Chapter 56: I Don't Know What You're Talking About

Tang Yu hurried up to the fourth floor but didn’t go straight back to Room 406. Instead, she went first to Wang Qing’s dormitory to collect the clothes and bedding Wang Qing had kept for her. She knocked gently on the door; it was opened by one of Wang Qing’s roommates.

“Hello, I’m looking for Wang Qing,” Tang Yu said politely.

The girl glanced at her without a word, returned to her bed, put on her headphones, and continued listening to music.

Hearing Tang Yu’s voice, Wang Qing quickly slipped on her slippers and came out of the room. “Xiao Yu, you’re back!”

Inside the dorm, the girls dressed casually—a camisole nightdress and a pair of slippers were enough.

“Mm, I came to get my things. Thank you for keeping them for me; otherwise, they might have been blown away by the wind,” Tang Yu said gratefully.

“No problem! The weather’s been so damp lately. I used a hairdryer on them this morning, but they’re still a bit clammy. You should air them out when you get back; after a night, they’ll probably be dry,” Wang Qing replied.

Tang Yu thanked her immediately. “Sorry for all the trouble. I’ll treat you to a meal sometime.”

“Why so formal? We’re desk-mates,” Wang Qing said, bumping Tang Yu playfully on the shoulder. Then she studied Tang Yu’s face for a moment, her eyes wide with surprise. “Wow, Xiao Yu, you look so much better these days!”

Tang Yu was taken aback and instinctively touched her own cheek. “Really…?”

Wang Qing nodded emphatically. “You used to be so pale—unnaturally so—like you had no energy at all, as if a gust of wind could knock you over. I was always worried you’d faint any moment. But now you look ruddy and lively!” She pinched Tang Yu’s cheek and grinned. “There’s even a bit of flesh on your face! You used to be so thin it was frightening. You were pretty, but just too skinny. You look much better with some fullness to your face.”

Tang Yu hadn’t noticed much herself—only that she did feel more energetic lately. She’d stayed up late the night before and hadn’t napped during the day, yet after a full day of studying English, she didn’t feel tired at all.

“Maybe it’s because I’ve been eating more recently…” she said.

Whenever Bian Yang ordered food, he’d order a huge amount. Yet he was so picky, barely touching the most exquisite dishes before complaining they weren’t good enough. In the end, there was always food left over, and Tang Yu couldn’t bear to waste it, so she finished everything quietly herself.

“Eating more is good! These days, the classes and assignments are exhausting. If you’re malnourished, how will you have the energy to study? I’ve told you plenty of times to eat more meat, but you always stuck to vegetables and steamed buns, rushing back to study as soon as you finished eating. Even the strongest body can’t withstand that treatment!” Wang Qing chided.

Meat dishes were a bit expensive, while vegetables were a few yuan cheaper. Wang Qing knew Tang Yu was simply being frugal.

Tang Yu licked her lips, understanding Wang Qing’s good intentions, and smiled sweetly. “I’ll pay more attention from now on.”

Wang Qing was about to fetch Tang Yu’s things when something occurred to her. She doubled back to share the latest gossip from the school forum.

“By the way, do you know about Liu Yaojie?”

At the mention of his name, Tang Yu drew a sharp breath as she suddenly recalled the trouble from the night before. She and Bian Yang had left Liu Yaojie in the equipment room…

“No one knows which bold soul tied him up and left him there. You know that equipment room—it’s practically haunted. With the heavy rain outside, water was pouring in, and it’s located in the lowest corner of the field. The flooding was nearly up to the thighs! Liu Yaojie was left soaking in there all night. When they finally rescued him this morning, he was sitting on a barbell, shivering, and burning with fever—almost forty degrees, they said!” Wang Qing clicked her tongue in sympathy. “Wind-blown all night, soaked all night—how could he not get sick? His mouth was taped shut, so he couldn’t even cry for help. The moment they put him on a stretcher, he passed out cold. What a pitiful sight!”

Tang Yu hadn’t expected things to turn out this way. “That’s… pretty awful.”

