After a while, students returned to the bus one after another.

The bus started moving gradually, and Wen Yao was still reading the book in her hands.

Jiang Shuyi leaned back in her seat and started listening to music. When she put on her earbuds, Wen Yao glanced at her.

Jiang Shuyi offered one of her earbuds to Wen Yao, saying, "...Want to listen?"

". . ." Wen Yao nodded slightly.

— She probably wasn't the type to enjoy listening to music while reading.

Jiang Shuyi thought about giving Wen Yao one of her earbud.

"If you don't like it, you can give the earbud back to me."

"It's just something to pass the time, it doesn't matter if I like it or not." Wen Yao replied.

". . ." Jiang Shuyi made a sound to show she understood.

Wen Yao quietly put the earbud in her ears.

After listening to a few songs, Wen Yao turned a page in her book and casually asked, "Do you like folk music?"

"Yeah," Jiang Shuyi smiled, "I like it quite a bit."

Wen Yao continued to listen in silence.

As the bus drove on, nearly everyone began to close their eyes and drift off to sleep.

Before long, Jiang Shuyi's head began to nod.

". . ." Wen Yao glanced at Jiang Shuyi, who was dozing off beside her.

The Alpha was sleeping soundly, almost drooling on her clothes.

Wen Yao closed her book and rested her chin on her hand as she looked at her.

---

Time passed, and Jiang Shuyi opened her eyes, feeling a bit of soreness in her shoulder.

Turning her head, she realized that Wen Yao had somehow fallen asleep on her shoulder.

Wen Yao was breathing evenly.

Jiang Shuyi smiled and poked Wen Yao's face.

The bus eventually entered the main road of their school.

Most of their classmates had woken up and started chatting.

Wen Yao also opened her eyes gradually, stiffly raising her head to look at Jiang Shuyi.

She looked completely unaware of when she had fallen asleep.

Jiang Shuyi smiled and asked her, "Did you sleep well?"

". . ." Wen Yao didn't respond, sitting up straight with a blank expression.

"Not bad." she said, fixing her hair.

"Is that so? That's good." Jiang Shuyi didn't tease Wen Yao about sleeping on her shoulder but reached out to help her fix her hair.

When they got off the bus to grab their luggage, their homeroom teacher, Li Roujia, reminded them:

"Students, don't forget to do your homework when you get home."

A chorus of groans erupted from the class.

---

After returning home, Jiang Shuyi rummaged through her luggage and realized that Wen Yao's scarf was still with her and hadn't been returned.

". . ."

Jiang Shuyi took out her phone and called Wen Yao.

After a moment of waiting, the phone played a message:

"Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable..."

She had thought the call would connect immediately, but no one picked up.

". . ."

Jiang Shuyi called again.

Still no answer.

She put on a coat, casually tucked her phone back into her bag, and took Wen Yao's scarf as she headed out.

The night sky was murky, and the stars were obscured by clouds, with only a few visible.

The wind was gradually picking up.

Jiang Shuyi stuffed her hands into her coat pockets and walked briskly to the alley where Wen Yao lived.

The air today was even more humid than usual.

It might rain, Jiang Shuyi thought.

She walked from the old alley to the old building where Wen Yao lived.

Not far from the old building, she could see the light from Wen Yao's room.

Jiang Shuyi breathed a sigh of relief and entered the hallway.

The hallway was filled with an unpleasant smell of smoke and alcohol.

The light bulb on the second floor was still off, just like the last time she visited.

It was so dark that she couldn't see her own hand in front of her.

As soon as she stepped onto the second-floor stairs, she seemed to hear a loud crash of glass shattering.

Along with that, there was the sound of glass seemingly falling from a high point inside the house to the ground outside, and a man's voice echoed in the hallway.

"Where did he go?!"

". . ." Jiang Shuyi froze for a moment, startled by the voice.

The man's voice had a heavy accent, Jiang Shuyi couldn't tell where it was from, but she felt that he had a very strong muffled tone.

