As Lianrong bent over, she intentionally or unintentionally swept her hand across the little girl's wrist, leaving deep nail marks. This showed how hard she had used her fingernails. The girl had only shaken her off; it was already a sign of her good temper that she hadn't slapped her.
She regretted it; the frustration and guilt in her heart made her unwilling to get up.
"Sister Lianrong, get up!" Cheng Shuang didn't say anything about forgiving or not. Lianrong's problem wasn't just her personality; she probably also had some mental issues. In the real world, medicine could treat her, but injuries sustained inside the Gate of Reincarnation could be treated with Green Pills. However, mental problems were beyond her control... To put it bluntly, she was, after all, a temporary teammate, and she had family taking care of her. Whether they would meet again in the future was still uncertain.
It's not a major issue of principle; the young girl is willing to maintain a brief period of peace and tranquility.
The group avoided the topic. Sun Han checked on the old man and found that he was sleeping soundly, his eyes were moving, his face was tired, but the strange bluish tinge had faded.
“We plan to take a look around the Academy of Sciences’ office area. Miss Lian, you see the old man is still asleep. Why don’t you stay and keep him company? You can provide support if needed.”
Lianrong nodded hurriedly to show her cooperation.
As they stepped across the threshold, the door to the main room opened, and three female college students emerged.
When Zhou Ting saw Du Jun, her eyes lit up, and she immediately tried to approach him to make friends. However, Bai Cha grabbed her hand quickly and asked in a harsh tone, "What are you doing? Have you thought it through? Do you want to team up with them or stay with us?"
Zhou Ting immediately pushed her aside and said in a low voice, "Look at them over there, two women, either too young or too old. What if I, a beautiful and youthful girl, could pull that cool young man and that refined old man over here? We'd just be one more helper. If there's any danger, would they have the nerve to let three young girls take the fall?"
With the Protector's keen hearing, almost all of these words reached the ears of the three people. Cheng Shuang couldn't help but look at Han Meimei, thankful that her five senses were not as good as the Protector's, otherwise, if she couldn't be discharged from the hospital, there might have been a world war.
Sister Han will probably teach that female college student named Zhou Ting what it means to ruthlessly destroy a flower and lose one's beauty!
The cool, aloof young man and the refined, middle-aged man, with forced smiles, each took one of the girl's arms and practically carried her quickly towards the courtyard gate. Du Jun coldly reprimanded, "Listen to what you should listen to, and don't listen to what you shouldn't. Stay away from people with warped values!"
Although Han Meimei was puzzled, she knew that the protector had exceptional hearing. She immediately gave the three girls behind her a meaningful look and chased after them.
The girls lagging behind exchanged glances, and Bai Cha asked stiffly, "They didn't hear us, did they?"
Huang Xiaoying didn't say anything, but Zhou Ting pouted and said confidently, "So what if we heard them? Let's go, let's follow them. They're definitely going to the cafeteria for lunch!"
Led by Du Jun, the group did not return to the ridge they had walked on the previous night, but instead followed the winding garden path.
We passed by several courtyards similar to Shuilianhe Courtyard, all of which were quiet. I wondered if no one lived there or if there was some other reason.
But the staff clearly said yesterday that all the rooms were full.
Of course, they didn't believe the staff were telling the truth, but rashly climbing over into an unfamiliar courtyard was hardly a wise move. Aside from the rose vines outside the wall, there was practically no cover in broad daylight. Such blatant behavior, if caught, could trigger some serious incident or rule-breaking.
The pebbled path was flanked by inconspicuous wildflowers and weeds, growing wildly and haphazardly. Lacking any elaborate horticultural beauty, it exuded the simplicity and vitality of nature. Further in, vines and shrubs intertwined, a chaotic and tangled mess. If it weren't for the occasional glimpse of buildings on the adjacent ridge, one would feel as if transported to a fairytale.
Stepping out of the lifeless courtyard, the route follows the ridgeline, offering views of towering buildings in the distance. However, due to the shrubs reaching about two meters in height, the nearby office areas are only vaguely visible.
“There aren’t any old trees along the ridge,” Sun Han said in a low voice. “Is it because they might block the guest room windows?” He looked up at the ridge, where the glass windows of the guest rooms reflected the light slightly, making it impossible to tell if anyone was staying there.
"I followed those people in protective suits down this road." Du Jun was at the front, pushing aside some of the overgrown flower branches, occasionally turning back to wait for his companions.
After a long morning of activity, it's only around nine o'clock now. The Academy of Sciences' canteen is on the other side of the ridge, opposite the courtyard area.
The three girls had been following for a long time, and their stomachs were growling with hunger. The other two were fine; they exercised regularly and had good stamina and endurance. But Zhou Ting couldn't keep going. When she saw Du Jun turn around, she immediately shouted and waved her hand, "Hey, you've gone the wrong way! It's not that way! The restaurant is..."
The journey was quiet until a sudden shout broke the silence, causing the grass and bushes to tremble as if some small animal nesting there had been disturbed.
Du Jun and Cheng Shuang immediately stood back to back on alert, as did Sun Han and Han Meimei.
Bai Cha also felt a chill run down her spine, as if a deathly place had suddenly come to life. She and Huang Xiaoying exchanged glances, cautiously looking around.
At this point, pursuing Zhou Ting's responsibility was far less important than their own safety. Besides, that idiot Zhou Ting had already excitedly run towards the group ahead. The two girls breathed a sigh of relief. If there was any real danger in the shadows, they hoped that this troublesome woman would distract them, giving them a chance to escape.
Fortunately, it was just the grass and trees swaying; nothing actually happened. Zhou Ting, oblivious to the danger, wore a light gold Hanfu, luxurious and elaborate. Walking through the lush greenery, she was beautiful, but also incredibly cumbersome. Every now and then, she would tug at her skirt, and every other time, she would gracefully weave around the flower branches. She walked along a natural path with the air of an entire stage play, affected and pretentious to the extreme.
So much so that she didn't even have time to look up at the fleeting noise around her, taking it all as if the line in front of her had stopped for her, drawn to her.
Zhou Ting was unaware that the two men present were both straight men who didn't understand this kind of deliberately created beauty. If they weren't afraid that turning around and leaving would make her shout and attract the lurking 'little animals' again, they would never have been in the mood to watch her idly twisting and turning.
"Hey bro, you've gone to the wrong place! The restaurant's over there!" Zhou Ting looked at Du Jun with her big, watery eyes, her expression practically screaming, "She's really interested in you, hurry up and respond!"
Du Jun showed no emotion, his eyes killing Sun Han.
Sun Han smiled and said, "Don't let his tall stature fool you, he's not even sixteen yet. He's not rich or that smart, and he has to scrimp and save to support his sister's schooling. He can barely support himself anymore. He's definitely a sister-supporting demon!"
"What do you mean?" Zhou Ting asked, puzzled.
Han Meimei chuckled softly: "Do you really want someone to reject you outright and say he's not interested in you?!"
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