Kidnapping the Female Teacher's Best Friend - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

This farce finally ended with Meng Yuanhao begging for mercy.

Although it was over, the two still glared at each other for a few seconds.

They had been able to get into fights since they were little, with a minor argument every three days and a major one every five, always over trivial matters.

Mo Zibei never participated in their squabbles; she always stayed quietly to the side doing other things, waiting for the commotion to slowly end on its own.

Meng Yuanhao finished glaring at Zhou Ruoxin and walked over to Mo Zibei. He reached out and covered the magazine’s content: “I’m not going to class tomorrow. Why don’t you come to my house? My parents aren’t home.”

Zhou Ruoxin stomped over angrily and slapped the back of his head: “Are you trying to skip class again?”

“None of your business.” Meng Yuanhao turned his head and glared at her.

Zhou Ruoxin glared back and finally threatened, “If you dare not go, I’ll tell Uncle Meng.”

Meng Yuanhao’s parents were originally civil servants, but later both resigned to go into business. In recent years, his family has become materially much richer, but other problems have followed. The family is often separated; his parents are busy with business and don’t have much time to look after Meng Yuanhao. The hired housekeeper is only responsible for his meals and can’t manage his life, so now he takes every opportunity to relax.

“Zibei never goes to tutoring,” Meng Yuanhao pouted. “You don’t see yourself lecturing her.”

“Her science grades are better than yours,” Zhou Ruoxin retorted fiercely.

They started arguing again as they spoke, and Mo Zibei quietly took her magazine and moved to a different spot.

The argument lasted for who knows how long, and by the time it finally ended, it was time for dinner.

Zhou’s father had a dinner engagement and wouldn’t be eating at home, so there were only the four of them at the dinner table.

Zhou’s mother was a good cook, and the dishes suited their tastes. The few of them ate happily, barely saying a word.

After the meal, Mo Zibei stayed for a bit longer, then prepared to leave.

“I’ll walk with you,” Mo Zibei had just stood up, and Meng Yuanhao followed suit.

“Auntie, then we’ll be heading back.” Mo Zibei finished speaking and waved goodbye to Zhou’s mother along with Meng Yuanhao.

“Alright, come over for dinner again another day,” Zhou’s mother said with a smile, waving at the two of them.

“I’m seeing her off,” Meng Yuanhao raised his chin at Zhou Ruoxin, who had followed them out. “You go back inside.”

Zhou Ruoxin gave Meng Yuanhao a roll of her eyes, then turned her head to look at Mo Zibei: “I’ll come find you at your place when I’m free.”

Mo Zibei hummed, not stopping her stride.

Zhou Ruoxin didn’t continue to follow, watched them for a few moments, and then turned and walked away.

“That Zibei hasn’t changed much, still doesn’t talk much,” Zhou’s mother, who was tidying the dishes, said casually when her daughter came in.

Zhou Ruoxin didn’t say a word, silently going to her bedroom.

On this side, Meng Yuanhao saw Zhou Ruoxin leave and immediately dragged Mo Zibei back to his own house.

“What do you want to drink?” After they changed their shoes, Meng Yuanhao walked over to the fridge.

Mo Zibei sat down on the living room sofa and looked up slightly: “Orange juice.”

Meng Yuanhao grabbed a bottle of orange juice for her and a bottle of cola for himself.

The cooking lady had already been sent away by Meng Yuanhao, so it was just the two of them at home now.

Meng Yuanhao sat cross-legged next to Mo Zibei, sipping his cola and complaining to her about Zhou Ruoxin’s fierce nature and bad temper.

Mo Zibei listened quietly, offering no comments.

Another five minutes passed, and Mo Zibei’s phone rang.

She put her drink on the small table, stood up, and answered the call.

The call was from Cheng Shu, inviting her to Guo Lianke’s house to play poker. Everyone else was there; they were only waiting for her.

Cheng Shu was from the class next door to hers; they weren’t very close, only having played poker together a few times by chance.

Guo Lianke’s house wasn’t far from there. Mo Zibei figured she had nothing to do back home, so she agreed.

After hanging up, Mo Zibei turned back to Meng Yuanhao and said, “I have something to do, so I’m leaving now.”

“Why are you leaving so soon?” Meng Yuanhao looked a little unhappy. “I was planning on having you play games with me later.”

Mo Zibei thought for a moment and asked, “Are you still skipping class tomorrow?”

“I am,” Meng Yuanhao raised an eyebrow. “So, will you come over here tomorrow?”

“Mhm,” Mo Zibei replied, then added, “But it has to be after noon. I won’t be able to get up early tomorrow.” After she finished playing poker, it would likely be very late, and she definitely wouldn’t get enough sleep.

“It’s fine, I like sleeping in too.” Meng Yuanhao walked her out of the apartment building.

After leaving the residential complex, Mo Zibei rode her bike to Guo Lianke’s place.

Guo Lianke’s home was an apartment with a loft-style renovation, very trendy and unique.

When Mo Zibei arrived at the complex entrance, the others were already waiting there, holding drinks, beer, cigarettes, and fruits.

