Chapter 15 Accompanying You
Chapter Summary: I'm afraid you'll be too lonely going back to the dorm alone.
Whispers continued from the audience.
"Holy crap, they're holding hands? I can't believe my eyes."
"He's holding hands with her, he's really holding hands with her. This transfer student is something else, he's only been here a few days and he's already won over Gu Linzhao."
"A transfer student? I knew it, I'd never heard of such a beautiful girl in our school before."
"No wonder she didn't give me her WeChat when I asked her classmates earlier. Turns out she's already taken."
Amidst heavy academic workloads, even slight physical contact between members of the opposite sex can generate immense interest.
Not to mention that the protagonist is a "prominent figure" like Gu Linzhao.
A good-looking, academically excellent person who strictly adheres to school rules and regulations and never does anything out of line, held a girl's hand in full view of everyone.
Cheng Zhaozhao was still handling some wrap-up work backstage, while Gu Linzhao went to change the microphone he had used during the speech. Fu Xuanyin, holding up her skirt, found Lin Anxu in the class 15's seating area.
She crouched down and sat down next to Lin Anxu.
As soon as she sat down, a girl in front of her turned around and said to her in a strange voice, "Sister Gao wants you to go to her office after school."
Fu Xianyin remembered her name; it was Ji Zhumiao, and she seemed to have a good relationship with Song Yaoge. Last Wednesday, during the physical fitness test, she had a conflict with Song Yaoge and even spoke up for Song Yaoge.
She replied, "Oh, okay."
Lin Anxu, who was standing to the side, turned to the side and lowered his voice, saying, "Sis, what happened between you and Brother Zhao just now? You two..."
After hesitating for a long time, he finally managed to blurt out, "Playing this big?"
Fu Xianyin: "Huh?"
Seeing that she didn't react, Lin Anxu stretched out his two hands and slapped them together with a "snap," then whispered, "Everyone saw it. Sister Gao must have come to you about this."
Fu Xianyin explained, "I don't know what happened to the spot where I was standing; the lights were a bit too bright, it was dazzling. When I bowed at the end, I almost fell over. My eyes were blurry until the lights went out and the curtain fell, so Gu Linzhao pulled me up, otherwise I would have been the first person to fall over in the performance."
"No wonder." Lin Anxu felt like he should have said it.
Lin Anxu didn't believe there was anything between Fu Xianyin and Gu Linzhao. Given his relationship with Gu Linzhao, Lin Anxu didn't think Gu Linzhao would hide it from him.
While others either watched the spectacle or were shocked by the unusual relationship between the two, Lin Anxu felt that there must be more to the story.
With only a few programs left, Fu Xianyin stopped writing questions and simply watched the programs to relax.
Linlan No. 1 Middle School has a relaxed school spirit and discipline, emphasizing a combination of holistic education and a hands-off approach. Many students are in relationships, and as long as it doesn't affect their grades, the teachers usually turn a blind eye. Therefore, Fu Xianyin didn't think the little incident on stage earlier was a serious matter.
However, she was wrong.
As the cultural performance ended and everyone left the auditorium, Fu Xianyin felt as if she were being watched, her every move under the scrutiny of the crowd. Inquiring eyes, curious gazes, and slightly noisy whispers enveloped her completely.
Fu Xianyin: ...This is terrible.
Even when Wu Jiacheng created terrible obscene songs about her at Linlan No. 1 Middle School, she never received this treatment.
She tried to appear calm, but her grip on Cheng Zhaozhao's hand tightened gradually. Just as she stepped out of the hall, a voice called out to her from behind: "Fu Xianyin."
It was Gu Linzhao.
He acted as if nothing had happened.
Fu Xianyin turned her head and, forcing a smile, asked, "What are you doing?"
Gu Linzhao waved the paper in his hand: "Your biology exam paper is in the manuscript folder."
Fu Xianyin almost gritted her teeth: "Why don't you just hold it for me?"
Gu Linzhao gave a good reason: "I'm holding it. I was afraid you'd get anxious if you couldn't find it later, so I just wanted to let you know."
You're right, you're justified.
Fu Xianyin ignored him and quickly pulled Cheng Zhaozhao back to the classroom.
Many curious eyes were also fixed on her in the classroom, but out of consideration for her classmates, they didn't look at her directly.
Fu Xianyin quickly packed her things, walked to the front row and said to Cheng Zhaozhao, "Could you help me get the biology test paper from Gu Linzhao later? Sister Gao is looking for me, I'll go first."
Cheng Zhaozhao also said seriously, "Okay, you go ahead, I'll come find you in Sister Gao's office later."
Standing at the office door, Fu Xianyin took a deep breath, and then gently knocked on the door.
