Chapter 27 [VIP]

Tan Quelu noticed F2's hand landing on the back of her neck.

Xie Chenbi was like a venomous snake, with a low body temperature and a feeling of being entangled by a cold-blooded animal when their fingertips touched, making him as eerie as if possessed by a water ghost.

Tan Quelu immediately pulled herself out of his embrace, avoiding his touch.

The boy's face was filled with fear and panic. In the sunlight, you could clearly see that his long eyelashes were wet with tears and stuck to the corners of his eyes, like petals and leaves that had been battered by rain.

She is pure and beautiful.

Xie Chenbi was momentarily lost in thought for half a second without any apparent reason.

Like a venomous snake smelling a faint floral fragrance before it takes its meal.

He heard Tan Quelu choke back tears, saying, "President, I just took Zhong Wan to the hospital, but he suddenly collapsed without warning. I was terrified. What should I do? Will something happen to Awan...?"

Xie Chenbi was somewhat annoyed by the anxiety in Tan Quelu's tone at that moment.

He's only with Zhong Wan for his own sake, so why is he actually worried about her? Ha, what a pretentious act.

Xie Chenbi's voice was indifferent, and his tone was very calm: "So, instead of going to be with him, you came to find me."

The conversation turned to peacock green.

After a long pause, the boy stared awkwardly at the second button on his shirt, his voice soft: "I instinctively, subconsciously wanted to find you. I'm sorry, I don't know why..."

Xie Chenbi automatically completed the "why" for him—because Tan Quelu liked him, so he was the only one who could give Tan Quelu a sense of security.

A person's reaction in a state of extreme panic doesn't lie. Zhong Wan's unexpected fainting, yet Tan Quelu's immediate arrival at his aid, suggests that, subconsciously, the person he finds most reliable and dependable is Xie Chenbi.

Xie Chenbi gave Tan Quelu a deep look.

He opened the car door expressionlessly, tossed the car keys over, and said calmly, "Get in."

"The Zhong family will definitely come; you'd better go back to the hospital immediately."

......

Zhong Wan had no idea that Tan Quelu had simply abandoned her and run away.

He fell into a coma and even suffered cardiac arrest when he was rushed to the ICU. The nurses were terrified and immediately called Zhong Lin to report the incident.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhong's mother arrived at the hospital first, her face covered in tears.

She was wearing disheveled pajamas, clearly having not had time to change, and her delicate, fair face was filled with anxiety: "What happened! Ah Wan has always been healthy, how could something suddenly happen to her!"

The butler of the Zhong family manor in St. Weston stood at the door, bowing his head as he accepted the questioning from Mrs. Zhong.

He broke out in a cold sweat, even more puzzled than Mrs. Zhong, but dared not offer any explanation. He could only say, "I'm sorry, Madam, the young master's diet and sleep schedule are very regular. It's just that he's been experiencing sudden neck pain lately, but previous checkups didn't reveal any problems..."

"Then investigate again!" Mother Zhong's breathing was heavy with anger, her eyes brimming with tears. "Is it because we don't have enough equipment? Isn't Xie Chenbi from the Tashan Group? Borrow some from them!"

That's what I meant.

Even if the Zhong family is down on their luck, they wouldn't be so poor as to lack the equipment to examine Zhong Wan. They've had four or five different doctors in the past few days, all of whom are world-renowned experts. How could they possibly need to ask the Xie family for help?

Zhong Lin stood in the elevator, his expression somewhat cold.

The elevator doors opened, and he happened to overhear these vulgar remarks, but he couldn't bring himself to get angry in public.

Zhong Lin glanced at Xie Chenbi behind him and laughed, "Chenbi, your aunt is too impatient. You've made a fool of yourself in front of her."

“What kind of joke is that?” Xie Chenbi shook his head and said, “I’m actually a little envious of Awan.”

Zhong Lin patted Xie Chenbi on the shoulder.

As the group stepped out of the elevator, the old man turned around and solemnly glanced at Zhong's mother.

Mother Zhong shrank back instantly, her arrogant demeanor vanishing immediately.

Zhong Lin asked calmly, "How is A-Wan?"

The nurse quickly handed over a stack of reports: "Young Master suddenly fainted and his heart stopped beating, but he's fine now, just still unconscious. These are the scan reports from all the machines; nothing has been found so far."

No problems have been found so far.

Zhong Lin didn't look at the report, and said succinctly: "Get the hospital's surveillance footage."

