Chapter 159: The Red Exclamation Point

Gu Ci began editing and rewriting.

[GC: Nothing, just asking.]
[GC: Go back to your busy work.]
[Gifted-Cello: Okay.]
[GC: Goodbye.JPG]
[Gifted-Cello: Goodbye.]

The young man on the other end stared blankly, watching as his WeChat automatically sent out the messages "Okay" and "Goodbye." He was simply...

Stunned beyond words. One hundred percent dumbfounded.

Coming back to his senses, he anxiously tapped on the screen's keyboard and sent three large question marks.

For a minute and a half, the man watched helplessly as the opposite side status remained "typing."

Then...

It stopped...

Gone!

The man felt like his whole world was collapsing, and immediately sent out another three large question marks.

Then, the man noticed a red exclamation mark appear next to the message he had just sent.

Below it was a line of small white text.

[The other party has enabled friend cooling. Please resend after 240 hours.]

The man, "???"

What on earth is friend cooling?

...

...

On the other side, Elder Qin finished reading the analysis done by Gu Ci. He was plunged into a state of extreme trance and shock.

His expectations for Gu Ci were already quite high, so the musical pieces he assigned to her were all rather challenging.

Giving Gu Ci a week's time was not because he expected her to complete the analysis in such a short week, but rather so they could discuss it together later.

However, Gu Ci had given him an extraordinarily massive surprise!

Only a few days had passed, yet Gu Ci had already analyzed every single piece of music he had assigned, and the forms of expression she used were things he had never heard of before!

Clearly, this was not Gu Ci copying or adapting from the understandings of other masters, but rather contained her own distinct thoughts and emotions.

Originally, Elder Qin thought he had already a good grasp of Gu Ci's talent and ability, but to his surprise, he had still underestimated her in the end!

Amidst his inner awe, he impatiently began asking Gu Ci questions on WeChat.

[Qin Jing: My dear disciple, when did you finish all of these?]

Looking at the message from Elder Qin, Gu Ci pondered for two seconds.

[GC: Just finished it not long ago.]
[Qin Jing: My dear disciple, your current progress is exceptionally good!]

Gu Ci, "..."

After exchanging a few more words with Elder Qin and confirming her visit to the orchestra on Saturday morning, Gu Ci bid farewell to the old man...

After claiming she felt unwell, Gu Zhioran ran all the way to the restroom, leaned over the sink, and retched dryly.

She retched until her face turned pale before finally stopping.

Looking at her pale reflection in the mirror, Gu Zhioran's gaze gradually grew dark and heavy.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Gu Zhioran took out her phone and dialed Meng Yueling's number.

However, the call went unanswered.

The second attempt, still unanswered.

After a moment of thought, she called Madam Bai.

It was still in a state of unanswered as well.

Her phone slipped from her weakened hand.

She was utterly certain that Meng Yueling must have gone to trouble Gu Ci that morning, and the two of them had definitely met.

Yet at noon... Gu Ci returned completely unharmed, while Meng Yueling lost contact...

Thinking about what this implied, Gu Zhioran's expression flickered with conflicting emotions...

When school was over, Huo Shuyue reluctantly dragged her feet to walk home with Gu Ci.

There was no helping it; her uncle, who loved to pit his niece against the wall, had given a strict order: if Gu Ci didn't walk with her, she needn't bother coming home...

Thinking about how she would have to drag Gu Ci home from school every single day from now on, Huo Shuyue felt a deep headache and aching teeth.

Meanwhile, Wen Zixin had always walked home with Gu Ci, so she immediately hooked her arm around Gu Ci's other side.

Seeing these two—and crucially, seeing Huo Shuyue tagging along with Gu Ci—Xiao Yang walked with his hands in his pockets, keeping a moderate distance behind the three girls.

His followers naturally trailed along as well.

Whether it was sheer coincidence or bad luck, as they reached the stairway exit, they happened to run into Shi Xuetong and her group once again.

For some reason, upon seeing Huo Shuyue, the expressions of several girls turned peculiar, and they huddled together to whisper.

Huo Shuyue was already annoyed, so she kicked the railing. "Hey, why are you blocking the way here? Are you going to let people pass or not?"

The girls instantly stepped back a few paces with a hint of wariness.

Yet upon closer inspection, unlike before, the eyes of those girls no longer held pure apprehension and fear, but instead carried an indescribable, subtle mockery.

Shi Xuetong did not leave; instead, she stepped forward and stopped right in front of Huo Shuyue, her gaze tinged with well-concealed irony and schadenfreude.

"I really didn't expect... after just a few days, your relationship with Gu Ci has gotten this good?"

"I heard you even gave a lot of Mianzhong study materials to Gu Ci? I served as your follower behind you for almost three years, how come you never thought to give me a single copy?"

The tone in Shi Xuetong's voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Huo Shuyue sneered, "None of your damn business!" Besides, those books weren't even given by her to Gu Ci; rather, Gu Ci was the one who had given them to her.

"You!" Shi Xuetong was so angered by Huo Shuyue that she was left speechless.

"Get lost if you have nothing better to do. Good dogs don't block the path!" Huo Shuyue said coldly.

"Huo Shuyue, don't get too full of yourself!"

Shi Xuetong's chest heaved up and down for a while before she finally managed to calm herself.

She cast another meaningful glance at Huo Shuyue's face, leaned close to Huo Shuyue's ear, lowered her voice so only the two of them could hear, and said, "What a pity. No matter how much you try to suck up to others, Xiao Yang will never fancy you! After all, with that face of yours, if Xiao Yang were to see it, guess what he would do?"

Shi Xuetong's tone was full of malice. After she finished speaking, she let out a cold laugh and left with her friends from Class 11.

Hearing these words, Huo Shuyue's pupils shrank violently, her fists involuntarily clenched, and the hand gripping Gu Ci's arm tightened reflexively.

Shi Xuetong assumed her voice was very soft and only Huo Shuyue could hear. After delivering the threat, she departed with a smug sense of satisfaction.

Huo Shuyue forced herself to calm down and said as if nothing had happened, "Let's go. There's no need to stop for people like this."

"Mm."

Gu Ci's gaze swept lightly across Huo Shuyue's face, and she raised an eyebrow slightly.

Face?

When the group arrived at the school gate, they indeed saw Rong Ye's car parked outside.

However, by this time, Huo Shuyue's mind was in utter chaos; she had no mood to pay attention to whatever Rong Ye was saying to Gu Ci once again.

Returning to the villa, Huo Shuyue forced a casual remark to the other two before numbly retreating to her room.

She sat in front of the vanity mirror, looking at her own reflection, as the light in her eyes gradually dimmed bit by bit...