We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Zhao Feng, Yang Kun, turn off your computers so as not to disturb everyone's studies."

"Okay, okay."

Li Mubai looked up at the clock on the upper right of the blackboard; there were less than ten minutes left before evening self-study.

He lowered his head and quietly pushed the painting in the desk a little further in. Luckily, the painting Chen Qiuhe gave him wasn't very big, and it just fit into the desk. Otherwise, the people around him would definitely keep asking him questions out of curiosity.

Especially Huang Lingling's mouth; if she discovers any clue, the whole class will know in less than half a day.

He leaned back in his chair, and Chen Qiuhe's words from that afternoon unconsciously resurfaced in his mind. Had his crush been successful? Were he and Xie Shu already a couple? Li Mubai couldn't say for sure.

He had seen couples online sharing their daily lives: sweet chat logs, little gifts they exchanged, vlogs of studying together... But he didn't have any of that. What he felt was more of an indescribable pressure.

My dull thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the crisp sound of the evening self-study bell.

Li Mubai let out a soft breath, suppressing the complicated thoughts in his mind. Forget it, let's study first and finish the final exams first.

"Good evening, everyone."

"Good evening, Mrs. Li."

English teacher Ms. Li walked slowly to the podium, her gentle gaze sweeping over the entire class.

"During the first self-study period tonight, we'll continue with '53' (a popular English textbook), and the rest of the time is for self-study." She paused, then instructed, "Alright, take out your '53' English textbooks and turn to page 60."

Li Mubai reached into the drawer and rummaged around, habitually searching for his English study materials.

My fingers swept across the stack of books, but I couldn't find the familiar workbook.

Hey, where's my 53 practice book? I remember putting it right here.

He bent down slightly and, after much effort, found it among a pile of books. He then placed it on the table and quickly flipped to page sixty, where, in addition to knowledge of adjectives, a letter was quietly tucked inside.

Li Mubai wondered if it was the note that the bookstore gave away when he bought the materials.

Before Teacher Li began his lecture, he quietly lifted the folded layer and pulled out a neatly folded light-colored letter. The letter contained only a single, brief line of text:

During the second evening self-study session, I went to the entrance of the Confucius Academy.

Signed by: Xie Shu.

Li Mubai's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He subconsciously folded the letter and put it away. He quietly turned his head and glanced at Huang Lingling beside him. She was focused on her book the whole time and did not notice his little action at all.

The entrance to the Confucius Academy... that's outside the school.

That's all for today. You can use the rest of the time to study and do your homework.

Li Mubai looked up at the clock hanging in the center of the classroom. There were only ten minutes left before the end of the first evening self-study session.

Xie Shu asked him to meet off-campus. Should he accept the invitation?

The school rules state that students are strictly prohibited from leaving the school without permission during evening self-study, and climbing over the wall to go out is strictly forbidden. If caught by security guards or patrolling teachers, they will be severely criticized and the homeroom teacher may even be notified. He did not want his image to be ruined again and again.

but……

Li Mubai struggled internally. He glanced at Teacher Li sitting on the podium. Should he ask the teacher for leave to leave school? But what reason could he give?

Ring ring—

The bell rang precisely on time, urging him to make a choice immediately.

Li Mubai turned slightly to the side, lowered his voice, and whispered to Yang Kun in the front row, "Yang Kun, do you know where we can leave the school?"

"Leave the school?" Yang Kun was taken aback, his face full of doubt, and casually replied, "You can leave the school through the gates. There are a main gate and a back gate, but the east and west gates are closed."

"Not through the main gate." Li Mubai's tone became more urgent, and he deliberately lowered his voice. "I'm asking if there's a place where I can get out directly, avoiding the surveillance cameras, security guards, and patrolling teachers."

"No way, Lao Bai, you're planning to climb over the wall and get out?" Yang Kun immediately understood and his eyes widened.

"Yes, something urgent comes up, I have to go out." Li Mubai didn't offer any further explanation.

Yang Kun didn't ask any more questions. After thinking for a moment, he said, "Go to the west gate. There's a low wall that you can climb. It's next to a garbage dump. There are no security cameras or streetlights there, and the security guards rarely patrol that area, so it's the least likely place to be spotted."

