Chapter 32: The Locker Room Rendezvous

“Damn it, if I’d known, I would’ve been a hero too.”

“Hehe, you’re right! Not only would we get praised, but we’d also catch Su Yao’s eye. How incredibly lucky that would be!”

“Ah, if only Su Yao treated me like that, how wonderful it would be!”

“I wish I could talk to Su Yao.”

After Su Yao handed the note to Lin Qing, she didn’t continue to tease him. Watching him shake his head, she immediately straightened her posture.

There were too many annoying flies buzzing around, completely extinguishing her desire to tease Lin Qing further.

It was always better when they were alone.

Everything would be more convenient then, and she wouldn’t have to hold back.

Fortunately, she wouldn’t have to wait long; she would soon meet Lin Qing in private.

Recalling the note she had passed, Su Yao’s smile grew even brighter. She then turned and settled into her seat, whispering with her deskmate.

The noisy self-study session, stirred by Su Yao’s return, now settled back into its previous calm.

Only after the gazes fixed on Lin Qing began to diminish did he finally lift the hand clutching the note.

Carefully, he brought the note before him, swiftly unfolding the crumpled paper.

[Come find me in the locker room after school at noon.]

Reading the message on the note, Lin Qing was momentarily speechless. He immediately looked up, his gaze sweeping towards Su Yao.

Unfortunately, Su Yao was engrossed in conversation with her deskmate, paying no mind to anyone else.

Withdrawing his gaze, Lin Qing crumpled the note into a ball and slipped it into his pocket.

‘What did Su Yao want, meeting him alone?’

‘What new trick was she playing?’

Ever since encountering Su Yao, Lin Qing realized his questions had shown no signs of abating.

They surged forth relentlessly, impossible to stem.

‘Su Yao was a veritable enigma machine.’

Though Lin Qing yearned to pretend he hadn’t seen the note’s contents, to avoid falling into a trap Su Yao had undoubtedly laid.

Yet, a rare opportunity had presented itself—a chance for a face-to-face discussion with Su Yao.

This might allow him to unravel his confusion.

If he gave up now, who knew when another chance would arise?

Lin Qing felt it was crucial to understand Su Yao’s shifting dynamics.

This way, he could constantly adjust his stance and prepare for whatever offensive Su Yao might launch.

As long as he couldn’t escape Su Yao’s orbit, Lin Qing had to do everything in his power to prevent her from killing.

Once Su Yao grew tired of him, she could kill whomever she pleased.

Whether she ended up in prison or roamed free.

None of it would concern him.

Simply surviving and living a peaceful, ordinary life.

For Lin Qing, that was more than enough.

He asked for nothing more.

He coveted nothing beyond that.

Therefore, Lin Qing made his decision: he would keep the appointment.

He would confront Su Yao directly and discover her true intentions.

“Ding-dong-ding!”

Just as Lin Qing solidified his resolve, the bell signaling the end of class suddenly rang.

Since it was the final period, the class bell transformed into the dismissal bell, sending students who had endured a tedious self-study session bursting from the classroom like unbridled colts.

Shouts of exhilaration mingled with the sounds of joyous horseplay.

Some rushed home to play games, others to sleep; anything was preferable to staying at school.

Besides those eager to return home, there were also more leisurely students.

They slowly packed their bags, in no particular hurry to leave the classroom.

“Su Yao, are you going straight home? It would be terrible if Li Weiqiang and his cronies tried to get revenge and came after you. Let’s walk together!”

“Yes, let’s go together!”

“Li Weiqiang and his group are truly terrifying! Why does the school even have delinquents?”

Among the students who hadn’t immediately departed, several girls clustered around Su Yao, chattering anxiously and feigning concern for her safety.

Su Yao merely smiled, shaking her head to indicate she was fine.

“Don’t worry, my driver is already waiting at the school gate. I’ll be going now.”

Su Yao didn’t linger. After speaking, she rose from her seat and, with a seemingly casual glance, turned her head to look at Lin Qing.

The message in her eyes was unmistakable, almost as if she were beckoning him with a subtle flick of her finger, urging him to follow swiftly.

‘Don’t be late.’

However, Lin Qing paid no heed to Su Yao’s invitation.

He remained seated, tidying his belongings, intending to wait until most of the students had left before making his move.

Even with his ten-year blank period, Lin Qing’s grasp of basic common sense remained perfectly clear.

For instance, a girls’ locker room was not a place where a man could simply waltz in.

If Lin Qing were reported for entering the girls’ locker room, he would undoubtedly be branded a pervert for the rest of his school life.

A label he could never shake off.

This was precisely why Lin Qing had hesitated earlier, wondering if it was a deliberate trap set by Su Yao.

‘Did she wish to personally push him into an abyss, watching him plummet endlessly while she remained on the cliff’s edge, smiling?’

“Su Yao is such a show-off! If she doesn’t want to walk with us, she should just say so, instead of hinting around about her private driver!”

“Enough said, it’s bad luck.”

“We’ve spent a lot of time together. I once asked Su Yao to introduce me to some other people, but she kept making excuses… What, am I not good enough to be seen with her, even as her friend?”

“Alright, everyone, let’s just drop it and go home!”

However, the moment Su Yao left the classroom, the girls who had gathered around her dropped their facade, revealing their true colors with scowls and curses.

Utterly opportunistic.

Merely fair-weather friends.

As Lin Qing observed this, a sudden pang of pity for Su Yao stirred within him.

Though outwardly she seemed to lack nothing, in reality, she lacked everything…

Yet, considering Su Yao’s true nature and her sinister potential, symbolized by the ten white skulls, her interactions with these girls were merely another performance behind a mask.

A gentle, kind smile, juxtaposed with a wild, cold laugh.

A stark contrast.

These girls believed they had deceived Su Yao, but in truth, they were merely her pawns.

She used them as a pretense to appear normal in school, ensuring no one would suspect her.

In the end, it was truly hard to say who was more pathetic.

“What are you staring at? Never seen a woman before?!”

“My apologies, my apologies.”

Just as Lin Qing dispelled the burgeoning pity for Su Yao from his heart, a girl suddenly erupted in a furious tirade, followed by a chorus of apologies beside him.

Lin Qing couldn’t help but frown, finding Wang Fanran’s behavior increasingly peculiar.

While Wang Fanran had always been irritating, ever since his discharge from the hospital, Lin Qing noticed his deskmate had become even more inscrutable.

One thing was certain, however: Wang Fanran’s malice towards him had not diminished.

On the contrary, it had intensified.

Lin Qing had no desire to engage; he simply intended to ignore it.

Just as he always had.

With these thoughts, Lin Qing finally finished packing his bag, tucked it into the desk compartment, and then swiftly strode out of the classroom.

Wang Fanran, having just been berated by the girls, became a furtive shadow trailing behind.

As he followed Lin Qing, he immediately sent a message to Li Dong’s phone.

[Get ready.]