Chapter 33: Gu Ci, The Little Thief?

Duan Jingyi was elated inside. So what if Gu Ci’s performance in this round of exams didn’t surpass hers? In the end, wasn’t the spot going to be hers anyway? She had already suffered so much because of Gu Ci—what harm was there if Gu Ci handed over the spot to her? The more she thought about it, the more justified she felt, growing increasingly confident.

She shot Gu Ci a provocative look but spoke with exaggerated remorse, “I’m sorry, Gu Ci. I originally wanted to give you this spot, but now, it seems that’s no longer possible.” She continued, feigning sincerity, “Gu Ci, I’m willing to apologize to you in front of the whole school and offer you other compensation.”

Taking advantage of an angle only Gu Ci could see, she mouthed the words—What can you do to me?

Although the students around felt it was unfair that Duan Jingyi had inadvertently gotten the spot instead of Gu Ci, seeing her seemingly earnest attitude, they expected Gu Ci would choose to forgive.

But Gu Ci responded, “What if I don’t accept your compensation?”

Duan Jingyi put on a tearful, trembling look, and everyone gave Gu Ci disapproving glances.

The math class representative from Class One spoke up, “Jingyi has apologized to you, and it wasn’t on purpose. What more do you want?”

“Besides, Gu Ci, you knew all along this spot was meant for you, given by the principal, but you said nothing. Maybe you just wanted to see us make fools of ourselves!”

“Exactly, it’s only a spot. Both you and Duan Jingyi are from our school—what difference does it make who goes?”

Gu Zhiran smiled gently, “It’s all for the school’s honor. Cousin, you shouldn’t fuss so much. Jingyi is willing to compensate you, why can’t you be a little more magnanimous?”

The students all stared at Gu Ci with reproach; someone whispered, “Gu Ci is really petty…”

“As expected from a country girl…”

“Who says it’s irreversible?” Gu Ci looked calmly at the principal, arching an eyebrow at him.

The principal’s heart leapt—he understood Gu Ci was indicating she wanted to participate in the Youth Olympiad. Their previous arrangement hadn’t included the Youth Olympiad, and he’d only dared to secretly sign her up while he was away. If things had gone smoothly, this little troublemaker would’ve reluctantly participated, but the spot had mistakenly ended up with someone else. He didn’t dare reclaim it in front of her.

Now, with Gu Ci herself agreeing to participate in the Youth Olympiad, he had nothing to worry about. Right there and then, the principal called his friend in charge of the Youth Olympiad.

After exchanging pleasantries, he said, “Here’s the situation: I registered the wrong student under my quota. Can you help me switch it back?”

“Yes, yes, the one mistakenly registered is Duan Jingyi—right, that’s her. It should be changed to Gu Ci. Thank you so much.”

Gu Ci turned to Gu Zhiran. “Your friend Duan is so upset—why don’t you give her your own spot?”

Gu Zhiran’s lips twitched, her face alternating between pale and flushed, unable to utter a single word.

“That’s settled, nothing more to discuss.” After finishing the call, the principal breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at the dean, “Since you don’t want to lead this student, Xiao Jin, you’ll be the lead teacher for Gu Ci at the Youth Olympiad and accompany her alone.”

Jin Jiejiao was stunned, pointing at herself in disbelief, unable to speak for a long moment.

After giving everyone present a short lecture, the principal discreetly signaled Gu Ci to come to his office after school, then left with his hands behind his back.

With just one phone call, Duan Jingyi felt as though she’d been cast from heaven into hell, her strength draining away instantly.

Gu Ci shifted her gaze from Duan Jingyi to the dean, her tone as always cool but now tinged with a hint of provocation. “I’ll be awaiting your apology at any time.”

With that, she lazily turned and went back to her class, leaving Duan Jingyi and the dean standing stiffly, unable to recover for quite a while.

——————————————————————————————

After class, Gu Ci didn’t leave with Wen Zixin and the others; instead, she went alone to the principal’s office.

She knocked and, hearing the principal’s permission, entered, slowly raising her head. “Uncle Ji, the book you took—”

Halfway through her sentence, she saw the principal behind his desk on the phone, so she stopped and sat quietly to the side, waiting.