There must be a cause and effect to a sudden coma. Moreover, Zhong Wan is very tough. She has known since childhood that no one cares about her when she is sick, so she will grit her teeth and endure it. But now she has fainted in public.

What exactly happened?

The words fell.

Xie Chenbi clearly heard Tan Quelu's breath catch in his throat, and he subconsciously leaned back against her.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the boy's face was also pale. Perhaps because he had never met the Zhong family before, the special admission student's inherent timidity was showing, and Zhong Lin's imposing presence had frightened him a bit; fear flickered in his beautiful eyes.

Xie Chenbi frowned.

The nurse pulled up the surveillance footage as instructed. The large corridor was silent, then the sounds of Zhong Wan and Tan Quelu arguing, slapping, fainting, and leaving in a panic could be heard.

No one spoke.

Even Zhong's mother stared in disbelief at the completely unfamiliar son in the surveillance footage. After a long while, she stammered, "This was generated by AI, wasn't it?"

How could Zhong Wan possibly be slapped and then lick her boots like a dog?

The system suddenly chuckled: "Actually, this is a case of the Trisolarans possessing a body!"

The real Zhong Wan, drained of her spinal fluid, is lying in the basement, looking at you with disappointment!

Neuropathy.

Tan Quelu had no idea what random things the system had learned online.

He lowered his eyes, facing everyone present with stubborn silence. Zhong Lin, Zhong's mother, the nurses... all eyes were on him, as if under cold X-rays, scrutinizing and assessing some new object.

The lights were bright, and the slender boy stood there, letting everyone look him over.

His innocent eyes were lowered, his eyelashes were fine, and his collar was old and faded. When he was silent, he exuded a sense of loneliness.

Zhong Lin withdrew his gaze, not taking such a young man seriously.

He didn't need to check to know that she was a special admission student. Zhong Lin knew St. Weston's system all too well. Whether he and Zhong Wan were deliberately trying to curry favor or were truly in love, it was all meaningless.

Meaning has always been in the hands of those in power.

Having confirmed that Zhong Wan was alright, Zhong Lin ignored the pale-faced Tan Quelu and quickly left. Xie Chenbi, as a junior member of the Xie family, was also required to accompany him downstairs.

The once bustling and crowded entrance to the ward was now empty except for Tan Quelu and Zhong's mother.

After entering the room and looking at her son, who was unconscious on the hospital bed, Zhong's mother came out and suddenly raised her hand to gently grasp Tan Quelu's fingertips.

Let's talk about Greenery.

It feels warm to the touch.

"Were you startled just now?" The woman looked at him, a smile appearing on her delicate face. "What's your name?"

"Talking about peacock green."

"Is it the 'green' of the green-backed tit?"

Tan Quelu nodded.

The woman nodded, glanced at the old but clean peacock green sneakers, and patted the back of his hand: "I know Awan's temper best. He has a high sense of self-esteem, a lot of anger, and is stubborn... You must have suffered a lot of grievances to have been able to get along with him for so long."

Tan Quelu shook her head: "I'm not wronged, Auntie."

"That's good."

Mother Zhong smiled with relief. After a while, she looked at Tan Quelu with pity, as if she were cruelly shattering Quelu's beautiful dream: "Good child...you don't know yet, do you? Awan is going to be married off after graduation."

Tan Quelu was taken aback.

Zhong's mother couldn't bear it any longer and unconsciously tightened her grip on his fingertips: "Don't be sad yet. I'll give you one million every month from now on, as long as you part ways with him amicably after graduation and don't bother him anymore, how about that?"

Mrs. Zhong said softly, "Grandpa's decision won't change. I know you truly love Awan, which is why you're as worried about his health as I am... Que Lu, I understand you."

—In the surveillance footage just now, Tan Quelu was so angry that Zhong Wan slapped him because he had concealed his medical examination from him. As a mother, Zhong's mother felt great sympathy for Quelu at that moment.

She truly understands him.

"It is Awan's good fortune to meet someone who truly loves him like you."

"Don't worry, I'll keep sending you money after graduation until you completely forget Awan and start a new life."

Zhong's mother did not give Tan Quelu a chance to refuse.

She pulled out a card, forcefully shoved it into Tan Quelu's hand, and left the hospital without looking back.

The moment the elevator doors closed, she saw the boy, who had remained silent all along, standing there, staring blankly at the bank card in his hand, his face pale.