Besides her, the other five card players were all boys. Cheng Shu, who called her, was from the class next door in the same school. There was also a guy named Wei Hai from the No. 2 Middle School, and the remaining three were vocational school students named Guo Lianke, Pan Wu, and Wang Qi, respectively.

Mo Zibei didn’t know much about them, only catching bits and pieces of conversation while playing cards. She knew Guo Lianke was doing well and was quite famous in the vocational school, and that Pan Wu and Wang Qi were in the same school and usually followed him.

Mo Zibei didn’t care about these things and wouldn’t inquire too much. Her relationship with them was limited to the card table; outside of that, they wouldn’t usually contact each other.

Seeing Mo Zibei arrive, the group exchanged simple greetings and then walked ahead. Mo Zibei followed unhurriedly.

She was usually a person of few words, and even more so in this kind of setting.

It was actually a coincidence how she became their card friend. She remembered one day in her second year of high school during PE class, the teacher allowed free activity. Mo Zibei casually wandered around, eventually leaving the sports field and walking to the hidden small grove behind the teaching building. She happened to see them sitting on a blanket playing poker. She didn’t know how Guo Lianke and the others managed to sneak into the school, as their school security was quite strict.

Mo Zibei glanced at their cards, didn’t pay much attention, and was about to walk past when Guo Lianke suddenly called out to her.

“Hey, you,” Guo Lianke looked up at her. “Come and take over for me, I need to go to the washroom.”

The other guys saw Mo Zibei was a girl and took Guo Lianke’s words as a teasing joke, not seriously.

But Guo Lianke genuinely needed to go to the washroom because he had an upset stomach.

As soon as he stood up and left, Mo Zibei actually sat down in his empty spot, picked up his face-down cards, and said flatly, “Whose turn is it to play?”

Mo Zibei actually loved playing cards. When she was free, she would play a few rounds on her desktop computer.

The others exchanged glances and uncertainly asked, “Do you know how to play this way?”

“The rules should be mostly the same,” Mo Zibei looked at the cards in her hand. “Tell me the rules.”

When she finished, Cheng Shu timely explained the rules. Mo Zibei nodded slightly, indicating she understood: “Let’s start.”

Before Guo Lianke returned from the washroom, Mo Zibei played two rounds. Her card skills and luck were both good; she came in first place both times.

It was because of these two rounds of cards that they started interacting.

Cheng Shu had seen her a few times in the hallway before and had an impression of her but hadn’t spoken to her. After that time, he asked for Mo Zibei’s contact information, saying he could call her to play when they had future card games.

A real-life game was definitely much more interesting than the computer version, so Mo Zibei eventually gave him her phone number.

Later, they invited her a few more times, and Mo Zibei accepted the invitations whenever she was free.

The group went up to the second floor of Guo Lianke’s house. Guo Lianke’s parents weren’t home, and having no adults meant they could make as much noise as they wanted tonight.

Everyone sat cross-legged around a blanket and started shuffling and playing poker.

The boys liked to chat about random things while playing cards, but Mo Zibei rarely participated.

It was summer vacation now, and with no adults supervising at Guo Lianke’s house and no curfew for the others, the card game didn’t end until four in the morning.

It was almost five o’clock when Mo Zibei cycled back from Guo Lianke’s place. She ate breakfast at a small breakfast shop before going upstairs, quickly washed up, and immediately fell asleep.

She didn’t wake up until one in the afternoon, awakened by a call from Meng Yuanhao.

“Come over now,” Meng Yuanhao’s voice sounded a bit lazy and tired, likely having stayed up late last night again. “I’m going to order a family bucket later. Let’s eat and then play games.”

Mo Zibei agreed.

She hung up the phone, took a shower, changed clothes, and rode her bike out the door.

The temperature was still very high today, just like yesterday. By the time she arrived, she was sweating profusely, and her face was flushed.

Meng Yuanhao was already waiting for her at the complex entrance, holding a cold drink. He wasn’t as thoughtful as Zhou Ruoxin to remember to bring her tissues.

Mo Zibei took the drink, took a few sips, wiped the sweat from her cheeks with her hand, and pushed her bike, walking side-by-side with Meng Yuanhao inside.

The family bucket had already arrived before Mo Zibei did. After they entered the house, they washed their hands and sat on the sofa to eat and drink. After they were full, they held the controllers and started playing video games.

At six o’clock, Zhou Ruoxin arrived; her tutoring class ended at five-thirty.

As soon as she arrived, Meng Yuanhao dropped his game to deal with her, while Mo Zibei stood up and sat on the mat by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the distant scenery.

This residential complex had a great location, surrounded by a park, schools, a hospital, and a food street, and the transportation was very convenient.

Zhou Ruoxin was a bit strange today. She didn’t scold Meng Yuanhao much, only said a few words, and then came over to Mo Zibei.

Meng Yuanhao followed her suspiciously.

“Are you hungry?” Zhou Ruoxin asked her.

“Not really.” Mo Zibei retracted her gaze.

