Chapter 2 Numb.02 Pervert

The rain lasted until three or four in the morning before finally stopping. Late October is a transitional period for autumn in the south, and because of this rain, the morning air carried a slight, pleasant coolness.

There were still more than ten minutes before morning reading time. People arrived at the classroom at different times, and most of them gathered together, chattering about Ji Lin jumping off the building a couple of days ago.

Xu Wu slumped listlessly on the table for a nap. The surrounding noise made her feel as if hundreds of mosquitoes were buzzing in her ears, making her already uncomfortable head feel even worse.

To be fair, jumping off buildings is not an unusual occurrence at No. 1 Middle School.

This happens every year, mostly due to stress or extreme emotional problems. Ironically, even in this way, all that's gained is half a day of rest and psychological counseling for the other students.

What annoyed Xu Wu the most was that it was Ji Lin, a classmate, who jumped off the building.

She wasn't particularly close to the other person; at most, they had only exchanged a few words because they shared some common ground. But it was precisely because of this that she was drawn into the center of the discussion.

Those gazes, both intentional and unintentional, made her extremely uncomfortable.

Feeling incredibly frustrated, I also felt that Ji Lin's death, which became the subject of gossip, was truly unworthy.

"Don't pay attention to what they say," a woman's voice rang out from above.

Xu Wu forced himself to sit up and saw the girl who had moved to the desk in front of him. He calmly pulled out the textbook he needed for morning reading and said, "I didn't notice."

The girl had her hair in a high ponytail and a rounder figure. Two small dimples would appear on her face when she spoke.

"I was just asking casually, don't be angry." She rested her chin on her hand, looked at Xu Wu, hesitated for a moment, and then lowered her voice to say, "I heard that Ji Lin wrote you a letter before he jumped off the building?"

Upon hearing this, she clearly saw Xu Wu pause in turning the pages of her book, then raise her head and meet her gaze with a blank expression, making her already aloof face seem even more unapproachable, and she could even clearly feel the low pressure emanating from her.

Seeing her like this, Xia Ni hesitated for a moment, and subconsciously glanced past Xu Wu at the few people sitting not far behind her. They were frantically giving her meaningful glances.

Left with no other choice, Shani had to grit her teeth and continue. She sat up straight, her fidgeting fingers betraying her nervousness, and stammered, "That's not what I meant, but that's what everyone's saying..."

Xia Ni was actually not good at prying into gossip, and her already poor speaking skills became even more lacking at this moment.

Xu Wu stared at her for two seconds, his dark pupils coldly reflecting Xia Ni's conflicted and expectant expression as she awaited an answer. Xia Ni's fingers, resting on the table, tapped twice unconsciously, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

On the contrary, Xia Ni noticed that when she saw Xu Wu's reaction, her heart skipped a beat as she saw Xu Wu lightly tap the table with her fingertips.

"What did they say?" Xu Wu didn't answer directly, but instead threw the question back at him.

Her calm expression was completely different from the warm smile that usually graced her face, leaving Xia Ni speechless for a moment. She stammered several times but couldn't come up with a coherent answer.

There are really only a few types.

When Ji Lin died, the last person he saw was Xu Wu. His mother also came to the school and made a scene, yelling at Xu Wu in front of everyone to vent her grief and anger, saying that if she had accepted Ji Lin's confession earlier, none of this would have happened.

Whispers and rumors among students spread quickly, but most people don't bother to investigate their origins. As the rumors spread, they often change their original meaning, giving rise to a completely new and distorted version.

Xu Wu, the person involved, found it baffling. However, arguing with the public about the facts they believe in is simply like casting pearls before swine, a waste of breath.

Xu Wu then chuckled, feeling utterly bored.

Just then, the morning reading bell rang.

Xia Ni breathed a sigh of relief and quickly got up to return to her seat. Before leaving, she wanted to pat Xu Wu on the shoulder to apologize, but seeing that Xu Wu had avoided contact without leaving a trace, she could only laugh awkwardly a few times and leave.

In fact, Xu Wu's presence in the class was just average. Although she had a face that made strangers feel unapproachable, she was surprisingly easy to get along with. If they weren't on good terms, she wouldn't have been asked to do this kind of questioning.

After seeing everyone off, Xu Wu pinched the bridge of her nose wearily, knowing she didn't have the energy to continue her morning reading anyway.

After telling the class monitor, she left the classroom, intending to go to the infirmary for some peace and quiet.

At 7:30, as you walk through the corridor, you can hear the sound of students reading aloud from every classroom, echoing clearly throughout the vast campus.

The infirmary was in the No. 2 teaching building, not far away, but for Xu Wu now, it felt like the farthest distance in the world.

The teacher on duty at this point was not there, and there was a sign on the door that said "Please push the door open if needed." Xu Wu glanced at it and did as instructed.

In an instant, she caught a faint smell of disinfectant in the room. Because the amount was small, Xu Wu didn't find it pungent or unpleasant.

What she didn't expect—

Xu Wu's gaze fell on the hospital bed on the left, which was next to the window and had its curtains tightly drawn. There was someone else there besides her.

I only glanced at it.

Xu Wu dragged her heavy body to the empty bed on the right and lay down. The window next to her was open for ventilation, and the breeze made the white curtains rise and fall, creating an excellent hypnotic effect.

In her hazy state of consciousness, she vaguely heard the sound of the bed curtains being carefully pulled open. The movement was small, but it was particularly noticeable in the quiet atmosphere.

