The pretty little follower gets targeted by the crazy guys at the elite academy

The marks he left on his sister's body were like a mark only he could see, a thread only he could sense.

From her to him, through all walls and distances, through all darkness and silence.

She won't go with anyone.

She is waiting for him.

Wait for him to come out.

When he emerged from the darkness, into the sunlight, and stood before her, he said:

Sister, I'm here.

But he couldn't move his feet.

He couldn't move his body.

His heart remained unmoved.

He had been trapped in the darkness for so long that he could no longer tell whether he didn't want to go out or was afraid to go out.

He was afraid that when he went out, he would find that the mark on her neck had been covered up by those ghostly brothers!

He was afraid that once he went out, he would find that she had long forgotten he was still there.

He was afraid that once they left, she would discover that she remembered everyone but had forgotten him.

So he huddled in the darkness, listening to the footsteps above him, listening to their conversations, listening to their bets, listening to their decisions about her fate.

He does nothing, says nothing, and argues for nothing.

He was just waiting.

He's waiting for a moment that even he doesn't know if will come.

[Puppy! They're going to use your sister as a wager! Aren't you coming out?!]

He was listening; he heard everything, but he wouldn't come out because he was afraid.

The puppy firmly believed his sister was waiting for him, but he dared not go out to confirm. He was afraid he was wrong...

He trapped himself in darkness for five years, not because he couldn't get out, but because he was afraid to. The outside world was too vast; he was afraid he wouldn't be able to find her.

The darkness was small, so small that it could only contain his and her portraits.

He would rather stay in the darkness, with the portrait, than go out and face a world without her...

Jiang Wu, come out here! Stop being a silly, dumb dog!

The afternoon sun streamed in through the window, turning the beach a golden hue.

Li Ruo returned from the garden humming a tuneless little tune, holding the box of strawberries in her hands. She stuffed them into her mouth one after another, her cheeks bulging out like a squirrel stealing nuts.

She pushed open the door to the living room and saw four people sitting neatly inside.

Zhou Si leaned against the window frame, Lu Xingzhou sat on the sofa, Lu Ran put his legs up on the coffee table, and Guo Yiling sat in a single chair with his back straight as if he were attending a standing committee meeting.

Li Ruo's gaze swept across their faces one by one, and then stopped on the cup of tea on the coffee table that had gone cold.

"Are you... having a meeting?"

Zhou Si suddenly stood up, straightening his body, his gaze fixed intently on her.

"Li...Li Ruo."

"Senior Guo! Long time no see!"

Li Ruo greeted him with a smile, still looking as innocent as ever.

"Senior Guo?"

"Guo... senior?"

Li Ruo called him for a long time but he didn't respond, and she started to have doubts.

Could it be... that he doesn't like that title anymore?

"Ahem... Principal Guo!"

Guo Yiling snapped out of her daze as if waking from a dream: "You...you were calling me?"

She is alive.

A real, living person.

She didn't die... she's still alive...

Guo Yiling's eyes immediately welled up with tears.

"Ruo Ruo, Ruo Ruo..."

He moved slowly, step by step, very carefully.

I was afraid that any movement might disturb this beautiful scene before me, just like in that dream before, where everything would be gone as soon as I woke up.

"Principal Guo, why...why are you standing so straight?"

Li Ruo looked at him standing there, as straight as a soldier, and couldn't help but feel curious and puzzled.

Is even the principal of St. Lia now being this strict with himself?

So... how absurd must the college's rules and regulations for restricting students be?

Guo Yiling paused for a moment before realizing what was happening, then slowly relaxed her shoulders, but did not sit down.

He just stood there, like a student being punished for doing something wrong.

Li Ruo looked at Lu Xingzhou again.

Lu Xingzhou leaned back on the sofa, crossed his legs, and held a magazine in his hand, his posture as elegant as if he were having afternoon tea in his own living room.

But the magazine in his hand was upside down.

Li Ruo looked at Lu Ran again.

Lu Ran propped his legs up on the coffee table, the gauze on his feet shining white, but he sat very upright, his hands neatly placed on his knees, like a child visiting someone else's home for the first time.

Zhou Si leaned against the window, playing with the folding knife in his hand, instantly transforming from a volatile gangster boss into a melancholy one.

Li Ruo then turned her gaze to Guo Yiling.

He finally sat down.

Sit with your back straight, hands properly placed, and eyes looking straight ahead – the standard military posture.

But his palms were sweaty, and he kept rubbing them on his pants until the fabric was wet.

Li Ruo put the last strawberry in her mouth, chewed it, swallowed it, and then put the empty box on the coffee table.

"Are you hiding something from me?"

All four spoke at the same time: "No."

Then shut up at the same time.

Then look away at the same time.

Seeing their obvious attempt to cover up their misunderstanding, Li Ruo suddenly laughed.

The smile was very light and faint, but her eyes shone like two brightened stars.

"Fine," she said. "If you don't tell me, I won't ask."

She turned and walked toward the kitchen, took two steps, stopped, and looked back.

"By the way, let's cook lunch ourselves today. There are eight of us."

Zhou Si was taken aback: "Eight people? Where did these eight people come from?"

Li Ruo did not answer.

She simply tilted her head and looked at the closed door at the end of the corridor leading to the basement.

"Jiangwu, little puppy, stop hiding, it's time to come out!"

The reception room fell silent instantly.

The five lunatics present seemed to be able to hear everyone's heartbeat.

咚、

咚、

Thump,

Each beat was heavier and slower than the last.

Everyone was like a taut string, their eyes fixed on the inconspicuous little door at the end of the corridor, following Li Ruo's gaze.

There was silence behind that door at the end of the corridor for a long time.

So long that Li Ruo thought he wouldn't come out anymore.

Then, the doorknob turned.

Gently and slowly, as if afraid of disturbing something.

The door opened a crack, and light squeezed in through the crack, illuminating a small patch of darkness inside.

A hand emerged from the crack in the door, long and pale, with distinct knuckles and neatly trimmed nails.

The hand paused for a moment in the crack of the door, then slowly pushed the door open.

Jiang Wu was lying on the doorway.

Then, under everyone's gaze, he slowly moved and stepped out of the shadows.

He was wearing a black T-shirt, black trousers, and bare feet.

Her hair was much longer than it had been five years ago, almost covering half of her face. The half of her face that was exposed was as white as paper, her lips were bloodless, and there was a deep bluish-black ring under her eyes.

He has lost a lot of weight.

He was so thin that his cheekbones protruded, his collarbones looked like two knives, and the bones in his wrists jutted out one by one, like a row of piano keys.

But his eyes didn't change.

Those amber eyes shone brightly in the shadows of the corridor, like two crystal beads washed clean, so clear they could reflect a person's image.

He looked at Li Ruo, for a very long time…

Then he gave a faint smile.

That gentle, serene smile was like a flower blooming in the darkness.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled up, revealing an innocent smile that seemed almost unbelievable.

Like a child who has finally waited for school to end.

Like a stray dog ​​finally finding someone to feed it:

"elder sister……"