Li Jianren… I recall he’s a dog person, isn’t he?”

“He is a dog person, but he likes cats too…”

“It’s just that the degree of his affection is different,” Jiang Nanjin nodded. “Got it.”

“So, Zhong Tian, are you a dog person or a cat person?”

‘Wait, how did the topic change so quickly?’

“A cat person,” Zhong Tian murmured, maintaining his aloof persona. “I’m not particularly fond of the smell of dogs…”

“I see. What about Qiaoqiao?”

‘How did you start calling me Qiaoqiao…?’

“Doesn’t it sound friendlier?”

“…I’m a cat person too.”

“And… Linxi?”

“…Cat.”

“Oh, oh—a world where only Li Jianren gets hurt is complete!”

“…”