The sound of the wind suddenly grew louder.

The man shouted, "He's your father! Don't you know where he is?!"

After a moment of silence, a cold voice replied.

"......I'm sorry."

This voice was much softer than the man's, but Jiang Shuyi still recognized who it belonged to.

However, the tone of this voice made her freeze on the stairs.

Because the way this person spoke was so heavy and hollow that she momentarily thought she had mistaken the person.

"Your dad is a beast!"

The man grew more agitated, "What do I have to do for him to pay me back? Do I need to kneel for you?!"

He shouted, his voice echoing throughout the hallway.

Jiang Shuyi hurriedly ran up the stairs, but on her way up, she heard the continuous sound of glass breaking.

The loud and sharp noise was almost unbearable to her ears.

Yet, even so, no one in the hallway was willing to open their door to see what was happening.

Perhaps this was already the norm for those living here.

Jiang Shuyi navigated around the clutter in the hallway and noticed from a distance that Wen Yao's door was ajar, with light spilling into the dark and damp corridor.

"I'm sorry."

Wen Yao repeated in a mechanical tone.

"I already gave you the scholarship money last time."

Wen Yao's voice was lower than usual, sounding pale and dim.

"All I could give, I've already given..."

Jiang Shuyi rushed over, out of breath.

The conversation inside the room hadn't stopped.

The man standing in the room was already quite agitated, still cursing and venting his emotions.

"What's the use of your sorry?"

"What's the use of your sorry?!"

"Do you have any idea how much money your father borrowed from me? Your little bit of money isn't enough!"

"I'm sorry..." Wen Yao's tone carried a weariness and distress that Jiang Shuyi had never heard before.

"I know you're still studying, but with my situation, how can you still focus on your studies?!"

"...Please, let go of me."

It seemed that the man had grabbed her, and Wen Yao's voice came through in resistance.

"Don't you feel any guilt?!"

"Please let go of me!"

Wen Yao repeated herself.

Jiang Shuyi noticed that Wen Yao's voice was trembling.

"I really can't do anything right now..."

In a rush, Jiang Shuyi pushed open Wen Yao's door. Before she could catch her breath, the first thing she saw was the disarray in Wen Yao's home...

Standing in Wen Yao's home was a burly male Alpha, wearing a dull brown coat, with deep-set wrinkles on his forehead that looked like they were carved by a knife, and dark skin.

The man had a black mole on his cheek, looking to be in his thirties or forties.

He was shaking Wen Yao's shoulders violently, clearly agitated.

Wen Yao, looking at the aggressive man, stepped back unsteadily.

But the man continued to shout and curse.

The more he spoke, the more agitated he became, and the grip on Wen Yao's shoulders grew tighter, the veins on the back of his hand looking quite frightening.

". . ." Jiang Shuyi had never witnessed such a scene. She stared blankly at the two people in the room.

Wen Yao seemed to sense someone outside and slowly lifted her head.

As soon as she saw Jiang Shuyi, she averted her gaze, looking somewhat hurt.

In that moment, Jiang Shuyi felt a sharp pain in her heart.

Wen Yao's eyes no longer held the calmness she usually had, they looked even sadder than someone who was crying...

Her pale lips trembled, resembling a fragile little creature in distress, and her eyes had become hollow and lifeless.

"...Jiang Shuyi."

Jiang Shuyi quickly stepped forward and pulled Wen Yao behind her.

She glanced at the broken window in Wen Yao's home and draped her coat over her.

Jiang Shuyi patted Wen Yao's head, "...Are you cold?"

Wen Yao looked at Jiang Shuyi, her pupils trembling slightly.

"Are you her neighbor? Stay out of this if you're not involved!" the man shouted at her.

"Do you know how much her dad owes me?!"

Jiang Shuyi glared at the man, feeling so angry she could hardly speak.

She pointed at the man, "I don't care how much her dad owes!"

"But I'm warning you, she's just a child! A student!"