His back view was sad and lonely.

Mother Zhong hardened her heart and thought with pity.

How pitiful.

Tan Quelu absolutely adores Awan.

......

[Host, yay! We've struck it rich again!!]

The system was mentally celebrating the new earnings with drums and gongs.

Tan Que put away the card in a good mood, without even glancing at Zhong Wan who was still unconscious, and turned to go downstairs and leave.

The saying "promotion brings wealth and the death of one's husband" is so true. Zhong Wancai fainted once, and Tan Quelu made a million. She'll also get monthly dividends from now on—it's incredibly lucrative.

The elevator arrives at the underground parking garage.

Tan Quelu, holding the card, leisurely got into the black G-Class amidst the cheerful humming of the system.

After Xie Chenbi dropped Zhong Lin off, he returned. Before he could go up to find him, he heard a familiar car horn behind him.

He turned his head and saw the familiar young man sitting in the passenger seat, smiling at him.

Why are you suddenly being so presumptuous?

Xie Chenbi didn't say anything. He got into the driver's seat, closed the door, and looked again. Only then did he notice that there were still faint tears in Tan Quelu's eyes.

He held a card in his hand, still smiling, his eyes moist and vacant.

After a long pause, Que Lu stared blankly at Xie Chenbi's shirt buttons and asked softly, "Did you know that Zhong Wan will be getting married after graduation?"

Xie Chenbi paused.

The carriage was silent.

After some time, Tan Quelu asked again, "So, will the president also get married after graduation?"

Xie Chenbi instantly understood what he really wanted to ask.

He never imagined that Tan Quelu was already so deeply in love with him.

She was so devastated by the mere mention of the possibility of a future marriage alliance that she looked utterly hopeless.

Compared to his sincerity, Xie Chenbi only treated Tan Quelu with malicious and shallow teasing and sadism.

After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, Que Lu lowered her eyes with a self-deprecating smile, blinked, and tears dripped onto the leather seat.

Xie Chenbi suddenly spoke, his dark, brooding eyes fixed on Que Lü, and said in a low, indifferent voice, "Compared to Zhong Wan, you care more about me?"

Tan Quelu was taken aback and looked at him abruptly, her panic in her eyes impossible to hide.

"...I don't know what you're talking about." Tan Quelu clutched the card tightly, as if her secret had been exposed, and hurriedly opened the door and got out of the car: "I have something to do, I'm leaving now!"

His slender figure disappeared at the garage door.

Xie Chenbi didn't speak, but reached out and touched the tear with his fingertips.

The black-haired boy lowered his eyes, and after a long while, tasted the tear.

The tip of my tongue felt both astringent and bitter.

...How pitiful, Tan Quelu.

She was so madly in love with him.

-

The first thing Tan Quelu did upon returning to St. Weston was to catch up on the latest episodes of "Fruit Warriors".

The system watched as he was shedding tears of bitterness in front of F2 one second, and then collapsed on the bed, intently watching Pineapple Snowstorm make her move the next, and felt completely torn apart.

It couldn't help but exclaim: "Host, you're amazing! Your acting is so professional! Do you guys in the Shoe Cult teach this kind of thing?"

"You flatter me." Tan Quelu said calmly, "You'll get it after watching more."

The temple housed many people, and certainly not just orphans like Tan Quelu. In fact, those with Tan Quelu's background were actually in the minority.

In a society governed by the rule of law, parents who want to take their children back must avoid increasingly dense surveillance cameras. When Tan Quelu was seven years old, he was taken in by the temple. By the time he was arrested, there were only a few dozen orphans in the entire temple.

The organization is largely composed of adults—gambling addicts whose families have been ruined, fugitives who have committed intentional assaults, women in unhappy marriages, and petty thieves...

It has all sorts of vices, all kinds of people, and all sorts of dramas.

Love, betrayal, arguments, breakdowns, beatings, bloodshed.

As long as the police aren't called in and money is regularly paid, the mothers and fathers don't care about any of that.

They told Tan Quelu that these were not devout enough believers, that they were too twisted, and that they would betray the temple sooner or later. At that time, Tan Quelu would have to meticulously record their torture to ensure that their genitals had been destroyed and their souls had gone to the divine realm.

If not all of them are dead, or if they manage to escape.

Tan Quelu is responsible for bringing the person back and handling the aftermath.

