SS-Class Guide - Chapter 27

The conclusion of the examinations brought with it the final dangerous zone team mission.

In An Yuan’s previous life, including the Battle of the Insect Emperor, he had only participated in two team missions. Although Rong Xiushi had participated in several team missions in his own life, they had been just like this one, part of the “salted fish” squad. Essentially, they would enter a dangerous zone just to go through the motions and then leave. His performance in this area had always been disastrous.

However, setting aside the past Rong Xiushi, the members of the salted fish squad collectively had no expectations for themselves. They all had a profound understanding of their own limitations; they were basically just coasting until graduation.

December 26.

All the students of Fanse Academy gathered to take the high-speed rail to the dangerous zone.

While queuing to enter the carriage, Rong Xiushi’s footsteps faltered. He saw Wen Xiuyu again. After a semester, combined with the memories belonging to the original host, he clearly understood that Wen Xiuyu was very different from what he had imagined. Perhaps the Wen Xiuyu he had known in his past life was not the real him.

In his impression, Wen Xiuyu was a clingy child who was like glue, but his true nature was actually very cold and emotionless. He was known as the most difficult person to approach at Fanse Academy.

Yu Tianlu followed Rong Xiushi’s gaze and asked, “Are you looking at Lord Wen Xiuyu again?”

Rong Xiushi withdrew his gaze. Yu Tianlu sighed softly and said, “Stop looking. Lord Wen Xiuyu will not like anyone.”

Rong Xiushi was stunned for a moment and said, “No, he has someone he likes.” Moreover, when facing the person he liked, he was actually quite bold and uninhibited.

The corners of his lips curved upward as he thought about how Wen Xiuyu, back when he was still a minor, had audaciously asked Wen Xiyan to help him buy roses to give to someone. He thought to himself that if he had known Wen Xiuyu was so devoid of emotion, he should have had a good talk with Wen Xiyan back then. That way, he would not be so worried now about the possibility of little Wen Xiuyu spending his life alone.

Yu Tianlu rolled his eyes and said with certainty, “Impossible. Lord Wen Xiuyu would not like anyone.”

Rong Xiushi’s expression was serious. “It really happened once.”

As they talked, they entered the carriage. Once inside, they were completely cut off from Wen Xiuyu’s line of sight. Yu Tianlu’s spirit was jolted; he smelled the scent of gossip. He immediately placed his hand on Rong Xiushi’s shoulder like a close brother and asked in a low voice, “Once? When did this happen?”

Rong Xiushi thought for a moment. Since Wen Xiyan had given him that bouquet of roses so high-profilely back then, it should not be a secret, right? Thinking of Wen Xiuyu made him think of the grape hard candies he liked. Rong Xiushi took a grape hard candy out of his pocket.

Yu Tianlu immediately took it from Rong Xiushi’s hand. Rong Xiushi took out another one, peeled off the wrapper, and said, “It was several years ago. At that time, Xiuyu was still a minor.” Until now, when addressing Wen Xiuyu, he was accustomed to calling him by his name rather than adding “Lord” at the end.

At first, Yu Tianlu was not used to it, but he had grown accustomed to it by now. Yu Tianlu urged, “What happened?”

Other students also caught the scent of gossip and crowded around. More and more students entered the carriage. The gentle female voice of the broadcast reminded students to pay attention to safety, look after their luggage, and stay in their respective seats. The high-speed rail began to move.

Rong Xiushi said, “It was during the summer vacation of Xiuyu’s second year of high school. He had someone he liked very much back then, and he even asked his brother to buy roses for that person.” After thinking about it, he added the quantity, “Ninety-nine roses.” It represented his desire for things to last forever with that person.

Rong Xiushi thought regretfully that the boy had actually suffered a heartbreak. He was actually a bit unhappy about it; the boy was so excellent, yet he did not know which girl had rejected him so directly.

Exclamations of surprise rose and fell. One student looked sideways at Rong Xiushi and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? Lord Wen Xiuyu has always been detached from love. How could he possibly fall for someone?”

Rong Xiushi thought of Wen Xiuyu’s clinginess when facing his elders and said seriously, “That is not true. If Xiuyu has someone he truly likes, he will be very well-behaved and obedient.”

