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

Early morning on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Xie Wang turned over and glanced at his phone; it was 8:30 in the morning.

As I finished washing up and walked down the stairs, a rich aroma of black sesame wafted through the air.

"Wake up, Xiao Xie. Come and wash your hands so we can eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls)."

Lin Wanyi invited him to sit down at the dining table.

Su Qinghe used a strainer to scoop the cooked glutinous rice balls one by one into a white porcelain bowl, the sweet fermented rice at the bottom of the soup steaming hot.

She carried two bowls to the dining table and placed one of them in front of Xie Wang.

"It's filled with black sesame paste, you should try it."

He scooped up a piece and put it in his mouth.

"It's delicious, Auntie."

Lin Wanyi sat down opposite him and watched with satisfaction as he ate every last glutinous rice ball in his bowl.

"Eating tangyuan (sweet rice balls) on the first day of the Lunar New Year symbolizes family reunion and good fortune."

Su Chengyun finished the last bite of the fried cake and wiped his fingers.

He pulled a red envelope from the inside pocket of the loungewear jacket behind him.

Su Chengyun pushed the envelope in front of Xie Wang.

"Xiao Wang, it's a family tradition to give red envelopes to the younger generation on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Here you go."

Xie Wang looked at the red envelope on the table, but didn't reach for it.

"Uncle, no need, it's already too much trouble for us to spend the New Year here."

Su Chengyun placed his palm on the red envelope, his eyes gentle but conveying an unyielding tone.

"This is a token of appreciation from elders to younger generations; it has nothing to do with whether or not we are bothering them."

Lin Wanyi also took out an equally exquisite red envelope from the pocket of her apron and placed it on top of Su Chengyun's.

"New Year's money is for good luck. If you don't accept it, Auntie will be unhappy."

Xie Wang's fingertips tightened slightly under the table.

Su Qinghe sat next to him. She didn't speak, but gently nudged Xie Wang's leg with her knee under the table.

Xie Wang glanced at Su Qinghe.

Her eyes held a quiet encouragement.

Xie Wang reached out and took the two red envelopes stacked together on the table.

"Thank you, Uncle and Aunt, Happy New Year."

His fingertips rubbed the surface of the envelope, and the weight of being unconditionally accepted by his elders made his Adam's apple bob.

Su Chengyun leaned back in his chair and gave a relaxed smile.

"That's more like it. Now that you've received the red envelope, you've got to make sure Qinghe continues to be number one this year!"

Xie Wang put the red envelope into his pocket.

"Don't worry, Uncle, I've got it covered."

The Su family villa on the first day of the Lunar New Year was filled with a lazy and cozy atmosphere.

With no visitors and no social obligations to attend to, the four of them spent the entire afternoon huddled in the living room.

As evening approached, the winter twilight enveloped the villa area early.

Xie Wang said goodbye to Su Chengyun and his wife in the living room.

"Uncle and Aunt, I'll head back to the Cloud Top Piano Room now. I have things to take care of tomorrow."

Lin Wanyi was somewhat reluctant to part with him.

"Let's leave tomorrow. There's nothing much going on at home these days."

Su Chengyun saw things clearly and patted Xie Wang on the shoulder with a smile.

"Young people have their own pace; let him keep busy."

Su Qinghe escorted Xie Wang to the courtyard in front of the villa.

The sky had darkened, and the streetlights cast the shadows of the two people at the base of the ginkgo tree in the yard.

"Drive carefully on the road, and send me a message when you arrive."

Su Qinghe stood on the steps, and because he was one step higher, his line of sight was just level with Xie Wang's.

Xie Wang stared at her for three seconds in the twilight.

He reached out and gently brushed Su Qinghe's nose with his fingertip.

"Okay, Teacher Su."

Xie Wang took out his phone and sent a message to Lu Yi with one hand.

Master Lu, I'm on my way. I'll be at the Cloud Top Piano Room in about forty minutes. I'll come pick up Fantuan then.

Lu Yi replied:

Please come quickly and take this monstrous creature away.

