After lunch, there was an hour for a midday break. The players decided to look for clues. Tan Manyu had a special mission, so after leaving the cafeteria with Li Zhi, she whispered a few words to her and then left on her own.
Li Zhi looked around and headed in a direction they hadn’t explored yet.
There was a patch of greenery along the road below the teaching building. Beyond the greenery was a row of small buildings, and a signpost at the intersection pointed toward the reading room, the infirmary, and the sports equipment room.
High schools usually don’t have libraries, and Yucai High School was no different. The reading room, about the same size as a classroom, was locked. Dusty books were scattered on the shelves in disarray. Li Zhi peered through the window for a while but found no clues, so she turned and headed toward the infirmary.
The blue wooden door was slightly ajar. Through the window, Li Zhi could only see a figure wearing a white coat behind a medical curtain, organizing the medicine cabinet. She knocked on the door and pushed it open, walking inside. “Teacher, my stomach feels a bit uncomfortable.”
The school doctor in the white coat emerged from behind the curtain. As their eyes met, the fake pained expression on Li Zhi’s face shifted into a smile.
She didn’t say anything, just smiled at him with eyes curved in amusement. Li Jianxi, feeling a bit uncomfortable under her gaze, looked away and casually asked, “Where does it hurt?”
Outside the screen, members of the Li-Zhi ship fandom were ecstatic:
【It’s that man! He’s finally here! This time he found his wife earlier than expected!】
【My favorite ship has reunited!】
【The way Li Jianxi looks at Li Zhi is absolutely suspicious! He remembers her! He hasn’t forgotten Li Zhi!】
【What is the purpose of this NPC?】
【Hurry, Li Zhi! Take this opportunity to boost his affection and grab his items!】
…
Li Zhi slipped her hand into her pocket and touched the sunflower pendant.
So it really worked.
She sat on the examination bed in the infirmary, recalling the edited video she saw on the forum before entering the game, and couldn’t help but smile. Her gaze unconsciously swept over his legs. Hmm, they weren’t broken.
Li Jianxi noticed her inexplicable look and hesitated for a moment. “What are you looking at?”
Li Zhi said, “Your legs are pretty long.”
Li Jianxi: “…”
Li Zhi beamed. “Mr. Li, long time no see.”
Li Jianxi lowered his eyes. “Where exactly does your stomach hurt?”
Alright, every scenario has a role to play. He’s quite dedicated.
Li Zhi sighed, “I ate too much. Feeling a bit bloated.”
“You don’t need medicine for bloating.” Li Jianxi took a pack of digestive tablets from the medicine cabinet and handed them to her. “Walk around a bit, and it’ll pass.”
Li Zhi took two tablets, chewed them, and Li Jianxi, seeing this, turned around and brought her a cup of water. As she held the disposable paper cup, Li Zhi asked, “Mr. Li, how long have you been working here?”
Li Jianxi replied, “Two years.”
Li Zhi continued, “Has the school’s graduation rate always been this high?”
Li Jianxi thought for a moment before answering, “Yucai High School’s graduation rate has only risen in the past two years. The new principal introduced educational reforms after taking office.”
Li Zhi asked curiously, “What kind of reform was it?”
Li Jianxi shook his head slightly. “I don’t know, I’m just a school doctor.”
It seemed that due to the limitations of his identity, he didn’t know much either. Well, if she could get all the clues from him, there would be no point in playing this instance. Even if he was a friendly NPC, he could only provide assistance within the rules.
Looking at the handsome NPC in front of her, Li Zhi wanted to confirm many things with him, but the most important task right now was the current instance. After finishing her water, she jumped down from the examination bed and waved at him.
“Mr. Li, I feel much better now. Thank you, see you next time.”
Li Jianxi nodded lightly.
After leaving the infirmary, Li Zhi went to the sports equipment room. It was locked as well, and through the window, she could see a mess of equipment piled inside. After circling around without finding any useful clues, she headed back toward the teaching building.
The teaching building was nearly empty during the lunch break, with only a few diligent students scattered across the classrooms. As she passed a corner, Li Zhi heard a voice reciting The Peacock Flies Southeast coming from the hallway. Earlier in the morning, Wang Zhiyuan had been called to the office by the homeroom teacher after failing to recite this poem during Chinese class. He had only returned after the second period, and at that time, Li Zhi had observed him and noticed he didn’t seem to have been punished.
Now hearing this familiar voice, she walked toward the hallway.
Sure enough, Wang Zhiyuan was sitting on the stairs, a Chinese textbook spread on his knees as he anxiously read and recited.
“Wang Zhiyuan,” Li Zhi called out, walking over to him. “Why are you reciting here?”
