Kidnapping the Female Teacher's Best Friend - Chapter 77

Chapter 77

“I’m heading out then?” Mu Hanxi pulled open the car door, glancing back at her.

Mo Zebei nodded and gave her a small, subtle wave.

Once Mu Hanxi’s car had disappeared into the distance, Mo Zebei took out her phone and called Zhou Ruoxin: “Have your parents left?”

“Not yet. I just finished reporting, so I’m planning to show them around campus for a bit.”

“Mhm.”

“Want to grab dinner together tonight?”

“Won’t you be with your parents?”

“They’re heading back to the hotel after the tour. They won’t be eating here.”

“Okay, sure. Give me a call when you’re ready.”

After hanging up, Zhou Ruoxin sent her another WeChat message.

Forgot to tell you make sure to try on your military training uniform. If the size isn’t right, hurry and find the coordinator to swap it. Freshman military training would last a week; if the clothes didn’t fit, the training would be a miserable ordeal.

[Got it.]

After replying, Mo Zebei wandered aimlessly around the campus. A while later, Qu Junzhi called.

“Done reporting?”

“Mhm,” Mo Zebei sat down on a nearby bench. “I’m not used to the communal dorm lifestyle… I want to get a bed curtain.”

“That’s easy. I’ll help you set it up,” Qu Junzhi said, grabbing her dorm keys and heading out. “Wait for me at your school gate. I’ll be there soon.” It wasn’t even four o’clock yet; there was plenty of time.

Fifteen minutes later, Qu Junzhi arrived.

“I asked my local roommate, and she told me a place nearby that sells bed curtains. It’s not far from your school; we can just ride bikes there.”

Mo Zebei nodded.

The two each took a shared bicycle. Qu Junzhi led the way, and they chatted as they rode.

Once they arrived, it was Qu Junzhi who handled the haggling efficiently and without wasting words.

After buying the curtain, they rode back. “I want to tour your school and help you install the curtain while I’m at it.”

“Sure.”

As luck would have it, they bumped into Zhou Ruoxin leading her parents around.

When there was still a short distance between them, Mo Zebei stopped her bike and reminded Qu Junzhi: “Those are Zhou Ruoxin’s parents.”

Qu Junzhi braked immediately upon hearing this.

Seeing Mo Zebei and Qu Junzhi together, Zhou Ruoxin’s brows furrowed tightly, and her face darkened.

Qu Junzhi and Mo Zebei both pushed their bikes over: “Hello, Uncle. Hello, Auntie.”

“Hello there,” Father Zhou asked with a smile. “Xiao Bei, who is this girl?”

“My desk-mate from senior year, Qu Junzhi. She’s also studying in City B.”

Father Zhou said cheerfully, “That’s wonderful. When you’re free on weekends, you two can go out and have fun together.”

Qu Junzhi picked up the thread: “Uncle, Ruoxin and I actually know each other too. Our relationship is quite good.”

“Is that so?” Father Zhou turned to look at his daughter.

Zhou Ruoxin gave an annoyed huff. Mother Zhou lightly patted her arm: “You child… how rude.”

Qu Junzhi lowered her eyes to hide her amusement: “Uncle, Auntie, please continue your tour. Zebei and I have some things to handle.”

“Alright, off you go then…”

Once they were out of earshot, Qu Junzhi said to Mo Zebei, “See that? As soon as Zhou Dongdong sees me, her claws come out. She’s all thorns.”

Mo Zebei gave a soft “mhm.”

“Do you know why?”

Mo Zebei had a general idea Zhou Ruoxin just didn’t like Qu Junzhi…

“Never mind, I won’t get into it,” Qu Junzhi said, to avoid letting a secret slip. “Let’s hurry to your dorm and get to work.”

They hadn’t been in the dorm for long when Zhou Ruoxin called Mo Zebei to ask for her room number.

“Ruoxin is coming over in a bit,” Mo Zebei whispered.

“Mhm, figured as much.” Qu Junzhi was currently standing on the bed, installing the curtain.

