Absenteeism and Alarms

Ye Xingmian was absent from class today. Lin Ziyan was also missing, with the class teacher explaining that both had taken leave to care for a sick Ye Xingmian.

However, this news only deepened Liu Yinuo’s unease. ‘Lin Ziyan caring for Ye Xingmian? No one would believe that.’

The events of last night still gnawed at her, leaving a bitter taste that lingered even now.

Why had she allowed Ye Xingmian to brave such a heavy snowfall alone on her way home? Why hadn’t she insisted on accompanying her?

Her fever had only just subsided, and her leg injury remained unhealed. What if she had succumbed to the cold, passing out in the snow? What if she had died out there?

These harrowing possibilities tormented her, intensifying her distress. Last night, she truly should not have let Ye Xingmian leave, even if it meant dragging her home by force.

Yet, it was too late for regrets; only remorse remained.

She felt this might be the most irreversible mistake she had ever made in her life.

Outside the classroom window, several withered trees stood cloaked in a thick layer of snow. Earlier that morning, she had seen some trees snapped clean by the relentless wind and snow, a testament to the severity of last night’s weather.

How had Ye Xingmian possibly made it home in such conditions?

‘No, I can’t think about it. The more I do, the worse I feel.’ Liu Yinuo couldn’t even settle down to listen to the lecture, her mind consumed by the image of the frail girl.

She tried to concentrate on the lesson, but every attempt to focus felt futile, like trying to hold down one thing only for another to surface. The image of Ye Xingmian’s figure vanishing into the snowy night simply would not fade.

And so, she drifted through the morning in a haze until class finally ended.

Liu Yinuo, still restless, left the classroom, leaning against the corridor railing to catch her breath. Yet, a fresh wave of anxiety immediately washed over her.

‘Why would Lin Ziyan take leave?’ she pondered. ‘Hadn’t they always left Ye Xingmian to fend for herself at home? Why, then, was she insisting on staying home to care for her this time? Something is wrong, very wrong. There must be a hidden motive.’

‘She must have already guessed that Ye Xingmian turned into a girl…’

Connecting these thoughts, the girl’s premonition grew increasingly ominous. She was almost certain Lin Ziyan intended to bully Ye Xingmian, though she couldn’t fathom the exact method.

A powerful sense of dread tormented her. Suddenly, she straightened, almost instinctively wanting to ask for leave to visit Ye Xingmian. But then, she realized her reasons were utterly unfounded.

‘To take leave, I’d have to contact my parents, and they definitely wouldn’t agree to me taking another day off for this.’ The mere thought of her parents made her grit her teeth in frustration.

‘Last night, I was so close! My little cutie was about to completely fall for my gentle advances, and then we could have started our wonderful cohabitation life (?).’

‘Yet, that tiny gap—it was all because my parents, with their chaotic, so-called “for your own good” rhetoric, drove Ye Xingmian away, causing me to fail at the last hurdle.’

‘The more I think about it, the angrier I get.’

‘But I’ll have other chances,’ she mused. ‘My little cutie isn’t ungrateful; she remembers my kindness, so approaching her again will be easy. One day, I’ll achieve my goal of bringing her home with me.’

‘However, before that, my little cutie isn’t really a “little cutie” but a “little pitiable one.” Her living situation is truly worrying.’

After much deliberation, Liu Yinuo decided it was imperative to visit Ye Xingmian at the Lin residence during lunch.

This was both to prevent the little pitiable one from being bullied by Lin Ziyan and to understand her usual living conditions at home, allowing her to then address the issues effectively.

“Sigh—” She let out a breath. ‘There’s no use thinking about all this now. No matter what, I’ll have to wait until lunch break after school. There’s still a whole morning of classes to get through.’

As these thoughts ran through her mind, she suddenly remembered something else, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

‘That’s right, Qin Haiyue, that hateful blonde girl! Yesterday at noon, she seemed to have threatened my little pitiable one, saying something like… “I’ll be waiting for you at the usual spot tomorrow”?’