Wang Zhiyuan looked up at her, his voice low and muffled. “There are other students studying in the classroom. I don’t want to disturb them.”
After saying that, he lowered his head and continued reciting. Li Zhi sat down beside him and listened for a while. He was still stumbling over the words. She gently said, “Don’t rush. The more anxious you are, the harder it’ll be to memorize.”
Wang Zhiyuan, on the verge of collapse, grabbed his head. “There’s no time! Teacher Liu said she’s going to test me again after school today! If I still can’t recite it, I’ll be sent to the principal’s office!”
Li Zhi calmly asked, “What happens if you’re sent to the principal’s office?”
“I don’t know, but it’s definitely nothing good!” A flash of fear crossed Wang Zhiyuan’s face. “Even someone like Xie Cong came back obedient after going to the principal’s office. They must have seriously punished him. I heard the principal has an electric baton. I don’t want to get hit!”
After saying that, he covered his ears and frantically continued reciting. Li Zhi didn’t disturb him further and quietly got up to leave.
The lunch break quickly passed, and before the afternoon classes began, the players gathered in the classroom.
Zhou Jianzhang called everyone together. “Let’s share the information we’ve gathered.”
Bei Xuan was the first to speak. “We searched the girls’ dormitory.”
She seemed to want to redeem herself after being scared in the dormitory hallway last night, glancing at Li Zhi before continuing, “The senior students have all moved to the new campus, so several floors are empty. I heard that students move to the new campus in their senior year to better prepare for the college entrance exams.”
After she finished, another player added, “We went to the administration building, but most of the offices were locked. We didn’t find any useful clues.”
Li Zhi looked at that player. “Did you see the principal’s office?”
The player thought for a moment. “Yes, it’s on the top floor, but it’s locked as well.”
Taking this chance, Li Zhi shared the clue she got from Wang Zhiyuan. “The principal’s office seems to be a key location. Students who perform poorly or are disobedient are taken there for punishment. We should talk to that student, Xie Cong, to see if we can find out what happened to him in there.”
“Xie Cong?!” Lian Qinglin immediately raised his hand. “I also heard his name! Apparently, a girl committed suicide because of him.”
Everyone turned to look at him, and Lian Qinglin continued, “The story goes that a girl confessed to him and was rejected. She was really upset for a while, and not long after, she jumped off the building and killed herself.”
He pointed to the window beside them. “They say she jumped from right here.”
The players sitting near the window immediately felt a chill down their spines and hurriedly moved away from it.
Li Zhi frowned. “When did this happen?”
Lian Qinglin thought for a moment. “About half a year ago, probably last semester.”
As they spoke, students started returning to the classroom one after another, signaling the end of the lunch break. After the players finished sharing their clues, they also returned to their seats. Li Zhi glanced at Tan Manyu, who shook her head in response.
Her mission was far more difficult than just clearing this instance, so it wasn’t surprising that she hadn’t found any clues.
Li Zhi noticed Liao Ze sitting across the aisle and leaned forward with a mysterious grin. “Liao Ze, I just heard some gossip.”
Sure enough, Liao Ze’s face lit up with curiosity, and he leaned in closer. “What gossip?”
Li Zhi whispered, “I heard that a girl from our class committed suicide over a love affair.”
Liao Ze rolled his eyes at her. “That’s not gossip; everyone in our class knows about it.”
Li Zhi gasped. “So it really happened?”
“Of course, I saw her jump with my own eyes.” He pointed to the same window Lian Qinglin had mentioned. “It happened during an evening self-study session.”
Li Zhi looked at him intently. “I heard it was over a boy named Xie Cong?”
“You transfer students sure pick up on a lot.” Liao Ze gave her a sideways glance and twirled his pen as he spoke lazily. “She must have thought that just because Xie Cong helped her clean the blackboard a few times and took out the class trash, he had feelings for her.”
Li Zhi asked, “And then what?”
Liao Ze replied, “Then you know the rest. She confessed, got rejected, and jumped. But you’d better stop asking about it. Teacher Liu considers it a stain on her teaching career and doesn’t let us talk about it.”
Li Zhi nodded, then glanced around the classroom. “Which one is Xie Cong?”
Liao Ze sat back down, answering dismissively, “The most handsome guy in the middle row.”
Li Zhi looked for a while, eventually finding the most well-proportioned face among the sea of young high schoolers. Before the class bell rang, she quickly walked over to his desk and confirmed his identity by reading his name tag.
Xie Cong.
The tall and handsome boy was working on a math problem. Noticing someone standing beside him, he looked up, polite and gentle. “Do you need something, classmate?”