Xu Wu's eyelids twitched; she didn't want to open her eyes.

He fell deeper and deeper.

The curtains were still swaying in the wind. Jie Ying stood silently in front of the bed, her eyes, hidden behind her thick bangs, were lowered slightly, and the gloomy and damp aura around her seemed particularly out of place.

He looked at the girl lying peacefully on the bed. Although the color of her lips was better than yesterday, her weakness was still evident.

Xu Wu placed her hands on her abdomen, her eyes closed, her long, thick eyelashes trembling slightly from time to time, her breathing long and steady, and a few stray hairs occasionally drifting past her face.

Jie Ying watched intently, her light-colored pupils reflecting an unbridled infatuation, taking advantage of Xu Wu's inability to see at the moment.

It looks beautiful everywhere, whether it's the hands with a few small scars that have now scabbed over, or the light bruises on the arms, like gemstones inlaid on exquisite jade.

Jie Ying stared at the wound for a few seconds, her eyes swirling with indescribable emotions, guessing that it was left on Xu Wu yesterday.

He pursed his lips, a subtle, almost jealous, emotion welling up in his eyes—

Those were just minor scars, ones that would disappear completely in a couple of days.

But it appeared on her skin, branded...

Jie Ying suppressed these thoughts, his fingers twitching slightly at his side. Then, he hesitated before raising his hand, his index finger almost touching Xu Wu's hand.

Jie Ying's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, revealing his obvious pleasure.

Don't touch it.

The next second, a clear, cold voice, devoid of any intonation, rang out, causing Jie Ying to stop his movement abruptly. His hand paused, his eyes trembled, and he slowly turned his gaze to Xu Wu. Their eyes met in the air.

I was wide awake and not sleepy at all.

Seeing that he remained unmoved, Xu Wu coldly said, "Take it back."

I was scolded.

Jie Ying's fingers curled slightly, then lowered as Xu Wu instructed.

He lowered his head again, and Xu Wu naturally didn't bother to check his expression. She just frowned and clicked her tongue, clearly indicating that he hadn't rested very well.

She propped herself up to sit up, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the lingering smile on Jie Ying's lips. His eyes, which usually revealed a sinister nature, were strangely lost in thought, as if he were savoring something.

...?

Xu Wu couldn't believe it. Why did he have that expression?

Then, recalling Jie Ying's actions and her own words, Xu Wu's expression instantly became indescribable. She glanced sideways at the inconspicuous mole on the right side of his chin.

......abnormal.

She couldn't help but let out a cold snort from her nose.

"Aren't you afraid of being recorded if you don't go to morning reading?" Xu Wu asked him lazily.

It's easy to imagine how many people would surround her seat after morning reading, so rather than having to answer them one by one, she might as well come here for some peace and quiet.

Upon hearing this, Jie Ying opened her mouth as if to say something, but for some reason, she couldn't speak. She just shook her head and stammered, "No...nobody..."

Before he even finished speaking, Xu Wu already knew what he wanted to say.

It means that he has a low profile, so even when he's not in the classroom, no one will notice him, like right now.

Xu Wu glanced at him again.

When they were first divided into classes in the second year of high school, she didn't notice that there was this person in the class until one time when Xia Ni was chatting with her, Jie Ying bumped into her hard while being pushed.

That was the first time our eyes met, and the first time I saw a gloomy, lifeless look in someone's eyes. Even my disheveled state couldn't stir any emotion in him; he looked at others as if they were clowns.

Xia Ni secretly gossiped to her that Jie Ying had been like this since the first year of high school, completely unable to integrate into the group. She didn't know how many times she had been told about her long hair, but she still hadn't changed. Every day, whether in class or after class, she would sit quietly in her seat and not communicate with anyone. She was a withdrawn weirdo.

She kindly told Xu Wu to avoid contact with him, as even a glance from him was quite unsettling.

At that moment, Xu Wu outwardly agreed, but her eyes unconsciously fell on the person alone in the corner, and she was disgusted by Xia Ni's self-righteous judgment.

Xu Wu snapped out of her reverie, reached into the tissue box on the bedside table, and pulled out a tissue to wipe her hands, which were on the spot where Jie Ying had almost touched her.

With each wipe, Jieying blinked, her eyes fixed on him.

Xu Wu didn't even glance at him. After wiping, she looked down to find a trash can. Then, an open palm appeared in her line of sight, with clearly visible blue veins and palm lines beneath the blood-red color.

Xu Wu was puzzled, but after realizing what was happening, she asked calmly, "Want me to throw it away?"

Jie Ying nodded, and whether it was her imagination or not, she actually sensed a hint of expectation in that small gesture.

The wind that blew in picked up a bit more, ruffling the stray hairs on his forehead. Xu Wu squinted, looked him over for a moment, and then didn't say anything to refuse.

She raised her hand, pinched a corner of the crumpled tissue, and then let it fall lightly into Jie Ying's palm.

Jie Ying took it in her hand naturally, her voice carried by the wind: "Want to...go back?"

"Don't follow, understand?" Xu Wu stood up abruptly, and only after receiving a nod in response did she turn and leave the infirmary.

There are still five minutes left before get out of class ends.

Jie Ying stood still, watching her figure disappear from his sight.

Two seconds later, he picked up the intact tissue in his hand, held it under his nose, and took a gentle sniff.