Teacher Li heard him say this and thought to himself that this child had no idea about Ji Nian's identity.
With his status, he would probably never know Ji Nian's background.
However, it was also an opportunity to gather some information.
"Teacher doesn't know either. Are you close to Ji Nian? If you're really worried, you can call and ask her."
Then it occurred to him that this seemingly struggling child might not even have a phone, so he kindly offered to lend him his own.
Perhaps he could use this child to find out more about the Ji Family.
Was there any connection between the leave of absence and the poisoning? Had they discovered him?
Just as he was about to hand over his phone, the child suddenly refused.
"No need, Teacher."
He lowered his head.
If Ji Nian was genuinely unwell, reaching out like this might disturb her. They weren't close, and such an unsolicited contact might annoy her.
"No need, Teacher. It might bother her."
Despite his young age, his face carried a depth and gloominess that didn't match his years.
Teacher Li: "..."
Kid, are you acting in a soap opera or something?
After bidding farewell to Teacher Li, He Xiang didn't return to the classroom. Instead, he went to find the Class Teacher.
"Teacher, have you asked for me?"
He was referring to the matter of writing a letter to his sponsor.
The Class Teacher had already inquired on his behalf. The sponsor had asked him to wait for a moment, then called back shortly after, agreeing to the request.
Upon learning that he could write the letter, He Xiang's lips curled slightly into a faint smile. Being young, he couldn't fully hide his emotions.
He took out the letter he had written the night before and handed it to the Class Teacher, asking him to deliver it on his behalf.
The stationery was the common kind found in small shops, but instead of a wax seal, he had glued together petals to form a flower on the envelope.
It was rare for a boy his age to have such patience.
Meanwhile, Ji Nian, who had no idea she was about to receive a letter from her classmate, was currently—
"He only said I couldn't go to school, not that I couldn't go out."
Ji Nian was in a staring contest with the bodyguard blocking the door.
The bodyguard was at a loss, silently wishing their chief would hurry up and arrive.
"Miss, I'm just following orders. Please wait a moment. Once the chief arrives, we can sort this out, alright?"
When Wei Yang finally arrived, clutching his bruised backside from being kicked, he saw Ji Nian dragging a small suitcase, a chicken-shaped pillow tucked under her other arm, and wearing a straw hat.
"Little ancestor, where are you going?"
He crouched down, thinking, Zhiliao!!!
Her neatly tied hair clearly indicated that someone had helped her get ready.
On the second-floor balcony, Zhiliao, who was busy maintaining her beloved firearms, wore a faint, teasing smile.
Downstairs, Ji Nian declared confidently, "I'm running away from home."
Wei Yang said he needed to consult the family head first.
He then turned around and called Ji Tingzhou.
Upon hearing that Ji Nian wanted to run away from home, Ji Tingzhou sneered, "Let her go. Who can control her anyway?"
Then he hung up.
Having overheard, Ji Nian lifted her chin and let out a huff.
As if she couldn't huff too. She could huff just as well.
"Hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph hmph."
Wei Yang: "Which toilet ran out of water?"
Ji Nian: "..."
Seeing Wei Yang wave his hand, signaling to step aside, the bodyguard who had initially blocked Ji Nian's path moved to the side.
Ji Nian walked away without looking back, pulling her suitcase behind her.
The bodyguard glanced at Wei Yang, who was still crouching, wondering if he wasn't going to follow her.
The next second, he heard a beep in his earpiece.
Wei Yang raised an eyebrow, his expression saying, 'Here we go.'
"Follow her."
Wei Yang mouthed mockingly, "Fo~ll~ow~ her~"
The bodyguard's eyelid twitched.
Ji Nian struggled to drag her suitcase under the scorching sun.
Wei Yang, following behind, couldn't help but feel sorry for her. The sun was blazing, and the heat must be unbearable. She was only wearing sandals, and the suitcase looked heavy. Could she even manage to pull it?
He couldn't resist muttering into his earpiece, "It's so hot out here. The sun could melt someone."
"This is the middle of nowhere. What if someone suddenly pops up and tries to kidnap her?"
"Ah, she almost tripped. That stupid rock is so annoying. Why does it have to be right in the middle of the path?"
"Her face is all red from the sun, and she's sweating so much..."
In reality, he couldn't even see her face, but that didn't stop Wei Yang from rambling.
Sure enough, the person on the other end of the earpiece snapped impatiently, "How much longer are you going to dawdle?"
Wei Yang nodded, "Alright, I'll pick up the pace."
With that, he ended the call unilaterally, pulled over to the side of the road, stepped out of the car, and in one swift motion, scooped Ji Nian up and into the car.
Mission accomplished.
Before Ji Nian could even react, she was already seated in the car.
"Where are we going!?"
Wei Yang sounded oddly excited as he turned to look at Ji Nian.
Ji Nian said she wanted to go to school.
Wei Yang didn't ask further, simply nodded and said okay, then stepped on the gas and drove her to school.
"What about your luggage? Are you taking it to school?"
Ji Nian nodded.
"Are you going home after school?"
The child said she was going to her uncle's place.
Wei Yang thought, 'Of course.'
"Alright."
Ji Nian finally got out of the car.
Her arrival was quite the spectacle.
Seeing Ji Nian, who had been absent all morning, show up dragging a suitcase, her classmates thought she had just returned from a trip.
Until her spicy snack-loving deskmate asked, "Ji Nian, where did you go?"
Ji Nian placed her suitcase by her desk, took off her hat, and replied calmly, "Nowhere."
"I'm running away from home."
The other kids: !!!
"Oh my gosh, won't your parents beat you up? Last time my dad confiscated my phone, I threatened to run away, and I got a double beating from both my parents."
Ji Nian's front-row classmate turned around, "When I said I was running away, my parents froze my bank account. I couldn't even leave, wuwuwu."
"Yeah, without money or an ID, and if you bring a nanny along, it's no different from just going out for fun."
"What does running away from home feel like?"
They all looked at Ji Nian with sparkling eyes.
Ji Nian: "..."
She was just running away from home. Was all this attention really necessary?
In the entire classroom, only He Xiang felt a sense of relief when he saw Ji Nian appear unharmed.
She wasn't sick.
Then he lowered his eyelashes, unable to suppress his concern.
Had she fought with her family?
If she was running away from home, where would she stay? What would she eat?
If Ji Nian had nowhere to go... she could come to his place.
In S City, they couldn't afford a decent place to live, so they had to share a house with others. He Xiang and his grandmother lived in a room shared with ten people. A curtain divided the space into separate areas.
Outside the classroom, Teacher Li, who had been eavesdropping, had a subtle thought:
So, it was a fight.
That meant the poison hadn't taken effect.
Why was that?
A flicker of confusion passed through his eyes. He had clearly seen Ji Nian drink the water.
If the poison hadn't worked and his actions hadn't been discovered, then perhaps he didn't need to retreat after all.
No... unless absolutely necessary, he couldn't retreat.
He had to succeed. He had worked so hard to secure this mission. He needed to achieve results to exchange for the antidote, or else his sister...
Thinking of this, the hesitation in his eyes faded.
The class bell rang, and he walked into the classroom. While teaching, he occasionally glanced at Ji Nian by the window.
The child's mind was clearly elsewhere, often lost in thought, her emerald-green eyes filled with sadness, like a little abandoned animal.
Teacher Li turned to erase the blackboard, a glint of calculation flashing in his eyes.
