3-4: "Did he change my clothes?"
"ah--!"
The boy screamed and nearly fell to the ground.
The icy water soaked him completely, even the ends of his hair were dripping wet.
The spring chill was still in the air, and Huaiyan wore a fleece-lined sweatshirt and school uniform to school.
At that moment, a bucket of icy water was poured over them, and their originally warm clothes instantly became soaked and heavy.
I feel cold all over.
"Ugh..." The boy trembled, helplessly clutching the water from the hem of his clothes.
Those outside the door naturally heard the boy's whimpering, like a kitten.
Someone burst into laughter, slapping the door of the cubicle and doubled over with laughter: "Everyone come and listen, is he going to cry?"
"Hahahaha, he doesn't talk much, I always thought he was mute."
"A mute person can speak? That's unbelievable, right? Even their crying sounds like 'abba aba'?"
Laughter and playful shouts rang out in Huaiyan's room.
But he had no time to care about any of that; he was only trying in vain to wring the water out of his clothes.
But at this moment, it was all in vain; the boy began to shiver from the cold.
However, the second bucket of water was soon poured out again.
"Splash—"
It was the sound of a bucket hitting the ground. The boy laughed wildly: "Huai, you must be very hot, right? It's summer, you should drink more cool water!"
"Two buckets aren't enough!" the others echoed. "You should drink more cold water in the summer!"
Then, as if to verify their words.
Not long after, a third bucket of cold water was poured into the cubicle from the same spot once again.
The water was as cold as water in the dead of winter, poured over my head, flowing down my neck, and then into my chest.
At this moment, Huai Yan's entire body was completely soaked in cold water, and there was nowhere warm to be found.
After three buckets of cold water, the boy's thin and frail body had shrunk completely into a ball.
The floor of the cubicle was also covered with cold water, leaving no place to even step.
Listening to the fading sounds of laughter and footsteps outside the door, the boy breathed a sigh of relief amidst his confusion.
At least... there won't be a fourth bucket.
Rubbing his stiff palms back and forth, Huaiyan stood there, frozen, his lips white.
The official school bell rang at that very moment.
The ringing bell shattered the silence in the bathroom, sounding particularly jarring.
Huaiyan listened blankly to the ringing, her brain almost stopping.
Cold water was still dripping down his body, and the boy's face was pale as he took off his coat and school uniform.
If I had known this would happen, I would have worn less clothing when I came this morning.
For some reason, Huaiyan suddenly felt a soreness in the tip of her nose and her eyes felt dry.
It looked like she was about to cry.
Only then did he suddenly empathize with the original owner's isolation and helplessness.
cold.
...It's so cold.
My eyes felt warm, and tears streamed down my face, soaking into my already drenched hoodie.
The boy had long since stopped calling for help, his body stiff and his eyes glazed over as if he had resigned himself to his fate.
He didn't really want to cry, but once the feeling of grievance welled up in his heart, he couldn't stop it.
"7, 73." The boy cried like a wronged kitten, his nose red. "I'm so, so cold."
Spring is not completely over yet, and the occasional wind blowing in from outside is even more biting cold.
No one has discovered this place, and no one will ever know.
The boy is being bullied at school.
073's heart is breaking because of Huaiyan's tears.
He was helpless and anxious backstage, and his heart clenched as he watched Huaiyan's tears fall.
"I, I..." Huaiyan choked up, wanting to say something more, but her lips trembled and she couldn't utter a single syllable.
The cold cubicle seemed to transform into a small, isolated space, devoid of any sound or human presence.
There is no one who can help Huaiyan right now.
Time passed second by second, and Huaiyan huddled in a corner of the cubicle, her petite body shivering.
The hygiene of the public restrooms is not good.
Even though a cleaning lady cleans regularly every day, the teenagers' boundless energy can't stop them from making a mess of the floor.
The boy collapsed onto the not-so-clean floor, trembling as he cried.
"Huai inkstone!"
Suddenly, it felt as if something heavy was kicked away.
The heavy object slammed against the wall.
A deep, hoarse male voice became increasingly clear.
The man's voice betrayed his anxiety.
Even when no one responded, the man continued to call out, "Huaiyan!"
It was Bai Wenzhou.
These three words struck Huaiyan's heart like a hammer blow, causing a deep, unsettling feeling.
Upon hearing the man's voice, tears welled up even more, streaming down her face and into her temples.
The boy sobbed uncontrollably, his consciousness growing increasingly blurred.
He tried his best, but still couldn't utter a single syllable, not even the word "teacher".
The boy closed his eyes drowsily, his sobs faint.
"It's good that you're here," he thought.
Someone rescued him.
-
The first thing you see is a snow-white ceiling.
When Huaiyan woke up, her eyes were still red and swollen, but her body had returned to its original warmth.
His throat was swollen and painful, and his head was also a little dizzy. He felt like he was filled with lead and couldn't support his body at all.
