044

When the second semester of high school started, the weather gradually became less hot.

Lu Zhou was still sitting behind Jiang Huali. Although He Yuqing was also assigned to the same class as her, their seats were practically worlds apart.

Jiang Huali's new deskmate is Wen Ruolin, a girl with round eyes and a shallow dimple at the corner of her lips when she smiles.

After the evening test, the class representative should have been collecting the test papers, but she happened to be sitting at the desk in front of Jiang Huali and had an upset stomach. She rushed to the restroom and asked Jiang Huali to collect the papers for her.

Jiang Huali collected the papers one group at a time. When she got to the last group, the group leader happened to be He Yuqing. She stood by He Yuqing's desk, waiting for him to hand her the test papers.

He Yuqing tidied up the test papers on the table, stacking them neatly one by one, before handing them to Jiang Huali.

As the exam papers were being handed over, their hands touched inadvertently. He Yuqing lowered her eyelashes, withdrew her hand, and placed it on the table.

When Jiang Huali took the test paper to the office to hand it in to the teacher, he picked up his pen again and started working on the workbook he hadn't finished.

For some reason, the questions that I used to be able to answer with ease now seem like gibberish to me, and I can't understand a single word of them.

Jiang Huali handed the test paper to her math teacher. Just as the math teacher saw her, he remembered something and kept her behind to talk about the math competition.

"The spots for this math competition are allocated based on the rankings of the entrance exams. You've probably heard some of that by now, right?"

Jiang Huali nodded.

The math teacher adjusted his glasses and continued, "You and He Yuqing got first and second place in math this time. Take these problems home and do them. We teachers will also find time to give you extra lessons. If you don't understand anything, just come and ask us."

"Okay, thank you, teacher."

Jiang Huali took the two workbooks back to the classroom and gave them to He Yuqing during the break.

After delivering the materials, Jiang Huali was about to return to her seat when He Yuqing suddenly stopped her, "You don't need to tutor An'an this weekend, she's going to her grandfather's house."

Jiang Huali was indeed unaware of this news. He Shuyuan hadn't told her, but she figured it would be more convenient to talk to her face-to-face since He Yuqing happened to be in the same class as her.

"Okay, I understand."

After speaking, Jiang Huali stood there for a while, and when she saw that He Yuqing had nothing more to say, she returned to her seat.

He Yuqing unconsciously twirled the pen in his hand, recalling how he and He Shuyuan had taken the initiative to inform Jiang Huali when they learned yesterday that He An was going back to his uncle's place for the weekend.

He Yuqing was still lost in thought when the boy in front of him asked to borrow his workbook and notes, which he handed over to him.

The person in front of him bowed and said, "I am deeply grateful for your life-saving grace."

As I happily turned around with He Yuqing's workbook and notes, the student in front of me was still thinking about how easy He Yuqing was to talk to today, and how he seemed to be in a good mood.

In short, his homework is saved.

That's wonderful, that's wonderful.

During evening self-study, Jiang Huali was still working on the last big question on a math test paper, almost finished.

She remained seated, calculating the final step, until everyone in the classroom had left before putting down her pen.

After packing her schoolbag and leaving the classroom, she walked down the stairs and saw a person by the bushes at the bottom of the stairs.

It's He Yuqing.

Somewhat surprised that he hadn't left yet, Jiang Huali walked over, and He Yuqing was looking up when their eyes met for a moment.

Jiang Huali spoke first: "Why are you still here?"

He Yuqing walked towards her, his tall figure looking exceptionally handsome in the moonlight, like a pine tree.

"Lu Zhou has something to do and asked me to wait for him here."

"Where is he?"

Jiang Huali looked around.

He Yuqing pursed his lips. "He's probably been out gallivanting somewhere. Are you going home?"

“Yes.” Jiang Huali nodded.

"Let's go together then," He Yuqing said.

The two walked side by side until they left the school gate. Jiang Huali headed towards the bus stop, only to find He Yuqing still following beside her.

Jiang Huali's tone carried a hint of uncertainty: "You're taking the bus too?"

There are late-night buses in the city, but Jiang Huali missed her usual bus because she was doing homework in the classroom. She had no choice but to wait for the next bus.