The other five roommates were also in the dorm, but they remained silent, stealing glances at Qu Junzhi or Mo Zebei every now and then.

When Zhou Ruoxin arrived, she became another focal point for their attention.

Qu Junzhi worked on top, Mo Zebei gave directions from below, and Zhou Ruoxin watched coldly from the side.

It took a while to finish. When Qu Junzhi climbed down, Mo Zebei handed her a bottle of mineral water.

Qu Junzhi took a few sips and wiped her mouth: “I want to eat dinner at your school cafeteria.”

“Sure, my treat.”

Zhou Ruoxin tutted: “Doesn’t your school have food? Why eat at ours?”

Qu Junzhi shot her a sideways glance: “The cafeteria isn’t owned by your family. I’ll go if I want to. Is it any of your business?”

Zhou Ruoxin’s face flushed red from the retort. The other five roommates were secretly watching the battle, their expressions quite animated.

“Let’s go eat.” Mo Zebei grabbed her backpack, keys, and campus card.

Zhou Ruoxin stormed out first, followed closely by Qu Junzhi, with Mo Zebei bringing up the rear.

As soon as they left, the five roommates huddled together to discuss:

“Those two must be Mo’s friends. They’re both pretty, but their tempers are something else…”

“I don’t think Mo’s personality is actually that cold.”

“Not cold? She hasn’t said a single word to any of us since she entered the dorm…”

“She probably won’t bother with us in the future either. She’s even put up a bed curtain; she clearly wants to shut us out…”

“If she’s going to be like that, she might as well move out…”

“That sister who brought her earlier seemed nice. I think Mo just doesn’t know us well yet. It’ll probably get better over time…”

Outside the dormitory building, Zhou Ruoxin and Qu Junzhi were giving each other the cold shoulder.

Mo Zebei wasn’t great at mediating the atmosphere, so the three walked to the cafeteria in silence. Amidst their grunts and huffs, Mo Zebei finished her dinner with her head down.

Since there was self-study in the evening, Qu Junzhi left after the meal.

As soon as she was gone, Zhou Ruoxin began grumbling about her to Mo Zebei, who listened quietly.

After the venting session, Zhou Ruoxin had to head to her own class for self-study, and the two parted ways.

On the way back, Mo Zebei received a call from Qu Junzhi.

“Was she complaining about me to you?”

Mo Zebei let out a helpless sigh: “Before, it was her and Yuanhao bickering; now it’s you and her…”

“See? She clashes with everyone. That just proves she’s the problem…”

Mo Zebei listened to her ramble for a bit before hanging up.

Returning to her classroom, Mo Zebei picked a corner seat at the very back. She sat for a while, then pulled a manga book from her bag and began reading to herself.

When the bell rang, the department counselor arrived with a class assistant—a girl one year senior to them.

During military training, this senior would follow them through the whole process, managing their daily life and studies.

After the counselor left, the assistant organized self-introductions and some ice-breaker games.

Evening self-study ran from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Once finished, everyone headed back to their dorms. Military training was to start early the next morning.

Mo Zebei didn’t return to the dorm immediately. She wandered aimlessly around the campus with her backpack.

Eventually, she sat on a bench by the lake, leaning back and staring blankly at the starry sky. She didn’t head back to the dorm until after 10:30 PM.

Her roommates had all finished washing up early and were lying in bed chatting animatedly. When Mo Zebei pushed the door open, the conversation came to an abrupt halt…

Mo Zebei’s expression remained neutral. She only said, “Carry on.”

The other five looked at one another, but no one spoke. The entire dorm fell into a bizarre silence…

Mo Zebei ignored it. After washing up, she returned to her bed, changed into her pajamas, and lay down with her eyes closed.

The dorm didn’t have a private bathroom—you could only do a simple wash—which was something she found very hard to get used to.

A while later, Mu Hanxi called. Although Mu Hanxi had taken the day off, she still had work to handle and had only just finished.