‘Was the “usual spot” the entrance to that bathroom?’ The girl frowned as she looked around. There was no tall blonde girl, clearly she had already left.

‘Did this count as another broken agreement?’ The girl felt a pang of worry. If Ye Xingmian returned and Qin Haiyue caught her again when she wasn’t paying attention, what then?

Unable to devise a better solution, Liu Yinuo could only resolve to protect Ye Xingmian as much as possible, denying Qin Haiyue any opportunity.

A strange weariness settled over her. ‘Am I pouring my heart and soul into all this only for it to be a thankless task?’

‘But I truly long to see my little pitiable one smile again, to quietly hold her in my arms, feeling the softness of her body while admiring her peaceful, adorable sleeping face.’

‘I wonder when that will happen.’ Yet, Liu Yinuo knew time was still on her side, and she had many opportunities ahead.

Before long, the class bell rang, and Liu Yinuo resigned herself to silently enduring the rest of the morning.

****

As expected, Ye Xingmian did not come to school that morning.

Having held no particular expectations, Qin Haiyue left school after confirming her absence and returned home.

Within her sprawling villa, she searched for the key to the basement, eventually finding it tucked beneath an inconspicuous cabinet.

Using the key, she unlocked the rusted iron door of the basement. With a grating screech, the door swung open gently, revealing an abyss of darkness within.

After fumbling for a moment, she switched on the basement light. The strong scent of dust made her frown involuntarily. As a standard feature in such a villa, the basement had never been used.

Its original purpose was for storing wine or valuable items, but now it was simply caked in layers of dust.

Qin Haiyue waited for a while, and soon enough, the cleaning crew arrived. She descended with several female workers into the dimly lit space.

The walls were poured concrete, making it completely airtight, save for a high-mounted ventilation fan on one side. Behind it lay a ventilation duct, though it was far too small for anyone to crawl through.

She watched as the maids meticulously cleaned the basement, sprinkling water to settle the airborne dust. Finally, they brought in several large pads, fixing them to the walls.

They felt soft to the touch, with a good texture, and were as elastic as modeling clay.

The pads were pink, and combined with the newly installed golden chandelier on the spacious basement ceiling, the formerly desolate space now appeared surprisingly cozy.

During this, some chatty female workers couldn’t help but ask why she was decorating a basement so lavishly. She casually replied that it was for her pet.

The workers, aside from marveling at the incomprehensible world of the wealthy, simply resumed their tasks.

Of course, Qin Haiyue was speaking the truth; it was simply that her definition of a “pet” differed somewhat from others’.

She was, in fact, following through on yesterday’s idea, meticulously outfitting a secluded, padded room.

Ye Xingmian hadn’t shown up for their meeting this morning. She was still contemplating how to punish her.

‘Ah, it would indeed be better to bring her to my own house.’

However, despite spending a considerable sum on renovating this basement, it wasn’t guaranteed to be used. After all, Ye Xingmian was no longer as inconspicuous as before; abducting her now would be quite challenging.

But for just one night, it would be entirely feasible for her.

“Liu—Yi—Nuo—”

She muttered the annoying girl’s name. In truth, more than one person stood in her way.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket—an incoming call. As expected, it was her father from America.

Her gaze immediately turned to one of disgust.

She walked to a secluded spot to answer. The person on the other end immediately greeted her stiffly in broken Chinese.

“Hi! Daughter! Did you do what I asked you to last night?”

It sounded rather comical.

“Alright, I know,” she replied. ‘Isn’t it just about getting on good terms with the city’s chief judge’s only daughter, so you can pave the way for your branch’s development here?’

Though Qin Haiyue wasn’t particularly invested, she continued to agree verbally.

“I told you last night, her name is Luo Xi. You must try hard!”

‘Yes, Luo Xi, that meddlesome person.’

‘If she discovered that the person I often bully suddenly went missing, she would definitely bring a large group of people to turn my house upside down. By then, it would be too late for anything.’

She casually hung up, disregarding the awkward, stiff nagging from the other end. A sense of annoyance settled over her.

‘Why are there so many meddlesome people?’