Yu Tianlu asked anxiously, “Then what happened later? What happened to the roses?”

Rong Xiushi paused and said, “It is a pity. I heard he was unlucky in love.”

“Who would be willing to reject Lord Wen Xiuyu!” Yu Tianlu’s face was full of disbelief. Rong Xiushi felt the same.

Another student asked, “What about the bouquet of roses? What a waste.”

The corners of Rong Xiushi’s lips curved upward. It had been his gain. He said, “Xiuyu’s brother gave them to a friend of his.”

Just then, one student said, “Rong Xiushi, do not talk nonsense. I attended the same high school as Xiuyu. Back then, Lord Xiuyu was no different from how he is now. How could he possibly have had someone he liked!”

Rong Xiushi: “…”

Rong Xiushi: “……”

Rong Xiushi’s eyelids flickered. He suddenly had a subtle, terrible premonition. He wanted to say something, but then he thought that perhaps silence would be better. But that did not seem right either; he could still explain.

Rong Xiushi said, “I only heard about it. Perhaps I really misunderstood.” He held back, but fearing an accident, he added, “Perhaps I remembered something that happened to someone else and attributed it to Xiuyu.”

He was very worried that someone would go to Wen Xiuyu to verify it. He trusted Wen Xiyan and did not think he would lie about such a matter, but there was always a “what if.” Rong Xiushi even felt like giving up and telling everyone that what he just said was a lie and that he was tricking them.

However, the students surrounding him had finished their gossip and were chatting in small groups. A few girls had dreamy expressions as they began to imagine.

“I really wonder what Lord Xiuyu would be like if he fell in love with someone?” “It would be great if Lord Xiuyu could fall in love with me. But did Lord Xiuyu really ask his brother to help him buy roses during the summer vacation of his second year?” “Lord Xiuyu’s brother is Lord Wen Xiyan, a double S-class Sentinel of the Se’an Temple. He must be very busy. If it is true, he must really dote on Lord Xiuyu, otherwise, he would not help his minor brother buy flowers in the middle of such a busy schedule.”

As Rong Xiushi listened to their conversation, which was becoming like a runaway horse, if anyone asked how he felt right now, it would be: regret.

The world is always full of accidents. News traveled extremely fast. In places like the high-speed rail, where it was crowded and noisy, Sentinels and Guides would establish spiritual barriers to block out all sound and remain in a quiet state.

Wen Xiuyu had a cold face. A freezing aura emanated from him, almost as if his cold temperament was about to materialize and block anyone’s thoughts of approaching. After finding his seat and sitting down, his gaze turned toward the window. No emotion could be seen in his deep blue eyes.

Even though he tried his best to lower his sensory sensitivity, he still captured many voices within the carriage. Besides that, he clearly felt the gaze of many people. In the past, he was the center of attention, but today, the way those people looked at him seemed particularly different.

Someone looked at him and screamed in a low voice to express their excitement, saying, “Lord Xiuyu has someone he likes? Really? Where did that ghost story come from?” “How could Lord Xiuyu possibly have someone he likes?”

Wen Xiuyu’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. He hated hearing such rumors most of all. Suddenly, he heard a voice say, “I do not know if it is true or not. They are talking about what happened when Lord Xiuyu was in his second year of high school. They say he had someone he liked then, and he asked his brother to buy a bouquet of ninety-nine roses to give to them, but he was heartbroken before he could even give them away.”

Wen Xiuyu: “…”

Absurd. Did rumors not require any cost these days?

Someone lowered their voice and said, “Wow, who is the chosen one liked by Lord Xiuyu? The point is, that person actually dared to reject Lord Xiuyu!” “I am not sure. That is why they say it is just a rumor.” “But if this is true, then Lord Wen Xiyan really spoils Lord Xiuyu.”

Wen Xiuyu’s eyelids flickered. Wen Xiyan spoiled him? He did spoil him, especially when An Yuan was there; he would treat him like a little treasure. However, once An Yuan was gone, he was completely indifferent to him. Suddenly, a strange piece of information flashed through his mind. By the time he realized it, he had taken out his phone and dialed a number.