Xie Wang chuckled as he looked at the screen, then stepped on the gas and drove onto the ring road.

……

The elevator to the Cloud Top Piano Room stopped on the third floor.

Xie Wang stepped out of the elevator, walked through the corridor, and stood in front of the door of room 302.

The door opened.

Lu Yi was wearing a dark blue cotton-linen shirt, his hair was unkempt, and there was a kind of weariness and aloofness unique to melancholy poets between his brows.

He leaned against the half-open door frame, crossed his arms, and spoke in an affected tone.

"Everything has its destination, but the wanderer knows not where the shore is."

Lu paused, then slightly raised his chin to look at Xie Wang standing in the corridor.

"You've arrived."

Xie Wang looked at his feigned aloofness.

"Master Lu, can't you speak like a human being on the first day of the Lunar New Year?"

Lu Yi's cool demeanor lasted only two seconds before crumbling, and the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned upwards.

Xie Wang stood still, not in a hurry to go inside, and his tone became more relaxed.

Happy New Year, Lu Yi.

Lu Yi was taken aback for a moment.

He straightened up from the door frame, his habitual artistic air fading away, revealing an unadorned smile.

"Happy New Year."

Lu Yi opened the door wide, gesturing for him to come in.

As Xie Wanggang stepped into the entrance hall, a well-maintained middle-aged couple walked over from the direction of the living room.

Lu Yi's father wore gold-rimmed glasses, was slender, and had a refined demeanor, clearly from an intellectual family. He resembled Lu Yi somewhat but possessed a more composed and dignified air.

Lu Yi's mother had a neat short perm, wore a dark red cashmere coat, and had a gentle face.

"You must be Xie Wang."

Lu Yi's mother quickly stepped forward, her smile revealing a heartfelt warmth and gratitude.

"Hello Xie, Lu Yi talks about you every day at home."

Lu Yi's face turned pink in an instant.

He turned to look at his mother, raising his voice by half a tone.

"Mom, I don't nag about it every day."

Lu Yi's father adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and added in a calm tone.

"I have mentioned it quite a few times. Every time I call back, the thing I talk about most is you and Su Qinghe."

Lu Yi's face turned even redder.

He wished he could dig a hole in the entryway and bury himself right there.

Seeing Lu Yi's utterly bewildered expression, Xie Wang politely greeted the two elders.

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie, Happy New Year!"

Lu Yi's mother looked Xie Wang up and down and gave him high praise for his polite manners and demeanor.

"Look at this child, how energetic and polite he is."

She turned around and glared at Lu Yi, who was huddled in the corner.

"You should learn from this too."

Lu Yi rolled his eyes silently.

"Xie, please stay for a meal."

Lu Yi's father extended a sincere invitation.

"When Lu Yi first came to Jiangcheng, we parents were very uneasy. You know his personality, it's a bit, um."

Lu Yi's father carefully considered his words.

"It's a bit different from others."

Lu Yi corrected him from the side, "Dad, that's called being extraordinary."

Lu Yi's father ignored him.

"Thanks to your and his classmates' care, he was able to adapt to life here so quickly. We, as his parents, have always wanted to thank you in person."

Xie Wang waved his hand.

"Uncle and Aunt are too kind. Lu Yi has helped us a lot at school, and we all admire his talent."

Upon hearing the word "talent," Lu unconsciously straightened his back a bit.

Xie Wang noticed his subtle actions but did not expose him.

"I appreciate your kindness, Uncle and Aunt, but I won't stay today. I have some things to take care of at home."

Xie Wang sincerely declined the dinner invitation.

Lu Yi's mother felt a little regretful but did not force the issue.

"You must come next time! Auntie will make your signature braised pork."

Lu Yi led Xie Wang into the living room.

Fantuan was lying in a cardboard box, which was a makeshift cat bed that Lu Yi had made from a delivery box. An old coat of Lu Yi was placed inside as a cushion.

The calico cat with its messy fur was curled up lazily inside, its tail swishing idly.

"Your family's ancestor."

