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

[At the same time, two bedrooms separated by a wall]

Low-grade fever of 37.5 degrees Celsius.

Su Qinghe felt as if he was not in a warm bed.

As consciousness plummeted, it was dragged into a nightmare.

"Splash—"

The world was shrouded in a gloomy rain curtain, with only a blurry and distorted expanse of water visible in sight.

That was the back alley of Xingfu Residential Area, dark and damp.

Su Qinghe stood at the entrance of the alley, his whole body stiff.

She looked down at herself and realized that she looked only seven or eight years old, small and helpless, clutching a failing math test paper tightly in her hand.

And it was just five meters away from her.

A man wearing a baseball cap is raising a folding knife that gleams coldly.

The tip of the knife appeared extremely long under the dim streetlights.

The person blocking her way was Xie Wang in his current form.

The boy wore a clean and crisp white shirt; his back was slender yet upright.

"Xie Wang! Get out of the way!!"

Su Qinghe screamed desperately in his dream.

She wanted to rush over and pull him away, to tell him that the man had a knife.

But her feet felt like they were rooted to the ground in cement, and she couldn't utter a sound from her throat.

She could only watch helplessly—

Watching the man grin maliciously, the tip of his knife pierced the rain.

Dreams are distorted and amplified by fear.

"Pfft."

The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was horribly clear in the torrential rain, even drowning out the thunder.

"...Um..."

Su Qinghe, who was lying on the bed, suddenly jerked his body.

Large beads of cold sweat rolled down her temples, soaking her pillowcase.

"……Well."

The boy who always smiled at her and always said "Teacher Su, I was wrong" in a nonchalant manner suddenly trembled.

blood.

A large amount of hot blood instantly stained the white shirt on his back.

That startling splash of red spread rapidly in the gloomy, rainy night, like a poppy blooming on the edge of death.

The boy slowly turned his head.

His face was as pale as paper, his life force was rapidly fading, and blood was still flowing from the corner of his mouth.

He looked at her, his eyes breaking her heart:

"Qinghe...run!"

After saying that, he seemed to have all his strength drained away and collapsed heavily in front of her.

The hand that had always held hers and given her warmth fell limply to the muddy ground, growing cold little by little.

Rainwater washed away the blood, flowing down to Su Qinghe's feet.

"don't want!!!"

The overwhelming fear instantly shattered all of Su Qinghe's reason.

That was the first time she, a privileged girl who had had a smooth life since childhood, had faced the powerlessness of having someone else pay with their life because of her.

If he hadn't met her, would he not have died?

If it's to protect her, she'd rather take the blow herself!

in reality.

Su Qinghe, lying on the bed, began to tremble violently.

Those slender, fair hands were gripping the bedsheets beneath them tightly.

She was trying hard, desperately trying to grab the hand that was falling in her dream.

"...No...don't..."

"Xie Wang...don't go..."

【living room】

Lin Wanyi waved her hand, but her expression suddenly hardened, replaced by the seriousness and scrutiny of a mother.

"The grudges of the previous generation are one thing, but your affair with Qinghe is another."

She leaned forward slightly:

"Xie Wang, I am very grateful for your care of Qinghe during this time, and I acknowledge your excellence. But..."

She glanced around the apartment, which was full of life, and finally her gaze settled on the two pairs of slippers side by side in the entryway:

"You are only eighteen years old after all, and there are certain boundaries that you must uphold."

"Qinghe was well protected by her family since childhood and is simple-minded. Since you rented a house next door and have a spare key here, this is very convenient..."

Lin Wanyi's voice became somewhat stern, carrying a threatening tone:

"I don't want this to become some kind of excuse for 'crossing the line'."

"Feelings should be expressed within the bounds of propriety. Before the college entrance examination is over and everything has settled, I don't want to hear anything out of line about you, and I especially don't want Qinghe to be harmed in any way."

"If I find out you've used this advantage to do something you shouldn't have..."

Lin Wanyi didn't finish her sentence, but her gaze was enough to instill fear in anyone.

Xie Wang met her gaze without flinching.

He nodded solemnly, his tone sincere and firm:

"Auntie, don't worry."

"This spare key was given to me by Qinghe in case she got sick or something happened. I only have the desire to protect her, not to desecrate her."

"I want the best for her more than anyone else, so I will never do anything inappropriate at an inappropriate age."

Lin Wanyi looked into the boy's clear and honest eyes.

"Okay, Auntie will trust you this once."

She picked up her water glass, took a sip, and brought the conversation to a close.

Just then—

"...No...don't..."

Suddenly, a series of hurried and suppressed murmurs came from inside the bedroom.

That was Su Qinghe's voice.

It stood out exceptionally clearly in the quiet living room.

"Xie Wang...don't go...it hurts..."

That was a cry piercing with tears in its voice.

Lin Wanyi was stunned.

She is a mother.

The moment she returned from her business trip, at the most vulnerable moment when her daughter was sick.

The daughter didn't call out "Mom" in her dream, but rather the name of a boy.

Xie Wang was also startled and instinctively wanted to rush in.

"Wait, Xie Wang, I'm her mother... Let me go and comfort her."

Lin Wanyi took a deep breath, concealing the complex emotions in her eyes, and strode towards the bedroom, pushing open the door.

Su Qinghe sank into the soft pillow, his forehead covered in cold sweat.

"Thank you, Wang..."

She called out again, her hands flailing wildly in the air, as if trying to grasp at some straw.

"Qinghe?"

Lin Wanyi walked quickly to the bedside, just about to reach out and hold her daughter's hand.

Just then, Su Qinghe suddenly opened his eyes.

Those phoenix eyes were filled with terror and lingering mist.

She sat up groggily, her vision not yet fully focused, and instinctively looked towards the doorway. Reaching out her hand, she cried out in a tearful voice:

"Thank you, Wang..."

however.

When her vision finally cleared, she could see the person standing by the bed, reaching out to her.

It's like the pause button has been pressed.

She stared blankly at Lin Wanyi, while her mother looked at her with concern.

"……mom?"