“Awful or not, he had it coming. He’s always bullying classmates; now it’s his turn to be bullied. There’s no surveillance in the equipment room. If he can’t finger who did it, he’ll have to swallow the loss,” Wang Qing said, clasping her hands together in mock prayer. “I hope the fever’s cooked his brain and made him forget who did it!”

Tang Yu lowered her head, twisting her fingers nervously. She had assumed a teacher would soon discover Liu Yaojie, and even if he accused them, it would be seen as a matter of classmates’ quarrels—at worst, they’d have to write a self-criticism. But she hadn’t anticipated the sudden downpour, which made the situation far more serious.

Given Liu Yaojie’s personality—never one to let himself suffer a loss—things could easily escalate, perhaps even leading to an official school reprimand or expulsion.

Her brows knitted together, fingertips pressing into her palm. In her heart, she too prayed that Liu Yaojie wouldn’t mention Bian Yang.

With her bedding and clothes in hand, Tang Yu walked back to her room, mind heavy with worry. So much so that when she saw Sun Xuemin waiting in her dorm, she froze in shock and took a guilty step backward.

“Tang Yu, you’re back,” Sun Xuemin said, eyeing her sharply, her gaze appraising. “Come with me. I need to talk to you.”

Her roommates whispered among themselves—this was the first time they’d seen Teacher Sun so stern.

Tang Yu pressed her lips together, set her things on her bed, and followed Sun Xuemin in silence to the end of the hallway.

Wang Qing was on her way to the bathroom and, spotting Teacher Sun’s back, leaned over to whisper to Tang Yu, “What’s going on? Why does she want to see you?”

Tang Yu shook her head. Sun Xuemin turned to glance at Wang Qing, who quickly stuck out her tongue and stepped aside.

In the laundry room at the end of the hall, Sun Xuemin motioned for Tang Yu to enter, then closed the door. Now there were only the two of them inside.

Wang Qing crouched outside, trying to eavesdrop.

“Tang Yu, how could you do something like this?” Sun Xuemin’s voice was sharp. “Tell me, was it you who tied up Liu Yaojie and left him in the equipment room?”

“So young, and already capable of such malice? What sort of upbringing have your parents given you?” Sun Xuemin interrogated her relentlessly.

Tang Yu’s body trembled instinctively. Her fingers clenched tight, breath caught in her throat. She lowered her head and said nothing.

Outside, Wang Qing covered her mouth in shock. She never imagined Tang Yu was involved—this was a disaster.

Seeing Tang Yu’s frightened look, Sun Xuemin seemed satisfied, then her expression shifted to disappointment.

“I know Liu Yaojie may have gone too far with you before, but you’re classmates. No matter what, you shouldn’t have done something so extreme. Do you realize that if he hadn’t been found in time, something terrible could have happened? Could you bear that responsibility?” Sun Xuemin’s barrage of questions and scolding could easily terrify a young girl unused to trouble.

Once she’d vented, Sun Xuemin looked down at Tang Yu, hoping for a confession. “Here’s what you’ll do: apologize to Liu Yaojie’s parents and admit what you’ve done. I’ll speak for you with the principal and his family. As long as you’re sincere, this matter will be settled.”

Settled? Impossible. Liu Yaojie wouldn’t let such a loss go so easily.

Tang Yu bit down hard on her lip, turning it white, then pressed her eyes shut. She wanted to confess—at least that way Bian Yang wouldn’t be implicated.

But a few seconds later, she dismissed the thought. No, if she admitted to it, Sun Xuemin would surely ask how a girl like her could have tied up Liu Yaojie alone, and would force her to name her accomplice.

She and Bian Yang had been close lately, and there had been public disputes between Bian Yang and Liu Yaojie in class. There was no way Bian Yang would escape suspicion.

In the space of ten seconds, Tang Yu understood everything.

When Sun Xuemin grabbed her hand, intent on dragging her to the principal for a confession, Tang Yu summoned all her courage and jerked her arm free.

“Teacher Sun, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”