073 waited for four or five hours before finally breathing a sigh of relief.
"You're finally awake." 073's voice was muffled. "Is there anything else that's bothering you? Does your head hurt?"
Huai Yan lay weakly on the bed, not saying a word, only nodding slightly.
Seeing this, 073 sighed again: "Luckily, Bai Wenzhou arrived in time, otherwise I would have almost come out to save you."
Seeing the boy's pale face and silence, 073 felt a pang of sympathy.
"It's okay, I've already activated the pain blocker for you." He reassured the seemingly fragile boy, "You should be fine soon."
The system's add-ons do have some useful uses.
Upon hearing this, Huai Yan replied in a hoarse voice, "I'm fine, it's alright, you don't need to worry."
I'm still feeling a bit uncomfortable, but this discomfort won't go away anytime soon.
073 responded, clearly not quite believing Huaiyan's words: "How could you be alright? Your voice is hoarse, poor thing."
Huaiyan gave a weak smile.
Then, he slowly turned his head, looked around, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is Teacher Bai?"
073 exclaimed "Ah," thought for a moment, and said, "He just went out. He must have had something to do. I saw him answer a phone call."
The boy blinked, continued to look around the room's furnishings, and gave a soft reply.
This looks like Bai Wenzhou's home.
The room's decor is extremely minimalist, giving it an overall cold and austere feel.
There's only a simple two-meter-wide bed and a beige wardrobe next to it.
The rest are just the simplest decorations and furniture.
It looks like it's not frequently inhabited.
“Oh, Bai Wenzhou initially wanted to take you to the infirmary,” 073 explained, “but you didn’t look well, and you were all wet.”
So Bai Wenzhou temporarily switched classes with other subject teachers, gave up the in-class quiz, and took a morning off.
The man carried the boy into his car and quickly drove home.
Upon hearing this, Huaiyan seemed to realize something and looked down at the clothes she was wearing.
The original cold and heavy hoodie has been replaced with a soft black T-shirt.
The fine fabric clung to the boy's body, bringing him warmth.
Looking at the boy's well-behaved and petite appearance, 073 felt a mix of emotions.
Actually, there was something else he didn't say.
Huai Yan lay dazed on the bed, unconscious for how long?
Bai Wenzhou stood by the bedside, gazing at Huai Yan for a long time.
073 couldn't understand the man's gaze, only sensing an inexplicable melancholy in it.
After much deliberation, 073 decided to hold off on saying anything for now, since there's still plenty of time ahead of us.
He wanted to see what Bai Wenzhou was up to.
The boy's fluttering eyelashes trembled slightly as he bit his moist lips and asked, "Then, how did he find me?"
In that situation, most teachers would probably just assume the student was skipping class and forget about it.
At most, the class committee would just write down the names and tell the homeroom teacher another day.
Very few people come out looking for someone like this.
073 shook his head and said only, "You'll have to ask your teacher, Mr. Bai, about that."
073 only saw the man anxiously run into the public restroom, calling out Huaiyan's name for a long time.
Seeing no answer, the man pushed open one of the cubicles and searched.
The school's public restrooms are very large, with thirty or forty stalls alone.
The Huai inkstone is located in the very back part of the area.
When the man found the boy lying on the floor, curled up and trembling.
He had searched every single cubicle.
“But he should have been in class at that time,” 073 added. “The bell must have rung for quite a while by then, right?”
Bai Wenzhou was actually quite fast in detecting something was wrong and rushing to the rescue.
073 was in a hurry at the time and didn't notice any details at all.
All he knew was that Bai Wenzhou suddenly kicked open the door, his aura heavy, just like the difficult teacher Gao Jia had described.
My lips were bitten until they were sore and started to turn pale.
Huaiyan then asked in a low voice, "Did he change my clothes too?"
His original clothes were a beige hoodie and a school uniform jacket.
His coat had been taken off and thrown in the toilet, so when Bai Wenzhou carried him back...
Huai Yan should only be wearing a hoodie and a pair of ordinary school uniform pants.
Now, both hoodies and pants have been replaced by oversized clothing.
The boy's black T-shirt and shorts looked to be Bai Wenzhou's size.
The man has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, making his body proportions particularly perfect.
Such clothes, worn by a petite boy, appear somewhat loose and baggy, almost revealing his rounded shoulders.
Upon hearing Huaiyan's words, 073 paused for a moment.
Then, he said somewhat stiffly, "Yes, he even helped you take a bath."
When Bai Wenzhou carried Huai Yan out of the cubicle, he was in a terrible state, covered in dirt.
The man, however, showed no sign of disgust.
Of course, 073 had no intention of telling Huaiyan any of this.
Because 073 had only spoken part of the story, the boy's neck turned red, and he stammered, unable to speak.
073 was silent for a moment, just about to say something.
The next second, the bedroom doorknob was suddenly turned.
Bai Wenzhou pushed open the door and strolled into the bedroom.
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