So the moment the sirens sounded, Tan Quelu was the first one thrown out to attract attention.

"Green Sparrow, those demons are coming. You will protect the merciful God, won't you?"

"Stop them! Mom and Dad need you to stop them. Aren't you scared?"

The mothers hugged him tightly, tears streaming down their faces, while the fathers silently helped him put on layer after layer of bulletproof vests. Tan Quelu looked up at them and answered earnestly, "I'm not afraid."

"I came in first place in all assessments."

"Traitors, I will eliminate them all."

"I will protect you, I will protect God."

"I will create an absolutely wonderful world."

“Good boy, good boy…” They wept, whispering sobs in his ear, “God will know, this is our family bond and ties—Green, go now.”

Go to hell.

"We'll be waiting for you at the new temple."

Tan Quelu thought for a moment and told the system, "Acting skills are an essential quality for believers."

[...] The system almost wants to call the police: [Host, let's watch "Fruit Ninja" for a while!]

The boy chuckled and continued watching the cartoon on his tablet intently. Sunlight streamed in, and the system, watching his obedient, downcast eyes, felt a pang of sadness for some reason.

The cell phone rang.

Wei Guan's name popped up.

Elm blinked and answered the phone: "What is it?"

"...Watching cartoons?" Wei Guan's voice was calm.

Tan Quelu nodded: "I'm watching Lu Xiaoguo confess to Hua Ruyi."

He looked at the tablet and suddenly asked, "Wei Guan, do you think Lu Xiaoguo's tears count as apple juice? If they get into a fight, wouldn't that be like squeezing juice out of each other's fruit?"

“.

Wei Guan didn't know who Lu Xiaoguo was, which touched upon one of his few blind spots in knowledge.

The young man paused for a rare moment, then humbly asked, "What is Lu Xiaoguo?"

"It's the green apple from 'Fruit Warriors'."

"Then let's call it apple juice."

Wei Guan immediately confirmed Que Lu's question and then asked him, "Would you like some apple juice? There's fresh apple juice in the villa. You can drink it after class tomorrow."

"I want some." Tan Quelu didn't feel cruel at all, and even made a request: "I want pineapple juice too. Pineapple blizzard is too mushy. I want to juice it."

"I'll listen to you." Wei Guan put down the documents and asked unhurriedly, "But what did Pineapple Snow do to you this time?"

"Hehe, there are many, let me tell you..."

A black extended limousine was parked in front of St. Weston.

Wei Guan sat in the back seat, his dark eyes handsome, chatting quietly with Que Lu about children's topics. From whether the villain's bite into sugarcane was truly sweet, to whether Pineapple Snowflakes truly loved Pear Blossom Poetry.

Under the bright sunshine, the red arrow that appeared on my retina every week kept jumping around, finally disappearing the moment the satellite arrived in St. Weston.

But Wei Guan did not leave.

His voice rang out continuously, occasionally punctuated by a few barely perceptible chuckles, deep and indifferent, even more gentle than the sunlight outside the car window.

The rear seats of the commercial vehicle are more spacious.

The assistants, heads bowed and folders in hand, remained silent, yet each saw horror in the other's eyes.

They were terrified by the boss's tone, which they had never heard before.

Today was another routine business trip for the Eden Group, lasting seven days. As usual, the assistants came to the Wei family home, handed over the data to the boss for approval in advance, and then headed to the airport together.

But who would have thought that the Wei family's driver would come to St. Weston first?

The usually decisive and business-like AI, Chief Wei, was actually having a long phone conversation. The man's fingertips hovered over the screen, looking completely absorbed in the conversation.

What a thunderous tone.

The assistants were so scared they felt like their hearts were about to burst.

Time passed second by second.

After Tan Quelu finally finished discussing the plot with Wei Guan, she remembered to ask, "Wei Guan, what did you call me about?"

"It's nothing," Wei Guan said. "I just wanted to let you know that the group has a project, so I'm away on a business trip today and won't be back until next week."

Tan Quelu said "Oh" and then asked, "So?"

"So, you'll have to go to the Wei family's house by yourself tomorrow." He can't pick you up and drop you off the whole time.

Tan Quelu didn't care: "Then go ahead, I'm not a child, I can go to class by myself."

Wei Guan nodded and said, "Aunt Chen will accompany you the whole time. Just tell the kitchen what you want to eat. They all know you, so don't be shy."

"Fine, I won't stand on ceremony with you."

