Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

[12:00 PM · School Cafeteria]

The cafeteria at No. 1 High School is always a battlefield.

The fierce competition, like thousands of soldiers crossing a single-plank bridge, is not only reflected in the college entrance examination, but also in the scramble for food.

Xie Wang carried the bag on one shoulder and protected Su Qinghe as they struggled through the crowd.

Shen Hao followed behind, carrying three plates, staring at the densely packed crowd with a look of despair.

"It's over, Brother Wang. These people are like madmen. There's not even a place to stand."

Just as the group was about to squat down in a corner to eat...

Suddenly, a powerful roar rang out from the center of the noisy cafeteria hall:

"Make way! Don't block the way! Can't you see my older brother is coming?!"

The entire cafeteria fell silent for a second.

The prime spot in the center of the cafeteria, right in front of the air conditioner, was now surrounded by several second-year high school physical education students.

In the middle of the circle stood Zhao Zixuan, who still had a band-aid on his nose.

When he saw Xie Wang, his eyes instantly lit up like searchlights, and he waved wildly like a husky seeing its owner:

"Big brother! Big sister-in-law! Over here! Look over here! We've saved you seats!!"

In that instant, hundreds of eyes in the entire cafeteria turned to look at them.

Xie Wang: "..."

He gripped the ground with his toes, even contemplating turning around and leaving the planet on the spot.

"Let's go." Su Qinghe pushed up his glasses, his tone calm but his ears slightly red. "If we don't leave now, he might come and carry you over."

The group reluctantly walked over.

Upon closer inspection, Shen Hao nearly knelt down.

On the table were neatly arranged bottles of chilled cola with the caps unscrewed, and...

A huge bowl of braised chicken drumsticks that looks incredibly appetizing.

"Brother! Sister-in-law! Please take a seat!"

Zhao Zixuan fawned over him, pulling out a chair and even wiping the spotless surface with his sleeve, his face full of smug satisfaction.

"This is what I snagged with my buddies ten minutes early! The best chicken leg! The biggest Coke! Please enjoy, bro!"

Xie Wang took a deep breath, pressed his throbbing temples, and sat down with gritted teeth:

"Zhao Zixuan, if you pull this kind of stunt again, I'll throw you into a soup pot and stew you."

"Hehe, Big Brother is right!" Zhao Zixuan wasn't angry at all. Instead, he scratched his head with an honored expression. "As long as Big Brother is happy eating, I'd even be willing to stew me!"

……

[5:30 PM · Sudden Autumn Rain]

A cold autumn rain.

Before the last class of the afternoon had even ended, the sky had already darkened as if it were about to swallow the city.

The break time before evening self-study.

Because of the rain, everyone had to stay in the classroom or in the hallway.

Xie Wang and Su Qinghe originally planned to go to the connecting corridor to get some fresh air, but as soon as they reached the corner of the corridor, Xie Wang suddenly stopped.

"Shhh."

Xie Wang grabbed Su Qinghe's wrist, signaling her not to move.

"What's wrong?" Su Qinghe asked softly.

"listen."

Amidst the pattering rain, a faint, intermittent sound could be faintly discerned.

"Meow...meow..."

The two followed the sound and finally found the little guy at the end of the corridor, in a corner piled with abandoned tables and chairs.

It was a tiny kitten, not even as big as a palm.

It was soaking wet, its original fur color obscured by mud and water, and it was huddled in the crack of a tattered cardboard box, shivering from the cold.

Its eyes were not fully open yet, and its chirping was so faint it sounded like a mosquito's hum; you couldn't hear it at all unless you listened carefully.

The autumn rain is icy cold; if left unattended, it definitely won't last until tonight.

Su Qinghe's heart clenched instantly.

The usually aloof and rational academic genius now had eyes full of heartache. Ignoring the mud on the ground, she squatted down and reached out her finger to touch it, but was afraid of scaring it.

"It's so cold..." Su Qinghe's voice trembled, "and it's still shaking."

Xie Wang looked at the dirty little cutie.

But after glancing at Su Qinghe's red eyes, he took off his school uniform jacket without saying a word.

"Ugh, it's dirty..." Su Qinghe was about to stop him.

Xie Wang had already draped the warm coat over the kitten, his movements seemingly rough, but he used very gentle force.

He scooped the kitten up along with its clothes, rolled it into a ball, and held it in his arms.

"It's so small, it won't survive if you leave it here."

Xie Wang felt the faint tremor in his palm and stubbornly said:

"Take it back; this rain isn't going to stop anytime soon."

[6:40 PM · Classroom of Senior 3 (1)]

The bell rang for evening self-study.

The classroom fell silent.

Old Li sat on the podium grading homework, glancing around from time to time.

However, he was unaware that a thrilling smuggling operation was taking place in the back corner of the classroom.

Xie Wang's black sports backpack was currently zipped wide open, slung over his chest, and placed under his desk.

His expensive school uniform jacket, already stained with mud, was padded inside his schoolbag.

The kitten, which had been shivering just moments before, was now curled up inside the clothes, its eyes half-closed, purring contentedly as it felt the warmth.

While pretending to do his test, Su Qinghe would occasionally sneak a hand out from under the table and slip half a broken sausage into his schoolbag when Lao Li looked down.

"Eat slowly," Su Qinghe mouthed silently.

The kitten seemed to be starving, and was happily munching on a sausage.

Sudden.

"Meow~"

Perhaps excited from eating, the kitten suddenly meowed.

Although the sound wasn't loud, it was quite noticeable in the quiet evening study room.

Old Li on the podium suddenly raised his head, adjusted his glasses, and scanned the back row with piercing eyes:

What was that sound?

The whole class stopped writing and looked at each other in bewilderment.

Xie Wang's heart skipped a beat. He reacted swiftly, calmly kicking the leg of the chair beside him with his toe, making a creaking sound, while lazily raising his hand and clearing his throat:

"Ahem... Teacher, I... I accidentally stepped on Shen Hao's foot, and he's yelling."

Shen Hao, who was half asleep, suddenly woke up with a start, turning around with a bewildered look: "Huh? Did I call you?"

Xie Wang kicked him hard under the table.

Shen Hao: "Awooo—!!"

That scream was incredibly realistic.

Old Li glared at them speechlessly: "Shen Hao! You're yelling and screaming while sleeping during evening self-study! Go stand at the back!"

"I..." Shen Hao looked as aggrieved as a child, but seeing Xie Wang's gaze, he could only silently stand at the back of the blackboard with his schoolbag on his back.

The crisis is over.

Xie Wang breathed a sigh of relief and glanced down at the culprit licking its paws in its backpack.

The kitten seemed to know it had gotten into trouble. It raised its big, wet eyes and looked innocently at Xie Wang, then rubbed its head against his palm.

In that instant, Xie Wang felt a soft, warm touch in his palm.

That is the unique temperature of life.

Su Qinghe handed her a note from under the table, with her neat handwriting on it:

It seems to really like you.

Xie Wang picked up his pen and wrote a reply below that line:

"That's true, they don't even consider who saved them."

After finishing writing, he added another sentence:

Let's call it a rice ball. Look at how it ate that sausage like a pig.

Su Qinghe looked at the note, couldn't help but smile, and drew a little smiley face on the back.

The autumn rain outside the window was still falling softly, carrying the chill of late autumn.