He Yuqing stood beside her, looking at their shadows under the streetlights. There was a slight gap between the two shadows. He stepped back a little and stood behind Jiang Huali's left shoulder.

At this moment, the two shadows, under the lamplight, seemed to be leaning closely together.

He said, "I'm waiting here for my family's driver."

Jiang Huali thought that his family's driver seemed a bit unreliable, as he didn't come to pick up the employer's child from school on time.

Neither of them spoke.

The surroundings were not quiet; cars occasionally drove by on the road in front of them, their roars echoing past.

Jiang Huali was somewhat lost in thought. She was thinking about the last big problem she had just solved that night. It seemed that the steps could be simplified a bit. She would take another look at it tomorrow.

He Yuqing stood quietly to her left and behind. He lowered his head slightly and could see her calm profile.

It was as if, in another distant time and space, he had once looked at her so quietly.

When the bus arrived at the stop, Jiang Huali waved to He Yuqing, "Then I'll be going now."

She hesitated for a moment, then said, "If your driver hasn't arrived yet, why don't you give him a call?"

He Yuqing smiled and waved in response, "Okay."

He lowered his hand, and as he watched Jiang Huali about to board the bus, he suddenly spoke again: "See you tomorrow."

Jiang Huali turned around and smiled at him, "See you tomorrow."

Only after the bus disappeared from sight did He Yuqing turn around and walk in the other direction.

On the other side of the school gate, the He family driver saw He Yuqing walking over from the other side and felt a little puzzled.

Why is the young master so late tonight, and it seems he didn't even come from the school gate?

But this was the employer's business, and the driver, aware of his position, didn't ask too many questions, only thinking about it briefly in his mind.

"Let's go."

He Yuqing said to the driver.

"Okay, sure."

The car slowly started and drove into the night.

Meanwhile, at the school, downstairs in the teaching building.

Lu Zhou, who arrived late after using the restroom due to diarrhea, looked at the empty campus and fell into deep thought.

You promised to wait for me?!

He knew He Yuqing was lying to him!

-

With the autumn air crisp and clear, the school organized an autumn outing for its students.

It was called an autumn outing, but it was actually a picnic in a lakeside park in the city.

The lake park, as its name suggests, is located in the middle of a lake, surrounded by clear water. When the wind blows, the surface of the lake ripples.

Jiang Huali sat on the lawn with a picnic blanket spread out in front of her, covered with some desserts and other food. Wen Ruolin sat beside her, feeling the autumn breeze on their faces, and closed his eyes comfortably.

The students in the class sat scattered in designated areas, in twos and threes. Perhaps because the surrounding scenery was nice and the air was fresh, everyone's face was filled with relaxed smiles.

Jiang Huali stood up and said to Wen Ruolin, "I'm going to take a look by the lake."

"Go ahead, go ahead."

There are fish in the lake, and many students are enjoying the scenery by the lake. Jiang Huali is not out of place among them.

She stood by the lake, enjoying the lake breeze and watching the fish playing in the water.

Suddenly, she heard arguing behind her. Just as she was about to turn around, a heavy object suddenly hit her from behind, and in a flash, she was knocked into the lake.

The surrounding sounds suddenly became noisy, but Jiang Huali could no longer hear them.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of which bastard pushed her into the lake, and how she couldn't swim!

etc?

Body memory reacts faster than the brain, and by the time Jiang Huali came to her senses, she was floating perfectly on the lake.

In contrast, a pig-like scream came from not far away: "Help! I can't swim!"

The sound lasted for a moment, then quickly sank into the water.

The people on the shore were in complete chaos. Some ran to call for the teacher, while others found ropes and threw them into the water.

Jiang Huali noticed that a gloomy-faced person was standing on the shore. While the other students around him were more or less panicked, he was just staring darkly in the direction of another person who had fallen into the water, his eyes filled with hatred.

Jiang Huali shook her head and swam towards another person who had fallen into the water.

This person, um... seems to be Lu Zhou?

Lu Zhou's body was mostly submerged in the water. As soon as Jiang Huali approached him, he grabbed her arm tightly.

Jiang Huali was nearly thrown into the water by his splashing, but fortunately she was quite strong and had suddenly developed swimming skills, so she managed to stay afloat safely.