Sister Gao's voice sounded emotionless: "Come in."
Fu Xuanyin pushed open the door and entered, saying, "Hello, teacher, you wanted to see me?"
Sister Gao was marking the test paper with a red pen in her hand. When she heard Fu Xianyin's voice, she didn't even look up. She pointed to the chair next to her with her left hand and said, "You're here. Sit down."
Fu Xianyin sat down.
Sister Gao looked up.
Without any preamble, she went straight to the point: "Tell me, what's the situation with Gu Linzhao?"
Fu Xianyin: "Nothing happened. The lights where I was standing were turned up a bit too bright, and by the time the show ended, I couldn't see anything clearly. When I bowed, I lost my balance and almost fell off the stage. After the lights dimmed, I was still a bit unsteady. If Gu Linzhao hadn't pulled me up, I would have fallen off the stage."
She was a little worried that this reason wouldn't convince Sister Gao.
She was even more worried that Sister Gao would think she was in a relationship too early and then tell Chen Huimei.
Fu Xianyin's breathing became rapid. She nervously bit her lower lip, not expecting that Sister Gao would completely believe her: "Okay, I believe you. I know you're a sensible child, you know what you should and shouldn't do."
Sister Gao pushed up her glasses and said, "I'm not just talking to you about this. Your mother called me tonight. She said you've been slacking off in your studies lately and your mind isn't on them. You're already in your final year of high school, so she asked me to keep an eye on you."
Fu Xianyin gritted her teeth, her fingernails digging fiercely into the back of her hands as she crossed them in front of her. Her arms trembled with the force.
Chen Huimei said that she had become lax in her studies and that her mind was no longer on her studies.
How could she do this?
She was the one who tore up all her notes, and she was the one who was mentally unstable and lashed out at her every few days. How come it's all her fault now?
All the emotions she had accumulated throughout the night were pushed to their peak by Chen Huimei's words, and Fu Xianyin trembled slightly. She clenched her teeth and pinched her flesh hard with her fingers.
Her fair skin was pinched until it bled, but Fu Xianyin felt no pain at all. Her limbs were numb, and she even had some difficulty breathing.
She couldn't say a word, just kept her head down in silence.
Gao Ying looked at the girl in front of her and sighed softly.
As Fu Xianyin's homeroom teacher, she knew exactly how well Fu Xianyin was doing in her studies these past few days since she transferred to Class 15.
Every family has its own troubles.
Gao Ying didn't say much, but simply raised her hand and gently patted Fu Xianyin's shoulder, saying, "Teacher knows you study very hard. Before you came here, did you never live at school? Suddenly living at school means less contact with your family, so it's normal that they don't know how you are doing. Teacher has also spoken to your mother and told her not to worry too much. Xianyin is a sensible child."
Gao Ying's voice wasn't particularly gentle; having been a homeroom teacher for many years, her authority seemed to be ingrained in her very being.
But she only slowed down her speech slightly, and every word she said touched Fu Xianyin's heart, making her eyes well up with tears.
Fu Xianyin suppressed a sob in her throat and tried to say calmly, "Thank you, teacher."
"Alright." Gao Ying sighed and said, "Talk to your mother more. There's nothing else. Go back now."
Fu Xianyin left the office with her schoolbag on her back.
The corridor lights were off, but a few lights were still on at the stairwell, and a tall figure stood there under the lights.
It wasn't Cheng Zhaozhao, but another familiar person.
Fu Xianyin frowned and walked over.
Gu Linzhao looked up when he heard the voice, but before he could speak, Fu Xianyin said, "What are you doing here? Where is Cheng Zhaozhao?"
She deliberately suppressed her surging emotions, and her tone sounded somewhat stiff.
Gu Linzhao picked up the test paper in his hand and waved it in front of her eyes, saying, "Cheng Zhaozhao's family sent her something. It's at the security room near the school gate. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to get back in time, so she gave it to me and asked me to find you."
As he spoke, his gaze swept over the back of Fu Xianyin's hand.
The girl's skin was fair and delicate, and the red marks left by her fingernails on the back of her hands became increasingly obvious. There were small crescent-shaped marks, some of which had even broken the skin, with faint red seeping out.
Fu Xianyin took the test paper and said, "You don't need to make an extra trip. Just put the test paper in my desk drawer."
Gu Linzhao said slowly, "It's not that I'm afraid of you..."
Fu Xianyin spoke first, her tone slightly sarcastic: "Are you worried I won't be able to find it and will get anxious?"
"No." Gu Linzhao looked down at her, his tone carrying a hint of amusement, but his eyes were very serious:
"I'm afraid you'll be too lonely going back to your dorm alone."
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