“I’ll take you to eat something good.” Zhou Ruoxin said, reaching out to pull Mo Zibei’s arm.

Mo Zibei stood up naturally and followed her outside.

Meng Yuanhao wanted to follow, but Zhou Ruoxin glared at him, sending him back: “None of your business.”

The two went to the food street. Zhou Ruoxin held onto her arm the entire way, not letting go.

“Aren’t you hot?” Mo Zibei looked at the spot where she was being held.

“Mhm,” Zhou Ruoxin looked at the surrounding shops and asked her, “Is there anything special you want to eat?”

“Barbecued skewers and chicken feet.”

“Then let’s go to that shop ahead.” Zhou Ruoxin pulled her forward again. The barbecued skewers and braised chicken feet at this shop were very famous, and the line outside the door was very long.

Mo Zibei moved forward with Zhou Ruoxin.

She didn’t particularly like close physical contact with people, but Zhou Ruoxin had been close to her for many years and had always treated her very well, so she endured the slight discomfort in her heart.

Inside the shop, Zhou Ruoxin finally let go and took out a tissue to wipe the sweat from Mo Zibei’s arm.

Just as the skewers and chicken feet were ready and served on a plate, Meng Yuanhao arrived.

Zhou Ruoxin frowned: “You thick-skinned person, why did you follow us again?”

“The shop isn’t owned by your family, is it? If you can come, why can’t I?”

The two started arguing again. Mo Zibei silently lowered her head to eat and didn’t interfere.

In the middle of the argument, Zhou’s mother called, asking Ruoxin to come home for dinner.

Zhou Ruoxin hung up the phone, packed the remaining skewers and chicken feet, and pulled Mo Zibei to leave together.

As she walked out the door, Meng Yuanhao followed right behind, only his expression was a few shades uglier.

Upon entering the house, both of them had the same mutually ignoring expressions, clearly having just argued. Zhou’s mother was used to it, only saying, “Go wash your hands quickly, we’ll eat soon.”

Mo Zibei washed her hands and came out first. The other two were still stuck in a deadlock at the washbasin, currently tugging at a blue towel.

“These two kids,” hearing the commotion from over there, Zhou’s mother sighed and hurried toward the washbasin. “They really don’t make things easy.”

Mo Zibei went to the kitchen to help carry the dishes to the table and served five bowls of porridge. Zhou’s father would also be back soon to eat.

“You two are so old now, still acting like children…” Zhou’s mother couldn’t help but nag a bit after entering.

Seeing Zhou’s mother arrive, the two finally let go. They came out with cold faces and sat on the chairs, one on Mo Zibei’s left and one on her right.

Seeing this situation, Zhou’s mother found it amusing again.

It was strange; although these two often argued, they never fought with Mo Zibei, and they were both very good to her. She didn’t know why.

After Zhou’s father returned, the two were tactful enough to restrain their expressions a bit, or they would definitely be scolded.

After dinner, Zhou’s father called Mo Zibei to the study to play a few rounds of chess with him. Zhou Ruoxin and Meng Yuanhao’s chess skills were mediocre and not up to par, but Mo Zibei was good; sometimes, she could even win a game or two against Zhou’s father.

Zhou Ruoxin and Meng Yuanhao each moved a small stool to sit beside them and watch the game.

Zhou Ruoxin also washed strawberries and occasionally handed one to Mo Zibei.

Zhou’s father spared a moment to glance at his daughter. The child didn’t even think about giving one to her own father, only caring about someone else…

After Mo Zibei used her cannon to capture Zhou’s father’s horse, she casually slipped the strawberry Zhou Ruoxin handed over into Zhou’s father’s hand.

Zhou’s father looked at the strawberry in his hand, but the feeling of heartbreak didn’t diminish a bit. With the horse gone, the chance of losing increased by a few more points… I was really careless… Thinking this, he still ate the strawberry. He had to admit, it was quite sweet.

Zhou’s father and Mo Zibei both ate strawberries, and the frustration in Meng Yuanhao’s heart increased by a few points.

He glared and reached out to Zhou Ruoxin. Zhou Ruoxin ate the last strawberry and handed him the empty fruit plate.

Meng Yuanhao was about to cause a scene again, but Zhou Ruoxin shot him a look, indicating that her father was still there.

Meng Yuanhao irritably placed the plate aside and stomped home in a huff.

After he left, the smile on Zhou Ruoxin’s lips didn’t stop.

Mo Zibei won this game in the end. Zhou Ruoxin was even happier and complimented her a couple of times. Zhou’s father’s eyebrows couldn’t help but furrow.

Mo Zibei suggested one more game. This time she lost, and Zhou’s father’s eyebrows finally relaxed a little.

“Go to bed early when you get back.” Zhou Ruoxin walked Mo Zibei to the door.

“Mhm.”

“Remember to do your holiday homework.”

“Mhm.”

“I’ll come find you when I don’t have class.”

“Okay.”

Leaving the residential complex, Mo Zibei waved goodbye to her and rode her bike home in the gentle night breeze.

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