"Good morning, Youjie..."

"Huh? Someone seemed to be greeting me from behind, and I turned around in confusion to look at the person.

They had thick black hair styled in a bob, and a slightly shy smile on their face, giving off a cute and timid vibe.

"Good...good morning, Muxi," I stammered. It was quite unexpected to meet each other at the school gate.

"Isn't Yuqian with you?" Yuan Muxi glanced at my side.

"Ah...because I like to sleep in and Yuqian doesn't like to procrastinate, we didn't come to school together in the morning. But we'll still go home together in the afternoon," I explained awkwardly. After all, even though we hadn't reached the stage of intimacy yet, going to school and going home together was something we should do.

"Oh, I thought your relationship with Yuqian had turned sour again," Yuan Muxi said with a relieved expression.

"My relationship with Yuqian has always been good," I said, but I didn't feel the same level of certainty as I said it. Maybe it was because I was in a bad mood?

"Well, then please continue to cherish it. Yuqian is a great...great girl," Yuan Muxi paused for a moment when she said "great," and her face turned slightly red, as if she was a bit embarrassed.

"Ah...I will treasure her," I replied, but for some reason, I didn't feel that positive energy when I said it. Although my tone was the same, there was a sense of emptiness in my heart. Perhaps it was because I was too concerned about that issue at night, coupled with lack of sleep, that I had lost my fighting spirit and stopped expecting anything. It was a dangerous feeling, but fortunately, I didn't show it too obviously.

"Youjie, you seem a bit down lately. Is something bothering you?" Yuan Muxi looked at me with a puzzled expression. There was indeed something bothering me, and because there was no progress at all, I was starting to feel hopeless and even had thoughts of giving up. Although I managed to control it well, my heart still felt very tired, to the point where my body started to slow down, as if aging.

"I didn't sleep well, but it's okay," I said nonchalantly.

"If you're not feeling well, you should go see a doctor," Yuan Muxi thought I was physically unwell, but I just went along with it.

"Um..." I replied in the same indifferent tone, but there was nothing I could do. After all, I couldn't reveal the difficulties I was facing to them, so I had to bear this distress on my own.

At that moment, the bell rang, and Yuan Muxi and I ended our conversation and ran towards the classroom.

Studying in a bad mood was really dull. Although some of the courses were already boring, the boredom at this moment made it impossible to concentrate in class. Even if I forced myself, I would feel drowsy halfway through.

This feeling was really uncomfortable. I endured it until lunch break, when I had the obligatory lunch with Su Yuqian and Yuan Muxi. Although I pretended to be the same as usual, I had no appetite when eating.

I couldn't understand this inexplicable feeling. I just felt tired and lacked enthusiasm for anything. It was really not a good sign.

After lunch, Su Yuqian and Yuan Muxi would chat together, and I naturally didn't join in. At this point, I felt that it was more important to get a good sleep than to listen to what girls would chat about. Otherwise, I would spend the afternoon classes in a drowsy state, just like the morning classes.

Although my grades weren't at the bottom, they were still in the lower middle range. If I continued like this, I might really end up at the bottom.

But I just couldn't muster the energy. I had to force myself to absorb the content of the classes, and it felt like an impossible task.

Just as I was about to return to the classroom, I ran into the homeroom teacher of Class E.

"Youjie,..." she called me, and I already knew what she was going to ask next. Because I hadn't accomplished that task at all, I felt embarrassed to face her.

"Ah... Hello, teacher," I politely responded upon seeing the teacher.

"How is An Lisi doing? Did you manage to convince her?" the teacher asked.

I shook my head with a bit of frustration, "No..."

"I see..." The tone of the E class teacher still carried disappointment. I knew very well that I couldn't convince An Lisi to go to school or even have a face-to-face conversation with us. I felt like such a failure, ashamed and resentful of my own helplessness.

"I'm really sorry. After all, the teacher entrusted me with this task, but I couldn't complete it," I said, feeling more regret than anything else. But I had no other choice.

