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

It was already evening when I arrived at the hotel after getting off the plane.

Lobby of Grand Hyatt Beijing.

As the designated hotel for the national competition, the lobby of the Grand Hyatt Hotel was brightly lit tonight.

Top students from all provinces across the country gathered together.

Teacher Li went to the front desk to check in; there was a long queue.

Xie Wang and Su Qinghe stood by the sofa in the rest area, looking at their luggage.

"Hey bro, wanna borrow a light?"

A voice with a strong Sichuan accent and a fiery tone suddenly rang in Xie Wang's ear.

Xie Wang turned his head and saw a boy wearing a loose red hoodie and with slightly curly hair approaching him with a grin.

He was holding a box of... self-heating hot pot.

Behind the boy was another boy wearing thick-rimmed glasses, slightly chubby, who was frantically typing code on his laptop.

"No fire." Xie Wang glanced at the self-heating pot in his hand. "This thing doesn't need fire, just add cold water."

"Hey! I know! I just thought you two were a good match and wanted to be friends."

The curly-haired boy, acting as if they were old friends, plopped down on the sofa next to Xie Wang, pulled a handful of vacuum-packed spicy beef jerky from his pocket, and enthusiastically handed it to Xie Wang and Su Qinghe:

"Come on, have a taste! Homemade, authentic Sichuan flavor, super spicy and incredibly delicious! Absolutely amazing!"

Xie Wang was taken aback by this sudden enthusiasm, then smiled and took the package:

"Thanks, Jiang Cheng, thank you Wang."

He then pointed to Su Qinghe beside him: "Su Qinghe."

Wow! The Jiangcheng Twin Stars!

The curly-haired boy's eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh as he introduced himself:

"I'm Chen Xi from the Sichuan Province team. The chubby guy typing on the keyboard behind me is Wang Bo. He's a quiet type, also works in computers. We're practically colleagues! I heard Jiangcheng did pretty well this time?"

Upon hearing the name Wang Bo, the chubby guy looked up, adjusted his glasses, gave them a good-natured smile, and then went back to coding.

Chen Xi was a chatterbox, and he quickly became familiar with Xie Wang after just a few words.

This straightforward and passionate personality made Xie Wang, who was used to being guarded, feel very relaxed.

Just as the group was chatting happily and sharing the bag of spicy beef jerky—

"Qinghe?"

A slightly surprised, yet somewhat aloof and indifferent voice came from the direction of the revolving door.

The atmosphere in the lobby seemed to cool down for a moment.

A group of students wearing custom-made school uniforms with gold badges embroidered on their chests walked in.

The boy in the lead was tall and handsome, but he had an innate sense of superiority in his eyes and looked at people as if he were looking at his subordinates.

Upon hearing the sound, Su Qinghe turned around, his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Gu Yan," she called out his name softly.

Gu Yan.

Xie Wang narrowed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the lighter in his pocket.

He had seen this surname in the documents his mother left behind.

Gu Jia, head of the Tianlong Group in Beijing.

The man before them was none other than the second young master of the Tianlong Group.

Enemies meeting are bound to be filled with hatred.

But Xie Wang concealed it well; he looked at the other person expressionlessly, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Gu Yan walked up to Su Qinghe, completely ignoring Xie Wang and Chen Xi beside him, as if they were just dust in the air.

"Long time no see, Qinghe. Uncle Su was talking about you with my dad the other day. I didn't expect you to participate in this kind of competition."

Gu Yan smiled, his tone carrying a hint of condescending judgment:

"For families like ours, this kind of competition is just a formality to gain prestige. Why did you even bother to come all this way? Aren't you tired?"

Su Qinghe said coldly, "I like physics, and that has nothing to do with my family."

"Still so stubborn."

Gu Yan shook his head, and then finally turned his gaze to Xie Wang beside him as if to bestow a favor.

He glanced at Xie Wang's clean but obviously not high-end black windbreaker, then looked at Chen Xi who was still munching on beef jerky next to him, a hint of undisguised contempt flashing in his eyes.

"Who is this?" Gu Yan asked.

"I'm her teammate." Xie Wang stepped forward before Su Qinghe could speak.

"teammate?"