Hearing the prompt for the call, he felt his behavior was somewhat ridiculous. How could Wen Xiyan possibly? Yes, how could Wen Xiyan possibly? Just as Wen Xiuyu was about to hang up, the person on the other end connected.

Wen Xiuyu: “…”

Under normal circumstances, unless necessary, it was difficult for Wen Xiuyu to contact Wen Xiyan. Either he would not answer, or he simply did not want to. The relationship between the brothers was not bad, but it was not very good either. In Wen Xiuyu’s view, their brotherhood was not as strong as their respective relationships with An Yuan.

A familiar voice from the other end reached his ears: “Xiuyu, what is it?” His voice sounded very gentle.

Hearing Wen Xiyan’s voice, Wen Xiuyu could even imagine his current expression—eyes gentle, arrogant and noble, inspiring love. However, it was all an illusion. Once you knew him deeply, you would know that this person was the true, eternal ice. That was not quite right either, because once, there really was someone who could melt that ice.

Wen Xiuyu said, “Brother, I want to ask you something.” “Ask,” the person on the other end said.

Wen Xiuyu’s eyes narrowed as he listened to the other students’ conversations and said, “I heard that on the Qixi Festival two years ago, you bought a bouquet of roses.” Silence followed from the other end, but thanks to his excellent hearing, Wen Xiuyu heard the sound of breathing coming from the receiver. Wen Xiuyu added a detail: “Ninety-nine roses.”

The tone of the person on the other end did not change at all. He asked, “And then?” Wen Xiuyu: “…I heard that I was the one who asked you to buy them for me.” “Who told you that?” Wen Xiyan asked. “Is it important who said it?” Wen Xiuyu countered.

The other end fell silent. Wen Xiuyu continued, “So, brother, can I infer that back then, you used me as an excuse to buy something you wanted to buy and gave it to Brother An Yuan?” “So, who told you?” Wen Xiyan asked once more.

Wen Xiuyu’s brow furrowed, and the cold aura surrounding him grew even more concentrated. Noticing this, the crowd instinctively remained quiet. Almost instantly, an eerie silence fell over the entire carriage. Everyone’s gaze looked at Wen Xiuyu cautiously. Wen Xiuyu swept his gaze over the crowd and silently hung up. On the other end, Wen Xiyan tried to contact Wen Xiuyu again, but Wen Xiuyu did not answer.

Wen Xiuyu stood up from his seat. Some people peeked at him, while others withdrew their gaze, not daring to look directly at him, though that did not stop them from pricking up their ears to listen for any movement.

Wen Xiuyu was thinking. Two years ago, during Qixi, An Yuan and Gu Hanqing had not broken up. At that time, Wen Xiyan used his name to buy a bouquet of flowers for An Yuan. In these two years, Wen Xiuyu had visited the Se’an Temple quite a bit, especially during summer and winter vacations, yet he had never heard of this matter. In his understanding, An Yuan was not a talkative person.

Therefore, theoretically, not many people would know about this; at most just a few. As the party whose name was borrowed, he had only found out about it today. Who else was there? An Yuan’s two assistants at the time, Xing Lulu? Or Ludo? It should not be them. If it were them, they should know the full version. The full version was that Wen Xiyan had loved An Yuan from the very beginning, and he merely borrowed another person’s name to give the bouquet to An Yuan.

Yet these rumors were not the full version. Under normal logic, the only person who could know the non-full version was one person. It should be An Yuan himself.

Suddenly, Wen Xiuyu’s eyes widened. At this moment, a ridiculous guess formed in his mind. Impossible. An Yuan could not still be alive. He had heard about what happened that day. An Yuan’s spiritual power had protected everyone, but he had been the only one he could not protect. At that time, he was the purification medium and perished along with the Insect Emperor. Although it was impossible, theoretically, the only person who would believe such a ridiculous version of the story was An Yuan himself.

At this moment, Wen Xiuyu could feel his heart leaping at this thought. Since that incident happened, he had fantasized countless times, hoping that person was still alive. Wen Xiuyu walked straight toward the student who had been talking about the gossip and called out their name accurately. He had an excellent memory, almost never forgetting anything he saw.

