The curtains in the guest room were never opened again.
Two days later, under Ye Qingliu's strict "rest order", Chao Youye's physical condition barely met the standards for movement.
"Going back to school to make up for the lessons?" Ye Qingliu looked at him as he struggled to button the last button of his school uniform, his eyes scrutinizing him.
"Yeah." Chao Youye's voice was soft but remarkably firm, her eyes lowered and averted, "I'm in my third year of high school now, I can't miss too many classes."
He needed a reason, a reason to push himself out of this suffocating protective circle and return to the battlefield.
School is where he must go back to, where he has enemies to face and a semblance of "normal" to maintain.
Ye Qingliu did not stop him: "The driver will take you there. Hua Jinyue will go with you." It was both care and surveillance.
Chao Youye's body stiffened slightly and he nodded silently.
When she left, Hua Jinyue was the only one in the living room. She clutched her schoolbag, hesitant to speak, finally mumbling, "Brother Chao, be careful...this is for you." She slipped a thermos bag containing warm vegetable porridge.
Mu Xinrong's door was closed and there was no movement.
Chao Youye's gaze stayed on the closed door for less than a second, and then quickly moved away, as if burned.
He pursed his lips tightly, and accompanied by Ye Qingliu, he walked out of the villa gate with unsteady but unusually steady steps, without looking back.
A black car drove toward the school. Outside, the winter city was shrouded in a gray haze. Chao Youye leaned against the car window, eyes closed, resting. Hua Jinyue sat quietly beside him, clutching a thermos bag.
Chao Youye's mind was working at high speed.
Wu Zeyu's actions at Dingfeng... his father's attitude... the undercurrents at school...
He couldn't bear it passively any longer. The backlash from the rules was a sword hanging over his head, and his father and Wu Zeyu were hungry wolves surrounding him. He had to use all his resources to find a breakthrough.
A thought emerged quietly like a poisonous snake - Wu Meng.
The current Madam Chao, who appears to be glamorous but actually lives in emptiness and loneliness. Her secrets, her leverage... may be the first brick that will shake the foundation of Wu Zeyu and his mother.
The car stopped at the familiar school gate. Chao Youye took a deep breath and pushed open the door. The cold air pierced her lungs, bringing a stinging sense of reality.
He stepped into the cold campus.
The hunt begins quietly.
Back in the classroom I hadn't seen for a long time, the air was filled with books, chalk dust, and the restless atmosphere unique to adolescence. Chao Youye's appearance caused a small commotion.
His absence for many days was already eye-catching, and now his pale face and overly calm expression added a sense of mystery and distance.
Probing, curious, and even slightly malicious glances were cast vaguely from all directions.
Chao Youye seemed oblivious. He walked to his seat without looking around and put down his bag. His movements were a little slow, but every detail maintained his usual elegance and aloofness.
His deskmate glanced at him cautiously, wanting to say something but hesitant, and ultimately did not dare to speak.
During breaks, news about Wu Zeyu's "Dingfeng Elite Training Camp" spread like wildfire in the corridors and various small circles.
"Have you heard? Wu Zeyu is serious this time! Dingfeng is said to have given him a powerful project!"
"The number of spots is limited, and the competition is fierce! Getting a letter of recommendation means you've already stepped half a foot into the Chao family's inner circle!"
"Tsk tsk, worthy of being the son of Madam Chao's family, his ways are wild..."
"Isn't Chao Youye also in his third year of high school? He..."
The discussions stopped abruptly when Chao Youye passed by, leaving only flickering eyes and awkward coughs.
Chao Youye didn't stop walking, his expression unchanged, as if the subject of the discussion had nothing to do with him. Only the fingertips of his hands, tucked into his school uniform pockets, curled slightly.
He needed to contact Wu Meng. He needed a reasonable and inconspicuous opportunity.
The opportunity came on a seemingly ordinary afternoon three days later.
It was free time during physical education class. Chao Youye, under the pretext of feeling unwell, stayed in a quiet corner of the library to read. Sunlight streamed in through the tall French windows, bringing warmth but unable to dispel the chill within him.
He seemed to be turning the pages of the book intently, but he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure from the corner of his eye - Wu Meng's exclusive driver, Lao Li, who came in hurriedly from the side door of the library and went straight to the administrator's office.
Chao Youye's heart moved. He knew that Lao Li was Wu Meng's most trusted confidant, responsible for handling many private matters.
He calmly closed the book, stood up, pretended to return the book, and walked towards the bookshelf area next to the administrator's office.
The door to the administrator's office was ajar. Old Li's slightly anxious voice could be heard faintly:
"...Yes, deliver it to 1701, Building B, Jingyue Apartments. It must be delivered before 4:00 PM today! My wife needs it urgently! It's the limited edition fitness equipment Mr. Xu ordered, air-shipped from Switzerland. No time is needed! I've left the order here. Please sign for it and pass it on..."
Mr. Xu? Jingyue Apartment?
Chao Youye's heart skipped a beat.
He quickly turned sideways, using the tall bookshelf as a cover. With his sharp eyes like an eagle, he accurately caught the heading of the delivery note on the administrator's desk - "Room 1701, Building B, Jingyue International Apartment". In the consignee's signature column, there was a flamboyant name: Xu Jinshi.
A name instantly coincided with a vague figure in his memory - the personal fitness trainer that Wu Meng hired at a high price half a year ago. He was tall, handsome, and had a wild charm.
So that's how it is... "Jingyue" is a high-end serviced apartment under Chao Group, with strict security and excellent privacy.
What a beautiful girl in a golden house.
Chao Youye calmly retreated to her original spot and picked up her book again, as if she had never left. But deep within her violet eyes, beneath the icy layer, a hint of cold calculation quietly emerged. The prey had revealed its tail.
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