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

After leaving the riverbank, Xie Wang did not go home.

He carried his schoolbag and walked two kilometers along the dimly lit riverside road before turning into a noisy auto repair shop area.

This is the "underground city" in the western part of Jiangcheng, filled with the smell of engine oil, heavy metal rock, and cheap beer.

A roller shutter door with a sign that read "LW Modification" was half-closed, and languid jazz music was playing inside.

Xie Wang bent down and crawled inside.

"You're here?"

A voice carrying a hint of lazy laughter rang out.

A man stands next to a Harley-Davidson motorcycle that has been dismantled down to its frame.

He was wearing a black jumpsuit, but he didn't look sloppy. The zipper at the collar was halfway up, revealing a section of his pale collarbone and a black vest underneath.

He had a very deceptive face—a high nose bridge, a sharp jawline, and most striking of all, a pair of narrow, almond-shaped eyes with slightly upturned corners, making everyone he looked at seem like he was exuding charm.

If he weren't holding a wrench, this guy would probably be sitting in an office in the CBD signing contracts worth hundreds of millions, or he'd be the face of some boy band.

Lu Wen.

The owner of this shop is also Xie Wang's only brother outside of school.

Despite having a face that could bring ruin to a country, he prefers to stay in this basement filled with the smell of engine oil and fix cars.

Xie Wang didn't say anything, but skillfully pulled over a small stool, sat down, and threw his schoolbag on the table.

Lu Wenshou held a thin cigarette between his long, slender fingers. His gaze swept over Xie Wang's wound at the corner of his mouth and the swelling on his face. He raised an eyebrow slightly, and the smile in his eyes faded a little.

"Hey, what happened to your face? Did some stray cat scratch you? Or did you get into another fight with your old bastard?"

"Yes, we have them all."

Xie Wang's voice was hoarse as he pulled a crushed pack of cigarettes from his pocket, intending to smoke it, only to find it empty.

"then."

Lu Wen casually tossed a can of ice-cold beer over, which landed precisely in Xie Wang's arms. "Apply this first. Such a handsome face, if you ruin it, who will support my shop?"

Xie Wang pulled the tab with one hand, tilted his head back and took a swig; the cool liquid slightly calmed the heat in his heart.

"Lu Wen, where's what I asked for?"

"I saved it for you."

Lu Wen took off his black gloves, revealing a pair of hands with distinct knuckles, even longer and cleaner than Xie Wang's.

He walked to the safe in the inner room, took out an anti-static bag, and handed it to Xie Wang.

"Two 32GB Kingston HyperX RAM sticks and a 1TB Samsung SSD. These are top-of-the-line models, the kind that miners can't even get their hands on. I had to pull strings to snag them for you."

Xie Wang's eyes lit up.

With this equipment, the computing power of his old laptop could at least triple, and he should have a chance to access the encrypted folder left by his mother.

"How much?" Xie asked.

"Give me the cost price, two thousand five." Lu Wen leaned against the motorcycle, looking relaxed. "I know you just paid off your debts and are a bit short on cash, so you can owe me this money for now."

"rich."

Xie Wang lowered his head and unzipped his backpack.

He reached into the hidden compartment of his backpack to take out money.

The movement was too fast, and it brought out something else from the hidden compartment.

A soft silk handkerchief with Suzhou embroidery.

Su Qinghe threw it to him by the river. Although he said he didn't need it, he still inexplicably put it in his pocket.

The handkerchief fluttered down onto the table full of parts, looking out of place amidst the pile of cold metal and black circuit boards.

It was like a snow lotus falling into a coal pile.

It even carried a faint, sophisticated jasmine scent, instantly masking the smell of engine oil in the room.

Lu Wen was stunned for a moment.

Xie Wang was also stunned.

Two seconds later, Lu Wen's peach blossom eyes narrowed sharply, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering juicy gossip.

He reached out to grab the handkerchief: "Wow... Suzhou embroidery on silk? The stitches, the fabric... Ah Wang, you're amazing."

"Don't touch it!"

Xie Wang reacted quickly, slapping Lu Wen's hand away and snatching the handkerchief back.

Lu Wen was startled by the slap, then leaned against the table, a playful smile on his face, his handsome eyes full of mockery:

"What? You won't let me touch it? This material looks like it's made for women, and not just any woman. This kind of custom-made Suzhou embroidery would cost at least several thousand yuan."

He leaned closer, his body carrying a faint scent of fir perfume, his tone ambiguous:

"Has Xie Wang, who's allergic to women, finally blossomed? Or... has he been kept by some rich woman?"

Xie Wang clutched the handkerchief in his hand, his ears inexplicably burning. With a cold face, he stuffed the handkerchief back into the deepest part of his pocket.

"I found it."

"Found it?" Lu Wen laughed so hard his shoulders were shaking. "Where did you find it? I'll go find one too. Women don't usually throw away things like that that are so close to their bodies. Unless..."

Lu Wen drawled out the last syllable, his eyes sharp, "Unless she's interested in you, or you're interested in her."

"For shining shoes," Xie Wang replied curtly, trying to end the conversation.

"You keep your shoeshine in your inner pocket?" Lu Wen gave him a look that said, "You think I'm stupid?" "Alright, stop pretending. It seems that our high school's aloof beauty, Su Qinghe... is quite something."

Xie Wang suddenly looked up: "How did you know it was her?"

"Besides the eldest daughter of the Su family, who else in Jiangcheng would use such old-fashioned and expensive custom-made Suzhou embroidery?"

Lu Wen shrugged, looking like he'd been there all along. "Looks like you've really messed up."

Xie Wang ignored him and slammed two thousand five hundred yuan in cash on the table, shutting up Lu Wen's irritating mouth.

"Shut up. Install the computer."

He took out the old laptop and removed the back cover.

Long, slender fingers deftly manipulated the precision screws, removing the old memory stick and replacing it with a brand-new one.

The movements were fluid and graceful, showing focus and seriousness.

Lu Wen stopped teasing him and just watched quietly from the side, his eyes filled with a deeper meaning.

He knew Xie Wang too well.

This kid is like a wolf cub—vigilant, sensitive, and fierce.

The fact that he would keep a woman's handkerchief close to his body says it all.

……

Half an hour later, the system reinstallation was complete.

Xie Wang pressed the power button.

The boot time has been reduced from two minutes to five seconds.

He quickly entered a series of commands and opened an encrypted folder hidden deep within the C drive.

The broken butterfly logo reappeared on the screen.

These are secret documents left by my mother.

[Attempting to decrypt... Computing power increased by 300%...]

[Progress bar: 1%...2%...]

Although it's still slow, at least it's moving.

This thing used to be completely immobile.

Xie Wang stared at the slowly moving progress bar, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

At this rate, it would take about a month to brute-force crack the first layer of the password.

"Alright, stop looking."

Lu Wen tossed him a cigarette, lit one for himself, and the bluish-white smoke blurred his handsome face. "Stay here tonight? My lounge is empty."

Xie Wang closed his laptop and put his backpack on.

"No, I have class tomorrow."

Although he didn't care where he went, he inexplicably recalled the look in Su Qinghe's eyes that evening.

"I'm gone."

Xie Wang waved his hand and turned to walk into the night.

Lu Wen leaned against the doorway, watching the boy's back, flicked his cigarette ash, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"Stubborn brat, but... that eldest daughter of the Su family isn't easy to win over."