The principal wore a smile, his tone agitated as he spun lies to the person on the other end. “Ah, Young Master Rong, I was just about to call you about this matter. The moment you said you wanted that book, I rushed back to the capital to fetch it, only to discover it was already gone when I arrived.”

“I have no idea which thief stole it… Yes, I’ve already ordered the Ji family to thoroughly investigate. Oh, no, not necessary for now. Yes, goodbye.”

He hung up, still smiling broadly.

He glanced at Gu Ci, opened the wooden box on his desk, took out the “Chao Yuan Manuscript,” and waved it at her. “Here you go, Gu girl. I risked offending the crown prince of the capital to bring you this book.”

He found it odd—Gu Ci was always delving into strange things, so that wasn’t surprising. But why had even that distinguished gentleman suddenly shown interest in the manuscript from his family?

Gu Ci took the “Chao Yuan Manuscript” and the wooden box, responding with a hum, “So, I’m the thief?”

Principal Ji was momentarily speechless, his attention diverted. “Is that the point? Anyway, lately you—”

That person was currently in Songdu. The principal originally meant to warn Gu Ci to be careful, but thinking the two didn’t know each other at all and the odds of any mishap were negligible, he kept silent.

He paused, then said, “Just return the book when you’re done. Good luck at the Youth Olympiad.”

Gu Ci obediently answered twice, put the wooden box in her backpack, said goodbye to the principal, and left the office.

Meanwhile, the Gu family’s driver opened the car door for Gu Zhiran, who discovered Chu Shixian was also inside.

She asked, “Mom, why are you here?”

Chu Shixian replied absentmindedly, “Of course I came to pick you up.”

Though saying this, her gaze kept darting outside, obviously searching for someone.

Gu Zhiran lowered her head in disappointment, speaking softly, “Mom, why don’t we wait for sister a bit? It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on apprenticing with Master Shen, forcing sister to be fostered under Second Uncle, she wouldn’t have left home in a huff.”

Hearing this, Chu Shixian felt a pang, her thoughts turning to the current figure backing Gu Zhiran—Master Shen.

She denied without hesitation, “Zhiran, don’t overthink it. She left home because she was immature, not because of you. Why should we wait for her?”

She didn’t linger, instructing the driver, “Old Zhang, drive.”

For Chu Shixian, there was never any real dilemma between Gu Ci and Gu Zhiran.

As the car started, Chu Shixian stopped thinking about Gu Ci and turned her attention to Gu Zhiran’s exam results.

Gu Zhiran’s eyes flickered. “I scored 389 this round, eleventh in the school.”

Chu Shixian’s brows furrowed slightly. “Why did you drop out of the top ten?”

Gu Zhiran subconsciously clenched her fists.

Gu Ci’s total score was 390—a mere one point difference, placing her tenth and pushing Gu Zhiran out of the top ten!

Gu Zhiran shook her head in denial. “No, I just made a few mistakes this time.”

She then explained the errors she’d made in the exam to Chu Shixian.

Hearing that carelessness was to blame, Chu Shixian suspected nothing, merely urging Gu Zhiran to be more careful next time.

Gu Zhiran agreed, then, after a thoughtful pause, brought up Gu Ci. “Sister did quite well in the exams too.”

Chu Shixian’s brows twitched, but she retorted, “What good results could she possibly achieve?”

Gu Zhiran concealed the gloom in her eyes and smiled slightly. “Sister scored ninety in Chinese, and her math—”

The moment she heard “ninety in Chinese,” Chu Shixian lost all interest, interrupting, “That’s enough, Zhiran. You don’t need to speak up for her! I have no interest in her grades!”

These past few days, she must have been out of her mind to worry about Gu Ci, even considering bringing her back home!

Chinese was surely Gu Ci’s easiest subject, yet she only scored barely enough to pass. Chu Shixian dreaded to imagine how poorly she’d done in the other two subjects!

The more she thought about it, the more annoyed she became.

Raised in the countryside, Gu Ci had inherited none of her genes and was nothing but a product of poverty and backwardness!

Looking at Gu Zhiran, who’d always excelled in academics and mastered music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, Chu Shixian felt increasingly satisfied.

She gently tidied Gu Zhiran’s hair and changed the subject. “I heard Yue Ling was injured and is in the hospital. Tonight, you’ll come with me to visit her. She’s from the Meng family in the capital. Now that you’ve apprenticed with Master Shen, you’ll be entering that circle in the future. Building a good relationship with her now can only benefit you.”

