Chapter 137: Frustrations

After sharing her own situation, Wen Zixin turned to ask Yan Moyu about hers.

Yan Moyu smiled, her expression unchanged as she pinched Wen Zixin’s cheek. "I’m not as capable as our Zixin; I haven’t even gotten started yet."

Half of this was to tease Wen Zixin, but the other half carried a trace of bitterness that was hard to detect. Wen Zixin, not catching the subtext, simply heard that Yan Moyu hadn't begun yet and earnestly shared a multitude of her own study tips.

This was the peak time for students to arrive at school. Before long, Gu Ci, Xiao Yang, and Huo Shuyue walked into the classroom together, drawing the gazes of everyone present. Such a combination certainly didn't look like nothing was going on... However, as none of the three showed any particular expression, the crowd turned their attention back to their studies.

Gu Ci crushed a pill and began to slack off. Seeing everyone else studying, working on problems, and asking questions, Yan Moyu sighed inwardly, though she couldn't say she was overly disappointed. Over the years, she and others had tried every method imaginable and seen countless doctors, long ago resigning herself to this outcome in her heart. It was only because she had suddenly improved yesterday that a flicker of hope had been rekindled. Alas, in the end, it was nothing but despair.

Yan Moyu’s gaze fell unconsciously on a problem in her workbook. Perhaps, she thought, this was fate—that she was destined for this in her life... Hmm?

As she looked at the problem, Yan Moyu gave a sudden start. She hurriedly took out her pen and began scribbling equations. Once she finished the steps and arrived at the answer, she didn’t even bother to check the answer key; she knew it was correct. Because... when it came to these types of problems, as long as she wasn't having an "episode," her accuracy was one hundred percent. This was no boast; it was the confidence born from a total self-understanding gained through countless practice papers.

Taking a deep breath, still feeling as though it were unreal, she quickly solved the entire page of problems that followed. Only then did she exhale slowly and turn to knock on Lu Youming’s desk. "Why don’t you try solving some problems now?"

After the class ended, Yan Moyu, Lu Youming, and the others gathered on the rooftop once again.

Lu Youming’s eyes were deep in thought. "Is it because of the location we were in?"

Yan Moyu rolled her eyes. "What, do you want to say the school’s feng shui is better? Give it a rest."

The others also felt this guess was unreliable. Suddenly, someone had a flash of inspiration. "Could it be because the study atmosphere in our class is better?"

Once this was said, they fell into deep contemplation. Thinking about it, it wasn't impossible; after all, experts had attributed their condition to psychological causes in the past. While they had all rejected that view, this current situation left them slightly shaken.

Yan Moyu frowned, still not convinced. Everyone present was far from psychologically fragile, and she, in particular, was firmly convinced that it couldn’t be the reason. After a moment of silence, she proposed another possibility. "Could it be that our condition has already improved, so the duration of our episodes has shortened?" No longer like before, where they were completely incapacitated day and night.

This guess received more approval from the group. However, since it was difficult to verify at the moment, they had to suppress their curiosity and return to the classroom with their usual expressions.

Elsewhere, in Class One, Gu Zhiran received a call from Meng Yueling during class. Every eye in the room instantly fixed on her. Gu Zhiran offered the group an apologetic smile, quickly hung up the phone, and apologized to the teacher.

As the teacher continued the lesson, Gu Zhiran sat listlessly with her pen, a flicker of irritation crossing her eyes. Usually, her elders and friends knew she was in class and wouldn't call at such a time, but Meng Yueling simply didn't care about such things. Taking a deep breath, Gu Zhiran went to the corridor after class to return the call.

"Hello, Sister Yueling, it’s me, Zhiran." Gu Zhiran’s tone was as gentle as ever, devoid of the irritation she had felt moments ago. "I was in class when you called earlier, so I didn't pick up. Is something the matter?"

Hearing Gu Zhiran’s explanation, Meng Yueling didn't offer a single apology; her tone remained sour. "Oh, is that so? Then I suppose I can't blame you. I just want to ask, where has that bitch Gu Ci been hiding these past few days? Did you or someone else leak something to her, causing her to go into hiding?"

Meng Yueling had been having a miserable time lately. A while ago, she had finally managed to book Dr. Gu to treat her hand, only to be interrupted by Gu Ci and her father. The doctors who came afterward were completely useless, and to this day, her hand was still throbbing with pain. Because of this, she hadn't been able to attend the Piano Association’s internal exchange meeting yesterday!

Meng Yueling was already a member of the association, and she usually wouldn't have cared about a minor exchange in Songdu. But after it ended yesterday, she heard that more than one big shot had attended! Even ignoring those figures, she was certain that, given her status, she could have forged a connection with one of their disciples. Yet, because of Gu Ci, she had missed it entirely! To make matters worse, despite sending people to grab Gu Ci, she hadn't even managed to lay eyes on her in days.

Hearing Meng Yueling’s imperious tone, Gu Zhiran had wanted to hang up immediately. Even if the Meng family’s status was extraordinary, she had already gained the favor of Master Shen and was about to enter the Piano Association; there was no need for her to be overly accommodating to Meng Yueling.

However, Meng Yueling had mentioned Gu Ci. Gu Zhiran’s eyes darkened slightly; she hadn't expected that after so many days, Meng Yueling still hadn't succeeded. Such amateur tactics... no wonder she had been taught a lesson by Gu Ci before.

Keeping her face calm, she asked softly, "What’s wrong, Sister Yueling? My cousin has been at school every day."

Hearing that Gu Ci was at school made Meng Yueling even angrier. She gritted her teeth. "Those two idiots! They couldn't even ambush her at school!"

"Zhiran, lure that bitch Gu Ci out for me at noon. I’m going to give her a proper lesson today!"

A hint of a smile flashed in the depths of Gu Zhiran’s eyes.