Lu Yi squatted down next to the cardboard box and pointed at the rice ball with his index finger at a safe distance.

"I dug out all the manuscript papers from under my pillow today."

Xie Wang squatted down and glanced at the ball of fur in the cardboard box, its ears perked up warily.

"Master Lu's poem was reviewed by a cat. This may be the cruelest way to reject a manuscript in literary history."

Lu Yi sighed deeply.

"Take him away, please."

Xie Wang reached out to scoop the rice ball out of the cardboard box.

However, the moment his hand reached in, the rice ball's pupils contracted into two vertical lines.

Awoo.

The calico cat, which had been raised for several months, hissed at its nominal owner with hostility, its bristling fur making its already round body appear even larger.

Xie Wang's hand was suspended in mid-air.

He looked at the rice ball's cat-like face, which was filled with anger and accusation, and slowly withdrew his hand.

"Who are you breathing on?"

Xie Wang's tone lowered.

Instead of calming down, the rice ball stood up from the cardboard box, arched its back, and its tail swelled up into a fluffy feather duster. It then hissed again in Xie Wang's direction.

Lu Yi stood to the side with his arms crossed, a look of amusement on his face.

"It seems to have some issues with you."

Lu Yi pushed up glasses that weren't actually there.

"Based on my keen observation of spending these past few days with it, this little animal is probably accusing you, its father, of abandoning it in a stranger's house for several days. This traumatic experience of abandonment has caused irreversible damage to its young mind."

Xie Wang straightened up.

He turned his head and scanned Lu Yi's living room, his gaze settling on the coat rack in the corner.

Xie Wang walked over, picked up a clothes hanger, and weighed it in his hand.

He turned back to the cardboard box and looked down at the calico cat glaring at him.

The rice ball's pupils visibly contracted the moment it saw the clothes hanger.

"Rice ball, are you getting cocky?"

Xie Wang pointed at the rice ball with the hook of the clothes hanger, his voice carrying a kind of intimidating power accumulated from countless rounds of wits and courage with his pet.

"Have you forgotten who picked you up from next to a trash can on the main road? Have you forgotten who spends money to buy you cat food every day? How can you talk to your father like that? Don't you have any conscience?"

The rice ball's bristling fur slowly receded a bit under the intimidation of the clothes hanger, but its attitude remained stubborn, squatting in the cardboard box with its neck stiff and refusing to bow its head.

Lu Yi watched the absurd scene of the man and the cat facing off and quietly pressed the shutter button on her phone.

Xie Wang put the clothes hanger aside, bent down, and forcibly scooped the rice ball out of the cardboard box with both hands.

The rice ball struggled a few times in his arms, trying to kick his forearm with its hind legs, but Xie Wang's grip was far too strong for a domestic calico cat to break free from.

In the end, the rice ball gave up resisting and nestled in Xie Wang's arms, making a series of dissatisfied gurgling sounds.

Xie Wang looked down at the fluffy little life in his arms.

"Still arguing? I'll punish you by not letting you sit on the sofa tonight."

Lu Yi helped pack the cat food and water bowl into an eco-friendly bag and handed it to Xie Wang.

Xie Wang took the things while holding the cat in one arm.

"Thank you, Master Lu."

Lu Yi leaned against the door frame, resuming his signature melancholy posture.

"Just a little bit of hardship."

The door to room 1602 opened with the sound of a key turning.

The apartment, which had been empty for several days, was filled with a chilly atmosphere. Xie Wang turned on the living room lights and the heater, and placed the rice ball on its familiar cat tree.

After the rice ball landed, it immediately surveyed the entire room.

It ran from the living room to the bedroom, then from the bedroom to the balcony, and finally lay down on the top shelf of the cat tree, its tail rhythmically slapping the edge of the platform.

After reconfirming its territory, it finally let out a satisfied meow.

Xie Wang sat on the sofa and sent a message to Su Qinghe.

I got home, and my little dumpling threw a tantrum, almost getting a beating from me.

Su Qinghe replied quickly.

Who told you to leave someone at Lu Yi's place for several days?