"Now, the idea of paying off a parent's debt is outdated! You showing up at her house this late can be considered disturbing the peace!"

The man glared at Jiang Shuyi, his eyes wide. "I want my money! What's it to you?!"

"Don't you understand when I tell you to get lost?!"

The man reached out to grab Wen Yao's shoulder.

Jiang Shuyi shielded Wen Yao behind her, bluffing, "I've called the police!"

"You're not allowed to lay a hand on Wen Yao!"

The man looked at her, displeased. "You think throwing around the police's name will intimidate me?"

Jiang Shuyi looked at the man with confidence.

"Well, I'll ask the police later who's in the wrong!"

"Is it you, the Alpha breaking into a home and laying hands on an Omega, or me, the brave and upright Alpha?"

"If you touch her again, I'll beat you up. I don't mind being locked up with you!"

"Come on!"

The man bit his lip, seemingly confirming something as he glanced outside. He pointed at Wen Yao and said:

"Tell your dad that if he hasn't paid me back by next month, I'll keep making a scene!"

"Whether it's once or ten times, I'll tell you, someone is helping you this time, but it may not be the case next time!"

"And you, you better watch out!" the man pointed at Jiang Shuyi.

Whether it was Jiang Shuyi's intimidation that worked, the man left with a parting shot and quickly left the old building where Wen Yao lived.

---

After a moment of silence, Wen Yao quietly lowered her head and began to slowly tidy up her things at home.

It was as if nothing had happened.

The broken window continued to let in the cold wind, sounding like a heart-wrenching cry, making an uncomfortable noise.

Jiang Shuyi watched Wen Yao clean up the mess and called her name.

"Wen Yao."

"I could take that kind of person down with one punch, you don't need to be afraid of him getting back at me." Jiang Shuyi said into the cold air.

"If he comes looking for you, just call me."

"Don't worry, everything will be fine."

". . ." Silence fell between the two.

"Jiang Shuyi."

Wen Yao quietly swept the trash into the bin, her head lowered.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

Though her voice was restrained, Jiang Shuyi could still hear the tremor in it.

Jiang Shuyi looked at the scarf in her hand, unsure of how to explain:

"I came to return your scarf. I tried calling you, but you didn't answer, and then I heard that guy—"

Wen Yao's cold voice interrupted her.

"I've told you before, my matters have nothing to do with you..."

"Just don't worry about me," Wen Yao continued.

Jiang Shuyi looked at Wen Yao's back, feeling a bit worried as she said, "But you, you..."

"I told you not to worry about me!" Wen Yao raised her voice, which was rare for her.

". . ." Jiang Shuyi immediately fell silent, feeling wronged as tears welled up in her eyes.

She knew she had seen too many of Wen Yao's secrets today.

She could feel that Wen Yao had been intentionally avoiding this topic.

She instinctively understood that this was a part of Wen Yao she didn't want others to see, something extremely private.

Wen Yao didn't want to see what she didn't want to show.

So, she had never asked.

But she had a vague understanding of it.

Wen Yao was struggling.

". . ." Jiang Shuyi glanced at the broken glass in Wen Yao's home and placed the scarf on the already messy table.

Jiang Shuyi quietly turned around, unable to express what she felt inside.

"...okay, I'll leave then..."

She walked step by step toward the door, and when she reached the entrance, she paused to wipe her eyes with the back of her hand, feeling a bit wronged again.

Jiang Shuyi felt her head buzzing with Wen Yao's words, "my matters have nothing to do with you..."

When she reached the stairway, she heard hurried footsteps behind her.

"Jiang Shuyi..." a low voice called her from behind.

Before she could turn around, she felt someone tightly hug her from behind.

The scent of roses mixed with a hint of the cold, damp air of winter rushed into Jiang Shuyi's nostrils.

Wen Yao's face was buried in Jiang Shuyi's shoulder, and a choked voice came through,

"...please don't go."

Wen Yao's shoulders trembled, and Jiang Shuyi felt her shirt getting wet from the tears.

---

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