MCFEM C10

Chapter 10: Can I Go With You to See Your Mother…

“What are you thinking about?”

In the classroom, after the storm had settled, He Ming’an turned his head and saw Gu Yang holding a pen. The tip was pressed against a scrap of paper, scrawling down three messy characters.

Song Yinxing.

“You’re very interested in that special-admission student?”

Interested?

“He’s pitiful.” Gu Yang’s tone was flat, as if stating a fact.

He Ming’an froze for a moment, then gave a helpless smile. “That’s true.”

“Song’s family… his circumstances are a little complicated. When the admissions office found out, they actually called him with very generous conditions. That’s why he gave up the chance to attend First High and came here instead.”

Gu Yang listened while drawing a circle around the name. He shook his head, as if refuting something silently.

“That day Song was being picked on, I didn’t expect you to step in,” He Ming’an said, studying him. “That was rare. You’ve never seemed to care about anyone before.”

“Care.” Gu Yang repeated the word, then broke into a smile, like a child who’d just received a favorite gift. “Mm. I care about him a lot.”

“Then maybe I should increase his stipend,” He Ming’an suggested lightly, his fingertip brushing across the circled name.

“You care about him too?” Gu Yang lifted his eyes.

“I want to thank you.” He Ming’an’s lips moved, words faltering. “A-Yang, I…”

“By the way, isn’t Nie Ying’s birthday next week?” Ye Chen suddenly cut in, his voice loud, eyes glinting as he grinned at He Ming’an. “How nice, huh? Every year it’s a big deal. Wonder what it’ll look like this time?”

“This one’s his coming-of-age. Definitely gonna be even more spectacular,” Xie Wu chimed in. He’d been the one trading blows with Nie Ying earlier. His sharp features and bone structure made him look like trouble incarnate.

“You think he’ll invite us again this year?” Ye Chen pressed, pretending to be casual. “Gu Yang, you wanna go?”

Everyone else knew what he was hinting at. Only Gu Yang was still in the dark.

“What’s it got to do with me?” Gu Yang didn’t even glance at him. “Am I living too happily? You want me to go looking for misery?”

“Hahahahaha—” Xie Wu slapped the desk, roaring with laughter. “Well said. I don’t wanna go either. Every time, my dad forces me to. You’re lucky—your family has someone to stand in for you, so you don’t get dragged along.”

Gu Yang curled his lip. “That’s just because they’re all rotten peas in the same pod.”

“But speaking of which, how do you plan to thank me?” Xie Wu dragged his chair closer, pointing to the bruise on his face. “This one’s thanks to you. If I hadn’t blocked him in time, that punch would’ve landed square on you.”

His grin carried a rascal’s edge, turning his words into a half-joking tease.

Gu Yang stared at him.

[Xie Wu… I think he didn’t have much screen time. Why was that again?]

[Oh, right. He tried to save Song Yinxing from being surrounded by thugs, but in the fight, he got struck in the back of the head with a steel rod and died instantly. No wonder he vanished from the story.]

[And those thugs were bought off by Nie Ying, just to cause trouble for Song.]

[The Xie family took it out on Song. Xie Wu’s older brother grabbed the rod that killed him and beat Song half-crippled. His left eardrum got ruptured too, leaving him partially deaf for life.]

Gu Yang looked those few lines over, again and again, then snapped back to reality to find Xie Wu still staring at him. He recalled the earlier question. “How do you want me to thank you?”

Xie Wu: “…Forget it. No need.”

Thanks a lot. How did I end up dead in just a few sentences?

[Wow, Song Yinxing’s seriously cursed. What a world-class scapegoat.]

[For real. If there’s blame, it should fall on the right head. Why didn’t Xie Wu’s brother check the facts before swinging?]

[I thought Nie Ying was just violent, but he’s downright vicious.]

[Good thing I decided to steer clear of him.]

Xie Wu: “Hold on, none of you are gonna speak up for me? I’m dead here, you know?”

[Why don’t you just avoid Song Yinxing from now on?]

[Yeah, stay away. It’s his mess—why stick your neck in?]

[Besides, you’re fine now, aren’t you? Next time, just bring a helmet. (eating-melon.jpg)]

Xie Wu: “@Gentle Breeze, thanks. At least you know how to comfort a guy.”

He scratched his head, troubled. Honestly, he didn’t even know Song. But if the situation played out like Gu Yang described, he probably would rush in without thinking.

You couldn’t just stand by while someone got jumped, right?

…Maybe he really should carry a helmet around.

[Xie Wu’s brother must’ve been completely brainless. No wonder the Xie family went bankrupt later.]

That bit shocked him more than anything else. Xie Wu hadn’t fully processed his own death yet, but hearing about his family’s collapse left him cold.

Crap. That was a question way outside the syllabus.

He could only pray Gu Yang wouldn’t spill any more specifics.

[Why does everything tie back to Zhou Qinqin? Shen Shan, Liu Chaoyin, now even this Xie Wu business.]

[Is that woman a succubus or something? She’s that powerful? Maybe I should just introduce her to Gu Yuhui…]

Wait a minute—

There were too many red flags in those two lines. Nobody even knew where to start roasting.

Zhou Qinqin—wasn’t she the one who wanted to snatch away Ying Jiayi’s future husband, Yu Zhou’s mother, Liu Chaoyin’s white moonlight, and Shen Shan’s sister-in-law? And later she even hooked up with Xie Wu’s brother and ruined the Xie family.

And this legendary woman, Gu Yang actually wanted to introduce to Gu Yuhui? Wasn’t Gu Yuhui Gu Yang’s own…

Had the Gu family’s peace irritated this ancestor so much he was ready to stir chaos himself?

