Chapter 10: We Have Already Broken Up

“Enough is enough! Xiao Chen is just an ordinary senior student about to take the college entrance exam. What does it mean to bring him here without any evidence?!”

“I am the vice principal of City No.1 High School. Zhou Chen is a model student with outstanding character and achievements. Not long ago, he risked his life to save someone and fought off a criminal. He still bears a wound on his chest.”

“You have no evidence and yet you arbitrarily detained him here. I will file a complaint with the administrative inspection authorities against you!”

In the police station lobby, Zhou Chen’s parents and school officials spoke with fiery indignation, their faces full of righteous anger.

Upon learning that Zhou Chen had been summoned to the police station, Gu Zhaoyue immediately informed the school’s higher-ups.

Normally, this kind of matter would be handled through the police station’s routine procedures.

As long as Zhou Chen was not involved, he would be released safely the same day.

But Gu Zhaoyue feared that Zhou Chen might be bullied inside, after all, he was just a senior student.

So she detailed Zhou Chen’s recent academic performance in full.

She also mentioned that if time permitted, with Zhou Chen’s talent, he might even become the top scorer in the provincial exam!

To gain their cooperation, one must align their interests.

If Zhou Chen could achieve the highest provincial score for Xiangnan Province, it would be the best advertisement for City No.1 High School.

It would elevate the school’s reputation and secure more resources from the education bureau.

Moreover, with enhanced prestige, many outstanding students would prefer City No.1 High School.

A school that produces provincial top scorers guarantees a conducive learning environment and resources.

Such a virtuous cycle would bring tangible benefits to the school’s leadership.

Hence, the vice principal was boldly scolding the police officers, accusing them repeatedly of having no evidence and of wrongful detention, threatening complaints.

This left the officers momentarily stunned.

They felt some guilt too, considering that not long ago they had presented Zhou Chen with a bravery award banner, and now they had summoned him.

If it weren’t for pressure from above, they wouldn’t want to detain a hero like Zhou Chen.

“Zhou Chen, are you alright?”

Gu Zhaoyue approached as soon as Zhou Chen emerged, concern etched on her face.

His parents and sister soon surrounded him as well.

A warm feeling stirred in Zhou Chen’s heart, and he smiled faintly. “I’m fine. Let’s head back to school.”

The matter came to a temporary close. The incident of Zhou Chen’s summons was quietly suppressed, and no one else knew about it.

Zhou Chen rode back to school in the vice principal’s car. His first task was to harvest the soul energy of Li Fan and Yang Tong.

Li Fan, originally writing furiously, suddenly found himself unable to proceed to the next question.

“Damn! Damn! Damn!”

Li Fan instantly flew into a rage, tearing the test paper and textbooks into shreds and pounding the desk relentlessly.

His eyes were red and wild, his expression terrifying. Classmates hurriedly avoided him, staring as if he were a monster.

The homeroom teacher, hearing the commotion, had no choice but to call Li Fan’s parents to take him home and calm down.

Yang Tong’s dreams were completely shattered, and classmates kept their distance from her.

Rumors spread that Yang Tong brought bad luck to her partners: when she was with Zhou Chen, his grades dropped; with Li Fan, his grades also declined.

Most seniors were somewhat superstitious, believing in such supernatural influences.

Thus, they all avoided Yang Tong, fearing proximity would harm their own academic performance.

Zhou Chen stood by the window, sneering at Li Fan being driven away in a luxury car.

Only twelve days remained until the college entrance exam. Even if Li Fan went home to replenish his soul energy, it was already too late.

As for Yang Tong, Zhou Chen felt no pity; all consequences were of her own making.

...

On the way home after school, Yang Tong called out to Zhou Chen.

She looked haggard, wearing a pitiful expression.

“Zhou Chen, tomorrow’s Sunday. Could you tutor me?”

Zhou Chen refused decisively. “Sorry, I have to study myself. Isn’t your boyfriend Li Fan supposed to tutor you?”

Yang Tong hurriedly explained, “We broke up. We have nothing to do with each other now. Please, tutor me!”

Her pleading tone was heartbreaking and quite endearing.

But Zhou Chen had changed; he saw through her completely and was unmoved by her coquettishness.

He hadn’t known about their breakup since he was at the police station all morning taking notes.

It was a pity, though—if they were still together, seeking revenge would be more satisfying mentally and physically.

“Sorry, I still refuse. We have nothing to do with each other. I won’t let you interfere with my studies.” Zhou Chen spoke firmly, giving Yang Tong no hope.

