chapter 78
Not far from the playground, the small convenience shop was quiet and empty.
As she approached, Gu Qingning immediately caught sight of that tall, refined figure.
Under the shade of a tree, the man was holding a phone to his ear, speaking with someone.
Whatever was being said on the other end made his brows knit lightly, the sharp line of his jaw tensing — making him look even harder to approach.
Suppressing the faint ripple in her heart, Gu Qingning walked toward Fu Juncheng.
“You’re here again?” Her voice was calm, tinged with a trace of helplessness.
Fu Juncheng’s lips curved. He hung up the call immediately, regardless of whoever was still talking on the other end.
When his gaze fell on the girl’s fair, delicate face, the coldness in his eyes softened.
“You didn’t go to the villa, so I had to come here instead.”
Gu Qingning crossed her arms, squinting slightly. “How did you even get in?”
The security guards at the school gate were notoriously strict, and they didn’t know who he was — there was no way they’d just let him in so easily.
Fu Juncheng raised an eyebrow, his voice low and magnetic. “Your homeroom teacher brought me in.”
Teacher Xu?
Gu Qingning froze. When she looked up and met his meaningful gaze, a far-fetched thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
“He’s one of your people?”
Fu Juncheng’s lips quirked, neither confirming nor denying.
Gu Qingning’s mouth twitched. “How many spies have you planted around me?”
Fu Juncheng stepped closer, chuckling softly. “Want to know?”
“…”
Gu Qingning turned her head away, pretending indifference. “Not really.”
Sometimes, knowing too many secrets wasn’t a good thing.
Fu Juncheng lowered his gaze, his voice rough and husky. “Something’s come up in the capital. I have to go back for a bit.”
“Oh.” Her tone was neither warm nor cold.
A flicker of resignation crossed his eyes. He reached out and flicked her forehead lightly.
Little heartless thing.
“You’re not even going to ask me how long I’ll be gone or when I’m leaving?”
Gu Qingning gave him a sidelong glance, replying flatly, “It’s not like you’re not coming back. What’s there to ask?”
She glanced around. “If there’s nothing else, I’m going back to class.”
As soon as she finished speaking, her wrist was seized by a firm grip.
Startled, Gu Qingning’s eyes widened. Before she could react, she was pulled into a warm embrace.
A faint, cool scent filled her nose — oddly comforting, even making her feel slightly drowsy.
Realizing this, Gu Qingning jolted awake. For a second, she wondered if she hadn’t been sleeping well lately and was imagining things.
She raised her hand, instinctively trying to push him away.
“My flight’s in an hour.” Fu Juncheng rested his chin on her shoulder, his arm locked tightly around her waist.
“I’ll be back in a week.”
For the first time, the aloof Master Fu was reporting his itinerary to someone.
Gu Qingning’s struggling hands froze, unsure of what to do.
“If anyone bullies you, tell me,” his low, magnetic voice continued, indulgent to the extreme. “Even if you get into a fight, it’s fine — just don’t get yourself hurt.”
“Try not to go to internet cafés too often. If someone from the Gu family gives you trouble, don’t hold it in. I’ll be your backer.”
His warm breath brushed against her cheek, making her mind short-circuit for a moment.
She distinctly remembered that he hadn’t been drinking at lunch — so what was this situation?
Since they were in a public place, and he didn’t want to cause her any embarrassment, Fu Juncheng reluctantly let go.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small peace talisman, placing it in her hand. “Here — keep this under your pillow. My grandmother says it helps with sleep.”
Gu Qingning blinked, slowly looking down at her palm. The faint scent of sandalwood drifted up from the charm.
When she looked up again, dazed, Fu Juncheng’s lips curved into a gentle smile. He ruffled her hair. “Your classmates are coming — I’ll get going.”
When Gu Qingning didn’t return for a long time, Chu Xu and Sun Qiaoqiao split up to look for her.
They eventually spotted her walking back from the direction of the shop.
Sun Qiaoqiao jogged up. “Qingning, didn’t you say you were going to the restroom? What are you doing here?”
Gu Qingning’s expression was unreadable. “Buying a bottle of water.”
Sun Qiaoqiao looked at her empty hands, puzzled. “Then… where’s the water?”
Gu Qingning glanced down at her own hands, momentarily distracted. “I got a phone call and forgot to buy it.”
Sun Qiaoqiao didn’t think much of it and believed her easily.
“Come on, I’ll go with you to get one.”
Gu Qingning nodded slightly. After a moment of thought, she asked in a rare, hesitant tone, “Qiaoqiao, why would someone suddenly hug another person out of nowhere?”
Sun Qiaoqiao smiled. “Maybe they wanted to cheer the person up — like encouragement. Whenever I bombed an exam, my brother would always give me a comforting hug.”
Then she suddenly realized something and stopped walking. “Wait, why are you asking that? Don’t tell me… someone hugged you?”
Gu Qingning’s eyes were calm. “I just saw it happen and was curious, that’s all.”
Maybe it was because she was about to attend the exchange conference — maybe he was just encouraging her?
Thinking her friend had simply seen a couple hugging somewhere, Sun Qiaoqiao didn’t press further.
After school, Gu Qingning went to the office.
It was a large room; many teachers were busy — some grading papers, others preparing lessons.
Except for Xu An, the odd one out.
Gu Qingning glanced at his computer screen and saw he was playing Fight the Landlord. The corner of her mouth twitched.
Xu An pulled a thick stack of test papers from his drawer — at least a few dozen.
“Qingning, take these home and go through them. Time’s tight — the more you practice, the better. Think of it as warming up early.”
Gu Qingning accepted them and stuffed them into her bag without looking. Casually, she asked, “Mr. Xu, besides the written test, what other events are there in the exchange competition?”
“There’s also a debate — it tests your speaking skills, in several foreign languages. The hardest part is when they throw real-world problems at you to solve.”
The people who made the questions always seemed to delight in being as tricky and difficult as possible.
“But this year,” Xu An added, “they’ve added a new category — fencing.”
Gu Qingning raised an eyebrow. Fencing?
Interesting.
Xu An quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry if you don’t know fencing. As long as you ace the other events, you’ll be fine.”
Gu Qingning didn’t respond, just nodded lightly.
The Tao Family Residence
Old Madam Tao was folding a quilt and shaking her head. “Ah Cheng barely stayed a few days, and now he’s gone again.”
Tao Qiuyue smiled as she placed his clothes back into the wardrobe. “This time he actually stayed quite a while.”
Usually, he left after a day or two — this time, he’d stayed much longer. It was unusual.
Old Madam Tao picked up a pillow and frowned. “Huh? Where’s the peace talisman that was under his pillow?”
Tao Qiuyue bent down to look at the floor. “Maybe it fell. I’ll check.”
After searching the area, she found nothing.
“It’s not on the floor either. Maybe the maid changed the sheets and misplaced it?”
Old Madam Tao shook her head. “Impossible. I’m the one who always cleans Ah Cheng’s room.”
“That talisman was something I personally went to get blessed for him — for peace and good sleep. It’d be a shame if it was lost.”
Because Ah Cheng didn’t like wearing such things, she had placed it under his pillow instead. It had been there for over ten years — its sudden disappearance felt ominous.
Tao Qiuyue said, “I’ll call him later to ask. Maybe he accidentally packed it with his luggage.”
