Qin Xin didn’t say another word to Jiang Yuan or Yi Nanye for the rest of the afternoon.

But whenever she occasionally turned to look at Jiang Yuan, her gaze was always gentle.

The sudden changes in her surroundings, along with the way everyone treated her differently, were hard for her to accept all at once. She instinctively began to cling to the past, and compared with her parents, who felt distant and out of touch...

She actually wanted to rely on Jiang Yuan more.

After school that afternoon.

Qin Xin packed up her desk and went straight home. She still understood Jiang Yuan and didn’t want to make things difficult for him.

But another girl in their class, Li Xiaoyan, actually had the nerve to approach Jiang Yuan and strike up a conversation after Qin Xin left.

“Jiang Yuan, watch out for Mr. He.”

Li Xiaoyan’s opening words were a warning about a teacher. Mr. He taught chemistry, and chemistry had been their second class that afternoon—in other words, Jiang Yuan had seen him just an hour ago.

“What’s wrong with Mr. He?”

“I saw him fiddling with something in the chemistry lab earlier. There was a really nasty smell. I think it was sulfur.”

“Sulfuric acid?”

Jiang Yuan frowned. Was Mr. He planning to throw sulfuric acid on him?

But Li Xiaoyan shook her head.

“It might not be sulfuric acid. You know how bad my grades are. Another deadly thing that needs sulfur is explosives. Be careful.”

After she finished speaking, Li Xiaoyan fell silent for a moment, then handed Jiang Yuan a letter.

“I’m transferring schools tomorrow. I’m really sorry for what I did to you before. But thanks to that money, my dad is out of danger now. I had no choice...”

“Mr. He is a good teacher, too. If you can...”

“Forgive him.”

Li Xiaoyan’s gaze was sincere, with even a hint of tears in it. Jiang Yuan could see something else in her eyes, too—a kind of reluctance he couldn’t put into words.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Mm!”

Li Xiaoyan nodded and turned to leave. But after only a few steps, she suddenly turned back, walked up to Jiang Yuan, opened her arms, and hugged him. Yi Nanye, standing nearby, widened her eyes. What was going on here?

But she didn’t say anything. She knew when to give them some space.

“Goodbye!!”

After the hug, she let go of Jiang Yuan with a smile, waved at him, and jogged off beneath the setting sun. A faint scent of gardenias still lingered in Jiang Yuan’s nose, reminding him of the day last year when he’d run into Li Xiaoyan selling gardenias on the street.

It had been around this time of year, too. The gardenias Li Xiaoyan was selling were already more than half wilted, so he’d gone over and bought every last one.

“Jiang Yuan, I had no idea you were actually so popular.”

“I’ve always gotten along with people just fine.”

Jiang Yuan shot Yi Nanye an unhappy look. His popularity was more than just fine; he got along great with his classmates. Too bad he’d become a suspect under the codename Jiang.

All the goodwill and everything he’d built up over time had crumbled in the face of that identity.

Jiang Yuan put the letter away without opening it. He could more or less guess what was inside. Li Xiaoyan had been brave enough to make her feelings clear; maybe he hadn’t noticed before, but it’d be ridiculous not to realize it now.

Jiang Yuan wasn’t that oblivious.

“So, what about Mr. He?”

“You’re quick on your feet. Just keep an eye on him for me.”

“I mean, are you going to forgive him?”

“He attacked me in the name of justice, a sinner. What is there to forgive or not forgive?”

“Is that so? Got it.”

Yi Nanye nodded. Jiang Yuan meant he wasn’t going to press the matter.

They left the classroom and walked shoulder to shoulder toward the stairs in silence. Through the windows, they could see that the schoolyard was completely empty now.

Since Jiang Yuan had returned to school, the students were reluctant to stay on campus after classes, afraid he might get them caught up in his trouble. Even the teachers felt the same way.

There were so few people still at school that you could count them on your fingers.

Jiang Yuan’s classroom was at the far end of the third floor, so it took a while to reach the stairs. Neither of them made small talk. Yi Nanye was already focused entirely on watching their surroundings.

They were only a few steps from the stairs when...

A figure suddenly emerged from around the corner. It was Mr. He.

The moment he appeared, he threw something at Jiang Yuan without a word. Yi Nanye, walking beside Jiang Yuan, instantly became a blur. With a whoosh, she darted forward, caught the object, and tossed it out the window.

It all happened in a flash—perhaps in less than a tenth of a second.

The next moment...

The object that had been thrown out the window exploded, flashing with dazzling fire and unleashing a deafening boom. The window shattered, and glass rained across the floor.

If it had gone off in the narrow hallway, the blast would’ve been more than enough to blow Jiang Yuan apart.

He would’ve been left a bloody, mangled mess, his bones and organs impossible to piece back together.

“Huh?”

Mr. He, who had thrown the bomb, froze. He clearly hadn’t figured out what had happened. He stared at Yi Nanye, at the figure by the window as it slowly came back into focus.

“Yi Nanye, let’s go.”

Jiang Yuan acted as if nothing had happened and called Yi Nanye over, ready to head downstairs as usual. But Mr. He had no intention of stopping. He slowly pulled a fruit knife from his pocket.

“Jiang... Jiang Yuan...”

“You...”

Before he could finish, Yi Nanye turned into a blur again and rushed forward. Mr. He immediately started swinging the knife, but to Yi Nanye, it moved slower than a crawling turtle. In just a couple of moves, she kicked the knife from his hand, then subdued him at close range with a stun gun.

To Jiang Yuan, it had all taken only a second or two. He heard a burst of crackling electricity, and Mr. He’s body went limp and collapsed. Even after he hit the floor, his limbs still twitched faintly.

“Let’s go.”

This time, Yi Nanye was the one urging Jiang Yuan to leave. Mr. He was still lying on the floor, glaring at Jiang Yuan with murderous intent. As Jiang Yuan passed him, a chill ran down his back.

If Mr. He could’ve gotten back up, Jiang Yuan had no doubt he would’ve lunged for his neck with his teeth, even without a weapon.

Not long after they started down the stairs...

A low, hoarse sob suddenly came from the floor above.

That evening.

Jiang Yuan and Yi Nanye were sitting at the dinner table. Yi Nanye glanced at him, then broke the silence.

“The investigation results are in. He Jianming’s wife died young of an inherited liver disease. Their daughter inherited it, too. She’s twelve this year and should still be in elementary school. Half an hour ago, she died despite resuscitation efforts at People’s Third Hospital.”