Wei Guan thought about it and concluded that nothing should have been overlooked.

He was about to hang up the phone.

Tan Quelu suddenly spoke, her voice filled with suspicion and keen insight: "Wei Guan, where are you now?"

The man didn't answer: "What's wrong?"

Tan Quelu recalled what the system had said: the welfare NPC would randomly refresh the campus encounter once a week.

He blinked: "You're at the entrance to St. Weston, aren't you?"

Wei Guan stared at the sunlight streaming through the car window for a long while before finally humming in agreement: "Yes."

Elm Green slowly got up from the bed: "Then wait for me to come over."

"Lie back down." Wei Guan told him not to move: "The plane will be here in an hour. I'll come see you and leave right away."

Tan Quelu was dumbfounded: "You didn't see me either. And you're making me look really weird."

“…” Wei Guan almost laughed: “Very…”

"It's just...that kind of thing." Tan Quelu changed into an old mint green short-sleeved shirt, looked at herself in the mirror, and unconsciously drew out her voice: "Anyway, it means something really bad, haha!"

"It was my fault."

Wei Guan stood up, ignoring the glares of his assistants behind him, opened the car door, and walked to the roadside alone: ​​"Don't go so far. Go downstairs and wait for me in the lakeside forest for five minutes."

I have a gift for you.

The Huxin Forest is less than 20 meters from the back door of Wenhua Building. Although it is called Huxin Forest, there is no lake. It is planted with tall and dense fir trees. A set of steps leads down to a cool and humid place.

The wealthy young men disdained to come, and the specially admitted students had no time to wander around, so the place was deserted year-round and became a well-known quiet spot.

Tan Quelu didn't ask what the gift was, just said "oh" and hung up the phone.

He turned off the tablet, got out of bed, went to the bathroom to wash his face, and the cold water droplets soaked his black hair. When he looked up to dry it, he saw himself in the mirror.

The boy had porcelain-white cheeks, innocent eyes and brows, and a slight smile on his lips.

Tan Quelu blinked, touched the corner of her mouth, and asked, puzzled, "Why did I smile?"

System: [...Host, you should watch more educational videos.]

They have absolutely no common sense, it's so worrying!

Tan Quelu reached out in confusion, forcefully pulling down the corner of her lips with her fingertips.

He walked out of the dormitory, went downstairs, and strolled leisurely to the lakeside forest, where he waited for Wei Guan under a huge cedar tree.

The lakeside grove is actually quite large, and even if St. Weston looks down on its special admissions students, it wouldn't tarnish its own reputation. The trees here are very well maintained, with light green, dark green, and deep green foliage of different species growing luxuriantly, clustering together to completely block out the scorching sun.

Like a quiet, cool, green little universe.

When Tan Chuolu wore mint green, at first glance, he was the most vibrant color in the universe.

When Wei Guan entered the lakeside forest, he saw him looking up, staring at the leaves above him.

The boy almost blended into the greenery.

The air was filled with the fresh scent of plants. He didn't disturb him, just looked at his mint green coat.

Her hair was soft and fine, the split ends no longer frizzy. She had grown taller, her skin was whiter, like a sculpture made of jade porcelain. Above her slender, sharp wrists, her pure and delicate face was even more vibrant.

Daily recipes are indeed helpful.

Continue feeding.

Tan Quelu let him look at her for a while, then blinked and turned to ask, "How long are you going to look?"

"Did I offend you?" Wei Guan, with his handsome features, slowly descended the steps, his voice pleasant: "Then I apologize."

"...It's not that bad," Tan Quelu muttered. "But what are you looking at?"

You're dressed like a little Lu Xiaoguo.

Wei Guan wisely refrained from giving that answer.

He was dressed very business-like today, with broad shoulders and long legs, wearing a shirt, tie, and cufflinks, but he wasn't wearing a suit jacket and was carrying a plastic bag.

The plastic bag was wet; it was clearly the kind of packaging you'd find at a street stall.

Wei Guan usually carried documents and reports; Tan Quelu had never seen him so down-to-earth. He blinked in confusion: "What's this?"

His gift?

The plastic bag was opened.

Fresh, washed green apples appeared.

Wei Guan lowered his head, gently pressed the apple against the pale green porcelain cheek, and said calmly, "Your Lu Xiaoguo."

Freshly squeezed and eaten immediately.

The green apple ate the green apple.

A note from the author: