Shi Li thought to herself, "The class monitor's father is a good man. I need to find a way to warn him."
Hearing Shi Li's thoughts, the class monitor felt relieved that his father probably hadn't done anything to betray the family, so he could try to save him. However, Shi Li had provided too little information earlier. He didn't know when, where, or why his father would be kidnapped. Even with foreknowledge of the impending disaster, it would be impossible to prevent it without more details.
He needed to extract more information from Shi Li.
The class monitor was grateful that Shi Li subjectively wanted to help his father and warn him about the upcoming event.
He was anxious to probe for more information, desperate to know how to avoid the tragedy. But reason told him not to act rashly. If he made Shi Li aware of anything, it could affect the entire class.
The class monitor was talking with other classmates when he heard Shi Li's inner thoughts. They exchanged glances.
One of them patted the monitor's shoulder, saying, "If you need any help from your brothers, just say the word. We won't hesitate."
The monitor nodded at them, "Don't worry. If I truly need help from you guys, I'll definitely speak up."
As he spoke, the monitor scanned the room for Shi Li, finally spotting her with two others at the long table laden with pastries.
Wei Yi was speaking quietly to Xue Xuejia, and Shi Li, thinking no one was watching her, grabbed a piece of cream cake from the table. She opened her mouth wide and stuffed the entire cake in at once.
Shi Li then nonchalantly wiped the cake crumbs from her hands. If it weren't for her stuffed cheeks, no one would have known she had just devoured a whole mousse cake in one bite.
But someone did see.
The class monitor had witnessed the entire scene.
A few others in the class who had heard Shi Li's thoughts were also searching for her and saw her gulping down the small cake.
The monitor, who had been tense with worry about his father's danger, found himself fighting back a smile.
Having located Shi Li, the monitor then scanned the room for his father.
His father was chatting with a friend in a corner, and it took some effort for the monitor to find him.
Before the monitor could decide how to extract information from Shi Li, his feet were already carrying him towards his father's location.
The monitor recognized the middle-aged man in a gray suit standing next to his father.
"Hello, Uncle Lu," he greeted.
Uncle Lu stopped chatting with his friend and turned to greet his friend's son.
"Oh, so you're classmates with the Gu family's daughter and the Xue family's daughter," he remarked.
"Yes, we're in the same class," the monitor replied.
"What a coincidence," the man in the gray suit smiled. "Your classmate just came over to apologize to your dad on behalf of her father."
The monitor's expression showed genuine surprise. His father rarely talked about business matters at home, especially those that might worry the family.
The monitor didn't know the full story, but from what Shi Li and Uncle Lu had said, it seemed that someone's father in the class had wronged his dad.
His instincts told him it must be related to Shi Li's group; otherwise, Shi Li wouldn't have thought that his father was having a streak of bad luck.
The monitor casually asked, "Oh? Which classmate was it?"
Before his father could answer, Uncle Lu spoke up, "The one I just mentioned, Old Xue's daughter. I don't know her name."
With the surname mentioned, the monitor knew it was Xue Xuejia.
He instinctively glanced in the direction where Shi Li's group was standing. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to use this as an excuse to approach Shi Li.
But he still needed to find a reason to leave his father and Uncle Lu.
"Did Mr. Xue do something? Is everything okay with your company, Dad?" he asked.
His father tried to appear calm in front of his son, "It's not a big deal. Adult matters, nothing for kids to worry about."
The monitor shrugged, "Well, if you won't tell me, I won't ask."
"Uncle Lu, please continue chatting with my dad. I'm going to find my classmates."
"Alright, go have fun with your classmates," Uncle Lu replied.
After saying goodbye to his father and Uncle Feng, the monitor headed towards Shi Li's group.
Uncle Feng in his gray suit, who had been about to continue his earlier conversation with his old friend after the nephew left, caught sight of the boy walking towards the Xue family's daughter.
He nudged his friend and gestured with his eyes to look diagonally behind them. With a somewhat lecherous grin, he said, "Is your son interested in that girl?"
He stroked his chin thoughtfully, "You and Old Xue were nearly at each other's throats earlier. You're not going to end up as in-laws in the future, are you?"
The monitor's father couldn't even imagine such a scenario. He glared at his old friend and stubbornly said, "My son wouldn't lose out in that deal. If Old Xue's daughter became my daughter-in-law, Xue would be the one to die of anger first."
While the monitor's father was saying that his son would be bringing home a pretty and sensible daughter-in-law, and that Mr. Xue should be the one getting upset, the very thought of becoming in-laws with that two-faced scoundrel Old Xue made him feel deeply uncomfortable.
The monitor's father dismissively said, "Children's affairs aren't necessarily what you think they are. We adults shouldn't overthink things; it's easy to taint the purity of children's friendships."
But what he was really thinking was that even if there was something between the two kids, it didn't mean they'd end up together.
"I'd rather my son stay single for life than become in-laws with that cunning bastard. Xue's daughter is a good girl, but I just can't stand Old Xue."
Under the watchful eyes of the two elders, the monitor walked directly towards Xue Xuejia's group.
The monitor's father's gaze grew increasingly despairing, while his friend's expression became more amused. Just as the monitor's father was about to lose all hope, he saw his son strike up a conversation with another girl.
The girl wasn't Old Xue's daughter, which was enough for the monitor's father.
In reality, the monitor had headed straight for Shi Li, and his conversation with her had nothing to do with romance as the two adults had assumed.
The monitor was purely concerned about his dear old dad.
The monitor's father instantly regained his spirits, "That rascal has good taste."
Uncle Lu beside him was bewildered. Hadn't he just said something about not tainting the purity of children's friendships? How did that suddenly turn into praising his son's taste in girls?
He thought to himself, "It seems the only one with a dirty mind here is you, you old coot."
The monitor, his mind fully occupied with how to save his father from his fate, was blissfully unaware that his lecherous old man was leading the charge in spying on him from the corner.