Fearing she would disturb her roommates, Mo Zebei got out of bed and went outside to take the call. As soon as she stepped out, the quiet dorm erupted into discussion again.

“How do you feel?” Mu Hanxi was still a bit worried about her, fearing she wouldn’t fit into the group.

“It’s okay.”

“Mo Xiaobao…” Mu Hanxi wanted to tell her to be proactive and communicate more with her roommates instead of keeping to herself, but a person’s personality isn’t something that can change overnight…

“I’m fine, really.” Mo Zebei seemed to sense Mu Hanxi’s thoughts.

Mu Hanxi’s expression softened slightly. “How long is the military training?”

“One week.”

“Starts tomorrow morning?”

“Mhm.”

“Then go to sleep soon. Military training is quite exhausting.”

“Okay.”

Walking back to Room 416, Mo Zebei heard her roommates talking about her. She cleared her throat and knocked on the door before pushing it open.

This time, it wasn’t just quiet; the air was thick with awkwardness…

After an unknown amount of time, someone got down from their bed and quietly turned off the lights. In the pitch darkness, the others let out a sigh of relief.

The next morning after breakfast, the freshmen returned to their classrooms and were led by their class assistants to the gathering point.

Before the instructors arrived, the assistant had them line up by height.

Mo Zebei was relatively tall, so she stood toward the back of the formation.

To her left was a boy; to her right was a girl.

She didn’t have much of an impression of the boy, but she knew the girl: Ren Xueying.

Last night, when it was her turn to introduce herself, it had caused quite a stir…

Ren Xueying was fair-skinned and beautiful, with long legs—the typical “pretty girl” by modern standards. Combined with her good grades and wealthy family, she was a focus of attention wherever she went. During the break yesterday, many boys had surrounded her asking for her WeChat… They were university students now; dating was free, no longer bound by strict school rules. If they liked someone, they would be proactive, and the boys’ interest was, as always, direct.

The morning temperature was low, with an occasional breeze, so standing there wasn’t too hard to endure. Since the instructors hadn’t arrived yet, people couldn’t help but start whispering.

Ren Xueying stood at the end of a row. Aside from those in front and behind, the only person next to her was Mo Zebei. She stole a few glances at the girl; Mo Zebei’s expression was cold, looking like someone who was hard to get along with. Ren Xueying hadn’t wanted to talk to her at first, but she was bored, and talking to those in front or behind was inconvenient…

“My name is Ren Xueying… What’s yours?” She actually knew Mo Zebei’s name—she remembered it from the introductions last night. She had thought the girl was quite unique then; she only said her name and nothing else. Plus, she had short hair and handsome, well-defined features, making it hard not to notice her. However, the girl gave off a strong sense of aloofness that made Ren Xueying a bit uncomfortable…

Mo Zebei was silent for a few seconds before answering calmly: “Mo Zebei…”

“Mhm…” At least she was willing to respond; maybe she wasn’t that hard to get along with. “I’m a local. Where is your home?” This girl had sat in the very back corner yesterday, looking very solitary. Ren Xueying had expected to get the cold shoulder…

“City J.”

Ren Xueying knew City J; it was one of the country’s famous tourist spots. She followed up: “I went there with my parents over the summer once. Everything was fine, but the weather was just too hot.”

Mo Zebei nodded. City J was indeed sweltering and humid in the summer, making people restless.

“Have you been to City B before?”

“No.”

“City B has many fun places and a lot of authentic local snacks,” Ren Xueying felt that chatting with this person wasn’t as difficult as she’d imagined. “You should go out and explore when you have time.”

Mo Zebei gave a soft “mhm.”

“Do you have relatives here?” In some places, it was better to be led by someone who knew the area.

“I do.” Mo Zebei thought of Mu Hanxi; in her heart, she automatically categorized her as her closest person…

“Oh, then you can have them take you…”

After Ren Xueying said this, Mo Zebei seemed to think of something and smiled slightly.

Ren Xueying was stunned as she watched. This person actually knew how to smile, and she looked so beautiful when she did…

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