It was too much. Just untangling the relationships was frying their collective brains.

No one understood Gu Yang’s thought process. But that didn’t stop the whole class from developing a kind of eerie fear of him.

Turns out the real untouchable in Class Eleven… was him.

Completely unaware of the sudden silence around him, Gu Yang was already lost again in his own world.

After school, he packed up and left with He Ming’an.

They’d barely stepped out of the building when Gu Yang stopped. “I just remembered something. You go on ahead.”

“But it’s getting dark. Can’t it wait till tomorrow?”

“Not now.” Gu Yang waved, and for once, even flashed a lighthearted smile. “Tell Uncle Huang for me later, bye.”

He Ming’an didn’t reply. He simply watched Gu Yang’s retreating back, his reflection on the glass sharp against the darkening sky.

Song Yinxing.

Gu Yang recalled a small plot point here.

In the novel, after the tragic backstory of the protagonist was laid out, there was a scene: one evening, Song Yinxing stumbled upon Nie Ying leading a group to surround some out-of-school students. Instead of rashly rushing in, he called the police. Still, the act earned him Nie Ying’s ire.

Nie Ying soon found out who had interfered—and as luck would have it, two of his underlings were Song’s classmates.

Those two had been caught cheating during the monthly exam. The stray note that exposed them had landed right by Song’s foot, and when the proctor noticed, they blamed Song for not covering for them. Nursing a grudge, they egged Nie Ying on, leading to the confrontation.

In the original novel, without Gu Yang’s intervention, Song had no choice but to kneel, buying himself time to repay his debts.

The day the exam results came out, the teacher praised Song’s steady performance in class while subtly stressing the importance of integrity.

Though no names were mentioned, everyone knew who was being referred to. Humiliated, the two underlings waited until after school to hassle Song again.

“Well, if it isn’t our top scholar.”

“School’s out, why are you still hanging around?”

“Don’t you remember? Top Scholar’s got a work-study gig. He’s waiting to clean the classroom.”

“Wow, how inspirational~”

“Yeah, what do you expect? With a dad who owes debts up to his ears?”

Song’s gaze was icy as his classmates heckled. He ignored them, waiting until the others left the classroom to start cleaning.

“Hold it, Scholar.” Ding Ziyu blocked his way. “We came here just for you. Don’t you think it’s rude not to greet us?”

“Speaking of, you still haven’t apologized for dirtying Ziyu’s shoes. Let’s talk it over today.”

“The money’s already paid.” Song’s voice was cold. “It’s over between us.”

The debt had been shifted to someone else. A face flashed in his mind.

“Over?” Ding Ziyu sneered. “Song, you think just because Gu Yang backed you up yesterday, you’ve got a protector now?”

“Let me tell you. Gu Yang’s a moody freak. If he’s in a good mood, maybe he’ll help. But if not, who knows what he’ll do to you.”

“So his name’s Gu Yang,” Song murmured softly.

The calm reaction stunned Ding Ziyu, who instantly grew angrier. He decided to put the boy in his place. “Don’t push your luck, Song.”

He kicked over a trash bin by the door, scattering scraps everywhere in challenge.

“You should be thanking me. Now you’ve got plenty to clean.”

“That’s the difference between us. What good are grades? With your background, you’ll never rise above sweeping floors behind me. Sons of maids don’t belong in the spotlight—”

“And what about me?” An arm hooked casually over Ding Ziyu’s shoulder.

“G-Gu Yang?” Ding Ziyu’s arrogance froze, his voice stammering. He didn’t even need to look—the voice was unmistakable.

Why was Gu Yang here? School was over!

“Mm. Correct answer.” Gu Yang tilted his head at the other underling. “Didn’t I transfer money to you? Why are you still harassing him?”

“W-wait, wasn’t it me you transferred it to?” Ding Ziyu blurted before cursing himself for his loose mouth when Gu Yang’s attention turned on him.

Damn it.

“You just said because you’re richer than him, whatever you do is right.” Gu Yang’s smile was slow, chilling. “By that logic, since I’m richer than you, whatever I do to you is right too?”

“I—” His scalp tingled as he met those gray, misty eyes. Even when Gu Yang smiled, there was a damp, eerie cold beneath.

“Don’t you think it’s pathetic?” Gu Yang released him and walked toward Song. “This classroom—you’ll clean it spotless.”

Ding Ziyu’s face went sheet-white.

As he led Song down the stairs, Gu Yang turned back, as if remembering something. “Oh, right. If anything happens again, I’ll be coming for you.”

He was still smiling, but it never reached his eyes.

Ding Ziyu could only nod, terrified.

Once outside, Song finally shook himself free of the dazed state Gu Yang’s presence had left him in.

Slowly, he unclenched his fists, the crescents from his nails fading from his palms. He lifted his gaze, expression complicated.

“I owe you again.”

“Again?” Gu Yang adjusted his coat in the wind. “Don’t you find that annoying? I’m just bullying with power.”

Confusion flickered across Song’s face, but in the end, he only shook his head. “It’s different.”

“Thank you for stepping in. I still need to… go to the hospital. My mother’s sick.” He had never revealed this to anyone before. It was his greatest weakness, something that must never be exposed at this school.

But in this moment, the walls he had built finally cracked—because of one simple gesture of help.

He bowed his head earnestly in thanks, then turned to leave.

“You’re going to see your mom? Can you take me with you? I really want to see her too.” Gu Yang had eaten so much of the protagonist’s drama, his curiosity about the real scene was burning. He asked without hesitation.

Caught off guard, Song froze. His inner confusion spilled onto his face.

“…Huh?”