The three-day Winter Sports Meet concluded quickly.
Zhu Yaya stood on the podium, wearing her medal and holding her certificate, her smile radiant. At the sports meet, she had not only won a medal but also received twenty thousand yuan and three years of lifespan. It was truly a bountiful harvest!
A few days after the sports meet, the temperature plummeted. During this time, getting up early was pure torture for Zhu Yaya.
She didn't want to go for morning runs! She didn't want to go stalk Xu Chun again!
But after thinking about the rewards for completing tasks, she wondered why she should fight against money like this? So, she resolutely crawled out of her warm bed.
"Good morning, Madam Boss, Brother Yan." Zhu Yaya, wrapped in a thick cotton-padded coat, greeted them listlessly.
Yan Heng wore a black fitted sweater, his jacket taken off to the side. This made his pale complexion, broad shoulders, and narrow waist even more pronounced, fueling Zhu Yaya's wild imagination.
She silently wondered what Yan Heng's abs would feel like to the touch? During that hug after the long-distance race at the sports meet, Zhu Yaya could tell he had abs.
"What's wrong?" Yan Heng's face was expressionless, but his eyes held concern. It was rare to see her so spiritless!
Zhu Yaya took a bitter, indignant bite of her steamed bun: "It's nothing. I just miss my warm bed a little."
A hint of a smile appeared in Yan Heng's narrow, long eyes.
However, Zhu Yaya noticed that Yan Heng seemed more exhausted than usual.
"Brother Yan, why are your dark circles so heavy?"
The smile in Yan Heng's eyes faded. He lowered his gaze slightly and said flatly, "It's nothing."
How could it be nothing! Zhu Yaya suspected Yan Heng had taken on another part-time job. Seeing that he was unwilling to talk about it and not wanting to hurt his pride, she didn't press the matter. She simply told him to get plenty of rest.
Yan Heng looked at her deeply, lowered his voice, and said, "Okay."
Then, Zhu Yaya saw Murong Beichen shamelessly pestering Xu Chun again. She sighed with great worry, put away the remaining bun—another breakfast she couldn't finish.
After several more days of stalking, the system notification remained silent, returning to its usual state.
On this day, during the last class in the afternoon, Zhu Yaya sat in her own classroom, glanced at the biting cold wind outside the window, and let out a deep sigh.
With winter temperatures dropping lower and the sky darkening earlier, she just wanted to return to her warm home and burrow into bed early. She didn't want to follow Xu Chun all the way to the West District and back to the South District in the gloomy, cold dusk. If there were constant monetary incentives, she might have endured it. But there weren't any right now!
Who knew what that darn system was thinking, making her unlock tasks herself.
For a moment, Zhu Yaya was filled with resentment.
After class ended, Zhu Yaya quickly packed her backpack as usual, intending to continue her routine of using Yan Heng as an excuse to stalk Xu Chun, and then once again witness the cringeworthy sight of Murong Beichen's oily attempts at flirting.
But the moment she left her seat, she was stopped by the class hygiene monitor—
"Minister Zhu, don't rush off. Today, you, Xu Baoying, and Gu Tao are on cleaning duty."
Was it her turn to clean so soon? Zhu Yaya hesitated but couldn't really refuse or make excuses, so she reluctantly agreed.
It seemed she couldn't stalk Xu Chun today. She silently prayed that Xu Chun would continue to ignore Murong Beichen and not develop feelings for him, just like the past few days.
Worried that Yan Heng might not see her and would look for her everywhere like before, she took out her phone. First, she sent a QQ message to Yan Heng, informing him that she had classroom cleaning duty today and that he shouldn't wait for her this afternoon. Concerned Yan Heng might not check QQ, she also sent the same message to Li Hao, asking Li Hao to remind Yan Heng. Only then did she put her phone away with peace of mind and start cleaning.
The hygiene monitor was a very serious and responsible girl. She stayed and supervised their cleaning until everything was spotless before letting them leave.
Gu Tao glanced at the trash bin, which was less than half full, and the darkening sky. He said to the three girls in front of him, "I'll take care of the trash. I'll go dump it! It's getting late. You should head home early. It might not be safe on the road if you're too late."
Zhu Yaya looked at him with approval in her eyes. This young man was quite good, with a bright future ahead!
Both Xu Baoying and the hygiene monitor lived in the East District, which was a different direction from Zhu Yaya. They went home together first.
Zhu Yaya was halfway down the stairs when she suddenly remembered she hadn't taken her fruit box left in her desk, so she turned back to get it.
By the time she retrieved her fruit box and walked out of the Diligence Building, the vast campus was empty, not a soul in sight. A biting cold wind suddenly swept through. There were a few evergreen trees on campus; shaken by the wind, their leaves rustled and swayed, making sounds.
Having watched too many ghost movies and read too many horror novels, Zhu Yaya hugged herself tightly, silently reciting the core socialist values in her mind.
As she passed by another old teaching building, she heard the faint sound of a girl calling for help.
"Hey, is anyone there? Someone, please help me!"
"Open the door! Is there anyone kind enough to open the door for me?"
...
Zhu Yaya froze. The color instantly drained from her face.
Such sounds in the darkening, deserted campus had the distinct flavor of a horror movie.
However, she recognized the voice.
This was her golden ticket to fortune and climbing the peak of life! It was Xu Chun, coming to deliver money and lifespan!
Xu Chun's cries reminded Zhu Yaya of a plot point from "The Domineering Him, The Pure Love."
During the sports meet, Murong Beichen's running alongside her and the scolding at the infirmary had infuriated the female antagonist, Shen Wandan. As the saying goes, a villainess who doesn't scheme isn't a proper villainess. So she hatched another plan, asking Xu Chun to stay after school for a "heart-to-heart" talk. After everyone had left and the campus was empty, Shen Wandan found a flimsy excuse to lure Xu Chun to an unfamiliar teaching building and trap her in an abandoned classroom. She also drew the male lead, Murong Beichen, away. Xu Chun didn't have her phone. Later, Murong Beichen still sensed something was wrong and came to rescue her.
This hero-saving-the-beauty incident stirred some ripples in Xu Chun's heart.
Afterwards, Shen Wandan perfectly extricated herself, not arousing any suspicion from Murong Beichen.
Of course, Zhu Yaya mentally put "perfect" in quotation marks.
"Congratulations on successfully unlocking the ninth task. Please proceed now to the first floor, third classroom on the left, of the Duxing Building at Scott High School. Lie in wait nearby, witness the scene of Murong Beichen rescuing Xu Chun, and successfully enjoy the show."
The Duxing Building was the old teaching building Zhu Yaya had just passed. Due to its somewhat dilapidated facilities, it was rarely used now.
Zhu Yaya rubbed her hands together excitedly. Her love for Grandpa Mao overcame the slight fear in her heart.
Her courage grew a bit. She walked towards the Duxing Building. She lightened her steps, tiptoed, and found the third classroom on the left. Through the door, she heard Xu Chun's voice, choked with sobs, calling out helplessly, "Is anyone there? Is anyone there? Please, someone help me!"
For some reason, a line now played in Zhu Yaya's mind, utterly out of place: "Go on, scream! Scream all you want! Even if you scream yourself hoarse, no one will come to save you!"
Zhu Yaya: Oh dear! She needed to correct her mindset. She was just a bystander here to watch the drama, not the villain.