Gu Zhiran’s lips curved into a faint smile, and she said nothing more about Gu Ci, responding obediently.

That day after school, Gu Ci still took the small path home.

Usually deserted, the alley was unusually lively today.

As she approached from a distance, she heard a young man’s voice, startlingly familiar, “The Ji family getting robbed? And the exact book you wanted was stolen? Isn’t that a bit—”

By the time Qin Yu was speaking, the group had already spotted Gu Ci walking through the alley.

Their faces were grim, and without hesitation, they blocked her path. “Miss, please take another way.”

Rong Ye had noticed Gu Ci the moment she arrived. Seeing this, he beckoned to the black-clad bodyguards. “Let her through.”

The bodyguards were puzzled but said nothing, obeying Rong Ye’s command and letting Gu Ci pass.

Qin Yu, who had been chattering about “that book,” now switched topics. “Ye, the surveillance in this area has been broken for ages. We’ve watched for so long and found no signs of fighting. Do you think that guy’s just playing us?”

“And a high school girl in uniform supposedly knocked him out with one move and took the thing? Even if he was injured, what kind of high school girl can take down a killer like him in one move? Seriously, what girl would walk alone through such a creepy alley at night?”

Gu Ci, having listened for a while, “….”

She rubbed her nose and greeted Rong Ye and Qin Yu.

Qin Yu finally noticed Gu Ci and stopped talking, turning his curiosity on her. “Hey, Gu Ci? What are you doing here?”

Gu Ci pointed across the wall to Yushui Garden. “I live there. Going home.”

Qin Yu recalled that Rong Ye had arranged for Gu Ci to “rent with friends” at Yushui Garden, nodded in understanding, then had a sudden thought. “Hey, Gu Ci, since you walk here often, have you seen anyone suspicious lately?”

Gu Ci shook her head carelessly. “No.”

Her calm demeanor made it seem as though none of this had anything to do with her.

Qin Yu had only blurted the question on impulse and quickly dismissed his own suspicion.

Gu Ci was so slight, just a quiet girl. If she really saw anything strange, she’d probably have stopped walking through this alley alone long ago.

Watching her petite figure, he couldn’t help but remind her, “Gu Ci, it’s not safe here lately. Be careful. Best not to walk alone, especially at night.”

He didn’t believe for a second the killer’s claim that a high school girl knocked him out with one move. More likely, the two were accomplices!

The killer couldn’t have gotten far with his injuries. His partner, afraid of exposure, probably let him take the fall, deliberately misleading them so they wouldn’t trace it back to the accomplice.

Based on their investigation, they should have caught the killer today at the latest, but yesterday, he’d reportedly been taken to the agency by a “helpful high school girl” who then snatched away the item they were searching for!

They came to investigate, only to find the surveillance conveniently broken and not a single trace of a fight!

If there wasn’t something fishy going on, Qin Yu refused to believe it.

Hence, the killer’s accomplice was likely still lurking around. Gu Ci should be careful.

Gu Ci thanked him earnestly, as though she truly took his words to heart.

After sending the last message, Rong Ye slipped his phone into his pocket and looked at Gu Ci. “Come on, I’ll walk you home.”

He paused, adding, “We’re headed the same way.”

Qin Yu widened his eyes. “Ye, you’re not checking the crime scene?”

Rong Ye lazily draped his arm over Gu Ci’s shoulder, guiding her forward. He casually raised his hand and waved. “Nothing worth seeing anymore.”

Thinking it over, Qin Yu followed.

As they walked, he couldn’t help but overhear.

Rong Ye’s tone was lazy and mischievous. “Little one, are you treating me to dinner tonight?”

Qin Yu’s lips twitched; he was used to Rong Ye’s antics by now.

The dignified heir of the Rong family, asking a high school girl to treat him to dinner—if word got out in the capital, people would be stunned…

Besides—

“Ye, you’re really not going to see your cousin?”

Rong Ye gave Qin Yu a languid look. “Isn’t that what you’re for?”

Qin Yu was momentarily speechless. Whenever Rong Ye was with Gu Ci, he seemed to abandon all decorum.

Suddenly remembering, Qin Yu asked curiously, “Gu Ci, you study at No. 1 High, right? Do you know Shu Yue?”