The student whose name was called looked up as if overwhelmed by the favor and met Wen Xiuyu’s gaze. Wen Xiuyu said, “Who spread this rumor?”

Wen Xiuyu’s expression was icy, his breath cold, and his tone freezing. When everyone heard him say this, their first reaction was that he was unhappy with the rumor and perhaps wanted to warn the source of the rumor to teach them a lesson. The student questioned by Wen Xiuyu felt their scalp go numb and said, “I only heard about it too. I am not quite sure who it was.”

Wen Xiuyu’s eyes swept around. Immediately, a student said, “It was Rong Xiushi!”

Wen Xiuyu: “…Rong Xiushi?”

He remembered this person. Shortly after the start of this semester, he was the person who had confessed to him while drunk. He did not like Rong Xiushi, this person who frequently peeked at him in private. This was not a pleasant person.

“Yes, it was Rong Xiushi. He was the one who made up the rumor!”

Wen Xiuyu’s brow furrowed. Without needing to ask, based on his previous observations, he knew which carriage Rong Xiushi was in. He headed toward that carriage. As his back gradually disappeared from the sight of the students in the same carriage, everyone immediately began to discuss it.

Many people had made up rumors about Wen Xiuyu in the past, but this time, Rong Xiushi’s rumor was particularly absurd. To say that someone who clearly did not have anyone they liked had given flowers before they were even an adult was indeed a bit bad. As everyone was discussing, Wen Xiuyu entered the carriage where Rong Xiushi was located.

The moment everyone in the carriage noticed Wen Xiuyu, the entire carriage instantly fell silent. At this moment, Wen Xiuyu’s presence was overwhelming, and he looked like he was in a bad mood. Driven by the instinct to avoid trouble, no one was willing to cross him.

Wen Xiuyu’s gaze swept around and saw Rong Xiushi sitting with Yu Tianlu and the others. The high-speed rail carriage had three seats in a row, and Rong Xiushi was sitting in the innermost seat by the window. Wen Xiuyu looked directly at Rong Xiushi.

As if sensing the gaze, Rong Xiushi looked up. Their gazes met in the air. Rong Xiushi felt a subtle sense of guilt and instinctively avoided his gaze. Wen Xiuyu strode forward with his long legs, walking straight toward Rong Xiushi.

The people in the carriage realized that Wen Xiuyu might be coming to find trouble with Rong Xiushi. They all looked at him with pity. They felt a bit sorry for Rong Xiushi, who was about to bear the brunt of Wen Xiuyu’s anger, but that did not stop them from wanting to watch the drama.

Sure enough, in this heavy atmosphere, Wen Xiuyu stopped in front of Rong Xiushi. Rong Xiushi lowered his head like a little quail, having no intention of facing Wen Xiuyu directly. Rong Xiushi thought to himself that in just over two years, this boy had already grown into what he was now, with a very powerful aura. Subtly, he also had a feeling that the boy in his family had grown up.

Wen Xiuyu called out his name: “Rong Xiushi.”

Rong Xiushi still did not look up, but he responded, “Hello, do you have something you need?”

The moment Wen Xiuyu entered the carriage, he smelled the familiar scent of grape hard candies. These were his favorite candies in the past, and every time he met An Yuan, An Yuan would feed them to him. The school was large, yet small; one would encounter familiar people from time to time. He could always see Rong Xiushi with grape hard candies. This was not a world-famous brand, but An Yuan thought he liked it, and he indeed did.

“…Look up,” Wen Xiuyu said in a commanding tone.

If anyone else had said this, Rong Xiushi would have thought they were impolite, but this was the boy from his family, so he did not think that way. Double standards are human nature, and even more so an instinct. Rong Xiushi looked up and met Wen Xiuyu’s gaze.

Wen Xiuyu’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Previously, when Rong Xiushi confessed to him, Wen Xiuyu realized that Rong Xiushi had eyes of a similar color to An Yuan’s. However, seeing them then was one thing; at this moment, he wondered if it was an illusion, but he felt their eye colors were truly very similar. Was it because they both had white hair and white eyelashes?

