Chapter 133
Chapter 133
Smack!
Wen Xin stood in the small grove across from the girls’ dormitory and killed yet another mosquito.
“Unbelievable! It’s already November. Why are there still so many mosquitoes?”
He had only just finished muttering when his phone screen suddenly lit up with a new message.
It was from Wen Miao.
Wen Miao: [She’s not in the dorm.]
Wen Xin: [Then I’ll go check the lab.]
Wen Miao: [Then I’ll come down and go with you.]
Wen Xin: [No need. She might not be there either. I’ll take a look first. If she is, I’ll let you know.]
Wen Miao: [Fine.]
Wen Xin put away his phone and headed toward the laboratory where Wen Tangtang usually stayed.
===
Ever since Wen Xin had learned from Wen Tangtang’s two classmates and roommates that she had often been staying out all night these past few days, suspicion had taken root in his mind.
Wen Tangtang had told her roommates she was spending the nights at an internet cafe, but Wen Xin did not believe that for a second.
Wen Tangtang disliked the smell of smoke, and she had a mild allergy to tobacco. When it was serious, it could even lead to a respiratory infection, so there was absolutely no way she would voluntarily go somewhere like an internet cafe.
Then where had she gone? And why would she lie?
With those doubts in mind, he had wanted to see Wen Tangtang in person, only for her to say she had something to do today. He had waited and waited until now, then asked Wen Miao to check Wen Tangtang’s dorm, only to hear that no one was there.
It was already nearly ten o’clock. Wen Xin knew that if he did not personally catch Wen Tangtang, she was probably going to stay out all night again. So he did not even send Wen Tangtang a message asking where she was. He went straight out to find her himself.
By now, it was almost ten. From the outside, the entire teaching building was dark.
Wen Xin walked around to the north side of the building and looked up.
Good. The lab Wen Tangtang usually used did not have its lights on either. In other words, there should be no one in the lab right now.
Somewhat puzzled, he stood downstairs with his hands on his hips, wondering where else Wen Tangtang could have gone.
It couldn’t be… that she was dating someone, could it?
The moment that thought occurred to him, Wen Xin felt even worse.
Gritting his teeth, he thought, Even if she’s dating someone, she still can’t stay out all night! And… and her boyfriend hasn’t even passed his and Wen Miao’s inspection yet. What right does he have to… move things along this fast!
The more Wen Xin thought about it, the angrier he became. No! He had to find her, especially that bastard who had coaxed her into not returning to the dorm!
Wen Xin found a clean spot by the entrance to the building and sat down. Then he took out his phone, switched the interface to code mode, and began tapping rapidly on the screen.
For ordinary people, locking onto someone’s location might require a tracking app. But for Wen Xin, there was no need to install one in advance. He usually entered the telecommunications company’s underlying system through a backdoor, then pulled up the location data for the number. As long as the phone was not turned off, locking onto a number’s location was a piece of cake for him.
However, phone number positioning covered a fairly broad area. Usually, it could only identify which cell tower the phone was near, not its precise location.
But that was already enough for Wen Xin, because all he wanted to confirm right now was whether Wen Tangtang was still at A University of Science and Technology.
The interface quickly displayed all the cell towers in City A. Then a small green dot began flashing near one of them.
Wen Xin locked onto it and zoomed in.
Good. Wen Tangtang was still near A University of Science and Technology.
In that case, if she was not in her dorm and could not possibly be at an internet cafe, where else could she be?
It was the middle of the night. She had to sleep somewhere…
Wen Xin thought of the row of inns and hotels across from the school, and his face instantly darkened.
Seething, he put away his phone and was just about to charge over when he suddenly heard footsteps.
Wen Xin froze mid-rise. In the next instant, he saw the school’s Director Wu walking toward the classroom building with a flashlight, accompanied by two burly middle-aged men.
All the lights around this classroom building had been turned off, so even though Wen Xin was sitting on the side steps near the entrance, the three of them didn’t seem to notice him.
As the three entered the building, Wen Xin even heard Director Wu’s voice clearly.
“I left the door open for her on purpose today. When we go up later, that little brat will definitely still be inside rummaging around. Keep your footsteps light. Don’t alert her.”
“Is the camera on? Make sure you get her on video later. Don’t let her get away.”
“And don’t underestimate that damned girl. She’s sly as hell…”
Their voices and footsteps grew farther and farther away, but Wen Xin, who had been about to leave, found himself unable to move. For some reason, a strong premonition rose in his heart.
He felt that the “damned girl” Director Wu was talking about was Wen Tangtang.
So without the slightest hesitation, he followed them.
Once they entered the classroom building, the three men softened their footsteps. Since they were moving slowly, it wasn’t hard for Wen Xin to keep up. On top of that, Director Wu still had a flashlight in his hand, practically serving as a bright guiding beacon.
Wen Xin followed Director Wu up to the second floor. This level was almost entirely teachers’ offices.
Director Wu and the two strong men stopped outside one office.
The flashlight had been turned off. Through the dim moonlight, Wen Xin could only see three dark silhouettes huddled together, one overlapping the next.
Then, almost the instant they pushed the door open, all three rushed inside.
In that very moment, Wen Xin heard all sorts of clattering and crashing sounds from inside the room.
Taking advantage of the commotion that drowned out everything else, Wen Xin quickly walked to the office door and crouched beneath the windowsill.
Through the window, Wen Xin saw the two strong men seem to pin someone to the floor. But because a desk was blocking his view, he couldn’t make out who had been restrained.
Director Wu seemed to be pulling the curtains shut. To avoid being seen, Wen Xin immediately dropped flat to the ground.
A short while later, when he heard the door close again, Wen Xin finally got up from the floor.
He saw a sliver of light leaking out from under the door and knew the lights were on inside. Not daring to stand in front of the door, he pressed himself outside the window and listened for movement within.
It was the first time Wen Xin realized just how well the school’s windows blocked sound. He could only hear faint noises from inside. Aside from that, he couldn’t make out anything at all.
Then came a thud from inside, as if something had crashed into something else. Immediately after, a girl screamed, “Don’t touch me!”
The moment Wen Xin heard that voice clearly, it was as if his entire head had been struck by an iron hammer, leaving his whole body buzzing. By instinct, he twisted the doorknob open and rushed inside.
The light appeared abruptly before his eyes, and he couldn’t help raising a hand to shield himself from it. Then he saw Wen Tangtang.
She was being held down on a chair. One side of her face was slightly swollen; it was obvious she had been slapped.
The air fell deathly still, as if the atmosphere had frozen in an instant.
When the people in the room saw Wen Xin standing at the door, countless expressions flashed across their faces in a single moment.
As for Wen Tangtang, when she saw Wen Xin in the midst of her despair, she, who had been holding back her tears the entire time, couldn’t help sniffling twice. “Wen Xin…”
The moment those two words left her mouth, it was as if they carried some kind of magic. Wen Tangtang’s tears came pouring down all at once.
When Wen Xin saw Wen Tangtang’s red, swollen face, his heart nearly shattered.