"Thanks." Li Mubai added, "If any teacher asks where I went later, just say I had a stomachache and went to the toilet."

"Take it easy, go and come back quickly. This excuse won't last long, don't get caught red-handed."

Li Mubai nodded slightly, took a deep breath, and slowly stood up. His heart was beating faster and faster, filled with a mix of anxiety and unease. He took one last look at Teacher Li on the podium and silently prayed that she wouldn't notice his disappearance during the next evening self-study session.

Stepping out of the teaching building, the night grew even darker, and the evening breeze carried the coolness of a summer night. The tension in my heart intensified, especially after the bell rang for evening self-study, when the entire campus became quiet and solemn.

But there was no turning back now that things had come to this. Since he had already stepped out of the classroom, he could only grit his teeth and walk step by step along the secluded path toward the west gate.

"Hey! You over there! It's evening study time, where are you going instead of studying in the classroom?"

A stern voice suddenly rang out, and a blinding beam of light from a flashlight swept straight towards him, making it impossible for Li Mubai to open his eyes. His heart clenched, and his whole body tensed instantly.

The person who came in was wearing a security guard uniform. As the light slowly moved down, he realized that it was Grandpa Du, the man he had been playing pool with.

Forcibly suppressing his panic, Li Mubai quickly made up an excuse: "Grandpa Du, I left my books in the dormitory and I'm in a hurry to go back and get some review materials."

"So it's you, Xiaobai." Du Baoan glanced at him, and seeing that he was empty-handed and had no backpack, he didn't suspect anything. He casually instructed, "Go and come back quickly. Go back to the classroom immediately after you get it. Don't wander around outside."

"Okay, thank you, Grandpa Du."

Li Mubai secretly breathed a sigh of relief, turned his back to the glaring flashlight beam, and quickly walked towards the west gate, which was fortunately right behind the dormitory.

The entire Ximen area was pitch black, without even a single streetlamp. The surroundings were desolate and quiet, with only the sound of the wind rustling through the weeds.

Looking around, there were indeed no surveillance cameras. Just as Yang Kun had said, it was the most secluded corner of the entire school. With the help of the faint streetlights on the main road in the distance, he quickly found the low wall.

As I turned the page, a voice inside me urged me on.

Don't act impulsively. Go back to the classroom obediently, abide by the school rules, and stop the damage in time.

Reason is at work again.

Li Mubai raised his hand and touched the mottled, cold wall. He found a protruding brick as a foothold, used his feet to propel himself up, and steadily climbed onto the edge of the wall. Outside the wall was complete darkness, and he could not see the height or depth of the ground.

He subconsciously reached into his pocket, wanting to take out his phone for light, before realizing that he had left his phone in his dorm room and hadn't brought it with him.

Is it safe down there? Is it very high down there? Countless concerns flooded his mind, making him hesitate to jump.

Just as he was hesitating, a steady sound of footsteps suddenly approached from the path behind him, followed by a beam of flashlight that was moving closer to the wall.

Someone's here?!

Li Mubai had no time to think. He held his breath, closed his eyes, and leaped into the darkness outside the wall...

"Director Zhong, why are you here so late to check on the evening self-study session?" Teacher Li looked up at Zhong Jianjun, who was walking slowly into the classroom, and spoke politely.

"I've come to check on the students' self-study discipline."

Zhong Jianjun's voice was hoarse. After speaking, he stepped into the classroom. Instead of going straight to Li Mubai's seat, he slowly walked around the first group of seats.

"Holy crap, we're doomed!" Yang Kun sat in his seat, glancing out of the corner of his eye as Zhong Jianjun approached step by step, his heart leaping into his throat.

Zhong Jianjun stopped beside Li Mubai's empty seat, his gaze sweeping over the empty space. He asked in a low voice, "Where's the student sitting here?"

Teacher Li stopped grading homework and looked in the direction of the gaze, only to find that Li Mubai was not in his seat.

Yang Kun forced down his panic and replied casually, "Teacher, he ate something bad tonight and his stomach is upset, so he went to the bathroom."

Zhong Jianjun remained expressionless for a few seconds before turning around and walking out of the classroom.

Lao Bai, you need to come back soon!