Huo Guining glanced at her phone. The message she had sent to Huo Xiaozheng showed as read but unanswered.
Feeling somewhat reassured, she asked about the direction Zeng Zhilin had gone and rushed out with her phone in hand.
It was lunchtime, so there weren't many people wandering around campus.
Huo Guining went straight to the security office.
"Uncle, I lost my watch but haven't been able to find it. Could I check the security cameras?" Huo Guining told a white lie.
The kindly security guard, seeing Huo Guining's innocent face, immediately agreed.
"Do you remember roughly when and where you might have lost it?" he asked.
Huo Guining thought for a moment. "Probably after lunch. My classmate and I went to buy something at the school gate, then walked around campus for a bit..."
This implied she wanted to check the footage from various parts of the school during the entire lunch period.
The security guard hesitated, realizing it would be quite a lot of work.
"I can look through it myself, you don't need to trouble yourself," Huo Guining quickly offered, noticing the guard's concern.
The security guard's furrowed brow relaxed. "Alright then. First, click here. I've already set the time for you. You can drag the progress bar, and then... that's it."
He briefly explained to Huo Guining how to view the surveillance footage.
Huo Guining nodded, indicating she understood.
"Thank you, uncle."
With that, Huo Guining sat down at the computer and focused intently on examining the footage.
The playground - nothing. The garden - nothing. The small supermarket - nothing. In front of the teaching building... also nothing.
Huo Guining's brow furrowed more and more. She even began to doubt if her guess was correct.
Maybe Zeng Zhilin had just gone to the bathroom.
Once this possibility occurred to her, Huo Guining's whole body relaxed.
Her tight grip on the mouse loosened as she clicked through the remaining locations.
As the mouse passed over the alley behind the teaching building, Zeng Zhilin's face flashed by, disappearing into the alley.
Huo Guining's nerves tightened. She pointed at the alley and asked the security guard, "Uncle, where is this?"
The security guard put on his reading glasses and squinted at the screen for a moment. "Oh, that's the alley behind the middle school building. You kids often sneak out there because the wall is low."
Realizing what he'd said, the guard looked at her suspiciously. "You're not..."
Sensing that the guard was worried she might be one of the wall-jumpers, Huo Guining waved her hands frantically. "No, no, I'm not!"
She quickly stood up. "Thank you, uncle. I'll go back and check my backpack again."
The security guard nodded. "Keys are so small, you can't really see them clearly on the cameras anyway..."
Seeing that the guard had also realized the flimsiness of her lie, Huo Guining ran off, shouting her thanks as she went.
Huo Guining arrived at the small alley, which was empty.
She eyed the height of the wall, rolling up her sleeves in preparation.
Just as she was about to jump, a sudden noise interrupted her.
"Huo Guining, what are you doing?"
Huo Guining whirled around.
It was Fan Xingzhou.
Huo Guining replied frankly, "I'm climbing the wall."
Fan Xingzhou was taken aback by her directness. "I can see you're planning to climb the wall. I mean, what are you planning to do after you climb it?"
Although Fan Xingzhou was part of Zeng Zhilin's story, Huo Guining still didn't want to say much. She simply said, "That's none of your business."
With that, she prepared to leap towards the top of the wall again.
Fan Xingzhou, looking exasperated, quickly grabbed her arm. "It's very high on the other side. You'll hurt yourself when you come down. If you just want to leave school, there are many ways to do it."
Huo Guining turned her head, surprise in her voice. "How did you know?"
Fan Xingzhou avoided answering. "So, do you want to go find Zeng Zhilin?"
Huo Guining glanced at her watch. There was only half an hour left before class.
"I'm going, and you shouldn't get involved."
Huo Guining rolled down her sleeves and started walking away.
After a few steps, she turned back and asked, "You seem to know Zeng Zhilin quite well. Do you know where she's gone?"
Fan Xingzhou pressed his lips together. "No."
His answer was so brief that Huo Guining couldn't tell which part of her question he was denying.
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Huo Guining didn't press the issue. She turned and walked away decisively.
Fan Xingzhou followed a few steps behind.
"What are you doing?" Huo Guining asked, surprised.
Fan Xingzhou countered, "If I don't come, do you know what excuse to use to leave school?"
Huo Guining pondered for a moment. She usually followed the rules and indeed lacked experience in skipping class.
"I'll call my family to come pick me up."
Fan Xingzhou replied, "By the time your family arrives, Zeng Zhilin will..."
Huo Guining waved her hand confidently, not bothering to explain further.
When Fan Xingzhou accompanied Huo Guining to the school gate and saw the young man standing next to a black luxury car outside, he was stunned.
The man was tall with long legs, wearing a well-tailored suit. His features were delicate, but there was an intimidating aura about his brow and eyes that made Fan Xingzhou unable to look directly at him.
Huo Guining happily waved at the man.
The previously stern-faced man broke into an extremely doting smile, his intimidating aura instantly vanishing, transforming him into a graceful young gentleman.
Huo Guining turned and said, "My family is here. You can go now."
With that, she walked towards the security office without a backward glance.
The security guard saw Huo Guining again and couldn't help but chuckle. "Little miss, still haven't found your keys?"
Huo Guining gave a shy smile. "No, my family has come to get me for something."
As she spoke, the young man also entered the security office. "Ning Ning."
Huo Guining happily called out, "Brother!"
The security guard asked Huo Yueze to sign something, and Huo Guining was easily able to leave school.
"Brother, how did you get here so quickly?" Huo Guining asked happily, linking arms with Huo Yueze, all traces of the aloofness she had shown with Fan Xingzhou gone.
"Uncle sent me a message. If I hadn't been held up by something at school, I would have been here earlier," Huo Yueze said casually. He then changed the subject, asking curiously:
"But you, do you really have to get involved in that girl's business?"
Huo Guining pouted. "When you come across this kind of thing, you have to help. It's not like I'm helpless."
Huo Yueze was surprised. "How are you not? Uncle is always going on about how we've been feeding you for so many years and you haven't gained an ounce."
As he spoke, he reached out and pinched her cheek. "Look, look, there's hardly any meat on your face."
Huo Guining swatted his hand away, displeased. "I'm not just talking about physical strength. I have you guys, don't I?"
"Besides, if you don't help and I don't help, what if something like this happened to me? Would you want people around me to stand by and do nothing?"
Huo Yueze replied, "With us around, you'll never encounter such a situation."
Huo Guining patiently explained, "It's just a metaphor, brother. Do you understand what a metaphor is?"
Huo Yueze's hand itched again, and he couldn't resist ruffling her hair.
Huo Guining dodged away with a yelp.
Amidst their banter, the two arrived at the street outside the wall.
It was a secluded area, the end point of a three-way intersection.
In the corner, Zeng Zhilin was surrounded by a group, her hair disheveled and her appearance disheveled.