Lu Zhou wasn't so lucky. Jiang Huali tried to pull him towards the shore, but he struggled too much, and she had no choice but to pull him up from time to time to prevent him from sinking completely into the water.

As they struggled, the two drifted further and further away from the shore.

Just as Lu Zhou was about to drown, there was another "splash" sound from the lake, and someone jumped into the lake.

With a cold expression, He Yuqing, wearing a life jacket, swam towards Jiang Huali and the others.

Two life jackets were thrown down from the shore. Jiang Huali put one on herself first, then shouted to Lu Zhou, who was already somewhat delirious, "Put it on quickly!"

Seeing that Lu Zhou still didn't react, Jiang Huali grabbed his arm.

At this moment, He Yuqing also swam to the two of them. He and Jiang Huali put life jackets on Lu Zhou, and after Lu Zhou put on the life jacket, he finally managed to float on the surface of the water.

It's just that the person doesn't seem to be doing very well.

Park rescuers also arrived at the shore and rescued them.

Lu Zhou stayed in the water for a while, and due to the drowning, he was taken away by ambulance after receiving on-site first aid.

Jiang Huali sat on the ground, soaked to the bone. The teacher went to the hospital with the ambulance, and several classmates surrounded her, asking about her condition.

He Yuqing frowned and said to the students who had formed a circle, "Make way, don't get so close."

He held a dry, clean towel in his hand, knelt on one knee next to Jiang Huali, and handed the towel to her so that she could wipe the water off her body.

Although Jiang Huali did not drown when she fell into the water, she stayed in the water for a while and was grabbed several times by Lu Zhou during his struggle, which exhausted her strength.

She slowly dried herself off, still somewhat dazed.

She can't swim.

She was certain of this.

Can a person learn to swim in an instant?

She had some doubts about herself.

A sigh suddenly came from beside her, and a hand gently took the towel from her hand.

"I'll do it."

After wiping the water off her hair and face and drinking some glucose to replenish her energy, Jiang Huali took the change of clothes that He Yuqing had given her and went to the park staff's rest room to change.

Jiang Huali then realized that Lu Zhou had fallen into the water because he had been pushed by the gloomy man on the shore.

Just like the plot of a melodramatic novel, the gloomy man's name is Lu Xuan, and he is the son of Lu Zhou's father and his lover.

That is, an illegitimate child.

The two are even the same age, so you can imagine what a terrible father Lu Zhou's father was.

The two got into an argument on the shore, and Lu Xuan accidentally pushed Lu Zhou into the water, which also happened to bump into Jiang Huali, who was watching the fish on the shore at the time.

All of this can hardly be considered a coincidence.

Jiang Huali once again marveled at the powerful influence of the original novel's plot.

When she changed her clothes and went outside, He Yuqing was standing under an autumn maple tree waiting for her.

After seeing that Jiang Huali had changed her clothes, he said, "Shall I have my driver take you home?"

The clothes were prepared by someone at the last minute, and the size was a little too big; they were too loose for Jiang Huali.

She is too thin.

The original owner was too poor and had always been malnourished.

Jiang Huali came to this world to complete a mission. Although she used her own body, the data was completely simulated from the original owner's.

Today's autumn outing was naturally interrupted by this sudden farce. The other students had already boarded the school bus and returned to school. Because Jiang Huali fell into the water, the teacher granted her leave and told her to go home and rest first.

He Yuqing offered to take Jiang Huali home, and she naturally didn't refuse, saving her the trouble of taking a taxi home herself.

"Okay, thank you for your help."

Jiang Huali nodded.

He Yuqing looked into her eyes, his voice carrying an indescribable emotion, "No need to be so polite."

"Let's go."

Jiang Huali was somewhat absent-minded the whole way, still thinking about why she could swim.

The system was also frightened when she fell into the water, but it was relieved after seeing that Jiang Huali was not in any danger.

Jiang Huali felt inexplicably concerned, as she recalled the previous mission world.

The dream she had in the last instance.

Why would she have such a dream?

She later asked Qi Man, and they said that their dreams were all related to their past, except for hers.

After that, she subconsciously ignored the matter.

Her past? Her past...

Jiang Huali suddenly felt a little lost. She realized that she couldn't remember anything about her life before she became an employee of the Time and Space Bureau.