During lunch, the three remaining boys in the class volunteered to pick up takeout from the school gate.
Since everyone was looking forward to the juicy gossip during the noon break, lunch was kept simple that day. They all shared the same thought - just eat a little, as the main event was yet to come.
After finishing lunch together in the classroom, while other students were heading to the dormitory for their noon break, Shi Li didn't need to join them since she wasn't staying for the afternoon self-study session.
As it was approaching nap time and seeing that her classmates weren't leaving for the dormitory yet, Shi Li couldn't wait for them to leave before openly taking her planned walk in the grove.
So she glanced at her classmates sitting properly in the classroom, picked up her bag, and politely bid them farewell, "It's almost nap time, I won't disturb you anymore. I'm heading home now."
At that moment, the other students who had been seemingly absorbed in their books suddenly stood up, saying, "How can we let you go alone? It could be dangerous. Let us walk you out."
Shi Li was exasperated, "What danger could there be on campus? Our security guards aren't just for show."
She added, "It's almost nap time, no need to trouble yourselves. I'll be fine on my own."
Little Fatty immediately replied, "It's no trouble at all. We're heading to the dorm anyway, so walking you out is on our way."
Xue Xuejia also chimed in, "We just want to spend more time with you before you go."
Shi Li wouldn't have minded the company if she were actually leaving campus, and being escorted to the gate would have been perfectly normal.
The problem was that going home was just an excuse - her real destination was the grove.
But her classmates had already gathered around her, clearly determined to see her off.
Shi Li's mouth twitched slightly as she said, "Well, thank you then."
After leaving the teaching building, Shi Li clutched her stomach, "I think I ate too much at lunch. I'm feeling bloated, and I might get carsick if I take the ride home now. I'd like to walk around campus a bit to help digest, so I don't get sick later."
Shi Li put on quite an act, sending a voice message to her driver saying she had something to do and asking him to wait a while longer outside.
In reality, the driver wasn't even waiting outside the school.
He received her message with confusion, wondering what Shi Li was up to.
After sending the message, Shi Li turned to her classmates, "You should go for your nap now. I'm going to walk around school for a bit, so there's no need to escort me out."
The group exchanged glances, and Xue Xuejia, being the most articulate among them, quickly responded, "How strange - I also feel like I ate too much today. Let me join you for a digestive walk. We've been at this school for a year and a half but never really explored it properly. If not for this chance, we might never get to do it."
Soon after Xue Xuejia spoke, the others also claimed they had eaten too much and wanted to join the walk.
Shi Li frowned delicately, thinking to herself, [The food wasn't even good today, and I didn't see them eat much. How did they all end up with indigestion?]
The others felt slightly guilty, especially the student who had ordered the takeout. The restaurant had been recommended to her on an app, and she had passed on the recommendation, inadvertently leading everyone to a disappointing meal.
Even if some people ended up witnessing the drama with her, Shi Li could claim it was just a coincidence, but there was still a problem. "Don't you need to take your nap? We still have afternoon classes."
One of the students casually replied, "It's fine, missing one day's nap isn't a big deal. The class rules say no skipping classes, but they don't say anything about skipping naps."
Shi Li's puzzled gaze swept across everyone's faces, and she thought, [Might as well let them come along. Catching cheaters in the act is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity - you won't get another chance like this.]
She smiled, "Alright then, let's walk together to help digest."
The Class Teacher had grabbed a quick lunch and was standing by the office window, where he could see a group of colorfully dressed students walking into the distance.
He smiled, tossed his empty disposable coffee cup into the trash, and prepared to check on the noon break.
During the winter break, with students away on vacation, only security guards remained on campus.
Since students needed to attend regular classes, the Class Teacher had requested the principal to keep the dormitories open during the winter break.
The cafeteria could remain closed since students could order takeout or have family members bring them food.
But the dormitories needed to stay open for nap time, as it affected whether students could maintain full energy for afternoon studies.
Through the Class Teacher's communication with the school, security guards became the new dorm supervisors. It wasn't complicated - they just needed to open the doors at noon and close them after nap time.
It seemed simple enough.
But the security guards never expected that even such a simple task could lead to problems.
It all started when the Class Teacher wanted to check on the students during nap time. The security guard led him to the second-year class one boys' dormitory floor.
To their surprise, the dormitory was completely empty.
The Class Teacher asked concernedly if they had come to the wrong place, wondering where his students were.
At first, the security guard also thought they might have gone to the wrong place, but after checking the documents, these students were indeed supposed to be in this dormitory.
So where had all these students gone?
The Class Teacher anxiously asked, "Did you see them enter the dormitory today?"
"My students came to school today, and when I checked the classroom before coming here, it was empty. Where could they have gone? Have they been lost, kidnapped..."
His dear students (if they knew): *facepalm*
The Class Teacher was acting like a father who had lost his children, making the security guard break out in a cold sweat.
Offending parents was one thing, but these kids were only teenagers - nothing could happen to them.
At this point, the female security guard reported that the girls' dormitory for second-year class one was also completely empty.
This was becoming a serious problem.
Nothing else mattered now - they had to find the students.
There weren't many security guards on duty during the break. They gathered all available guards, leaving one to check the surveillance cameras while the rest spread out in a circle from the school to search for the children.
They would start by searching within the school grounds.
Shi Li and her group were unaware of the commotion their Class Teacher had stirred up. They were slowly walking toward the grove.
In her previous life, Shi Li had watched that video countless times, and the location had become a popular spot at Qianpu Middle School, with many alumni returning specifically to visit and take photos there.
Shi Li had also visited this place with Shi Qiuyu and Gao Yun, and she had a very clear memory of where everything had happened.
As they got closer to the spot, they seemed to hear certain indescribable sounds.
Just then, a group of security guards came running toward them in full force.