Gu Yan chuckled softly, glancing meaningfully at Su Qinghe:

"Qinghe, I know you've been in that small place, Jiangcheng, for a long time, so you might know some... friends of all kinds."

"But this is the capital, and the circles are different. Sometimes you still have to be mindful of your status. Don't bring just anyone with you, or people will laugh at you."

That's a really harsh thing to say.

Chen Xi, who was standing nearby, couldn't stand it anymore. He stopped eating his beef jerky and was about to stand up and yell "You idiot!" when Xie Wang grabbed his shoulder.

Xie Wang wasn't angry; his expression didn't even change.

He simply took a step forward slowly, using his height advantage to look down at Gu Yan with a wild and oppressive aura.

"Gu Yan, right?"

Xie Wang's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling ruthlessness:

"I've heard of you too. The second young master of Tianlong Group, the silver medalist in the previous competition."

Gu Yan was taken aback, clearly not expecting this "country bumpkin" to know his background: "Since you know, you should know some manners..."

"rule?"

Xie Wang scoffed and interrupted him.

He leaned closer to Gu Yan, his eyes sharp as knives, and said, word by word:

"I don't care if you're from the Gu family or Tianlong Group, or what circle you're from. I'm not here to make friends with you."

Xie Wang pointed to the golden trophy model in the center of the hall, his tone extremely arrogant:

"I'm here to win the gold medal, and I don't mind stepping on your head to get it."

"So, drop that spoiled brat attitude of yours. Don't lose too badly and embarrass the Gu family."

"you--!"

Gu Yan's face instantly turned ashen; he hadn't expected Xie Wang to dare speak to him like that.

"Let's go, Qinghe."

Xie Wang didn't look at him again, naturally reaching out to take the backpack from Su Qinghe's hand, and patted the stunned Chen Xi with his other hand:

"Brothers from Sichuan, I'm leaving. I'll treat you to milk tea. It's a waste of breath to waste your breath talking to this kind of person."

Su Qinghe didn't even glance at Gu Yan before turning and leaving with Xie Wang.

Gu Yan was left standing there, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

……

22:30 PM, hotel room.

After taking a shower, Xie Wang was shirtless, water droplets sliding down his abdominal muscles.

He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window without turning on the lights.

Outside the window, the bustling night view of Beijing unfolds, neon lights flashing. In the distance, the logo of the Tianlong Group building resembles a crouching beast in the night, overlooking the city.

Xie Wang stared at the logo, his eyes filled with a chilling killing intent.

Gu Yan is just the beginning.

One day, I will stand in a place higher than this building.

"Buzz—"

My phone, which was on the bedside table, vibrated.

Xie Wang withdrew his gaze, the coldness in his eyes vanishing the moment he saw the name on the screen.

Su Qinghe: [Are you asleep?]

Xie Wang smiled, dried his hair, lay on the bed, and replied to her message.

Xie Wang: [No, is Professor Su checking the dorms? The first class is physics tomorrow morning at 9 AM, don't stay up late.]

Su Qinghe: [Yeah, just now downstairs... Don't take Gu Yan's words to heart.]

Xie Wang looked at the line of text and tapped his finger lightly on the screen.

Xie Wang: [Do I look like such a sensitive person? It's just a few barks from dogs, I wouldn't take it to heart.]

Xie Wang: [However...]

Su Qinghe: [But what?]

Xie Wang turned over, looked at the ceiling, and sent a voice message.

Her voice carried the dampness of a post-shower breath, and a hint of feigned pitifulness:

"But the bed in this five-star hotel is too soft; it made my back hurt. Our school library is much more comfortable… If I do well on the exam tomorrow, could Teacher Su give me a reward?"

The next room.

Su Qinghe, dressed in pajamas, leaned against the headboard, listening to the boy's slightly nasal and coquettish voice in the voice message, and couldn't help but chuckle.

This guy was acting like a wolf downstairs just now, but now he's acting like a big shot again.

She thought for a moment, but instead of exposing him, she replied:

Su Qinghe: [Okay.]

Su Qinghe: [Goodnight, you little wolf cub.]

Xie Wang looked at the three words "wolf cub" on the screen, buried his face in the pillow, and laughed out loud.

That laughter was brimming with ambition and anticipation.