Yang Tong leaned closer, her voice teasing and sultry. “If you come to my place tomorrow for tutoring, I’ll wear black stockings and show you my pink butterfly.”

Before, Zhou Chen might have been curious about this mysterious “pink butterfly.”

But now, knowing she had been with Li Fan for only a few days and was already intimate with him, he felt nauseated.

“Get lost! Even if you show me your pink butterfly, I’d be disgusted!”

“You…” Yang Tong was furious.

At that moment, Gu Zhaoyue rode up on her electric scooter and parked beside Zhou Chen.

Her expression was somewhat displeased. “Zhou Chen, let’s go home.”

“Okay, teacher.”

Yang Tong stomped her foot in anger as Zhou Chen walked away.

On the scooter, Gu Zhaoyue frowned. “Why were you walking with her again?”

Zhou Chen explained, “She and Li Fan broke up. She just asked me to tutor her.”

Gu Zhaoyue raised an eyebrow. “You agreed?”

“Of course not. I’ve seen through her. She’s only interested in benefits. I feel sick just looking at her.”

Gu Zhaoyue smiled slightly. “Don’t be so harsh. After all, you’re classmates.”

“Yeah.” Zhou Chen asked, “Teacher, will you tutor me tomorrow?”

Gu Zhaoyue shook her head. “No, my family arranged a blind date for me tomorrow.”

This made Zhou Chen’s heart sink, but he feigned casualness. “Teacher, with so many admirers at school, do you really need a blind date?”

“Daring to tease your teacher—asking for a beating!” Gu Zhaoyue chuckled. “I don’t fancy any of the teachers or leaders at school. The blind date is just because my family is pressuring me. It’s just a formality. I’ll reject them anyway.”

She sighed softly, her mood suddenly dropping.

Zhou Chen understood that every family has its own difficulties.

But such private matters were not for a student to meddle in.

Even though he liked Gu Zhaoyue, he was still a student on the verge of the college entrance exam.

This vague, unspoken affection had to remain buried for now.

“Ah, there’s a traffic police checkpoint ahead checking helmets!”

This road used to be free of traffic police, but due to recent incidents involving mental illness in this area, the police presence had increased.

Gu Zhaoyue had a helmet but put it on Zhou Chen.

Unfortunately, she was stopped for not wearing a helmet herself.

Not wearing a helmet didn’t result in a fine, but they had to catch the next person without a helmet before leaving.

It was already past ten at night, and all the scattered scooters and motorcycles wore helmets.

Gu Zhaoyue dared not reveal she was a teacher; it would be embarrassing for a teacher not to wear a helmet.

If this got back to the homeroom teacher of Senior Class 1, she would be ridiculed endlessly.

Waiting like this, no one knew how long it would take.

Seeing Gu Zhaoyue’s plight, Zhou Chen sent out a soul-devouring insect to absorb a small amount of the traffic officer’s soul energy.

It was just enough to make him drowsy.

The officer, probably just starting the night shift, gradually fell asleep in his chair after a bit of energy was drained.

Zhou Chen quickly grabbed Gu Zhaoyue’s hand and hopped on the scooter.

“Teacher, hold on tight!”

Gu Zhaoyue was still dazed as Zhou Chen twisted the throttle to maximum, thrusting them forward.

But this was a scooter, with no backrest.

Instinctively, Gu Zhaoyue clung to Zhou Chen’s waist, glancing back at the sleeping officer.

The officer, not fully asleep, heard the noise and gave a half-hearted chase that frightened Gu Zhaoyue.

But it was no big deal; if not for the show, the officer wouldn’t even bother chasing.

The unprecedented thrill and guilt surged through Gu Zhaoyue’s heart.

As a law-abiding teacher, being coaxed into such an immoral act by Zhou Chen made her body tremble slightly.

She completely forgot her chest was still pressed tightly against Zhou Chen’s back.

When they reached the Zhou family residential complex, Gu Zhaoyue gave a token admonition.

“Xiao Chen, don’t act recklessly like that next time.”

Zhou Chen scratched his head. “No big deal.”

After Gu Zhaoyue left, she didn’t notice a soul-devouring insect had slipped into her hair.

Zhou Chen did this to prevent any unexpected incidents at the blind date tomorrow.

In truth, Zhou Chen harbored selfish feelings; he didn’t want Gu Zhaoyue to succeed with anyone else.