As Wen Xiuyu was thinking, he heard Rong Xiushi ask tentatively, “Student Xiuyu, do you have something you need?” Because of his guilt, his voice grew softer as he spoke.

Wen Xiuyu said, “Come out. I have something to discuss with you alone.”

Everyone once again felt deeply that Wen Xiuyu must be very angry. Rong Xiushi really wanted to refuse Wen Xiuyu, but before he could, the two understanding classmates sitting next to him had already consciously stood up to make way. They gestured for Rong Xiushi to leave his seat quickly and have a deep conversation with Wen Xiuyu.

Rong Xiushi’s mouth twitched as he gritted his teeth and walked into the aisle. Wen Xiuyu turned and walked forward. Rong Xiushi did not really want to follow; he was thinking if there was a way to escape. Suddenly, Wen Xiuyu stopped, looked back at Rong Xiushi, and said, “Follow.” His voice was very light, but it was full of threat. Rong Xiushi’s lips pressed together as he silently followed behind Wen Xiuyu.

To prevent others from peeking, Wen Xiuyu led Rong Xiushi into an isolation room within the carriage. Every high-speed rail in the five districts was equipped with isolation rooms, maternal and infant rest areas, and so on. The two entered the isolation room one after the other.

At Wen Xiuyu’s request, Rong Xiushi silently stepped forward and then sat on a metal chair inside the isolation room as instructed. And then, and then Rong Xiushi saw Wen Xiuyu step forward and, with a click, lock the door. In this enclosed space, the sound of the door being locked felt extremely heavy.

Rong Xiushi’s eyelids jumped wildly. He thought this was a meaningless action on Wen Xiuyu’s part. Under normal circumstances, no one would enter an isolation room that was already occupied. Therefore, his action of locking the door was less about preventing others from coming in and more about preventing Rong Xiushi from going out.

Rong Xiushi was terrified; his scalp felt numb, and his entire back was cold. Wen Xiuyu stood with his back to the door. He was tall and built; to the current Rong Xiushi, he was like an insurmountable mountain. Neither of them spoke. Time passed second by second.

After an unknown amount of time, Rong Xiushi was the first to speak. He said, “If there is nothing else, can I leave?”

Wen Xiuyu looked at Rong Xiushi expressionlessly. Rong Xiushi stood up from the metal chair and tentatively took a step toward where Wen Xiuyu was, more accurately, toward the only entrance and exit. The silent Wen Xiuyu spoke once Rong Xiushi took that step: “You cannot.”

Rong Xiushi: “…”

Wen Xiuyu said, “You should know why I came to find you.”

Rong Xiushi was silent for a moment and then said, “Are you referring to the matter of the bouquet of roses given during the year you transitioned from your second to your third year of high school?”

Wen Xiuyu did not speak. Rong Xiushi thought that besides this bouquet of roses, Wen Xiuyu had no reason to come looking for him. “I also heard about this from hearsay. I am very sorry that this has caused you trouble. Please believe me, I will clarify it for you as soon as possible.”

“It is true,” Wen Xiuyu suddenly said.

Rong Xiushi: “…Huh?” He was a bit dazed.

Wen Xiuyu said in a flat voice, “At that time, I did indeed have someone I liked very much, so I asked my brother to help me buy flowers. I wanted to give them to him.”

Rong Xiushi thought to himself that so it really was such a thing; he knew Wen Xiyan would absolutely not lie. The next moment, a “however” from Wen Xiuyu made Rong Xiushi’s heart tremble. After a brief pause, Wen Xiuyu looked directly at Rong Xiushi and said, “At that time, I felt very embarrassed and specifically asked my brother to keep it a secret for me. Can you tell me how you knew?”

Rong Xiushi: “…”

At this moment, Rong Xiushi’s brain was somewhat in chaos. Wen Xiuyu stepped closer to Rong Xiushi, the distance between the two becoming smaller and smaller. Driven by Wen Xiuyu’s pressure, Rong Xiushi backed up step by step. Soon, his back pressed against the metal wall of the isolation room.

With a thud, Wen Xiuyu’s right hand passed by Rong Xiushi’s neck, his palm pressing against the wall.

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