Chapter 12: Do Not Look at the Challenge

As the system's notification faded, Wen Nan fell into deep thought.

There were twenty-five minutes left before the first mission ended, which meant he needed to meet his final target—the aloof, cunning academic ace—within that time.

It shouldn’t be too difficult. After all, not long ago, his phone had been flooded with messages from various targets, and among them was one from the academic ace:

[Night Nine, tonight at nine, back door of the classroom, I’ll wait for you.]

Now, more than an hour had passed since their agreed meeting time. Unlike Little Pepper, whose barrage of messages relentlessly pressed him to keep his appointments, the academic ace had sent only that single message, then remained silent. Even though Wen Nan hadn’t replied, she neither inquired nor complained.

It seemed he had to go to the back door of the classroom to meet his final target.

But...

A troublesome issue remained—his maximum charm value was about to expire. If he went to the meeting with only four points of charm, Wen Nan wasn’t sure whether her attitude toward him would change.

Still, whatever happened, he had to go.

But before that... there were matters here he needed to settle.

...

...

School infirmary.

The school doctor finished tending to Wu Yuwei’s knee and left to attend to other duties, leaving Wu Yuwei sitting alone at the bedside, silently shedding tears.

Alone in the quiet room, the more she thought, the more aggrieved she felt. Tears streamed down endlessly, like broken pearls, impossible to stop.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when a figure slowly approached and sat beside her.

Recognizing the visitor, Wu Yuwei threw herself into their arms, tightly holding on as she poured out her feelings. “He... he actually... rejected me...”

The other raised their hand, gently stroking the back of Wu Yuwei’s head, speaking softly. “So he rejected you. You have plenty of admirers; losing him isn’t much.”

Wu Yuwei shook her head fiercely. “But I can’t accept it. This was my first confession. I even gave him my first kiss. Why didn’t he choose me? If he didn’t choose me, fine, but why pick Liu Qi? How could I lose to someone like Liu Qi? In what way am I inferior?”

The listener patiently waited for her to finish, then spoke with pointed clarity. “So you’re this heartbroken not because Night Nine doesn’t like you, but because you lost to Liu Qi?”

Wu Yuwei was stunned by the question. “I... I don’t know...” After thinking, she asked, “Is it wrong not to want to lose to Liu Qi?”

The other shook their head. “There’s nothing wrong with that. But it’s nothing to cry over.”

Saying this, they took out a bag of tissues and handed it to Wu Yuwei. “Enough, don’t cry. Sitting here wallowing in self-pity solves nothing. Tears are the epitaph of the weak and the useless. If you’re unwilling, find a way to fight again. Wasting time here won’t make Night Nine like you any more.”

Though the words stung, Wu Yuwei clenched the tissues, bit her lip, and truly stopped crying.

Satisfied, the visitor smiled, raising a hand to gently wipe the tears from Wu Yuwei’s eyes. “Be good. Rest a bit longer. I need to return to the classroom for something, but I’ll come right back for you.”

With that, the person stood and walked slowly toward the door.

Wu Yuwei watched the retreating figure, suddenly remembering something. “Did you find what you were looking for?”

The person turned, smiled, and nodded at her. “Yes, I found it.”

...

...

The moment the dark mist in the sky dispersed, Little Pepper, Qi Qi, and Aunt Mei all returned to their original forms.

Qi Qi hugged Aunt Mei’s neck tightly, nuzzling affectionately against her shoulder. “Auntie, what brings you to the school now?”

Lin Xue Mei reached up to ruffle her hair. “I was meeting clients near your school today. When I finished, it was still early, so I thought I’d drop by.”

She feigned annoyance as she complained, “I didn’t expect you and Night Nine to be so busy. I messaged both of you, but neither replied! I waited in the car for ages. If it weren’t for a helpful student with glasses who came to lead me in, I was about to head home.”

While Qi Qi and Lin Xue Mei chatted, Wen Nan remembered Little Pepper still standing in the corner. He turned, intending to say something to her, only to see her hurriedly leaving.

The fierce look she had when they met was gone without a trace.

Little Pepper bent to pick up the badminton racket from the ground, and with her long legs, fled the field as if afraid Wen Nan might chase after her.

‘I don’t bite... Is it necessary to act like a rabbit facing a hungry wolf?’

Wen Nan silently grumbled, shook his head helplessly, and turned toward Qi Qi and Aunt Mei.

As Wen Nan approached, Aunt Mei’s eyes curved with a smile, offering him some pastries. “Night Nine, I brought your favorite Snow Maidens. Take them to your dorm to eat?”

Wen Nan lowered his eyes, momentarily distracted.

Such white Snow Maidens—no, such round Snow Maidens—never mind...

In the end, Wen Nan looked down at his toes, stiffly replying, “Thank you, Aunt Mei.”

“Brother, why is your face red?” Qi Qi reached out to poke Wen Nan’s cheek, and he caught her finger, popping it into his mouth.

“Hey! Are you a dog? Auntie, he bit me! Please do something about my brother!”

Aunt Mei laughed, shaking her head at the playful squabble. She was used to their antics. Remembering something else, she glanced toward the corner, “Where’s that girl from earlier? Is she your classmate? Where did she go? Should we call her over to share some pastries?”

Qi Qi thought of the tall, beautiful girl from before and immediately pouted. “She’s not our classmate at all, not even from our school.”

“Is that so?” Aunt Mei looked meaningfully at Wen Nan. “I thought she was Night Nine’s new girlfriend.”

At that, Qi Qi jumped anxiously, wrapping her arm around Wen Nan and pulling him close. “My brother is mine. No one else can take him!”

Aunt Mei tapped Qi Qi’s forehead. “You silly child.” She then looked at the boy beside her, who was a head taller than herself, and asked gently, “Are you coming home this weekend when school’s out?”

At some point, Aunt Mei had begun to use the word “home” when speaking with Night Nine, instead of “my home” or “our home,” as if that home belonged to her, Qi Qi, and Night Nine all at once.

“No need to ask, of course I’m coming back!” Qi Qi answered before Wen Nan could.

Aunt Mei smiled at Qi Qi, but her gaze finally settled on the boy’s face, repeating her question, “Are you coming?”

Wen Nan nodded. “Yes.”

Aunt Mei’s eyes curved into a smile again. “Good. I’ll be waiting for you.”