Ch. 19 - Waiting for the Rabbit

I was still too inexperienced.

I should have remained calm, but Tang Xin carried an aura of danger around her that always made me feel as though I was at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

[Tomorrow is Saturday~]

While I was busy questioning my own intelligence, Tang Xin's reply arrived.

Who doesn't know that tomorrow is Saturday?!

A sentence that obviously has ulterior motives doesn't become cute just because you add a little "~" at the end!

[Mm, President, you've worked hard all week. Make sure you get some good rest. I'm going to sleep now. See you Monday.]

I quickly typed out the message and hit send.

Cut off the conversation completely.

Prevent whatever scheme she was planning next.

[Thank you for your concern, Vice President. To show my appreciation, I'll come to your house tomorrow morning and keep you company. Sleep early~ ❤]

Her reply came back almost instantly.

And attached to the end was a terrifying red heart emoji.

Keep me company?

Yeah, right.

I stared at the message and took a deep breath. The hand holding my phone began trembling involuntarily.

Based on my two years of experience knowing her, this woman was definitely bringing trouble with her tomorrow.

But I'd just told her I was going to sleep.

If I messaged her now and told her not to come, wouldn't that be slapping myself in the face?

My hand shook even harder.

Could this have been part of her calculations all along?

"Bai Lu."

"Mm?"

"I think I want to go to school tomorrow."

"Brother, are you tired of living?"

Without even looking up from trimming my nails, my sister spoke those words in her usual gentle tone.

"Sorry!"

Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I looked at the alarm clock.

It was eight in the morning.

Normally, a high school student wouldn't wake up this early on a weekend, but I'd spent most of last night tossing and turning in bed without being able to sleep.

Wu Yaoyao's declaration in Yugang Park kept replaying endlessly in my mind.

And this evening was the time I'd agreed to meet Senior Ning Yi for the second time and finally give her my answer.

Those two things alone were enough to throw my thoughts into chaos.

Then Tang Xin's message last night had completely ruined what little peace of mind I had left.

She had said she'd come looking for me this morning.

There was no way I could stay home and wait to be cornered.

The only option was to flee.

Bai Lu had already gone out early in the morning. She'd left a note on the refrigerator.

[Breakfast is in the fridge. Just heat it up in the microwave before eating. I still have one final rehearsal today. Don't forget to come this afternoon.]

There wasn't time for breakfast.

If I delayed any longer, Tang Xin might catch me before I escaped.

After washing up, I changed into sportswear, put on my shoes, and headed straight for the city library.

The library wasn't far from my home.

Reading could easily kill an entire morning.

And Tang Xin would never think to look for me there.

At noon, I could grab something to eat, then head directly to watch Bai Lu's performance. After that, I'd go meet Senior Ning Yi at the city square.

A perfect, fulfilling day completely free of Tang Xin!

***

The city library opened at 8:30 AM.

After taking the subway for two stops, I arrived shortly after opening time.

Yet the first floor was already almost full.

I casually grabbed two magazines and started looking for a seat.

The second floor had fewer people, so logically I should go there.

But that was exactly the problem.

If Tang Xin somehow found her way here by coincidence, she'd only need one glance around the second floor to spot me.

Besides, the second floor housed literature and archives. Once I finished these magazines, I'd have to come back downstairs anyway.

After weighing everything carefully, the first floor was still the safest option.

I scanned the room.

The enormous first floor of the library didn't have a single empty seat.

You have got to be kidding me.

Do you people really love studying this much?!

Just as I was about to give up and head upstairs, someone stood up not far away.

Carrying a stack of books, he lowered his head and walked away.

Judging from his defeated expression, he'd probably just suffered some kind of emotional blow.

Whatever.

A seat was a seat.

I hurried over, set my magazines on the table, pulled out the chair, and sat down.

To my left sat a bespectacled man.

He looked strangely nervous.

To my right sat a girl wearing a white dress and a sun hat.

Her posture was elegant and proper.

With pale, lotus-root-like arms, she held a book and read attentively.

Although I couldn't see her face, she was definitely beautiful.

Not bad.

Having a beauty sitting beside me while reading was practically a literary fantasy come true.

I withdrew my gaze and opened my magazine.

***

The two magazines I'd picked up were:

One gaming magazine.

And one of those cheap UFO conspiracy magazines.

Truthfully, I knew most of the content in UFO magazines was complete nonsense dressed up as fact.

Whenever I read about things like wormholes in the Bermuda Triangle, alien spacecraft landing pads disguised as pyramids, or underground humanoid monsters living beneath the Amazon River, what amazed me wasn't the stories themselves.

It was the authors' imagination.

Honestly, their imaginations should qualify as one of the world's greatest unsolved mysteries.

What I admired was their ability to stare at a blurry photograph and confidently spin an increasingly absurd story from it.

Turning a tiny clue into an enormous mystery.

Reading UFO magazines was one of my few methods of stress relief.

***

Not long after immersing myself in the magazine, a bottle of mineral water slowly entered my field of vision from the right and was gently placed in front of me.

I stared at it in surprise.

Had that beautiful girl beside me given it to me?

I was actually a little thirsty.

Picking up the bottle, I took a sip and turned toward her.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

A clear, melodious voice, as pleasant as the ringing of silver bells, answered me.

Wait...

The moment I heard that voice, my entire body froze.

Cold sweat slid down my back.

My body began trembling uncontrollably.

I snatched up the books on the table, jumped to my feet, and immediately prepared to flee.

"Good morning, Vice President."

A soft, fair hand lightly tugged at the corner of my shirt, interrupting my escape attempt.

Probably because they were inside a library, her voice was very quiet—soft as cotton.

Yet the destructive power of those words was not diminished in the slightest by the lowered volume.

"G-Good morning... President..."

My face twitched into a strained smile as I slowly turned around.

There, greeting me with a sweet and charming smile, was Tang Xin.

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