"No... The teacher asked you on their own accord. It's already very much appreciated that Youjie could help. It seems like this matter has exhausted you mentally," the E class teacher looked at my face. I didn't know what my expression looked like, but they might be able to guess.

"Not... really," I replied softly. Perhaps after a week of battling, I was indeed exhausted, especially since I had racked my brains and exhausted all my efforts to get An Lisi to open the door and have a proper conversation. Ultimately, what concerned me more about An Lisi returning to school was that she seemed to not care about her own life and death at all. It was impossible to handle such a situation lightly, but I couldn't say it out loud because of various negative factors. So I could only suffer in silence.

"Well, let's consider this matter closed then. Youjie, take a good rest and focus on your studies. After all, it's not worth sacrificing your own learning for the sake of others. However, I will still try to contact An Lisi's parents. Of course, if there's still no progress, we'll have to rely on other methods. I won't just let it go like this. As a teacher, I absolutely won't do that," the E class teacher expressed some frustration, but still held on to a never-give-up attitude.

"Well... then, I'll take my leave, teacher," I said listlessly and left the place.

I had intended to go back to the classroom and take a good nap, but suddenly, I missed the taste of black tea. After all, I hadn't been to the principal's office for almost two weeks. Although Alice had mentioned wanting to drink tea anytime and that I was welcome, I felt like I would be imposing if I came without any necessary reason. But after two weeks, would it be too awkward to go in now?

Standing at the door of the principal's office, I raised my hand and then hesitated to put it down. Wasn't I here because I wanted to drink tea? Now I was having second thoughts, realizing that it would not only be a waste of time but also a waste of precious energy.

"Ha..." I sighed and finally decided to knock on the door. After two knocks, the door opened, and it was Alice who opened it. She was still wearing her maid outfit, and her white knee-high socks were still captivating.

"Youjie...?"

"A-Alice," I blushed a little.

"It's been a long time since I last saw you. Although I really wanted to come find you, the master said I shouldn't appear in front of students too often, so I had no choice but to give up. I thought I would never see you again, but you did come after all," Alice said, making a praying gesture. Although I felt it was a bit exaggerated, I wasn't in another world. If she really wanted to see me, she could have asked someone to pass on the message. I came here just fine. But I kept this thought to myself because I felt it would be too arrogant of me. The other party might have their own motives, like wanting me to taste their newly brewed tea or something.

"Ah... I'm sorry. I've been busy with my studies lately, so I haven't come here," I said.

"After all, it's inevitable for students to focus on their studies," Alice agreed, even though I was clearly lying.

"So, it's been a while since I had tea brewed by Alice, so I was wondering... if it's not too much trouble," I felt a bit embarrassed, so it was difficult to bring it up.

"Of course, no problem. Without Youjie, the tea connoisseur, I don't even know if my tea brewing skills have regressed," Alice said.

"The tea connoisseur? I definitely don't deserve that title," I quickly said. Such a grand title was too much to bear.

"But Youjie did give me some good feedback," Alice said. Feedback? I remember giving nothing but praise, without any flaws. It was simply a perfect compliment.

"Or... perhaps," I felt a bit guilty myself.

"Well, please come in. I'll go prepare," Alice made a welcoming gesture. I wondered if I was being too casual, as if I were entering my own home. So I hesitated for a moment.

"... What's wrong? Aren't you coming in?" Alice asked, puzzled, as I stood frozen at the door with no response.

"... Ah..." Although my consciousness had entered, my body remained still.

"No need to feel embarrassed or anything. The master isn't here, so please feel free to come in," Alice pulled me and I entered. I mean, I wasn't really concerned whether the principal was there or not. Although I did have some slight concern, why did it feel like I was here to do something secretive? There was a sense of dissonance, but Alice went to the inner room to prepare tea. I stood in a corner of the principal's office, feeling a bit lost. But as I looked around and saw the empty office chair, I did feel a slight sense of relief. It's possible that I'm not very good at dealing with the principal. Although her appearance and dress give off a youthful vibe, her words and actions are unpredictable, giving off a sense of deep cunning. Looks can be deceiving to some extent, and only through interacting with her will one experience various surprises.